Blaze hits power station
FIRE broke out 150ft up on the roof of the giant Fiddler’s Ferry Power Station, near Warrington this morning.
Hundreds of workers were evacuated from the plant and 14 fire engines were called to the scene.
Ambulance crews also attended, although there were no reports of injuries.
The fire involved bitumen on the roof of a boiler house.
A full report of the incident will appear in tomorrow’s Warrington-Worldwide.
Health care proposals
“dead in the water”
EXCLUSIVE by David Skentelbery
THE controversial plan to build five super health centres, or ?mini hospitals? at Warrington looks set to be abandoned.
Health chiefs have admitted they expect their proposals to be ?knocked back? by doctors and patients ? even before the public consultation programme has finished.
Mark Beesley, head of primary care with Warrington Primary Trust, said: ?We think we are going to get knocked back.
?We think we are going to get a negative result to the consultation. But we will still need new buildings.?
Mr Beesley was speaking at a public meeting at Appleton, where residents gave a resounding ?no? to the PCT proposals to replace doctors? surgeries with new ?super health centres?
The consultation period does not run out until May 9 and a major public meeting is due to be held at the Parr Hall on May 1.
But after the Appleton meeting, a local councillor said he regarded Mr Beesley?s remarks as an admission that the plans are ?dead in the water.?
The meeting was also addressed by Kate Abendstern, the PCT?s director of commissioning.
She said that whatever the result of the consultation, delivery of primary health care in Warrington would have to change.
At one time, she said, the PCT was heading for a ?3.4 million overspend and although this was reduced to ?1.2 million, the Trust would not be allowed to overspend at all in the future.
Emergency admissions to hospital were 30 per cent higher in Warrington than the average, she said. The situation would worsen because the population was getting older. It was estimated that costs would rise by ?6 million in three or four years.
Warrington had good GP surgeries, but many were small. Altogether, primary health care was being delivered from about 50 locations and it would make sense to reduce this number of concentrating services in a smaller number of larger centres.
Ms Abendstern said the eventual number might not be five ? it could be more or less. It was not envisaged there would be any changes to services in Lymm and Culcheth.
The idea was for GPs to take the lead in providing services from the new super centres ? not the PCT. But the Trust was not seeking to impose anything on doctors.
?If they don?t want to do it, we can?t force them,? she said.
So far, only two sites had been selected ? one in the town centre at Garven Place and one at Orford Park.
The meeting was told that even if the PCT proposals did not go ahead, a new health centre would be necessary for the Appleton and Stretton area. The existing GP practices had expressed a willingness to share premises but no site had been found.
One possibility was Bridge Lane ? but no decision had been made and there were a number of difficulties about using the site.
Doctors across Warrington are said to be totally opposed to the scheme and a series of consultation meetings have indicated that most members of the public are also against it.
Who gets
your vote?
EXCLUSIVE by Gary Skentelbery
AS election fever starts to grip Warrington the three main political parties at the town hall have helped create history with groundbreaking online party political broadcasts on www.warrington.tv the town’s independent online TV channel.
All three party leaders, Keith Bland, Conservative, Terry O’Neill, Labour and Ian Marks, Liberal Democrat, agreed to appear before the TV cameras to say in 60 seconds, why the people of Warrington should vote for their party, in yet another pioneering first brought to the town by Warrington-Worldwide and warrington.tv’s publishers Orbit News.
With the town hall currently under a joint administration between the Lib Dems and the Tories, every vote could prove crucial in the local elections on Thursday May 3rd.
Warrington-Worldwide readers and warrington.tv viewers, now for the first time, can see each leader in action, urging people to cast their vote wisely and help elect their party.
Will the existing alliance hold on, or make more gains, or will Labour make a comeback?
Watch the video, make your decision and use your vote.
Golf course “one of
best in the North”
by staff reporter
NEW captain Roy Delooze?s ?drive off? at Warrington Golf Club marked the unveiling of the club?s re-designed and improved course.
The club claims it is now back as one of the finest in the North of England ? and Mr DeLooze described it as ?a challenge for even the best golfer.?
Dating from 1903, the club has a proud history. But in recent years it was acknowledged the course was looking a little tired and no longer at its best.
The club embarked on a major scheme to refresh and renew the course.
Every hole has been redesigned and two of the best are the seventh, named Steeple, with a view from an elevated tee as far as the eye can see, and the new 17th, High Warren, a par five.
Mr Delooze said: ?It has been said golf is a passion, an obsession, a romance and a nice acquaintanceship with trees, sand and water. You can discover those words to be true at the new Warrington!?
Councillor’s special
birthday celebration!
HOW does a parish councillor celebrate her 70th birthday?
In the case of Appleton councillor Judith Walker she spent the evening attending meetings of the planning committee and the full parish council and the annual parish meeting ? a session lasting almost three hours in total!
But fellow councillors and officers made sure the marathon session did turn out to be a celebration. A surprise birthday cake appeared at the end of the final meeting which Coun Walker was pleased to share out.
Thugs rob man as
he walks in park
by John Hendon
POLICE are hunting three thugs who attacked a man as he walked in a park at Lymm, near Warrington.
The man, in his 30s was walking in Ridgeway Grundy Memorial Park towards Maltman?s Road when he was approached by three men who demanded that he hand over his money.
When he refused he was punched, knocked to the ground and robbed. The offenders made off with cash and his mobile phone.
All three were about 6ft tall and of medium build, believed to be in their mid-20s. Two were wearing hooded tops and all wore dark clothing.
Police are particularly anxious to talk to a man and woman who entered the park from the Maltman?s Road entrance shortly after the attack and may have seen the offenders leaving the area.
Anyone who can help is asked to call DS Caroline Smith on 01244 613831.
Canal tragedy road
to be closed for good
by John Hendon
THE canal-side lane where two Warrington teenagers died tragically two and-a-half years ago is to be permanently closed.
Warrington?s traffic committee voted unanimously to make a temporary closure of Stockton Lane, Grappenhall, imposed immediately after the accident, permanent.
There was strong opposition to the closure from a number of residents, councillors and from Grappenhall Sports Club.
They argued that the road should have been kept open but made safe to avoid the possibility of a further tragedy.
It was in November 2004 that two 17-year-olds, Gemma Biggin and Stephen Abbott, died when their car skidded on a bend in Stockton Lane and plunged into the Bridgewater Canal.
Two teenage boys also in the car managed t
o escape, but despite brave efforts by passersby, Gemma and Stephen died in the icy waters.
Among those opposing the closure was Appleton parish councillor Mike Stansfield.
He said: ?My heart goes out to the parents of the young people who died, but this lane had been there for a hundred years and was not regarded as dangerous in all that time. If the will to make it safe had been there it could have been done.
?As it is, people who live in the lane and people using the sports club will still have to use it.?
Teenage girl attacked
by drunken youths
by staff reporter
A TEENAGE girl was attacked by two drunken youths as she walked home from a community centre at Latchford, Warrington.
The girl had been at the Westy Community Centre and was walking along Whitley Avenue, near its junction with Timperley Avenue when she saw the two offenders, aged about 18.
They was staggering in a drunken fashion, were carrying beer cans and talking loudly about Liverpool football club.
As she passed them, one grabbed her and began hitting her repeatedly about the head.
Fortunately she managed to break free and ran off without serious injury.
Anyone who witnessed the attack is asked to call PC Chris Davies on 01244 612639.
How council developed
new branding and logo
by David Skentelbery
TOWN Hall chiefs at Warrington have outlined the processes which led to the adoption of new branding and a new logo for council stationery, vehicles, buildings, etc.
The initiative dates from July, 2005 when council officers launched a number of research and consultation exercises designed to improve basic communication with residents.
Some 1,000 telephone interviews were carried out, there were 200 mystery shopping exercises, focus groups involving the Older People?s Forum and interviews with councillors, partners and officers.
Key messages from the consultation were:
Residents didn?t know about all the services the council provides or how to access the services they wanted.
The existing brand was applied inconsistently leading to confusion about the council as an organisation ? such as people not being able to locate council offices because of poor signs.
One of the main reasons for the inconsistent approach was because the council?s crest was not always easy to apply to signs or vehicles.
The survey showed people were proud of the crest and its traditions but felt something ?more 21st century? should be used as a logo, keeping the crest for ceremonial and civic occasions.
Councillors asked for a new brand and logo to be developed reflecting the views highlighted during the consultation. A ?modest sum? was allocated ? and the work was carried out in-house.
A council spokeswoman said: ?In developing the new brand, staff used current traditions as a starting point and attention was focussed on the town hall gates and Greek goddess for victory, Nike, which is a recognised symbol of Warrington with the protective arch of the wings.
?This constitutes a clear link to our heritage and the wings form the basis of the new logo. We are also maintaining our links with tradition and heritage as we are retaining the crest for use by the Civic Office.”
The council claims the new branding ? to be officially launched in July ? provides a strong link to civic pride, promote the council as modern, accessible and in touch and establishes an ambitious and forward looking approach.
Van driver dies
after M62 crash
by staff reporter
A VAN driver died after his vehicle was involved in a collision with two heavy lorries and a car on the M62 near Warrington.
The eastbound carriageway of the motorway was completely closed for a while after the crash between Burtonwood and Winwick.
Rescue workers struggled to release the van driver, who was trapped in his vehicle.
An air ambulance was on standby to help take the 45-year-old Widnesman to hospital, but he was eventually taken to Warrington Hospital by ordinary ambulance. Later it was revealed he had died.
There was heavy congestion on the motorway and on nearby roads for some time.
