A leading criminal defence solicitor has told a court that banning someone from driving in Lincolnshire was much more severe for that person than if they lived in London or some other city where they could just get a bus or cycle to work. David Eager, who is head of the Criminal Department at law firm Andrew Jay & Co, ...

A plan to re-open a village’s last pub and incorporate a village shop has been given a boost. Gedney Dyke campaigners have successfully lobbied to have The Chequers public house listed as an Asset of Community Value by South Holland District Council at the second time of asking. It came just days before the authority’s planning committee were due to ...

A councillor’s fears over the introduction of the Universal Credit system he likened to the poll tax has been addressed amid concerns over how parts of South Holland District Council is run. Coun Chris Brewis raised the concerns at the meeting of the authority’s Governance and Audit Committee last Thursday, July 26. As reported in last week’s edition of The ...

Spalding is set to get a new supermarket. Plans for a Lidl superstore on the site of the former Welland Hospital were approved by the South Holland District Council Planning Committee last week. Across the 1.04-hectare site, which also encompasses the former Bettinson Garage, a 1,325sqm supermarket with car park for 148 cars, servicing area, landscaping and associated works has ...

The athletic exploits of a familiar face at Holbeach Football Club have helped a local charity. Whiskers took part in the annual Sue Ryder Mascot Gold Cup which was held at Wetherby Racecourse earlier this year. Trustees of the Holbeach United Sports Academy decided to donate the £750 raised through sponsorship to the Callum Pite Smile Charity which was created ...

Two local groups have got behind a fundraising drive for a four-year-old girl who has been diagnosed with cancer. Jocelyn Leaver, of Skegness, has been diagnosed with neuroblastoma and has a watermelon-sized tumour in her stomach. Anglia Motel, Fleet, owner Harold Payne saw her featured on a local news programme and wanted to do something. So he took the World ...

After raising a substantial sum for The Respite Association, Sainsbury’s Spalding has named its latest charity partner. Following a vote by the store’s customers, cancer charity Macmillan will be the latest to benefit from the Local Charity scheme which is in its 10th year. The Macmillan fundraising drive will officially be launched this weekend. It follows the collections and fund ...

Victims of domestic abuse in South Holland will now be directed towards a new service as of this week. Lincolnshire County Council has recommissioned the service it offers for those experiencing problems at home. The provider of these services across the whole county is now West Lincolnshire Domestic Abuse Service (WLDAS). Referrals to the Service for support will primarily be ...

Two members of the Holbeach branch of the Royal British Legion are to join thousands on a pilgrimage of remembrance in Belgium. Rhys Midwinter and Michael Barter will take part in the Great Pilgrimage 90 (GP90), parade around World War One battlefields which culminates in a ceremony in Ypres. The event marking the Hundred Days Offensive takes place from August ...

Some of South Holland’s top young talents have been recognised for their school achievements by the Spalding Lions. Every year the group asks schools to nominate a student for their Walk Tall awards for those whose achievements have stood out for a host of different reasons. Over the last few weeks the of school term the Lions visited the schools ...

Almost 40 firefighters from crews around the area tackled a blaze in Long Sutton last night (Tuesday). A Long Sutton resident said she “heard a really loud explosion” at around midnight. Lincolnshire Fire and Rescuse said 39 firefighters extinguished a burning garage, three cars and “adjoining living area”. Fire crews from Long Sutton, Holbeach, Spalding, Wisbech, Terrington & West Walton ...

Grab a trowel, the second annual Festival of Archaeology takes place this weekend at Ayscoughfee Gardens in Spalding. On Saturday and Sunday (July 28/29), visitors can dig deep into dirt pits to unearth fossils and get hands-on with a host of activities and crafts, as well as talks, walks and demonstrations. The first festival weekend last year was a success ...

Johnson Community Hospital dental surgery will resume full service in 2019, along with a new general practice accepting NHS patients in Spalding. The NHS will be reopening the Johnson Community Hospital NHS Dental service in January 2019 with a new provider. “This will be excellent news for Spalding and district residents,” a statement from Healthwatch Lincolnshire said. The service will ...

Two brothers whose mum and sister were murdered by their dad before he turned the gun on himself say the book they’ve published helped bring them closer together. Luke and Ryan Hart released Operation Lighthouse on Thursday, July 19, the second anniversary of the shooting of Clare (50) and Charlotte Hart (19) by Lance Hart (57) outside the Castle Sports ...

There is not a week that goes by without a letter in this column expressing the reader’s concern about Brexit, and quite rightly so. I had my say on how important the EU was two years ago and what we got out of it, this was before the referendum. Of course we had the establishment on both sides frighten the ...

The Chequers statement unveiled by Theresa May must go down in history as one of the greatest betrayals in Britain’s political history. The Prime Minister and the Government have allowed Brexit to be hijacked by the establishment – civil servants – the elites, remoaners in Parliament and billionaire businessmen like George Soros and Richard Branson who do not even live ...

A terrified householder hid under bedclothes as two women burgled his home at 3am, Lincoln Crown Court was told. The man was woken up in the early hours by the noise from the intruders after they broke into the Willow Walk property in Spalding. Rebecca Coleman, prosecuting, told the court: “he was terrified. He hid under the bedclothes. “He pretended ...

My daughter was a patient of Dr Nathu. She had been backwards and forwards to the surgery complaining of pains in the back of her head, only to be prescribed stronger painkillers. When she requested a scan because the pain was not improving, she was told to up the dose of painkillers and a scan was not deemed necessary. My ...

There is no reason for youngsters to get bored during the school holidays. South Holland District Council has arranged a series of free family days through the Activate! programme. Starting on August 1 in Holbeach, the days are designed to give young people and their families the chance to try new sports and arts activities within their community. Activities include ...

As the schools close for summer, the roadworks move in with work at 963 locations across Lincolnshire until September. The county council is working alongside partners Kier with Lincoln-based Minster Surfacing to carry out the mammoth project while traffic is lighter during the holiday season. “When everyone else goes off for their summer holidays, we’re hard at work repairing roads ...