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More than three thousand cases of animal cruelty in Lincolnshire were reported to the RSPCA last year.
This puts the county in the top 10 for complaints and prosecution – with 26 convictions compared with 20 the previous year.
New figures from the RSPCA show dogs are the most persecuted pet.
In 2015, man’s best friend was the most ill-treated pet across England and Wales.
The charity’s released its annual cruelty statistics which show that almost 57% of complaints investigated* by the RSPCA across England and Wales last year related to dogs. It compares to nearly 24% which related to cats – the second most abused pet.
In Lincolnshire, there were 1,953 involving dogs, 716 cats and 515 others, a total of 3,264 cases.
They include a fight to the death between a ferret and a dog which was filmed on a mobile phone.
Photo: Sally Trevor
The adventure playground on Gonerby Road (opposite Wickes), which has been closed on health and safety grounds, should reopen in time for Easter half term.
An SKDC spokesperson said: “The Arnoldfield Adventure Area has been closed temporarily due to the failure of the support frame on one of the features which has become damaged.
“This piece of equipment is currently being fenced off to allow the rest of the site to be used and this should be completed later today, March 23.
“Thereafter the site will be open for general use and repair of the frame will take place in due course.”
A week long regional road safety campaign started this week aimed specifically at motorcyclists using Lincolnshire’s roads.
A dedicated team of Police motorcyclists will be using marked and unmarked bikes, supported by traffic cars, to engage and educate motorcyclists as well as dealing with any offences identified while on patrol. The focus will be on routes which have a history of high motorcycle casualties and will also be supported by mobile camera vans which will be enforcing the speed limits on these same routes.
Nationally the numbers of motorcyclists being killed or seriously injured is on the increase; last year a total of 51 riders and one pillion passenger lost their lives across the East Midlands, many of these fatalities happened between April and October.
Motorcycle users remain the road user group with the highest rate of collisions and casualties per mile travelled. Motorcyclists make up just 1% of total road traffic but account for 19% of all road user deaths.
Chief Inspector Phil Vickers, who is heading up the regional campaign said, “Along with enforcing the law our campaign also aims to offer advice to riders to help improve their road skills, make their riding safer and more enjoyable while also encouraging them to take further training, either through their local Police or Council road safety teams.”
A PLUME of smoke, hundreds of feet high, has risen over Grantham and can be seen as far away as Melton Mowbray.
It follows an explosion at the sub-station behind Pizza Hut, Springfield Road, at about 5.15pm.
About 13,000 properties across the town lost their power for several minutes, and even the computers at GranthamMatters went down.
About 1,700 homes are still without power and traffic lights in the town centre are out.
Police have closed London Road (A52) and some of the side roads (including Spring Gardens) while five crews from Fire and Rescue deal with the fire.
It is not known at this stage what caused the fire and we do not believe anyone has been injured.
Virgin Trains says the fire is likely to affect its services until about 9pm.
Advice from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue is for residents in the area of the fire to keep windows and doors closed and for members of the public to stay away from the area.
Roads in the immediate area including London Road will remain closed while the fire is dealt with.
Police say at this stage there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances to the cause of the fire.
We understand also that trains on the East Coast main line are running but at reduced speed past the area of the fire.
No buildings have been evacuated.
Tom Dodd
Kira Giles
Gary Kirton
Jason Sanders
Peter Leverett
Tara Lamb
Christina Resende
Andy Clark
Photo: Allan Senior
Photo: Allan Senior
Photo: Allan Senior
Photo: Allan Senior
Photo: Ruth Crook
Grantham MP and minister of state for skills Nick Boles, has defended David Cameron as “the most popular Conservative in the country” as he claimed the amount of money saved by cutting PIP ( Personal Independence Payments) is “trivial” in the scheme of the Government’s yearly expenditure.
Asked on the BBC’s World at One programme how the cuts will be reversed he said the OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) will provide a revised set of statements about the economy in the Autumn, appearing to suggest stronger growth could cancel out the need to find extra money.
He defended changes to the policy, warning that the PIP budget had ballooned out of control and needs to be reviewed.
“That’s hardly slashing and burning” he added.
Following the attacks in Brussels this morning the Lincolnshire Police Prevent Team would like to offer support and reassurance to all local communities.
We will continue to monitor the local impact, along with national and international events. If anyone has concerns regarding these incidents please contact the Police on 101 quoting incident 156 of 22/03/2016.
If you have family/friends currently travelling in Europe you can contact the Foreign Office on 0207 008 0000
A family-run nursery is poised to provide additional places for Grantham children, thanks to a helping hand from the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub.
The Beacon Lane Day Nursery – formerly known as Toddle In – takes children from 3 months to 5 years old, and currently has 55 places.
Now, thanks to support from Growth Hub Adviser Noreen Read, they have exciting plans for an additional 18-place nursery classroom with toilets, store and office.
Gillian Watson, Managing Director of the nursery, said: “During our second year, the nursery has become oversubscribed and, for the first time, we’ve had to turn families away.
“Unfortunately, as a ‘young’ business we weren’t able to finance a brick-built extension. We then went down the route of mobile classrooms, but that still seemed beyond our reach.
“It was at that point we approached the Growth Hub. Noreen immediately offered advice concerning where we might be able to purchase a bespoke prefabricated classroom at a reasonable price and good quality.
“She also came up with an extensive range of suggestions concerning things like early years training, business skills training, possible funding streams and how we might move forward on the potential acquisition of a wooded area.
“We’ve submitted our plans to South Kesteven District Council’s planning department, and are now looking at developing our huge garden into a ‘hands-on’ and ‘real-life’ outdoor classroom as well.
“None of this would have been possible without the support of Noreen and the Growth Hub.”
The nursery’s new classroom is to be provided by Avalon Cabins of Colsterworth. The firm, a family-owned business that specialises in producing bespoke classrooms, has also received support from the Growth Hub.
Mike Thackery, operations manager for Avalon Cabins, said: “Noreen’s provided a range of advice and information to help us in our mission to grow. She’s been in regular contact with us, providing information about Meet the Buyer events, training sessions and anything else that we might want to attend.
“She has also been tireless in networking on our behalf, mentioning us to other people and companies that we might be able to do business with or that we might be able to do some mutually beneficial deal.
“It’s required a minimal amount of our time to reap the benefits due to Nor’s hard work.
“I’d recommend Nor and the Growth Hub service to any small business or sole trader that wishes to grow further. It’s been a completely positive experience from day one, and we look forward to maintaining the contact for a very long time to come.”
Over the last year, the three Growth Hub advisers have undertaken detailed reviews and created action plans for more than 250 Lincolnshire businesses. Overall, they have introduced almost 700 businesses to the support available via the Growth Hub through a combination of events, presentations and one-to-one discussion.
For more on the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub and the range of support available, visit www.businesslincolnshire.com .
The Kings School Year 9 team continued their outstanding season by securing the Lincolnshire County Title with a solid victory over QEHS Gainsborough yesterday.
The team have been fantastic all season and played the game in their now accustomed style, showing both discipline and confidence in their performance. The game was exceptionally tight until a tactical switch saw Kieran Hollis added to the attacking line, to make it three upfront, in an attempt to impose our growing dominance on their defence. Within seconds Hollis changed the game and nearly scored himself and with the resulting corner the inspirational James ‘scholsey’ Scott drove the ball into the net.
The defensive line, which has been superbly led by captain King-Deutch all season, held out and victory was secured.
The Museum of Lincolnshire Life is now home to a brand new film on the history of the tank.
Produced by local media company Blow by Blow, ‘Lincoln – the birthplace of the tank’ updates the story of the vehicle’s development in the city.
But while Lincoln takes the credit, the basis of the tank was developed a dozen years earlier – in Grantham.
The track vehicle was the brainchild of David Roberts, manager of Grantham engineers Richard Hornsby & Sons Ltd, who developed the idea.
But demonstrations to the War Office fell on stoney ground, who said the system (later called the caterpillar track) would never replace the horse in warfare.
The film includes the recent discovery that the museum’s tank, believed for 30 years to be ‘Flirt II’, a tank that had been damaged during the war in France, captured by the Germans, and taken to Belgium for propaganda reasons, was in fact a different one, ‘Daphne’.
Sara Basquill, collections access officer, said:“The film is the perfect introduction to the story of the tank, and the pivotal role Lincoln played in its development.
“It features archive footage and photographs of prototypes on the tank-testing ground, William Tritton and early Foster’s machinery.
“There’s also ‘Daphne’ just after her return from the French battlefields, as well as footage from the more recent past, with the unveiling of the Tank Memorial on Tritton Road in May 2015.
“Hopefully, this fantastic film will help ensure this important story isn’t forgotten by future generations.”
The film runs for 12 mins and can be viewed in the Industrial Gallery, in a seated area next to the tank itself.
The museum shop stocks tank-related products, including the DVDs The Birth of the Tanks (£12.99) and Lincoln Tank Weekend (£14.99), also produced by Blow by Blow.
Until the end of March, the museum is open from 10am, Monday to Saturday, with last admission at 3.30pm. Then from April, you can visit from 10am, Monday to Sunday, with last admission at 4pm. Entry is free.
For more on all the museum has to offer, visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/museumoflincolnshirelife .
An investigation was launched last month after an incident in which a dog was bitten by a Lincolnshire police dog as it was being exercised on private land, at Fishtoft, near Boston.
Deputy Chief Constable Heather Roach said: “This was an incredibly tough decision to make given the nature of the circumstances and the fact that our dog handlers care a great deal about their dogs, as we do as a force.
“As difficult as it was to take this action, which was carried out with very heavy hearts, it was decided that the best course was to euthanise Falco to ensure this type of incident never happens again.
“An IPCC investigation is still underway so we are limited in what we can say in relation to the exact circumstances until those enquiries have been completed.”
Emergency services were called to the A52, Holland Road, Threekingham, about 8.45pm last evening (Sunday) where three cars were in collission.
They were a a Ford Fiesta, a Vauxhall and a Ford Focus.
The drivers of the Vauxhall and the Focus were seriously injured and taken to Queen’s Medical Centre at Nottingham for treatment.
Fire crews from Billingborough, Donington and Sleaford used hydraulic cutting equipment and manpower to release two people from one of the cars.
Their injuries are not thought to be life threatening.
Anyone who was in the area and saw the collision is asked to contact the witness hotline on 01511 558855 or 101 and quote the incident number 350 of 20th March.
Most Lincolnshire residents will still have quick and easy access to a Household Waste Recycling Centre, despite the closure of sites at Leadenham and Whisby, according to the county council.
Councillors have decided to close the two centres, which are owned and operated by FCC Environment on behalf of the council, when their current contracts expire on 31 March 2016.
Coun Reg Shore, Executive Member for Waste and Recycling, says: “Our funding from central government is reducing and we need to scale back our spending on services by £170 million over the next four years.
“As part of this, waste services needs to play its part by cutting its annual waste and recycling budget by £400,000.
“Our policy is to make sure that 95% of residents are within a 12 mile radius of a recycling facility, and the closure of these two facilities won’t affect that. Additionally, these sites are not owned by the council and both would require investment by the council to make improvements.
Skips at Leadenham Recycling site
“Residents who previously took their recycling to the HWRC at Leadenham are encouraged to visit Sleaford instead, and those who used Whisby should visit the site at Great Northern Terrace in Lincoln.
“I understand this may mean slightly longer journeys for some people, but we have a responsibility to make best use of our budget and provide value to the taxpaye
“Finally, we’ve stopped offering recycling credits to voluntary and charity groups. Unfortunately, due to budgetary constraints, we can no longer afford to do this.
“This was a difficult decision, but it is necessary to ensure the council continues to provide the core waste disposal service which is essential for our residents. This will not affect the ability for charities to generate their own income by collecting recycling.”
A nurse consultant from United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has been named Pressure Care Nurse of the Year at one of the nursing profession’s most prestigious awards, The British Journal of Nursing Awards.
Mark Collier, Tissue Viability Nurse Consultant, was recognised for the development of PUNT (Pressure Ulcer Notification Tool) a unique online system that allows clinical staff to report and review reliable pressure ulcer data for hospital inpatients.
Pressure ulcers are a type of injury that affects areas of the skin and underlying tissue. They are caused when the affected area of skin is placed under too much pressure for a prolonged period of time, in combination with a number of other factors.
Pressure ulcers can range in severity from fixed areas of discoloured skin to open wounds that expose the underlying tissues or bone.
Originally launched in 2004 and developed with support from the Trust’s IT team, PUNT has allowed the Trust to objectively report a decrease in the incidence of all categories of pressure ulcers, especially since its further redevelopment in 2011.
The current Trust pressure ulcer incidences for all hospital admissions are 0.5%, down from a peak of 6% since PUNT was first introduced. Hospital-acquired heel pressure ulcers have also decreased by over 30% since 2011.
The quality of patient care has also improved since the implementation of PUNT:
Mark said: “I’m delighted to have won this award and I’m very grateful that the hard work of the tissue viability team and our clinician’s who use PUNT has been recognised.
“Further improvements of the tool are already in development. One of which will allow clinical photographs of pressure ulcers to be recorded within PUNT both on admission and discharge and then uploaded into PUNT for review alongside the individual pressure ulcer record as required.
“A number of other NHS healthcare organisations have also expressed interest in adopting the system.”
Winners were announced at an awards ceremony on Friday 11 March at Shakespeare’s Underglobe in London.
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