Almost 95 per cent of anglers had successfully renewed their licence in time for the new river season.

The Environment Agency organised a three-day blitz to check if people enjoying the first day of the season had the correct licences to fish.

Officers focused on rivers in Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk. The areas targeted were ones with a reputation for having a high evasion rate. Officers checked 285 people and found 268 had renewed in time. The 17 who had not were given Offence Report Forms.

Lincolnshire Police’s partnership with G4S has been held up as an example to other forces of how outsourcing back office services can work.

In the foreword to the recently-published G4S LIncolnshire Police Strategic Partnership – One Year On 
report, Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Hardwick said: “Perhaps we can give others across the country the inspiration to seek innovative solutions for the provision 
of efficient and effective public services in an ever challenging and demanding environment”.

The report shows that in its first year, the partnership with G4S has achieved savings in excess of 18 per cent – or £5million a year – way above the 13.6 per cent savings predicted.

That equates to the cost of 35 more officers.

G4S Policing Support Services managing director John Shaw said: “This has been achieved with no loss of service, and in many areas real service improvements.

“It is an outstanding result and one which we’ll be able to improve upon over the life of the contract.”

The report also highlights a number of other success achieved during the first year of the partnership, which has seen G4S take on a range of responsibilities, including managing custody suites, processing firearms licences and the “Street to Suite” service, which operates in Lincoln, Boston and Spalding.

Key achievements shown in the report include:

l 999 call response improved to an average of over 93 per cent of calls answered within ten seconds, up from an average of 89 per cent in 2011/12;

l A four-month backlog of files for processing firearms licenses has been cleared and files are now proactively prepared up to two months in advance;

l HR transformation completed nine months ahead of schedule;

l Launch of Street to Suite service resulted in saving more than 1,850 hours of police officers time;

l Delivered more than 21,000 training days.

Police are trying to establish whether a car fire that caused damage to a house in Sutton St James was started deliberately.

A fire crew from Long Sutton was called to a MG Magnette on fire in Baulkins Drove at about 2.20am on Sunday believed to have been caused by an electrical fault.

The blaze was put out by firemen using hose reels and wearing breathing apparatus but not before the front of the house suffered damage.

A Lincolnshire Police spokeswoman said the car owner believes the fire was started deliberately and anyone who saw suspicious activity in the area between midnight and 2am should call police on 101, quoting incident number 89 of June 23.

Police are looking for two men suspected of trying to steal a horse from a stable in Bourne.

The horse was in a stable near Elsea Park, just off Raymond Mays Way, where a Ford Transit-type van was believed to be parked.

Both men were aged in their very young mid-teens, one was wearing a white T-shirt and the other a grey T-shirt.

Anyone with information should call police on 101, quoting incident number 128 of June 18th.

Surfleet Primary School youngsters will have some good memories of trips made with school friends this year.

The Early Years Foundation stage went on the Spalding Water Taxi and then for a picnic in Ayscoughfee Gardens in Spalding as their special end-of-year treat.

Key Stage 1 pupils went to Sibsey Trader Windmill, climbing all the way to the top of the six-storey mill, with complete gear, sails and fantail still in working order.

Key Stage 2 pupils also had a big climb involved in their visit to a wind turbine in Norfolk, with 305 steps to negotiate in the 60m high structure.

However, all the youngsters – including, in time, the 13 children in the nursery that is run for three-year-olds each morning – have the chance to stretch their climbing abilities on the school’s adventurous play equipment in the playground.

The village’s original school, the Fraiser Room next to the church, now belongs to the village. After 18 months of planning, the kitchen extension should begin next month, thanks to a £1,500 contribution from South Holland councillors Elizabeth Sneath, Sally-Ann Slade and James Avery from designated budgets and a £5,000 Big Lottery Fund grant.

Community spirit is alive and well in Surfleet with lots of village residents involved in improving life for all.

From Surfleet Community Group and the Friends of Glen Park, which both work to ensure there are good amenities and events in the village, to those involved in St Laurence Church, there appears to be a collective interest in making Surfleet a good village in which to live.

Ruth Scrivener is a perfect example, playing the organ at St Laurence Church for funerals for about 30 years, and organist for the one or two services every Sunday for the past 15 years or so.

The church holds what is called a mini market, with coffee, cake sale and books, every week and it is said churchwarden Annette Rhodes bakes all the cakes, sometimes producing £100 worth of sweet treats.

The Surfleet Community Group was set up four years ago by an enthusiastic bunch of volunteers with the aim of developing an annual village event under the Celebrate Surfleet banner.

Chairman Tony Blissett says: “From the initial concept of one village event our range has widened. Three years ago we launched a village scarecrow competition and in 2012 we organised a weekend programme for the Queen’s Jubilee comprising a teddy bears’ picnic, a flotilla on the river Glen and a party in the park culminating in lighting the village beacon. We have a full programme of events in 2013 with masses of new attractions and free entry for everyone.”

Spokesperson for Friends of Glen Park Fran Healands says the superb play equipment has been in the park for eight years and the team is now raising money for ongoing repairs. Improvements are continuing, with more tree planting, sculptures going in around the park and a new picnic area.

The next development phase of the project is to create a new block containing toilets, changing facilities and a cafe, once funding is available. The village hall is occasionally opened on a Saturday as Barefoot Bistro & Bakery, serving soup, fresh bread and other snacks.

The park development is one of the many changes that 86-year-old Alf Taylor has seen during his lifetime in Surfleet.

Born in Stockhouse Lane, Alf was one of a family of 16.

He says the village was split in half when the Boston bypass was built.

The road from Pinchbeck to Surfleet cuts through the middle of the village and the A16 bypass acts as another division.

But the River Glen flows right the way through Surfleet, an attractive natural asset for villagers.

The Mermaid on the B1356 and The Riverside Hotel at the other end of the village, just before the A16, have seating areas overlooking the river.

At The Riverside Hotel, landlord of seven years Nick Bond says he has spent a fortune building a conservatory, replacing windows and refurbishing upstairs letting rooms.

Nick says: “Basically, I’ve done everything and it is literally only this year that I can’t see any capital expenditure so hopefully now I might earn some money out of the business rather than spend it.”

Regulars offered their own ideas and Nick says he listened to these before embarking on the alternations, which were carried out gradually so that customers were not suddenly faced with big changes.

Nick has a large decking area with tables and chairs overlooking the river, something his customers enjoy.

However, he says: “If the river was linked to other rivers so people could come out from Spalding on a boat and wend their way around, stopping at the hostelries, there would be an opportunity for a Lincolnshire Broads type scenario where people could hire a boat for a week and see Lincolnshire from the waterways.

“But it’s an asset and I have strong local support for my food and real ales.”

Police took a drink driver to hospital for treatment because he was so drunk his breath test results were more than six times the legal alcohol limit.

Paul Garfoot had 214 microgrammes of alcohol in breath when police first tested him – and 155 when an evidential test was taken at a police station following his release from hospital.

Garfoot (47) received a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for a year, 150 hours’ unpaid work and a five-year ban when he appeared at Spalding Magistrates’ Court for sentence on Thursday.

He pleaded guilty at a hearing in February to driving at Elsthorpe Lane, Morton, on August 12 last year with 155 microgrammes of alcohol in breath – the legal limit is 35. He must pay £120 costs.

The ban imposed on Thursday will run from the time of his guilty plea.

Garfoot, of Elsthorpe Lane, Grimsthorpe, has been serving an interim ban.

Rebecca Ritson, prosecuting, said residents saw Garfoot apparently drunk at about 7.40pm – one advised him not to drive but Garfoot allegedly replied that he “didn’t care”.

Police were called and a number of residents got into a car, followed Garfoot to his driveway and then continued to the junction with the A151, flagging down the police car that had been summoned.

Miss Ritson said one witness feared Garfoot’s car would end up in a ditch.

Garfoot served a three year ban for drink-driving in 2008 and has two convictions for being drunk and disorderly.

Solicitor Daven Naghen, mitigating, said Garfoot had a quarrel with his father and left home to go to the shop on the night he was arrested.

Since then he has seen Addaction and his GP for help.

Mr Naghen described Garfoot as “one of life’s worriers” and he knows he will face prison if he steps out of line.

A 17-year-old boy has been remanded in custody by a judge after admitting an offence of arson.

The boy, who cannot be identified, pleaded guilty at Lincoln Crown Court to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered at a property in Queen’s Road, Spalding, on February 14.

Judge Michael Heath adjourned the case for probation and psychiatric reports and the boy was remanded in custody to appear back in court for sentence next month.

“If you are not happy with how we are running it – take it on yourself.”

That was the message to Spalding residents who packed the public gallery at a special meeting to discuss the management of the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field – the home of Spalding United Football Club.

South Holland district councillors were meeting on Wednesday as trustees of the field for the first time since taking it on “for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Town of Spalding” in 1952.

Coun Roger Gambba-Jones addressed the members of the public after several of them were unable to hold back from shouting comments during the debate.

He said: “Recent legislation has given the people the opportunity to take control of assets. If residents are not happy at what we do they should take it on.”

In spite of the debate lasting 40 minutes, councillors felt they were unable to make any decisions about the field’s future until they had heard back from the Charity Commission, which is investigating the matter following calls from the Spalding Community Campaign to turn the field into a public park.

Members of the public leaving the gallery could be heard muttering the special meeting had been a waste of time.

Coun Angela Newton had requested it to discuss placing the grounds with Fields in Trust, which would allow them to apply for additional grants.

She also asked whether it would be appropriate to discuss the email all councillors had received from the campaign group, suggesting the council should consider applying for some Section 106 monies to transform the field into a public park.

Much of the debate centred around whether the council was breaching the Trust agreement by allowing it to make a loss, with the latest figures registered on the Charity Commission website for March 2012 showing an income of £2,554 and an expenditure of £27,976.

Coun Nick Worth, the portfolio holder until the full council meeting when it was taken over by Coun Howard Johnson, was confident the Charity Commission would rule in their favour.

He said: “The field is subsidised by the council as are other playing fields. We have the original newspaper cuttings which clearly state the field was for the benefit of the town to be used for sport.

“It has been used for sport since the First World War and Spalding United has been there all that time. But that hasn’t stopped other groups from hiring it. If people want to play croquet or cricket there, they simply have to book it with the council.”

A group of youths are being hunted by police after a car was damaged in Hawthorn Close, Market Deeping at the weekend.

It happened at about 10.30pm on Friday and police believe one of the youths was wearing a white baseball cap.

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident number 536 of June 22nd.

Meanwhile, thieves targeted excavator parked at Hansons Aggregates in Outgang Road, Langtoft Fen, where diesel was stolen from the compound some time overnight on Thursday.

Finally, a catalytic convertor was stolen from a wehicle in Aquila Way, Langtoft, overnight on Sunday.

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident numbers 81 of June 21st (diesel theft) and/or 79 of June 24th (catalytic convertor theft).

There’s a back garden in Sutton Bridge that has some hidden away, wartime memories – three air raid shelters built for the old infants’ school.

Leslie Garner has lived 
in Wharf Street with his 
wife, Laura, since the early 1970s.

They built their house on the site of the old school and the playground wall still stands as the perimeter to their back garden.

Go further back through a gateway and you’ll find a green space with the reinforced concrete air raid shelters, each big enough to take 30 people.

The Garners have allowed the greenery surrounding 
the above-ground shelters to grow up so they blend into the scenery.

Leslie said: “It’s become quite derelict, really. I am rather glad because we think it’s a haven for the birds.”

Inside, the shelters are as dry and in as good structural order as they were in the 
wartime years – but these days they are used to store bits and pieces like wheelbarrows rather than frightened 
children sheltering from bombs.

Leslie (90) was in the RAF during the war, spending some of the time overseas, but knows the shelters were used by the children and says adults used to sleep there are night too during air raids.

The Garner family provided its fair share of pupils to the school – Leslie attended with his sister and brother, their father went there and so did their grandfather when the school was new.

Leslie said originally there was a boys’ school in Wharf Street and a girls’ school in nearby Church Street.

Some pieces of the old school’s equipment were donated to a Lincolnshire museum by the Garners after they bought the plot for their new home.

Leslie was born in Sutton Bridge and has stayed there all of his life, apart from the war years.

He met his Grimsby-born wife when they were both learning to fly at an aero club in Lincoln and at one time they owned two planes.

Leslie’s father, Sidney, started a very successful corn and agricultural merchants – and Leslie and his elder brother David (91), who now lives in Liverpool, became directors.

A nearby block of flats is known as Garner’s Wharf in tribute to the now closed family business.

Spalding residents are being urged to give their homes some kerb appeal by entering a competition to find the best front garden.

The competition is being run by the Spalding in Bloom committee in conjunction with the Spalding Guardian and Lincolnshire Free Press.

It is being sponsored by Birchgrove Garden Centre in Pinchbeck, which is putting up prizes of £50, £25 and £10 vouchers for the three best entrants.

The competition is easy to enter – just fill in the form (published in the Free Press every Tuesday and the Guardian every Thursday) and send it with a picture of your front garden to the address shown before July 20. Or email your pictures to spaldingeditor@jpress.co.uk, with your name, address, telephone number and email address.

The rules are simple – the garden must be at the front of the house and visible from the path. It should be possible for judges to access the garden. All entries must be on an entry form and be accompanied by a photograph.

Judges will be visiting all the entries between July 29 and August 12 and the winners will be announced on Thursday, August 22.

The winner will receive the Spalding in Bloom Best Front Garden Trophy.

Phil Scarlett, president of Spalding and District Area Chamber of Commerce, which has this year become involved in Spalding’s In Bloom efforts, said: “Spalding has entered the East Midlands in Bloom competition for over 30 years and has in the past won the competition some 13 times.

“This year we would like to make the whole of Spalding look as lovely as possible in time for the judging.

“To that end, Spalding In Bloom is holding the best front garden competition to give residents the chance to participate in our efforts and show off their green-fingered skills.

“We are looking forward to visiting the entries to see the best front gardens the town has to offer.”

Residents are being urged to get involved with what Lincolnshire’s hospitals are doing as they bid to become an NHS Foundation Trust.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust is working towards the goal – but one of the most important parts of becoming a foundation trust is involving and engaging patients, public and staff to ensure they play a part in the future of the organisation.

The Trust is recruiting more than 4,000 members from staff and local population.

The membership will be grouped into four areas, reflecting the geographical areas the Trust serves in Lincolnshire.

In these areas, staff can get involved in Locality Forums to represent local issues and feed into the trust wide Council of Governors.

Foundation Trust programme director Sue Rogerson said: “Members can be as involved in the trust as they wish to be.

“We would like as many people as possible taking an active part in the life of the trust and getting involved in helping us to shape our services.”

To become a member, to find out more, or to invite a member of the foundation trust to talk to you group, go to www.ulh.nhs.uk, call 01522 572301 or email foundationtrustoffice@ulh.nhs.uk.

Displays about the trust’s foundation trust application will be put up across hospital sites in the coming weeks.

It will be at Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital reception on July 8, from 10am to noon, and in outpatients on July 10, 2pm to 4pm.

The following decisions have been made recently by magistrates at court hearings. In all drink-drive cases the legal limit is 35 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood or 107 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of urine. Addresses of defendants published in these registers are taken from the legal records held by the magistrates’ courts. The details are given to the court by the defendant – but this may be some time after the original charge and they may have moved in the meantime.

Boston Magistrates’ Court

Paul Richer (30), of Wignals Gate, Holbeach. No tax disc (Gedney). £600 fine, £200.42 back duty, £90 costs.

Kevin Wilkins, of Beryl Mews, Recreation Road, Bourne. Failing to notify change of address. £200 fine,£20 v/s, £90 costs.

Grantham Magistrates’ Court

Piotr Ujm (37), of Bourne Road, Spalding. No insurance (Spalding). £600 fine, £60 victim surcharge, £250 costs, 6pts.

Jannette Catt (49), of Broadway, Crowland. Speeding (Deeping St James). £105 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Peter Cucurullo (68), of Holt Court, Whitehall Landing, Whitby. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £40 fine, £20 v/s, 3pts.

Darren Dennis (42), of Bath Road, Wisbech. Driving without due care and attention (Fosdyke). £70 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 5pts.

Julie Faulkner (53), of Wygate Road, Spalding. Speeding (Spalding). £400 fine, £40 v/s, £85 costs, 4pts.

David Hall (46), of Natley Avenue, East Boldon, Tyne and Wear. Speeding (Swineshead). £330 fine, £33 v/s, £85 costs, 5pts.

Krysztof Kiwior (30), of South Parade, Boston. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £400 fine, £40 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Krysztof Kiwior (30), of South Parade, Boston. Speeding (Kirton Holme). £400 fine, 4pts.

Maris Laurins (33), of Taverners Road, Peterborough. Speeding (Whaplode). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Koral North (19), of St Margarets, Quadring. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £50 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Andrew Pryor(55), of Fakenham Road, Beetley, Dereham. Speeding (Whaplode). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Janet Rippingill (39), of Crowns Square, King’s Lynn. Speeding (Whaplode). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

John Smith (64), of Oak Road, Stilton. Speeding (Deeping St James). £60 fine, £20 v/s, 3pts.

Mark Thompson (46), of Salters Way, Donington. Speeding (Spalding). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Silvava Vladislavs (39), of Hillington Square, King’s Lynn. Speeding (Whaplode). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Rebekkah Williams (33), of The Pollards, Bourne. Speeding (Deeping St James). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Frederick Marriott (30), of Kings Road, Spalding. No insurance (Boston). £350 fine, £35 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Gary Ashby (46), c/o Cygnet Court, Spalding. Failing to provide driver ID (Nettleham). £600 fine, £60 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Jack Brookes, of Donington Road, Bicker. Driving without due care and attention (Bicker). £150 fine. No insurance. £220 fine, £22 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Malcolm Smith (60), of Priory Road, Spalding. No insurance (Spalding). £340 fine, £34 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Benjamin Watts (41), of West End Road, Wyberton. Driving without due care and attention (Boston). £260 fine, £26 v/s, £85 costs, 5pts.

Vilma Zukauskaite (30), of St Johns Road, Spalding. Failing to give driver ID (Nettleham). £600 fine, £60 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Lucy Smith (32), of Acacia Avenue, Spalding. Theft of cosmetics worth £59.88 belonging to Boots the Chemist and failing to answer bail. Community order with supervision from probation, £60 v/s.

Generally, gifts that allow the donor to benefit in some form are ineffective for IHT purposes.

A gift with reservation may arise where possession and enjoyment of the gifted asset is not taken by the donee to the exclusion of the donor.

In these circumstances the value of the gifted property will remain part of the donor’s estate for IHT purposes, even though the legal ownership may have transferred.

The effect of the gifts with reservation provisions is that an individual transferring their home to another individual or to trustees while continuing to live there will not result in the value of the gifted asset being removed from the donor’s estate for IHT.

However, a gift with reservation may not occur if full market rate rent is paid for continued occupation of the gifted property.

Also a gift with reservation may not occur if the donor gifts part of the property to the donee and both parties reside at the property.

Care needs to be taken such that the donor does not receive any benefit from the gift.

For example, the donee should pay no more than an appropriate proportion of the household running costs.

It is okay for the donor to pay more than their appropriate share, and sometimes they may pay all of the running costs to ensure that no benefit is received in this way.

It is common under these arrangements for no more than 50 per cent of the property to be transferred.

Of course, if the donee was later to move out of the property, a gift with reservation could arise at this time, unless the donor paid the market rent for that part they no longer owned.

Although the above situations may be effective for IHT purposes, they are unlikely to be popular with individuals who have repaid their mortgage and do not wish to pay rent to stay in “their” house for the rest of their lives; or do not wish to have to share their home and undermine their security of tenure.

Businesses in South Holland are being invited to attend an event offering tips on saving energy and money.

The South East Lincolnshire Green Business event has been jointly organised by South Holland District Council and Boston Borough Council and will be held at the Princess Royal Sports Arena, Great Fen Road, Boston, between 8am and 3pm on Thursday.

Businesses attending the event will be able to pick up tips on improving their green credentials and exploring renewable incentives.

Workshops will cover the biomass supply chain, the green deal and renewables and microgeneration technologies.

To book a place, go to www.sholland.gov.uk and follow the link to the news story from the front page.

Already established as a solid and popular option at the budget end of the compact seven seat SUV market, this further improved version of Chevrolet’s first generation Captiva has a smarter front end and a package of trim improvements to keep it current. It’s also better value these days.

Get behind the wheel and the raised driving position that SUV customers love so much is present and correct.

The original Captiva featured Chevrolet’s first diesel engine of the modern era and though that 150PS 2.0-litre unit was a decent first effort, what was just about acceptable back in 2007 was sounding distinctly rough three years on.

So its replacement in 2011 with the 2.2-litre engine still used here was timely. The entry-level frontdriven Captiva has a 163PS version of this unit, but most AWD versions have the torquier 184PS derivative we tried, good for rest to sixty in 9.3s on the way to 124mph in manual form or 9.8s and 118mph if the slight clunkiness of said gearchange causes you instead to opt for the redesigned 6-speed automatic transmission.

It isn’t a Land Rover-rivalling set-up, aimed more at muddy carparks than mountains, but useful approach and departure angles, Hill Start Assist to get you up steep slopes and Hill Descent Control to help you down them all mean that this car should be able to handle almost anything most owners will come across.

Since 2011, this car has made a more powerful visual statement, something that Chevrolet hope to have further enhanced with a range of small but significant aesthetic tweaks. So there are now LED tail lamps, angular chrome exhaust tips and a remodelled bumper. Up front, there’s a smarter lower bumper and a revised grille mesh as well as restyled fog lamps. Stylish 18-inch alloy wheels hope to further enhance the Captiva’s road presence.

The airy and spacious cabin gets smarter fabrics, trim materials and colours but still isn’t the classiest in the segment.

The instruments feature signature Chevrolet ice-blue backlighting with everything being easy to read and falling neatly to hand. It’s easy to find a comfortable driving position too, thanks to plenty of adjustment through both seat and steering wheel.

The Captiva is something of a forgotten choice in the compact 4x4 segment but one that would probably suit many families very well. It may not have the street-cred of some CR-V, RAV4 or Freelander-class compact SUVs, but it undercuts most of them on price and offers seven seats instead of five.

For the right money, this would be a tempting choice for many active families.

Yours might well be one of them.

A pioneering pharmacy using state-of-the-art technologies to serve customers across south Lincolnshire and the world is celebrating its latest expansion this weekend.

Spalding-based West Elloe Pharmacy is holding open days on Saturday and Sunday to officially open its new extension, and is inviting customers old and new to come along.

Visitors will be able to see how much more space has been created and find out about the pharmacy’s many unique services, as well as talk to staff about any health concerns.

Pharmacy director and superintendent pharmacist Ryszard Cygan said: “We have expanded on a number of occasions in the past, but this is definitely our biggest and has created a much larger space for our customers.”

Local construction firm Barrowby Builders designed and built the new extension, taking just two months to complete the project from start to finish.

The expansion is the latest in a number of exciting developments at the independently-owned pharmacy, which opened in Spalding’s West Elloe Avenue 17 years ago.

Around a year ago it became the first in the country to offer customers an automated 24-hour prescription service and it is also the only retail pharmacy in the UK to have two dispensing robots.

The round-the-clock prescription service allows people to pick up their prescriptions at a time that suits them, using a PIN number in a cashpoint-style machine to collect medicines already dispensed by the pharmacists.

Mr Cygan said: “It’s very, very popular now.

“A large number of patients still come in to collect their prescriptions, but the 24-hour dispensing service is great for those who simply want to come when it’s quieter and for those people who work unusual hours.”

The pharmacy installed its first dispensing robot in 2006 at a time when Spalding’s growing population was putting pressure on patient services, and its second in 2008.

Usually only found in hospitals, the robots allow the pharmacy to dispense more safely while significantly reducing the waiting time for prescriptions.

Another welcome addition to the business was also the opening of its community pharmacy in Knight Street, Pinchbeck, last year.

“Quite a lot has happened in the last 17 years, and we now have 29 staff, so we’re quite a big employer in the area now too,” said Mr Cygan.

Serving thousands of customers in Lincolnshire and worldwide through its website, the pharmacy prides itself on offering the very best and most efficient services possible.

Customers, locally, can enjoy a prescription delivery service, with medicines delivered direct to your home or work place, free medicines check-ups and flu vaccinations.

The pharmacy can also help patients struggling to take their medications as prescribed and on time by pre-packing them for them.

The extension will also allow the pharmacy to continue to stock retail items that are hard to find elsewhere, such as a full range of incontinence and ostomy products and recently introduced confectionery range suitable for diabetics including a Thornton’s chocolate range.

l The open days will be open from 8.30am to 4pm on Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.

For more information, contact the pharmacy on 01775 714633.

Police are trying to find out more about an alleged assault involving two people in Long Sutton.

It happened in Delph Road on Monday morning, although police are only giving limited details about the incident while they try to establish what happened.

Anyone with information should call PC Matt Breathwick on 101, quoting incident number 70 of June 24th.

Meanwhile, an engine, gear box, exhaust system and a mechanic’s wheel seat have been stolen from a yard in Long Sutton.

Police confirm that it happened some time between 10pm on Thursday June 20th and 8am the following day in a yard located in Bridge Road.

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident number 93 of June 21st.

Finally, garden machinery has been stolen from a vehicle parked outside a care home in Market Deeping.

The items were in a Ford Dropside Truck outside The Laurels Rest Home in High Street and anyone who saw suspicious activity in the area should call 101, quoting incident number 253 of June 24th.