Farmer John Price was released from prison after serving less than 3 months

Photo: SWNS

The farmer John Price, from Kingsland was sentenced to 12 months in jail by a district judge in April following the destruction of 1.5km of the protected River Lugg in 2020.

Read our original article 👉 https://hfd.news/dbrd

Appeal Court

At the appeal court in May Judge Nicholas Cole at Worcester Crown Court slammed the farmer for his 'outrageous behaviour' but reduced his sentence by 2 months down to 10 months.

This week Mr Price was authorised for a 'Home Detention Curfew' with stringent guidelines, a Prison Service official stated. The 68-year-old would be sent back to jail if those regulations were breached, they added.

A school in Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire is currently in complete lockdown following reports that a student has stabbed a teacher and has gone on the rampage.

There is a huge Police presence at Alderman Knight School next door to 𝗧𝗲𝘄𝗸𝘀𝗯𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲.

📷 Urban Pictures

A message on the Tirlebrook Primary School Facebook page as follows;

"An incident has occurred this morning at Tewkesbury Academy (Tewkesbury School) and we have been advised by Tewkesbury Police to put in place a lock down.

"We have a police presence at school and are being fully supported at this time. We would like to reassure all families that children at Tirlebrook and Little Oaks are safe and well.

"We must ask that families do not come to school during this time as this could compromise the police operation currently underway and also compromise the safety of the children.

"During this situation all school staff will be supporting the children and liaising with the police so we would ask that you do not attempt to communicate with the school office"

A 32-year-old man has been arrested following a rape in Hereford in the early hours of this morning.

At 4.20am this morning (Saturday 8 July) we received a report of a rape on Grandstand Road.  The suspect, a 32-year-old man, was quickly located and arrested on suspicion of rape.  He remains in police custody.

A cordon is currently in place at the scene on Grandstand Road while forensic investigations continue.

Detective Inspector Mel Reynolds, said “I understand that it can be concerning to see a police cordon in such a prominent area of the city, but would like to reassure the community that we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident and that the suspect remains in custody.

“I would also like to commend the victim on her bravery in reporting this to us so quickly, allowing us to quickly locate and arrest the suspect.

“There will be an increased police presence in the area today while our investigations continue, and if you have any concerns then please do feel free to speak to our officers.” 

In a message on their Facebook page they wrote;

"We’re delighted to have been selected through an ITT process to deliver the Southside project in Hereford. This is a groundbreaking project that will transform 35 acres of green space south of the river, for community groups Growing Local CIC local and Belmont Wanderers FC

The new building will be environmentally friendly and accessible to all, offering sporting growing and cooking facilities, as well as education and community spaces.

We can’t wait to get started!"

Hereford Voice - Congratulations and good luck to the team at Arbor Architects with this wonderful StrongerHereford project.

Details on the project can be found on the Stronger Hereford website HERE

Hereford Cops (South Wye SNT) have been handing out gift vouchers to the 4 amazing children who handed in a knife they found to the local Police station. An amazing act of bravery and a well deserved reward!

Our original article 👉 https://hfd.news/Jlhr

West Mercia Police Press Release;

A 25-year-old man who died in a hot air balloon accident has been named as Peter Gregory, from the Cotswolds.

Yesterday, his family have paid tribute to a loved one whose passion for flying was something others could only admire.

In a tribute they said:

“Peter Gregory

25 years of living life to the full.

On the morning of Sunday 25th June, our Pilot Pete took one last flight, doing what he loved.

Be it in a hot air balloon or as an Airline Pilot, Peter’s passion for flying was something his family and friends could only admire and support him towards.

When he set his heart to something, he’d never give up, he was driven and determined, and one could only watch on in awe.

We will fly together again soon Pete.

We love you

Dan, Mummy, Daddy & Emma

During this difficult time, please respect the privacy of friends and family.”

Police were called after a hot air balloon fell to the ground in a field off Holt Fleet Road, near the A449 at Ombersley on Sunday (25 June).

The circumstances surrounding the incident are being invested by the Air Accident Investigation Branch; and while specialist family liaison officers are supporting the family there is no other police involvement.

Over 200 employers are this week (21 June 2023) being named by government for failing to pay their lowest paid staff the minimum wage.

𝟲𝟵. 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗼𝗻-𝗪𝘆𝗲, 𝗛𝗥𝟵, 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝘆 £𝟱,𝟮𝟮𝟭.𝟮𝟳 𝘁𝗼 𝟭𝟬𝟲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀.

• 202 businesses named for failing to pay the minimum wage to lowest paid workers.
• Employers ordered to repay workers and face penalties of nearly £7 million after breaches left 63,000 workers out of pocket.
• Follows on from 9.7% increase in National Living Wage and Minimum Wage paid to almost 3 million workers.

Over 200 employers are today (21 June 2023) being named by government for failing to pay their lowest paid staff the minimum wage.

The 202 employers were found to have failed to pay their workers almost £5 million in a clear breach of National Minimum Wage (NMW) law, leaving around 63,000 workers out of pocket.

Companies being named today range from major high street brands to small businesses and sole traders, in a clear message from government that no employer is exempt from paying their workers the statutory minimum wage.

Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business Kevin Hollinrake said:

Paying the legal minimum wage is non-negotiable and all businesses, whatever their size, should know better than to short-change hard-working staff.

Most businesses do the right thing and look after their employees, but we’re sending a clear message to the minority who ignore the law: pay your staff properly or you’ll face the consequences.

The businesses named in today’s list have since paid back what they owe to their staff and have also faced financial penalties. The investigations by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs concluded between 2017 and 2019.

The employers named today previously underpaid workers in the following ways:

• 39% of employers deducted pay from workers’ wages.
• 39% of employers failed to pay workers correctly for their working time.
• 21% of employers paid the incorrect apprenticeship rate.

Whilst not all minimum wage underpayments are intentional, there is no excuse for underpaying workers.

Guidance for employers on pay is available on GOV.UK, and today the government has published additional advice about breaches and the steps employers should take to make sure they pay their workers correctly.

Bryan Sanderson Chair of the Low Pay Commission said:

The minimum wage acts as a guarantee to ensure all workers without exception receive a decent minimum standard of pay. Where employers break the law, they not only do a disservice to their staff but also undermine fair competition between businesses.

Regular naming rounds should be a useful tool in raising awareness of underpayment and helping to protect minimum wage workers.

The government has been clear that anyone entitled to be paid the minimum wage should receive it, and that robust enforcement action will be taken against employers who do not pay their staff correctly.

National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme R19 Educational Bulletin (PDF, 210 KB, 8 pages)

Since 2015, the budget for minimum wage enforcement has doubled with the government having ordered employers to repay over £100 million to 1 million workers.

The government is determined to ensure workers are paid for their hard work, having increased the National Living Wage by a record amount in April 2023. This led to the lowest paid workers in the UK seeing a rise of 9.7%, keeping the government on track to achieve its manifesto commitment for the National Living Wage to equal two-thirds of median earnings by 2024, provided economic conditions allow.

List of employers named in Round 19

This is the full list of employers being named and shamed for failing to pay the National Minimum Wage, with fuller detail provided in the attached spreadsheet:

List of named employers (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 48.4 KB)

Final_Publication_Spreadsheet_of_Named_Employers_in_R19__1_.xlsx

Glastonbury 2023

His set was a triumph of resilience and courage. Very emotional and the absolute highlight of Glastonbury yesterday.

Can we just take a minute and acknowledge the bravery of Lewis Capaldi. He has been diagnosed with Tourettes which he has been very open about and his ticks are severe at times but through his determination he perseveres and to have the entire crowd of over 100,00 people singing your song is an absolute statement.

Honest and beautiful, this man is wonderful, good luck Lewis take as much time out for rest as you need, you are a true inspiration and you brought a tear to our eyes as we watched your performance - Hereford Voice

🎥 Video BBC

A woman has been found guilty of the murder of her new-born baby in Ross-on-Wye.

Stanley Mayo was found dead on Sunday 24 March in 2019, the day after he was born on Saturday 23 March.

Today, a jury found Paris Mayo, 19 from Ruardean, Gloucestershire, guilty of his murder.

Senior Investigating Officer for the case, Detective Inspector Julie Taylor, said: “Paris Mayo, who was 15 years old at the time, claimed Stanley was born cold, did not make any noise and hit his head on the floor when he was born.

“She did not alert anyone to the birth of Stanley, or the fact he had died. She claimed she did not know she was pregnant at the time.

“Today, following a six-week trial at Worcester Crown Court a jury found Mayo was in fact responsible for his death; and attempted to conceal her pregnancy from those who could’ve, and would’ve, supported her.

“The death of a new-born baby is utterly heart-breaking, even more so when the person who is responsible is the baby’s own mother.

“This has been a devastating case for the investigative team to deal with and I would like to thank those involved for their outstanding efforts to ensure justice has been done today.”

Herefordshire Council has successfully secured £20,000 of grant money, funded by the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) John Campion

The funding will kick-start a fly-tipping prevention and awareness campaign which will be driven by Herefordshire’s Council’s Community Protection Team and will seek to reduce fly tipping, increase enforcement and improve outcomes for victims, aligning with the PCC’s Safer West Mercia Plan.

As part of this plan and in order to prevent crime, undercover surveillance cameras have been sourced using the grant money and are now in place at hot spot areas across Herefordshire.

Residents can also expect to see an increase in signage reminding fly tippers that they are being watched. Furthermore, adverts will be visible on bin Lorries and targeted advertising will be in place on social media.

As well as the PCC’s aim to build a more secure West Mercia, working with Herefordshire Council the campaign builds on their zero tolerance approach to anyone caught fly-tipping and at a time where recent prosecutions by Herefordshire Council saw their longest ever prison sentences.

Councillor Barry Durkin Cabinet Member for Roads and Regulatory Services, said: “Recent figures show a 6% increase in fly tipping across the region. Generally speaking, around half of such incidents occur on council land, and around 30% on the public highway. Our enforcement team will take action against any resident or business who illegally disposes of their waste or fails to ensure that their waste is collected by a registered waste carrier.

“We are urging people to be wary of illegal ‘waste clearing’ or ‘man with a van’ services, many of which are advertised on social media. Many people do not realise that giving your waste to an unlicensed carrier is an offence, and the waste they are paid to remove is often dumped at illegal sites, costing thousands of pounds to clear. Only use licensed waste carriers or you may be prosecuted.

“Figures also show that only a fraction of fly tipping incidents on private property are reported. Not only is this hazardous and damaging to the environment, it has allowed those responsible to evade justice and continue dumping waste elsewhere. Please always report suspected incidents of fly tipping.”

Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said:“Residents have told me time and time again that fly-tipping is blighting their communities and I whole heartedly agree. It is costly on our landowners, a nuisance for the community and is hazardous on our natural environment. 

“I am pleased to be funding this initiative which will reduce fly-tipping, increase enforcement and improve outcomes for victims – supporting my Safer West Mercia Plan, to build a more secure West Mercia.

“It is through this partnership, and by communities working together, that we can tackle fly-tipping in Herefordshire.”

Herefordshire is celebrating the twentieth anniversary of its system of CCTV cameras and control room.

Prior to the launch of the new system, which is a collaboration between the Council and West Mercia Police, the county had fewer than 50 CCTV cameras in public spaces. Following various new installations, and thanks to the Safer Streets 3 and 4 bids there are now 179 cameras in operation. This figure will increase further by the end of the year when new IP cameras in the Cathedral Close are installed, replacing the old analogue cameras.

Herefordshire’s CCTV control room was officially launched in September 2003 by television’s Fiona Bruce, along with then-Leader of Herefordshire Council, Cllr Roger Phillips. It was the first time a control facility in the county was fitted with fully digital equipment to record the images from the network of CCTV cameras across the county 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.

Since becoming operational, the system has dealt with 64,571 incidents.

A typical day for the CCTV operators includes monitoring and providing evidence for allegations of theft or public disorder, assisting and ensuring the safety of Civil Enforcement Officers and Blue Light Emergency services, and supporting licensees and door staff with the night time economy. The system is also used to identify and locate vulnerable individuals, support the policing of football matches, and has even been used to assist a number of high profile murder cases.

Cllr Barry Durkin, Cabinet Member Roads and Regulatory Services, said: “The network of CCTV cameras in the county, coupled with the dedicated control room staff, are a huge asset and allow us to work collaboratively to help prevent and resolve so many issues, from tackling crime and finding lost children to supporting Trading Standards operations. The fact that the system has dealt with over 64,000 incidents over the past two decades is testament to its effectiveness, and we are committed to maintaining, improving and continuing to address safety with the system further in the months and years ahead.”

Inspector Julie Watson, West Mercia Police, added: “The Hereford Safer Streets programme has doubled the CCTV capacity within Hereford City, expanding the area of coverage and providing high quality digital images to help prevent crime and make our communities feel safer utilising public spaces.  One of the new cameras helped an investigation into an unexplained death initially treated as homicide, quickly allowing investigators to establish that the male died of natural causes.

“The increased CCTV capacity has been enhanced by improved Street lighting; as well as landscaping of our overgrown green spaces, to provide more natural surveillance and light penetration making these spaces feel less hostile, particularly during hours of darkness.

“The fantastic team at Hereford CCTV control assist Police every day with an array of investigations, are a great asset who play a huge part in keeping our communities safe.”

Source | Herefordshire Council 

The refurbished Castle Green Pavilion will have a beautiful riverside cafe and Friends of Castle Green has put a call-out to anyone who might be interested in getting involved.

Due to open in summer 2024, the cafe is intended to be a local enterprise with opportunities for people who are community-minded.

There are a wide range of people who may be interested, from a caterer looking to take the first step in having their own premises through to investor looking to back a new business or someone with experience of the hospitality sector who would like to help guide the process.

If you are a fabulous cook & live locally then they definitely want to hear from you! There is no obligation at this stage, they just want to know who might be interested.

If this sounds like something you want to be part of then please drop a message to operations@friendsofcastlegreen.org.uk with a bit of background info on why you’re interested and your experience.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱!

We are so excited about this positive StrongerHereford project!

Our friends at Vision Building and Development have sent us this fantastic Reel! Showing the progress onRegeneration Project!

We are so excited about this project and plans for the regeneration of the historic Pavilion building. One of many StrongerHereford projects.

We would like to thank our Friends of Castle Green and Katie Bott

Our webcam is temporarily offline but we will have more exclusive images on the progress and some exciting news on the webcam as the project develops!

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞

West Mercia Police confirm that the 63-year-old man who died in the incident on Thursday 8 June has been identified as Paul Dabin, a resident from Putson in Hereford. Paul’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by a family liaison officer.

Police were called to Brook Retail Park in Hereford in the early hours of Thursday morning after a man suffered cardiac arrest and was taken to hospital where he sadly died.

The death was initially treated as suspicious while officers continued their work to establish the circumstances around Paul’s death.

On Friday 9 June a post-mortem examination was carried with the preliminary results established that he died of natural causes with no evidence of assault.

Paul’s death is not now being treated as suspicious and is now being dealt with by the coroner.

Detective Chief Inspector Leighton Harding said: “My thoughts are very much with Paul’s family at this sad time.

“I would like to also thank the public and local businesses for their patience and understanding whilst we conducted our investigation.”

Original article here

Hereford Police are appealing for witnesses after a dangerous dog incident happened on the 30/05/2023 and 01/06/2023 in the DINEDOR area where sheep have been killed/injured by a dog.

The dog is pictured below. If you have any information please contact the Police, reference 22/51560/23.

“Whether I was in uniform or not, I would have done the same,” says West Mercia Police Federation member Chris Rogers, who has been nominated for a Police Bravery Award after risking his life to save a man from drowning.

Police constable Chris has told how he ‘went into auto-pilot mode’ when he saw a man fall from a 30-foot tall bridge.

The man, who was believed to be intoxicated, landed face down in the river and was unconscious, resulting in Chris running hundreds of metres before jumping into the water and swimming out to save him.

“If I’m honest, I didn’t even think about what I was doing. I went into complete auto-pilot mode,” said 35-year-old Chris.

“I’m actually a little bit embarrassed that I’ve even been nominated for an award. For me, I was just doing my job - and whether I was in uniform or not, I would have done the same.”

Chris, who joined the Force in 2008, described how the incident occurred after ‘two intoxicated men’ tried to enter a scene he was guarding.

“We prevented them from entering the scene after which they climbed up onto a bridge. Then, all of a sudden, one of them just fell,” father-of-three Chris continued.

“I immediately ran to towards the water and chucked off my stab vest. I jumped in to find the man face down, unconscious and floating. I couldn’t see his chest going up and down. He wasn’t breathing.”

At this point, Chris turned the man over and began CPR on his chest in an attempt to get him breathing. Chris pulled the male to the river bank where he continued CPR.

Eventually, the male coughed up blood and water, but he was still unconscious.

Chris’s police colleagues came to support him until the paramedics got there. The man was taken to hospital by ambulance and remarkably only suffered facial injuries as a result of the fall.

Chris added: “I didn’t speak to the man directly afterwards but I was told he wanted to say ‘thank you’ to me.

The bravery awards are organised each year by the Police Federation of England and Wales.

Along with nominees from police forces across England and Wales, Chris will be attending this year’s awards ceremony, which will be taking place on Thursday 13 July in London.

Council responds to the findings of an independent report

Today a report has been published by an independent ‘Families Commission’ following meetings with families that have previous and current experience of Herefordshire Children’s Services.

The panel was commissioned jointly by the Children’s Commissioner, Eleanor Brazil; the Herefordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership; and Herefordshire Council, and comprised of three appropriately qualified and experienced professionals, independent of Herefordshire. 

The Families Commission report can be viewed on the Herefordshire Safeguarding Partnership website.

Darryl Freeman, Director of Children’s Services:

I want to thank all the families for coming forward and sharing their experiences with the panel. I know that this must have been a very difficult and emotional experience and want them to know how deeply grateful I am.

I also want to thank the panel for the sensitive, professional way they have gone about their work and for their detailed and thorough report.

This report is a hard read. I am truly sorry for the failings it details and apologise to all the families for what they have been through. Our mission now, as part of our improvement journey, is to continue to learn from the mistakes of the past.

We are building a new culture and different way of working in the service. We will now look at each of the seven questions raised by the report carefully and honestly and explore with families how we can better work with them and meet their needs.

We share a common goal with all the families who have come forward – and with the whole of Herefordshire. We want to build a children’s service of which the whole county can be proud. Our families deserve nothing less.

Councillor Ivan Powell, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People:

This is a challenging and difficult report for everyone connected with Herefordshire Council. For too long our children’s services have failed the very people who need them most. Some of those failings are laid out in stark detail in this report.

I am grateful to all the families for coming forward and hope that the work of the commission has helped them to feel heard and to start to recover from their experiences. Their stories must not – and will not – go unheard.

As the newly-appointed cabinet member for children’s services I am committed to ensuring that every aspect of children’s services learns from what each of the families has told the panel.

We must use this report and the families’ lived experience to ensure that the voice of children and families is central to our improvement plan and the future of the service in the long term.

A man has been arrested on suspicion or Murder.

A serious incident In Hereford this morning as Police cordon off Commercial Road.

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said;

Commercial Road is closed between the junctions of Blueschool Street and Barrs Court Road.

The road is expected to remain closed for sometime, motorists will need to use an alternative route.

📸 James McLelland