The Week in East Bristol & North East Somerset FREE Issue no 321 22nd May 2014 Read by over 30,000 people every week In this week’s issue ...... page 5 Cash point blown up . Failed robbery attempt in St George page 13 S. Glos green bin anger. Collections missed 3 times page 30 Legal challenge over Cossham MIU?. Campaigners' requests ignored in 2 The Week • Thursday 22nd May 2014 Hanham DismayNews that Abbots Road is to be closed at for up toroad three months closure plans this summer has been met with dismay by local pub landlords who fear a devastating effect on their summer trade. Traders at Hanham Common are also upset after learning from South Gloucestershire Council that the road will be closed between the junction of Hencliffe Way and the Elm Tree pub from next month. The works involve digging up half a kilometre of road and installing a new drainage system. There are problems with the current system, partly due to flooding. Large yellow signs have gone up advising motorists that the road will be closed from 9th June for the “essential” works. concerned about the timing and the possible effect on trade. Jamie Mildren, landlord at the Elm Tree, said: “This is going to have Cllr Heather Goddard, who represents Hanham on South a massive impact at one of the busiest times of year for us.” Gloucestershire Council and is also a member of Hanham Abbots He estimated that 80 per cent of his custom would be affected. Parish Council, said she understood that the works might not take Karen Rawlins runs the Old Lock & Weir by the River Avon at as long as advertised but the three-month timescale was being Hanham Mills, which has been badly affected by flooding in the last given in case the work hit snags. A South Gloucestershire Council couple of years and lost trade when it was forced to close for spokesperson said: "Works will be carried out between 7.45am and several months. She said that when Abbots Road was closed once 4.30pm, however due to the deep excavation involved, the closure before for a week for road widening works, the pub’s trade had will remain in place 24 hours a day. been badly hit. "The road closure is necessary to protect the public from this deep She said: “I am really worried as we will be cut off. We are out of excavation work. The works are to improve the highway drainage the way as it is. The timing is so bad - we make our money in the on Abbots Road and will involve excavations within the carriageway summer.” to install a new drainage system (surface water sewer). This Next door to the Old Lock & Weir is the Chequers pub, which has system will start adjacent to the Elm Tree public house and extend been closed for a major refurbishment said to be in the region of as far as the junction of Hencliffe Way. £1m. It is due to open under new management in June. "Where it is possible to remove the closure and to allow traffic to Frank Kelly, co-owner of Hanham Common Butchers, is also pass by the works we will do so.” There will be a signed diversion route in place and the council says there will be access to local businesses and properties but only from one end. in The Week • Thursday 22nd May 2014 3 Oldland Common New parish in Tip-offs lead to drugs arrest A 20-year-old man was arrested in Oldland Common last Gloucestershire beckons Thursday night on suspicion of drug offences. Neighbourhood Sergeant Andy Hucker said: “We had a number Keynsham vicar of calls from local people concerned about possible drug crime The Rev Simon Howell is leaving the Keynsham parish and in the Oldland Common area. Thanks to these calls we were moving to become a team vicar in Stroud. able to obtain a warrant under the Misuse of Drugs Act from The Rev Howell is one of a number of vicars in the Keynsham magistrates. parish which consists of St John’s and St Francis’ in Keynsham, "I’d like to thank the community for alerting us to this issue. We St Michael’s at Burnett, Chewton Keynsham Church and St always welcome information about criminal activity and you can Margaret’s at Queen Charlton. contact us through the website or by calling 101.” A send-off party is being held on Saturday 31st May at 6pm in The neighbourhood team searched a house at 9pm and seized Keynsham Parish Hall. suspected cannabis, cash and scales. The 20-year-old was Rev Howell, who is married with three sons, trained as a arrested on suspicion of possessing cannabis with intent to professional musician and supply. He was later released on police bail, pending further taught before becoming a inquiries, including forensic tests of the seized substance. church minister. He has also served in Hong Kong The Week in and London. In 2012 he made headlines after embarking on a 3,000-mile charity trip to Israel using a range of modes of transport, including a space hopper, raising thousands of pounds for the @One Simon Howell youth centre project in Keynsham. Barrs Court, Bitton, Brislington, Cadbury Heath, Compton Dando, Corston, Downend, Emersons Green, Fishponds, Hanham, Hillfields, Keynsham, Kingswood, Longwell Green, Mangotsfield, Marksbury, North Common, Oldland Common, Pucklechurch, Saltford, Staple Hill, Stockwood, St George, Warmley, Whitchurch, Wick, Willsbridge. 15,000 copies are distributed through retail outlets, libraries, pubs, community centres each week. Verified pick-up rate of 97%. Publisher Keynsham & Saltford Times Ltd, 8 Temple Court, Keynsham. BS31 1HA 0117 986 0381 www.theweekin.co.uk ISSN: 2052-9767 Managing Editor Stephen Rodgers [email protected] Editorial Becky Feather 07973 839936 Christine Rogers 07818 031328 Advertising Jodie Deason and Tracy Broderick 0117 986 0381 [email protected] @theweekineditor No material in this publication, nor its associated website (www.theweekin.co.uk) may be reproduced without the written permission of Keynsham & Saltford Times Ltd. All rights reserved. in 4 The Week • Thursday 22nd May 2014 St George CashA cashpoint at a petrol machine station was blown up last is blown up Thursday, sending flaming debris flying across the main road. People living near the Texaco in Bell Hill Road told The Week In that they were woken by a huge explosion at around 3am. Some thought it was a bomb going off. The cash machine, which is part of the Costcutter shop at the rear of the site, behind the petrol pumps, was blown apart in the blast but no cash was stolen. Police and fire crews were soon on the scene and the area was cordoned off as police forensics officers and fire investigators with sniffer dogs scoured the area. Richard Pomphrey, 63, who lives a couple of doors down from the Texaco, said the blast had thrown the front of the cash machine about 60ft across the road. He said he had gone out and moved the blazing cover away from a nearby car as he woke him was a car crash on the A420 as there had been feared that the flames might spread to the vehicle. accidents before. He said that he heard the revving of a moped He said it was lucky that no one had been driving past at the after the explosion. time, and that the fire in the cashpoint had not spread to the The 71-year-old said a few years ago thieves had attempted to petrol pumps. remove the cashpoint by trying to tow it away “There could have been a potentially fatal accident,” he said. In April a cash machine on Hartcliffe Way in Bedminster was “The people who did this are absolute lunatics. They have a blown up but it is not clear whether the two incidents may be total disregard for people and property.” linked. An elderly neighbour said he at first thought the loud noise that Anyone with information is caked to call the police on 101. in The Week • Thursday 22nd May 2014 5 Protest outside Emersons Green ProtectTreatment our NHS campaigners protested Centre outside Care UK’s in support of strikers Emersons Green Treatment Centre on Friday in support of staff striking over changes to pay and conditions at Care UK Doncaster. Campaigners from the regional group arrived at the Emersons Green centre, which is run by the private company on behalf of the NHS, dressed in hospital scrubs and held up a banner saying ‘We protect Care UK strikers’. With them was Dave Honeybone, a Unison steward from Doncaster. He explained that Care UK was awarded the contract for the care service for people with learning disabilities by Doncaster Council last autumn. As a result of the privatisation, dozens of workers have refused to sign new contracts, saying they are facing pay cuts of between £300 and £700 a month as well as cuts in holiday and sickness entitlements and enhanced payments for unsociable will continue to be part of the NHS final salary pension scheme hours. and have future pay increments protected. So far they have taken more than 34 days of strike action over Some of the protesters outside the Emersons Green centre on three months. There have been protests around the country Friday asked Mona Vanwyk, the treatment centre's head of including at Care UK’s national headquarters in Essex. nursing, who came to the front door of the centre, if they could Care UK has said that more than half of colleagues working talk to union representatives but were told they were not any at within the service when it transferred to Care UK have already the centre.