Air pollution levels remain high across South Holland but are expected to reduce later today.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) reported the district was still gripped by high levels of pollution this morning.

But a fresh air mass arriving later today is expected to push the pollution eastwards over the North Sea, weather forecasters have said.

Residents with asthma or other breathing and heart problems have been advised to stay inside.

The Munro Medical Centre in Spalding said there had been a rise in the number of patients visiting this week with breathing complaints.

South Holland’s young people are missing out on sports because schools and clubs are failing to claim up to £40 per head to fund activities.

There’s £90,000 in the Sportivate pot for Lincolnshire, but there hasn’t been a single claim from South Holland this year.

Lucy Blakey, from Lincolnshire Sport, said: “Funding is available for sports projects in Lincolnshire to encourage semi-sporty teenagers and young adults between 11 and 25 to take part in sport.

“It is a great opportunity to encourage young people to get involved in sport but also provides a huge financial incentive for sports clubs, schools, leisure facilities and others to deliver more sport across Lincolnshire.”

She urged groups to come forward to claim the cash, saying there has been only two bids from the district since the Lottery funded scheme started in 2011.

• To apply visit www.lincolnshiresport.com/sportivate

Reception children from Ayscoughfee Hall School in Spalding performed a special class assembly to the other pupils and their parents.

They told the story of the Goldilocks and the Three Bears through song and actions.

Pictured here is Goldilocks, played by Ava Clarke, and the three bears, played by Ava Harry Lawson, Sophie Bunting and Holly Gleave. Submitted picture

MP John Hayes met campaigners beside rubble from the demolished Ye Old Dun and pledged his support to help them get a pub rebuilt on the same site.

Villagers have secured a £9,500 Government grant to help their fight for a new pub and have their sights set on a further £100,000 of Government cash.

They are also raising their own funds, netting almost £400 from a table top sale with more events in the pipeline.

Campaigners were dealt a devastating blow when South Holland District Council gave property developers Market Homes planning consent to demolish the fire-damaged pub, but the site itself remains on the community assets register as a pub site.

Jonathan Matthews, spokesman for the Save Ye Old Dun Cow Campaign, said: “What we want is our local village pub back.

“Since Ye Olde Dun Cow was demolished, the site has become an eyesore with rubbish and combustible waste occupying most of the site and the perimeter is poorly secured.”

Cash raised by the campaigners and the grant funding will be used for things like creation of a business plan, architectural plans and legal help.

Mr Matthews said: “There is also a further £100,00 of Government support to help us in the next stages of preserving Ye Old Dun Cow site as our local village pub. The campaign has made no assumption that the site will be sold by Market Homes, but we do believe this would be the best option all round.”

The South Holland and The Deepings MP said: “Market Homes have a moral obligation to consult with the village with the aim of reinstating their local watering hole.”

I have just received a flyer giving a breakdown of 2014-2015 council tax from South Holland District Councillors Booth, Tennant and Wilkinson.

As a result, might I pose a few questions?

Isn’t this flyer a duplication of information recently mailed to every household as part of their South Holland District Council tax bill?

Who paid for its printing and distribution?

I do hope it didn’t come council coffers as it does appear to be a waste of time, effort and money.

Is this an example of the poor decision making we can typically expect from these three councillors?

Or have I missed something obvious?

Andrew MacDonald

Lutton

I write with reference to what would appear to be a “failed” campaign to obtain a speed limit reduction in Holbeach St Johns.

I have been away from the area for the past few weeks, but on my return this week have caught up with the articles referring to this subject.

This coupled with the discovery of a new 40mph speed restriction now in place on the road from this village towards Spalding (Hurdletree Bank).

I have asked a few people when this came into force (it was not there previously), many had not realised of its existence, and the best estimate was the reply “a couple of weeks ago”.

Accordingly, I would ask precisely what was the reasoning and logic behind this change? This is a stretch of road with two detached properties, a delapidated old chapel, followed by five properties grouped together.

This new restriction represents a 33 per cent decrease from the previous national limit for the road of 60mph. However, Jan Johnson’s campaign, attracting 160 signatories, cannot get a 25 per cent decrease (40mph down to 30mph) in a heavier built up area, populated with children and senior citizens, with residential properties on both sides of the street.

Taking into account the argument put forward by Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership and Lincolnshire County Council that they were unable to act in Holbeach St Johns due to the fact there “had only been one serious crash” in the village in recent times, are we to assume that there has been a plethora of accidents on Hurdletree Bank recently? I would say to Jan that a freedom of information request should be your next port of call, to establish the justification of these decisions.

Furthermore, I note that Millgate from its junction with Ravens Bank (Sly’s Corner) up to the aforementioned Hurdletree Bank stretch of road is to be reduced to 50mph at the end of this month. Whilst I am naturally pleased for the residents along these stretches of road, just exactly how do these decisions equate to the rejection suffered by the residents of Holbeach St Johns?

I was, and I am sure most of the residents of the village were as well, disappointed to read of the priggish attitude of the senior highways officer in casually “handing off” the issue towards the direction of the police.

The administration staff for Lincolnshire Highways are lackadaisical when it comes to the villages of this area, preferring instead to churn out any buzz words or phrases that are the order of the day.

So here’s one from me.

Can you please ROBUSTLY COMPLY with providing a SERVICE DELIVERY ON A DAILY BASIS that is FIT FOR PURPOSE for the protection and well-being of residents.

Tony Bown

Whaplode St Catherine

The van driver who knocked down and killed a 27-year-old cyclist in Pode Hole has been jailed for eight years after the court heard that he was drunk.

Paul Walken, who was driving at 20mph above the speed limit, failed to see cyclist Tim Osborn and hit him from behind as the supermarket worker was returning home at the end of his shift.

Walken then simply drove on stopping two miles later to check if his van was damaged before making his way home.

The beer pump engineer had spent the afternoon and evening repairing fittings at bars and restaurants across the East Midlands.

The fatal smash occurred as he made his way home from his final job having drunk as much as five and a half pints of lager as he checked the efficiency of his repair work at each of the outlets where he had worked that day.

Lincoln Crown Court heard how Tim’s mother Lynne, anxious because her son had not arrived home, set out to look for him and discovered his dead body in a ditch just five minutes away from their home at Pode Hole, near Spalding.

Walken (42), of Chapel Lane, Folkingham, admitted causing the death of Mr Osborn by careless driving while unfit to drive through drink on the A151 Bourne Road, Spalding on September 14, 2012.

David Allan, prosecuting, said: “These cases by their nature are tragic, but there can seldom be a case where the circumstances are as heart rendering as this one.

“On September 14, 2012, Mrs Osborn was waiting at home with her family for her son Tim to return home from work. He was due home at 9 pm. She waited and waited. At a loss she went out with her younger son to retrace the route Tim would have cycled home from his place of work.

“A short distance from her home she found the dead body of her son in a ditch at the side of the road. That was where he had been left by the defendant who had struck him and driven off.”

Three days later Walken rang a police appeal hotline to admit he had been driving in the area at the same. He admitted that his van hit something but said he was “1000 per cent sure” it was a deer and that he was not responsible for the tragedy.

But forensic tests revealed the presence of Tim’s DNA on Walken’s van and a GPS tracker device , fitted to the vehicle so that it could be traced if stolen, showed he was on the same stretch of road at the time Tim was killed.

When the data was recovered it showed the van was travelling at 70 mph in a 50 limit.

Police visited the Italian restaurant where Walken carried out his final job of the day and were told by staff that he had botched the repair job and appeared drunk. Then as he left he reversed his van into a parked car before driving off without stopping.

One worker told officers “His eyes were glazed and his speech was slurred. Everything about him said he was drunk.”

Mr Allan said that Tim was a careful cyclist who was wearing a high visibility jacket and both his front and rear lights were on.

Tom Walkling, for Walken, said “He is desperately sorry for what he has done. He is absolutely heart broken. The consequences of his actions will weigh on him for the rest of his life. It has affected him very badly.”

He said that Walken lost his job over the incident and has since suffered from depression.

“He didn’t think he had killed the cyclist. When it was brought to his attention that there had been a fatal accident where he had been his employer reports that he broke down in tears. He immediately rang the police.”

Mr Walkling said the defendant disputed the amount he is alleged to have drunk and believed it could have been two and a half pints

Judge Stuart Rafferty told Walken: “Any car has the potential to become a lethal weapon. The greater the amount of intoxication the greater the risk becomes. This is not murder but it is mechanised manslaughter.

“It does not matter precisely how much you had to drink. All that matters is that it took you far beyond the limit. You should have known that and yet you continued to drive.

“Tim Osborn was entirely without fault. He was there for anyone to see who wanted to see him. You had every opportunity to see him but you did not.

“This was not momentary lack of attention. It was high speed driving and then not stopping at the scene when you can have been in no doubt that you had hit something.”

The Judge described Tim as a popular man adding: “He was well-loved by his family and friends. He was a man who it seems from all that I have read would not wish to do harm to anyone. He was 27. He had his life ahead of him.”

On The Beat with Inspector Jim Tyner

It is human nature that most people dread seeing a police officer walking up to their front door and, let’s f ace it, we don’t always bring good news.

But for victims of domestic abuse our arrival at their front door can be a welcome sight.

For police officers, however, that walk up to the front door can be a difficult time for them too…

It’s a Sunday afternoon. You are on patrol, responding to a report of a suspected domestic incident on the new housing estate in Spalding.

This is one of 10,000 domestic abuse incidents reported to Lincolnshire Police every year. Neighbours have reported hearing shouting from next door.

As you arrive, the white UPVC front door is slightly open. You walk up the path past the well manicured lawns and picture-perfect flower beds. As you do, you don’t know what you’re going to find. It may be nothing. There may be a victim seriously injured inside; the offender can be either angry or remorseful or any emotion in between.

If you have to arrest the offender how will other family members react? It’s not unusual for a domestic abuse victim to react badly to police taking action against an offender.

As you reach the front door, your heart is racing as you shout in to announce your presence. Your colleague has also arrived and is now walking up the path towards you. As you enter the front door a woman is stood by the lounge door on the right. She is crying uncontrollably and through her sobs you can’t make out what she is saying.

You see a man standing at the far end of the corridor. He is bare-chested and in a split second you notice his knuckles are reddened. You ask the woman to take a step back in to the lounge and your colleague steps in behind to talk to her: it’s important to speak to both parties separately.

As you walk down the corridor towards the man he backs in to the kitchen. This is never a good place to be – too many accessible knives at a time of heightened tension.

You step in to the kitchen to talk with the man. At this point you still don’t know what has happened. Is the man an aggressor or a victim?

When you talk to him, the man is agitated but not aggressive. You can smell beer on his breath and his eyes are reddened. When you ask him what has happened, he replies: “Nothing’s happened. This is private, just an argument.”

Your colleague talks to you on the police radio. She tells you that the woman in the lounge is saying that the man in the kitchen is her husband and during an argument he has punched her in the stomach. You take a step towards the man and arrest him for assault. He is totally compliant as you handcuff him behind his back.

As you walk him down the corridor to the front door you notice a little girl on the stairs: she is about eight-years- old. As you walk past she shouts: “Why did you do it, daddy?”. This suddenly ignites the situation. The man wants to go up the stairs to talk to the little girl, but you want him out of the house and in the back of a police van.

He starts to struggle and the little girl starts screaming hysterically, backing away from her father. You are joined by your colleague from the lounge. As you both restrain the man, the woman then steps in to the narrow corridor and starts trying to pull your colleague away, shouting: “Don’t hurt him.”

Within a moment everything has gone from calm to shouting and it takes a few minutes and every ounce of negotiating skills to calm the situation again.

Thankfully, no one is hurt. The woman returns to the lounge and you are able to take the now-tearful and remorseful man out to the police van.

Now begins the vital task of evidence gathering. Will the victim provide a formal statement? Has she got any visible injuries that can be photographed? What exactly have the neighbours heard or seen? What has the little girl seen? Will you have to arrange for specialist interviewers to take a statement from her? If no one is prepared to give a statement, this may not go to court.

Don’t forget the risk assessment questions: has this happened before?

What has triggered it on this occasion? This is important information for safeguarding the woman and the little girl.

But that’s all for the future. For now, you want to get back to the police station, book your prisoner in to custody, write up your notes and see if you can get those words out of your mind: ‘Why did you do it, daddy?’

Village speed reduction fight suffers a blow... but we sure as heck have not given up.

While we will welcome the support of the neighbourhood policing team to carry out speed enforcement checks in the village, this will not be enough to ease the problem.

I do hope that the parish council will be able to afford some sort of vehicle-activated signs to help remind drivers that they are going through our village and we are very grateful for their support so far.

As for a speed limit reduction I would love to hear a full explanation of why it cannot be reduced after a survey clearly outlines the fact that there is a considerable number of vehicles speeding through the village.

My points so far are that:

1. the village falls into the requirements for Department for Transport guidelines for setting the speed limit to 30mph.

2. The Department for Transport circular from last January states “Fear of traffic can seriously affect people’s quality of life in villages and it is self evident that villages should have comparable speed limits to similar roads in urban areas. It is therefore government policy that a 30mph speed limit should be the norm through villages” .

I spoke to many villagers whilst compiling the petition who were in fear of their lives and that of their families and children!

3. The distance through the village is quite short and would not affect the journey time of drivers or make a difference to anyone’s lives apart from making it better for those who live there.

4. While there has only been one “reported” serious crash in the village since October 2011, if you speak to the villagers and LISTEN you will discover there are many many accidents, the residents often being the people who have to deal with them.

With these points brought to attention I do not understand the blanket rulings of highways departments country-wide, not just for our village.

I find it disappointing and sad that it seems it will take a fatality to make change happen.

All I can say is that I hope that the people who could make the changes will take notice of the opinion of all the people of the village.

Incidentally, the survey showed there was an average of 160 vehicles a day speeding through the village, and 160 names on the petition, one for every person on the petition.

To all those from Holbeach St Johns, I am sorry I am unable to keep you all personally updated but rest assured I’m not done yet.

Also, I am told we are on the agenda for the parish council meeting for April who have supported us so far so if you want to go along to see the outcome and show support you will be welcome.

Jan Johnson

Holbeach St Johns

A weekly column by Dr Miles Langdon of South Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group, addressing topical

health issues

Cholesterol is a chemical in the body that does lots of good things.

It is used to make bile acid which helps digest food, male and female sex hormones, and Vitamin D which strengthens bones.

However, too much cholesterol is problematic and can lead to hardening and narrowing of the arteries. This increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Cholesterol is one of many risk factors for heart and stroke and circulation problems.

It is more important to tackle these other factors which include: not smoking, regular physical activity (ideally 30 minutes of sweaty exercise every day), keeping your weight and waist size down and drinking alcohol in moderation.

Ensuring your blood pressure level is not raised (or taking medication to lower it if it is high), and not adding table salt to food is also important.

Looking at the packaging on food can be quite confusing.

It is best to reduce eating saturated fats, such as pastries, cakes, butter, biscuits and cheese because these are high in cholesterol.

Low fat foods are defined as having less than three grams of fat in every 100 grams of food.

Statins are a group of tablets that reduce cholesterol.

Statin therapy is usually recommended for people with heart disease, people who are healthy but have a high risk of developing heart disease at a later date (such as people who have parents or siblings who had heart attacks under the age of 50), and patients who have a very high cholesterol level (above 7.5) because of a faulty gene they have inherited from their parents.

Many people who take statins experience no or very few side effects.

Some people do experience troublesome but usually minor side effects such as achy leg muscles, upset stomachs, headaches or problems sleeping.

If people do experience side effects with one particular statin, then it is quite easy to switch to an alternative statin, or a different cholesterol lowering medication, and give that a go.

Statins do not work properly if taken with grapefruit juice.

There has been media coverage focussing on serious side effects such as kidney failure and memory problems.

The British Heart Foundation reports that only one in every 10,000 people who take statins will experience a potentially dangerous side effect.

The risk of side effects has to be balanced against the benefits of preventing serious conditions such as heart attack and stroke.

Indeed, it is estimated that statins save 7,000 lives a year in the UK.

In recent copies of your papers there have been letters from concerned A16 road users.

Is it now time that someone from the Lincolnshire Highways Department answered our questions and concerns?

We are just one of the many putting our lives at risk on this death trap of a road.

Again: “What are you, the Lincolnshire Highways Department, planning to do about the road?”

Is there going to be change, before even more lives are lost. Remember, you were involved in the planning of this road.

In time, we may get the thoughts and support of our local MP John Hayes or South Holland District Council leader Gary Porter on this very important issue.

David Barfoot

Shepeau Stow

The funding formula that determines how much money Lincolnshire Police gets is to be reviewed.

Some £19.8 million is to be cut by 2015 and in January the government cut a further £1m from its budget.

Police and Criminal Justice Minister Damien Green, who visited Lincoln on Thursday, said he was hoping to find a formula “that’s fair to all”.

Alan Hardwick, Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said the current funding system unfairly discriminates against the county.

The force claimed it has made considerable progress by reducing the number of police officers by 106 and outsourcing back office functions to private company G4S.

Lincolnshire’s Chief Constable Neil Rhodes, said: “My mission is that Lincolnshire gets a fair share of that.”

A woman was cut free from her car by firefighters this morning after an accident in Weston.

She had been driving a Rover 25 in High Street, near the A151, when she was involved in a two-vehicle collision.

Two crews from Spalding used hydraulic cutting gear to release her.

Residents are being advised to leave extra time for their journey if travelling to Lincoln railway station this morning.

East Midlands Trains is warning travellers of road closures due to the Lincoln 10k taking place today.

There will be no trains between Spalding and Lincoln due to improvements being made to the line.

The Spalding Guardian would like to wish any readers taking part in the Lincoln 10k good luck!

When dyslexia put David Turp’s grandson off reading David set about publishing an adventure story that was right up his street.

Two years ago then thirteen-year-old Luke told his grandfather David, from Pinchbeck, he dreamed of leaving school and becoming a detective.

“It was then that I decided to write an exciting detective story using the ingredients of mystery, sea-faring legend, folk lore, mixed with a crime to be solved by two young Scotland Yard detectives,” David said.

“The sleuthing duo has the same names, and enhanced characteristics, as my two grandsons, Luke and Jacob. Naturally I had to include my two granddaughters in the same way.”

Luke had always enjoyed the stories his grandfather told him but struggled reading himself because of his dyslexia.

David hoped a book inspired by Luke’s aspirations, with his own starring role, would combat his struggle.

David said: “I’ve always had a life long love and passion for books that started when I was about his age and it seemed disappointing that he would not share it.”

‘Deep Secrets’ is David’s first book. He said he’s written stories before but never had the motivation to try and get them published.

When a horribly mutilated body is washed up in Devon two detectives face dark unknown forces. Assisted by Miss Aimee and Rosie May they investigate the curious activities of a strange new order of monks and meet many more mysterious characters along the way. Do horrific creatures inhabit unholy depths where the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet the English Channel? These are mysterious deeps where legends persist and where animated sea kelp glows fluorescent in the dark. Can they get to the bottom of the bizarre occurrences?

With plenty of thrills and perilous action Deep Secrets aims to capture the imagination of readers aged eight years and up.

Luke knew his grandfather was writing a book but not that he would feature as the main detective.

David said he was ‘absolutely delighted’ when he found out and not only seems more interested in reading but also in writing now, following in his grandfather’s footsteps.

David said: “I hope it will appeal and delight readers of all ages who are looking for an exciting, original tale, full of actionpacked adventure.”

Deep Secrets by David Turp is available to buy on Amazon Books now for £4.99 or order by calling 07546554491.

Opening 1498 Spice Affair was “like a dream come true” for Lloyd Luis and head chef Patil.

Found in the Red Lion Hotel, Spalding, the Indo-Euro menu is home to Arabian, Portuguese and native culture flavours.

Lloyd said: “Everything is sourced locally. It means I can cater for a reasonable price.

“You won’t get this food anywhere else in the area.

“The restaurant is family orientated. I want to make customers feel special and for them to try new flavours.”

The team of five marked the restaurant’s opening with a charity event, raising £500 for Agape Food Bank while customers had the chance to try a little of each dish.

Lloyd said the menu is well balanced from sea food, to lamb, venison and chicken.

For many years he and chef Patil worked in London. He said: “Patil has plenty of experience, he has catered for 10 Downing Street.”

“I worked in an Indian restaurant but felt limited.”

Only a month into trading they’ve already had positive reviews on trip advisor and Facebook.

Open lunch time with special offer and evenings. For details visit www.thespiceaffair.co.uk

More than four in ten working women in South Holland and The Deepings are getting a raw deal on pay and take home less than the “living wage”.

For women’s pay, South Holland and The Deepings is the second worst blackspot in the East Midlands with 42.9 of women taking home less than the living wage – beaten only by mid Derbyshire on 46.5 per cent.

The living wage is £7.65 an hour for places outside London and is based on meeting the basic needs of workers – while the Government’s minimum wage, the lowest figure that employers can legally pay is less still at £6.31.

The poorly paid women in South Holland and The Deepings are among five million people in the UK who get less than the living wage.

The figures come from the House of Commons Library and have been highlighted by the TUC (Trades Union Congress) as part of its Fair Pay Fortnight.

Midlands TUC regional secretary Rob Johnston said: “Extending the living wage is a vital way of tackling the growing problem of in-work poverty across the East Midlands and Britain as a whole.

“Working families are experiencing the biggest pressure on their living standards since Victorian times.

“Pay has been squeezed at all levels below the boardroom and it’s costing our economy dear.

“The number of living wage employers is growing rapidly and unions are playing their part in encouraging more employers to sign up and pay it – but Government must show equal initiative.”

Mr Johnston said workers should ask all MPs to put “decent pay” at the top of their agendas in the run-up to the election.

l The minimum wage will rise by 19p to £6.50 an hour in October, benefiting a million workers.

South Holland and The Deepings MP John Hayes led a trade delegation of 45 British companies to South Korea last week.

He said: “There is a great hunger for western products, particularly British products, which are held in high esteem.”

The MP is Minister of State at the Cabinet Office.

Former London Marathon runner Sarah Le Sage has a £200 head-start as she collects cash for charity by running a 20 mile obstacle course in the Dirty Weekend at Burghley House next month.

Sarah (32), pictured here with daughter Ella, husband Mark (right), and Matt Clark, from Spalding Round Table, received the proceeds from Mark’s stint as compere at the Round Table boxing night.

She’s raising money for Spalding branch of Action Medical Research.

Sarah has been in training for around eight months – since Ella was born – and anyone who wants to donate can call 07961 521727.

Photo (TIM WILSON): SG310314-134TW

Volunteers are needed to help disabled children from two Spalding schools with their horse riding lessons.

Fenland group of Riding for the Disabled (RDA) meets on Wednesday mornings so pupils from The Priory School and The Garth School can spend time with ponies and tackle the physical challenges of riding.

RDA trustee Sian Tate said: “The Fenland RDA group is all about providing disabled children with a friendly and supportive environment in which they can gain confidence and a sense of achievement using horses and ponies as their friends.

“Just one smile from a happy child is all it takes to make the time and effort worthwhile.

“The group needs to recruit a few new volunteers and would love to hear from anyone who feels they can give up a few hours.”

Training and support can be provided.

If you are interested, or for more information, please call 07779 452439 or email fenlandrda@gmail.com