| You
are in: Stoke & Staffordshire News » |
| Staffordshire
Day By Day Archives>> | |
|
From Saturday 7th -
Friday 13th August 2004
(days
in reverse order)
Friday
13th August
Angels 'should have topped chart' Angels
by Stoke on Trent superstar Robbie Williams has been voted the best single which
should have been a number one but never was, in a poll for music channel VH1.
See full
story from BBC News
Historic documents going on sale A collection
of papers which are currently owned by the Countess of Sutherland and which include
facts about Staffordshire's history will go on sale for around £2m. See
full story from BBC News
Pottery company scales down expansion
plan Another Stoke-on-Trent pottery company has revealed it is continuing
to have a tough time. Portmeirion has gone into the red and is scaling down plans
for a new distribution centre and the expansion of manufacturing facilities. Between
January and June Portmeirion lost more than £360,000 before tax compared with
a half million pound profit for the same period in 2003. Chairman Arthur Ralley
blames the American dollar, pension costs and production problems with a new range
of pottery.
House off-limits Police have used new legislation to
shut down a suspected drugs den in Kidsgrove in North Staffordshire. They've got
an order from magistrates banning anyone who doesn't live at the property in King
Street from going in. It lasts for two weeks but officers are hoping they'll get
another extension.
New estate for Burton East Staffordshire planners
have given the go ahead for hundreds of new houses to be built on the site of
a former factory. The Silvertown rubber company is moving away from the land off
Horninglow Road in Burton, as it looks for smaller premises. Now, if the deal's
approved by the government, 350 new homes will be built there.
Thursday
12th August
Nursery failings revealed by BBC Four
workers have been sacked from a private nursery - Little Treasures on Festival
Park in Stoke-on-Trent - because of a BBC documentary which exposed poor standards
of child care. See
full story from BBC News
Woman "unlawfully killed" in
hospital A fifty-one year-old-woman who died after an operation on her foot
went wrong was unlawfully killed by a doctor. The verdict was recorded at an inquest
into the death of Patricia Leighton, who died at Cannock Chase Hospital seven
years ago. The coroner heard that the doctor who operated on her, fled to the
United States, and because of the length of time since the death, may have escaped
prosecution.
Middle Bell the place to go The landlord of an East
Staffordshire pub's celebrating a prestigious national honour. The Middle Bell
in Barton Under Needwood has been named the third best in Britain, by a trade
magazine. The winner was a pub in Warwick City Centre followed by another in Kensington
in West London. General manager of the Middle Bell, Sharon Trelfa, says they're
all really excited by the award.
Hundreds of fish dead The Environment
Agency says more than a thousand fish have been killed by pollution at a Staffordshire
pool. Officers have spent the afternoon pumping in oxygen at Madeley pool near
Newcastle to save many more. Many locals took the surviving fish out of the water
and put them into paddling pools. It's thought the pollution could be down to
a nearby farm but investigations are continuing.
M6 Toll sees record
levels in July The M6 Toll motorway in Staffordshire saw record figures in
July according to transport department figures. See
full story from BBC News
Wednesday 11th
August
Objectors get time Campaigners against the expansion
of a south Staffordshire airport have been given more time to lodge their objections.
South Staffordshire District Council has so far received around a thousand letters
against plans to increase flights at Wolverhampton Business Airport. They're now
extending the deadline for written objections until the end of September, when
the plans are considered by the Regulatory Committee.
Tuesday
10th August
Torrential rain brings floods Massive rainfall
during the last few days brought both chaos and records. The West Midlands has
almost reached its average monthly rainfall for August in just four days. Severn
Trent Water's reservoir levels are higher than last year and set to rise because
the figures do not include this week's heavy downpours. The company's water stores
are 82.9 per cent full compared to 80 per cent last year.
In Stafford, sewage
came out on to Newport Road, which was hit by floods for the second time in a
week. A main water pipe burst under the increased pressure - sending rainwater
and sewage pouring into gardens and across the busy road.
Another site to be
damaged by the flooding was the Pickfords House Museum on Derby's Friargate; and
a brook in Norton Bridge in Stoke on Trent overflowed after one downpour. Up to
three feet of water left residents looking for alternative accomodation, some
for up to three months.
Monday 9th August
Road works lead to M6 toll surge Drivers seeking to avoid road works
near Birmingham contribute to record levels of traffic on the M6 Toll. See
full story from BBC News
Fire at hospital treated as arson
A fire which broke out in the surgical block of the City General Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent
is treated as arson. Fifty operations have had to be cancelled . Staff had prepared
to move patients in the intensive care unit as the flames spread. The damage has
been estimated at a million pounds. See
full story from BBC News
Delay in houses plan welcomed A delay
in plans to develop new homes at a disused mill in the Staffordshire Moorlands
has been welcomed by a local councillor. An application to convert the Tean Hall
Mill buildings into 14 homes and build 50 brand new ones was withdrawn last week.
Revised plans will try to deal with objections about the development's appearance
and worries about traffic. Chairman of the council, Pat McGarry, said that despite
delays in starting work on the site, the plans have got to be right.
Sunday 8th August
House prices
on the increase in Stoke-on-Trent House prices in Stoke-on-Trent went up by
more than 40 per cent in the past year - the second highest increase in England.
Official figures on house prices across Britain were released by the Land Registry
on Monday. Between April and June last year the average house in Stoke-on-Trent
sold for just under £56,000 but in the same period this year, the average rice
for a house was £79,000.
The only place in England with steeper inflation
is Middlesbrough where houses have gone up by almost 60 per cent. Prices for the
rest of Staffordshire went up by the national average of 17 per cent in the same
period.
Hope for St John's £350 has been raised towards the restoration
of the historic St John's church in Burslem, following the completion of a sponsored
walk of the 17 mile long Caldon Canal. A team of seven, led by local historian
Mervyn Edwards, Harold Harper (the Treasurer of the St John's Restoration Fund)
and Amanda Bromley (of the Burslem-based Internet firm, Jellifish) completed the
walk.
St John's is the oldest church in the Potteries, but its bells have
not rang for a few years on account of the need for renovation work to the stone
tower. Money is also needed to stabilise the building and remove the green paint
from the exterior of the nave. The churchyard is famous for being the last resting
place of Molly Leigh, the so-called Witch of Burslem. The master potter Josiah
Wedgwood was baptised at St John's in 1730, whilst a famous vicar, the Reverend
A. A. Watton, committed suicide in 1886.
Lynn lands first Win
Newcastle-under-Lyme golfer David Lynn has claimed his first ever victory on the
European Tour, winning the Dutch Open Golf by 3 strokes. See full
story
Saturday 7th August
New
£27m hospital plans on show Plans for a major new hospital development in
Stoke-on-Trent are going on show to the public. The £27m facility, at the Haywood
Hospital and former Stanfields Hospital site, will have more than 160 beds. It
is designed to be a community hospital giving people care and treatment without
travelling to the City General or Royal Infirmary.
Burton in the middle
A referee from Burton is preparing to officiate at this weekend's clash between
the premiership's two biggest sides. Roy Burton - who works at a plumbing firm
during the day - will be an assistant referee at the Community Shield game between
Arsenal and Manchester United in Cardiff on Sunday.
Oakamoor is best
Villagers in the Staffordshire Moorlands are celebrating the news their home
is the county's best kept small village. People in Oakamoor have been given some
silverware and a cash prize by the local community council. Local people have
spent month working on blooming gardens and keeping the area litter free.
FULL ARCHIVE OF 2002, 2003 & 2004 STORIES -
CLICK
HERE
|
| | The
BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites. |
| | |
For
access to past stories, click on News Archives below  |
| |
|
|
Staffs & S Cheshire Sport |
Staffordshire
Sport
Catch the latest news and views with our local sports coverage.
Includes coverage of South Cheshire |
|
|
 |
BBC
Stoke and Staffordshire
Cheapside
Hanley
Stoke-on-Trent
Staffordshire
ST1 1JJ
tel: (+44) 01782 221281
e-mail: stoke@bbc.co.uk
|
|
|
|
|
