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New drone assists the county’s community protection team to gather evidence of fly-tipping and other environmental crime The council’s community protection team is now able to more easily gather information about illegal waste disposal in areas not easily and safely accessed on foot, thanks to a new drone. The drone has already helped to gather evidence of fly-tipping at remote spots, and on the full extent of illegal waste disposal which is not clearly seen at ground level. The community protection team uses the drone to investigate following reported incidents of fly-tipping and other similar issues. The drone, which is operated by a fully trained and accredited pilot, collects high quality footage which will be used to assist in the prosecution of any person carrying out environmental crime. Councillor Barry Durkin, cabinet member roads and regulatory services, said: “It’s important we protect our outstanding natural environment, and we will use all the technology we can to do this. The new drone is already proving to be a valuable tool in supporting our community protection team to investigate reports of waste being dumped illegally. So our message is clear to anyone thinking they can dispose of waste or carry out any illegal activities in any area where they think that it will go undetected – we won’t hesitate to use our Eye in the Sky to protect Herefordshire.” The drone was purchased through a government grant for projects to help protect the environment. When not being used for investigations by the community protection team the drone is used to support other council departments, such as planning, estate management and ecology, when access is an issue.

Local MP Jesse Norman, who has led the campaign to Clean Up the River Wye for over three years, has today hailed the publication of the Government's new Action Plan for the River Wye. The plan, with £35 million of new funding, sets out a wide range of measures to address phosphate pollution and other environmental impacts on the Wye. And in a crucial development, the Government has appointed well-known local resident and former Ross-on-Wye Councillor and MEP Anthea McIntyre as a new River Champion for the Wye. Commenting, Jesse said: "I have been campaigning for an Action Plan and joined-up approach to cleaning up the River Wye for over three years now, and this is a potential turning point for the river. I am especially pleased that the Action Plan recognises the brilliant efforts of volunteer groups up and down the river. "At the Shell Store meeting in 2022 we laid out what was needed: a properly funded single collective long-term effort bringing everyone together. And I reiterated the importance of this approach at our meeting with the previous DEFRA Secretary of State last June. "Now the Government has delivered on its side, with a larger package than anyone expected, which is fantastic. The challenge is now for us all -- including farmers, Welsh Water, Herefordshire Council, wildlife and environmental groups -- working with the new River Champion, to respond quickly and decisively to make it happen."

A man has been charged following a fatal collision on Home Lacy Road in Hereford on Sunday 8 October. Stephen Susans, of Verschoyle Gardens in Ross-on-Wye, has been charged with being the driver of a vehicle failing to stop after a road accident, being the driver of a vehicle involved in a road accident failing to report the accident and perverting the course of public justice. The 57-year-old will appear at Hereford Magistrates Court on 22 May.

Great idea. Fully supported

It is always busy when we have visited. Hope this one stays open but this is a common story across the UK sadly

The firm behind the Wildwood chain - which has a restaurant in the Old Market Hereford revealed plans to shut a raft of sites as part of a major restructuring. Tasty, which also runs locations under Dim T brand, said it plans to exit around 20 loss-making restaurants after a “challenging” start to the year. Under the plans, the group would shut 18 branches, with two of these sites already closed to diners. Tasty currently operates 43 Wildwoods and six Dim-T pan-Asian restaurants, as well as two non-trading sites and three sub-let venues. The group's board has put forward a restructuring plan it said would help ensure its long-term survival. Tasty's 43 Wildwood restaurants serve pizza, pasta, burgers, and steak and occupy a number of heritage buildings. The hospitality group said on Tuesday its financial performance"continues to be inhibited by a tail of underperforming sites". A spokesperson said: “The use of a restructuring plan is considered the most effective means to reorganise the group to return it to profitability and secure its long-term future which should change the financial viability, profitability profile and long-term prospects of the group." Tasty said it expects to operate around 30 restaurants by the end of the current year. But, it hasn't yet confirmed the locations of the sites earmarked for closure or when they could shut. Here is the full list of Wildwood sites at risk: Dim T, Charlotte Street, London Dim T, Hampstead, London Dim T, Victoria, London Dim T, Whiteley, Hampshire Dim T, Winchester, Hampshire Wildwood, Epping Wildwood, Bicester Wildwood, Braintree Wildwood, Maidstone Wildwood, Taunton Wildwood, Market Harborough Wildwood, Crawley Wildwood Skipton Wildwood, Lincoln Wildwood, Billericay Wildwood, Birmingham Wildwood, Salisbury Wildwood, Whiteley Wildwood, Peterborough Wildwood, Kingston Wildwood, Canterbury Wildwood, Gerrards Cross Wildwood, Newmarket Wildwood, Bournemouth Wildwood, Chichester Wildwood, Ely Wildwood, Rushden Lakes Wildwood, York Wildwood, Llandudno Wildwood, Plymouth / Royal William Yard Wildwood, Hornchurch Wildwood, Cambridge Wildwood, Wantage Wildwood, Chelmsford Wildwood, Brentwood Wildwood, Didcot Wildwood, Hereford Wildwood, Stratford-Upon-Avon Wildwood, Port Solent Wildwood, Telford Wildwood, Hinckley Wildwood, Cheam Wildwood, Nottingham Wildwood, Seven Dials Wildwood, Northwich Wildwood, Liverpool Wildwood, Covent Garden The Wildwood restaurant opened in Hereford's Old Market Shopping Centre in May 2015, see our original article - https://hfd.news/HX9i6

Three supermarkets within a mile on the busiest & congested road in Hereford 🙄

It will be really good to have a bakery back in the city centre. I miss The Oven Door that used to be in High Town and that lovely smell of fresh bread 🙂

This is a nice idea

A planning application from Dorian Kirk (The Yard, Rule Of Tum and The Burger Shop) has been submitted to Herefordshire Council planning for the proposed development and conversion of a part of the vacant commercial unit into a bakery. This application is for 'Commercial kitchen extraction to rear flat roof' at 26 Commercial Street in Hereford Full details HERE

Can you believe that some people drive cars like this beauty and don't insure it? Anyway the Police seized it, which made for a good night story 😀 What is even better is that even though they missed this last night, they soon jumped on it this morning 😉

Let's talk about the highly controversial Lidl planning application (remember when we originally broke the news and other pages said it was all rumours as they had spoken with the hotel... 🤔) Anyway, this application ended up having to go to a full planning committee This topic 👇 that followed just 18 minutes later was a pure coincidence of course..

Herefordshire Council Planning And Regulatory Committee approve Lidl Supermarket Application at the Three Counties Hotel. After much debate, a proposal to 'REFUSE' was proposed by Cllr. Richard Thomas and seconded by Cllr. Simeon Cole however, after a lot of pressure from the panel and some legal arguments members of the committee voted we believe as follows; 1st Vote 𝟰 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝟳 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝟭 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 On the second motion for the Planning Officers recommendation to 'APPROVE', this was proposed by Cllr Baker and nobody initially came forward to second the motioned however, later on in the meeting, we understand that it was eventually seconded by Cllr. Dave Davies. The majority voted with the officer (we do not know actually who voted) and members of the committee, we believe voted as follows; 2nd Vote 𝟲 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿 * 𝟯 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 * 𝟯 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 On the 2nd vote * We believe that the following Councillors all voted against this planning application. Cllr. Richard Thomas Cllr. Simeon Cole Cllr. David Hitchiner * After reviewing the live feed, we also believe that the following Councillors voted to approve this planning application. Cllr. Diana Toynbee Cllr. Dave Boulter Cllr. Bruce Baker Cllr. John Stone Cllr. Terry James (Chairperson) Cllr. Dave Davies

Around 10am this morning, emergency services were called to Rope Walk in Ross-on-Wye. They remained on the scene for at least two hours and discovered a body in the water. Police, Fire Service and Midlands Air Ambulance were dispatched to the location. A spokesperson for the ambulance service said: "We were called by the fire service just after 10am to an incident in Ross-on-Wye. "An ambulance, paramedic officer, the Midlands Air Ambulance from Strensham and an ambulance from South Western Ambulance Service attended. "We found a woman. Unfortunately, nothing could be done to save her and she was confirmed deceased at the scene." Part of the Rope Walk in Ross-on-Wye has been cordoned off as emergency services continue working at the scene, including a crime scene investigation unit. The woman who was discovered in the river has not been identified, and police have not yet released an official update.

Four people have been charged with offences including four counts of assaulting a police officer following an incident on Union Street, Hereford on Saturday 30 March. Among the officers assaulted, one officer was seriously injured and remains in hospital. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Richard Quinn, 47, of Meadow Bank, Little Birch, Herefordshire was charged with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm with intent, intentional strangulation, and common assault by beating and appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday (1 April). Alex Quinn, 18, of Meadow Bank, Little Birch, Herefordshire was charged with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm with intent and common assault by beating. They were both bailed to appear at Worcester Crown Court on 30 April. Carolynn Quinn, 44, of Wyeval House, Bridge Street, Hereford was charged with two counts of assault of an emergency worker and theft from a person. Robynn Quinn, 22, of Court Orchard, Fownhope, Hereford was charged with two counts of assault of an emergency worker. They were both released on bail to appear at Hereford Magistrates’ Court on 8 May. Anyone with information relating to this incident is asked to call the lead officer DC Dube of West Mercia Police via 101, quoting incident 44_I_30032024.

This has to go down as one of Herefordshire Council planners worse decisions in my opinion

The are some serious concerns over flooding in the Newton Brook, which has never flooded but they may change once the pond at the hotel is filled in.

Today we see the start of the groundworks in preparation for the controversial but recently approved Lidl planning application to demolish the Three Counties Hotel and build a Lidl Supermarket on the notorious congested hotspot A465 Belmont Road in Hereford. This planning application received hundreds of objections and a petition with over 1000 signatures from local people although some people were in support of another supermarket on the Belmont Road. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀! 😉 𝟭. 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 1.1 The ‘Three Counties Hotel’ is set back off Belmont Road (A465) Hereford to Abergavenny road and located in the south west of Hereford about 1.5 miles from the City Centre. The application site is about 1.66 hectares in size and currently has landscaped gardens (pond and patio area to the front which established trees) as well as car parking. The site is bounded by Belmont Road to the south, residential properties within Glastonbury Close to the north and east. To the south east is a wooded area and adjacent to that a ‘Drive Thru’ restaurant (McDonalds). To the west beyond the car park are residential dwellings in Flaxley Drive. The Newton Brook runs adjacent to the site to the west. The brook runs from Waterfield Road under Belmont Road and up alongside the Three Counties Hotel then into Glastonbury Close which also runs between Golden Post and Sydwell Road. Residential properties on the periphery of the site are a mix of semi-detached, terraced and detached properties. 1.2 A Tree Preservation Order covers 4 individual trees across the site, ref T1, T2, T3, & T4. The site is not located within a designated area known as a national Landscape (previously known as area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The site lies within Flood Zone 1 (low risk of flooding). The site is not located within or adjacent to a Conservation Area and there are no heritage assets (including non-designated heritage assets) within the site, adjoining the site or in close proximity. 1.3 The existing hotel (now closed) had 60 bedrooms with 32 located in an annex to the rear (known as the Garden Rooms). You can see our original 'Breaking News' article from March 2022 here 👉 https://hfd.news/Lidl

On Thursday 28 March at Worcester Crown Court two men who ran a county line into Hereford have been handed prison sentences of a total of nine years and ten months. Andrew Pritchard, 37, of Ridgemoor Road in Leominster was today given a five-year prison sentence for two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs- cocaine, and two counts of acquiring/using/possessing criminal property. Taylor Warr, 22, of Sheriff Drive in Brierley Hill, West Midlands was sentenced to four years and ten months for being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession with intent to supply a controlled drug- Class B – Cannabis and acquiring/using/possessing criminal property. Following an investigation, Warr and Pritchard were running the county line named ‘Terry’ that was used to supply class A drugs into Leominster, Hereford. ‘County lines’ is the name given to the process and operation of drugs transported from predominately larger urban areas to smaller towns, often in rural areas, with the ‘line’ referring to the mobile number used to order the drugs. Detective Constable Kyle Hopkins said: “This was a detailed and complex investigation involving high level offending spread across a number of Police forces, Warr and Pritchard were responsible for trafficking class A drugs into the local community. “The misery of drugs is well known, and it devastates lives on a daily basis, I welcome these sentences as a demonstration of the severity of the offences. West Mercia Police will relentlessly pursue those who traffic drugs, regardless of where they operate, and will always seek to prosecute those who cause harm to the local community”

This has got to be a joke right? How much is that chairperson going to receive I wonder?

This place now needs to be demolished.

This is a good question.

Ha ha ha that's just brilliant 🤣

Local Authorities to Embrace Quirky Charm with More Murals in Hereford. In a bid to celebrate Hereford's unique quirks, city officials are considering adding two new murals to the ever-growing outdoor art scene. Following the success of recent street art installations, Hereford could soon be adorned with even more eye-catching masterpieces. The first mural in consideration aims to capture the essence of Hereford's perpetual traffic congestion, a sight as common as spotting pigeons in the city centre. Depicting cars locked in a symphony of honking horns and frustrated drivers, this mural promises to be a real traffic stopper. But that's not all! In a stroke of genius, the second mural proposal aims to pay homage to Hereford's beloved potholes, a feature so cherished by the local authority that they're practically considered landmarks. With whimsical illustrations of potholes adorned with flowers or even tiny picnic scenes, this mural is sure to drive home the city's unique sense of humour. Councillor, Mrs. Mabel Doodle, expressed her enthusiasm, stating, "We've always known Hereford was a city with character, and what better way to showcase it than through art? These murals will not only bring joy to residents but also serve as a gentle reminder to the council that maybe, just maybe, fixing the potholes should be a top priority!" As anticipation mounts for these laugh-inducing additions to the cityscape, residents eagerly await the chance to snap photos with their favourite traffic jams and potholes. With creativity flowing as freely as the Wye, Hereford is poised to cement its status as a city with both charm and chuckles. Keep your eyes peeled for updates as Hereford prepares to paint the town with even more personality!

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