Herefordshire crisp producers Sean Mason and Mark Green are championing another taste of Herefordshire with the launch this week of their new flavour, Herefordshire Sausage and Mustard.  This time the Two Farmers duo has teamed up with well-known rare and wild meats producer, Tudges. The Tudge family has been rearing Berkshire pigs for over 20 years in Herefordshire and like other producer partnerships that two Farmers are working with they put low food miles, quality and sustainability at the heart of what they do.  

Sean comments

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"This new addition will really compliment our current range and we hope meets our retailers' and consumers' requests for new discovery flavours. The Tudge family has an excellent reputation in the county and we felt that a Herefordshire Sausage and Mustard would be a winning flavour"

The Tudge partnership fits well with the Two Farmers philosophy of being kind to the planet and managing the countryside in a sustainable way. Two Farmers is the UK's first sustainable crisp brand, pioneering the UK's first plastic-free and compostable crisp packet.

The launch follows other good news as the brand has recently been nominated by leading grocery trade title, The Grocer, as Startup of The Year and this week the duo has reached the finals of the Great British Food Awards. 

For more information visit www.twofarmers.co.uk

The Prime Minister arrived in Hereford early this morning at Hereford County Hospital and said he can see how extra funding is helping them build new wards and prepare for winter as the government pledges an additional funding of £300m for NHS England.

The PM also gave his approval of Herefordshire Council temporary traffic scheme making the city safer for both pedestrians and cyclists and has made additional funding of up to £2 million available in order to support the scheme. 

Mr Johnson also supports a much needed bypass for the city.

With the sudden severe storm and rainfall last night we saw flash floods across the city and across the county.

 
Asda junction, where the A465 meets the A49

Hinton road

Photographs courtesy of Joe James

We rarely report on National News but sometimes there are exceptions and this huge fire in Birmingham tonight is one of them.

Statement from West Midlands Fire Service:

Tyseley fire Birmingham

At 4.47pm this afternoon (Monday 10 August 2020) we started to receive multiple 999 calls to a severe fire on the Tyseley Industrial Estate, Birmingham. 

As of 9pm this evening, 100 firefighters were continuing to tackle the incident at a plastics site on Seeleys Road.  

Twenty fire engines were at the scene, together with hydraulic aerial platforms and a specialist high-volume water pumping unit.Assistant Chief Fire Officer Sarah Warnes, the Incident Commander, said:

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“This has been a significant incident, to which our crews have responded safely, effectively and assertively. 

“In spite of extremely hot and arduous conditions, they have drawn on their skills and professionalism to ensure that the fire has been contained to the one site, saving nearby premises from harm. 

“As well as twenty fire crews we have also had a number of specialist resources at the scene, including our hazardous materials specialists and a high–volume water pumping team.  

“I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of our partners from many other agencies, with whom we will be working tirelessly throughout the night to bring this incident to a safe conclusion.” 

 

Our fire control received dozens of 999 calls from people for miles around who spotted the plume of thick, black smoke which rose from the fire. 

People who live or work nearby are asked to keep doors and windows closed for the duration of the incident, and the public are being urged to avoid the area while our operations at the scene continue.  

Crews are working extremely hard in very challenging conditions which meant that some firefighters had to be withdrawn from certain areas of the incident for safety and to minimise the risk of heat exhaustion. 

A plan has been put in place for the safety of crews and to ensure that they get adequate rest and hydration.  

We expect to be at the scene throughout the night.   

 No further cases in farm outbreak 

Herefordshire Council and Public Health England (PHE) Midlands have confirmed that all remaining workers have tested negative for COVID-19 at an outbreak on a farm in Mathon, Herefordshire. The majority of farm workers are now able to return to work and daily life- a few workers remain living in self-isolation as contacts of positive cases.Katie Spence, PHE Midlands Health Protection Director, said:

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“This has been a significant outbreak, and the first of its kind. We have worked closely with the farm management to support the health and wellbeing of their workforce and wider public health.

“The management at AS Green and Co are to be commended on the way their swift and responsible reporting has helped contain the outbreak on the site and prevented transmission into the community. This outbreak highlights the importance of the need to self-isolate when you know you are COVID-19 positive, or have been in contact with someone who is, especially if you live with other people.”

 

Karen Wright, Public Health Director for Herefordshire Council said:

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“This outbreak has been successfully contained by the multi-agency response, the farm management, and the workers based on the farm. We are all learning about the impact COVID-19 has on our health and our economy. This outbreak has helped shape the national workplace guidance, and how businesses can continue to operate alongside a COVID-19 outbreak.

“There is no doubt that without the actions taken by AS Green and Co, this could have been an outbreak on a much bigger scale. I’d like to thank them for all their support to help prioritise the health and wellbeing of the workforce and the residents of Herefordshire.”

 

A spokesperson for AS Green and Co said: "

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We are grateful for the support provided by Public Health England and Herefordshire Council to help control the COVID-19 outbreak. The real challenge has been that of those who tested positive, 98% reported having no symptoms at all. We are pleased to say that due to existing and additional control measures, there was no transmission into the local community and all those tested have now tested negative.

“The health of our workforce and our local community has been and continues to remain our highest priority. We have been overwhelmed by the support from our customers, associated businesses within the industry, the NFU and the local community.

"We continue to focus on the harvesting and packing of fresh healthy vegetables for our customers, ensuring consumers can enjoy fresh British produce as part of a healthy balanced diet.”

 

To prevent further outbreaks and to protect yourself and others, please continue to wash your hands regularly, keep your distance and use face coverings in public spaces, shops and on public transport. Anyone who has a fever, persistent dry cough, or loss or change in their sense of taste or smell should call 119 or go online to arrange a test.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service mobilised crews from Hereford Fire Station, Fownhope Fire Station and Peterchurch Fire Station following numerous calls reporting an agricultural building alight at Hampton Bishop during the early hours. Crews have been tackling the fire this morning, 3 x pumps from Hereford, 1 x Fownhope and the water carrier from Peterchurch attended a storage barn fire involving agricultural vehicles on the outskirts of Hereford. 

The fire was brought under control quickly with pumps from Ledbury and Ross in on reliefs to maintain control and dampen down the fire for the remainder of the morning. Thankfully there were no casualties.

#HerefordVoice #HerefordNews #Hereford

It's great to see Hereford City centre really busy with shoppers today! 

We took this photo within just before 1pm, the shops including the Hereford Butter Market are all busy which is great to see, we also had no problem parking, plenty of people walking and enjoying this fabulous weather.

Good to see all parts of the city centre busy today, we walked along Eign Gate, people everywhere and majority of people adhering to social distancing. It's nice to be able to promote positive news 

Have a wonderful weekend 🌞 😎

Polska Street Food in Union Street currently has a fire and crews from Hereford Fire Station are on scene.

Union Street is closed to traffic 

📷 Kelly Crumpton

As shops re-open, people return to work and more people visit Hereford and the market towns, the government has asked local authorities to introduce temporary measures that give pedestrians and cyclists the space they need to maintain social distancing and travel safely. 

The measures, which will include using temporary barriers and signage to widen footways, some timed or partial road closures and dedicated cycle lanes, will allow more space to walk and cycle in busy areas. Speed reductions to 20mph on some streets will help pedestrians and cyclists feel safer where road space is shared.

The temporary measures, which are being introduced week beginning 20 July, are being funded by government Emergency Active Travel Funding, which has allocated £20,000 to Herefordshire to promote walking and cycling for short and local journeys. The temporary nature of the measures will allow them to be reviewed and additional funding is expected in the coming months to install further measures.

Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member infrastructure and transport, explains:

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“During lockdown lots of people took the opportunity to travel locally in a different way, with a huge number choosing to walk or cycle instead of using their cars for short distances. This made a big difference to congestion, to people’s health and to general feeling of wellbeing and quality of life. In our City and towns it was fantastic to see people choosing to leave their cars at home if they could and use their bikes or feet. It was particularly nice to see more families cycling together, feeling safer with the reduced traffic.

“As the restrictions are lifted we want to provide as much space to cyclists and pedestrians as possible to encourage them to continue with that and to free up pavements for safe queuing and distancing. We want people to feel relaxed when they come into town and to spend more time and money within our towns and City. It is important that we can adapt how we use space to support this.

“We’ve consulted with the City and town councils and local businesses and amended some of our initial proposals as a result of their feedback. Now is a good time for everyone to consider how they travel locally and what is better not just for our road network around Herefordshire but what is good for us and the planet. There will be further active travel measures considered over the summer.”

Full details including location maps are available on the Herefordshire Council website HERE

The temporary measures being introduced to provide more space for pedestrians and cyclists are:

Hereford

Cycle lanes on Newmarket St, Blueschool St, Commercial Rd, Ledbury Rd (uphill

Extended timed closure in High Town and Widemarsh St – 10.30am – 5.30pm

Closure of Old Wye Bridge except cycles and buses northbound

Closure of Aubrey St at junction with King Street

Parking suspension on Broad Street (west Green Dragon side), King St (south Spread Eagle side) and Bridge St (east Left Bank side)

Shared use footway on Station Approach

Extended 20mph zone (see map for exact area)

Bromyard

Footway widening on High Street and New Road

Suspension of some parking bays

20mph zone town-wide (see map for exact area)

Ledbury

On way on Woodleigh Rd except cycles

20mph zone town-wide (see map for exact area)

Leominster

Timed closure (except cycles) on High St, Victoria St, Corn St and Corn Square 10am-1pm Mon – Sat

20mph zone town-wide (see map for exact area)

Kington

Moderated traffic speed on High St

20mph zone town-wide (see map for exact area)

Ross on Wye

Moderated traffic speed through the town centre

20mph zone town-wide (see map for exact area)

Hereford_active_travel_response_map.pdf

Bromyard_active_travel_response_map.pdf

Kington_active_travel_response_map.pdf

Ledbury_active_travel_response_map.pdf

Leominster_active_travel_response_map.pdf

Ross_on_Wye_active_travel_response_map.pdf

Antisocial Behaviour: This is the Spur Retail Park in Holmer Road Hereford this morning.

This is the mess that is here virtually every morning from people’s behaviour from the night before. 

West Mercia Police / Hereford Cops should be handing out regular fines to each of these culprits. 

This is not something new either, this has been going on for a few years.

This is quite frankly disgusting behaviour, why can’t people gather quietly and dispose of their litter properly? We even have wooden pallets being thrown around the car park now..

Please Note: After we took these photographs and video we collected all the litter and put it in the bin correctly and the pallets were also removed and put in a safe area. Herefordshire Council

Horse dies as a result of eating grass cuttings.

Thursday 30th July, in the Hampton Bishop area we have had a report that someone put grass cuttings into a horse’s field. Unfortunately this has resulted in the Horse loosing is life on the 2nd August. 

But why?
The grass cuttings begin fermenting almost as soon as they are cut and the horses will gorge on them as they are so palatable, causing a build-up of gas in the Horses stomach.
As horses have a one-way stomach valve, they are unable to vomit or even burp to relieve the pressure. The gases given off by the fermenting cuttings can expand to the point where they rupture the stomach, causing an agonising death.

Choking hazard
As the grass cuttings have been finely chopped up, horses won’t need to chew as much or at all before swallowing the grass. This results in the horse gorging on the pile of cuttings and therefore eating large amounts very quickly. The cuttings can compact and become lodged in the horse’s throat, causing them to choke. 

Poisonous Plants
There are many plants that are poisonous to horses. These could be mowed up along with the grass cuttings which may cause the horse additional harm. Depending on the plant, the range of problems include severe diarrhea, liver damage, collapse or even death. 

Although feeding horses may seem harmless, your kindness may kill!

https://www.bhs.org.uk/…/horse-health-and-si…/grass-cuttings

The Leader of Herefordshire Council has welcomed a multi-million pound investment into the county, announced by Government and allocated by the Marches LEP.

More than 700 new jobs and 300 homes are to be created across the Marches region as part of the Government’s Getting Building Fund (GBF), and three of the six projects that will benefit are in Herefordshire. 

Planning applications for housing and employment sites in the north of Herefordshire are being delayed because of the elevated level of phosphates in the River Lugg catchment area. As part of the Integrated Constructed Wetlands project, up to 8 wetland sites can be built adjacent to sewage treatment works in the River Lugg catchment area to lower the phosphate levels, creating up to 500 jobs by unlocking development potential for 1,385 homes whilst also delivering strong environmental benefits through these rich bio diversity habitats. The money from the Marches LEP will add a further £1m to this project to add to the funds already earmarked by the Council.  

The council’s refurbishment of the historic centre of Hereford will also benefit from a £3m investment in the streetscape with high quality materials as part of a masterplan to ensure Hereford is vibrant and supports businesses creating new opportunities for visitors and retailers. Again this will add to the funds already earmarked for this project by the Council.

Accelerated funding will also speed up the Skylon Park Campus Development, which is a pivotal component of NMiTE, and will create 26 jobs, 100 construction jobs and 200 new learning opportunities.Cllr David Hitchiner, Leader of Herefordshire Council, said:

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“We are very pleased to hear of the new funding that is being allocated by the Marches LEP to support several projects in the county. Overall the Integrated Constructed Wetlands project will unlock 1,300 potential homes in the county by lowering the phosphate levels in the River Lugg. This means that as well as providing housing potential and creating 500 new jobs, the project will deliver upon the council’s strong commitment to maintaining and improving the environment.

“A further £3m and £1.6m respectively, will contribute to our city centre refurbishment works and the exciting development of campus facilities on Skylon Park. The historic core of Hereford will benefit, with investment to ensure the city is a vibrant and attractive place to work and visit, creating new opportunities for businesses and retailers, and raising the profile of the city as a tourist destination. Skylon Park, meanwhile, is a pivotal component of NMiTE and the additional funding will speed up the delivery of over 100 new jobs and cutting edge learning opportunities for 200 new learners.

“The investment is great news for our local economy which, like the rest of the country, is still working hard to mitigate and overcome the impact of Covid-19.”

 

In The Guardian 6th August 2020

England's planning reforms will create 'generation of slums'

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(extract)

The biggest shake-up of planning for decades has caused fury that moves to fast-track the construction of “beautiful” homes across England will “dilute” democratic oversight, choke off affordable housing and lead to the creation of “slum” dwellings.

Under the proposals, unveiled on Thursday, planning applications based on pre-approved “design codes” would get an automatic green light – eliminating a whole stage of local oversight within designated zones.

Land across England would be divided into three categories – for growth, renewal or protection – under what Robert Jenrick, the housing secretary, described as “once in a generation” reforms to sweep away an outdated planning system and boost building.

New homes, hospitals, schools, shops and offices would be allowed automatically in “growth” areas. In “renewal” zones, largely urban and brownfield sites, proposals would be given “permission in principle” subject to basic checks. Green belt and areas of outstanding natural beauty would be protected.

While the proposed changes are likely to appeal to developers, they prompted stinging criticism from housing charities, planning officers and architects who warned of a new generation of fast and substandard housing.

Boris can move quickly when there is money to be made. Robert Jenrick's got form in helping out his friends developing sites in London. Wait for the free for all with the developers, the council and housing associations building everywhere, especially on the open spaces enjoyed by residents. More blight for the future as these bodies can't look after what they have already got. Interesting to hear the Civic Society views on this one.

The Earl heard about the council’s response to flooding and Covid-19

Herefordshire Council was delighted to be joined by His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex for his first ever virtual Royal Visit on Wednesday 22 July.

The visit was hosted by Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire, The Dowager Countess of Darnley. The Earl was keen to hear about the experiences of children, adults and communities and hard work of schools, services and Herefordshire Council staff, partners and volunteers who have provided support during the Covid-19 pandemic and local flooding events.

There have been many unexpected changes to teaching and delivering services over the first half of the year. The Earl learned about the impact of these changes on children, young people and adults, and staff.  The Earl also heard about the strong and resilient relationships between the council, schools, partners and volunteers.

The Earl met with staff who have supported vulnerable children and young people through the pandemic, two head teachers shared how their schools have adapted. He met with children from Weobley School and listened to poems they had written about their lockdown experiences. Mariam Njeri, a young person with care experience, read her poignant poem about life under lockdown.

Chris Baird, Director of Children and Families said:

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“It was an honour to welcome His Royal Highness to Herefordshire and to showcase how children and young people in Herefordshire have responded and the fantastic work that has continued by the staff in the county during a very difficult time. To show how we were able to adapt but continue our support, especially to our most vulnerable children and young people is a testament to the county’s commitment to them all.”

The Earl was then introduced to the adults and communities services and heard about Talk Community which has provided support to the most vulnerable during lockdown. Wendy Carter shared her experiences of volunteering as a ‘shield buddy’ during lockdown, which provided extra support for clinically vulnerable people . He then met partners from HVOSS, Vennture and other community leaders who have worked with the council to provide ongoing support to vulnerable people.

Stephen Vickers, Director of Adults and Communities said:

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“It was a great opportunity for our staff, partners and volunteers to explain to His Royal Highness the difficulties faced in Herefordshire over the last six months due to the flooding and pandemic. But it was also fantastic to highlight the partnership working between agencies and amazing people in Herefordshire who stepped up to volunteer.”

RTC involving large goods vehicle carrying farm feed and a tractor/trailer carrying potatoes. 

The A449 Beefeater towards Ledbury and at Fownhope turning, Ross on Wye bound from Ledbury. 

Photo courtesy of Ross-on-Line

People have been treated by West Midlands Ambulance Service. Both drivers had a lucky escape. Ross on Wye Fire Station and Whitchurch Fire Station crews have both assisted with significant fuel leaks which were prevented from entering drains using environmental grab packs and soil. 

Road will remain closed for some time while they await recovery of vehicles.

Police Appeal: Did you see an altercation on Wednesday at 1.50pm near to WHSmiths in Broad Street, Ross on Wye?

Two men were involved in a psychical and verbal altercation. If you have info call West Mercia Police on 101 quoting 335 I 29072020 or contact Crimestoppers

Young car drivers gather most nights on the Spur Retail Park Holmer Road Hereford. (Halfords | Dunelm | Hobbycraft | Maplin) most of the time they are sat in the car park in their cars.

Gates were installed only a few months ago and it is down to the last manager to leave the park to lock the gates. This happened during the first few weeks only and now the gates never appear to be locked at night. 

These drivers sit there for hours and just throw all of their rubbish out onto the floor, this is disgusting! There are bins provided so there is really no excuse. 

It would be good to catch the culprits and have them prosecuted, I have already taken a few photographs and logged number plates.

BBC Local News 30th July:

Free hospital parking to come to an end

Free parking at hospitals in Herefordshire comes to an end on Saturday.

It will affect the car parks at the County Hospital in Hereford as well as the community hospitals in Bromyard, Leominster and Ross-on-Wye.

The free car parking was introduced at the start of coronavirus lockdown in March.