Traffic in town centre
is “hell on wheels”
by David Skentelbery
A ROW flared after a borough councillor described traffic congestion in Warrington as ?hell on wheels.?
Liberal Democrat councillors clashed with members of the controlling Labour group during a debate at a meeting of the full council.
The dispute followed earlier comments from business leaders ? reported in Warrington-Worldwide – who criticised the town?s local transport plan as a ?missed opportunity?.
Coun David Earl (Liberal Democrat) told the council: ?We need a new crossing of the river in the town to help relieve congestion at Bridgefoot.
? But the crossing the council originally proposed near Bridgefoot wouldn?t have helped. What we need is a new crossing further to the west linking the A56 to the A57. This is referred to in the Transport Plan but is a vague possibility for the future.
?We cannot wait years for this. The scheme will require a large sum of money, but to put it on the back-burner is a betrayal of the needs of residents and the business community in the town. A constructive solution should be prepared so that if funds become available, we can move forward without delay.?
Coun Earl was critical of the general lack of action to reduce congestion in the town.
It should be a top priority, but the transport plan was full of vague phrases when what was needed was action.
He added: ?We need more action and some guarantees that our transport plans will actually deliver some improvements in the short-term.?
Coun Terry O?Neill, executive member for sustainable regeneration accused the Liberal Democrats of seeking a ?knee-jerk? reaction.
The council could not look at the Bridgefoot situation in isolation.
It had to take responsible action.
This might take longer, but it would result in the right action being taken.
A piecemeal approach would result in chaos.
Cost of the project would be ?100 million and the council could not do it on its own.
Liberal Democrat leader, Coun Ian Marks accused Labour of using ?weasel words? in their responses to these questions.
Traffic in the town was already in chaos and the issued had been talked about for years.
He said they had been talking about these issues for years. It was about time we had some action.
Masked man in raid
on newsagents’ shop
by John Hendon
A MASKED man armed with a screwdriver threatened staff and got away with cigarettes from a Warrington newsagents? shop.
The raid was at Martin?s newsagents in Admiral?s Road, Birchwood.
A man was punched in the face and threatened with the screwdriver when he attempted to stop the offender.
Police are appealing for witnesses of the incident which left staff in the shop badly shocked.
The man originally threatened a female member of staff and grabbed cigarettes from a display unit. But a man then confronted him ? and had the screwdriver held against his chest and was punched in the face.
The man then fled from the scene.
Police say he was aged about 18-22, of medium build and spoke with a local accent. He was wearing a light colour jacket with a hood, navy blue tracksuit bottoms and grey trainers.
His face was partially covered by a light coloured mask.
Jobs fair for lone parents
SINGLE mums and dads looking for advice on getting back into the work place were invited to a lone parents jobs fair by Warrington Collegiate.
Advice was available on a range of academic and vocational courses aimed at helping lone parents back into the workplace.
Make-up and beauty students were also on hand to offer them taster pampering sessions including manicures and head and neck massages.
Marie Keeley, of the college, said many of the single parents found the information useful and were pleased to learn that there was a nursery at the Winwick Road campus.
The fair, organised by Warrington JobCentre Plus, was held at the Gateway Centre. Local employers and family support groups also attended.
Top laboratory throws
doors open to public
by David Skentelbery
THE Daresbury Laboratory, near Warrington ? one of Europe?s biggest science research facilities – is throwing open its doors to the public.
An open day will be held this Saturday (October 8) to celebrate Einstein Year, with the laboratory open between 10am and 5pm.
Visitors will be able to talk to the scientists and see the equipment that scientists from all over the world use. They will learn how the science research that takes place at the Laboratory helps to make everyone?s lives better and they will be able to have a go themselves at some hands-on science experiments.
Laboratory spokesman Tony Buckley said: ?If anyone in your family has even the faintest interest in science, then this is the event to come along to. There?s lots to see and keep everyone amused, and entry is free ? what more could you want?
?We last invited the public to look round the laboratory in 1997 and science has moved on a lot since then.
We will be showing visitors all the cutting-edge science research that has made their lives better, and there are lots of hands-on experiments and fun demonstrations that will bring science and technology to life.?
On show will be the massive Synchrotron Radiation Source, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
This produces beams of intense light and X-rays which are used to probe the molecular structure of all types of matter. It has been used by scientists to investigate and understand the molecular structure of many things – from helping the fight against Malaria to help create smoother chocolate.
The laboratory has co-opted help from its many collaborators in the North West; universities and industry will be bringing exhibitions and hands-on science fun for the whole family.
The impressive 11m high Starchaser 4 Nova rocket from Salford University will be on display, Keele University will be urging visitors to ?make it molecular? and Liverpool University will are presenting the Physics Olympics.
Just off the A558 between Runcorn and Warrington, the laboratory is run by the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC). Car parking is available.
University campus
to stage open day
by John Hendon
THE Warrington campus of the University of Chester is staging an open day on Saturday, October 15 to enable prospective students to sample what is on offer.
There will be a tour of the site, talks and taster sessions and an opportunity to chat with lecturers.
The campus attracts students from all over the UK and overseas and specialises in a number of areas including Business, Computer Science, Sports, Health and Social Care, Nursing, Media and Education.
New undergraduate courses for 2006/7 include Film Studies, Graphic Design, Management and Marketing.
As well as offering a range of vocationally-oriented courses for full-time students, the Warrington campus offers a number of part-time degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level in subjects such as Business, Computing, Sport and Health Care.
Excellent links with local industry have enabled the University to run its well established student placement programme while maintaining an excellent record for graduate employment.
A University spokeswoman said: ?Being relatively compact, compared to its sister campus in Chester, the Warrington campus shares the same friendly, supportive atmosphere and prides itself on being a self-contained learning community.?
New developments include a Students’ Union, refurbished en-suite accommodation and plans for an innovative new library, to accommodate computers used to access literature online as well as conventional books. The recently modernised North West Media Centre boasts state-of-the-art facilities where students gain hands-on experience of music, television and sound production and can tak
e advantage of close links with ITV Granada Television.
Conservation Day to
be launched by MP
by staff reporter
WARRINGTON North MP Helen Jones will be launching the Mersey Basin Week Conservation Day today (Wednesday) at Risley Moss Nature Reserve, Birchwood.
The activities for the day will include shrub clearance, rhododendron clearance and a guided walk. The MP will also see conservation work being undertaken by Mersey Basin partners such as BNFL and NWDA.
The event is being organised in association with the local Action River Glaze co-ordinator and staff at Risley Moss Local Nature Reserve.
