?50 instant fines
for dropping litter
by Lesley Wilkinson
ON-the-spot fines for dropping litter are to be introduced in Warrington next year.
Borough council enforcement officers will patrol the streets with Police Community Support Officers targeting offenders.
Initially offenders will be warned, but from April they will be issued with fixed penalty notices with ?50 fines.
The blitz on litterbugs is part of a general campaign to make people feel safer in the town centre.
Lisa Gledhill, operational manager at Warrington Borough Council?s environmental management department said: “People don’t feel safe when they see litter about.”
The anti-litter patrols will ?hunt in pairs? because as present PCSOs are not currently allowed to issue the fixed penalty notices.
Cigarette ends and chewing gum will be classed as litter for the purposes of the operation.
Council chiefs are aware of the possibility that some offenders may not give their correct name and address when stopped by an anti-litter patrol.
But Ms Gledhill said research in other areas showed that 95 per cent of the time people do give their correct details and it was thought the presence of PCSOs would make it even more likely they would do so.
College trio on a high
after going down under
by James Parr
A TRIO of water-loving students from Warrington?s Priestley College have returned home after representing Great Britain in an Australian adventure.
Josh Edwards, Sarah Harrison and Katie De Corte, all 17, travelled ?down under? as part of the Great Britain Junior Dragon Boat team at the IDBF World Championships in Penrith.
As one of the world’s fastest growing sports, Dragon Boat racing involves teams competing in specially designed boats similar to rowing boats, but with a person at the helm of each vessel drumming out a constant beat.
Countries from all over the globe made the trip to compete in the tournament, with the sport likely to rise to prominence at the Beijing Olympics next year.
Perhaps more remarkably, Josh, Sarah and Katie all had to raise ?2,500 each to enable them to travel to Australia.
Combining fundraising time with training proved to be a juggling act for the trio, who are all members of the Amathus team that operates out of the Albert Dock in Liverpool.
Katy said: “In total I was training 4 times a week either in the gym or in the boat for the tournament. The money we needed to raise was obviously a big amount but thankfully all three of us picked up some form of funding from the government.”
Sarah added: “Before I got involved with the team I was a completely different person – I now feel it has allowed me to grow up a little more even though I’m still 17.”
Soccer club pitches
in with a victory
by David Skentelbery
A JUNIOR soccer club has won planning consent to convert more than six hectares of farmland into seven football pitches, with changing and storage facilities.
Warrington?s development control committee has given the go-ahead for Culcheth Athletic Junior Football Club to develop the land at Croft ? despite objections from nearby residents and from Croft Parish Council.
The club will shortly lose its current pitches at Culcheth High School due to a multi-million ? development of the school.
In any event, the club struggling to cope with the number of youngsters who want to play football.
They will provide seven pitches and five portable cabins for use as changing rooms, showers, kitchen, toilet and storage.
Croft Parish Council argued that the scheme would be inappropriate within the Green Belt and would result in traffic congestion on Warrington Road, Croft – already a busy route.
Five nearby residents opposed the plan on the grounds of noise, traffic problems and loss of farm land. They claimed there is no demand for sports pitches at Crfot because there were few young people in the area.
But more than 160 other people backed the scheme.
Planning officers admitted the buildings and 85-space car park would detract from the open character of the Green Belt.
But they said the positive community benefits would outweigh any adverse affect on the Green Belt.
?100,000 play gear
torched by vandals
by David Skentelbery
THREE unique pieces of play equipment worth ?100,000, which survived intact for nearly 20 years have been destroyed by vandals at Warrington.
The three items in Sankey Valley Park ? a pirate?s ship, a spider?s web and a set of slides ? were set alight.
Vandals dragged wheelie bins into the park, pushed them up against the play equipment and set fire to them.
The play equipment was left unsafe and had to be removed.
Coun Judith Wheeler, who represents Whittle Hall on Warrington Borough Council, said: ?This was not run-of-the-mill play equipment. It was really quite unique.
?It was provided by the New Town Development Corporation more than 20 years ago and survived intact for almost 20 years.
?Then the pirate ship was destroyed in 2005 and now, this year, the spider?s web and the slides have both been destroyed.
?One wonders who the parents of these children are and whether they have any idea of what they get up to. It is really time parents took more responsibility for what their children do.?
Coun Wheeler said it was ironic that children were always complaining they had nothing to do. Yet here was a case of children destroying eq uipment intended to provide them with pleasure.
She added: ?There is no way the borough council can afford to replace these items ? and they are not covered by insurance.?
Further work approved
for Ackers Pit
by Lesley Wilkinson
A ?3,400 package of further work on the renovation of Warrington beauty spot Ackers Pit has been approved.
Stockton Heath Parish Council has given the go-ahead for Mayfield Construction Company for the 10-day project.
Coun Maurice Leslie, acting chairman of the parish council, said the company would excavate a new ditch from the existing inlet to the small pond and tidy the edges of the small pond.
Remedial work will include the reduction of levels of the banks along Ackers Lane by 300mm.
Coun Leslie said: “The banks on Ackers Lane were too high and we were advised they were dangerous.?
Other work will include re-profiling of the ditch banks at the Ackers Lane/ Ackers Road junction.
Coun Leslie said once work was complete quotes for a weir feature would be considered.
Meanwhile, the ponds remain partly drained.
Education minister
praises MP
by James Parr
HIGH praise has been heaped on Warrington South MP Helen Southworth for her efforts to safeguard the 100,000 children who run away or go missing from home each year.
Secretary of State for Education Ed Balls sang the MP?s praises in the House of Commons in recognition of her campaigning in Parliament for better provisions for runaway youngsters.
Mrs Southworth was in the Commons to ask the Minister about systems in place to help children who are placed in care – one of the key groups of young people who are at risk of running away.
A meeting she had earlier in the year on the issue of young runaways was commended by Ed Balls as being: “directly responsible for the inclusion of a looked-after and missing children’s indicator in the local government indicator set.”
Mrs Southworth commented: “I am really pleased to see that this Government is as determined as I am to safeguard vulnerable children and young people and I look forward to viewing the upcoming legislation to make sure it does just that.”
Police probe
arson attack
by staff reporter
POLICE are investigating an arson attack during the night on a house under renovation in Marsh House Lane, Warrington.
The offenders set fire to
hoarding erected around the end-terraced house and then fled the scene – but not before being spotted by nearby residents.
There was no damage to the house itself and no-one was hurt as the property is currently unoccupied.
In a separate incident, a stolen car was abandoned in Europa Boulevard, Warrington, and set alight.
Consultancy expands
its local operation
by James Parr
AN INTERNATIONAL company is expanding its Warrington base by appointing six new recruits.
Project management and cost consultancy firm Faithful+Gould is expanding as a result of their ongoing success and development programme.
The new recruits are Wendy Telfer, as associate director, Giles Hargraves, as regional director, Gary Knowles, as project manager, Albert Norris and Ian Reid as quantity surveyors and Mark Anthistle, as an assistant quantity surveyor.
Head of Faith+Gould’s Warrington office, Alan Goldstraw said: “We’re delighted to welcome all five to the Warrington office. Faithful+Gould is currently experiencing an unprecedented demand for its services, and these appointments are intended to ensure we continue to meet that demand to our usual standards.”
Car fire
FIRE crews managed to save a car set alight by vandals at Warrington.
The arsonists struck in Greenwood Crescent, Orford, setting fire to the car which was parked in the street.
Although there was extensive damage, firefighters managed to reach the scene quickly enough to avert a total burn-out.
