One of the UK’s top poets and TV presenter Benjamin Zephaniah has died, his family have said. Benjamin, originally from Birmingham but who has lived in Moulton Chapel for around 12-years, had been diagnosed with a brain tumour eight weeks ago before his death today (December 7) aged 65, a statement posted on social media said. The statement says: “It ...
Read More »Teens stepped in to stop ‘dangerous’ criminal sexually assaulting woman
Three teenagers who stopped a ‘dangerous’ criminal from sexually assaulting a woman on a Spalding street have been given a national bravery award. Charlie Burley, Callum Smith and Ben Tyler were aged just 15 and 16 when they ran over to Kamil Gziut who was in the process of assaulting what the trio described as a woman in her early ...
Read More »Plans for new town music fest
A new music festival/carnival is set to take place in Spalding next July. Ayscoughfest is to take place on Saturday, July 27.Coun Mark Le Sage has began organising the event and is enlisting the help of Spalding Town Forum.“Ayscoughfest is a one-day mini music festival promoting local music,” he said. “We’re lucky to have Ayscoughfee and it’s about utilising that, ...
Read More »Arrests after £1m village drugs bust
Police have charged a 47-year-old man after discovering £1m of drugs in a Whaplode St Catherine house. A warrant was executed in Cranesgate North last Wednesday (29).Specialist officers carried out a search of the property and located various equipment including pill presses, powders including Diazepam and anabolic steroids in a hidden room of the house, and an outside container at ...
Read More »Work starts on town toilets
Work has begun on the Sheep Market toilets in Spalding and its hoped it would be completed by May. Coun Henry Bingham, South Holland District Council’s portfolio holder for assets told last week’s Spalding Town Forum the authority was still liaising with contractors on the project but work has had to start to meet the deadline for the spending of ...
Read More »Circle of seating will be replaced
Circular seating in Hall Place known as an epicentre of anti-social behaviour in Spalding is to be replaced. However the move has already been criticised amid claims it won’t solve the area’s problems.The issue was discussed extensively at last week’s meeting of the Spalding Town Forum where Shop Watch representative Stuart Brotherton said ‘95 per cent’ of people involved in ...
Read More »Man who planted fake bomb jailed for five years
A man who threw a bottle containing vinegar and bleach into a Spalding pub to make others believe it would explode was jailed for five years and ten months on Friday. Jay Savage (30) pleaded guilty to a charge of placing an article in the Lincolnshire Poacher pub on 13 November last year.The particulars of the charge specified that Savage ...
Read More »Drivers pay £1.5m in parking fines
More than 37,000 parking notices have been issued in the county during the last financial year. Statistics going before county council members next week show a total of 37,445 penalty charge notices between April 2022 and March 2023.In total £1.5m was received, with costs running at £1,483,122 – leaving a £16,194 surplus.The top street for charges was Silver Street, Lincoln, ...
Read More »Row over report into PCC actions
Lincolnshire Police and Crime Panel has criticised Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones for attacking their integrity during an investigation into his recruitment process. The panel met on Thursday and discussed the findings of Operation Motala, which scrutinised his recruitment of the Chief Constable, writes Daniel Jaines.The report by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) stated his actions “did ...
Read More »LETTERS – Contractors are sub-standard
South Holland District Council have got it wrong Again! Clean up your act!Kingdom LA Support Ltd are a facilities management company currently employed by South Holland District Council as environmental support services. Their primary task is to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) against individuals dropping litter, residents putting out waste bags early and investigating fly tipping within the South Holland ...
Read More »LETTERS – Order needs enforcing
I am writing regarding the recurring comments in your letters page, of anti-social incidents in Spalding town.Earlier in the year you published my letter regarding pavement cyclists. I sent a copy to each of my ward councillors on June 21, suggesting a remedy and asking for the Public Space Prohibition Order (PSPO) to be enforced.At the September public business meeting, ...
Read More »Halifax branch to close in April
Another town centre building will be closing its doors to customers in the new year. Bank bosses have said the Halifax will be closing for good on April 18.The Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Lloyds will be closing another 45 branches in 2024.All part of the Lloyds Banking Group, the banks currently have a combined 1,191 branches left in operation.The ...
Read More »No referendum on new mayor
A bid to hold a £1.3 million referendum on the Greater Lincolnshire devolution deal was rejected by county councillors, who voted to progress a deal for electing a mayor for the area. Instead, a public consultation will be held across the region, involving residents filling in a feedback form and submitting it.The new mayoral authority setup will bring more control ...
Read More »Could businesses help town bloom?
Businesses and volunteers are being urged to help get Spalding back blooming. Funding for the 120 hanging baskets in the town was secured for this year, chair Coun Rob Gibson told a meeting of Spalding Town Forum, but there’s no guarantee of anything going forward.It follows the Spalding In Bloom board lacking in volunteers.And those on the forum pondered whether ...
Read More »Man denies child sex offences
A Whaplode Drove man has pleaded not guilty to a host of sexual offences involving attempting to meet children. Stephen Thomas Daubney (56), of Chapelgate, denied the charges when appearing at Boston Magistrates’ Court.The charges relate to incidents in Essex between December 2021 and January 2022.The 11 charges include four counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a ...
Read More »Flood alerts issued for South Holland
A flood alert has been issued for large parts of South Holland. The Environment Agency has this afternoon issued the lowest level of alert for flooding for the lower Glen and lower Welland. A higher level ‘warning’ has been put in place for the South Forty Foot Drain and its tributaties. The alert for the Welland states: “Over the last ...
Read More »Man jailed over spate of burglaries
A Spalding man who carried out three house burglaries during a two month crime spree was jailed for 28 months. Paulius Strabeika, 27, was remanded into custody earlier this year after he pleaded guilty to two domestic house burglaries in Lincolnshire during July. Sentence on Strabeika, of Holbeach Road, Spalding, was adjourned until December after he was charged with another domestic ...
Read More »Cars crash into Spalding pub
Emergency services are currently on the scene of a crash on Spalding’s High Bridge where two cars have crashed into the White Horse pub. The cars are embedded in the corner of the building on the junction where High Street, Church Street and Churchgate meet. The accident was reported at 9.51am on Thursday. Lincolnshire Police and the Fire and Rescue ...
Read More »Roads claim three lives in just a week
Police are investigating three separate crashes in the area, resulting in the death of three people in just a week. A car overturned into a water-filled ditch last Friday after a collision involving three different cars.Two police officers went into the water to try and save a trapped man, but their efforts were in vain and he died at the ...
Read More »Man admits planting fake bomb
A man has admitted placing a bottle containing vinegar and hydrochlorite bleach outside a Spalding pub to make others believe it would explode or ignite.Jay Savage (30) appeared at Lincoln Crown Court and pleaded guilty to a charge of placing an article outside the Lincolnshire Poacher on November 13 last year.The charge specifies that Savage placed a bottle containing vinegar ...
Read More »