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Friday
30th August 2002>>>
School
start looking shaky: More than a thousand new teachers and other
education staff, due to start work in Staffordshire & Cheshire next
week, are still awaiting security clearance from the Criminal Records Bureau.
Officials say the problems will be sorted out by Monday.
But Cheshire County Council says it can't guarantee that children won't
be sent home at the start of the new term next week.
More
rail strikes: Rail passengers in Staffordshire and Cheshire
face further disruption next month after unions rejected an improved pay
offer.
Drivers on First North Western routes are planning another 48 hours of strike
action.
These are scheduled to go ahead on September 10th and 11th.
Bye-bye
Rolls Royce: The last Rolls Royce to be built in Crewe comes
off the production line at the Pyms lane factory today. It marks the end
of more than 50 years of car production at the site. Production of Bentleys
will continue at the factory.
See full story...
Animal
activists "frightening" people: Farmers leaders in
East Staffordshire say that activists trying to stop government culls of
badgers are frightening people in the countryside. The National Farmers
Union says the sight of hooded people trespassing on their land late at
night is worrying its members.
But one direct action group says its members are only damaging traps and
shouldn't worry people living there.
Have
a read with your pint: The landlord of a Staffordshire Moorlands
pub is preparing to start a new double life - as a librarian.
He's installed shelves and has collected hundreds of books for regulars
of the Shoulder of Mutton pub in Fulford to borrow. The landlord, Ken Brayford,
thinks it could be the future for pubs.
Chase
Terrace rises from the ashes: A giant mobile village for 600
pupils is taking shape as staff battle to reopen their school after it was
destroyed by arsonists in mid-August.
Builders have less than two weeks to construct 30 temporary classrooms,
an assembly hall, canteen and library on sports fields at Chase Terrace
High School.
Teachers hope to start welcoming back students on September 9th, just a
week later than other schools.
Surprise
in store for thief: The police say a thief who stole medicine
from a car in Burton will probably be surprised by what he's taken. The
boxes contained the anti-impotence drug Viagra. Twenty boxes of the anti-impotence
drug - each containing two tablets - were stolen from a car parked near
the delivery bay at the back of Burton's Queens Hospital; and Staffordshire
police warned that misuse could lead to undesired effects.
Environmentalists'
protest: A protest march is being held in North Staffordshire
against plans to site a scrapyard next to a country park. A
planning application's been submitted to Staffordshire County Council to
create the scrapyard next to Apedale Country Park in Newcastle. The plans
will go before Stafford County Councillors in September.
Thursday
29th August 2002>>>
Doultons announce £8 million losses: It's just been
announced that pre-tax losses have been cut at Royal Doulton but they still
lost nearly £8 million in the first 6 months of the year. The troubled
company is going through a restructuring to try to deal with millions of
pounds of debt. Losses have fallen £10.5 million, but sales are down
6%.The company says its net debt now stands at £15 million.
More
rail chaos for Stoke-London journeys: Stoke station maybe almost closed
down next summer for travellers to London because of plans to shut off two
stretches of the West Coast Mainline for 4 weeks. The idea is to speed up
work on the modernisation of the line. Instead of weekend closing, the programme
includes total blockades between Milton Keynes and London.
See full story...
Shopping
centre delay could threaten jobs: People in a South Cheshire town say
the delay on building a new shopping centre is stopping thousands of jobs
being created. Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council is planning to build the
centre on a former industrial site in Crewe but the Government says it can't
go ahead until a public inquiry is held because it says the complex may
take business from the town centre. The council says the centre would be
good for the area.
Former
colliery area gets £3.5 million facelift:
More jobs are to be created in North Staffordshire with the redevelopment
of a former colliery. County Councillors have approved a £3.5 million
scheme to regenerate Silverdale, near Newcastle-under-Lyme, which has suffered
since the closure of the pit. It'll be financed by a number of organisations
including Advantage West Midlands and the Coal Authority.
Historian
bids to save 6,000 year old tree:
A Stoke on Trent historian's trying to save a piece of ice age history which
is in the middle of the city. A petrified tree stump, which is more than
6,000 years old, is displayed at the front of a business in Dalehall, near
Burslem. Historian, Fred Hughes, says the tree stump is an important piece
of Potteries history.
Wednesday
28th August 2002>>>
£1.5 million hole in City's finances: Unions have been asked
to come up with suggestions for cutting costs as Stoke on Trent City Council
battle with severe financial problems. Council leaders say problems inherited
from the previous administration mean they're facing a deficit of more than
£1.5 million and cuts in services are inevitable. The City Council
says it's trying its best to avoid job losses.
Local
MEP quits over excessive travelling:
A Staffordshire Euro MP has blamed an "obscene beauty contest" between Brussels
and Strasbourg for his decision to step down. Simon Murphy wants to spend
more time with his family and says constant shuttling between Brussels,
Strasbourg and his home is making that impossible. He says it is also uneconomical.
See Full
Story
Mayoral vote favours non-party candidates: A political expert says
the voting system which will be used to select Stoke on Trent's first elected
mayor will favour non-party candidates. The election will use the "supplementary
vote system", which allows people to nominate their first and second choice
for the post. It's the same system which swept Ken Livingstone to victory
in London.
Sewers get £16 million boost: Work is beginning on a £16
million project to improve much of Stoke on Trent's sewer system. As a first
phase, a mile of new sewer pipes and overflows are being constructed in
parts of Bucknall, Smallthorne and Fenton. Severn Trent Water say some disruption
is inevitable, but the end result will improve river water in the area.
Police
appeal for missing 13 year old: Police are trying to trace the whereabouts
of a 13-year-old from Staffordshire. Danny Thompson went missing following
a visit to his family in Liverpool in June this year. Daniel is 4ft 10ins
tall. He has dark hair which is shaven, brown eyes and a fair complexion.
At the time he went missing he was wearing blue Reebok trousers, a white
Reebok jacket and a blue Brazil football top. It is believed he may be in
the Croxteth area where his extended family live. Anyone with any information
on his whereabouts is asked to call Merseyside Police on 0151 777 4552 or
to contact your local police station.
Boat rescue firm bids for award: A Stafford-based boat rescue company
is hoping to win a national business award. River Canal Rescue is a call
out service for broken down boats and was set up two years ago. It says
it's had a high success rate in responding quickly to calls and fixing repairs
on the spot. It's made it to the semi finals of the HSBC Start Up Stars
awards for new businesses.
Tuesday 27th August 2002>>>
Legionnaires bug in Staffs: A man from Staffordshire, one of those
affected by the Legionnaires outbreak in the West Midlands, is said to be
responding well to treatment.
The man, in his sixties and from the Cannock area, works at the chemicals
plant Rhodia, formerly Albright and Wilson.
Another of the Legionnaires patients also works there.
See Full Story
Bug scare: A summer camp in Staffordshire is being investigated by
health officials after a teenager from Scotland contracted the E-coli bug.
The seventeen-year-old fell ill after returning from a two-week long Scout
camp in three locations, one of them near Alton Towers in Staffordshire.
So far it remains an isolated incident.
Train accident: Fourteen people on a railway enthusiasts' outing
from Crewe have been slightly injured in an accident in Essex.
Their train, which was on its way yesterday to Clacton, ran into the buffers
at Walton-on-the-Naze.
British Transport Police say 29 people were treated at the scene for minor
injuries. They say one person was taken to hospital with broken ribs, and
another suffered a broken leg.
Railtrack says the train - which consisted of two diesel locomotives and
ten carriages - was going slower than ten miles an hour when it happened.
Fire strike?: Members of the Fire Brigades Union in Cheshire are
deciding how the county's firefighters will vote at the national ballot
in September. It follows a campaign to have their pay increased to thirty
thousand pounds a year.
The Union says that if the government doesn't agree, firefighters in Staffordshire
and Cheshire may strike for the first time.
Firefighter's pay is currently linked to manual workers' pay. But the Fire
Brigades' Union says the job is very technical and should be treated as
a skilled job.
Burton waterway fire: A man's been admitted to hospital with 12 per
cent burns following a fire on a a canal barge in East Staffordshire.
Crews from Barton and Lichfield attended the fire at Wychnor Boat Club yesterday
evening.
An investigation has concluded the fire was started accidentally.
Rail strikes on: The planned strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday (27
and 28 August), by ASLEF drivers, are set to go ahead.
First North Western, which runs the affected trains on some local lines
through Staffordshire and Cheshire, is telling passengers that, although
limited alternative buses will be operating, passengers are advised only
to make journeys if absolutely necessary.
See Full Story
[See our
Rail Travel pages for more FNW info]
Monday 26th August 2002>>>
Mixed year for tourism: Figures out today show that 2001 was a mixed
year for tourist attractions in England. However, the Staffordshire theme
park Alton Towers doesn't feature on the list
The English Tourism Council says the events of the September 11th attacks
had an adverse effect on tourism resulting in a big drop in visitor numbers
for the kind of historical attractions normally popular with overseas visitors.
Similarly, the foot and mouth crisis had a major impact on countryside and
farming-related tourist attractions. But museums, and major projects like
the London Eye saw a rise in visitors. The best performer in Cheshire was
Chester Zoo, which topped the list of wildlife attractions. Alton
Towers isn't on the list because its owners, the Tussauds Group, say a group
decision was taken not to contribute to the survey. They say publishing
visitor numbers in isolation doesn't give a true picture of how they're
performing.
[See
our Alton Towers listing]
Sunday 25th August 2002>>>
Arson in Stoke: The police in Stoke on Trent say a fire which caused
some damage to a primary school in the city on Friday night is believed
to have been started deliberately.
The fire at Cauldon Primary School in Shelton had started in an outside
shed and spread to part of the main building.
Legend in South Cheshire: Formula One Legend Sir Jack Brabham will
be at Oulton Park in South Cheshire for the revival of its famous Gold Cup
race meeting.
The 3 times World Formula One champion will be a special guest of honour
at this year's event which carries on to Bank Holiday Monday.
Brabham will present the winners trophies.
Campaign to save Izaak's place: An international campaign's under
way to save an important Staffordshire tourist attraction from closure.
Izaak Walton's Cottage, at Shallowford, near Stafford, is likely to shut
as an economy measure by Stafford Borough council.
The thatched cottage where Izaak Walton spent his later life is preserved
as a memorial to the seventeenth century philosopher and angler. But although
his book "The Compleat Angler" has a following throughout the world - especially
in the United States - very few people visited the cottage over the past
few years.
The Friends of Izaak Walton's Cottage claim the lack of visitors
is the result of the cottage not being publicised.
They've organised a "keep it open" petition, and have alerted the Izaak
Walton League of America, who're considering what they can do to help the
campaign.
Read full story
Saturday
24th August 2002>>
Stafford woman moves to save embryo:
Two
women, including one from Baswich near Stafford, have launched a High Court
challenge to stop their ex-partners destroying their IVF embryos.
IVF patient Natallie Evans, 30, has been joined by Lorraine Hadley, 37,
from Stafford, in taking the legal action.
Mrs Hadley, of Stafford, underwent IVF treatment at a fertility clinic in
Aldridge, near Birmingham, but has since got divorced.
She is desperate for children, but her ex-husband Wayne Hadley has also
asked the clinic to destroy the two embryos.
See Full story
Rail disaster site gets bridge:
A bridge is being put in place this weekend to replace the level crossing
near Stafford where eleven people died in a rail disaster 34 years ago.
The 1968 accident happened when a crowded express train smashed into an
electrical generator on a low-loader which had broken down on the level
crossing at Hixon village.
In the following years there were several other near-accidents, and three
years ago a man died when his van was hit by a train there.
Finally, Railtrack and Staffordshire County council agreed a one-and-a-half
million pound scheme for a bridge to replace the crossing.
Preparation work began nearly two weeks ago, but finishing work will take
another ten weeks.
Last-ditch bid to stop S-o-T road:
Protesters campaigning against the proposed by-pass around Tunstall in north
Stoke on Trent say they're prepared to seek a judicial review of the project
- if that's necessary to stop the road being built.
Their application to have part of the route designated as a village green
has been rejected; and Stoke on Trent city council is likely this week to
approve the start of work on the scheme.
"Princess"
back: A major part of Stoke on Trent's industrial
heritage is back in action.
The 19th century "Princess" beam engine , housed in a former bone and flint
mill museum at Etruria in Stoke on Trent, has been "steamed up"
for the first time in two years.
Two years ago the engine was stilled as the mill shut for a £400,000 refurbishment.
The building reopened in June, but only this week the beam engine will move
again.
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