Police were called to a collision involving two cars near Spalding town centre this afternoon.
A Ford Ka collided with a Hyundai on Winsover Road just after 2.45pm but there were no reports on any injuries.
Meanwhile, drivers are facing rush-hour delays on the A16 just outside Spalding where the road is partially blocked because of a broken-down lorry and delays are expected in the area of the A151 Holbeach Road roundabout.
Lincolnshire Police are looking for young people aged between 14 and 17 to join the cadet service in Bourne.
Benefits from the volunteer role include making new friends, helping to cut crime, serving the community and gaining a better understanding of the police force.
Anyone interested should be attending a school in the county and be prepared to give up one Wednesday evening a week.
A recruitment phone line on 0845 602 1791 is open until June 28th and a selection board will take place in Bourne on July 20th.
An 81-year-old driver caused the death of a veteran cyclist when he strayed over the centre white line while turning off a main road, a jury at Lincoln Crown Court was told on Monday.
Walter Coupland is alleged to have knocked down Ken Usher while turning off Broadgate on to Parsons Lane at Whaplode Drove.
Robert Underwood, prosecuting, told a jury at Lincoln Crown Court that an accident investigator who examined the scene afterwards came to the conclusion that Mr Usher was riding his three-wheeled machine on his correct side of the road when he was struck by a car driven by Coupland.
Mr Underwood told the jury: “Ken Usher was blameless. The cause of the collision was the careless driving of the defendant.
“He drove his car across the centre line road markings and as a consequence he struck Ken Usher. We say his driving fell below the standard to be expected of a careful and competent driver.”
Residents of a nearby house raised the alarm and although paramedics and the air ambulance were called to the scene Mr Usher died almost instantly from his injuries.
The 77-year-old , who lived in Dowsdale, Crowland, was a lifelong cyclist and was still regularly riding his three-wheeler up to the time of his death.
Coupland, who was driving from his home in Spalding to visit relatives in the village of Throckenholt, later denied he had crossed over into the wrong carriageway and caused the collision.
Walter Coupland, 81, of Winsover Road, Spalding, denies causing the death of Mr Usher by careless driving on February 3, 2012.
The trial continues.
A mum says she is prepared to be fined £480 to take her children out of school during term time despite tighter absence regulations being introduced in September.
In what has been one of the biggest responses to discussions on the Spalding Guardian’s Facebook page, parents have been commenting on amendments to the Education Regulations 2006.
More than 6,500 people saw the post which stated headteachers will not be granting leave of absence unless there are “exceptional” circumstances.
Until now, headteachers were able to allow up to ten days for a family holiday in special circumstances.
Jackie Hollingsworth was one of more than 70 parents who commented on the new regulations.
She said: “I am off to America in March and my kids will miss two weeks just as they did this year, last year and every other year.
“And you know what, both are still doing well.
“And so I’ll get a £480 fine... but what about the mother of the girl near me that plays truant most days... is she fined £60 a day? Is she hell!
“Sort the truants out first before hitting the responsible parents who make sure their kids go to school every day looking smart and always do their homework.”
A report, Every Day Matters – An Attendance Strategy, published in the Guardian last year showed almost 600 pupils in South Holland missed lessons for three weeks or more during 2010-11.
Debbie Barnes, director of Children’s Services at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “We have discussed these new regulations with headteachers to reinforce that schools must comply with this. Although we are not responsible for enforcing these regulations, we will continue to support schools to do all they can to avoid children missing school unless it’s absolutely essential.”
Specialist teams from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue were called out to Gedney Marsh yesterday when a bullock was trapped upside down in a creek.
Crews from Spalding, Grantham and Lincoln freed the animal and left it in the care of a farmer.
The alert was raised shortly before 6.25pm.
A pre-school is hoping to brighten up its storytime sessions if it is awarded a pot of cash from the Smile Fund.
Stepping Stones Pre-School runs five morning sessions a week for young children atSt Mary’s Church Hall, Pinchbeck.
The group has applied to the Spalding and District Round Table’s Smile Fund for £250, which it wants to spend on a creative safety floor and new carpet mats for children to sit on a group times.
Vicky Revel, the group’s acting deputy, said: “The children would benefit from having a large area where they will be able to experiment with many different creative resources, including paint, glue, sand and water.
“The floor mats are used when we have large group times, such as when we say hello to everyone in the morning, singing songs together and having group storytime.
“We would really like some bright colourful ones to replace our dark and dull ones because the children love anything colourful and bright.
“We feel this would have a huge impact in making the group times enjoyable and exciting for the children.”
Other applications include: Margaret Kenworthy, £400, to take Pop-in Luncheon Club members on a day out;
Shirley Freeman, £500, on behalf of a Donington family to buy a front gate and fence panel;
C R Schofield, £500, to provide hanging baskets and watering system at Pinchbeck Village Hall.
UKIP’s leader on Lincolnshire County Council has stepped down as chairman of the party’s East Midlands Regional Committee.
But Chris Pain will continue in his role as a county councillor, representing Wainfleet and Burgh-le-Marsh, while police look at alleged racist comments appearing on his Facebook page – and a counter allegation that he was hacked.
UKIP national chairman Steve Crowther says the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) will “suspend judgement” until police finish their inquiries.
Coun Pain and Spalding South Ward councillor Alan Jesson say offensive posts on their Facebook pages are not theirs. They were not available for comment this week when the Spalding Guardian telephoned.
Lincolnshire Police confirmed yesterday that they are still information gathering and a spokesman said it will be a “protracted inquiry”.
Following the NEC meeting, Mr Crowther said: “The NEC has decided to suspend judgement pending the outcome of Lincolnshire Police’s investigations into the allegations, and into the alleged hacking of Coun Pain’s Facebook account.
“Mr Pain is to step down as chairman of the party’s East Midlands Regional Committee in the meantime.
“He will continue to represent the electors who voted him onto Lincolnshire County Council.
“UKIP deplores racism, but is also aware the party is under concerted attack from political organisations such as Hope Not Hate who are attempting to thwart our progress. We will deal with any proven instance of genuine racism appropriately, but will resist politically-motivated campaigns designed to inhibit our growing popular support.
“We are aware of the increasing amount of internet hacking and counterfeiting, and will continue to work with the police and service providers to establish the veracity of any such allegations which may be made, and their sources.”
Sex offenders and murderers will pose a greater risk to the public when supervised by companies rather than trained probation professionals.
That’s the view of Lincolnshire Probation Trust staff who are battling to stop most of their workload being farmed out to companies like G4S in 2015 as the Government seeks to slash costs.
So-called low and medium risk offenders will switch to private companies.
Jane Loffhagen, chairman of Lincolnshire Probation branch of the union NAPO, says: “That group includes most sex offenders and it would also include all lifers once they are released from prison.
“It will put public safety at risk – there is no two ways about it.”
Lincolnshire has 250 people working in probation and staff believe 70 per cent will go if 70 per cent of the work goes.
Probation staff and other legal professionals meet at the University of Lincoln next Thursday to highlight concerns about the Government’s systematic dismantling of key elements of the criminal justice system, including a defendant’s right – when facing a possible jail term – to choose a solicitor paid for by Legal Aid.
The sun shone on Holbeach St Johns in every way as hundreds of people turned out for the village’s annual fete on Sunday.
A fun dog show, vintage tractor parade, flower display and several stalls were among the attractions and organisers are hopeful that at least £1,000 has been raised for Holbeach St Johns Village Hall.
The fete was opened by Andrew Hawkins, owner of Hawkins Hardware in Holbeach, and he was presented with a gift by Robert Frost, chairman of the village hall committee.
He said: “It was very well supported, the sunshine brought the people out and the day was absolutely fantastic.
“We had more than 70 vintage tractors parading through the village which was more than we expected, WI members made cream cakes that sold out by mid-afternoon and there were different fundraising stalls which we hope will make over £1,000 for the village hall.
“There was also a dog show, with classes including best dog and agility, which drew a big crowd and attracted between 60 and 70 entrants.
“The fete has been going on in Holbeach St Johns for at least 14 years and it seems to be growing every year which is absolutely fantastic.”
Pictured are Peter Day and John Crozier with dog show entrants Sophie, Amber and Megan. Photo:SG020613-128TW.
No one likes to think about getting ill, but a planning now could make things a lot easier later on.
Even when we see other people go through difficult times, it’s easy to avoid thinking about how we’d cope in the same situation.
The reality is that more than 15 million people in England have a chronic or long-term illness and nearly a third of adults would be in financial trouble within just two months of not working.
Critical Illness Cover is one way to make sure you and your family could cope with the financial impact of illness, injury or disability.
It gives you the peace of mind that if you become critically ill, you’d get a payment to help you cope.
These payments could help you with bills, debts and outgoings and they could help you meet extra costs you might not expect, like medical bills or specialist equipment.
Lots of insurers offer Critical Illness Cover and more and more are now offering Serious Illness Cover, which goes further. These plans recognise that lots of conditions can have a big impact on your life, without being ‘critical’ and they’re designed to give you financial support that matches that impact.
The average number of conditions that Critical Illness policies cover is 39. Some Serious Illness plans can cover up to 161 conditions, depending on the level of cover you choose. That means you’re more likely to get a payment if your policy’s with them. They may also pay out in situations where other policies might not.
Traditional policies often specify one single definition of how severe or advanced your condition needs to be before they’ll pay a claim.
If your condition doesn’t meet their definition, you get nothing. With some new style plans you can get between ten per cent and 100 per cent of your cover, depending on how severe your illness is.
Importantly, with traditional policies, claiming for a critical illness usually means that your plan then comes to an end.
That means that if your condition gets worse or if you’re diagnosed with a different illness, you’re no longer covered. But with some new style plans the rest of your cover is still available if you need to claim again.
If you haven’t got yourself or your family protected in this way then now, before you need to claim, is the perfect time to review your needs.
Spalding magistrates sent a man accused of dealing in cocaine to Lincoln Crown Court for sentence.
Joseph Pike (26), of Rotten Row, Pinchbeck, admitted having 29.30 grams of cocaine at Bourne on December 14 with intent to supply. He also admitted possessing a second class A controlled drug, 3.45 grams of MDMA, with intent to supply and possession of the class C drug, ketamine. Those offences were also committed at Bourne on December 14.
Pike was bailed to appear at the crown court on July 4.
A back road used by drivers going from Sutton Bridge to Peterborough has been branded the worst in Lincolnshire.
Sutton Bridge parish councillor Vicky Hills says 20mph signs have appeared at either end of Lutton Gate Road, but they do nothing for safety and county highways should step in and repair it.
She said: “It’s pothole city – to navigate your way through it you have to be really adept at driving, it’s a skill, because you just can’t avoid them there’s that many.
“I am a back-roads Annie. I always travel where I can on the back roads because they are quicker and often more accessible. You are not stuck in traffic queues.”
The road is largely in the parish of Sutton St Edmund and is well-used.
Coun Hills said: “I can’t imagine there being a worse back road anywhere in Lincolnshire.”
She’s reported it to Lincolnshire County Council and is awaiting news on repairs, but there are neglected spots on her own doorstep in Sutton Bridge – including the junction of Church Street and Wharf Street – and places where “bodged” repairs make her hopping mad.
Coun Hills asked county highways to repair a section of road outside the Constitutional Club in New Road, which had partly “dished” around a drain cover.
Workmen arrived on Friday morning – patched the middle of the dish, but the dishing and cracking extended a few feet beyond the patch and remained a hazard for drivers.
Coun Hills and council colleague Shirley Giles are calling on county highways to repair the uneven road surface and repaint a worn off, painted road surface “No Entry” sign at the junction of Church Street.
Coun Giles, who walks with a stick, said pedestrians could easily fall and they won’t see the holes in the road surface in the dark.
A full review could be carried out after concerns were raised about plans to close dozens of ambulance stations.
Lincolnshire’s Health Scrutiny Committee asked the Secretary of State for Health to get involved amid fears East Midlands Ambulance Service’s plans to replace 66 ambulance stations with just 13 “hubs” would compromise patient safety and result in poorer response times.
It said the ambulance trust had failed to properly consult with its members about the Being the Best proposals.
It has taken eight weeks, but the committee has now been informed Jeremy Hunt has referred its concerns to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP), which will make an initial assessment.
It could decide to recommend a full review is carried out or that the issue is resolved locally.
It is due to submit its initial assessment advice to the Secretary of State by June 28.
Coun Christine Talbot, chairman of the health scrutiny committee, said: “The committe have had concerns over the performance of EMAS for a long time, and this referral was made as we didn’t feel they had carried out adequate consultation.
“EMAS has been fined for the third year running for failing to meet response times and we have no confidence that closing ambulance stations will improve this situation in Lincolnshire.
“I am pleased the IRP will now be looking into our concerns.”
It’s the countdown to Pinchbeck Carnival with preparations in place for the weekend’s numbers themed big event.
A bingo night kicks off the event tomorrow (Friday) in the marquee on the Rotten Row playing field.
The carnival begins on Saturday with a parade that sets off at noon from Wimberley Way and weaves its way through the village and to the field accompanied by the Tally Ho Marching Band.
This year there will be a new route after being refused permission to close roads and previous problems from marshalls getting abuse from irate drivers.
After leaving Wimberley Way, the parade will go down Rotten Row, Brownlow Crescent, Bear Lane, Knight Street and back up Rotten Way.
From 12.45pm onwards there will be crafts, rides, stalls, dog displays, a fancy dress competition, live music and a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Hurricane flypast – with the official opening at 1pm by the Rev David Sweeting.
Among the highlights in the arena will be the Shadowquest Dog Display Group, the Breaston Highlanders and Spalding School of Dance.
Jane Amess, one of the organisers, said: “Our parade this year is going to be one of the biggest yet with at least seven floats decorated using our numbers theme.
“Also in the parade on our ‘royalty’ float will be our very own carnival queen Esther Howard, princess Abigail Slade and prince Thomas Wright.
“We hope everyone will come along and enjoy the weekend and at the same time support all the local organisations who have stalls.”
The day ends with a Has Pinchbeck Got Talent? contest in the marquee at 5pm.
On Sunday, there is a church service in the marquee at 10.30am followed by lunch. Tickets can be booked in advance on 01775 680444.
A binge-drinker was nearly five times the legal limit when he crashed his Honda into a parked car on Spalding’s Winsover Road,
Karol Wesolowski blew 168 microgrammes of alcohol in breath – the highest reading presiding magistrate George Hoyles had witnessed in more than 25 years on the bench. The legal limit is 35mcgs.
Wesolowski, who had no previous convictions, was given a 12 week prison sentence, suspended for a year.
He will be supervised by probation for a year and must attend alcohol treatment sessions.
Spalding magistrates on Thursday handed him an outright three year driving ban – something normally given to drivers who have a previous drink-drive conviction within the last ten years.
Wesolowski (35), of Castle Close, Spalding, admitted being over the limit on May 15.
He will have to pay £85 costs and a £100 victim surcharge.
Paul Wood, prosecuting, said a witness saw Wesolowski’s Honda Accord crash into a car parked at the side of the road at 5.30pm and smoke coming from his car’s engine.
Mr Wood continued: “She saw Mr Wesolowski, in her words, stumbling about all over the place.”
Police were called and Wesolowski failed a roadside breath test.
Mr Wood said the evidential machine at the police station produced “that very high reading of 168 in breath”.
The probation service and the drink and drug help agency Addaction interviewed Wesolowski at court before giving pre-sentence reports to magistrates.
Probation officer Angela Jones said Wesolowski drinks four cans every day, but at weekends he indulges in “excessive binge drinking to the point where he is unsure how much he does some times drink”.
Solicitor Mike Alexander said Weslowski’s first offence had crossed the custody threshold, but if he were handed a sentence of four months he would be out after two and would not get the level of help with his alcohol problem that he would on a suspended sentence order.
Mr Hoyles told Weslowski his alcohol reading was the highest he’d seen in twenty-five-and-a-half years as a magistrate.
He said: “There’s nothing famous in that – it’s more of a disgrace.”
Children at Spalding’s Ayscoughfee Hall School enjoyed a week of African activities.
As well as making batik patterns, bead jewellery and animal models, youngsters also learned traditional songs and stories and enjoyed visits from two Gambian drummers and the Ugandan-based Watoto Children’s Choir.
Headteacher Clare Ogden described the week as “a busy and stimulating week which the children found highly enjoyable”.
A woman accused of harassment by sending Facebook messages had her case adjourned to June 20 by Spalding magistrates on Thursday.
Naomi Ward (27), of Churchfield Close, Deeping St James, appeared on summons. She is accused of pursuing a course of conduct that amounted to harassment of a man by sending him 31 Facebook messages on March 28.
A three-legged dog is driving a neighbourhood in Surfleet barking mad since being rescued by Guardian gardening guru Daphne Ledward.
The dog has been escaping from its home in Seas End Road and fouling neighbours’ gardens.
Daphne rescued the greyhound cross before Christmas after it was dumped from a van near a dog sanctuary at Algarkirk.
Kirton vets Elwood, Briggs and Turner had to amputate its left shoulder and leg after an operation failed to mend its smashed elbow.
But since recovering the young bitch – re-named Faune because she’s like a deer – has been getting into trouble, opening doors at the home Daphne shares with husband, John, and four other greyhounds.
Daphne said: “We’ve had a letter from the council saying we’ve been allowing her to roam and foul in people’s gardens and if it continues we could be issued with a £1,000 fine.
“But she’s like Houdini – she can escape through a locked door by turning the key and the handle with her mouth and she pulls back the bolt on the gate.
“We’ve had builders in so we’ve had to be careful to remember to take the key out of the door.
“If we chase her she ends up on the A16. No-one else has complained – all people need to do is tell us and we’ll go and clear up the mess. There’s no need to go to the council.
“Even though she escapes we wouldn’t want to get rid of her now. We call her the devil’s daughter because she’s always looking for trouble. She just does it to be annoying. She always comes back.”
Two chickens were stamped to death on an allotment at Sutton Bridge.
Deborah Marsh and her husband, Boggie, say children are to blame for the attack on land behind St Matthew’s Drive.
Mrs Marsh said: “It was children because I could tell by the footprints – there were footprints on the chickens.”
The couple and their daughter, Shannon (14), hatch chicks at home and take them to the allotment.
The two that were killed were not quite adult but almost on the point of lay.
Mrs Marsh says her daughter is angry and upset about what’s happened.
“It wouldn’t have been so bad if they had actually nicked them, if they wanted to care for them, but just to stamp on them for pure ‘fun’ is beyond belief,” Mrs Marsh said.
The attack happened overnight on May 24/25.
Mrs Marsh said her husband normally leaves the allotment when it gets dark, but he left around 6.30pm on the Friday and a fellow allotment holder alerted them the next day.
The tragic death of his father aged just 53 from a heart attack has inspired a Holbeach man to set himself a number of marathon challenges to raise awareness of the disease.
Nick Franklin, of Edinburgh Walk, will set off on Saturday, August 3, for five gruelling days of cycling and running.
The 25-year-old support worker in children’s services says he has been training since January.
He said: “In 2009 my father, Graham, was a very fit and healthy 53-year-old.
“He was very active and led a healthy lifestyle and did not smoke.
“His diet was healthy with all homemade food and a good consumption of the five-a-day. He was very stress-free and really enjoyed life. He did enjoy a drink, but no more than anyone else.
“The message I want to get across more than anything is heart disease can affect anyone of any age and of any health condition – and I hope the money raised will go into vital research.
“My father did not die straight away from his heart attack – in fact, when we left him on the evening, he was in quite good spirits.
“Unfortunately, the damage the heart attack did to his heart was not picked up and led to his death the following morning. Surely, there must be something out there which would be able to pick up damage caused to the heart by a heart attack.
“Hopefully, my challenge is big enough to generate more publicity and support.“