Hereford Voice

Traffic & Travel: The M5 in Gloucestershire will be closed until Monday after a serious multi-vehicle crash.

The motorway is closed in both directions between Junctions 9 and 11 near Tewkesbury following a serious collision in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Highways England have now confirmed that the M5 will remain closed until Monday due to ‘extensive road surface damage’, meaning the road needs to be resurfaced.

Motorists are advised to consider their journeys or find an alternative route.

Motorists heading northbound are advised to follow solid triangle leave the M5 at junction 11 and take the A40 then take the A417 onto the M50 at junction 2. Continue on the M50 and re-join at junction 9.

Motorists heading southbound are avoid to follow the solid circle ,leave M5 at junction 9 and take the A38 and then take the A40 and re-join the M5 at junction 11.

If you have have concerns about any business you visit not being COVID secure, you can let us know by emailing us news@herefordvoice.co.uk or leave a comment below.

Maybe we can encourage Herefordshire Council to do the same by offering this service of being to report it.

We are thinking about our friends in the US on this remembrance day and all those innocent people who lost their lives on 11th September 2001.

West Midland Safari Park are thrilled to announce the birth of their first Indian rhinoceros calf. Arriving on Tuesday 8th September at 2:29pm, the male calf, is the first Indian rhino to be born on site in the Park’s forty-seven-year history.Deputy Head Keeper of Ungulates, Shelley Tudor, said

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"We are absolutely delighted and have been waiting a long time for this moment. After holding this species of rhino for over ten years, this is our first calf to be born at the Park.”

“We acquired Seto and Rap as youngsters and have been able to watch them grow and mature over time; which makes it even more momentous to see them produce their own calf. He is a very special addition to the Asian rhino House, and we look forward to watching him develop, and maybe go on to produce his own little rhinos in the future!"

 

The rhino calf’s parents, eleven-year-old Seto and twelve-year-old Rap, can often be spotted by guests at the Asiatic section of the drive-through Safari, near to the state-of-the-art Indian rhino House built at the Park in 2009. Both Seto and her calf are bonding well together in a private area where keepers can observe them at a safe distance as they settle in.

Also known as the Greater One Horned rhinoceros, Indian rhinos are placid animals who are often recognised for their armoured and prehistoric appearance. The new arrival is not currently available for viewing, but he will eventually join his family at the Wild Asia section of the reserve where guests will be able to spot him roaming the plains and having lots of fun, likely covered in mud!

The Park is home to two types of rhinos – six Southern White rhinos and three Asian rhinos. Both species face threats in the wild such as poaching and habitat loss and are classed as ‘near threatened’ (white rhino) and ‘vulnerable’ (Asian rhino), by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

The calf is currently un-named, but the Park can reveal it will begin with the letter ‘I’ mirroring the naming of all other animals born on-site in 2020. It’s clear to see already that he will have a lasting impact on West Midland Safari Park, in supporting their efforts in raising awareness of the vital preservation of this fantastic species.

West Midland Safari Park is fully open, and the Indian rhino can be seen as part of the four-mile safari. Admission prices are £24.00 for adults, £20.00 for children aged 3-15 years and £22.00 for concessions. Children under the age of three are free. Admission includes a summer Free Return Visit. Rides for
the Adventure Theme Park are charged extra.

Further information about West Midland Safari Park is available from the Park’s
website www.wmsp.co.uk or by telephone 01299 402114. Find out more on the Safari Park’s official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/WestMidSafari.

Those new bay locations across the city are as follows. 👇

Cock of Tupsley

Westfailing Street

Tower Road

Holme Lacy Road/St Clares Court

Blackmarston Road

Cider Press Drive

Hinton Road

Glendower Close

Grafton Park & Choose site

thePoint4 Gym

Dorchester Way

Attwood Lane/Roman Road

Harold Street

Hereford County Hospital

Asda Hereford

Bath Street Car Park

Halo Leisure Centre

Ledbury Road/St Owen’s Street

The Knoll

Tesco Express Whitecross Road

Eign Street

Stretton Close

Fayre Oaks Home Park

Aylestone Park

Hereford Racecourse

#HerefordVoice #HerefordNews

On This Day: 27 years ago today, the fire at the Sun Valley factory in Hereford on 6/9/93 was one of the biggest the city has ever seen.

130 firefighters were at the scene, using 23 pumping appliances.

Sadly two of those never made it out of the factory. 

Work is now ongoing to remember Dave Morris and John Davies. RIP

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A faulty defrosting machine caused a fire that quickly spread to other contents the structure of the building. The premises covered approximately 2 hectares and was evacuated in under 2 minutes. Fire spread through the combustible core sandwich panels leading too large volumes of smoke delamination and internal structural collapse of panels. 2 fire-fighters became trapped in the collapsing building and died.

📷 Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service

#HerefordVoice #HerefordNews #Herefordshire

5 staff members at The Inn at Welland all worked together last weekend and are now self isolating for 14 days and also one customer. 

A statement on the pubs website reads: 👇

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"5th September 2020

Dear Friends of The Inn at Welland
We are sad to report that 2 of our staff have tested positive for Covid.

The staff work in a very small team of 5 and were on duty last weekend. They did not mix with other staff members. All of that team of 5 are now at home, self-isolating. We wish our staff members a speedy recovery.

Our premises are deep cleaned every Monday and Tuesday and this was carried out as normal this week.

We continuously work hard to ensure the highest standards of hygiene, with the most stringent of Covid measures in place, so it is hugely disappointing to us to have the 2 confirmed cases.

We’ve quickly worked with Public Health teams in the County, who are supporting us and the staff and we are following their guidance at all times.

It goes without saying, that the safety of our customers and our staff is of paramount importance to us, and we continue to operate with that at the centre of all we do.
We remain open, with the support of Public Health and with all necessary safety measures in place, and we look forward to welcoming you.

Thank you to all our customers for your continued support. 

Kind Regards

David & Gillian"

 

#HerefordVoice

Herefordshire Lieutenancy have reported that today marks the retirement of The Dowager Countess of Darnley from office after 12 years of representing Her Majesty The Queen as the Lord-Lieutenant of Herefordshire. Due to the pandemic the planned farewell service was unable to take place so joined by immediate family and the Deputy Lieutenants that have served under Lady Darnley’s leadership, a small private farewell service took place at Hereford Cathedral.

Lady Darnley became Lord-Lieutenant on 24th October 2008 and during office has been pivotal in understanding the needs of the county residents, businesses and voluntary organisations. Her dedication and support to the county and most importantly the people who live and work in Herefordshire has been second to none.

On behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, Lady Darnley has presented over 25 British Empire Medals, 16 Queen’s Awards for Voluntary Service and 7 Queen’s Awards for Enterprise. She has ensured a strong relationship with the local military and cadets and has welcomed 38 Royal Visits, one of which was to welcome The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh to Hereford as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee tour in 2012.

I’m sure you will all join us in thanking Lady Darnley for her dedication and service to the county and wish her a wonderful and well deserved retirement.

On 13/05/2020 at 20:10, ole crock said:

This garage is now showing as "permanently closed" on google - can anyone advise whether it's true? A great shame if so! I went there last summer, and he was still open then!

Not sure?

Pre-booked access onto sites will be required from Monday 14 September

The pre-booked system will be introduced for Hereford and Leominster household recycling centres on Monday 14 September, with residents able to book their slots online from Friday 4 September. Residents who are unable to access the booking system online can call the customer services team at the council on 01432 260000 who will be able to book a slot for them.  

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, a limited number of residents are allowed on site at any one time. This has caused traffic congestion around the Hereford site in Rotherwas and Bridge Street in Leominster. It is hoped that the booking system will prevent queues leading up to the sites.

The household recycling centres are only open to Herefordshire residents, and appointments must be booked online in advance. Residents will be able to book up to four slots every two weeks and will receive a pass before visiting. An address and vehicle registration number will be needed to secure the booking.

Anyone who is self-isolating or has Covid-19 symptoms must not visit a household recycling centre.Councillor Gemma Davies, Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Commissioning, Procurement and Assets, said:

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“It is essential that everyone books a slot before visiting one of our household recycling centres. The booking system has worked well at our other sites. By introducing the system for Hereford and Leominster, we hope to avoid the queues which have been building up outside the sites.

“We continue to advise residents to take measures to avoid creating waste and manage it at home where possible. If you do need to visit, we ask that you observe social distancing rules at all times, come to the recycling centres alone where possible and wear gloves and suitable footwear. Most importantly, please act responsibly and respectfully towards other visitors and staff.”

 

Herefordshire Council also continues to offer a bulky item collection service. Please call 01432 260051 to arrange a collection.

Book a visit on the Herefordshire Council website www.herefordshire.gov.uk/hrcbooking or call 01432 260000

Hereford's Commercial Road cycle and bus lanes are currently being removed following feedback from the public as the scheme is not proving helpful.

*SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY*

Police have been made aware of markings found by residents on their walls and driveways in Tarirngton.

At present the police do not know what these markings are but they could possibly be linked to thefts of dogs which has been happening with their border forces.

Please stay vigilant and report any markings or suspicious activity to 101.

If you see any of these markings we suggest you clean it off and check your security at your properties.

#HerefordVoice #Herefordshire #BeVigilant

4 hours ago, twowheelsgood said:

Were they not aware of the pending Bank Holiday when they issued the press release then?

Were talking about a few days to be fair, I understand that the council wanted it done this last week but due to other commitments and the bank holiday it was pushed back but we understand it maybe Thursday (weather permitting)

Last night, Tuesday 1 September, West Mercia Police’s Herefordshire Rural Crime Team, recovered a stolen mini digger in Clehonger. The mini digger was believed to have been taken from farm land in Ewyas Harold in the early hours of Sunday 30 August.

Three arrests have been made relating to this incident and they remain in custody.

Rural crime can have a huge impact on the communities, business and the individuals we serve and West Mercia Police is committed to tackling it.Herefordshire Rural and Business PC Sarah Smith said:

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“We are so pleased for the owner that we have recovered the mini digger. This successful recovery of equipment would not have been possible without the help from our rural community.

 “Working closely with our rural communities is important to us and I’m really pleased that through projects such as We Don’t Buy Crime and work done by the whole rural and business team that we’re able to understand the issues that affect them and work with them to resolve these.

Over the next few months we will be visiting farms throughout the county offering them the opportunity to get involved with our latest initiatives to help make their land even safer.”

 

2 hours ago, twowheelsgood said:

They're still there, despite the statement from the Council that they would be removed by the end of the month. There's an interesting theory about this whole debacle and that is that it's deliberate malfeasance by senior officers who don't agree with the ruling political allegiances, who of course take the flak, whilst officers remain hidden.

They will be removed this week, we understand possibly Thursday (weather permitting) delay due to bank holiday.

Not sure what to do when you hear emergency vehicles appraoching? 

Here is a great video explaining exactly what to do.. 

🔹Please watch and share🔹

#HerefordVoice #BlueLightAware

As families gear up to send their kids back to school next week, West Midlands Railway is helping out with a selection of discounts on season tickets for this academic term.

Perfect for school, college or university students who regularly travel by train, the offers include 50% off season tickets for students aged 16 or over, and 25% off for students aged 15 or under. 

As well as helping parents make considerable savings, purchasing a season ticket saves students having to buy a ticket each day and reduces their social contact at the station. 

Helping passengers to travel safely and comfortably, West Midlands Railway has put a number of strict measures in place. 

As well as cleaning trains with the latest antiviral equipment, the operator has implemented social distancing on platforms, stairs and escalators, and applied new signs and one-way systems at train stations. 

The operator is reminding all passengers to maintain social distancing whenever possible and wear a face covering at all times, including children aged 11 and over. 

West Midlands Railway will also be introducing a new timetable on Sunday 6 September, helping to increase service levels in time for the return of schools and workplaces. 

The new timetable – which will generate thousands of extra seats on West Midlands Railway services – will return the network’s capacity to near pre-Covid levels. Jonny Wiseman, head of customer experience at West Midlands Railway, says:

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“Coronavirus has had a significant impact on our lives and we understand that many parents will be anxious about sending their kids back to school. 

“We also know that the pandemic has affected the finances of families across the region so we wanted to offer a helping hand with two generous discounts on our student season tickets. 

“In addition to the special offers, we have also introduced extra measures to help suppor

 

t social distancing and stepped up our cleaning, to help our customers adjust to the new way of travelling.”

To find out more about student season tickets or to purchase, visit wmr.uk/students. 

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service with crews from Kington, Eardisley, Peterchurch and Kingsland fire station dealing with a standing crop fire this morning.

#HerefordVoice #Herefordshire #HerefordNews

M50 RTC UPDATE: West Mercia Police have today confirmed the sad news that a man in his thirties has sadly died.

Officers are still in attendance at a collision site on the M50 near Ledbury. One lane remains closed but police are working with their partners to get this opened as soon ads possible.

Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this difficult time.

West Mercia Police have advised that they are at the scene of a fatal collision during the early hours on the M50 near Ledbury where two lanes Eastbound are currently closed.

Please avoid this area is possible.

The lanes are expected to be reopened early this afternoon. Please check before you travel.

#HerefordVoice #Herefordshire

Competition: We think it's about time that we gave our Hereford Bull Statue a name! 🐃

So come on folks, start suggesting names for him and next weekend we will compile a short list of all the favourite names listed below. 👇

So if you like one of the names suggested by someone please 'REPEAT' that name in your comment below. 👇

Once we have a short list of names, we will run a poll on our website for a week and finally come up with a winning name! (all unofficially of course, but if it's good enough maybe we can persuade the Council to make it official! Who knows)

We will start, as he is of the 'Border Rory' breed of Hereford's we will suggest 'Rory' 

Good luck!