Hereford Voice

The Police have cordoned off the whole of Clehonger this evening both ends and motorists are being advised to find alternative routes. We will publish further updates as they come in

Herefordshire Council is proposing to invest £1.5m to convert the former Hillside Rehabilitation Unit to nurse residents with dementia. The Redhill centre, which was run by Wye Valley NHS Trust, Hereford Voice reported on it's closure in April after clinical commissioning group representatives said the move would save some £500,000 which would be re-invested in healthcare provision in the community. But now the council, who owns the site, hopes to use it to plug the county’s dire need for nursing facilities for residents with dementia. In a report to this week’s adults and wellbeing scrutiny committee leader Jonathan Lester said: “There is not enough current capacity to meet the high demand for nursing/elderly mental infirm placements. “The risk of not undertaking the redesign of Hillside will exacerbate the current situation by putting a greater strain on the adults budget and will not plan effectively for the expected increase in future demand.”

Restoring this quaint cottage to it's former glory hopefully

This was County Councillor Polly Andrews Newsletter complaint... We are curious to learn who are the residents that are apparently complaining? Because there are only two properties within close vicinity and the closest being a multi occupancy dwelling of which I have personal friends and they are certainly not the source. This appears to be sour grapes from Polly Andrews putting a negative spin on only what could be a positive. As a County Councillor surely it is her duty to contact Balfour Beatty about the alleged litter issue, We are confused with the link between a beautiful memorial bench and so called litter problem?

County Councillor for Widemarsh Polly Andrews in her recent new letter has criticised the fantastic work achieved by the City Council in providing a memorial bench sited at the recently restored War Memorial on Widemarsh Common. How anyone in her position can possibly justify complaining about a beautiful bench? Which is a place for contemplation of our lost heroes during the two World Wars. We visited the memorial shortly after Armistice Day to see the recently added names from World War II and took these fabulous photographs in the Autumn sunshine and as you can clearly see there is no litter in site.

Here are a few good photographs taken over High Town during the Christmas lights switch on this evening. Thank you to Simon Dimps for sending us these images.

Spot on Bobby, I love the way they are going to hand our punishments! WTF EU Charter of Fundamental Rights Title I: Dignity Title II: Freedoms Title III: Equality Title IV: Solidarity Title V: Citizens' rights Title VI: Justice Title VII: General provisions Article 4 - Prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The sooner we have a hard Brexit the better.

Herefordshire’s highways network is set to benefit from an additional investment in road repairs. The Department for Transport this week (12 November) announced an extra £43.5 million to tackle potholes and other road defects in the West Midlands – including £5,108,000 for Herefordshire. There are over 2,000 miles of roads in Herefordshire, and more than 23,000 jobs were raised for carriageway repairs in the last financial year, with the council’s contractor Balfour Beatty Living Places carrying out repair works totalling £1.77 Million. The money will allow HC, working in partnership with BBLP, to improve the condition of more than 50 B, C and U class roads in the county. A scheme of works is currently being planned.Councillor Barry Durkin, Herefordshire Council Cabinet Member for Transport and Regulatory Services, said: In response to a fivefold increase in defects reported on the county’s roads this year following the harsh winter, there have been more pothole crews working on the network, and the use of a spray injection repair machine has enabled higher volumes of potholes to be repaired quickly and effectively. The announcement also comes shortly after Herefordshire Council, in partnership with Balfour Beatty Living Places, completed seven roadwork schemes along stretches of the A4103, A438 and A465 as part of the ‘Challenge Fund’. The works will bring benefits of over £146 million to Herefordshire’s economy by restoring 38.9 miles of key routes to good condition. The new high-quality surfaces will improve road safety with the new road material designed to last for at least 30 years, reducing future costs and disruption in these areas. The Challenge Fund works are part of an investment of more than £25m (in addition to the extra investment of £5,108,000) in the county’s road and public spaces in 2018/19. Further Challenge Fund works along different stretches of the A438 and A4103 will take place next year. Herefordshire Council is also encouraging local people to make use of our easy-to-use online pothole reporting facility to highlight any that they are aware of. This will support the council’s own inspection team that examines all A roads monthly and all roads within the county at least once every year. All reported potholes are professionally inspected and repaired within agreed service times.

Special train to honour all of the GWR fallen Intercity Express Train named after Herefordshire-born Lance Corporal Allan Leonard Lewis VC and Flight Sub-Lieutenant Harold Day DSC. Intercity Express Train named after Allan Leonard Lewis VC and Harold Day DSC Great Western Railway (GWR) marked 100 years since the end of the Great War by unveiling a very special train prior to a remembrance service for fallen railway workers at Paddington Station (Friday 9 November). The Intercity Express Train features the names of all 2,545 men who worked for the GWR and died during the war, and was welcomed into London Paddington by relatives of those killed. The train was also named after two of those who died, Flight Sub-Lieutenant Harold Day, DSC, the only railway man to become a flying ace and Herefordshire-born Lance Corporal Allan Leonard Lewis VC, whose name had historically been omitted from the GWR Roll of Honour. Present for the ceremony were relatives of both Harold Day and Allan Leonard Lewis. To recognise all of the lives lost, the full train has been given a distinctive design stretching over both sides of the nine carriages including the driving cabs at either end of the Intercity Express Train. The Roll of Honour features detail of where they worked for the company, their rank, regiment, where they were killed and where they are either remembered or buried. From the 2,545 names, one hundred will also feature in more detail on the train, including pictures and background stories. Great Western Railway Deputy Managing Director Matthew Golton said: Lance Corporal Allan Lewis VC's great niece Dawn Lewis next to the Intercity Express Train named in his honour Allan Leonard Lewis' great niece Dawn Lewis said: Those being remembered worked in all areas of the company; engineers, labourers, solicitors, carriage cleaners and apprentices from across the GWR network. At the time the network stretched from Paddington to Penzance, and as far north as Liverpool, Manchester, Chester, Birmingham and Wolverhampton. Allan in the uniform of the Army Service Corps (c) A L Lewis VC Memorial Fund Lance Corporal Allan Leonard Lewis VC Allan Lewis was born Whitney-on-Wye, Herefordshire, one of nine children. He left school at thirteen to work on the land eventually becoming a gardener at Truscoed House near Llandeilo in West Wales. Lewis always enjoyed working with machines and this led to him becoming an employee of the Great Western Railway. He moved to Neath and after a period as a conductor he drove a GWR bus on the Pontardawe route. Lewis joined the army in Neath in March 1915. On 18 September 1918 at Rossnoy, near Lempire, France, Lance Corporal Lewis was in command of a section on the right of the attacking line held up by intense machine gun fire. He saw that two guns were enfilading the line and crawled forward alone, successfully bombed the guns and by rifle fire made the whole team surrender. On 21 September he rushed his company through the enemy barrage, but was killed while getting his men under cover from heavy machine-gun fire. Lance Corporal Lewis VC - Herefordshire’s only county-born World War 1 Victoria Cross recipient - was commemorated with a stone plaque dedication at Hereford Cathedral and bronze statue at Hereford Old Market on 21 September 2018, 100 years to the day of his passing.

Permission granted with conditions... Good to see that the scaffolding is already up and work has begun. Decision Notice Herdsman.pdf

Hereford's Greyfriars Bridge (also still known as The New Bridge) The bridge construction began in 1965 the bridge was finally opened in 19th January 1967 by The Right Worshipful The Mayor of Hereford, Alderman Edward Peter Carter. Photograph from our Old Hereford Pics archives kindly sent to us from our friend Ed Hatton The Railings which run along both sides of the bridge have deteriorated dramatically over the years and are in desperate need of sandblasting and re-coating. We are starting a campaign to hopefully encourage 'Highways England' to give this bridge so much needed renovation works to bring it back to its former glory. The view travelling north and south over the River Wye is beautiful however, the railings and weeds have become a real eyesore.

West Mercia Police are appealing for witnesses following a collision on the A49, Ross Road in Hereford at around 3.50pm yesterday afternoon.The collision involved a Honda XL 125 motorcycle and a silver Volvo S80 car. The motorcyclist, a man in his twenties, sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to hospital. Road closures were in place whilst emergency services were in attendance. Investigating officers would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the collision. If you have any information, please call 101.

The Mee Mei Chinese Take-Away in St Martins Street Hereford freehold is for sale. This large building consists of a ground floor takeaway and kitchens and 5/6 bedroom accommodation. The takeaway is still open at this time.

Two Women Arrested in Hereford. Two females were arrested after a search warrant was executed in a property on Commercial Street in Hereford today in response to information received by the local community. Officers arrested a 53-year-old female on suspicion of managing a brothel, and she is currently helping police with their enquiries. A 45- year-old female was also arrested during the warrant on suspicion of immigration offences. The warrant executed by the Hereford safer neighbourhood team, Local Policing Priorities Team and proactive CID working to tackle serious and organised crime in Herefordshire under West Mercia's Protect campaign. The premises in Commercial Street Hereford, has been closed down.

Birmingham business fined £29,000 following abandoned trailer on A49 Largest prosecution fine for unlawful waste disposal awarded to Herefordshire Council Birmingham business MJB Truck Services Limited has received fines and costs totalling £29,000, and Director Jason Bowser (45, of Old College Drive, Wednesbury) received a three year conditional discharge, following the unlawful disposal of hazardous waste on the A49 outside Ross-on-Wye. In an earlier hearing at Hereford Magistrates’ Court (24 October 2018), MJB Truck Services Limited and Mr Bowser pleaded guilty to failing in their duty of care to transfer their business waste, which included hazardous waste oil from an industrial process, to an authorised person and to secure the transfer with a written description of the waste. In December 2017, Herefordshire Council put out an appeal for information about an articulated trailer that was dumped on the A49 layby at Much Birch, between Ross-on-Wye and Hereford. Officers from the council’s Community Protection Team discovered that the trailer had been abandoned containing approximately 24,000 litres of waste oil. The articulated trailer contained approximately 24,000 litres of an oil Although the trailer had all of its identification markings removed, following an extensive eleven month investigation with assistance from the local Environment Agency enforcement team, officers were able to trace the trailer’s ownership from a hire sticker on the trailer. It was eventually established that Jason Bowser had purchased the trailer from an online auction site, giving a false company name to the seller. The articulated trailer has a distinctive camel image on the back Mr Bowser admitted that he instructed an unknown third party to dispose of the trailer and its contents for a £3000 cash payment. Bowser also admitted that he knew that it was possible that the third party may illegally dispose of the trailer and its contents, but he transferred the waste regardless. David Hough, Herefordshire Council’s Trading Standards Service Manager, said: Councillor Barry Durkin, Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and Regulatory Services, said:

Debenhams has unveiled plans to axe up to 50 high street shops, putting around 4,000 jobs at risk, as profits plunged at the struggling department store chain. The group said the closures will take place over a three to five year period and the announcement comes alongside a dire set of financial figures. The largest department store at the Old Market Shopping Centre in Hereford could face closure over the next 3-5 years. Let's hope that our store in Hereford remains open.

A fantastic photograph of the Left Bank and De Koffie Pot taken at 0130 hrs this morning. All of the lights were left on at the Left Bank in order that this photograph could be taken showing a superb glimmer and reflection across the very high river Wye. Thank you to our friend David Barrett for this wonderful shot.

A full size raft was stuck under the old bridge this morning but the fast current soon dislodged it and it now heading further down river.

The river Wye in Hereford is very high and fast flowing this morning. If this rainfall continues for a few more days we may see the river burst its banks. I spoke with my daughter this morning and she tells me the both river bridges in Brecon are closed.

All good mate

Fantastic to see, I will salute him when I am next there.

Let us hope that they deal with these people more appropriate by issuing bigger fines or prison sentences.