A shock in store for
town’s illegal parkers
by David Skentelbery
THOUSANDS of motorists who regularly park on double yellow lines at Warrington in the almost certain knowledge they won?t be booked could soon be in for a shock.
Town Hall chiefs are set to award a contract for parking enforcement across the borough – unleashing a team of parking wardens.
The decision on the contract, which will run for up to seven years, is to be made at a meeting of the borough council?s executive board on Monday, October 9.
February 5 is the date set for the successful bidder to take over enforcement of offences. But offences will be classed as ?civil? rather than ?criminal? as when dealt with by the police.
Similar ?decriminalisation of parking? is taking place at another 150 local authorities across the country, prompted by police needed to divert resources to dealing with crime and disorder issues.
Enforcement of parking offences in Warrington has been almost non-existent in recent years due to an absence of parking wardens as the police no longer employed them. Although Community Support Officers have been given powers to enforce parking regulations there has been little evidence of them doing so.
Coun Brian Axcell (pictured) executive member for Environment Services said: ?It is important to stress that this is not about raising money through fines. It is aimed at making the streets safer, reducing congestion, preventing illegal parking and improving conditions in residential areas were controls exist.?
The council?s existing off-street car parks are already managed through a private contractor so the new service is seen as simply an extension of this approach.
A publicity campaign is being planned to warn motorists of the change and help prevent them getting a parking ticket.
Remanded in custody
on murder charge
by court reporter
A 31-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with the murder of 22-year-old Nicola Sutton, at Birchwood, Warrington.
Barry John Stone of Knutsford Road, Grappenhall, a former partner of Ms Sutton, has been remanded in custody by the town?s magistrates to appear before Warrington Crown Court on October 13.
He was charged with murdering the woman on Tuesday, September 26.
Ms Sutton?s body was found at a house in Whittlewood Close, Birchwood in the early hours of the morning. She had suffered stab wounds.
She was rushed to Warrington Hospital but was found to be dead on arrival.
Company grows by
40 per cent in a year
by Terry Johnson
A NICHE-market Warrington company which has grown 40 per cent in the past year held a ?thank you? party for its employees.
Marilyn Monroe and Pavarotti look-alikes helped staff celebrate the occasion.
Construction materials specialist, CMS Ltd has grown to a ?13m turnover group. Based at Eagle Park, Warrington, with a second office in Colchester, CMS has plans for two further UK sites by the end of next year.
Founded by Peter Hackett, in his own home, the company is celebrating its first decade of trading.
CMS Group is behind many of the unseen elements of buildings: ground reinforcement textiles; acoustic insulation to protect residents from noisy neighbours; anti-vibration solutions to prevent shake from trains and water drainage.
The group has grown from 26 to 40 employees in the past year, opened its Colchester office and is cranking up the pace of its future operations.
Attacker tried to drag
woman into bushes
by John Hendon
A 20-year-old woman was attacked by a masked man as she walked home in the early hours of the morning at Culcheth, near Warrington.
Police believe the incident could be linked to another, the previous evening, when the same woman was approached by a man at the same spot in Church Lane.
The woman was walking home from a friend?s house at about 3am. She was near a disused youth centre when a man grabbed her by the hand and tried to drag her into nearby bushes.
She screamed and resisted and managed to get away, badly shaken but unharmed. The man, wearing a balaclava, made off.
Police said the same woman had been approached by a man at around 8pm the previous evening at the same spot. He had spoken briefly to her.
Anyone who witnessed either incident is asked to call DC Neil Gallagher on 0845 458 0000.
Man, 43, in court
on murder charge
by court reporter
A 43-year-old Warrington man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a 50-year-old man.
Dene Hickey, of Toll Bar Road, Orford, Warrington was remanded in custody by the town?s magistrates charged with the murder of Leslie Brown on Thursday, September 26.
He is now due to appear at Warrington Crown Court on October 13.
Mr Brown, also a local man, died in Warrington Hospital after being taken there with stab wounds following an incident in Chiltern Close, Orford.
Flu jabs may not
arrive until December
by staff reporter
SOME pensioners and other vulnerable people in Warrington may not be able to get their flu jabs until December.
But Warrington Primary Care Trust chiefs have given an assurance that the vaccinations will be made available as soon as possible.
Normally, the jabs are available at GP practices from early October. But this year, many will not arrive until November and some may not arrive until early December.
Kerry Broadhead, assistant director of health improvement for adults at the PCT said: “Flu viruses continually change, which is why you need a new jab each year. The World Health Organisation carefully monitors the viruses as they move around the world so that they can recommend to vaccine manufacturers which virus strains to culture, or grow, for inclusion in the next year’s vaccine to give people maximum protection from flu.
“The international vaccine manufacturing companies have had difficulty growing one of the virus strains recommended for this year’s vaccine. However, the Department of Health has confirmed that these problems have since been overcome and that suppliers will be able to fulfil GPs’ requirements.
“The Department of Health requested 15.2m doses of flu vaccine to be made available for this year’s flu season, an increase of around a million doses compared with last year.”
The flu vaccination programme normally commences at the beginning of October, however Warrington GP practices have been advised that they will be receiving supplies of vaccine at various times between October and December, depending upon the manufacturer with whom they placed their order. Therefore, some practices will be starting their flu immunisation programme later than usual.
Ms Broadhead added: “We would urge people not to worry; practices have already been in discussion with their suppliers in order to make plans to administer the vaccine to eligible people as quickly as possible once they receive supplies.?
Free flu vaccinations are available to anyone who is considered at risk of developing serious complications should they catch flu. The ‘at risk’ groups include people aged 65 or more, people with long-term lung, heart, kidney or liver disease, diabetes mellitus, lowered immunity due to a disease (such as spleen problems) or medical treatment (such as chemotherapy), other serious medical conditions or people living in nursing, residential or long stay homes.
The delay in flu vaccine delivery does not apply to pneumococcal vaccine which is also available free of charge to anyone aged over 65.
Five schools receive
basic skills awards
by staff reporter
FIVE Warrington schools are celebrating after being awarded the Basic Skills Agency Primary Quality Mark.
They will be presented with their awards tomorrow (Wednesday) by Pat Collard, Interim Director for the Basic Skills Agency.
The schools are Burtonwood Primary, St Oswald’s Catholic Pri
mary, St Peter’s Catholic Primary, Winwick CE Primary and Park Road Primary.
The nationally recognised award illustrates that a school is teaching, planning and acting to raise achievements and standards in the basic skills of literacy and numeracy.
Working in partnership with their education link adviser, the schools were required to fulfil 10 key elements to obtain the awards. They underwent an independent accreditation inspection earlier this year.
Pat Collard will spend time meeting and greeting staff and pupils alike and will present the awards to those behind the drive to improve basic skills teaching.
Volunteers needed
at Thorn Cross
by staff reporter
A GROUP of volunteers who provide refreshments for visitors at Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institution at Appleton Thorn, near Warrington, are in need of additional help.
The Friends of Thorn Cross have been operating for several years since the WRVS discontinued the service. They have about 12 members and serve tea, sandwiches and snacks to parents and other visitors at he centre on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
But numbers have dwindled in recent times and the Friends are appealing for more volunteers.
The work is organised on a monthly rota basis, with two members on duty at any given time. The services operates between 1-4pm.
Anyone prepared to join the team is asked to call organiser Margaret Easton on 01925 632618 for more details.
