A boxing coach who fractured a man’s cheekbone with a single blow has been jailed for 12 months at Lincoln Crown Court.

Kirt Powell attacked Jonathan Miller after his victim accidentally bumped into him in Stamford town centre.

Tony Stanford, prosecuting, said that Mr Miller continued to walk along Red Lion Street following the incident but moments later a comment was shouted at him by Powell’s friend and he turned round.

Powell then approached and punched him once to the right side of his face.

Mr Stanford said “It was an unprovoked attack. The punch caused Mr Miller to fall unconscious to the floor.

“Powell and his friend then walked off to the bottom of the street where they remained until police arrived.

“Powell admitted he punched the injured party. He said it was a warning punch as he wanted the man to leave.

“He said he coaches boxing and does some sparring in the gym. He said he regretted what he had done and that he had been stupid.”

Mr Miller underwent an operation to insert a metal plate just below his right eye and was left with blurred vision.

Powell of St John’s Road, Weston Hills, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on April 27.

Judge Michael Heath told him “This is an example of town centre violence.

“Words were exchanged between the victim and your friend but no threats were 
uttered and this was entirely unprovoked.

“What you did has had a considerable effect upon him.

“If you behave as you did on this occasion and punch with such force that he is rendered entirely unconscious the only sentence I can justify is immediate custody.”

Chris Jeyes, defending, said “Ordinarily this is a young man who is well-regarded. It is a matter of very great sadness that he appears in court.He has made expressions of remorse.

“He accepts that the complainant didn’t do anything that deserved what happened to him.

“He bitterly regrets what he did and wishes he could turn the clock back.”

Mr Jeyes said that Powell was in work and in a long-term relationship adding that Powell is not a trained boxer but helps out with gym training.”

Mitsubishi claims its Mirage supermini is the first all sub-100g/km vehicle range in the UK and when coupled with a very low asking price, it does seem an interesting option for the budget-minded driver.

It’s not luxuriously finished or especially dynamic to drive but at these prices who’s complaining? Worth a look.

You don’t have to spend too long looking at the engineering of the Mirage to realise it’s been developed down to a price, with cost of running as a priority. Therefore it’s not really fair to expect it to be a pin-sharp driver’s car.

You get the choice of two engines, both petrol-powered. The entry-level powerplant is a 70bhp 1.0-litre unit, which is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

Pay a bit more and you can choose a 79bhp 1.2-litre manual car with the option of a CVT automatic gearbox that really takes the drag out of city driving. This engine is quite perky, getting to 60mph in 11.7 seconds and running onto 112mph.

The suspension has been tuned for ride comfort rather than handling precision, which is what most buyers need for urban use.

The steering is geared for ease of use at low speeds, which makes parking easy at the detriment of high-speed precision.

All round vision out of the car isn’t at all bad, with just the thick rear three quarter pillars that affect most superminis earning a demerit.

The Mitsubishi Mirage looks quite smart, if a little unadventurously styled. It’s neat and a little bulbous, in much the same way that most superminis looked five years ago, without the big signature design flourishes of the latest generation of cars.

There are some nice details though. I particularly liked the deep side sculpting, the very cleanly-styled rear end and the slotted front grille.

The Mitsubishi Mirage is a car that rewards a little perspective. Drive it after stepping out of a Fiesta or a Clio and you may well be left a little flat. Remind yourself that it’s not really gunning for this sort of opposition and look at it in the context of a Dacia Sandero or a Nissan Micra and suddenly it leaps to the fore.

We don’t know whether this one is going to do any better than its Colt predecessor, but if you want something a little different and your new car budget isn’t stretching too far, you might find a lot to like here.

Around a dozen residents of East Bank, Wingland, feared they were cut off from the outside world when roadworks appeared at the Hospital Road junction.

Resident Janet Blundell said a sign one side of the roadworks declared the road was closed for two days while one the other side read that it was closed for a day.

Mrs Blundell phoned Lincolnshire Highways and says she was asked to talk to the road gang and ask to be let through, which she did and was allowed through.

She said: “Putting up the diversion sign along Garners Lane at around 9am on the Monday morning just after the works have begun is incompetent and a bit late for residents who live beyond the roadworks on the north side.”

Mrs Blundell said as it turned out, the road was closed for two-and-a-half hours on June 23 – she’s happy with the repairs, but unhappy with the notice given so soon after a similar poorly advertised closure at Cross Keys Bridge.

Senior highways officer Sue Cooper said: “Unfortunately, due to a change in our working method, one of the signs was wrong. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

There was no comment on Mrs Blundell being asked to talk to the road gang.

I’ve recently been flitting round the country visiting universities to help my daughter decide where to invest her future student debt. As farmers do, I scanned the fields to assess the state of cropping and can report it’s patchy at best.

A recent event on the local calendar was the sugar beet price negotiation meeting in Peterborough. About 350 people representing around a third of the national tonnage attended to hear NFU sugar board chairman William Martin explain the current price negotiations. There was a unanimous determination to hold out for a fairer deal that recognises the extra risk and costs shouldered by our long campaigns, especially after several tricky seasons. Talks are currently at a stalemate but, with luck and solidarity on the part of growers, we may have a favourable outcome.

Last week’s EU CAP reform deal is a disaster; how Owen Paterson can claim to have his country’s interests at heart while fighting for the lowest funding in the EU is quite bizarre. His desire to shift funding into ‘rural development’ is difficult to stomach when it is inevitable much of it will be frittered away in administrating expensive projects that do nothing of real rural worth.

Harvest is looming on the horizon and I am looking forward to tidying up a shabby looking farm; it’s likely to be a late harvest so time pressure will be acute. We must all try to be careful and stay safe in order to enjoy a hopefully better year ahead.

7pm: A national anti race-hate group is holding a meeting about now at a secret venue in Spalding.

Hope Not Hate says it was invited to the town and is speaking to around a dozen supporters at a private, family house.

In May, the group published screen-grabs of alleged racist comments on the Facebook pages of three UKIP county councillors, including Spalding South ward member Alan Jesson.

Coun Jesson has said the comments were not posted by him or his council colleagues and their Facebook accounts were hacked.

• See tomorrow’s Spalding Guardian to read Hope Not Hate’s comments on the reasons for the security surrounding the meeting – and why the press are barred from attending.

Scores of balloons were released with the names of lost loved ones on tags when schoolchildren welcomed the Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Rev Christopher Lowson, to bless their remembrance garden.

Teacher Ruth Townsend, RE collective worship coordinator at William Stukeley Primary, in Holbeach, said it was a day of celebration as the school has a quiet space where they can remember people and pets they have lost.

Our picture shows Grace Fisher, Connor Hurst, Maisy Austin, Victoria Edmunds and Esther Jelly in the garden, which pupils decorated for the bishop’s visit. SG280613-145TW

Deaths on farms were down last year, but it is still vital that everyone in the industry plays their part in avoiding accidents.

That was the message from the NFU’s Farm Safety Partnership in response to the latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive.

The statistics show 29 workers and seven members of the public died in accidents on agricultural premises last year. In 2011/12, 35 workers and six members of the public died on farms. However, agriculture remains the sector with the highest rate of fatal injuries.

NFU adviser Benjamin Ellis said it was vital everyone took action to prevent accidents.

Long Sutton residents are being asked to help trace those responsible for an attempted break-in at a business in the town.

Police think the suspects tried to break into Long Sutton Tyre and Exhaust on Park Lane after travelling to the town in two vehicles and parking them in different places nearby.

Anyone living near Daniels Crescent and Windsor Gardens who saw or heard anything suspicious betwen 11pm and 11.30pm on Sunday should contact Dc Steve Nesbit at Spalding CID on 101, quoting incident number 501 of June 30th.

Police also want to hear from anyone who has seen a red Transit-type van travelling around Saracen’s Head after a woman reported a man trying to look inside her postbox to police.

The NFU has joined forces with other agencies to highlight the “significant” risks posed by Chinese lanterns to fields of standing crops, buildings and livestock in the light of the major fire at the West Midlands factory last week.

The NFU, Women’s Food and Farming Union and Marine Conservation Society teamed up to raise the issue once again following the fire that left several people injured.

An Eastern European shop is helping to turn a independent retailers’ promotion in Spalding into a truly cosmopolitan event – and one of the biggest in the country.

Spalding Market in Westlode Street will join a growing number of shops taking part in national Independents’ Day today.

With more than 50 Spalding businesses taking park - a number that is growing daily – organisers have already extended the event to run over three days, instead of just the national today, which coincides with American Independence Day.

The decision to invite Eastern European shops to take part was made because they serve a large section of the Spalding community.

Gavin Allmand, director of Hills department store, said they are delighted Spalding Market has come on board.

He said: “People travel to continental markets and we have them on our doorstep, but a lot of British people haven’t been in to explore what they have to offer.

“Independents’ Day is the perfect opportunity and we hope this is something we can expand on in the future.”

Alexandra Wojcieszek, of Spalding Market – which already has a poster up in the window to help promote the event – said she hoped new customers would take the opportunity to sample some of the Eastern European delicacies on sale in the store.

She said: “Everyone is very welcome and we hope to have samples available for people to taste.”

Event co-ordinator Nikki Austin, who owns an interiors business in The Crescent, said she was overwhelmed with the general response to the first event in Spalding, run annually nationwide by the National Skills Academy for Retail.

She said: “The number of local businesses taking part is growing daily and totally unexpected.

“When you go on the official website and see what other towns are doing, Spalding seems to have one of the biggest events.

“But then we are lucky to have a large number of independent shops.

“The Crescent Traders Facebook page is buzzing with offers that will be available to customers over the three days. There will be something for everyone – shops are thinking outside the box on how they can promote themselves and services such as dentists and opticians will also have special promotions running.

“As well as promoting the event in the Free Press and Spalding Guardian, it is also being promoted nationally by the National Skills Academy, so it is really helping to put the town on the map.

“There will be posters in the windows of all the shops taking part and we hope the public will support the event by coming along to see what they have to offer.

“Spalding is lucky to have these shops and to be supported by some excellent independent coffee shops and restaurants and so new visitors can expect to have an excellent day’s shopping.

“Now it’s up to the local business owners to make them welcome and ensure that new visitors to the town want to come back.”

A map of where the shops and businesses taking part are will be featured in Thursday’s Spalding Guardian, with details of some of the offers available.

There are also daily updates on The Crescent Traders Facebook page.

Robert Law, vice-chairman of NFU Sugar, has urged sugar beet growers to stand united in their fight to achieve “a fair and reasonable price” for their crops.

Growers have been contacted direct by British Sugar, despite ongoing negotiations.

He said: “If growers sign contracts for a price which is not supported by the NFU, it makes further negotiation all but impossible this year.”

Pupils in a South Holland school have been teaching their parents a thing or two about safety in the home.

Junior safety officers Harrison Hunns and Harry Wakeham have been piloting a programme at Weston Hills Primary to make students more safety aware, which it is hoped will be rolled out to other schools in the county.

The pair are set tasks by National Healthy Schools and have even given a powerpoint presentation about the pilot programme to a schools conference in Lincoln.

Harrison (11) said: “We give tips to everyone about safety in and around the home. Whenever we’ve been addressing the other pupils in assembly I go home and tell my parents what we’ve been doing.”

Harry (10) said: “We try to inform them about the dangers and how to avoid them.”

As well as running a noticeboard at the school, the safety officers have also run competitions.

Donna Upsall, deputy headteacher, said it has been a fantastic experience for the boys, who will be moving up to Spalding Grammar School in September.

She said: “We are really proud of them. Harry and Harrison started on this project in October and have done a magnificent job.

“It’s given them great skills for when they go the secondary school.”

Mum Sarah Hunns is also proud of their achievement. She said: “They’ve come up with some brilliant ideas. There’s no taking the battery out of the fire alarm at home anymore.”

In South Holland between 2011-2012, 15 children under four and 72 children under 17 attended A&E each week following an accident.

A safety awareness event was held at the Johnson Community Hospital in Spalding to mark Child Safety Week.

Rose Shortland, Sister at the minor injuries unit, said: “Child safety awareness has to be a good thing. Any information that can inspire a parent, guardian or carer to prevent an accident has to be a positive step.

“Health promotion and accident prevention is part of the role of the nurse practitioner enabling us to make every contact count.”

The Minor Injuries Unit at Johnson Community Hospital is run by Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust and is open seven-days-a-week. It is nurse-led staffed by a team of advanced emergency nurse practitioners, a healthcare support worker and receptionist who deal with minor injuries. The Out of Hours GP service at weekends and Bank Holidays can be contacted by calling 111.

A burglar who raided a house in Deeping St James has been jailed for 32 months at Lincoln Crown Court.

Richard Homer broke into the Church Street home while the owner was out and searched the property.

Phil Howes, prosecuting, said that Homer left drawers open and stole a number of items including a digital camera, an iPod and hair straighteners.

After being arrested he later made admissions when he was interviewed by police.

Homer (26), of Rycroft Close, Deeping St James, admitted burglary on June 12 this year.

He asked for a further offence of burglary at commercial premises belonging to Marriott & Stimson in Market Deeping when a cash till containing £200 was stolen.

The court heard that he had 36 previous court appearances for 90 offences including four house burglaries and 30 non-dwelling burglaries.

Chris Milligan, defending, admitted Homer had a bad record for dishonesty but had received help after his release from his last jail term.

“He is someone who has some hope for the future because people are prepared to help him.

“This time he accepts that temptation got the better of him.”

Gedney Marsh specialist lettuce company J E Piccaver & Co has won the Best Farm/Rural Enterprise Award in the Lincolnshire Environmental Award 2013.

Just short of 7 per cent of Norfolk House Farm is in an environmental feature of some kind, according to production director Phillip Hubbert.

He said the presentation to the awards panel covered the last 18 years’ worth of developments, resulting in eight miles of hedgerows and ten acres of woodland.

The farm has also adopted water management systems for irrigation, soil moisture control systems to determine how much water should be put on the crops, and meter sensors to monitor how much water is coming from the mains, resulting in a 50 per cent reduction of water use.

Phillip said: “We use mains water because the ground water is too salty so we have to be economical with it.”

There are rainwater collection systems, solar panels and intelligent fertiliser systems.

Hairdressing students at Sir John Gleed School started out how they mean to go on after a competition to create styles for a special occasion.


Students were asked to produce their own hair designs suitable for a school prom based on their own research, with Christina Howells the winner, Klaudia Wodyk second (both pictured) and Georgia West third. Photo: SG260613-122TW.

A scheme which helps mainly older people to stay warm in winter has been given £500,000 to continue its work.

Lincolnshire County Council’s executive allocated the cash for the successful Responders to Warmth scheme at its meeting earlier this week.

The money will used to run the scheme again this coming winter.

Between November 2012 and April this year, the Responders to Warmth call centre helped more than 4,000 people with energy advice, aids and repairs, connections to gas mains, help to join bulk oil schemes, emergency heating and even replacement systems.

In the past two years it has provided more than £330,000 worth of repairs and installations.

Coun Patricia Bradwell, executive councillor for adult care and health, said: “Helping people keep warm in winter is essential to good health.

“Not only does it avoid unnecessary illness, it reduces the number of people living in miserable and uncomfortable circumstances.

“The people that we have helped in previous years said they felt healthier and more cared for.”

More information about the scheme can be found at www.responderstowarmth.co.uk.

Wyberton man Dean Everitt’s trial for assault by beating and criminal damage charges will be delayed until November.

The 44-year-old anti-immigration campaigner arrived at Boston Magistrates’ Court this morning expecting a trial.

He had previously pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault by beating, also denying damaging a garden gate at a Parthian Avenue address.

However, it was adjourned because two of the defendant’s witnesses were unable to commit to a full day in court, because they would have to leave to pick their children up from school at 3pm.

Therefore, the case was put back to a day-and-a-half-long trial on November 6 and 7.

Mr Everitt, of Parthian Avenue, was given conditional bail. He must not contact either Andrew Niblett or Gail Hurst, directly or indirectly, and he must not attend Ostler Walk, Kirton.

One of the biggest opportunities to shop ‘til you drop and support your local businesses is happening right here in Spalding.

Today is national Independents’ Day – and local shops across the town have come on board to show consumers that anything the big chain stores can do they can do as well, if not better.

Even though this is the first year Spalding has taken part in the annual event, run by the National Skills Academy for Retail, the interest has been so great it has been extended to run until Saturday.

Event co-ordinator Nikki Austin, who owns an interiors business in The Crescent, said she has been overwhelmed with the response to the first event in Spalding, run by the National Skills Academy for Retail.

More than 50 shops and businesses are taking part – a figure that has been increasing daily.

Nikki said: “The number of local businesses taking part is growing daily and totally unexpected. When you go on the official website and see what other towns are doing, Spalding seems to have one of the biggest events.

“But then we are lucky to have a large number of independent shops. The Crescent Traders Facebook page is buzzing with offers that will be available to customers over the three days.

“There will be something for everyone – shops are thinking outside the box about how they can promote themselves – and services such as dentists and opticians will also have special promotions running.

“As well as promoting the event in the Free Press and Spalding Guardian, it is also being promoted nationally by the National Skills Academy, so it is really helping to put the town on the map.

“There will be posters in the windows of all the shops taking part and we hope the public will support the event by coming along to see what they have to offer.

“Spalding is lucky to have these shops and for them to be supported by some excellent independent coffee shops and restaurants, so new visitors can expect to have an excellent day’s shopping.

“Our local business owners are ready to make them welcome and ensure that new visitors to the town will want to come back.”

Theo Paphitis, star of BBC TV’s Dragon’s Den, is backing the national campaign.

He said: “I am supporting this year’s Independents’ Day campaign as I believe that independent businesses have a vital role to play in our economy.

“Through the campaign support is available to these small businesses to help them be the best they can be.”

Shoppers can locate the businesses featured on this page and their offers by using a town centre map available from the South Holland District Council offices in Priory Road. Posters will also be placed in the windows of the businesses taking part.

In addition, shoppers can follow the event on The Crescent Traders Facebook page.

A Polish resident is protesting about being made late for work by a police swoop on pavement cyclists in Spalding.

Holding a £30 fine ticket and a doctor’s prescription totalling £42 for pain relief and depression after previously being hit by a car while riding on the road, Monika Nowak came to the Lincolnshire Free Press office to object on behalf of about 20 other work colleagues who she claims were also made late for work as a result of Operation Oatmeal on Thursday.

Monika (37), of Love Lane, said she and her colleagues were on their way to work at Morrisons Abattoir in Brunel Road, Pinchbeck, when whey they stopped by the police along Pinchbeck Road at 5.30am.

She said: “This was very traumatic for me because the police told me I had to ride on the road.

“Look, this is my prescription for £42. I was hit by a car two years ago and still have to take all this for pain and depression. I don’t feel safe on the road – it’s very busy along there.

“We were caught on a stretch of pavement along Pinchbeck Road between two cycle ways. I don’t believe we were doing any harm at 5.30am in the morning when there is no-one about.

“We Polish want to go to work and pay our taxes and be respectful of the law.

“But I am sorry, we care about being safe, too.”

Riding on the pavements in Spalding is the second biggest concern of residents after street drinking.

Operation Oatmeal was run in response to priorities set by the town’s community panels. As well as Pinchbeck Road, other locations for the spot checks were Winsover Road, Hawthorn Bank and Halmer Gate.

Sgt Stuart Hurst said: “Here we have a person to lives and works in Spalding and has a view on the action taken by police to stop pavement cyclists.

“I can make no apology for upholding the law - that’s out job - and cycling on pavements is a concern that has been brought to our attention as a priority at community panel meetings.

“But at the same time I am also pleased to see a member of the Polish community come forward with their concerns. What they should do is come on board and join our community panels and make their concerns known.”

PEDALS cycle action group has been campaigning for more routes to be joined up.

Roger Smith, one of the members, said perhaps it was time residents became more tolerant of cyclists on pavements.

He said: “There is a feeling along some roads that it is safer to ride on the pavements but it is illegal and I am not going to comment on the police doing their job and enforcing the law.

“However, in London there is a beautiful sign that says considerate cyclists are welcome and asks pedestrians to watch out for cyclists.

“As a group we have been campaigning for more of the town’s cycle ways to be joined up so, as in this case, riders could travel all the way to work.

“A solution for the riders travelling to the abattoir would be if the old railway line track that goes around the back of the hospital was cleared. But I can understand people not using it because it is overgrown, gets puddled and is dark.”

TV Licensing has published a list of people’s bizarre excuses for dodging the licence fee, including: “Why would I need a TV licence for a TV I stole? Nobody knows I’ve got it.”

One dodger claimed they didn’t need to pay because their pet Corgi was related to the Queen’s dog.

Another said: “The only way I can afford to pay for my TV licence is if I sell my hamster – is that what you want me to do?”

The top 12 excuses from the last year included a desperate claim from one person that they had “received a lethal injection” while another gloomy response was “knowing my luck I will be dead in six months and not get value for money”.

TV Licensing says with more than 320 people caught watching TV without a licence in Spalding last year – and more than 400,000 across the UK – it’s not surprising a few excuses test the laws of probability.

Mark Whitehouse, TV Licensing spokesman for East Anglia, said: “Some of the excuses are simply hilarious whilst others show a great deal of imagination and creativity, but being caught without a valid TV licence is a criminal offence and no laughing matter.

“Joking and wacky excuses apart, it’s breaking the law to watch live television without a licence so anybody doing this risks prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.”

The current cost of a year’s colour TV licence is £145.50 – dodgers from South Holland have recently had to shell out more than double that, £310 in fines, costs and victim surcharges.

The top three excuses – featuring the claims about the stolen TV, the lethal injection and one about a slimmer who spent her TV licence cash on new clothes – have been animated by BAFTA winning film duo Will Anderson and Ainslie Henderson.

You can watch the films by visiting www.youtube.co.uk/tvlicensing.