Hereford Voice

Waste found dumped in two locations in and around Bromyard had been taken away from Poundstretcher refurbishment Herefordshire Council has won an Enforcement case against two friends who were found guilty of fly tipping two loads of waste which were found dumped on Bromyard downs and in a layby near to Acton Green crossroads. John Hodgkins (40) of Redstone Lane, Stourport-On-Severn and Isaac Janes (48) of 78 Layman Walk, Stourport-On-Severn both pleaded guilty to two counts of fly tipping at Hereford Magistrates’ Court on 9 March 2021. The pair received fines and costs totalling £1072.00 each. At the hearing, the court heard how in October 2019, Hodgkins and Janes had been paid £400 to take away refurbishment waste from the former Poundstretcher store on Eign Gate, Hereford. The waste was later found dumped in two large piles on Bromyard downs and in a layby just off the Acton Green crossroads. Although no evidence was found in the fly tipping, officers from Herefordshire Council’s Community Protection Team were able to obtain CCTV and ANPR images to trace the offenders. David Hough, Herefordshire Council’s Trading Standards Service Manager, said: The Community Protection Team will investigate unlawful waste disposal and fly tipping cases that are reported via the Herefordshire Council website or by calling 01432 261761.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service were called to a house fire near Bromyard Downs just before midnight last night. Firefighters from Bromyard, Leominster and Malvern were in attendance and tackled the house fire using hose reels, main jets and Breathing Apparatus to extinguish this fire. #herefordvoice #herefordshirenews #herefordnews

Four men have been charged with drugs related offences after a series of warrants were carried out in Leominster and Kington, Herefordshire. Five warrants were executed last week and five people were arrested. Of the five people arrested, the men named below were charged with the listed offences and then remanded into police custody. Keith Hill – aged 46 of Ridgemoor Road, Leominster was charged with: Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - crack cocaine Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - heroin Possessing a weapon for the discharge of a noxious liquid / gas / electrical incapacitation device / thing Possessing with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A - cocaine Acquiring / use / possess criminal property Possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A – heroin Possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A - crack cocaine Lewis Plant – aged 22 of West Street, Leominster was charged with: Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - crack cocaine Possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A - crack cocaine Possession a controlled drug of Class B - cannabis / cannabis resin Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - heroin Timothy Stanley – aged 36 of Coningsby Road, Leominster was charged with: Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - crack cocaine Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - heroin Possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A - crack cocaine Possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A - heroin Bradley Reader – aged 19 of Tan y Bryn, Valley, Holyhead, Gwynedd, was charged with: Possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A - heroin Acquiring / use / possess criminal property Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - crack cocaine Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - heroin Possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A - crack cocaine All four men were due to appear in court today (Monday 15 March). A fifth man, aged 43 of Presteigne, was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs and was released under investigation.

Here is another one in Eign Street - P210551/F

This will certainly brighten up the city and it is a fabulous idea. 😁

Friends of Castle Green are now able to begin the much needed renovations to The Pavilion after securing funding for the repairs. Hereford City Council are granting £7,000 towards the project, which will enable the community group to begin the first phase of improvements to the building. Paddy Nugent, Friends of Castle Green Director said; More details here #herefordvoice #herefordnews #positivehereford

A big thank you to Belmont Rural parish Council for fixing the bridge last week and installing a handrail today to help people using the steps. An excellent job!! Well done to the parish handyman Colin Warne and the Chairman,Adrian Bridges for all your hard work.

2447852877.mp4 Here is the official trailer!

The local environment in a part of Hereford has received a boost thanks to the completion of an investment scheme by not for profit water company Welsh Water. Welsh Water has invested almost £307,000 in a project which will improve the sewerage network in the Three Elms area. Until now, some properties in the area had not been able to connect to the main sewerage network and instead had to rely on septic tanks which regularly failed. This in turn posed a pollution risk to the surrounding environment. The failures of the tanks also breached the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (DEFRA) general binding rules which govern how septic tanks should operate. To address the situation, the company designed and installed a new sewer system to replace a septic tank system. The new sewer system will enable the properties to connect to the main sewerage network which in turn will benefit the local environment. Chris Jones, Head of Wastewater Programme Delivery at Welsh Water said: “We’re very proud to have been able to complete this project on schedule to protect the environment during the challenging circumstances surrounding the pandemic. The construction team managed to adhere to all of the government social distance guidelines and received some excellent written feedback from residents in the area. We appreciate that our work can be inconvenient, so we really did appreciate the cooperation shown to us by the local residents while we worked in their community.” The company has also partnered with Herefordshire Community Foundation as part of its increased support to local communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s increased its Community Fund threefold to £300,000 and has given over £100,000 to Trussell Trust foodbanks since the pandemic started.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service crews from Worcester, Tenbury, Evesham and Malvern using specialist equipment attended a very large fire yesterday evening in the open involving undergrowth and scrub at Bringsty Common, Herefordshire.

We reported yesterday that Malvern Copswere out on bike and foot patrols on the Malvern Hills following barbed wire being hung across several tracks on the hills. Below are more disgusting photographs showing this evidence of such a vile act! Photographs courtesy of Malvern Police Last August we also reported similar incidents where nails had deliberately put into pieces of wood on bike trails in the Forest of Dean in this article Why would people do this? Anyone with any information please call 101 and quote log ref: 0622_i_07032021 #herefordvoice #herefordnews #herefordshire

A stunning, floral display is being organised by Hereford Business Improvement District to welcome back shoppers into Hereford in May, with member businesses being offered 2 free hanging baskets each. Hereford BID Handy Team watering hanging baskets in Church Street Rhiannon Burns, Marketing and Projects Manager, explained, As part of their yearly Floral City service, available exclusively to Hereford BID members, businesses will be able to claim two free hanging baskets to add colour and decoration to their frontages. This all-inclusive offer provides free installation, maintenance (watering, feeding, deadheading) and removal at the end of the season. Rhiannon added, The Floral City service has proved popular in previous years, with many businesses taking up the offering to brighten up storefronts. Sadly, due to the first lockdown and subsequent restrictions, the Hereford BID were unable to provide this service last year but the team are looking forward to being able bring it back for 2021. If you are a Hereford BID member and would like to take up this offer, visit www.herefordbid.co.uk to find more information and an order form. Alternatively, contact info@herefordbid.co.uk. Hereford BID is a non-profit private company (limited) funded by 500 businesses in the city centre. The organisation has 3 core strands underpinning its business plan, a document based on feedback from its member businesses on what they want to see happen, these are: i) High Profile Hereford - Marketing and Events ii) The Hereford Experience – Safe and Clean iii) Business Voice – Lobbying & Support. The company is run by up to 15 board directors who are also levy paying members.

West Mercia Police Detective Sergeant James Moore said: Officers attended and found a man and woman had been involved in a violent disorder and the woman suffered knife injuries to her hand. The woman, aged 21 from Wales, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and has since been bailed. The man, aged 22, also from Wales fled the scene and has today been arrested for the same offence and remains in custody. Two men were believed to have fled the scene but were arrested shortly after on the M5. One aged 26 and the other aged 27, both from Northampton, were arrested for conspiracy to commit robbery and drug supply offences and have since been released whilst the investigation continues. Enquiries are still ongoing and police are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen a grey Nissan Qashqui in the area at this time. Anyone with information or dashcam footage is urged to contact the police on 101 quoting reference 00248i of 5 March or you can report online through the 'Tell Us About' section of the website. #herefordvoice #herefordnews #hereford

Here is one of our favourite exclusive photographs of Hereford Cathedral from our archive. We have not seen such a spectacular photograph of our Hereford Cathedral as this one in a long time! #herefordvoice #hereford #herefordshire

The previous bridge had completely rotted away but this new bridge near Canterbury Close is superb, credit where credit is due. Thank you to Parish Councillors Adrian Bridges, Colin Warne and Phil Rudd with much needed help from Bert.

Hereford Voice | Councillor Sessions - Cllr. Liz Harvey Part 3 - Part 3/3 🔷 Council tax - 60% of the net income pays for social care. Council tax makes up 70% of net income 🔷 In this session Councillor Harvey continues to explain about Counil tax and answers some of the questions put to her this week (please note that this was actually recorded yesterday Friday 5th March) We would like to take this opportunity to thank Cllr Harvey for agreeing to be be put under the spotlight this week. She will answer the remaining questions of the next few days. More Councillors will be engaging with you this year as part of our 'exclusive' Hereford Voice 'Councillor Sessions'

Hereford Voice | Councillor Sessions - Cllr. Liz Harvey Part 3 - Part 2/3 🔷 Council Tax Rise 🔷 In this session Councillor Harvey explains about the council tax rise of 4.99% for 2021. (please note that this was actually recorded yesterday Friday 5th March before the council tax setting meeting) Councillor Harvey will be answering the questions from our previous topic here https://hfd.news/897ed in session 3/3 to follow #herefordvoice #hereford #herefordshire #hfdvcs

This is broken down into 3 sessions this is part 1/3 🔷 Council Tax £161 Million Cost Required 🔷 In this session Councillor Harvey explains the breakdown of costs to the council and grants received etc.. Councillor Harvey will be answering the questions from our previous topic here https://hfd.news/897ed in sessions 2/3 and 3/3 to follow #herefordvoice #hereford #herefordshire #hfdvcs

🔷 Budget and Council Tax Setting Explained 🔷 Herefordshire Council tax setting meeting is tomorrow (Friday 5th March) which is formally ratifying all the parish precepts, the fire authority and police charges and the county council tax rise which have each already been debated and agreed by their respective authorities. Councillor Harvey will be answering the questions from our previous topic here over the weekend. #herefordvoice #hereford #herefordshire #hfdvcs

The Knife Angel Hereford team is delighted to announce that it has been awarded a £10,000 grant from The National Lottery Community Fund. Alison Davies and Meryl Cain are joint leaders of the KAH Team bringing the Knife Angel to Hereford, Alison said: Plans are progressing well to bring the Knife Angel to Hereford Cathedral this summer. In the event dates have to be adjusted in line with Public Health England’s advice, further announcements will be made. Throughout its time in the city, people will be able to visit the Knife Angel (socially distanced or as required by COVID restrictions) free of charge. Contingency plans will be put in place to hold the above listed events remotely, if physical events remain prohibited. The Knife Angel stands 27ft tall and is made from over 100,000 knives and blades received from 42 police forces across the UK. Created by Alfie Bradley out of the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry, the Knife Angel has toured around the UK and has become recognised as a National Monument Against Violence and Aggression. The Knife Angel Hereford team would welcome additional donations or offers of support from Hereford businesses or individuals. For further information, please visit: https://knifeangelhereford.co.uk/ or email knifeangelhereford@gmail.com. There is also a JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/knifeangelhereford

We published this article in May 2020 on a A £2 billion package to create new era for cycling, walking and trials for e-scooters. Last Thursday we published another article here highlighting that Beryl Bikes had recently launched e-Scooters and e-Bikes and trials for e-scooters across some cities in the UK were already taking place. We can today reveal that Herefordshire Council have been unsuccessful in their first bid for e-Scooter trials however, all is not lost because the council have been advised that they are still being considered for any expansion of the trials. #herefordvoice #herefordnews #hereford #herefordshire

Cabinet Member - Finance and Corporate Services - Councillor Liz Harvey has agreed to be put under the spotlight to answer your questions in the second series of our 'exclusive' Q & A 'Councillor Sessions'. #herefordvoice #hfdvcs

Rail and Bus for Herefordshire in partnership with West Midlands Railway launch a new project for Ledbury Railway Station under the banner of 'Your Community Your Fund' Ledbury Town Ledbury is an historic medieval market town on the West Midlands Railway network. It owes its origins to the church and the establishment of St Katherine’s Hospital for travellers by the Bishop of Hereford c.1231 at a crossing of medieval pack-horse routes. The hospital remains todays as well as its Master’s House from which the establishment and small farm was supervised. Around the cross roads grew the medieval town which is now a jewel of heritage buildings from Elizabethan, Georgian and Victorian times. The Railway The railway arrived in 1861 after considerable engineering works boring tunnels through the Malvern Hills and spanning the valley of the Leadon at Ledbury by a magnificent viaduct which still carries the trains today. The station at Ledbury was a fine building which also had a licensed refreshment room. There was a large goods yard and a small locomotive shed. In 1885 a branch line through the town to Newent and Gloucester was built with a superb skew bridge over the Hereford Road. The line closed in the 1950s and today it is a town trail that will take you from the station to the town centre. Town Grows - Railway Declines By the 1960s Ledbury was a growing town but the railway was in decline. The reshaping of British Railways (the Beeching Report) saw the closure of many stations and lines. Ledbury was lucky to retain its trains but the station was reduced to an unstaffed halt and the splendid buildings were demolished. The station and trains grew remote from the town as cars and buses became the main form of transport. In the late 1980s a transport geographer living in the town negotiated with British Rail to open a small wooden ticket and information office at the station and operate as an agency. This was eventually agreed and it became one of the forerunners of community rail linking the community and its station. The enterprise still functions today. Rediscovering the Railway The project of the late 1980s was but a beginning. Rail usage began to increase. Between 1998 and 2018 the numbers increased by over 100% from 101,387 to 216,606 passengers per annum (source: Government annual station usage statistics). In 2021 Ledbury is set to further build on the previous success with a new project at the station. The project, funded through a grant from the West Midlands Trains Community Fund, with additional support from Ledbury Town Council and Ledbury Civic Trust, will enable a new glazed display cabinet to be positioned at the station containing an art map of the town and its heritage buildings together with a history of the town and its railway in original calligraphic script. Local community artists will be producing the art and calligraphic work and the project will be managed for Rail & Bus for Herefordshire by local transport geographer Gareth Calan Davies. This is an exciting community project designed to bring station, community and town even further together whilst promoting Ledbury as a jewel of a heritage town on the West Midlands Rail network. It will help encourage visitors to the town and strengthen the community whilst at the same time supporting and encouraging use of the train service. Find out More and Keep in Touch Regular news items about the project will be produced including more info about the history of the town and railway together with introductions to the artists involved in the project. To keep in touch contact Gareth Calan Davies, project manager for RBfH onghal@btinternet.com telephone 01531 633594 www.rbfh.org.uk To find out more about this and other community rail projects throughout the West Midlands contact Fay Easton Stakeholder & Community Manager at West Midlands Railway onFay.Easton@wmtrains.co.uk www.wmr.uk/about-us/your-community-your-fund PDF attached Town and Railway Powerpoint V5.pdf

Last night at 21.55 a meteor was captured by many cameras and dash cams across the UK. We receieved many reports from across Herefordshire as well as people hearing a loud bang The UK Meteor Network captured this spectacular footage of the meteor entering the atmosphere on their own camera.

Having Your Say | Hereford Voice Councillor Sessions. At Hereford Voice our slogan has always been 'Having Your Say' and through our network we are going to give you the opportunity to ask your questions to some of our Councillors. Cabinet Member - Finance and Corporate Services - Councillor Liz Harvey has agreed to be put under the spotlight to answer your questions in the second series of our 'exclusive' Q & A sessions. Rules: Abuse will Not be tolerated and offensive comments will be deleted and may also result in that person being banned. Please ask sensible questions on any subject that Cllr Harvey maybe able to address and answer in her capacity at Herefordshire Council. Councillor Elizabeth Harvey Herefordshire Council tax setting meeting is this coming Friday 5th March, which is formally ratifying all the parish precepts, the fire authority and police charges and the county council tax rise which have each already been debated and agreed by their respective authorities. Cllr Harvey is more than happy to explain all about that however, please be minded that there is no scope on Friday to revisit the 4 99% county tax uplift. Please ask your questions, we have set out a few examples below; Finance Council Budget Council Tax Value for money Corporate Services #herefordvoice #herefordnews #hereford #herefordshire #hfdvcs