Hereford Voice

West Mercia Police are appealing for any information and any witnesses to come forward following a fatal road traffic collision in Hereford. Between 11.30pm and 3am, the car which had two occupants inside, was travelling between Mordiford and Dormington and appears to have left the road at Clay Hill Pit in Hereford. The car has finally settled in a roadside orchard. Tragically, a 23 year old man and a 17 year old girl inside the car were killed. Chief Inspector Edd Williams said: “Our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of both victims at this extremely difficult time. “An investigation is underway to establish the circumstances of the collision. If you have any information please call us on 101 and quote incident number 184 of 24 July 2020.

With a large proportion of employees successfully working from home since March 2020 due to Covid-19, Herefordshire Council has agreed revised plans that support staff to work from locations across the county and reduce the number of offices in Hereford. As part of the Council’s ‘Better Ways of Working’ initiative to enable staff to work flexibly from locations across the county, in February 2020 Cabinet approved plans to reduce council office accommodation in Hereford by reconfiguring working space at Plough Lane with staff supported to work from alternative locations including market town multi-agency offices. Since then there have been major changes in working practises to ensure staff and public safety during the Covid-19 pandemic. The council has had to revisit how it does everything, and the majority of council staff are now working from home. In light of the effectiveness of these new arrangements and the positive response of staff, Cabinet yesterday (Thursday 23 July) agreed revised plans that establish working from home as the default for the majority of council employees. Office space will be prioritised for services where essential for their work and meeting space will be available for collaborative working. Staff will relocate from Elgar House and Nelson House in Hereford with the offices at Plough Lane reconfigured to support this. As part of the decision a major refurbishment of the Ryefield Centre in Ross on Wye which will provide more office space in the market town, while in Leominster there will be increased capacity at the multi-agency office with the Old Priory no longer needed for offices. There are also other office sites in Hereford that will be freed-up for alternative use. The changes will be implemented within the £850k budget originally agreed by Cabinet in February, with the expenditure to be off-set by savings on building costs over the next few years. As well as saving accommodation costs in the longer-term, the plans also look to decrease the employee carbon footprint from reduced travel. The decision papers can be found on the Herefordshire Council website.Councillor Gemma Davies, Cabinet Member for Commissioning, Procurement and Assets, said:

What do you think? Will you be wearing one? LAW: Face coverings must be worn in shops, supermarkets, indoor shopping centres and transport hubs - such as train stations and airports - in England from today. A face covering is defined as a fabric covering, scarf or bandana that covers the 'nose and mouth'. It is also compulsory to wear a face covering when buying food and drink from 'takeaways' cafes and shops. More details in 👉 this article

Wearing a face covering will be mandatory in shops and other public spaces across England from Friday to stop the spread of coronavirus. People will also have to wear a mask, scarf or bandana that covers the nose and mouth in shopping centres and indoor transport hubs, like bus and train stations. When it comes to buying food, the law will depend on where you're eating it. Face coverings will not be mandatory in pubs and restaurants. Announcing the latest guidance, the Department of Health and Social care said: Coffee shops and takeaways People will need to wear a face covering in coffee shops in England under new regulations due to come into effect on 24 July. The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed face coverings will be needed in shops such as Pret a Manger if people intend to take their food and coffee away. However, if they sit down to eat or drink, they will be able to remove their face covering in that area. Takeaway outlets will also fall under the same criteria. Those who fail to follow the new law could be fined up to £100 - brought down to £50 if paid within fortnight. Children under 11 and those with disabilities are exempt, and people can remove face coverings for valid reasons like being asked to do so in a bank or to prove their identity if buying age-restricted products. Who is exempt from wearing a face mask? The same exemptions as for public transport will apply under the updated guidelines, with children under 11 and people with breathing problems not required to wear a covering. Anyone who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment or disability is also exempt. Under the new rules, the below groups are not required to wear a mask: A child under the age of 11 An employee of the transport operator, when they are acting in the course of their employment A constable or police community support officer acting in the course of their duty An emergency response member of staff, such as a paramedic or fire officer acting in the course of their duty An official such as a border force officer, acting in the course of their duty If you are onboard public transport but remain in your own vehicle, such as a car ferry Other exemptions listed include those with a disability or a physical or mental illness, and anyone travelling with a deaf person who relies on lip-reading to communicate. Customers in shops will also be allowed to remove them if they are required to present identification for purchasing alcohol and other age-restricted products.

Following a month of free parking in council car parks to support local businesses (charges resume Saturday 25 July), a county-wide review of parking charges has been launched. The review will look at the parking charges and concessions structure with a view to encouraging people to visit our towns and city centre while making the best use of the available spaces and reducing congestion. Local stakeholders will be asked for their input as part of the review, which is expected to be completed later this year. Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member for infrastructure and transport explains:

Beryl bikes cycle hire will be FREE for the first 30 minutes of all journeys ending in a Beryl Bay during the summer holidays. The FREE scheme starts from next week until the end of August. It's been a year since the bikes were introduced to Hereford and there are now 200 of the green bikes in the city. #HerefordVoice #HerefordNews #Hereford

The Wasp Guys The Wasp Guys is a family run company, originally from Hereford, we spent 20 years living and building our business in Oxted, Surrey. As a team we have been successfully eradicating wasp nests throughout Surrey, Sussex, Kent and London for over 20 years. We now have a family base both in Hereford and Surrey and our small family team can therefore provide an excellent service to both these beautiful places. We can nearly always offer a same day service or you can book us for a specific day that suits you. Please note we operate 7 days a week throughout the Summer, from 7am to 9pm. Our trained technician will invariably be with you for about 15 minutes. Generally all signs of wasp activity around the treated area will be gone within an hour. It's very rare we fail with our 1st treatment. If there were to be any activity after 48hrs, we would return and re-treat the wasps nest free of charge. 100% Guaranteed. Call Nick now: 07761 232470 THE WASP GUYS (Nick's Wasp Nest Removal) have the expertise to rid any wasp or hornet problem you may have, quickly and efficiently. All work is 100% guaranteed and always at a low price. We are fully insured and DBS (formerly CRB) checked. For a local, efficient, friendly service call us today. Click here for the website and see over 600+ genuine Checkatrade reviews!

The owners of The Shack Revolution confirm that they will be taking over The Booth Hall and have some new and exciting plans in mind. The hall which dates back as far as 1380 was damaged by fire in 2010 and Elevate Properties have been busy restoring it as a restaurant and hotel. James Manning from The Shack Revolution said: Manbro Developments and the Shack Revolution owners James and Rich Manning have acquired the Booth Hall from Elevate Property Group for an undisclosed figure. History: The hall is thought to have been built between 1380 and 1400 and is said to be mentioned in a deed of 1392. In 1392 the building was acquired by the City by licence from the King because they had no place in which the Sessions of the Justices of Assize or of the Peace or the Pleas of the City might be held. It seems to have been used by the Mercers Company for their Guild Room from C16 until at least 1756. The basement was used as a freemen's prison. The building finally became an inn at the end of 18th or beginning of 19th century, and the Great Room was lost sight of in later alterations until the collapse of a chimney in 1919 revealed the presence of the carved roof.

Winter flood recovery work continues in Herefordshire the Environment Agency are having to raise our river gauge at Ross by 1.5m in light of the huge levels seen over the Winter. New gauge will be up and running by September and available via the Environment Agency website HERE Thank you to Dave Throup for the information and images.

Three people have been charged with drugs related offences following their arrests in the Redhill area of Hereford on Monday 20 July. Mohammed Khan, aged 23, of Villa Street, Birmingham, was charged with conspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug (crack cocaine) and conspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug (heroin), possession of criminal property, assault of a constable in the execution of his/her duty and escape from lawful custody. Hakeem Griffiths, aged 20, of Coombe Road, Birmingham, was charged with conspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug (heroin) and conspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug (crack cocaine). Sophie Easterbrook, aged 35, of Stanberrow Road, Hereford, was charged with conspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug (heroin) and conspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug (crack cocaine). They attended a virtual court at Birmingham Magistrates Court today. Khan and Griffiths were remanded to prison and Easterbrook was bailed. The arrests were part of West Mercia Police’s crackdown on County Lines drug dealing.

‘Click and Collect’ service for books and green garden waste bags will be available from today at Hereford, Leominster, Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye libraries As part of phased reopening plans, Hereford, Leominster, Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye libraries have launched a 'Click and Collect' service for pre-ordered books and green garden waste bags. Although the library buildings will remain closed for the time being, the entrance foyers to the libraries will be available as Click and Collect pick-up points for the pre-ordered books and bags and for customers to return library items. The Click and Collect points will be open: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 2pm – 4pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11am – 1pm To use the Click and Collect service for books, customers will need to complete an online form and the library staff will put together a selection of books. Customers will be contacted when their order is ready to collect. For assistance or further information please contact libraries@herefordshire.gov.uk or telephone 01432 261556. Green sacks for garden waste that have been pre-ordered online may also be collected from the Click and Collect libraries. Customers must order and pay for the sacks online and allow at least two working days before their visit as there will be no financial transactions at the sites at this phase of the re-opening process. Details of how to order and collect sacks from the library sites, along with information on any other outlets selling sacks can be found at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/gardenwaste The council is following national guidance for libraries by taking a phased approach to reopening to ensure the safety of customers and staff. Risk assessments have been completed and safety measures put in place, including the quarantine of all returned items for 72 hours before being returned to stock in line with Public Health England guidelines. The online library services remain as popular as ever and includes resources like Ancestry family history, which library members can now use free from home. The BorrowBox eBook and eAudiobook app has thousands of free titles available, including the latest bestsellers and children’s books, and the brand new PressReader service provides access to a wide range of popular newspapers and magazines. Councillor Gemma Davies, Cabinet Member for Commissioning, Procurement and Assets, said: To find out more about library services, and how to join if you are not already a member, please see the library section of the Herefordshire Council website at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/libraries

Old picture taken we think around the 1890's of boys from the Working Boys Home Bath Street Hereford. More fabulous old photographs can be found on our Old Hereford Pics page

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Moovit4u is a award winning removals & transport company Based in Herefordshire. Moovit4u was voted best of Hereford business of the year and best of the UK’s removals and transport business of the year, you can be sure you’re in safe hands when you come to Moovit4u. Specialising in both domestic and commercial removals, we are very proud of our reputation locally and have worked hard to establish ourselves as being very reliable and professional but friendly and affordable too. Moovit4u are specialists when it comes to the transportation of high end goods and we have plenty of experience when it comes to moving larger items such as pianos and grandfather clocks etc. Fully insured, we also feature same day delivery / collections both locally and nationally, weekdays or weekends, 24/7 within mainland UK.

Moovit4u is a award winning removals & transport company Based in Herefordshire. Moovit4u was voted best of Hereford business of the year and best of the UK’s removals and transport business of the year, you can be sure you’re in safe hands when you come to Moovit4u. Specialising in both domestic and commercial removals, we are very proud of our reputation locally and have worked hard to establish ourselves as being very reliable and professional but friendly and affordable too. Moovit4u are specialists when it comes to the transportation of high end goods and we have plenty of experience when it comes to moving larger items such as pianos and grandfather clocks etc. Fully insured, we also feature same day delivery / collections both locally and nationally, weekdays or weekends, 24/7 within mainland UK.

New leisure facility to include soft play, mini gold, arcade, laser tag and bowling to open in Eign Gate Hereford after plans were passed. We originally reported on this planning application back in April 2019 on our Facebook page HERE and planning was finally granted with conditions in June this year. Work has began today to turn the former Pound Stretcher shop into a complete indoor leisure facility. The idea is to create a leisure facility with soft play, minigolf, an arcade, laser tag, bowling, a function area and an ancillary café, plus bar on the first floor. Although aimed at people of all age ranges, the focus would be on children, teenagers, young adults and families.

First e-scooter trial launched in Middlesbrough this week. A fleet of 100 are being distributed across Middlesbrough and nearby Hartlepool for anyone over the age of 18 to jump on, swipe an app and zip away. In the age of coronavirus age, the thinking goes, they could ease pressure on public transport while helping ensure the economic recovery is not built solely on emission-spewing cars. Tees Valley is the first place in Britain to pilot them, e-scooters are almost certainly coming to a town or city near you soon. At least 50 local authorities are currently said to be in talks with different companies about launching similar schemes in their own areas. Portsmouth, Derby, Birmingham and Bristol are all hoping to launch trials later in the summer, while international scooter firms, such as Lime and Tier, are clamouring to be allowed into markets like London, Liverpool and Manchester. If all goes well, bosses at Ginger – the British start-up behind the Middlesbrough trial – hope to have 10,000 of their black-and-orange models on British roads by next summer. Even rural locations could see an influx: council officials in Staffordshire are currently in talks with the firm about how they could be used to connect the county’s villages. Source: Independant Transport secretary Grant Shapps announced the go-ahead for an accelerated trial of e-scooters in a press briefing on May 9. As well as announcing £250 million for pop-up cycleways and widened sidewalks—part of a £2 billion package to boost cycling and walking—he said he was “fast-tracking trials of e-scooters, bringing this program forward from next year to next month.” He was doing this, he said, “in a bid to get e-scooter rental schemes up-and-running in our cities as fast as possible” to “reduce car use on shorter journeys.” The trials will allow companies to offer rental e-scooters to adults only. Hirers will need driving licenses, either full or provisional, but won’t need to wear helmets. The e-scooters will be allowed to be ridden on roads and cycleways, but not on sidewalks or shared-use cycleway/sidewalk combos.

Over night on Thursday 16th July an Apollo twilight bike was stolen from the Mayberry Avenue area Hereford. If anyone has any information about this please contact South Wye Police (SNT) or call l01.

The body of a woman has been found in the river Wye close to the Rowing Club in Hereford. A member of the public noticed the body this morning (18 July) and fire crews from Hereford & Worcestershire Fire and Rescue Service were deployed to the location along with local police officers. A body was recovered from the water and while formal identification has not yet been made, officers strongly believe it to be that of missing June Adams, from Bromyard. June went missing yesterday evening around 5pm and was last seen near Hereford train station. Specialist officers are supporting June’s family through what is an incredibly difficult and tragic time. West Mercia Police would like to thank the public for their support and for sharing our appeal last night.

KC Maintenance For all your gardening and landscaping requirements

Demolition of existing retail store/kiosk and car wash facility has began this week. The erection of replacement retail store/kiosk will follow together with the removal and replacement of existing petrol pumps and canopy, replacement of fuel tanks, re-configuration of car parking layout and installation of plant within an enclosure.

Hi Jules and welcome to Hereford Voice. NHS test and trace service & the new 119 telephone number The NHS test and trace service is now live for people that have tested positive for coronavirus. This new service aims to ensure that anyone who develops symptoms of COVID-19 can be tested quickly to find out if they have the SARS-CoV2 virus, as well as targeted testing of NHS and social care staff and care home residents who don’t have symptoms. The service will help trace close recent contacts of anyone who tests positive for the virus and if necessary notifies them that they must self-isolate at home to stop the virus spreading.

Wilson Florists this store was located in Wilsons Chambers, Commercial Street Hereford in the 1970/80s. Photograph taken from our vast archive at our 'Old Hereford Pics' website

15 July 2020 Update (pm) Herefordshire Council and Public Health England (PHE) Midlands continue to work with AS Green and Co to contain an outbreak of COVID-19 at their farm. The total number of positive cases linked to the outbreak is 93. Further testing is ongoing. Wherever a case of COVID-19 is confirmed, close contacts of the case are identified and followed up through Test and Trace. This includes anyone who may have come into contact with confirmed cases within the local community. Contact tracing with over 100 existing workers continues on-site. In addition, a group of agricultural workers who travelled into the UK by private coach, including some of the workers who went on to work at AS Green and Co, are being followed up. Another group of workers travelled to the site on a flight bringing agricultural workers to the UK. As an additional precaution, the individuals who travelled on this flight are also being followed up. Seventy-six workers on the flight who travelled onwards to other farms in England have already been offered testing and no further cases have been identified to date. Public health partners in Scotland have been notified of a further group of 63 workers on the same flight who travelled onwards to Scottish farms in order that they too can be followed-up appropriately. Katie Spence, PHE Midlands Health Protection Director, said: Karen Wright, Director of Public Health for Herefordshire, said: