An investigation has launched following a report of rape in the early hours of yesterday morning (21 July) in Ross-on-Wye.

The incident happened around 3am between Three Crosses Road and Springfield Road.

Detective Inspector Catherine Taylor said: “I know an incident like this will bring great concern to the community and I would like to reassure the public that a thorough investigation is now on going.

“I am appealing to anybody who may have any information that would help with our enquiries, however insignificant you feel it may be, to please contact the police. I also ask that people check any doorbell footage they may have from around the time the incident happened.

“There will be an increased police presence in the town as we carry out enquiries and specially trained officers are supporting the victim”.

If you have any information, please contact Detective Constable James Smith by email james.smith@westmercia.police.uk or by calling 01432 347103.

Alternatively, if you do not feel comfortable speaking with the police, information can be shared anonymously with the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or by visiting www.crimestoppers-uk.org

Improvement works to Leominster Town Centre are continuing apace and are now expected to be complete by November.

Leominster town centre is benefitting from the multi-million pound High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) Fund, which is breathing new life into high streets that are rich in heritage and potential.

The Leominster scheme was awarded £1.3 million Historic England grant funding which is matched by £2,185,500 of funding from Herefordshire Council. The council is working in partnership with Leominster Town Council, along with residents, businesses and community groups to deliver a range of projects, agreed with Historic England, which aim to renew and rejuvenate Leominster's High Street and Conservation Area.

The major investment has already transformed buildings with improvements to structure and facades to reflect the original detail, restoring local historic character and heritage features.

Cllr Philip Price, Cabinet Member Transport and Infrastructure, said: “Winning this funding was an incredibly competitive process and involved a lot of effort from the council and our local partners, so we are delighted to be carrying out these improvement works for the benefit of Leominster. Once finished, the enhancements will be beautiful and be a boost to the aesthetics and accessibility of the Town Centre that will bring benefits to local people and businesses for years to come.”

The works were originally intended to be completed in September, but delays due to drainage and sourcing of materials means the anticipated completion date is now the end of November, with some ongoing work to continue in Corn Square.

Cllr Price continued: “It is always a challenge when working with older structures, and some of the issues we have discovered have unfortunately led to the delays experienced. However, we are committed to doing the job thoroughly and with the long-term in mind, so where defects have been found we have fixed them rather than leaving them to be discovered down the line, and we will continue this approach.

“It can sometimes take longer than any of us would like to properly identify potential problems and the appropriate solution. As such, we are aware of the inconvenience to Leominster that will have been caused by the delays incurred by drainage and materials sourcing issues, so to help provide a boost to local businesses we are implementing a number of measures.”

These include:

• Free Parking – from 7 August two hours free parking in Etnam Street Car Park for the duration of the improvement work.
• Additional promotion of Leominster – funding to be provided by Herefordshire Council to support the promotion of events and festivals in Leominster. A total of £2,500 will be made available and we will be liaising with local businesses and Leominster Town Council on how this can be allocated most effectively.
• Support for events affected by the work – we understand the extension of this work may impact on planned events. We are keen to ensure the events continue and we will provide support to the organisers to help facilitate these where possible.
• Signage – Some businesses and residents have expressed concern about the placement of signs and safety barriers. We are committed to minimising disruption where possible and if notified of any concerns we will work with the contractors to alter signage.
• Herefordshire County Business Improvement District have also separately committed to support businesses in Leominster.

Cllr Price concluded: “We are committed to working with the local community, and there will be a residents and businesses meeting on Tuesday 23 July at Grange Court from 5.30pm. This is a great opportunity for local people to find out more, ask questions, and express any concerns or issues they may have.”

NON-MATERIAL AMENDMENT APPLICATION AMENDMENT OF PLANNING PERMISSION REF: 231703 THREE COUNTIES HOTEL, BELMONT, HEREFORD, HR2 7BP

Carney Sweeney (planning consultants) has submitted the following covering letter. 

On behalf of our client Lidl Great Britain Ltd, this application is submitted for a non-material amendment to the wording of conditions 3-7 attached to planning permission ref: 231703. Permission ref. 231703 was granted on 15 March 2024 for the following:
"Demolition of existing hotel and associated structures and erection of Class E foodstore with associated access, parking, servicing, drainage and landscaping."

Proposal

Works associated with the demolition of the former hotel buildings are a specialist element of the construction process and consequently programmed to be carried out by a specialist contractor rather than a general contractor which will carry out the subsequent construction of the Lidl store.. Furthermore, and partly in response to a desire to limit the potential for criminal activity at the site, there is a strong desire to carry out the demolition activity as early as possible (in late 2024), before the General Contractor has been chosen and appointed.

As currently drafted the conditions do not recognise the separate nature of the demolition works and the subsequent construction works and consequently it is not possible to fully discharge the conditions until the main contractor is appointed. In order to facilitate the separate phased nature of the works this application proposes amended wording to allow information in respect of the demolition phase of works to be submitted and approved separately to information in respect of the construction phase of works.

CoveringLetter 2.pdf

At around 7.05pm yesterday (Thursday 4 July) officers were called to a fire on Charles Witts Avenue in Hereford.

When officers arrived a 33-year-old man was sadly found dead at the scene. His death is being treated as suspicious and an investigation is underway.

A woman, aged 56, was taken to hospital for further treatment.

A 30-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody while enquiries continue.

Detective Inspector Catherine Taylor, said: “Police, accompanied by fire and ambulance services, attended a house fire last night, where a man was found to have suffered serious injuries. Sadly, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

“His death is currently being treated as suspicious and an investigation has been launched to establish the circumstances. At this stage all lines of enquires are being explored. Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this difficult time.”

Jesse Norman (Conservative) holds his seat in Hereford and South Herefordshire

Full results below 👇

Ellie Chowns (Green) wins seat from Sir Bill Wiggin in North Herefordshire 

Full results for North Herefordshire below 👇

The 34-year-old serial killer was on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of the attempted murder of a baby girl, known as Child K. It comes after she was convicted last August of the murder of seven babies.

Lucy Letby appearing in the dock at Manchester Crown Court (Elizabeth Cook/PA) (PA Wire)

The 34-year-old was convicted of attempting to murder the child, referred to in court as Baby K, following a retrial.

In a statement, Baby K's family described having to endure a "long, torturous and emotional journey - twice".

"Today, justice has been served. But it does not take away the extreme hurt, anger and distress that we have all had to experienced," they said.

Last August, Letby was convicted by a different jury of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neo-natal unit between June 2015 and June 2016.

However, a verdict on the allegation relating to Baby K could not be reached, and a retrial was ordered, heard at Manchester Crown Court.

Whitbread, the owner of Beefeater, announced plans earlier this year to close 126 of its "lower-performing" restaurants due to a drop in foot traffic at some sites.

A spokeswoman for Whitbread told the Hereford Voice that Beefeater locations in Hereford and Ross-on-Wye will close this week.

"After many years serving the community we can confirm the Starting Gate and Travellers Rest are closing their doors on July 5.

We are committed to working hard to enable as many as possible of our affected team members to stay with us by taking other vacancies across the business through recruitment."

Both restaurants are attached to Premier Inn hotels, also owned by Whitbread. Plans to run the Beefeater in Hereford as a Premier Inn restaurant for the time being have been confirmed, but only for the use of the hotel guests.

Whitbread, which operates more than 840 Premier Inn hotels in the UK (as well as a further 51 in Germany), has decided to close some of its less profitable food and beverage outlets in an effort to improve the overall business’ performance.

A motorists has crashed into the Doctors Surgery at Belmont this morning. All emergency services are at the scene. We are not sure if anyone was injured.

The building has been severely damaged. Paramedics are at the scene together with Police and Fire Service.

More to follow...
 

Herefordshire Crematorium has joined the growing list of crematorium and cemeteries nationwide to join the ‘Letters to Heaven’ initiative, which gives grieving people a chance to send messages to their departed loved ones.

The idea first came about when a young girl in Nottinghamshire expressed a wish to send letters to her grandparents, and the concept has been adopted in Local Authority areas across the country.

In 2023, Hereford Crematorium was contacted by two local ladies who had been impressed by the story and wanted to see if something similar could be done in Hereford. The Crematorium then purchased a white post box and Ursells of Ross, local memorial masons, kindly donated the memorial book which explains the purpose of the post box.

The boxes are free for anyone to post a letter to their loved ones, or, if it is a special occasion, they can post birthday cards, anniversary cards, Mother's Day and Father's Day cards, Christmas cards and holiday postcards.

Letters, messages, or cards posted in the boxes will be treated respectfully, and will never be opened or read.

John Gibbon, Direct Services Manager at Hereford Crematorium said: “We are pleased to be a part of the ‘Letters to Heaven’ initiative. Losing a loved one is the most difficult experience any of us will go through in life, and writing these letters, which are treated sensitively and confidentially, will hopefully be a help to people working through the grieving process.”

Sad News As Hereford Lads Club FC Pull Out Of Hellenic League Premier Division And Hereford Leagues With Immediate Effect

𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗕 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧

"It is with deep disappointment that we wish to inform you that the Hereford Lads Club 1st Team, Lads Club Reserves and Lads Club Colts will be pulling out of the Hellenic League Premier Division and Herefordshire Leagues with immediate effect.

Following years, and in the case of many of us, decades of hard work, we are disappointed to find ourselves in the position that we find ourselves in. Lads Club committee feel there is no place for senior football for these teams.

Over the past 10 years, we’ve progressed from the Herefordshire leagues, to Step Five and the Hellenic League Premier Division.

We’ve progressed as a team, but unfortunately a number of decisions made by the Club, it’s Chairman and Trustees, mean that we are no longer in a position where we can continue.

The budget offered by the club for the forthcoming season is around half of what we believe would even give us a chance of remaining in this division, plus with other local clubs showing ambition and working at getting extra sponsorship to remain sustainable, the lack of effort from those above us at the club mean that we are fighting a tougher battle every week.

We’d like to thank all the players who have played for us over the years, many of them without getting paid. Whether it’s promotions, the County Cup winning season or cup runs, we have plenty of memories to take away from this memorable spell at the club.

We’d also like to thank those people who supported us over the years, whether it be by attending fixtures or through sponsorship. It’s meant a lot to us and we can’t thank you enough.

It’s been an incredibly difficult decision to make, but we only wish the club could’ve matched our ambition for a stable, competitive club in Step Five.

More information in the next few days of thanks and moments in our history will be posted.

Thank you for the memories.

Daniel Moon, John Haycox and Stephen Ellerton"

Hereford Voice - This is such sad news, thank you for all that you have done for the club.

Councillor Bob Matthews was ward member for Credenhill and Group Leader for the True Independents

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the death of Councillor Bob Matthews yesterday (Thursday 20 June 2024).

Councillor Matthews was one of our longest serving councillors, working as a councillor at the start of Herefordshire Council becoming a unitary authority on 1 April 1998. 

As well as working for his constituents as ward member for Credenhill, Councillor Matthews was Group Leader for the True Independents, and a committee member on the Scrutiny Management Board and the Employment Panel. He also served on a number of outside bodies and joint committees.

Councillor Jonathan Lester, Leader of Herefordshire Council said:

“On behalf of all Herefordshire Councillors I want to express our sadness at the death of Councillor Bob Matthews.

“Cllr Matthews dedicated so much of his life to serving the public, shaping, influencing and improving the decisions of this council. He was a very active champion of local democracy, and extremely passionate and active in representing his constituents, benefitting so many people over his many years of service.

“Many members of this council were encouraged to stand as a councillor as a result of his active engagement and passion around the role councillors play in serving this county. He will be missed by us all.

“Our deepest sympathies are with his family, friends and colleagues.”

As a mark of respect the Union Flag at the Shirehall will remain at half-mast until the day of Councillor Matthews’s funeral.

The Union Flag at the Town Hall will fly at half-mast until Monday 24 June, and then the Armed Forces Flag will be raised at full-mast for the day to mark Armed Forces Week. The Union Flag will then fly at half-mast from Tuesday 25 June until the day of Councillor Matthews’s funeral.
 

The fabulous new K9 Doggy Deli opens in the Maylord Orchards Atrium on Saturday 29th June!

It was great to catch up with owners Mark and Jo earlier and discuss their new unit. They told Hereford Voice;

"Ace k9 Doggy Deli will be selling natural dog treats and chews and some dog related accessories. We will be providing tea, coffee and some cakes (for humans haha) and puppucinno's for the doggies and some freebie treats.

So hoping it will be a success as we are fully aware of footfall in this location. As im sure you are aware Maylords isnt visited as much these days due to closure of Wilko etc. Mark and I so want to make the Atrium at Maylord Orchards a vibrant shopping centre again. Fingers crossed it will entice other retailers in with the other units opening soon. Just need Hereford peeps to support it.

This is a 13 week pop up at the moment but so hope we get the support and we can make it permanent. At the moment we have a permanent position at Hereford High Town Market on a Saturday this has proved very popular and successful. We are so excited and can't wait to open on Saturday 29th June"

Web | https://ace-k9-menu.co.uk

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗜𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁!

Hereford Voice wish Mark and Jo the very best of luck with their new venture!

Environmental lawyers fighting to halt alleged industrial scale chicken production pollution in the River Wye say their case has been strengthened by a recent court ruling affecting farming practices. 

A team at law firm Leigh Day is preparing a major nuisance claim against Avara Foods Limited and its parent company Cargill, alleging that industrial scale chicken farming in the River Wye catchment area is polluting the River Wye and surrounding land. 

The claim will demand that Avara and Cargill clean up the river, stop the pollution and compensate the community for damage.  The claim will allege that the unsustainable expansion of large-scale industrial chicken production in the Wye catchment area has deteriorated the River Wye.  

A recent judgment in a separate legal challenge to the Environment Agency over the way it enforces Farming Rules for Water said farmers would have to change their system for spreading manure on agricultural land. 

Six further points by the judge reinforce the claim against Avara and Cargill, say the River Wye nuisance claim legal team. In the judgment, it was said: 

“the Wye is also a valuable recreational resource, providing the opportunity for tourism and outdoor pursuits such as fishing and kayaking”, para 4. 

“the impact of pollution on the water quality of the Wye and the consequences which have followed in relation to its nature conservation value are widely recorded and undisputed”, para 135. 

“there are water quality issues in the Wye related to phosphate limits being exceeded within the catchment”, para 6. 

“In recent years the Wye has been the subject of extensive pollution in the form of high concentrations of phosphorus in the river’s water. The consequences of this include the development within the river of substantial algal blooms, turning the river green, interfering with its ecology and leading to an impact upon key species, such as ranunculus or the water crowfoot family of plants, the presence of which justified the original designation of the Wye as an SAC”, para 5. 

“address[ing] the issues affecting [the] favourable conservation status” of the designated conservation sites in the RWC is a “necessary priority”, para. 142. 

“The evidence also suggests that the effect of the algal blooms also impacts upon the recreational and tourist use of the river”, para. 5. 

Those points acknowledging the importance of the River Wye and its pollution by excess phosphorous, boost the nuisance claim by reinforcing the need for accountability of the polluters for the damage to the Wye, says Leigh Day.   

This adds weight to the private legal claim, which says the Wye is heavily polluted because excessive amounts of poultry manure is being produced across land within the river catchment through the industrial activities of the large US group, leading to a substantial increase in levels of phosphorus in the soil. This then runs off and leaches into the river, reducing oxygen and causing widespread algal blooms along the length of the river system, which turn the water an opaque green before decaying and causing foul odours and sickness. 

In the judgment, handed down on Friday 24 May 2024, after examining the Environment Agency’s enforcement of regulations that govern the amount and timing of the application of organic manure and artificial fertiliser that can be spread on agricultural land, the judge ruled that farming practices will have to change. Now farmers will be limited in the amount of manure they can spread in the autumn and winter, when the nutrients in the manure will not be taken up, in favour of spring application when the nutrients are required by the growing crop. 

Leigh Day partner Oliver Holland, who leads the private law claim, said:  

“The pollution of the River Wye is a story of private exploitation and government failure. The legal system offers a solution for the people and wildlife that are being impacted.  

“Private law claims empower communities to obtain court orders which force private companies to stop polluting, to pay for the damage they have caused, and to clean up the river.” 

Welcome to POT TRUMPS 'Herefordshire Edition'

Dear Herefordshire Council,

As we navigate the maze of potholes that pepper our roads, it's time for a game-changing approach to highlighting this perennial problem. Introducing POT TRUMPS 'Herefordshire Edition' – an innovative way to showcase the severity of potholes across Herefordshire while engaging the community in a fun and interactive manner.

By assigning scores to categories such as 'Pothole Peril,' 'Road Rattlers,' 'Tire Troubles,' and 'Swerve Skills,' this creative initiative not only sheds light on the increasing presence of potholes but also underscores their impact on our daily lives. 

This light-hearted yet impactful strategy serves as a rallying cry for action, urging you to prioritise road maintenance and invest in long-term solutions to ensure safer and smoother journeys for all Herefordshire residents.

Let's pave the way to smoother roads together – one 'POT TRUMP' card at a time!

Sincerely,
Hereford Voice

We are now 'Twinned' with our friends @pot.trumps.chelmsford (Instagram) who have been so kind and we would personally like to thank Nick for all his input and creative advice. 

It has taken us a while to collate all of the information and images of various potholes around Herefordshire for us to be able to create our unique Pot Trump Cards. (Some of the potholes may have already been repaired as we have reported each one to Herefordshire Council).

Each card comes with it's own data (might not be completely accurate but is more to highlight the significance of each pothole) if scores reach over 90 they then become a SHINY card, hopefully there will not be many of these.

We will release new cards every week to add to our collection, here are the first 3.

⚠️ You can report potholes HERE

Or click on our unique QR Code below 👇

Hereford’s shared bike and e-bike provider, Beryl, along with scheme partners Herefordshire Council, are celebrating a significant milestone.

Beryl vehicles have now clocked up more than one million kilometres across the city - the equivalent of around 25 trips around the Earth.

According to industry calculations, the 425,000 journeys undertaken since the scheme launched in July 2019 have had a significant impact on regional air quality, saving nearly 40 tonnes of carbon emissions - the equivalent of nearly 20,000 litres of petrol consumption.

The scheme has helped to reduce traffic congestion. According to Beryl’s latest annual Rider Report - a survey of thousands of Beryl riders undertaken across all scheme areas last summer - 68% of riders in Hereford have used a Beryl vehicle to replace a car, van, motorcycle or taxi journey (either as a driver or a passenger). This is 14% more than the average across all schemes.

With nearly 132,000 hours of rides, the scheme has also helped people across the city to increase their physical activity levels, which is proven to benefit both physical and mental health.

Richard Vaughan, Herefordshire Council’s Sustainability and Climate Change Manager said: “This amazing milestone, reached in under five years, shows just how popular the bike hire scheme is in the City and that Beryl bikes are now truly a way of life!  The scheme has been great for reducing congestion and improving the health and wellbeing of residents. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Beryl as we continue to improve the bike share scheme across the City.”

Beryl CEO and co-founder, Phil Ellis, said: “I’m delighted that our Hereford share scheme has been able to reach this milestone and have a significant impact on regional air quality, congestion and physical activity levels.

“We know, from talking to our users, that our vehicles are also encouraging people to adopt more sustainable long-term transport habits.

“Of those asked, 60% of Beryl riders in Hereford said they now cycle more often or much more often since joining Beryl, while 46% said they have reduced their use of cars and 44% have reduced their use of taxis.

“We will continue to work with our scheme partners and stakeholders, as well as our riders, to ensure the scheme remains as accessible, simple-to-use and convenient as possible.”

Beryl currently provides 200 bikes and 104 e-bikes for riders in Hereford to use.

You can hire a Beryl e-bike through the Beryl app, available for free download on the App Store for iOS, and the Google Play Store for Android users.

For more info, visit beryl.cc/scheme/hereford

Is everyone looking forward to change the status quo? I don't think I will be voting for the Tories.