Terrorist suspect doctor
worked at town’s hospital
by David Skentelbery
ONE of the doctors being held in connection with the car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow formerly worked at Warrington Hospital.
He then moved to Halton General ? the other hospital run by North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
This has emerged following the disclosure that all eight people arrested in connection with the attacks have links to the NHS.
Seven are doctors or trainee doctors and the one woman involved is understood to be a trained laboratory researcher.
One doctor was arrested by Australian police at Brisbane Airport.
Two of the doctors are believed to have links with Halton General. One is Dr Mohammed Haneef, who was arrested while trying to board a plane to India at Brisbane.
The other is a 26-year-old from Liverpool.
Two men have also been arrested at Blackburn but police say it is too early to confirm whether they were linked to the London and Glasgow incidents.
New showpiece village
centre under water
by David Skentelbery
A CONSIDERABLE part of a new ?500,000 showpiece paved village centre at Lymm, near Warrington, disappeared under water when a heavy rainstorm hit the area.
Floodwater poured across the road to pour into a sunken garden before cascading into Slitten Brook.
Motorists had to drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid the flood which at its peak was almost a foot deep.
The water stopped just short of inundating Sexton?s Bakery ? and left most shopkeepers in the village centre worrying about the consequences of an even heavier or long storm.
An hour after the storm, cars were still have to take evasive action to get through the village.
The new ?natural stone? paved road surface was completed shortly before Christmas after a lengthy road closure had left village traders fuming.
There was flooding during construction of the road, which also included resurfacing of Eagle Brow and again shortly after the contact was completed.
Highways chiefs at Warrington said falling leaves had blocked gullies.
The latest incident is being attributed to the amount of rain which fell in the space of a few minutes.
Shopkeepers are not convinced, however, that the problem is not caused by inadequate drainage.
One said: ?There was little or no flooding before the work was carried out. Now we have standing water in the street every time it rains. When it is a downpour such as we have been having this week the flooding can be quite serious.
?It pours into Slitten Brook through the sunken garden ? but that appears to be by accident rather than design. What will happen if we get a real cloudburst I hate to think.
?Properties should not be at risk of flooding after a new road scheme has been put in.?
Reindeer, bread pudding, at
wedding with a difference!
by Lesley Wilkinson
IT was a marriage with a difference. The bride sang and her new father-in-law played piano. The wedding breakfast included reindeer and bread and butter pudding.
The bridal couple handed over all the arrangements to family and friends from two countries ? and the whole thing was filmed for television.
Everything went well until just before the ceremony at Warrington?s Walton Hall when the bride saw her wedding dress for the first time ? and promptly burst into tears.
Television presenter Nick Knowles came to the rescue, whisking the bride from her home in Callands to Stockton Heath by Rolls Royce.
There, with 30 minutes to spare, she chose another dress and the ceremony went ahead.
Warrington builder Paul Conreen, 40, and his bride Anneli, 25, a singer, always like to be ?a bit different? and seized the chance of having their wedding featured in the BBC television series The Big Day.
They decided to hand over all the arrangements to family and friends working in teams ? and as Anneli is from Norway that meant mixing customs from two countries.
Apart from the wedding dress, everything went well and the couple are now looking forward to seeing their wonderful day all over again when the programme in screened on BBC 1 on Thursday July 19.
They met in Cyprus, where Anneli was working as a karaoke compere, three years ago. Soon after they settled in Callands.
Paul gave family and friends a ?10,000 budget for the day and they organised everything ? including a surprise honeymoon in China.
A moving moment came when Anneli sang her own composition ?Hold My Hand? with Paul?s father, John, accompanying her on the piano.
Paul said: “We always like to do things that are a bit different, whether it’s parties or nights out. This certainly achieved that.
“We both had a wonderful day.?
Benefit cheat receives
suspended jail sentence
by court reporter
A BENEFIT cheat who falsely claimed ?13,738.16 in benefits has received a four month suspended prison sentence and ordered to payback the money.
Sharon Hughes, 35, of Scott Street, Warrington pleaded guilty to three charges of benefit fraud and was sentenced at Halton Magistrates’ Court.
The four month prison sentence was suspended for one year.
She claimed the benefits when she had undeclared capital between December 1999 to August 2005. She defrauded the council of ?1,847 housing benefit and ?359 council tax benefit and the DWP of ?11,531 income support.
Adrian Webster, the Council’s Benefits Manager, said: “There are no ifs, no buts when it comes to benefit fraud. Deliberately withholding information that affects your claim is stealing. That’s why we are targeting benefit thieves.
“Benefit thieves must realise that they cannot abuse the benefit system and steal from the rest of society. They are not just defrauding the Government, but their own tax paying neighbours and communities in Warrington.”
Fraud Operations Manager for the DWP Roy Paul added: “The public is fed up with cheats who steal money from the taxpayer when it should go to those in genuine need of help.”
People in Warrington can give information about alleged fraudsters free and in confidence on the National Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 854440.
Freemasons
give some TLC
by Gary Skentelbery
LYMM based Freemasons have provided a little TLC for a girl who suffered a head injury.
Annalise Wilce aged four fell and split open the back of her head and was taken to Warrington Hospital’s Paediatric A & E Department to be treated. The Nurses gave her a Green TLC Teddy for her bravery.
TLC (Tender Loving Care bears) are provided to local Paediatric A & E departments by local Freemasons who raise funds at social events. To date the Freemasons meeting at the Spread Eagle Hotel in Lymm have delivered over 700 TLC bears to Warrington Hospital. The Freemasons of Cheshire have in the last 12 Months delivered over 16,000 TLC bears to Hospitals throughout the county.
Meanwhyile Annalise was enjoying the Lymm May Queen Festival when her Mum spotted the Freemasons Stall and the TLC bears on display. She came over to thank the Members for such a wonderful scheme.
Annalise is pictured holding an identical TLC bear to the one she received with Worshipful Brother Derek W. Brook Divisional TLC Appeal Officer for the Lymm and Sale.
Freemasons of Cheshire meeting at Lymm raised ?120:00 on the day, the proceeds go to the TLC Appeal.
Security guard attacked
by gang of three thugs
by David Skentelbery
A SECURITY guard on a Warrington building site was attacked by three men.
The thugs struck in Latchford Street after at first posing as workmen delivering materials to the site.
They knocked the 27-year-old guard to the ground and punched and kicked him. As a result he suffered cuts and bruises.
During the attack they stole the guard?s keys and tried to lock him in a storeroom.
The men were aged between 24 and 32. One was 5ft 6 inches
tall, of slim build and with thin lips, a long thin nose and short brown hair. A another was of similar description but of medium build while the third was about 6ft tall, with a large face, dark stubble and thick lips.
Officer investigating the case is DC Moira Hay, who can be contacted on 01244 613835.
Roads to close for
gas main repairs
by staff reporter
PARTS of Bold Street and Suez Street, Warrington are to be temporarily closed to traffic while refurbishment work is carried out on a gas main.
Warrington Borough Council has made an order to prohibit driving in Bold Street, from its junction with Sankey Street to Palmyra Square North and from there to its junction with Palmyra Square South.
The other will also affect Suez Street from its junction with Bold Street to Cairo Street.
There will also be a temporary suspension of waiting, loading and parking restrictions in Bold Street and Cairo Street.
The orders come into force on Monday, July 16. Alternative routes will be signposted.
A boost for rural
postal services
by Lesley Wilkinson
A BOOST to rural post offices in the UK and throughout Europe has been achieved according to Warrington-based Euro MP Brian Simpson.
Mr Simpson, transport spokesperson for the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, led his delegation to an outright victory on the long-term protection of rural postal services.
The MEP said: “As Labour spokesman I have tried to find the right balance between encouraging competition and efficiency in the sector while protecting our rural communities’ right to a high quality postal service. Today’s victory has proven that Labour’s approach to the issue is the right one both for the UK and Europe.”
Mr Simpson said there would be a vote in the Plenary Session this month.
He added: “I hope that the full house will support the decision taken by the Transport Committee so that British rural areas can fully benefit from both, the UK Government’s decision to liberalise the sector and the EU’s improvement of it by guaranteeing long term easy access to the postal network for all, independently of where they live and at a uniform tariff.”
Treasure hunt
THE British Red Cross are organising Alice in Wonderland Treasure Hunt at Walton Gardens on Sunday August 19 from 1pm-5.30pm.
A family ticket costs ?3.50 and attractions include a model railway as well as the chance to play croquet with the Culcheth Croquet Society.
Blood donations
THE National Blood Service is holding a blood donation session at Statham Lodge Hotel, Warrington Road, Lymm, on July 18, 2pm to 4pm and 5.30pm to 7.30pm. Tel 0845 7 711 711 for an appointment.
[ 06.07.2007, 10:02: Message edited by: DS ]
