Police
remind Partygoers about Drink Drive Campaign in run
up to Christmas
As
people in Lancashire get ready for the Christmas holidays
and attend their Christmas parties this week, police
in Southern Division are reminding partygoers not to
drink and drive this Christmas.
Despite
the fact that figures released in Southern Division
half way through the Drink Drive campaign, would indicate
that the majority of people are taking head of the warning,
there are still a minority that don’t. Out of
the 222 breath tests that have been carried out on drivers
so far 11 of these have proved positive.
Sgt
Steve Moon who is in charge of the ANPR team that are
involved in the campaign commented,” The figures
would indicate that so far people seem to be acting
responsibly and taking head of the warning, however,
with Christmas and New Year fast approaching the probability
of a drink related accident either this week or next
is quite high.
This
year’s campaign is acting mainly on intelligence
received from members of the public and we would like
them to continue passing this information on to us.
If they see something happening that would cause immediate
danger i.e. someone getting into a car to drive who
is not in a fit state to do so they should ring 999.
If they have information about a person that drinks
and drives or drive’s the morning after they should
ring this information into Southern Communications Centre
on 0845 1 25 35 45. Within a maximum of 4 hours this
information will have been input onto police databases
so it can be acted upon. There is also the Crimestoppers
number on 0800 555 111 – which people can report
information on totally anonymously.”
This
activity is all part of the forcewide Christmas Campaign
Operation Shepherd, a crime reduction and community
reassurance campaign that aims to tackle and prevent
alcohol related crime and anti-social behaviour."
"Enjoy
your Christmas but make sure it is a safe and happy
one."
GUIDE
ROAD HOME PLANNING POSTPONED
13/12/06
West
Lancashire District Council Planning Committee have
postponed consideration of the Guide Road Planning Application
until the January Meeting.
PREMIUM
RATE PARCEL SCAM
05/12/06
CRIME
PREVENTION WARNING:
Members of the public are receiving cards through the
post from PARCEL DELIVERY SERVICE PDS with a contact
number of 0906 6611911. This is a premium rate number
message and will cost you £15. This is a scam
run from BELIZE. DO NOT CALL this number.
COUNCIL
UNANIMOUS IN SUPPORT FOR CARE HOME
23/11/06
Hesketh
with Becconsall Parish Council Planning Committee unanimously
confirmed that they had no objections to the Planning
Application to convert premises at 1A Guide Road Hesketh
Bank to a home for the residential care of up to six
autistic children.
The
decision was given following assurances from Positive
Childcare Limited, that no staff parking would be permitted
on the highway and that the home would only be used
for autistic children.
The
Parish Council sub-committee held the public meeting
after a revised planning application was received at
West Lancs. A proposal from Orange to install a new
telephone mast down Moss Lane was also discussed. In
sharp contrast to the 200+ who turned out for the first
residents meeting about the care home proposal (see
news archive 17/10/06), only 20 members of the public
attended the Parish Council meeting.
GOVERNMENT
FORCED TO REVEAL LOCAL NHS CUTS
17/11/06
The
growing public backlash at the Government’s NHS
cuts took a new turn this week as it was revealed that
Labour Ministers are actively involved in planning the
cuts and managing the media fallout locally.
Under
the Freedom of Information Act, the Department of Health
has been forced to publish ‘heat maps’,
showing the 77 NHS services on the Government’s
hitlist - where media interest on cutbacks and closures
is focused now and ‘in the future’. Ministers
and Labour Party officials have been holding meetings
to work out ways of closing hospitals and minimise the
negative media coverage in order to avoid losing marginal
Parliamentary seats at the next general election.
The
maps highlight the NHS organisations most at risk of
cutbacks and closure, and where media attention is highest
as a result. The documents reveal that the some of the
sites of the Southport & Ormskirk NHS Trust face
closure.
Lorraine
Fullbrook, the Conservative Parliamentary candidate
for Tarleton, Banks and Hesketh Bank commented: “These
leaked papers expose the fact that Labour Ministers
have a sinister hospital closure plan, and are conspiring
with Labour Party officials to minimise the political
fallout. Labour Ministers’ obsession with spin
and and managing the media tells us that ministers are
not interested in the long-term interests of local residents,
but are obsessed with saving their own political skin."
“Whilst
NHS staff are concerned about how they can treat their
patients, the Department of Health is more interested
in how the media report Gordon Brown’s NHS cuts.”
Police
across Southern Division are issuing a double warning
to members of the public – keep your personal
property safe but don’t think you can get away
with false reporting!
The
advice comes after police have received reports recently
of people having phones and ipods stolen from them by
offenders that have approached them in the street. One
incident happened in Chorley recently when the offender,
approached the 17 year old victim who was on his phone
and grabbed him. During the struggle the offender tried
to steal the V3 Razr mobile phone that the victim was
talking on, but this was smashed during the scuffle.
A
similar incident also too place on Cop Lane in Penwortham
when 4 male students aged 15/16 were approached by offenders
who demanded their mobile phones. Three mobiles were
stolen during the incident.
However,
police have recently issued two £80 fixed penalty
tickets, to individuals that have falsely reported having
items stolen from them. On the 2/11 a male from Leyland
reported that he had been the victim of a robbery. After
being questioned further the male admitted that he had
made the story up in order to obtain financial assistance
from the Benefits Agency. The male was issued an £80
ticket for wasting police time after two officers had
been out searching the area for over an hour. Another
false claim was made on the 13/11 by a male from the
Penwortham area who said he had had his bicycle stolen
off him at knifepoint. Good enquiries by local officers
and footage of CCTV proved a false claim and the man
was issued with an £80 ticket.
Sergeant
Colin Bosanquet of Leyland Police commented,”
We strongly urge members of the public to be aware of
their own personal safety and not to put themselves
in vulnerable situations such as walking down the street
talking on a mobile phone, especially when it is dark.
However we also want to enforce the message that those
people who do try and report false claims will be found
out. Police Officers investigate incidents very thoroughly
and when false claims have been made the evidence soon
comes to light. Sometimes officers may have spent a
lot of time investigating these claims when they could
have been responding to a genuine offence.”
CRIME PREVENTION NOTICE:
10/11/06
Please
make all vulnerable and elderly residents aware that
there has been three incidents of bogus officials in
the Parbold and Burscough areas, but could well occurr
in any part of West Lancashire.
The
Offenders have targetted elderly persons living alone,
with the excuses of looking for a lost dog and trying
to gain entry into the house by stating they where from
United Utilities. Once inside the house they have searched
rooms and stolen any cash they can find.
They
are described as three white males one taller than the
other two. One male is in his thirties not further described.
The taller of the three is of stocky build and has short
blonde hair, wearing on these occassions a long sleeved
pink and red striped shirt and pale blue denim jeans.
The third male was wearing a dark coat. The vehicle
they where in was a silver Ford Transit type vehicle
with a W registration. If there are any sightings of
similar described persons or vehicle acting suspiciously
or you have information regarding them, please contact
the Police on 0845 1253545 or Crimestoppers on 0800111555.
PHONE MAST WINDFALL FOR COUNCIL
07/11/06
Hesketh-with-Becconsall
Parish Council last night voted to offer the Station
Road Centenary Sports Ground as a prefered site for
a new O2 mobile phone mast.
O2
have identified the need for a mast and associated cabinet
to be sited somewhere in between the old railway bridge
and Becconsall Lane. The proposed mast would be 12.5
meters high and does not require planning permission.
Similar masts located in Southport regularly spark protests
from residents which are often seen in the local press.
The
Parish Council believe that whilst being just outside
the ideal geographic area identified, siting the mast
on the sports ground would mean that O2 would reduce
possible objections from nearby residential properties.
The Council anticipate an income of approximately £40,000
over a 10 year period should the proposal be acceptable
to O2.
FIRST
CAR IS STOLEN AS FROSTY WEATHER BITES
03/11/06
“It
was only a matter of time” this was the comment
being made by a police Sergeant today after a careless
motorist had their car stolen.
Police
across Southern Division are warning car owners to take
more care over their car security, in an attempt to
cut down on any further incidents of auto-crime over
the winter months as the frosty mornings set in.
The
incident that happened this morning took place at approx
7.40am at Vicarage Close in Adlington when the offender
stole a black Mitsubishi warrior valued at £20,000.
The aggrieved had left their car unattended with the
engine switched on as it was defrosting.
Each
year the police issue advice but are disappointed to
see motorists making the same mistakes despite their
warnings. This year they are again stressing the following
messages to motorists across the division:-
On
frosty mornings don’t leave insecure cars unattended
whilst defrosting. Many motorists will start their
car and leave it running with the fan turned on to
help the defrosting process whilst they go inside.
If you cannot garage your car overnight, either stay
with it whilst the windscreen clears or cover it with
a protective sheet so that the windscreen does not
get frosted up.
Leaving
the engine running whilst out of the car on a public
highway is an offence known as “quitting”
and this gives criminals the opportunity to take the
vehicle. Quite a few people do this whilst calling
into a newsagents first thing in the morning but will
also leave their keys in a switched off vehicle when
filling up with petrol – an open invitation
to an opportunist thief.
Insurance
companies request details of auto crimes from the
police to assess each individual’s claim. These
details help to establish whether the aggrieved has
been contributory to the loss and ultimately whether
the insurance company will pay out.
In
the run up to Christmas do not leave valuables on
display in your car and avoid leaving bags of presents
on view. This also applies not only to Christmas presents
but other items such as laptops and bags – if
you don’t need it don’t leave it in your
car.
Ensure
your car is safe, secure and properly alarmed at all
times. Leaving high powered and valuable vehicles
on driveways attracts attention and incidents have
happened where thieves have broken into insecure properties
and stolen the keys to vehicles – these crimes
have not just happened overnight. Keep your property
secure and your car keys out of sight.
Sgt
Warren Atkinson, Geographic Co-ordinator for the Chorley
area commented, “We are in our first real cold
snap of the winter and it amazed me how many people
leave their vehicles running and unattended when they
are defrosting. It doesn’t matter whether you
leave your car for 30 seconds or 3 minutes, we have
offenders that travel over from Manchester and Liverpool
to specifically commit these crimes and they don’t
need long to do it.
Please
don't think that they won't visit your area - thieves
travel everywhere to carry out these types of offences
and unfortunately they are usually successful in finding
what they are looking for. It is far easier for them
to steal a vehicle with keys than without."
Crime
Prevention advice and leaflets on vehicle security can
be obtained from your local Police Station
CALL
FOR ACTION TO SAVE LOCAL POST OFFICES
25/10/06
Lorraine Fullbrook, the Conservative
Parliamentary candidate for the South Ribble Constituency,
has this week urged action to safeguard her areas
remaining Post Offices and protect vital community
facilities. The call comes after 1,000 sub-postmasters
marched on Parliament on 18 October protesting at
Post Office closures, and as a Government Minister
asserted in response that there are “too many
offices”.
Lorraine said "Post Office branches across
the country face threats from the cancellation of
the rural Post Office subsidy in 2008; the direct
payment of benefits; DVLA moves to renew car tax
online and the opening of new regional Passport
Offices.
Royal
Mail bosses have also suggested that the Post Office
network could be reduced to just 4,000 branches.
Since 1999, South Ribble Constituency has already
lost 6 branches. Further cuts on that scale could
potentially mean that up to 15 more could shut their
doors."
In
response, Conservatives have launched an Action
Plan to save local Post Offices:
Giving
Sub-Post Offices greater freedoms to offer a wider
range of commercial products.
Pushing
for more Post Offices to be ‘one stop shops’
for central government services.
Campaigning
to save the Post Office Card Account from being
axed.
Encouraging
local councils to consider opening ‘council
counters’ in local branches.
Lorraine
explained, “Post offices are the lifeblood of
our local community. But their future is now under real
threat. The Government needs to understand the importance
of their valuable social role and Labour must end the
damaging uncertainty over the future of the network.
“I
want to add my support to the Action Plan unveiled by
David Cameron, to give sub-Post Offices greater freedoms
to diversify, to provide more central and local government
services through branches, and to campaign to save the
Post Office Card Account.“I
hope this will put pressure on the Government to develop
a clear long-term strategy for Post Office, to help
support our local branches and preserve these vital
community institutions.”
GIANT
PUMPKINS COMPETITION CLOSELY CONTESTED
21/10/06
The
up-side of a very poor growing year was that the
2006 Mere Brow Giant Pumpkin Competition was one
of the closest competitions ever held.
Dave
Turley of Dune FM compered the weigh-in which this
year was held in aid of the NSPCC. Spectators were
treated to a nail biting contest which was left
undecided until the very last pumpkin had been on
the scales.
In
the end it was James Houghton of Scarisbrick who
beat off all the competition to win the NFU Mutual
Insurance All England Shield and the Mere Brow and District
Shield with a 541lb whopper.
In
response to a flyer that had been circulated, local residents
turned out in force to hear more about a controversial
planning application for a Residential home on Guide Road
in Hesketh Bank. Such was the demand for more information
about the 'Change Of Use' application, the organiser's
were forced to urgently relocate the meeting in order
to allow the 200+ crowd to be accommodated.
The
meeting heard the concerns of those people neighbouring
the proposed development and the background of events
and planning timescales which led to them to distribute
the immotive leaflet around the village and set up a public
meeting.
Rumours
circulating around the village over the last few days
had suggested the home would be a secure unit for young
offenders but a spokesman from the Positive Childcare
Ltd allayed many fears by confirming that the proposed
home would be to cater for six autistic children aged
between 10-15 years old.
Locals
went on to voice many concerns about the location and
overall suitability of the building which is on the corner
of Guide Rd and Shore Rd, the lack of on site parking,
the impact to traffic flow and danger posed by the considerable
amount of HGV and farm traffic that uses both roads. A
request was also made to better understand Lancashire
County Councils role in the proposed residential and respite
home and, if due process was of such paramount concern
to the Council and applicant, why had work already begun
on the property.
In
a comprehensive letter
submitted to this website, Positive Childcare Ltd claimed
to have addressed many of the concerns raised but confirmed
they would organise a further public meeting in the near
future at which any further questions could be tabled.
The
meeting organiser's expressed their dismay about the lack
of action and support from the Parish Council, West Lancashire
District Council (Planning) and Lancashire County Council
(Traffic) in response to their meeting but, although uninvited,
Cllr Martin Forshaw (WLDC Hesketh-with-Becconsall) attended
and articulated the current status of the planning application,
the likely procedural course it would take and advice
as how best to make representation to the District Council.
When
made available, we will post the minutes of the meeting
on this website and notify residents of the date and location
of the Public Meeting that Positive Childcare Ltd intend
to hold.
HAVE
YOUR SAY ON ALL LOCAL ISSUES ON THE LETTERS
PAGE
After
many months of consultation and negotiation about 170
hectares of land on the south bank of the Ribble has been
bought with a view to creating a wetland habitat. The
£2.5m project at Hesketh Out Marsh is believed to
be the largest project of this kind in Europe.
Saline
lagoons and muddy creeks will be created by breaching
embankments and letting in the sea, reducing pressure
on primary defences along the coast. The RSPB said the
saltmarsh would improve habitats for birds including redshanks,
skylarks, knots, dunlins and shelducks and would eventually
form a part of the proposed Ribble Estuary Regional Park.
Tony
Baker, the RSPB's Ribble sites manger, said the wetland
would make a major contribution to national targets for
coastal saltmarsh creation. "The new reserve, which
will restore the coastal landscape to how it used to be
a quarter of a century ago, will also provide a new, inspiring
recreational asset for the local community," he added.
Money
for purchasing the land has been provided by the Environment
Agency, Northwest Regional Development Agency and Lancaster
City Council.
Work
on the project is expected to begin in March 2007.
Over
the course of the forthcoming weeks Lancashire Constabulary
and Merseyside Police will be joining forces to tackle
cross border car crime in the Ormskirk, Sefton and outlying
areas.
This
will involve the use of both uniform and plain clothes
resources from both forces working alongside each other
to ensure the cross flow of intelligence and provide geographical
knowledge of hotspot areas through joint patrolling.In
addition decoy cars fitted with state of the art satellite
tracking technology and in car video and audio recording
equipment will be deployed on both sides of the border
to trap unsuspecting thieves. Lancashire Police have access
to a fleet of cars that will be changed on a regular basis
and placed in hot spot areas for car crime. This initiative
follows a recent rise in the number of portable satellite
navigation systems being stolen as owners leave them in
cars.
Inspector
Smith, Geographic Commander for Ormskirk and Burscough
sent out a warning to criminals "Criminals don't
adhere to the invisible boundaries between policing areas
and by working closely with Merseyside Police we can ensure
that we jointly tackle this problem. The message is clear
- we are determined to catch you and reduce car crime.
You are being watched and we will proactively target you.
Just remember any car that you target could easily be
a police decoy vehicle."
Inspector
Smith added "We need the assistance of the public
to reduce car crime by ensuring that you don't leave any
items on display in the vehicle as criminals like to window
shop and if possible remove valuables altogether as criminals
look in glove boxes and under seats. Passing thieves will
break in to your car for things of little value and even
if they take nothing think of the inconvenience and cost
to you to repair the damage."
"Ormskirk
and the surrounding towns are safe and friendly and people
tend to take a more relaxed view in relation to vehicle
security. What they leave in cars here they would never
dream of doing when visiting major cities. The message
to the public is please think security and remove all
valuables as whilst these are safe towns don't make it
easy for criminals"
If
you have any information about car crime please contact
either Ormskirk Police Station on 01695 566430 or alternatively
you can ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
POLICE REPEAT SECURITY WARNING
20/09/06
Don’t
leave Satellite Navigation Systems on Display
Police
across Southern Division are re-issuing security advice
to members of the public after a number of vehicles have
been broken into and Satellite Navigation Systems stolen.
In the majority of cases these systems have been left
on display
Police
are advising motorists that if the system is portable
take it with you when leaving the car along with the support
cradle and suction pads. Motorists are also advised to
wipe away any marks that are left by the suction pads
as thieves look out for these. Other advice to note is:-
Don’t
leave the equipment in the glove box as thieves will
usually check there first.
Mark your sat nav equipment with your postcode, house
number or vehicle registration number or any other unique
number using special security markers.
Make a note of the serial number of the equipment and
keep it somewhere safe not in the car.
Police
are also using this opportunity to re-emphasise the importance
of home security as well as vehicle security. There have
been a number of burglaries across the division since
August where offenders have entered the premises via insecure
doors and windows. By leaving property insecure Members
of The Public are making it easy for offenders to commit
crime.
Detective
Neil Howarth for West Lancashire area commented,”
I cannot stress enough how important it is for people
to take responsibility for their own security. Leaving
Satellite Navigation Systems on show is almost like leaving
£150 on you car dashboard and I am sure people would
certainly think twice about doing that!!
It
is the same with home security as well – members
of the public should not underestimate the opportunity
an unlocked door or open window can give an opportunist
thief. Police do investigate and take seriously these
kind of offences, but they would much rather homeowners
and car owners took more responsibility for crime prevention
so that these crimes could be prevented from happening
in the first place.”
Further
crime prevention advice is available by calling into your
local police station.
VIEWS SOUGHT ON BILL OF RIGHTS PROPOSAL
12/09/06
Lorraine
Fullbrook, the Conservative Party candidate for the South
Ribble constituency at the next General Election has launched
a survey to discover the views of local people on the
issue of a new Bill of Rights. Mrs Fullbrook, who hopes
to be the MP for Tarleton, Banks, Hesketh Bank, Rufford,
Eccleston and Mawdesley is in the process of delivering
the survey to over 40,000 local homes.
Asked
why she was doing this , Lorraine said, " In the
past two years, I have undertaken a number of surveys
on issues such as health, education and Policing. This
issue is one I believe that the next Conservative Government
MUST address. The Human Rights Act was passed in 1998
and builds the European Convention of Human Rights into
British law in its entirety - and therefore with no reservations.
David Cameron has argued that current legislation is inadequate
and therefore wants to create a new British Bill of Rights
to replace the Human Rights Act. This Bill of Rights would
be specifically designed to fit British needs and traditions
and would set out all the rights every citizen is entitled
to and which they can expect to have protected in the
courts.
Under the proposals, people would still be able to pursue
their claims in the European courts but judges would have
a British Bill of Rights to base their rulings upon.
I think this makes total sense and would help to redress
the balance that seems to have been lost, where criminals
seem able to claim their "Rights " have been
abused, whilst it sometimes seems impossible for victims
and ordinary citizens to do so.
I want to know what local people think on this fundemental
issue so that I can feed their thoughts into to the current
process that is determining the Conservative policies
upon which I and every Conservative candidate will stand."
Anyone who does not recieve the questionaire through their
door can complete it on www.telllorraine.com
BRETHERTON AIRFIELD APPLICATION
11/09/06
PRESS
RELEASE: APPLICATION FOR MICROLIGHT/LIGHT AIRCRAFT AIRFIELD,
BRETHERTON
11/9/06
Residents of Tarleton need to be aware of the Planning Application
to a neighbouring Authority for the siting of an airstrip
which may affect the General Amenity of people living in
Tarleton. The application contains a map showing flight
paths directly over Tarleton. All comments/observations
need to be sent to Chorley
Borough Council by 22/9/06
This
item will be considered by Tarleton Parish Council at
its next meeting which will be held on 19/9/06 at Carr
Lane Pavillion at 7.30pm.
Cllr.
J.E.Hodson
Vice Chair, Tarleton Parish Council
NPOWER
TURN UP THE HEATING COST
08/09/06
npower
today became the latest supplier to increase prices for
the majority of its 6.3 million customers, the company’s
third price increase since 1st Jan 2006.
Effective
from 1st October, npower’s customers will see their
gas bills increase by 17.2% or £92, whilst electricity
bills will rise by 9.9% or £36, bringing the average
npower energy bill up to £1008 per year.
Today’s
announcement brings to a close the second major round
of energy price rises to be implemented this year by the
‘big 6’, who’ve amassed a staggering
thirteen prices hikes between them in 2006 alone.
Ann
Robinson, Director of Consumer Policy at uSwitch
said “Following today’s price hike, npower
will now be the 2nd most expensive supplier in the marketplace,
behind British Gas. Whilst it’s clear more needs
to be done to protect customers, especially as we begin
to move into the colder, winter months, it’s clearer
still that until that happens, the onus remains on the
customer to reduce their energy bill liability.”
Robinson
concluded: “The best way to cut energy bills at
present is to switch to an online tariff. These deals
traditionally offer the cheapest option for customers
as they can be 16% or £153 cheaper than standard
tariffs. We do not expect to see any more price increases
until the start of 2007 and would urge all consumers to
review their bills as a matter of urgency - the savings
to be made can be substantial.”
CRIME
PREVENTION WARNING
04/09/06
Skemersdale
Crime Prevention unit issued the following warning today:-
There have been reports of a company from the Colne area
of East Lancashire offering to re tarmac driveways in
the West Lancs area.
Once
they have offered their services, they immediatley rip
up the driveway and then stop before they resurface the
driveway. They
then demand large amounts of cash, if they do not get
paid they leave the site unfinished.
Trading
standards are aare of the scam and are investigating the
company. Please use good reputable companies for any work
done on your home, do not allow anyone to undertake work
without having a cooling off period. If you come into
contact with such a company, please contact Trading standards
at Preston.
HwB
PARISH COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENT
04/09/06
A
Meeting of the Parish Council will be held on Monday 4th August 2005 at 7:00pm
in The Village Institute (Old Library Building) Station
Road, Hesketh Bank.
Members
of the Public and Press are cordially invited to attend
7:00pm
Mr Brian Lussey (WLDC) and a member of the Lancashire
Constabulary will be present to allow Members to discuss
alleged drugs and related problems.
**** 7:30pm An opportunity for potential users
to discuss with the Council their perspective in respect
of skateboarding facilities.
**** 7:45pm A period of up to fifteen minutes
to allow Members of the public to address the Council
on matters of concern. Persons requiring answers to queries
should write to the Clerk.
COUNCIL
MEETING AGENDA
1.
To Receive apologies
2. To receive as a correct record, the Minutes of the
Extra-ordinary Meeting of the Council held on 24th of
July 2006.
3. To receive any Declarations of Interest
4. Mandatory Sub Committee Reports
5. Other Reports (For information only)
1. Chairman’s Report
2. Clerk’s Report
3. Parish Plan
4. September Newsletter
6. Financial Matters
7. To receive the Clerk’s report Pursuant to RESOLUTION
No. 42/2006 and to Consider a proposal to install Skateboarding
Facilities at the Shore Road recreation ground.
8. To Consider a draft “Lancashire Local”
protocol for working with Parish Council.
9. To appoint be Resolution two representatives to the
LAPTC Annual General Meeting to be held on Saturday, 4th
November 2006
10. To receive the professional play equipment reports
and consider a Resolution to have the recommended repair
works carried out.
11. To Consider a Proposal to arrange a Local Council
training event provided by LAPTC/SLCC/County Training
Partnership.
12. To Consider the Accountants’ Report on the un-audited
accounts of LAPTC
13. Items received since Agenda publication. (for information
only)
There
is a trip to Alton Towers for young people aged 12 or
over on Wednesday 30th August. The cost, including transport,
is £15. There are a few remaining places but the
consent forms and money need to be in by Friday 25th August
at the latest. Transport will pick up from Banks, Hesketh
Bank and Tarleton.
Why not take the opportunity to have a fun day out with
friends the week before school starts again!
For
further details and a consent form please ring 01772 811552
TARLETON
BRASS BRIGHTEN BECCONSALL
20/08/06
Report
and photo by John Nairne
As soon as they blazed into the march ‘Caractacus’
we knew that Tarleton and District Brass had come to play.
The concert at Becconsall Old Church was conducted by
Gillian Bould and under the watchful eye of Bandmaster
Barry Taylor, this fine band turned in excellent performances
of the medleys ‘Breezin’ Down Broadway’
and ‘Cliff’, which made even over-familiar
Cliff Richard tunes sound fresh, and, as a rousing closer,
a selection from ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’.
Complementing these were the ‘Radetsky March’,
‘Goldcrest’, a lovely version of Barry Manilow’s
‘One Voice’, ‘Born Free’, a ‘Shepherd’s
Song’ perhaps better known as ‘Bailèro’
and ‘Amazing Grace’ complete with bagpipe
harmonies.
All
that was needed to complete the audience’s enjoyment
was a group of soloists to match the band’s ensemble
skills, and here Tarleton Brass certainly did not disappoint.
Young Tom Pickering produced a delicate, bluesy cornet
solo on ‘Lazy Trumpeter’, Amy Stringfellow,
Jennifer Bould and Stewart Aspinall (cornets) combined
their youthful skills on ‘I Don’t Know How
to Love Him’, Steve Cochrane (cornet) played a delightful
version of ‘Misty’, while Alan Bould (horn)
floated through ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’
and was then joined by Gemma Pickering on flugelhorn for
a duet on ‘Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue’.
The
concert was very enjoyable, and it seemed entirely appropriate
that, as the band played on, the sun finally broke through
the afternoon’s rain clouds!
With
the latest news of the new facilities at Carr Lane and
many more articles of interest the latest "Village
View" newsletter will be distributed to Tarleton
residents over the weekend.
If
you live out of the area you can still keep in touch by
downloading the Parish Council newsletter in pdf format:
Click Here
TARLETON
THROUGH TO BKV FINAL
16/08/06
Tarleton
Village has beaten off considerable competition and again
made it through to the final round of the Best Kept Village
competition. The
final judging will be held next week.
HESKETH
BANK HALF PIPE
24/07/06
Hesketh
with Becconsall Parish Council have committed to buy a
Half Pipe facility designed for use by skateboards, inline
skates and bmx bikes. The £12,000 piece of equipment
was for sale by Croston Parish Council for only £500
plus the costs of removal.
The
council also passed a proposal to persue the installation
of the equipment at the Council's recreation site on Shore
Road subject to appropriate funding and consultation with
local residents and prospective users of the facility.
Hesketh-with-Becconsall Parish
Council will buy the Half Pipe from Croston Parish Council
The
Friends of Becconsall Old Church today opened
their doors to the 2006 Flower Festival -
"A Becconsall Collage" which in
various flower arrangements, depicts our local
heritage. Becconsall Flower Club have not
only provided the displays but also a well
researched history of each exhibit which is
included in the programme.
The
Festival of Flowers is open for today until
8pm and also Saturday and Sunday 12 noon -
8pm and Sunday 12 noon - 6pm
Refreshments
and parking is available throughout the Flower
Festival at All Saints Church Hall. The vintage
bus will be providing free transport to and
from Becconsall Old Church.
POLICE
APPEAL AFTER BURGLARIES
19/07/06
As
temperatures rise Police appeal to the Public to keep
properties secure.
Police
across Southern Division are appealing to the public not
to become complacent about home security during the hot
weather. The warning comes after figures revealed that
over 40% of burglaries committed this month in Southern
Division are as a result of insecure premises.
Offenders
are usually entering properties via insecure doors and
windows with opportunist thief’s committing these
“sneak in “ type burglaries.
The police are strongly urging members of the public not
to be complacent with household security especially as
the hot weather continues. "Even if you are in the
house get into the habit of locking doors behind you and
make sure they are locked at night. If you are in the
garden make sure the front of your house is secure. At
night close windows downstairs and if you have the facility
to lock windows open do so. Also keep sheds and gates
to premises locked especially at night."
SHORE
ROAD SKATEPARK ON THE AGENDA
17/07/06
Hesketh-with-Becconsall
Parish Council are to hold an extra-ordinary meeting to
discuss the much requested skatepark facilities in Hesketh
Bank.
The
council will consider a proposal to to purchase and install
skateboarding equipment on the Council’s recreation
ground at Shore Road.
The
public are invited to attend although there are presently
no plans to allow the public to speak at the meeting.
If you have views on this matter which you would like
to express it is imperative that you contact a Parish
Councilor in advance of the meeting which is to be held
at 8pm on Monday 24th July at the Library Building on
Station Road.
Tony
Blair has today added to the ongoing police merger fiasco
by saying that police mergers are "not off the agenda",
despite the collapse on cost grounds of the flagship Lancashire
and Cumbria plan.
Earlier,
the Home Office minister Tony McNulty had said "the
definitive answer" to whether there will be mergers
"is no".
The
Home Office's plans for police force mergers had been
opposed by many police forces with Lancashire and Cumbria
being the only two forces actively seeking a merger.
On
Monday the Chair of Lancashire Police Authority, Cllr
Malcolm Doherty, said: “We feel badly let down.
We have done everything in our power to get this merger
to work. We now have to find other ways of dealing with
the problem that Government has left us with.”
Acting
Chief Constable for Lancashire Constabulary, Steve Finnigan,
said: “Staff in both Cumbria and Lancashire Constabularies
have worked very hard over recent months towards achieving
a successful amalgamation which would be in the interests
of both areas." "I share the Police Authority’s
extreme disappointment. We were happy to take forward
this proposal as a pathfinder and the fact that the Home
Office have been unable to meet the conditions set by
the Police Authority is very disappointing and a real
missed opportunity."
The
Lancashire and Cumbria decision is a big victory for the
party's prospective parliamentary candidate for South
Ribble, Lorraine Fullbrook who has consistently questioned
the claims by local police chiefs that the merger would
have no significant impact on council tax and that start-up
costs would be manageable. She also raised concerns about
the operational consequences of a merger fearing "a
damaging reduction in performance, a collapse in neighbourhood
policing, and a significant loss of accountability".
Lorraine
said "This is a victory for commonsense. When I first
challenged the Police Authority they said that I didn't
know what I was talking about. Yet, I was the only person
to consistently and persistently challenge all their bland
and misleading promises that the proposed merger would
cost nothing and would be good for the people I hope to
represent in Parliament after the next election."
LORD
LILFORD TO OPEN AUTISM CENTRE
03/07/06
The
Autism Initiatives new 'Supported Living Service' in Mere
Brow will enjoy a grand opening on 14th July. The opening
ceremony will begin at 11.00 a.m. with Lord Lilford officially
opening the service.
The
project has been developed following a donation of the
use of a piece of land in Mere Brow, by the organisation’s
patron Lord Lilford.
The
development includes four houses designed to cater for
the specific sensory needs of people with ASD and will
provide accommodation for up to 12 people.
The
project also has two workshops situated on the land providing
instruction in horticulture, ceramics and art. Local residents
are invited to view the facilities on the 14th July between
2.00 pm and 4.00 pm.
Autism
Initiatives UK was established in 1971 and specializes
in the provision of services to those affected by Autistic
Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The organizations head office
is in Liverpool and provides services in England, Isle
of Man, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Chaos
in the tax credits system has resulted in a massive 3,600
families across South Ribble being overpaid by £2.7m
during 2004/05.
The
Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics, Finalised Awards
2004-05 from HM Revenue & Customs show that on average,
each family has been overpaid £750 and now the Government
wants this money back.
Lorraine
Fullbrook, Conservative Spokesman for South Ribble, said:
"We can now see how the chaos in the system is affecting
families here in South Ribble. People have, in all good
faith, received tax credits which the Government said
they were entitled to."
"Now, families are facing the prospect of a hefty
repayment or a reduction in the weekly amount of tax credit
this year, as the Government attempts to recover the overpayments.
Either way, families are worse off."
"COLD
CALL" WARNING
23/06/06
Crime
Prevention oficers are warning all residents to be aware
that there are several representatives cold calling at
houses in the Chorley, Ormskirk and Burscough areas. The
Police have recieved complaints about aggressive and high
pressure sales techniques. One such incident involved
two men with Liverpool accents driving a white van with
part resgistered number HY03 seen in the Leyland area.
ENERGY
COSTS UP AGAIN
23/06/06
ScottishPower
announces price rises for all customers in spite of £805m
profit announcement less than a month ago:
Only
weeks after ScottishPower announced a massive 39% increase
in operating profits the energy giant has become the first
major supplier to announce a second round of energy price
increases in 2006. The timing of these announcements will
evoke little sympathy or understanding from ScottishPower’s
5.25 million customers who will be hit by significant
bill increases of £90 for gas and £35 for
electricity and who will see their annual bills soar from
£858 to £983.
17%
increase in gas prices and 10% for electricity from
10th July 2006
Sixth
hike in gas prices, totalling 84% by ScottishPower since
2004
Customers
to pay an extra £125 a year for energy, taking
the average bill to £983
The
National Blood Service will be holding a blood donor session
on 6th July at Our Lady's Parish Hall.
Due
to the current high demand for blood in the North West
the National Blood Service is asking everyone to make
a special effort to donate at present - your involvement
will help to supply local hospitals with essential blood
products to carry on saving lives throughout the region.
Anyone
aged between 17 and 60, weighing more than 50kg (7 stone
12 lbs) and in general good health could potentially give
blood. If you have any particular medical queries, or
you require more information on becoming a blood donor,
please call 0845 7 711 711 or visit www.blood.co.uk
WEST
LANCS READY FOR ADDITIONAL WASTE "TAX"
13/06/06
Householders
could be charged according to the amount of rubbish collected
from their homes under plans to reform council taxes.
Sir Michael Lyons, who is conducting an inquiry into the
future of local authority taxation, told The Times he
was looking at a range of user charges, including environmental
tariffs. They would be paid on top of the council tax
in order to make the cost of services more visible, the
paper reported.
The
plans could allow councils to charge residents for the
amount of waste they produce, raising the prospect of
bags of waste being weighed by collectors.
As
part of the ongoing reform of waste collection, West Lancs
District Council had the foresight to specify hi tech
wheelie bins that will weight the contents: The grey bins
that have been distributed have a microchip tag embedded
which gives each bin a unique identity enabling the weight
of the each bin and its contents to be recorded. With
the inclusion of weighing equipment on the collection
vehicle each bin can be weighed and an invoice generated
to facilitate 'charge by weight' if so desired.
As
the new Sports and Community facility nears completion,
Tarleton Parish Council have announced that the monthly
meetings of Tarleton Parish Council will now be held in
the community area of the Carr Lane facility.
Parish
Council meetings are generally held every third Tuesday
of each month - the next meeting is on Tuesday 20th June
commencing at 7.30pm.
Residents are encouraged to attend the meeting to both
air their views on the issues of the day and also view
for themselves the progress on the facility.
BIG
BIKE RIDE FOR TARLETON CUBS
05/06/06
The
most important badge to be gained in the Cub Scouts is
the Chief Scouts Silver Award and two tarleton cubs (Joshua
Bond and Billy Hipwell) have spent the last few weeks
training for their final challenge before moving on to
Scouts. Part of the Silver Award requires the completion
of a personal challenge the two boys chose to work on
developing their cycling skills and putting that effort
towards helping others.
The
bike ride they embarked upon covered 50km (31miles)
and started and finished at the scout hut in Tarleton.
The
route was based upon the 'Tour of West Lancashire',
and took in Rufford, Burscough, Lathom, Westhead
(Ormskirk), Scarth Hill with the half way point
(and lunch) being in Aughton. After a well earned
they set off on the second half heading on 'Cycle
Route 91' up to Clieve Hill. The weather was sunny
and offered great views across Merseyside to the
Welsh mountains. After a scary 20mph decent of
Clieve Hill, the route went through Halsall, Pinfold,
Scarisbrick, Holmeswood, Mere Brow and back to
the Scout hut.
In
the last few miles Joshua complained of having a numb
bum and Billy a sore thigh, but neither boy stopped. The
50km had taken nearly 4 hours in the saddle. A fantastic
achievement for both of them.
Both
of the cubs have a familly members who suffer from asthma
to varying degrees, so the decision was taken to support
Asthma UK by raising money via sponsorship for the charity.
It is expected that the boys have raised at least £200
and possibly £300 or more. If you would like to
offer further support to the boys efforts then please
email scouts.tarleton (at) gmail.com
PLEA
TO SAVE LANCASHIRE POLICE
30/05/06
Lorraine
Fullbrook, the Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for
the South Ribble constituency, has written to the Chairman
of the Lancashire Police Authority urging him to act now
to save Lancashire Police. Mrs Fullbrook has been fighting
to save the Force, and believes that the sacking of Charles
Clarke and the growing opposition of some Labour MP's to
the mergers presents Lancashire Police Authority with a
golden opportunity to reverse their support for a merger
with Cumbria. The full text of Mrs Fullbrook's letter is
below:
29
May 2006
Dear
Mr Doherty,
Re:
An Opportunity to Save Lancashire Police Force
I wrote to you earlier this year calling on you to
reconsider the decision to support Charles Clarke's
plan to merge the Lancashire and Cumbria Police Forces.
I am writing once more, to urge that you take the
opportunity presented by the Home Secretary's recent
sacking to reconsider the decision by your Authority
to support the merger. As you are aware, I launched
my own survey online and in my newspaper, delivered
to every household within the South Ribble constituency,
following your own flawed and misleading survey and
your subsequent results, which are being used publicly
to shore up your own position. My polling shows that
the merger has almost ZERO support amongst local people
- a merger that almost every other Police Authority
Chairman across the country thinks will be both costly
and counterproductive to local policing needs and
to police officers and civilians employed by both
Police Forces.
I urge you to listen to professionals, parliamentarians
and the public and rethink your plans to force our
local Lancashire police to merge with Cumbria. The
current proposals are being rushed through amid growing
concern that they will lead to a damaging reduction
in performance, a collapse in neighbourhood policing,
and a significant loss of accountability. Serious
questions remain about the costs and financing of
mergers, the impact on council tax, the timescales
for transition and the governance arrangements. There
is also the question of the future of the Police HQ
at remaining in Hutton that is concerning
many local people.
Opinion
polls show overwhelming public opposition to a merger.
Only your authority and that of Cumbria have volunteered
to proceed. Most are opposed and some have initiated
legal proceedings to halt the process. The Government
claims the support of ACPO, but many Chief Constables
have now publicly expressed their views and concerns.
As I am sure you are aware, the Chairmen of the Police
Authorities of West Mercia, Northamptonshire, Sussex,
Cleveland, North Wales and Cheshire recently issued
a joint statement in a letter to The Times newspaper,
making the salient points against the merger proposals
that I list above. What is it about Lancashire that
makes the mergers the wrong option for almost everywhere
in the country, but the right thing to do for Lancashire?
Isn't it just possible that they are right and that
you are wrong?
For
the sake of local people, local police officers and
civilian workers, please reconsider before it is too
late. Given the public interest in the destruction
of Lancashire Police, I am sending a copy of this
letter to the media and in the interests of fairness,
I will also do so with your reply.
I look forward to your hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Lorraine Fullbrook
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate the for South
Ribble Constituency
HESKETH
BANK AFC TARGET £800k FOR SPORTS
24/05/06
Hesketh
Bank Association Football Club are spearheading an ambitious
plan to secure a range of funding that will allow the building
of a new sporting facility on the land adjacent to their
main football pitch on Station Road, Hesketh Bank.
The £800,000 'first phase' of the project is intended
to fund the construction of a brand new male and female
changing facility, properly drained grass playing surfaces
and a floodlit multi use games area with an all weather
surface. A small car park would also be constructed.
Phase 2 of the project would require a further £800k
which would be spent on building a social lounge and meeting
room, fitness suites, and more car parking.
It
is envisaged that in addition to the Football Club, the
facilities will be widely utilised by the general public
and local schools the sports facility will allow a full
range of sports practices to take place in Hesketh Bank
and hopefully trigger the development of new community sports
clubs such as hockey, netball, lacrosse and tennis. Whilst
all ages will be welcome to participate in activities, the
Club is very keen to engage the local youth in both the
development and use of the facilities.
The
Club is hoping that The Football Foundation will provide
a grant of at least 60% of the Phase 1 costs and are seeking
pledges of cash and materials from both individuals and
businesses to make up the difference. Fundraising is now
underway and the Club claim to have already received a pledge
of £50,000 from Hesketh-with-Becconsall Parish Council.
For
the full details of the proposal and details of how you
can contribute please click
here to download their pdf.
The
Fishermen's Friend Jazz Band really did find themeselves
down by the riverside as they swung through their concert
at Becconsall Old Church this afternoon. As their leader,
trombonist Gerry Rimmer explained, they just had to play
the well known old tune of that name - with the audience
joining in, of course.
Had there been a tune called Wet Sunday Afternoon, the band
might have played that as well, although their t-shirts
brought a welcome touch of sunshine. And the weather had
not discouraged their audience as some fifty folk rocked
in the stalls and rolled in the gallery to a string of familiar,
much-loved and well-played tunes. As well as Gerry, the
band featured Charlie Evans on tuba, Dave Rimmer, Kate Spencer
and John Gregson on trumpets, Tom Gregson also on tuba,
and Alan Johnson on banjo and jokes. In
fact, Tom Gregson told a few of those as well, while Gerry
also stepped forward with a vocal chorus.
The
Fishermen's Friend Jazz Band is well known locally, but
they have also been invited for many years to play at an
annual wine festival in Germany, the home of 'oompah brass'
where, with a smoother style, they are known as 'Dixieland
Lancashire'.
For
a full report of this event and all the future events that
will be held at Becconsall Old Church please visit the FBOC
webpage.
Local
conservatives were today celebrating the success of the
local candidates who both retained their seats on the West
Lancashire District Council by significant margins:
Jim
Kay - Tarleton Ward - 86%
Iain Ashcroft - Hesketh-with-Becconsall Ward - 85%
There
has been a Bogus official crime in the Burscough area, where
a white male 5' 10" 30 years of age and speaks with
a local accent.
His
victim was an elderly lady living in a ground floor flat.
The offender tapped on the lounge window and stated he was
from the Waterboard and he needed to check her water supply.
She allowed him entry to her home via the communal door
and whilst in the property he asked her to run the bathroom
taps, whilst she did this he stole property from within
the lounge area.
Crime
Prevention advise not to let anyone in to your home without
an appointment and, if possible, or have someone else in
the house with you.
If
you have any information or see anything suspicious please
contact the Police 08451253545 or Crime stoppers on 0800
555111
BEST
KEPT VILLAGE CHALLENGE FOR HB
03/05/06
Hesketh
with Becconsall Parish Council will again spearhead the
Best Kept Village competition entry again this year. Judges
will look at the overall tidiness of the village, condition
of private property, condition of communal building and
recreational facilities, condition of places of worship,
graveyards and cemeteries, and condition of commercial facilities.
Cllr
Norma Goodier said "The competition is not about ‘chocolate
box’ pictures of pretty thatched cottages, it is about
the community and the spirit of our village, Hesketh Bank,
and it involves the whole community young and old. It simply
needs the will and the initiative of the whole community
to help make Hesketh Bank the best kept; the community as
a whole taking great care and pride in maintaining the village
to a high standard is what really matters."
"Grot
spots are being identified, tidy ups and ‘face lifts’
around the village will be taking place. We are not perfect,
yet by entering this competition is a chance for the whole
community to become involved and give Hesketh Bank an MOT
at the same time."
As
well as the main awards, 'certificate of merit' categories
will also be judged, which look for the best-kept farm,
shop, school, playing field, village hall, place of worship,
pub, caravan park, and notice board.
Any
companies or individuals who feel they would like to help
or contribute in any way please contact us with your ideas.
The Parish Council again thanked both Arden Lea and Altys
who both have agreed to sponsor hanging baskets for a second
year.
May
4th election fever is unlikely to grip Tarleton or Hesketh
Bank as only two candidates have put themselves forward
for election as West Lancashire District Councillors for
each of the two respective wards.
The
current incumbent of the Hesketh-with-Becconsall Ward, Cllr
Iain Ashcroft of Chandlers Croft, Hesketh Bank is seeking
re-election with Labour Party candidate Christopher Mawdsley
from Burscough challenging him.
Jim
Kay (Cons) of Gorse Lane, Tarleton, will be defending the
Tarleton Ward against Pauline Roughley (Lab) of Lathom.
By
contrast four people are contesting the North
Meols ward as Labour, Green and independent candidates
all try and topple Cllr John Baldock.
All
candidates will be acutely aware of the impact a low turnout
may present and will be keen to mobilise voters. As usual,
we will afford each candidate a page on the website for
their election message - Click
Here
PUMPKIN
CHALLENGE FOR CHILDREN
24/04/06
A
competition to beat the record for the heaviest pumpkin
was officially launched today at Tarleton High School.
Pupils
from the High School and Tarleton Holy Trinity Primary
School planted their pumpkin seeds under the watchful
eye of competition organiser Trevor Wilson.
The
Mere Brow Giant Pumpkin Competition has become an institution
in the North West with competitors from the small agricultural
village and its surrounds using fair means - and occasionally
foul - to attempt to grow the heaviest pumpkin.
Last
year's winning pumpkin was a massive 702lbs and the year
before the winner was a staggering 912lbs which shattered
the UK heaviest pumpkin record. This year the competition
organisers are joining forces with the NSPCC and throwing
down the gauntlet to children across the country, challenging
youngsters to get involved and raise money for the children's
charity at the same time.
Trevor
Wilson of Mere Brow, said: " This is the twelfth annual
Mere Brow Giant Pumpkin Competition and it promises to be
the most competitive yet as we have decided to this year
include prize money to the competition winners"
"People
living within a ten mile radius of Mere Brow can compete
for the Mere Brow & District Shield, but anyone can
enter the All England Shield competition.
"The
variety of pumpkin we encourage people to grow are 'Atlantic
Giants' and they grow so fast you can virtually watch it
happening. Some people take the competition very seriously
and keep the location of their pumpkin a closely guarded
secret. Giant Pumpkin growers will often try all sorts of
weird and wonderful techniques to get an edge over their
fellow competitors - last year one competitor fed his pumpkin
just Guinness directly from the barrel. It didn't win but
it grew well!"
"This
year we wanted to get more children involved; it is fantastic
for children because the pumpkins grow so fast it holds
their interest and the rate of growth can be almost magical.
We contacted the NSPCC because we wanted children to benefit
all ways round" Trevor said.
Hazel
Russel, Community Appeals Manager for the NSPCC in Lancashire,
said "We are really grateful that the competition organisers
thought of the NSPCC. The proceeds will make a real difference
to the lives of vulnerable children."
For
details of how to enter the competition and tips on growing
your pumpkin log on to the competition website at www.merebrowgiantpumpkins.com
Wanted
– groups of friends at breaking point for new television
programme.
With
Friends Like These…
Channel
4 is currently looking for people to take part in
a brand new primetime series.
Is
one of your friends or work colleagues just a little too
assertive, too opinionated and too controlling? Is this
person making you and your other friends’ lives a
misery? Do you often find yourself saying, “I can’t
believe she just said that / did that!” Are you at
breaking point?
This
new programme will take this individual, put them through
their paces and show them how their over-domineering traits
can be turned into an asset – hopefully making your
group a happier place for everyone.
You
can nominate someone individually or as a group and will
be as much a part of the programme as the nominee.
To find
out more, please contact: friends@silverriver.tv
or call 020 7307 2720. All emails and calls are confidential
and no commitment is necessary at this stage.
50
MPH LIMIT FOR SHORE ROAD
04/04/06
Hesketh
- with Becconsall Parish Council announced last night that
Lancashire County Council had given approval for the speed
limit on Shore Road and Marsh Road to be reduced to 50mph.
The Police and North Meols Parish council were said to fully
support the move which is expected to take a further 12
months to implement.
The
reduction in the speed limit, improved street lighting and
speed warning signs are just some of the measures under
consideration to reduce the number of accidents on this
road.
uPVC
ROOFLINE WARNING
31/03/06
The
local Crime Prevention are asking all to be aware of three
men of east European origin travelling in a white transit
style van who are visiting vulnerable people in their homes
and using high pressure sales techniques to sell plastic
Facier Boards and Soffits for their home.
Whilst at the house they have appeared to look at all valuables
on display and if no sale is agreed, they continue for days
afterwards to ring the householder and ask if they would
change their mind. Trading Standards are aware but no other
details are known. If anyone has any information regarding
these men or their vehicle, please contact the Police or
Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
"FAKE"
CHARITY BAG COLLECTOR CAUTIONED
28/03/06
Police
in West Lancashire are issuing a warning to members of the
public to be on their guard after a man was recently discovered
stealing charity bags.
Thanks
to diligent police work and information from members of
the public it was discovered that this man was operating
by leafleting the same or adjacent area very soon after
a genuine charity had leafleted the area. When collection
day arrived the “fake” charity bag collectors
would arrive earlier than the genuine collectors and take
the bags.
The
clothing or items inside were then taken to various recycling
yards by the bogus collectors and sold on. The male that
was recently arrested and cautioned for this offence, was
found to have receipts totalling £1900 for the items
he had sold to the recycling yards within the first week
of March. He also admitted to taking bags belonging to the
British Heart Foundation.
PC
Chris Gibson commented,” This is the first incident
that I have dealt with of this nature and it was disappointing
that we could only issue a caution on this occasion. We
want to make members of the public aware of this so that
they can be on their guard and report any future occurrences.”
West
Lancashire District Council, whose Licensing Service issues
licences for such Charity Collections, is similarly concerned
to hear of this unscrupulous operation. Dave Tilleray, Executive
Manager Community Services said, ”It is a shame that
a small minority of bogus operators can affect the good
work of the many bone fide charities that rely on these
collections for valuable support. Any genuine charity will
be more than willing to provide evidence of their cause
and be able to provide their licence or Home Office Exemption
Order. We are working with the Police in ongoing investigations,
and the Council would urge anyone who witness or suspects
any illegal charity collections to contact us immediately
by calling 01695 577177 or similarly contact the Police.”
Ken
Blair, Chief Executive for British Heart Foundation (BHF)
Shops comments “All BHF van drivers collecting donated
stock for BHF Shops carry official BHF identification badges.
In addition the charity ensures that BHF collection bags
are only issued to registered van drivers. Official BHF
donation bags can be identified by the registered charity
number and BHF logo. If a member of the public is unsure
whether a collector is genuine we recommend that they contact
their local BHF Shop by calling 0870 120 4141.
MONEY
STOLEN FROM LOCAL CHURCH
28/03/06
Local
police are appealing to the public for their help to trace
a male that is suspected of stealing money from the methodist
church in Mawdesley at approximately 10.30pm on Saturday
18th March 2006.
The church had been full of local people enjoying a quality
evening of singing and music which raised money for the
'Oasis' appeal, a charity which helps the children of Mambai,
India.
Money raised for charity to the value of £420.00 was
stolen after it was snatched from an aisle following the
fund raising event.
A male aged approx 20-25 years old, with very short hair
wearing grey clothes was seen to run out of the church at
the time of the incident and drove off in a small dark coloured
vehicle.
PC Paul Harrison, the local Community Beat Manager for the
area commented "This is a dispicable crime and something
you would not expect to happen in a small village, let alone
in a church. The organisers of the event have had their
hard work and dedication spoilt by this incident and we
would ask anyone with any information to come forward and
either call Crimestoppers anonomously on 0800 555 111 or
Mawdesley Police on 01704 822277.
RECYCLING
PRIZE FOR HOLY TRINITY PRIMARY
23/03/06
Tarleton
CofE Primary school will today receive a musical award for
success in the highly successful Recycling Rewards for Schools
campaign.
The
campaign has been running since November 2005 and encourages
schools to get pupils to collect from family and friends
pledges to recycle more rubbish. The pledges earn points
for the schools involved and can be exchanged for valuable
equipment like computers, cameras and musical instruments.
In addition,
every month the school that has collected and submitted
the most pledges wins a fantastic prize of a musical instrument.
February's
winner was Tarleton Holy Trinity who won a guitar. They
will be presented with their prize today by Mr Les Abernethy,
Deputy Chief Executive of West Lancashire District Council
"NO
BENEFIT" IN £20m POLICE MERGER
21/03/06
A
LEAKED Downing Street report is further evidence that the
merger of the Lancashire Constabulary with Cumbria will
increase council tax, cause redundancies and deliver no
benefits to people in the Northern Parishes, local Tory
Spokesman Lorraine Fullbrook has claimed.
Residents have been badly let down by local politicians
and bureaucrats, said Lorraine Fullbrook, Conservative parliamentary
spokesman for South Ribble, who has been campaigning hard
against the merger since it was first proposed.
Lorraine commented after The Daily Telegraph published a
leaked government report on its front page (20th March)
showing that Ministers were advised to increase co-operation
between different forces rather than push forward and merge
constabularies.
A new force will be formed by April 2007 after the Lancashire
Police Authority backed the constabulary's merger with Cumbria
on February 24 - the only Police Force in the country to
agree to the proposals.
But the report, compiled by the Home Office and Downing
Street's strategy unit, states mergers could be expensive
to implement, drawn out and could distract management and
staff.
Mrs Fullbrook said: "Local politicians and bureaucrats
have badly let down local people, serving police officers
and civilian workers in Lancashire Police. This will result
in an increase in council tax by a minimum of 13%, no guarantee
that Hutton will stay open and no benefit to local people.
Now we learn that the cost is in the region of £20million,
all of which will no doubt have to come from cuts in the
current level of service".
Mrs Fullbrook, who fought the South Ribble seat for the
Tories and narrowly lost after a recount, said that merger
was purely cost driven, and she urged everyone with a view
on the merger to register it on line at www.telllorraine.com
The bill, which has risen from £16m to £20m
in the last four weeks, will be passed on to council tax
payers, she said.
VANDALS
HIT TARLETON TOILETS
20/03/06
Local
police are appealing for information after damage was caused
to the Public Toilets, on Church Road Tarleton opposite
Tarleton Holy Trinity Primary School.
Over
the past month damage was caused to the toilet doors frames
and locks making access to the disabled toilet impossible
due to a damaged lock.
PC
Phil Corrigan, the Community Beat Manager for the area commented,"
The damage is just mindless vandalism that made the disabled
facility impossible to use. The toilets have now been repaired
with one of the doors strengthened and replaced thanks to
the quick actions of West Lancashire District Council. However,
I would like to appeal to anyone who lives in the area and
may have seen or does see anything suspicious or people
causing damage to come forward."
PC
Corrigan can be contacted via Southern Communications Centre
on 0845 1 25 35 45.
NEW
POLICE CHIEF TAKES OVER
17/03/06
Chief
Superintendent Irene Curtis has taken over as the
new Divisional Commander for Southern Division of
Lancashire Constabulary. Chief Superintendent Chris
Weigh who held the position prior to Mrs Curtis has
now moved to HQ at Hutton where he will lead the team
in charge of the amalgamation of Cumbria and Lancashire
Constabularies.
On
her arrival within the Division Chief Superintendent
Curtis commented, “I
am delighted to have been appointed to this position
and I am thoroughly looking forward to working in
this division. Mr Weigh leaves the Division in excellent
shape and I am determined to build upon his considerable
successes.”
POLICE
HUNT CHAPEL ROAD CAT POISONER
08/03/06
The
police are investigating the possibility that someone is
deliberatly poisoning pets after vets confirmed that the
latest cat death is as a result of poisoning. Over recent
months four young and healthy cats have all died with the
same symptoms.
In
a letter to this website Pete Lynas appeals for any information
about the poisonings and for extra vigilance amongst Chapel
Road cat owners. Go to
letters page
ANGER
OVER POLICE MERGER PROMPTS SURVEY
05/03/06
Lorraine
Fullbrook to give local people a “Real” say
over police merger.
Local
Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman Lorraine Fullbrook
is so angry that local people are not being given a real
say in the future of Lancashire Police that she has launched
a survey on the subject.
The
survey takes two forms, a hard copy that is being delivered
to over 35,000 homes in the South Ribble Constituency in
the next few weeks, and an online survey that is open to
everyone who lives in Lancashire with access to the internet.
Mrs
Fullbrook who hopes to be the MP for Rufford, Banks, Tarleton,
Hesketh Bank, Mawdesley, Eccleston, Croston and Bretherton
after the next election explained the reason she has launched
the survey in a letter she
has sent today to this Website.
In
her letter Lorraine says....
“Lancashire
Police Authority continue to peddle the line that 86% of
local people want a merger with Cumbria, without ever telling
them that the merger will increase the police portion of
their local council tax by 13%, for which they will receive
nothing.
Add
to this the £20 million start-up costs out of the
existing police budget (which has gone up by £4 million
in the last four weeks), no guarantee that Hutton will remain
the Headquarters of any merged force and redundancies throughout
Lancashire Police; this is a disaster for local people.
A
representative of the Police Authority publicly admitted
to me at a recent public meeting that, “inevitably,
there will be redundancies” A great number of serving
police officers and civilian workers live locally. Together
with local people, they are being badly let down by politicians
and bureaucrats.
I
have therefore launched my own survey on this issue.
It
can be found on the internet at www.TellLorraine.com.
It asks the straight question that the Lancashire Police
Authority refused to, “What is the best way forward
for local policing,
a)
For Lancashire Police to remain a stand-alone force?
OR
b) For Lancashire Police to merge with Cumbria Police?
I
urge everyone who shares my view to complete this question,
so we can try and fight this together."
Lorraine
has promised to make sure the results are passed to Charles
Clark, the Home Secretary, the Lancashire Police Authority,
the Lancashire Constabulary and the Labour MP for South
Ribble.
WEST
LANCS COUNCIL TAX RISE UNDER 3%
05/03/06
West
Lancashire District Council has announced a Council Tax
rise of just 2.7% - one of the lowest in Lancashire - an
increase of just £4.42 a year for the Government average
Band D property.
Councillor
Adrian Owens, Portfolio Holder for Finance, said: "I
am delighted to announce that we have pegged the Council
Tax rise to an affordable, sensible level, similar to the
rate of inflation and the same as the increase in pensions.
I can promise local residents that they will certainly get
value for money. We are making improvements in efficiency
as well as providing better services for the residents of
West Lancashire.
"Despite
the minimum grant increase possible from the Government
we have achieved one of the lowest increases in Lancashire
by squeezing savings across a wide range of our work. Thanks
to this efficiency, we are also able to make improvements
in services."
Lancashire
County Council is offering 10 lucky people the chance to
win two tickets for the Ideal Home Exhibition, at London’s
Earls Court, from the 9 March to the 2 April.
To
be in with a chance to win, click on the rubbish resolutions
website www.rubbishresolutions.co.uk
and make a resolution to reduce, reuse or recycle your household
waste. The top ten resolutions logged before 17th March
win a pair of tickets to the Ideal Home Show.
BINS
: "VAST MAJORITY" HAPPY
01/03/06
Speaking
about the roll out of the new bin collection scheme in the
Parbold area, Cllr John Baldock, Portfolio Holder for Waste
and Recycling, was yesterday quoted on the WLDC
website as saying "In areas of West Lancashire
that have already been introduced to the new collection
system, the vast majority of people have responded very
positively and already we are beginning to see an encouraging
rise in the amount of waste that is recycled. As we move
into the start of phase three, I am confident that residents
will continue to do their bit to help protect our environment
for future generations."
Under
the new scheme normal household waste is now limited to
a grey wheelie bin which is collected every other week.
There has been no change to the recyclable materials collected
or frequency of collection.
In
sharp contrast to the view of the Council, our own recent
survey found that 85% of people were unhappy with the new
service.
What
do you think? Have your say on the LETTERS
page
85%
UNHAPPY WITH NEW BIN SERVICE
26/02/06
The
latest "Village Vote" closed at 7:30pm today with
85% of those participating voting that they were unhappy
with the new bin service.
Under
the new scheme normal household waste - in a grey wheelie
bin - is collected every other week.
United
Utilities' are to raise their charges by a whopping 7.6%,
an increase that will add £22 to the average 2006-2007
household bill. The average water and sewerage bill increase
across the UK will be 5.5%.
Ofwat
defended the inflation busting increases saying they were
needed to cover rising costs. "I realise that these
bill increases will not be welcome," said director
general of water services Philip Fletcher.
Latest
price rise makes the average household energy bills for
British Gas customers leap 66% from £606 to £1005
since start of 2004.
British
Gas has today announced a record price hike since privatisation
- its fourth price rise since 2004, and its second in six
months. It has increased gas prices by 22% and electricity
prices by 22% for its customers. The increases will add
£1.08 billion to UK domestic gas bills, taking the
average household energy bill past the £1000 mark
for the first time ever.
The announcement comes as no surprise as Centrica, British
Gas’ parent company, had already stated that its pricing
policy for 2006 would be to pass on the full cost of wholesale
increases to its customers. However, like all major energy
suppliers, British Gas’ trading policy on the wholesale
gas market should have insulated them from the worst of
the effects of the drastic price increases seen this winter.
The continuing cost of loyalty for the average British Gas
customer is now a staggering £374. In spite of the
fact that prior to this announcement the company had already
raised its gas prices by 36% since 2004, half of all UK
households still haven’t switched to another supplier,
according to independent comparison and switching service
uSwitch.
Alan Tattersall, Director of Home Services at uSwitch.com,
comments: “This is one of the biggest social scandals
in recent memory. It is misleading for British Gas to hide
behind wholesale gas prices as the reason for these latest
increases. Even before this latest round of energy price
rise announcements British Gas charged their customers on
average 12.5% more for gas than their main competitors.
The volatility of the wholesale gas market affects all other
gas and electricity suppliers, and yet British Gas is now
25% more expensive than other suppliers’ standard
tariffs, and 37% more expensive than the average cheapest
tariff.
“The alarming fact is that there are still over 11
million gas customers who are prepared to pay the premium
rates now being charged by British Gas. We would urge consumers
to shop around for the best deals.”
The
Crime Prevention office at Skemersdale today reports that
over last weekend there have been a number of burglaries
in Hesketh Bank and Tarleton where persons have gained entry
into property via older type double glazing units. These
units have the glass fitted from the outside and it is relatively
easy to remove the retaining beading and take the window
out.
To prevent this Crime Prevention suggest you contact your
installer to upgrade your windows by sealing the unit or
putting brackets around the beading area.
LOCAL
CONSERVATIVES LAUNCH WEBSITE
13/02/06
The
Hesketh Bank, Banks and Tarleton branch of the South Ribble
Conservative Association have just launched their own website
at www.northernparishesconservatives.co.uk
Dave
Rydings, the webmaster of the new site, said “The
idea behind it is to keep local people abreast of issues
that are of concern to them within the area, and to provide
a means for them to contact their local Conservative councillors.
In common with other websites it provides links to other
sources of local and national information”
He
continued “Should you have an issue that you feel
concerns your local Conservative Councillor then you now
have the means to send them an e-mail directly to their
own inbox – it’s as simple as that”.
Dave
also expressed the point that “young people have been
turned off by politics and it was considered that as they
will use the internet more than others it would be a way
of reaching out to them and listening to their views on
what concerns them – they are our future after all”.
“The
current format is just for starters”, he said, “A
website should be a living document - updated as often as
possible and covering issues of concern to those who read
it”. He concluded “As the man on the TV advert
“I don’t do politics” says about those
who declare no interest in the subject – you have
no choice – politics affects everybody and it is hoped
that this website will play its part in helping local people
to be aware of issues that concern local Conservatives”.
The
website launch follows an upbeat AGM for South Ribble Conservatives:
Last year only 4 people put themselves forward at the AGM
for election, but in a clear sign that the tide has turned
in their favour, last weeks AGM saw 15 people putting themselves
forward for the 13 positions available.
West Lancs was well represented with 5 of the new officers
coming from the area. These being Barry Bryan and Lancashire
County Councillor Malcolm Baron from Sollom, Mrs Kate Maughan
and Mr Dave Rydings from Tarleton and Cllr Iain Ashcroft
from Hesketh Bank.
At the end of the night the new team gathered for a group
photo with their recently re-adopted Parliamentary spokesman
Lorraine Fullbrook. Commenting after the meeting Lorraine
said "I was delighted at the quality and quantity of
people wanting to help run the local Conservative Party.
I would urge anyone interested to get intouch - we are looking
to have fun and to win the next General Election, and after
Fridays AGM I am confident that we will do both".
GIANT
PUMPKIN SUPPORT FOR AIR AMBULANCE
05/02/06
Competition
organiser Trevor Wilson with Susan and Edwin Miller
of the Do It Yourself Centre. The DIY Centre have
been long standing sponsors of the Mere Brow Giant
Pumpkin Competition.
Mere
Brow Giant Pumpkin Competition organiser Trevor
Wilson was pleased to announce that the 2005 competition
raised a total of £763 for the North West Air
Ambulance.
The
money was raised from the entry fees, stalls and raffle
at the fiercely contested annual event. "I would
like to thank all the contestants, supporters and
helpers who have again helped us raise so much for
charity" said Trevor.
Trevor
also announced some changes to this year's competition:
"The nominated charity for the 2006 will be the
NSPCC and we hope that this will help encourage many
more younger growers to participate, either through
their schools or as individuals. The other change
is that for the first time in the history of the competition
we will be offering cash prizes for the heaviest pumpkins
grown. We would like to take this opportunity to thank
agricultural services company CAS Ltd of Halsall who
have kindly donated the prize money."
Lorraine
Fullbrook, who hopes to represent Rufford, Banks, Tarleton,
Hesketh Bank, Mawdesley and Eccleston at Westminster for
the South Ribble constituency after the next general election,
has challenged The Lancashire Police Authority to re-run
it’s recent consultation on the merger of Lancashire
Police with other forces, which she believes is fundamentally
flawed.
Mrs Fullbrook believes that the merger is being pushed through
without local people being given a say on retaining Lancashire
as a stand-alone force. She also believes that the impact
of a merger is not being properly explained to local residents.
In particular the impact a merger may have on local jobs,
council tax and the future of the Lancashire Police Head
Quarters at Hutton.
In a letter to the Chairman of the Lancashire Police Authority
Lorraine says..
Dear
Mr Doherty,
RE: PROPOSED POLICE MERGER
I am writing to ask that you re-run the so-called
consultation that your authority has recently undertaken
in relation to the possible merging of Lancashire
Police with other forces. You claim to be seeking
the views of the people of Lancashire and yet your
consultation is fundamentally flawed.
Whilst many other forces and Police Authorities are
opposing any merger as not in the best interests of
local policing and local peoples needs, your survey
fails to offer the status quo as an option. Is it
any wonder that those asked overwhelming backed the
least worst option you offered them i.e. a merger
with Cumbria?
Merging is not a definite outcome of the process that
is currently underway. Yet you seem to have pre-determined
the outcome by deciding to deprive local people of
the chance of supporting Lancashire as a stand-alone
force.
Like many people, I believe that merging would be
an expensive exercise costing millions of pounds,
and yet the Government has said it will not be making
any additional funding available so the burden is
likely to fall to the council tax payer, and start
up costs being met from existing police budgets.
What is more, implementing a merger will no doubt
distract police officers and staff from their day
job of delivering a quality policing service for the
residents Lancashire. The result will be a bigger
force with less local accountability.
You seem determined to ignore these concerns, along
with the obvious threat that a merger poses to the
future of Hutton as the location of a merged force
Headquarters. As you will understand this is a matter
of particular concern to me, both regarding jobs that
may be lost and the future use the site may be put
to.
Lancashire is one of the country’s top performing
forces and its officers do a tremendous job, however
your determination to merge and by doing so to put
jobs and resources at risk does the police officers
and civilian staff no justice.
If you really wanted to know the views of local people,
you would re-contact those who answered your consultation
and ask them one simple question.
“The Government wishes to merge Lancashire Police
into a Regional Police Force – this puts the
future of Hutton in question; will require cuts in
police jobs and service and will see the police precept
of your council tax rise by around 12% - are you for
or against such a merger?”
I would be grateful if you could consider this, and
let me know as soon as possible if you are prepared
to do so.
Yours Sincerely,
Lorraine Fullbrook
Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for the South
Ribble Constituency
SCOUTS
SURVIVE 'OPERATION MOONLIGHT'
26/01/06
Our
local Scouts took part in the Ormskirk District "Operation
Moonlight" event held last weekend. In total, almost
400 scouts and explorer scouts had to navigate unguided
from Down Holland to Dalton, a distance of around 8 miles
as the crow flies, whilst avoiding "The Catchers".
Some of the teams may, in their efforts to evade capture,
have traveled up to 14 miles. Our local teams proved very
capable of looking after themselves and finished the course
with "lives" to spare.
H.
and Baggy pass on a "well done" to all those who
took part.
SECRETARY
OF STATE ASKED TO SAVE HOSPITAL
17/01/06
Local
Conservative Spokesman Lorraine Fullbrook has taken
the Ormskirk Advertisers' campaign against local hospital
Trust mergers to the top.
She
has called on Patricia Hewitt the Secretary of State
for Health to intervene to ensure Southport and Ormskirk
Hospital Trust is not swallowed up in a merger with
Merseyside Trusts.
In
a letter she had hand delivered to the Secretary of
State on Monday, Lorraine said;
Dear
Secretary of State,
Re: Safeguarding the Southport and Ormskirk Hospital
Trust
As
the Conservative Parliamentary Spokesmen for the South
Ribble constituency, I am writing to draw your attention
to the campaign currently being run against the possible
merger of Southport and Ormskirk Hospital Trust with
hospital Trusts on Merseyside.
The Campaign is being run by the Ormskirk Advertiser
Newspaper and has cross Party support from many local
people including, myself, my Conservative colleague
Mark Bigley and both Rosie Cooper MP and John Pugh
MP.
It is clear that an overwhelming majority of local
people share my concern that this proposed merger
is nothing other than a cost saving measure, and will
do nothing to enhance the service provided to local
people. I would be grateful if you could look closely
at this issue, which matters greatly to the people
living in villages such Tarleton, Banks, Hesketh Banks,
Rufford, Eccleston and Mawdesley, all of whom will
be directly and I believe adversely affected by any
merger of their local Hospital Trust with Trusts in
Liverpool.
I am saddened that you could even consider merging
our local Southport and Ormskirk Hospital Trust with
those in Liverpool. I realise your Government seems
hell bent on merging everything from our Police Force
to our Councils and now our Hospital Trusts.
This is not in the best interests of local people
and I urge you to make it clear that you will use
the powers at your disposal to ensure the survival
of our local Trust delivering health services in our
local area.
Lorraine Fullbrook
Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for South Ribble
AMADEUS
FOUND AND CAUGHT
14/01/06
Amadeus,
the 6 year old brown and white Leonberger x Bernese Mountain
cross breed was today reunited with his owner.
The
extensive poster campain and media coverage (2005
News Archive 29/12/05) has led to many people reporting
sightings and allowed the search party to track his movements
throughout the villages of West Lancashire.
A
telephone call this morning pin-pointed him in a field and
a team of 15 people were mustered to close the net and catch
him. After over 7 weeks of being "on the run"
he was described as being fit and well.
CRIME
PREVENTION ALERT
11/01/06
The
following vehicle's occupant's are believed to be responsible
for a number of thefts and burglaries throughout the South
Lancashire area, including theft of motor vehicle, theft
of number plates and both commercial and domestic burglary.
The
vehicle is described as a Burgandy coloured Audi A4 saloon
which is displaying a stolen number plate Y78 WBF.
If
this vehicle is seen or you have any information regarding
this vehicle or its occupants please contact the Police
or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
NEW
NUMBER PLATE RECOGNITION EQUIPMENT
10/01/06
Southern
Division’s Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)
Team have taken delivery of five new motorbikes in their
fight against crime.
The
ANPR team, which consists of one Police Sergeant and six
Police Constables will now be using the latest BMW RS 120cc
sports motorcycles to police the highways of the division.
The team also use a covert vehicle and high performance
Vauxhall Vectra with all officers trained to the highest
level of police advanced driving techniques.
The
ANPR system identifies suspect vehicles that may have been
stolen and may be driven by offenders. When a vehicle is
identified officers stop the vehicle and speak to the driver
and occupants. The information contained about the vehicle
on the intelligence system provides the officers with the
necessary edge that allows them to deal with suspects more
efficiently. The device is able to monitor traffic flows
on even the busiest roads and even in the heaviest of traffic,
can read every passing registration plate to pick out those
worthy of police attention.
Sergeant
Steve Moon who is in charge of the ANPR team commented,”
In the last year the team have been responsible for the
arrest of 212 persons for crime and kindred offences. They
have recovered numerous stolen vehicles and property and
large quantities of class ‘A’ drugs. The use
of this technology provides us with a really efficient method
of policing the Division’s Roads.”
KATIE
DROPS IN ON POPPYFIELDS
05/01/06
REPORT
& PICTURES BY LAURA EVANS-HUGHES Local
residents were able to see at first hand the new
North West Air Ambulance "Katie" when
it landed at Poppyfields on Boxing Day afternoon,
responding to an emergency call at Douglas Avenue.
After
carefully assessing the situation the NWAA paramedics
decided that it's services were not required and
a land Ambulance was called to deal with the incident.
Click
here for a short video clip (5mb) of the helicopter
taking off.
The
NWAA were able to upgrade their helicopter following
a £500,000 legacy from the estate of Katie
Caine from Thornton Clevelys. The new EC135 helicopter
can fly at up to 20 knots faster than the previous
aircraft which will make an often critical two minute
difference in the time it takes to reach the hospital.
The
visit to Hesketh Bank on Boxing Day was the fifth
incident that the NWAA had attended that day. During
the Christmas period the Air Ambulance attended
a total of nine incidents.
Further
information about the invaluable work of the North
West Air Ambulance can be found on the NWAA
website
