A motorist says he was horrified when he saw the standard of resurfacing work being carried out on a Spalding street.

The reader, who called the Spalding Guardian, is concerned “loose chippings left scattered on Albion Street” could damage cars or hurt pedestrians.

He said: “It’s a mess. There’s gaps and it’s spread onto the pavements. As a motorist, I’m tired of the poor job highways are doing.

“Loose chippings are damaging cars. And by the look of it, there’s more to come.”

Debra Greaves, area highways manager, said: “Albion Street was part surface-dressed on Tuesday, and work had to stop due to the wet weather. The contractors were due to return yesterday to complete the works.

“As part of surface-dressing, loose chippings may be left on the road for a short time, and cars are advised to drive slowly, and adhere to a 20mph speed limit. The road will be swept several times to complete the works and any mess on the road or pavements will be tidied up.”

Work also started on resurfacing Double Street on Sunday and is due to continue over the next two Sundays, including the Bank Holiday weekend.

Dave Higgins, landlord of the nearby Lincolnshire Poacher, said: “I’m pleased the work is being done, but I can understand why someone complained.

“The resurfaced road is not levelled and rain water is not reaching the drain. Water off the road will flood the pavements and cause problems during the winter.

“The oversized pebbles in the middle of the road have not yet moulded into the tar, which may cause cracking.

“The work affected my business on Sunday when I had live music, but it will be further down next time so hopefully people will not be put off coming.”

A young driver is raising money for the helicopter heroes who saved his life after he was critically injured in a road crash.

Holbeach man Adam Brooker (23) received potentially fatal head and internal injuries when his works van was crushed by a lorry.

Magpas Helimedix stabilised Adam while he was trapped in the wreckage but, after he was freed by firefighters, a doctor from the team placed him in a medically induced coma at the roadside.

He was flown to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, where surgeons operated for six-and-a-half hours to remove two blood clots from his brain. Adam spent eight days in intensive care and finally came out of Addenbrooke’s a month later.

The crash happened at about 7.30am on October 8 on the A47 at Wansford and it has taken ten months for Adam’s shattered body to be repaired.

Adam’s journey back to health involved learning to read again, a skill he lost because of his brain injury.

He’s due to begin a phased return to work next week but he’s already planning a 50-mile sponsored bike ride with his dad, Reece (51), and 11 pals. They will ride from Holbeach to the Magpas air base at RAF Wyton on September 26 to raise cash for Magpas.

Adam said: “I have set a target of £1,200. Each flight costs £600. They came out to me at the roadside and then they flew me to Addenbrooke’s so I want to pay for my travel.”

Adam was on his usual morning commute to work as an engineer in Leicester when he had his brush with death.

His mum, Lorna (53), was at work when the call came through and soon afterwards there was a police car on her driveway and she thought the worst. She recalls screaming at the police officer Mark Lappin “is he dead?”, but he assured her he had just come from the scene and that Adam was being taken to hospital.

Lorna and Reece were “blue-lighted” in a police car to Addenbrooke’s by PC Lappin, who told them: “I have got children and I would want to be there.”

The couple saw Adam at 1.20pm and Lorna recalls: “He just looked as if he was asleep.”

But their “sleeping” son had a catalogue of injuries as well as blood clots on the brain.

His injuries included:

n A fractured skull

n Lung puncture wounds

n Cuts to his liver

n A shattered right shoulder

n A broken right arm

n A broken right leg along with a deep cut to the bone

Once he had turned the corner, Adam was given a book by his partner Emma Barclay (21).

He said: “I was trying to read this book but I was looking at it blank and I couldn’t read it. I had some speech therapy and that sort of thing and at the end of December I got my reading back. It was kind of like learning to read again.”

As well as raising money for Magpas, the Brooker family will fundraise for Addenbrooke’s – perhaps with a ball or a disco – as a thank you for the hospital’s outstanding care. Adam was staggered to learn Magpas relies on donations as it receives no official Government funding.

He said: “Everyone should support Magpas – you never know when you might need them. I am so grateful. Without them I’m not so sure I would be here today.”

Lorna said: “I seriously think if it wasn’t for Magpas, Adam would have been brain damaged.”

n You can support Adam’s Magpas ride by visiting www.justgiving.com/Adam
-Brooker

The following decisions have been made 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 here are taken from the legal records held by the magistrates’ courts.

Boston Magistrates’ Court

July 8

Lee Allden (39), of Hurdletree Bank, Spalding. Assault (Whaplode St Catherine). £350 fine, £35 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c.

James Dooley (31), of Town Drove, Quadring. Resisted a police office (Quadring). £335 fine, £34 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c.

Jaroslaw Misiak (30), of Red Lion Street, Spalding. Drink driving (Boston). £110 fine, £20 v/s, £45 costs, £150 c/c/c, disqualified from driving for 12 months.

Luke Purvis (19), of Oxford Gardens, Spalding. Stole baby milk and cereal worth £13.99 belonging to Tesco (Holbeach). Six months conditional discharge. No insurance (Holbeach). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c, 6pts. No separate penalty for driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

Leszek Krzyczkowski (55), of Albion Street, Spalding. Stole vitamin tablets worth £42.92 belonging to Boots (Spalding). 12 months conditional discharge, £15 v/s, £15 costs, £150 c/c/c.

Vygintas Staniulis (44), of Cherry Tree Grove, Spalding. Drink driving (Spalding). £415 fine, £42 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c, disqualified from driving for 26 months.

Jason Whetstone (45), of Stennet Avenue, Spalding. Drink driving (Spalding). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 24 months. No insurance. £200 fine. No separate penalty for driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

Deividas Kolesovas (23), of Holbeach Road, Spalding. Assault (Spalding). 12 months conditional discharge, £15 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c.

Krzystof Rorzycki (53), of Knight Street, Pinchbeck. Four counts of assault (Spalding). Community order with 200 hours unpaid work, £60 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c.

Piotr Wroblewski (49), of Crocus Walk, Spalding. Carrying an offence weapon in a public place (Spalding). £280 fine, £28 v/s, £85 costs, £180 c/c/c, hammer to be forfeited and destroyed. Used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour. £150 fine.

July 13

Robert Carter-Surridge (28), of St Mary’s Drive Sutterton. Drink driving (Boston). £150 fine, £20 v/s, £125 costs, disqualified from driving for 20 months. Possession of amphetamine (Boston). £100 fine, drug to be forfeited and destroyed.

Philip Coupland (40) of Water Gate, Spalding. Assault (Pinchbeck). Community order, restraining order, £100 compensation, £60 v/s, £620 costs.

Grantham Magistrates’ Court

July 14

Daniel Jackson (23), of Whitstone Hill Close, Oldham, Lancs. Driving without due care and attention (Fosdyke). £450 fine, £45 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 6 months.

Colin Brown (43), of Peat Road, Glasgow. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £135 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Stephen McCooey (25), of Tullynanwood Road, Darkley, Armagh. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £80 fine, £20 v/s, 3pts.

Jonathan Reeve (40), of Strawberry Fields Drive, Holbeach St Marks. Driving without due care and attention (Spalding). £400 fine, £40 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Adam Underwood (29), of Monmouth Road, Northampton. Speeding (Baston). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Roger Wint (58), of Ashfield Green, Eye, Suffolk. Speeding (Whaplode). £65 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Lincoln Magistrates’ Court

July 4

Marcin Zieminski (27), of Kings Road, Spalding. Used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour (Spalding). £160 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c. No separate penalty for failing to surrender to custody.

July 6

Andrew shepherd (51), of Washway Road, Spalding. Speeding (Holbeach). £400 fine, £40 v/s, £85 costs, 5pts.

Kevin Smyth (37), of Beaumaris Avenue, Blackburn. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Karl Wells (41), of Portsmouth Road, Godalming. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Mihails Zacests (40), of Frampton Place, Boston. Speeding (Spalding). £80 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Sarmis Mic (23), of March Road, Wisbech. Speeding (Whaplode). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

July 8

Kerren Hackney (22), of Rural Avenue, West Pinchbeck. Used or threatened unlawful violence towards another and conduct was such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for her personal safety (Spalding). Six months prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, 200 hours unpaid work, £350 compensation, £80 v/s, £700 costs.

Callum Redden (19), of St Johns Road, Weston Hills. Used or threatened unlawful violence towards another and conduct was such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for her personal safety (Spalding). Community order with 100 hours unpaid work, £150 compensation, £60 v/s, £700 costs.

July 9

Sergej Maksimovs (27), of Winsover Road, Spalding. Stole a laptop worth £700 (Spalding). £165 fine, £200 compensation, £20 v/s.

July 14

Ian Morris (40), of Monks Road, Lincoln. Stole cosmetic and fragrance gift sets belonging to Boots (Bourne). 12 months conditional discharge. Carrying in a public place two articles which had a blade or were sharply pointed (Bourne). 6 weeks prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, £80 v/s, £85 costs, kitchen knife and Stanley blade to be forfeited and destroyed. Failing to surrender to custody (Grantham). 12 months conditional discharge.

A reveller had an expensive night out in King’s Lynn’s town centre after he admitted being drunk and disorderly.

Magistrates were told that police had been on duty outside Chicago’s in Norfolk Street on July 31 when Callum Sands (20) was heard to abuse one of the officers.

Alison Catterell, prosecuting, said that, although Sands denied it, he became aggressive after being challenged. When detained, he also tried to assault the officer. Sands, of Royal Close, Sutton Bridge, was also said to have told a custody officer: “I know I’m drunk and disorderly.”

Mitigating at the hearing on Thursday, Sands told the bench he had been out for the evening with work colleagues, but “couldn’t really remember” the incident. However, a letter was handed in from his mother, saying he had changed his behaviour since the incident.

Sands was fined £120 and told to pay a £150 criminal courts charge, £85 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

Police, fire and ambulance services were called a road crash where a car landed on its roof in a field.

The accident happened on the A152 between Surfleet and Gosberton on Sunday afternoon.

Police say no one was injured and the car owner arranged for recovery of the vehicle.

With just over a month left to take part, Lincolnshire County Council is encouraging people to have their say in a consultation about what people are asked to pay towards non-residential care.

The council is reviewing its non-residential adult care contributions policy to align it more closely with new national guidelines.

You can share your views by filling in the online questionnaire at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/adultcare and following the link to the contributions consultation.

Proposed changes include:

l Making it clearer what happens to contributions from service users when care is cancelled.

l Making the date that contributions start the same for everyone.

l Simplifying disability expenses by awarding them on a banded level for new customers.

l Financially assessing contributions against the full cost of care, and removing the weekly maximum charge for non-residential care and support services.

l Charging a flat fee for arranging a care package for people who pay for their own care, where they request the council to do so.

The council is holding events around the county to answer people’s questions and a rundown of frequently asked questions has been added to the council website.

Coun Patricia Bradwell, executive member for adult care, said: “People on the lowest incomes would not see any changes to their contributions. If you are assessed as not having the finances to pay for your care, you will not be asked to do so.”

If you need alternative formats or would like to receive the consultation documents by post, call 01522 782486.

The consultation will close on September 28.

I was interested to read your recent article about bringing life to Spalding in the early evening.

I also read the article about the alleged illegal trading of alcohol and would like to draw your readers’ attention to the condition of the so-called off licence.

I do not know who the councillor is for that ward, but they should visit and walk that area. It is a disgrace. The pavement needs a thorough overhaul, the litter cleared and the area given a general spruce up.

Perhaps a discussion with property owners to improve the appearance of their properties would also help.

The council, however, must first look to its responsibilities. It is sadly failing in this area.

If we can get the rundown areas of this town cleaned and more pride brought back, then we would have a town in which people would be proud to live.

It is very unpleasant to walk that area to Springfields.

Take up the gauntlet please South Holland District Council – and look to your laurels. It would be pertinent to remember “progress through endeavour”.

Previously...

Spalding store had alcohol licence revoked for selling counterfeit booze and illicit cigarettes

In reference the article in the Spalding Guardian (Thursday, August 13) entitled ‘Changing times for our market towns’, I note that it has taken a report by retail consultants to come to similar conclusions to those that I raised in my published letter of September 23, 2014.

This was in response to the request for ‘big ideas for the future of Spalding’ and I am sure the other points now in this report were probably also put forward by other people at that time.

How much this report cost is not stated, but I doubt it was cheap.

I totally agree with the idea that a variety of shops is needed in the town centre. We really need more in the way of British food retailers, such as grocers and greengrocers, to fill some of the empty premises that litter our high street.

It seems ridiculous that, in an area where vegetables are grown, one has to rely on the supermarkets for these on non-market days.

Hopefully with this latest report, when combined with the earlier responses to the 2014 request, it will enable the necessary improvements to be made to the town centre.

In the earlier part of his life, my father got milk from a cow.

He would sit on a one-legged stool that was shaped like a capital T. I remember watching my dad as he rested his forehead against the cow’s flank, before uttering soothing words like “cush, then, cush, suthen, cush, cush...”, and the cow let the milk come.

The warm milk was strained through muslin into a tall white jug to get odd bits of straw and dirt out of it, and then we used it.

I, on the other hand, get milk from a glass bottle or a plastic container.

A few days ago, I went into a local supermarket. I was a bit disappointed not to find a pretty little heifer gambolling around in the milk aisle but, while I was there, I looked at the price of milk.

Ordinary fresh milk was priced at 45 pence for one pint, 75 pence for two pints and 89 pence for four pints.

Now, if one pint costs 45 pence, why doesn’t a two-pint container cost 90 pence and the four-pint container cost £1.80?

If this was the case, our dairy farmers would get the extra 15 pence and 91 pence?

An emergency extension of the minor injury service at Spalding’s Johnson Hospital to take in minor illnesses will end on Friday.

Ginny Blackoe, general manager for the South Business Unit at Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust, who run the minor injuries unit at Johnson Community Hospital, said: “The extension of the minor injury service to cover minor illnesses to ease the 2014/15 winter pressures is coming to an end this week.

“The illness service will be ending on Friday but the service to patients with minor injuries from the unit will continue as normal.

“The provision of an illness service from the Johnson Hospital site was a temporary measure during the winter pressure period. Please be advised that the minor injury service and out of hours service for Saturday and Sunday and Bank Holidays will run as normal.

“Please do not forget that if you have a minor illness or injury you can still ring the 111 service and visit your local pharmacist for advice and information.”

Action Fraud – the national cyber crime reporting centre – has issued a warning about buying pets advertised for sale via popular online auction websites.

The centre has noticed a rise in reports concerning the purchase of pets in Lincolnshire, in particular puppies.

The fraudsters will place an advert of the pet for sale, claiming to have recently moved abroad and the need to re-home the puppies.

Once a sale is agreed and payment is made, usually by money transfer or bank transfer, the pet does not materialise. The fraudster will usually ask for further advanced payments for courier charges, shipping fees or vet bills.

Protect yourself:

* Stay within the auction guidelines. Be wary of paying fees via a money service bureau, such as MoneyGram and Western Union.

* Consider conducting research on other information provided by the seller; for example a mobile phone number or email address used by the seller could alert you to any negative information associated with this number online.

* Request details of the courier company being used and conduct enquiries regarding the company.

* Agree a suitable time to meet face to face to agree the purchase.

Be wary. If you think the purchase price is too good to be true then this is probably an indication that it is.

If you believe that you have been a victim of fraud you can report it online at www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud or by telephone on 0300 1232040.

A new, 12-week competition inviting people to take part in weekly fun activities is up and running – but there is still plenty of time to sign up.

SHout and About is run by South Holland District Council and includes arts, crafts, walking, exercise classes, cooking, gardening, dancing and much more.

By completing the activities, participants will be awarded points which go towards winning a series of prizes.

SHout and About started on Monday with participants taking part in a photography contest.

Next week’s activities will see competitors enjoying a series of free gardening sessions.

You can come along even if you have not signed up to the competition yet and learn about all types of gardening including growing your own fruit and vegetables.

On Wednesday, September 2 there are two workshops being delivered by one of the competition sponsors, Silverwood Garden Centre in Long Sutton.

From 10am to noon and between 2pm and 4pm the head gardener at Silverwood will run a potting workshop in which participants can make a hanging basket of pansies and herbs.

There are also workshops being delivered by master gardeners in Spalding, Crowland, Donington and Holbeach.

Participants can meet and talk with the master gardener and take home free pots to plant in their gardens.

The workshops are being held on Thursday, September 3 from 3.30pm-5pm at Holbeach Youth Club and at Crowland Youth Club from 6pm-7.30pm.

On Friday, September 4 workshops are being held from 3.30pm-5pm in Ayscoughfee Hall Gardens and from 6pm-7.30pm at the Ruby Hunt Centre in Donington.

For more information contact the council’s community development team on 01775 761161 or email shoutandabout@sholland.gov.uk.

This summer’s programme of Activate events held across South Holland has been hailed as a spectacular success.

The popular events, which are run by South Holland District Council’s community development team and Lincolnshire County Council’s youth services, took place in Gedney Drove End, Donington and Sutton Bridge earlier this month.

Almost 400 people attended the events which are aimed at giving young people aged between eight and 19 the chance to try a range of activities including arts and crafts, rowing machine sessions and wall climbing.

The three events benefited from warm weather, with many participants choosing to stay for the day and enjoying all of the activities.

Coun Gary Taylor, portfolio holder for community, said: “All three events were very well attended and our community team received a lot of positive feedback from participants.

“I would like to thank everyone who took part and also the organisers from our team and the Flinders Founders group at Donington who helped to ensure the programme was such a spectacular success.

“There are numerous events being held across South Holland this summer, many of which are listed in our popular Summer Fun brochure.”

The Summer Fun brochure is available for free from South Holland District Council’s offices in Priory Road, Spalding and various libraries and sports centres across the district. The brochure can also be viewed at www.sholland.gov.uk

For more information about Activate or Summer Fun contact South Holland District Council’s community development team on 01775 761161 or email communities@sholland.gov.uk

Patients are being reminded to order their repeat prescriptions early before the bank holiday weekend at the end of August.

South Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group is reminding patients to order and collect any repeat prescriptions as soon as possible as many pharmacies will be closed over the bank holiday weekend.

Dr Kevin Hill, Chair of NHS South Lincolnshire CCG, said: “Make sure you renew any regular prescriptions and collect medication before the holidays start as running out of daily medication over this period could have serious consequences for patients who rely on them to control heart and breathing problems.

“The last thing we want for our patients is having their bank holiday spoilt by not being able to take regular medication. For those with long-term health problems, taking daily medication is an important part of their treatment, and many are at risk of suffering serious attacks or hospital stays if medical supplies run out.

“So with this in mind South Lincolnshire CCG is appealing to patients, their families and carers to check now that they have enough daily medication to see them through the break. If they don’t, they should call into their pharmacist or local GP surgery in good time.”

If you become unwell over the bank holiday period or need medical advice when your GP surgery is closed, GP out-of-hours services can be accessed by calling NHS 111 free of charge. Bank holidays are noticeably busy times of year for the NHS so picking up a repeat prescription in advance could help keep staff free to deal with life-threatening emergencies.

The first Lincolnshire Transport Conference will take place on Friday, October 16 at the Springfield’s Event Centre in Spalding.

The theme of the conference will be “Connecting South Lincolnshire” with guest speakers from rail, road and bus operators including; directors from Virgin Trains, East Midlands Trains, Brylaine and Freshlincs as well as government spokespersons; who will inform delegates of the challenges facing Spalding’s infrastructure and their plans to better connect the area.

The conference will be opened by her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant for Lincolnshire Toby Dennis; followed by a full day of activity, finishing at 4pm. Delegates will have the opportunity to network with colleagues, sharing and learning from each other’s experiences.

The event is organised by The Spalding and Peterborough Transport Forum and the Spalding and District Chamber of Commerce.

Phil Scarlett, president of Spalding and District Chamber of Commerce, said: “Many businesses in South Holland are anticipating substantial growth in the coming years and it’s important that we have the infrastructure in place to sustain this growth.

“I have been urging government to upgrade the A16 as it will not sustain this growth and we are in danger of stifling business growth. However this business growth doesn’t just rely on one road and we need to ensure that we are better linked to the rest of the country.”

To book your place at £15, which includes lunch, please contact Emily Foreman at the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce on: 01522 523333 or email: emily.foreman@lincs-chamber.co.uk

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can spread to other organs in the body.

The most common sign of melanoma is the appearance of a new mole or a change in an existing mole. This can happen anywhere on the body, but the back, legs, arms and face are most commonly affected.

In most cases, melanomas have an irregular shape and more than one colour. They may also be larger than normal moles and can sometimes be itchy or bleed.

An “ABCDE checklist” has been developed for people to tell the difference between a normal mole and a melanoma..

Melanoma happens when some cells in the skin begin to develop abnormally. It is thought that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from natural or artificial sources may be partly responsible.

Certain things can increase your chances of developing melanoma, such as having:

n lots of moles or freckles

n pale skin that burns easily

n red or blonde hair

n a family member who has had melanoma

See your GP if you notice any change to your moles. Your GP will refer you to a specialist clinic or hospital if they think you have melanoma.

In most cases, a suspicious mole will be surgically removed and studied to see if it is cancerous. This is known as a biopsy.

You may also have a test to check if melanoma has spread elsewhere in your body. This is known as a sentinel node biopsy.

The main treatment for melanoma is surgery, although your treatment will depend on your circumstances.

If melanoma is diagnosed and treated at an early stage, surgery is usually successful.

If melanoma isn’t diagnosed until an advanced stage, treatment is mainly used to slow the spread of the cancer and reduce symptoms. This usually involves medicines, such as chemotherapy.

Once you have had melanoma, there is a chance it may return. This risk is increased if your cancer was widespread and severe.

If your cancer team feels there is a significant risk of your melanoma returning, you will probably need regular check-ups to monitor your health. You will also be taught how to examine your skin and lymph nodes to help detect melanoma if it returns.

Melanoma is the 5th most common cancer in the UK with around 13,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed each year.

More than a quarter of cases are diagnosed in people under 50, which is unusual compared to most other types of cancer. It’s also becoming more common in the UK over time, thought to be caused by increased exposure to UV light from the sun and sunbeds.

More than 2,000 people die every year in the UK from melanoma.

Melanoma is not always preventable, but you can reduce your chances of developing it by limiting your exposure to UV light.

You can help protect yourself from sun damage by using sunscreen and dressing sensibly in the sun. Sunbeds and sunlamps should also be avoided.

Regularly checking your moles and freckles can help lead to an early diagnosis and increase your chances of successful treatment.

More information about melanoma can be found on www.nhs.uk

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) East is urging the region’s farmers and landowners to remain vigilant against possible unlicensed musical events on their land this Bank Holiday weekend.

It follows the rave on May 23 and 24 which saw around 1,000 people descend on land at Twyford Woods.

CLA East are advising its members to reduce the risk of any illegal activity occurring in empty and remote buildings, by ensuring they are secure and regularly monitored.

They also recommend that access to land is restricted wherever possible by the use of locked gates, and that landowners, farmers and their employees report any unusual activity around buildings or land to police.

This includes:

* any information that an illegal rave is taking place

* any sightings of vans, lorries or large numbers of vehicles gathering near woods, rural car parks or near to disused buildings/warehouse

* sightings of fliers advertising raves

* broken padlocks on access gates to areas where a rave may take place.

CLA East regional director Ben Underwood said: “Illegal raves cause a great deal of disruption to local communities, with the resulting mess causing considerable harm to both wildlife and the environment.

“These illegal gatherings can also create unnecessary problems for landowners, who could fall victim to considerable clean-up costs and expensive repairs to outbuildings.

“We urge farmers and landowners to help the police by reporting any suspicious activity, as early intervention and good local intelligence can prevent these illegal events from taking place.

“Officers find it much harder to shut down a rave once it has already started so if you spot anyone suspicious on rural land or a number of unfamiliar vehicles in your area, then please report any such activity on the non-emergency number of 101 as soon as possible.”

More bogus calls purporting to be from district and county council’s has sparked a further warning for people across Lincolnshire to be vigilant against scammers.

Lincolnshire Trading Standards is renewing the appeal after putting it out last month (July), after more people have reported being called by the county council.

The Boston Standard received a message on its Facebook from one person who had received such a call and had contacted Lincolnshire County Council to check its validity.

They said: “People are calling landlines claiming to work on behalf of Lincolnshire county council stating they can help if you have has an accident. It seems a lot of people are.”

They received a reply from the council confirming they had been the target of a similar scam a few weeks ago.

They confirmed the scammers hadbeen able to link their calls through to the switchboard number so if anyone rang for conformation they got through to Lincolnshire County Council switchboard.

They said: “Our IT department is aware of the issue, and we have also contacted Trading Standards to inform them of this issue again.”

Boston Borough Council have also tweeted out a warning today (Wednesday) about the scammers and a spokesman told the council that members of staff at the authority had received calls.

However, they added the scammers had been given short shrift by those who called and told they were calling staff of the council - to which they immediately hung up.

In each case the caller claims that they are calling from the council about an accident that happened last year, sometimes suggesting that it may be possible to claim compensation.

Kirsty Toyne, principal trading standards officer at Lincolnshire Trading Standards warns people not to fall for the scam:

“If you receive a phone call like this one please just hang up. Lincolnshire County Council will never contact you in this way so you know it’s a bogus call.

“It’s not clear what the fraudsters will do with any information gained so please do not give out any of your personal information to them. Just put the phone down”

Other scams include telling people there has been illegal activity on their computers in order to access and lock them, demanding payment in return for access to their property.

People also purport to be from police, bank officials or a representative of HMRC - and some have even tried to convince people they are from charities.

If you have been affected by the scam, please contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk

You can find out the latest scam warnings by following @Lincsts or like Lincolnshire Trading Standards on Facebook.

Lincolnshire Police have said that missing Huyton teen Michael Smith - who had links to the Lincolnshire area - has been found safe and well after going missing for over a week.

Merseyside Police had been looking for Michael, 16, who had not been seen or heard from since Tuesday, August 18.

Police have thanked the public for their assistance.

A health trust is offering support for Lincolnshire families who want to live a healthy lifestyle.

The school nurses in Lincolnshire Community Health Services Trust carry are developing a new programme to help the families of children who are overweight or obese.

Wendy Burton, from the trust, said: “The School Nursing Service can offer families much needed support and advice, and perhaps some new ideas on how to ensure our children grow into healthy adults.”

Visit {http://www.lincolnshirecommunityhealthservices.nhs.uk|www.lincolnshirecommunityhealthservices.nhs.uk}.