An illicit drinking den has been uncovered in a hidden corner of a children’s play area.

Now police and Boston Borough Council’s anti-social behaviour team have been made aware of the nuisance caused by young adults using the den.

The area, hidden from view in Dame Sarah Swift Park at Kirton, is littered with empty cases of booze, broken bottles and crushed cans. Wooden flooring has been laid and a quilt indicates overnight activity, said the council.

Branches of the tree which hides the den from the casual observer have been broken and nearby neighbours have complained of damage to the fencing between their gardens and the den.

A neighbour also said his garden had been broken into and property stolen, including children’s toys.

Kirton Parish Council runs the park, which has a play area for youngsters and a skatepark for older children.

Chairman Coun Ian Turner said: “It seems to a be a group aged 17 to 20 from Kirton and surrounding villages. They congregate in the den they have set up, where they have stayed overnight. They have been causing misery for people who live close by in Church Mews and Church Lane and leave litter.

“They have been in the Merry Monk pub, which is closed, and taken items from there to make life more comfortable for themselves.

“It cost £1,000 to repair damage to the children’s play area last year and the skate park cost £35,000 to install and that has graffiti on it.

“Children and families do use the park, and use it properly. But these are spoiling it for everyone.”

He asked that anyone with information about anti-social behaviour in the park passes it on to the police.

Police and the council’s anti-social behaviour team are now taking action to control the misuse.

Boston Borough Council is to clear away the larger items from the drinks den. The council also said the police have taken names for most of the young people involved and have also contacted the brewery to ask them to secure the Merry Monk.

The Open Door Church, Spalding Road, Deeping St James is hosting the next meeting of Market Deeping Neighbourhood Policing Panel on Monday at 7pm.

A public open forum gets the meeting under way where members of the public can raise ideas and concerns for possible inclusion within the neighbourhood priorities to be set in the closed session of the meeting from 7.30pm.

For a list of current neighbourhood priorities and other details, go to www.police.uk

George Osborne’s first non-coalition budget was presented in the Commons to great acclaim from the Tory Party, with some elements of the press hailing it as the working people’s budget. But is it really?

It is obvious that the chancellor’s ultimate goal was to make Labour appear as the party of benefit claimants, also viewed by many Conservative Party supporters as parasite. In other words, his plan was to deliver a fatal blow to the Labour Party.

So let’s see whose budget it really is. Who are the losers and the winners?

The central piece in this deception is the living wage. How will this work? A living wage is welcome and many will benefit from it. Alas, there will be as many people losing out.

Firstly, £9 is not a living wage in London or Aberdeen now, let alone in 2020. The current estimate for London is £9.15, but only when counting the in-work benefits. With the chancellor’s axing of those benefits, the true “living wage” in London will exceed £10.

Surely the move to increase the minimum wage to £7.20 in April 2015 is welcome. But again, with the cuts to in-work benefits and tax credits, those at the lower end of the income scale will be worse off.

The biggest losers from the budget are the young people.

Firstly, they will not benefit from the increase in the national minimum wage.

It is already a disgrace to the principles of fair and equal society that a young person of 16 to 18 should earn, from October 2015, £3.87 per hour, while a person who is doing the same work, but is 21 years old or over, would earn £6.70 per hour.

The national living wage will only apply to those over 25 years old, leaving behind a lot of young people and deepening the divide between the very wealthy and the poor.

Secondly, the chancellor decided to take away the maintenance grant for students and replace it with an additional loan, which will increase the average student’s debt to £51,000 accrued after three years of undergraduate studies.

And then, anyone aged 18 to 21 will no longer be automatically eligible to claim housing benefit. This, in light of soaring rent prices, may leave many more young people unable to move to their first home, forcing many to live with their parents for many more years.

And the wealth gap between generations will grow even further.

Another loser in the budget is public sector workers. In South Holland and the local area, we do not have many people who stand to inherit properties worth over £1m. We do, however, have many public sector workers, such as teachers, nurses, council workers, and social care personnel, whose wage increases are capped at one per cent, leaving them to be paid less in real terms year on year.

The poor and the vulnerable will not benefit from the chancellor’s acclaimed national living wage. Many are disabled, unable to work, or otherwise impaired. They will lose out under the axe cutting of all sorts of benefits and tax credits.

The winners are again the big businesses retaining one of the lowest corporation tax rates in the world, the rich, the bankers and those lucky to have accumulated enough wealth.

So, is it not perhaps yet another budget presented by the government of the privileged for the privileged?

As chairman of the planning committee for Holbeach Parish Council, I personally wish to apologise to the people of Holbeach for the momentous decision taken by South Holland District Council on July 1 in relation to the Manor Farm application.

Having held a public open meeting, we formulated a comprehensive report, which we submitted to the district council on behalf of the people of Holbeach.

Subsequently, we submitted another report, after an amended plan had been submitted. I felt sure that we had made a strong case against such a proposal.

Unfortunately, councillors who do not live in Holbeach, and some, nowhere near, voted 10-4 to allow the outline planning permission, thus relieving us of prime agricultural land in an increasing society.

No notice was taken in regard to infrastructure, medical matters, schooling, road structures or drainage, which were all mentioned by us, and many others, all to no avail.

Holbeach Parish Council has a parish plan, in which we have highlighted areas for development, but it seems the district council need take no notice of our recommendations, and build where, and what it wants.

All matters raised, according to the planning officer, were not valid grounds to object to outline planning permission.

Please be assured, though, that Holbeach Parish Council will attempt to do what it can, as and when issues arise.

On behalf of Karina and myself, we would like to say a big thank you to all the people of Spalding who took one of the leaflets we were handing out in front of the British Heart Foundation shop on Saturday, July 11.

I do hope they have had chance to read the information contained and the people of Spalding are now more aware of the hidden dangers of giving to charities on the high street.

It is very sad that charities like the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK spend so much of the money donated to them on animal experiments that do not help with defeating the diseases they are claiming to be fighting.

So many of the people we spoke with on Saturday afternoon did not seem to be aware of this fact, although the charities have become very proficient at hiding this information from public view.

There are also alternatives to the archaic animal testing, just look at the Dr Hadwen Trust, which also researches these diseases without the use of animal testing.

Once again, thank you Spalding.

A registered nurse has set up a business near Spalding which aims to provide well-being for the mind, body and soul.

Hilary Peach, 55, of Spalding, runs Cloud Walkers from the Knight Street Salon, in Knight Street, Pinchbeck.

She offers massage therapy (pre-blended aromatherapy, Indian head, and Swedish), foot healthcare, but also a specialist form of massage known as manual lymphatic drainage (MLD).

MLD targets the body’s lymphatic system.

“The lymphatic system is like a secondary circulatory system and quite often it gets clogged up,” Hilary said. “It takes away toxins and waste products from the cells and delivers nutrients to the cells.”

MLD stimulates the lymphatic system into action to the body’s benefit, Hilary explained.

She said MLD is felt to be of benefit to people recovering from surgery, with it helping to heal wounds and clear swellings.

Hilary is a bank nurse at Peterborough City Hospital and said she was inspired to launch the business due to the physical strain of the job.

Her training in MLD complements qualifications in massage therapy and in foothealth care.

You can find Cloud Walkers at 77 Knight Street, on Facebook (search for Cloud Walking with Hilary), or on 07879 654410.

More informatoin of MLD can be found at www.mlduk.org.uk

CABINET CALL: By Coun Peter Coupland

This is my first column for the Guardian after joining the cabinet following the elections in May.

Over the coming weeks and months, I’ll aim to give you an interesting insight into what my role as a cabinet member entails.

I’ll also endeavour to keep you informed about the work we are carrying out to ensure that the residents of South Holland get the best services possible.

I thought I’d kick off by writing about what we are doing to help tackle some of the financial challenges currently facing the council.

My portfolio responsibilities cover strategic finance, which is the area I’m going to take personal responsibility for.

South Holland District Council, like all local authorities in the country, will receive less government funding over the next few years, which will make it harder for us to balance our budgets.

Councillors will face some difficult decisions, while retaining services at a level no lower than residents are currently experiencing.

We will be looking at ways of generating new income to help fund front-line local services in the future.

We already share senior staff with Breckland Council in Norfolk, an arrangement which has so far saved £4.4million and we continue to explore leaner ways of working.

While we remain in a period of austerity, local statistics show that unemployment is down, wages are rising and house prices are also on the increase.

The country’s economy as a whole is growing with the real story of austerity being the ability of the private sector to offer more jobs in greater numbers than in recent years.

More jobs means more income tax, more national insurance and more VAT into the Government’s coffers, which will hopefully help towards future public spending and eventually lead us out of austerity.

Previously...

I’ll work hard to enhance open spaces

Two women are in hospital with serious injuries after a crash involving two cars on the A16 in Surfleet

The collision happened near Spalding Golf Club shortly after 12.30pm on Saturday and involved a Skoda Yeti and a Ford B Max.

A 71 year-old woman from Spalding who was driving the Ford went to Pilgrim Hospital, Boston, while a 34 year-old woman from Sussex who was driving the Skoda was flown to Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham.

Although both drivers suffered serious injuries, passengers in both cars escaped without serious injury.

The road was closed for five and a half hours while both cars were recovered and it was eventually reopened at 6pm.

Anyone with information should call the Lincolnshire Police Collision Witness Hotline on 01522 558855.

Food has been a major focus at Donington’s Thomas Cowley High School this month.

Teachers put the sizzle into summer with the 14th annual Thomas Cowley Staff Cook of the Year Competition, the school’s own take on MasterChef.

Past winner Vanessa Majer, partnered by skivvy Nicola Arnold, took the title in the last of her 14 years at the school.

Competition organiser Diane Jenney said: “Vanessa’s table was just amazing.”

Skivvy of the year went to Lois Morris, working alongside last year’s cook winner Katy Smith.

Eighty guests sampled the fabulous fare on offer at the school when residents joined The Big Lunch.

The Big Lunch initiative went hand in hand with a move to see students eating more healthily, Let’s Get Fruity, and every pupil was provided with fresh fruit for a whole week.

Guests were also given seeds so they can raise plants to be used in the school’s new community garden.

The jury in trial of six teenagers accused of the murder of Spalding man Warren Free are to continue their deliberations into a fourth day tomorrow (Tuesday).

The jury of six men and six women, who retired on Thursday at the end of a four week trial, spent today (Monday) continuing to deliberate without returning any verdicts before they were sent home for the night by the trial judge Mr Justice Goss.

The prosecution alleges that 43 year-old Mr Free suffered fatal injuries after he confronted a group of teenagers in the early hours of the morning about noise they were making in a park at the rear of his home in Coronation Close, Spalding.

It is alleged that Mr Free was kicked, punched and stamped on by the teenagers before a 15 year old girl struck him over the head several times with a metal pole.

He went home to bed but friends were later unable to rouse him. An ambulance was called and he was airlifted to hospital but passed away within 24 hours from a head injury.

Six teenagers all deny the murder of Warren Free on August 29, 2014. Three of the defendants, including a girl, were 14 at the time while the others were a girl of 15 and a 16 year old together with Jake Edwards, now 18.

A boy, who was 14 at the time, denies a charge of perverting the course of justice relating to the disposal of the metal pole in the Coronation Channel in Spalding. A second boy, aged 16 at the time, has admitted perverting the course of justice.

None of the defendants gave evidence to the jury. Barristers representing the defendants have argued that the accused whom the prosecution claim were involved in violence towards Mr Free acted lawfully either in their own self defence or in the defence of others in the group. Others are said not to have been involved at all and claim to have been innocent bystanders.

Before the local councils...

South Holland

District Council

S Smith, Primrose Farm, Maisdyke Lane, Fleet. Conversion of barn to dwelling.

J L Farms, Fulney Farm Centre, Low Fulney. Roof mounted solar PV system.

Mr and Mrs P Clery, Curlew Court, Guys Head road, Sutton Bridge. Details condition compliance.

Mr and Mrs P Verey and Mrs C Lewsey, Church Lane, Moulton. Change of use of agricultural building to dwelling.

S Betts, 185 Railway Lane South, Sutton Bridge. Two four bed chalet bungalows.

Bells Day Nursery, The Offices, Quadring Road, Gosberton. Change of use of offices to day nursery.

A Bristow, adj 109 Albion Street, Spalding. Details of condition compliance.

G Andrew, 11 Culpins Close, Spalding. Sun lounge and utility extension with garage conversion.

E Moore, land between Harvest Lodge and Sycamore View, Station Road, Gedney Hill. Residential development.

University Academy Holbeach playing fields, off Park Road, Holbeach. Tarmac footpath between school buildings.

N Savage, 1 Park Road, Weston. Vehicular access.

J Avill, 11 Wood Bank, Deeping St Nicholas. Extension and conversion of garage into annexe.

Mr S Taylor, 4 Albert Avenue, Gedney. Extension.

Premier Newsagents, 88 Little London, Spalding. Install ATM machine and illuminated fascia sign.

D Brown Building Contractors, off Needham Drive, Sutton St James. Four bungalows (modification of condition to allow amendments to previously approved plans.

South Kesteven 
District Council

Roberts, 10 Haconby Lane, Morton. Extension.

Robert Watts Ltd, Black House Farm, 5A South Fen Road, Bourne. Install 200kw ground mounted photovoltaic array.

Round, 24 Churchill Avenue, Bourne. Extension.

J J Homes, Tate Barn, Rippingale. Detached garage.

Gladstone, 5 East Gate, Bourne. Crown reduction of five lime trees.

Esso Petroleum Co Ltd, North Street Garage, Bourne. Install ancillary non-illuminated and externally illuminated signage.

Webster, 13 Northorpe, Thurlby. Listed building consent for porch and extension.

Maynard, 23 Crowson Way, Deeping St James. Extension.

Boston Borough Council

Smith, Holme-leigh, Coles Lane, Swineshead. Extension.

Ward, adj Threeways, North End, Swineshead. Amendments to position of proposed dwelling.

Aldread, 3 Birch Close, Wyberton. Works to trees in conservation area.

Ogle-Welbourn, The Old Bakehouse, Gauntlet Road, Bicker. Works to trees in conservation area.

An approved dealer of Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles has formally opened a new £2.2 million facility near Spalding.

The new dealership of Intercounty Truck and Van, is based at a three-acre site at Old Station Yard, in Station Road, Sutterton.

Intercounty sells and supports the award-winning Mercedes-Benz truck and van ranges, along with FUSO Canter light trucks.

At the heart of the facility is a comprehensively equipped workshop which is open around-the-clock, seven-days-a-week, and supported by a fully stocked parts department.

The dealership’s opening marks the fulfilment of a long-held dream for depot manager Paul Slater and his 30-strong team, who were struggling for space at their previous home in Boston.

The firm is now looking to recruit additional members of staff to handle the anticipated increase in business.

The facility was launched last Wednesday, with scores of established and prospective customers attending, along with senior representatives of Mercedes-Benz UK.

“We had a fantastic day and the feedback from operators was hugely encouraging,” said dealer principal Steve Shakespeare.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks MD Mike Belk said: “In terms of visibility and presence, as well as capability, this is exactly the kind of landmark facility that we are encouraging our dealer partners to develop.”

The number of amputations carried out due to diabetes has reached an all-time high of 135 a week, a charity has warned, as it urged the Government to do more to ensure those with the condition are given the care and attention they need.

Diabetes UK said that despite a big focus on preventing these amputations, the rate is rising due to the huge increase in the number of people developing the condition, which is often linked to being overweight.

The charity wants people to tweet Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt about the issue, using the hashtag #135shoes to highlight the fact that the feet are particularly at risk.

It has calculated the figure using new Public Health England data, which show the annual number of diabetes-related amputations in England is now more than 7,000 compared to the previous 6,677, equating to seven more amputations each week.

To highlight the grisly statistics the charity is displaying 135 shoes to represent the number of diabetes-related amputations being carried out a week.

They have been donated from people who have had an amputation, along with supporters and celebrities including former Spice Girl Mel C and singer Alexandra Burke.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “Diabetes leads to too many amputations every week in the UK and we have committed to doing more to prevent people getting the disease in the first place.

“That’s why we have launched the first-ever large scale programme to help prevent type 2 Diabetes, and we encourage everyone to take up foot checks that are offered to them by the NHS.”

Barbara Young, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, said: “The fact that the total number of amputations is continuing to rise is a huge concern because we know the devastating impact they have on people’s lives. As well as the psychological impact, they also cost lives as most people die within five years of having one.

“We have seen some areas making real efforts to improve the poor state of diabetes footcare, but these figures are a stark reminder that there is still so much more to be done. For example, not enough people are receiving their annual foot check and those who do often tell us their check was not very thorough. This means they don’t understand their risk of amputation, how to look after their feet or the urgency of getting help if their foot deteriorates.

“We need urgent action to address this, and with the shoes on display today we want to send a powerful message about the scale of this issue. The vast majority of these amputations are not inevitable and we need people to show us they care about what is happening and take action to help us help many more people avoid the trauma of amputation. That’s why we’re asking people to tweet the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, about this using #135shoes.

For more information on this and other ways to get involved visit our {https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Get_involved/Campaigning/Our-campaigns/Putting-feet-first/|Putting Feet First campaign webpage|go to www.diabetes.org.uk}

A women’s refuge serving south Lincolnshire has received a donation of baby clothes thanks to an appeal launched in Spalding.

Two boxes of baby clothes were delivered to the Boston Women’s Aid, which helps women experiencing domestic abuse which prevents them from living safely in their homes.

Ella’s Project was launched by a Spalding couple who wanted to make use of clothes their 21-month-old daughter had grown out of and help those less fortunate.

Mark and Sarah Le Sage set up collection points around town with the aim of making their first donation to the Boston Women’s Aid refuge.

Mr Le Sage said: “We named the project after our daughter because we had already donated some of her clothes to the refuge.

“It got us thinking about how we could help other people in need.”

Linked with Mark’s charity, The Rightside Trust, which supports raising awareness among young people of the consequences of crime, the project is ongoing.

Mr Le Sage said: “We are so grateful to everyone who has helped us, including a number of businesses and Spalding Round Table, who donated £200 towards costs. We like to help where we can so anyone who has lots of unwanted clothes and doesn’t know what to do with them, please keep them coming.”

Collection points include Munchkins Nursery, Tulip Radio, The Ivy Wall, Hills Department Store, Spalding Travel, Spalding Swimming Pool, Tonic Health, The Garden Cafe Baytree, the Ayscoughfee Cafe, Grays of Holbeach, A Time To Remember Tea Rooms and Silverwood Garden Centre. Email Mark at pepmls@aol.com

A three vehicle collision has closed the A15 at Glinton this morning, Tuesday July 21.

The road is blocked at its junction with the B1443, Helpston Road.

Police were called at 8.20am and said the road is closed from the Glinton roundabout while vehicle recovery takes place.

The East of England Ambulance Service were called and said one man had suffered minor injuries.

Householders in South Holland will shortly receive a form asking them to check whether the information that appears on the electoral register for those living at their address is correct.

The forms are being sent out as part of South Holland District Council’s annual voter registration canvass.

The aim of the initiative is to ensure that the electoral register is up to date and to identify any residents who are not registered so that they can be encouraged to do so.

With Police and Crime Commissioner elections taking place across Lincolnshire in May 2016, this is an opportunity for residents to make sure that when the elections take place they will easily be able to take part.

Anna Graves, electoral registration pfficer at South Holland District Council, said: “Anyone that wants to vote must be registered. To make sure you are able to have your say at the elections next year, simply check the form when it arrives and return it as promptly as possible.

“If you’re not currently registered, we’ll send you information explaining how to do this or you can just go online to apply to register at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.”

It’s particularly important that anyone who has moved address recently looks out for the form and checks whether they are registered.

Research by the independent Electoral Commission indicates that across Great Britain, recent home movers are far less likely to be registered than those that have lived at the same address for a long time.

The research showed that 94 per cent of people who have been at their property for more than 16 years will be registered compared to 40 per cent of people who have lived at an address for less than one year.

The same research indicates that whilst almost 95 per cent of outright home owners are registered, this is the case for only 63 per cent of private renters.

Kay Jenkins, head of English regions at the Electoral Commission, said: “The annual canvass is an opportunity for people to easily check whether they’re registered.

“It’s essential for a healthy democracy that everyone who is entitled to vote is able to, and for those who need to, registering is now easier than ever with the online system of registration.

“If you have changed address in the last year, it’s particularly likely that you will need to register at your new address, so check the form as soon as it arrives.”

Any residents who have any questions can contact the elections team at 01775 761161.

A procession by the Syro Malabar community carrying colourful parasols welcomed Bishop George Rajendran Kuttinadar to Spalding on Monday, when he led a mass at St Norbert’s Roman Catholic Church.

Bishop George, pictured here with Father Jim Burke and members of the congregation, is based in Thuckalay, India, and had officiated the previous day at a mass in Walsingham, when nearly 5,000 people gathered at the shrine to Our Lady.
He said: “It was a wonderful experience for me for the first time to come to England and to be in a holy place with thousands of Catholic pilgrims.”

The traditional procession of welcome in Spalding started out from The South Holland Centre and finished at St Norbert’s, travelling along Market Place, Hall Place, Sheep Market, The Crescent, Spring Gardens and St Thomas’s Road.

Police have warned people living in Stamford, Bourne and the Deepings to be vigilant for doorstop sellers.

People have reported visits from a gang nicknamed Nottingham Knockers in the past few days. PCSO Graeme Parrott said sellers required a pedlar’s certificate and not just the homemade ID card they usually provided.

He added: “Unfortunately most sellers do not hold a valid certificate so are committing an offence.”

Just two years after a disqualification for drink-driving, Crowland man Dovel Claud Wallace Taylor (38) has again lost his licence, this time for three years.

Taylor, of James Road, admitted driving while over the legal alcohol level on July 5.

Magistrates heard how officers followed a car being driven erratically through Bourne.

Daniel Paulson, prosecuting, said: “It was weaving across the road and slowing down and speeding up for no apparent reason.”

It was after the car, a Chrysler Cruiser, pulled into the car park of the Red Lion pub that officers approached him.

Taylor blew 75 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, more than twice the legal limit of 35mcg.

Representing himself, Taylor told magistrates he had had a few drinks with friends.

He added: “I didn’t think I’d had enough to put me over the limit.

“So I have to accept what it is, what can I say?”

Currently receiving income support, Taylor was fined £110 and ordered to pay a £20 victim surcharge and a £150 criminal courts charge, in addition to the 36-month driving ban.

Costs against him were waived due to his limited income.

A Spalding pensioner isn’t going to claim his £285,000 winnings on something calling itself the European Postcode Lottery because he’s convinced it’s a scam.

Colin Tuffs received his award notification letter this morning (Tuesday) – which was a big surprise because he hadn’t even entered the draw.

He said: “I suppose they are targeting old age pensioners because I am 75.”

The letter says there will be a one per cent charge paid to the claims company for processing his win, which would amount to £2,850 in Colin’s case, but he’s not going to call the number on the letter.

Colin, a retired machinery salesman for the construction industry, said: “I just wanted you to warn your readers.”

He said he could “use £285,000” if it came his way.

“I would put it in my back pocket because I am from Yorkshire,” he said.

Colin, from Helmsley Way, says he’s checked with near neighbours and none of them has received a similar letter but he suspects some people who receive them will be taken in and could end up being scammed. The letter says the award resulted from a tax free draw from a computer ballot system drawn from more than 3,000,000 people worldwide.