Hereford Voice

UPDATE>>> 14 March 2020 Ten more people have died after being diagnosed with coronavirus, with 1,140 cases now confirmed in the UK. It is the largest number of deaths announced on a single day since the start of the outbreak and brings the total number of fatalities to 21. The number of people testing positive for the infection was up by 342 from 798 at the same time on Friday. _________________ Breaking News: There are 12 new cases of Coronavirus in the UK taking the total to merely 51 people out of a population of over 66 million, is this an overreaction? Okay, for those of you that maybe worried, what are the coronavirus symptoms? Coronavirus is a respiratory disease which seems to start with a fever, followed by a dry cough. After a week, it leads to shortness of breath and some patients require hospital treatment. These symptoms do not necessarily mean you have the illness. They are similar to those for much more common viruses, such as colds and flu. In more severe cases, coronavirus can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, multiple organ failure and even death. Older people, and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease), are more likely to become severely ill. The incubation period, according the the World Heath Organization (WHO) between infection and showing any symptoms - lasts up to 14 days. What are your thoughts? Overreaction? Scaremongering? Or do you think differently?

Herefordshire Council has a Full Council meeting this Friday 6th March and has a motion that the executive investigates the introduction of area-wide 20mph speed limits across Herefordshire’s towns and major villages.

Okay so we have shopped around and taken extracts from various money saving advice websites and below we have listed IDENTICAL cold and flu medicines which cost a third of the price. Most of us probably know that big-brand medicines often contain the same active ingredients as cheaper brands. But what if big-brand medicines were completely identical to the supermarket versions? Paying for the name and nice box! You can save up to 70% or more on IDENTICAL drugs by buying them in a different packet. In some cases 'own-brand' products of leading pharmacies Boots and Lloyds cost MORE than identical branded medicines bought elsewhere. Shoppers can also save up to 68% on drugs with the same 'active ingredient', by switching from a branded medicine to a generic equivalent. To find identical meds you need to find the 'PL number' – a unique licence number given exclusively to a particular drug made by a particular manufacturer (eg, PL 12063/0104 is a cold and flu remedy). The medicine is sometimes put in different packaging, but if the PL numbers match, it's the SAME drug. Examples (price may vary slightly from original source article) below: Identical cold and flu capsules pastilles from Wilko (left) and Benylin Wilko Max Strength Cold and Flu capsules (16 pack) £1 Benylin Cold and Flu Max Strength (16 pack) £3.09 at Lloyds Identical max strength sinus relief medicine from Wilko (left) and Sudafed Wilko Max Strength Sinus Relief (16 capsules) £1 Sudafed Congestion and Headache Relief (16 capsules) £3.60 at Sainsbury’s. Even if there's not an identical medicine that's cheaper, it's often possible to save by swapping branded products for a generic – unbranded or own-brand – equivalent. We will add a few more overtime, but there is money to be saved here!

The Met Office have just confirmed it's the wettest February on record! Latest rainfall data (up to 9am 29th Feb) reveals that FebruaLatest rainfall data (up to 9am 29th Feb) reveals that February 2020 is now the wetttest February on record A UK average of 202.1mm has fallen, beating February 1990 where 193.4mm fell.

We can only says this once in every four years so, Happy Leap Day!

Organ donation law in England is changing. What is changing? From 20 May 2020, organ donation in England will move to an 'opt out' system. You may also hear it referred to as 'Max and Keira's Law'. This means that all adults in England will be considered to have agreed to be an organ donor when they die unless they have recorded a decision not to donate or are in one of the excluded groups. You still have a choice if you want to be an organ donor or not when you die. Get the facts about organ donation to help you decide. Why is the law changing? The law is being changed to help save and improve more lives. Every day across the UK, someone dies waiting for a transplant What do I have to do? NHS are asking everyone to: Record your organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register Tell your family and friends what you have decided If you would like to speak to somebody about your choices, please call the dedicated line: 0300 303 2094 When is the law changing? The opt out system in England will come into effect from 20 May 2020. The law around organ donation in England will remain ‘opt in’ until this time. Who will the changes affect? These changes will affect all adults in England unless they have recorded a decision not to donate or are in one of the following excluded groups: Those under the age of 18 People who lack the mental capacity to understand the new arrangements and take the necessary action Visitors to England, and those not living here voluntarily People who have lived in England for less than 12 months before their death. Download the factsheet The factsheet explains how the law around organ donation in England is changing, what you need to do, and the choices you can make. organ-donation-law-in-england-factsheet.pdf Get the 'easy read' document english-organ-donation-law-is-changing-easy-read.pdf

An emergency closure has been put in place for resurfacing works to start along Hinton Road, Hereford, following the recent flooding. It will be a daily closure, between 9am - 5pm, starting today until (and including) Saturday, 29 February 2020.

Sandy's Food Bar - Wickes Hereford wrote on their Facebook page that unfortunately they will close for the last time this Saturday.

Dunelm Hereford have been in touch with us this morning and would like to help their customers who have recently been impacted by the floods within their area and are kindly offering '15% OFF' as a good will gesture. Anyone that has been affected regardless of where you live can claim their discount at any of the branches listed below. All you need is proof of address/photo to present at the till. (does not apply to Dunelm.com excludes Gift Cards and Pausa- Max spend £1000) Effective in Hereford | Worcester | Pontypridd | Carmarthen from 22/02/20 - 18/04/20 - #HerefordVoice

New 'No Comment' Section. We will use our 'No Comment' logo for when something is truly ridiculous or there are no words required from us and if we are really stuck for words to describe a topic. *** Please still continue to leave your views and comments *** Our first topic will follow shortly..

Communities across Herefordshire have begun the clean up after Storm Dennis brought widespread flooding to the county. Unfortunately rogue traders see this time of vulnerability as the perfect time to target those affected by the floods. Herefordshire Council Trading Standards Service are warning owners of flooded properties to beware of rogue traders and cowboy builders exploiting the devastation and misery caused by the recent record flooding. David Hough, Herefordshire Council’s Trading Standards Service Manager, says: Anyone concerned about the activity of a trader, cold caller or doorstep seller is urged to contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133. Citizens Advice will give advice on what to do next and report the matter to Herefordshire Council’s Trading Standards team for investigation. Residents and businesses are also reminded that applications for the community flood recovery grant can only be made directly to Herefordshire Council. For more information visit www.herefordshire.gov.uk/floods

Public advised not to put themselves at unnecessary risk. Rescue teams along Hinton Road, photograph courtesy of Herefordshire Council Herefordshire continues to experience significant and widespread flooding from rising river levels and deep surface flooding. There is currently a severe flood warning, meaning danger to life, for the River Wye at Blackmarston. Residents have been evacuated from the Hinton and Putson areas of Hereford city and we expect river levels to remain high over the next couple of days. We are closely monitoring the situation. There is potential risk of further and significant flooding over the next few days in Greyfriars and Hampton Bishop in Herefordshire. The River Wye at Ross-on-Wye is expected to peak tomorrow (Tuesday 18 February) with risk of further flooding at Ross and at Symonds Yat. Residents in these areas are advised to activate any property flood protection products they may have, such as flood barriers and air brick covers and have a bag ready with vital items like medicines and insurance documents. All partners are working together to keep people safe and plans have been put in place for the coming days. Emergency response partners including Herefordshire Council, West Mercia Police, Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, Environment Agency and health partners are working to support residents and protect the most vulnerable. We are concentrating our efforts to ensure vulnerable residents are evacuated where needed and rest centres are being set up for any residents that need to be evacuated at: Holmer Leisure Centre, Holmer Road, Hereford thePoint4, Venns Lane, Hereford Leominster Leisure Centre, Coningsby Road, Leominster Larruperz Centre, Grammar School Close, Ross-on-Wye Further rest centres will be made available as required. The multi-agency lead, Superintendent Sue Thomas said: “The safety of residents is our priority. The river levels are unprecedented and we are doing everything we can to keep people safe- but we need the public to help the emergency services. Please do not put yourself at unnecessary risk - avoid any unnecessary travel and do not enter flood water. Also, please check on your neighbours, especially if they are elderly or vulnerable.” Leader of Herefordshire Council, Councillor David Hitchiner said: Please do not travel unless absolutely necessary. Many roads are closed and impassable so please respect any road closures and diversions as they are in place to keep you safe. Please do not venture close to swollen rivers or floodwater and follow official flood advice. Herefordshire Council is co-ordinating all official information such as road closures, live updates and messages from partner agencies. Follow @HfdsCouncil on Facebook and Twitter or www.herefordshire.gov.uk Please do not enter flood water or put yourself at unnecessary risk. If your home has been flooded and there is no threat to life, dial 01432 260000. If you are in danger, always call 999.

The River Wye reached record breaking levels of 6.111 metres!! The previous record was set back in 1998 at 5.66 metres. As a result the Old Bridge has been closed to traffic and the Victoria bridge is virtually submerged underwater. The flood defence wall along Hinton Road is also threatening to collapse under the sever pressure.

We heard about this :)

The construction of new student accommodation at Station Approach, Hereford, will be moving to the next phase in the coming week. The next phase of the exciting project will involve the delivery of 127 modular ‘pods’, which link together to form the building. These bedrooms and study spaces have been built off site using an innovative construction method and will be assembled as they arrive. These ‘pods’ will be transported as large loads, some with escort vehicles, and delivered to the site over four weeks, starting on 10 February 2020 until w/c 9 March 2020. There will be six deliveries each week day (seven on the final day) between 9.30am and 3.30pm. The large vehicles will be travelling to the City along the A49 – the majority from the M50 at Ross travelling north, with around 27 of the largest loads travelling along the A49 from Shrewsbury. The traffic lights on Station Approach by the railway station will be controlled so that the modules can manoeuvre safely.Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Transport, said: Work on the 178 bed purpose-built facility, being developed by energy and regeneration specialist ENGIE and Cityheart Partnerships should be complete in time for higher education students to move in for the academic year starting September 2020. Source

Yes, we noticed this last week.

The first phase of the demolition of the prefab bungalows along Beattie Ave began this morning. These prefabs weren't designed to last, the past 30 years have been a compromise between the costs of sustaining the properties vs the costs to redevelop them. The demolition of this first phase is due to be completed within 3 weeks. Hereford Voice previously reported on plans submitted by Hereford Housing back in March of 2018 for the proposed demolition of 41 existing (prefab bungalows) in Beattie Avenue Hereford and the subsequent construction of 71 bungalows and houses with associated parking, private amenity, access and alterations to highway.

The possible opening of a Shisha Bar near to Asda in Hereford have been blocked because plans have been refused. The location for a Shisha Bar would have been at the rear of number 8 Belmont Road (behind the Dino Asian market). Plans were refused by virtue of the siting of the proposal in close proximity to residential properties, it is considered that there would be an unacceptable adverse impact upon the properties from air pollution and noise.

Electric vehicles charging in the council’s off-street car parks will soon be entitled to 30 minutes of free parking. The changes will take effect from Monday 16 March 2020, from which date drivers of electric or hybrid vehicles that need to plug in and charge will be able to obtain a free 30 minute parking ticket to display in their vehicle. Council electric vehicle charge points are available: Hereford; Garrick Multi Storey Car Park, Plough Lane, Shirehall and Venn Close Car Parks Kington; Mill Street Car Park Ledbury; St Katherine’s Car Park Leominster; Etnam Street Car Park Ross; Red Meadow Car Park New rapid charging points are also to be installed in February 2020 at Edde Cross Street Car Park in Ross, St Martins in Hereford and Broad Street in Leominster. These will be capable of delivering an 80% charge to a vehicle in 20 minutes. Electricity supplied to the council's charging point network is produced from 100% renewable energy. Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Transport, said: Herefordshire Council declared a climate emergency last year, and will publish its new Carbon Management Plan in April this year. The document will outline the council’s plan to reduce carbon emissions over the next five years and set an interim target for its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030/31.

We have received several complaints from motorists in Hereford who have used Herefordshire Councils chosen parking partner app 'RingGo' The complains appear to focus of the wrong parking location at the point of payment, we are not sure if this is a glitch with the app or simply down to the app showing the nearest location number 'at the top' which most people would automatically select rather than the correct location number for the street that the motorist is parked in. This has resulted in genuine people paying for their parking only to find a parking ticket on their vehicle when they return. Upon investigation they may well have paid for parking but if they are shown as parking in the next street they still end up with a ticket. When this has been challenged with Herefordshire Council more often than not the Council still enforce the ticket and fine, even though you cannot park the same vehicle in two separate streets at the same time, we have given an example below: Motorist parks their vehicle in Broad Street (location number 85598) near to the Library and pays £3.36 for 2 hours parking however, when they have paid the location selected was for King Street (location number 85995). Ticket is issued. Is Herefordshire Council being unfair here by insisting that the motorist still pays the parking ticket fine, even though the motorist has actually paid to park for 2 hours?

We saw an application this week for ATM's

At 23:00 GMT on the 31st January 2020 and after 47 years, the United Kingdom formally left the European Union and ceased to be a member of the bloc, Brexit has finally happened. There is still a lot to discuss and months of negotiation to follow. While the UK has agreed the terms of its EU departure, both sides still need to decide what their future relationship will look like. This will be worked out during the transition period, which now begins and is due to end on 31 December 2020. During this 11-month period, the UK will continue to follow all of the EU's rules and its trading relationship will remain the same. This morning you are waking up to an exiting new era for the UK, but who will be next? Share your thoughts with us.. #HerefordVoice #Brexit

Breaking News: We have been reliably informed that a western river crossing crossing in Hereford won't be achieved (via current plans, being reviewed at the moment by the new administration) for at least 7 years - or longer! - what should be done in the short to medium term to solve our congestion issues? Should we look at other options or concentrate on a bypass? The focus for the new council is to seek alternatives to a bypass in the short term, such as a better infrastructure for cyclists, electric buses serving the city and surrounding towns and villages. Developing popular schemes like turning off a number of traffic lights (not pedestrian lights) as part of a trail in an attempt to reduce the daily congestion within the city. None of the above is diverting from a bypass but in reality, even if the go-ahead was given tomorrow morning for a second river crossing, there are many time consuming procedures that have to be followed, for example; Consultations with government bodies and various departments and also the local residents whom would live within area of the new bridge. A business plan has to be presented then an application for planning which alone can take 18 - 24 months, following all of this, if planning permission is finally granted, then the council need to look at compulsory purchases, again, this can take several years. Finally, once all signed off the bridge and roads need to be built! We are currently running a simple yes/no poll on Hereford Voice to see whether local people believe Hereford needs a bypass and from almost 2000 votes in less than a week the results clearly show an overwhelming 89% of people want a bypass, which comes as no real surprise however, as you can see from the explanation above, it's not likely to happen before 2030, with this in mind, perhaps we should embrace and explore all other alternatives in the meantime.. #HerefordVoice #Herefordbypass #Hereford