Hereford Voice

A fire ripped through the old NHS derelict building on Eign Street in Hereford this evening. The were several appliances and firefighters tacking the blaze at one point. Firefighters took a while to get the fire under control which has causes further substantial damage to the building and roof. There have been a few fires in this building over the years and since it became derelict.

· Survey of 5,000 veterans in England shows over half (58%) of respondents living in the West Midlands have experienced a mental or physical health issue potentially related to their service Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer. · Yet 16% have not sought help from a healthcare professional – often due to fears their experiences and conditions won’t be understood · Dr Jonathan Leach OBE, NHS England Associate Medical Director for Armed Forces and Veterans Health and GP at Davenal House Surgery Bromsgrove, is backing initiative to encourage GP practices to become Veteran Friendly Accredited A new initiative has been launched today (Monday 25th March) to improve veterans’ access to healthcare services, after new data found that thousands of former armed services personnel in the West Midlands may be silently struggling with their health. The initiative, launched by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in conjunction with NHS England and the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA), aims to encourage more GP practices in the West Midlands to sign-up to become ‘Veteran Friendly’. It is part of a wider government campaign to encourage veterans to seek help and let their GP practice know they’ve served, and raise awareness of the support available to them. The newly-commissioned study of nearly 5,000* veterans in England found that over half (58%) of respondents based in the West Midlands have experienced a mental or physical health issue potentially related to their service since leaving the armed forces with more than three quarters (77%) stating that their condition had deteriorated during this time. Despite this, nearly one in five (16%) of those veterans based in the West Midlands who have experienced service-related issues after leaving the armed forces have not sought help from a healthcare professional. The most common reasons given nationally for not seeking help were that they ‘prefer to manage their issues on their own’ (30%) and believe a civilian health professional ‘won’t understand their experiences’ (15%). However, the findings showed that almost two-thirds of veterans (63%) would be more likely to seek help for any issues they might experience if they knew their GP practice was signed up to the Veteran Friendly Accreditation scheme, which was launched by the RCGP and NHS England in 2018. The free support programme helps practices to deliver the best possible care and treatment for patients who have served in the UK armed forces. As part of this new initiative, the RCGP is therefore encouraging more practices in the West Midlands to take the quick and simple step of signing up to the programme, which provides busy practice teams with a simple process for identifying, understanding and supporting veterans and, where appropriate, referring them to dedicated veterans physical and mental health and wellbeing services, such as Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service and Op RESTORE: The Veterans Physical Health and Wellbeing Service. To date, 634 of the 1,266 GP practices in the Midlands are accredited, while just over 3,000*** of the 6,313 GP practices in England are signed up to the programme are accredited, while at a national level. An evaluation of the scheme by the University of Chester revealed that 99% of accredited practices recommend it – with the findings showing the most valued benefits of signing up are the simple process for identifying veterans, clear referral pathways to specialist NHS veteran healthcare services and faster access to dedicated support1. Latest data suggests there are more than 167,000 veterans – defined as anyone who has served a day or more in the armed forces – in the West Midlands and 1.74m living in England2 - with research showing that they may have unique health needs as a result of their service. Common health issues can include musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders3, pain3, mental health problems4, drug and alcohol misuse5, adjustment disorders5 and hearing issues6. However, while the average GP practice sees a veteran patient every day, almost half (47%) of practices may be unaware of how many of their patients are veterans5. Dr Jonathan Leach OBE, NHS England Associate Medical Director for Armed Forces and Veterans Health and GP at Davenal House Surgery Bromsgrove, said: “Not only does the Veteran Friendly Accreditation scheme support practice teams to deliver the best health outcomes for their veteran patients, but it also saves busy practice staff precious time by enabling them to more quickly and effectively identify, understand and support veterans - reducing the need for repeat appointments and shortening waiting times for diagnosis and treatments.” Minister of State for Veterans’ Affairs, Johnny Mercer, said: “Providing veterans with access to the very best health care is a fundamental part of mine and this government's ambition to make this the best country in the world to be a veteran, with the RCGP and NHS England’s Veteran Friendly Accreditation scheme playing a pivotal role in supporting this. “With this new research showing that veterans are more likely to seek help if they know their practice is Veteran Friendly Accredited, I’m urging those practices that are yet to sign up to take the quick and simple step to ensure they’re able to deliver the best possible care and support to the veteran community.” “I encourage all veterans to contact their GP and identify themselves as a veteran, as doing so will help to ensure that they receive the support that’s right for them. It will also mean that they can access the specialist NHS health services that exist for them should they need to, such as Op COURAGE. Signing up to become Veteran Friendly Accredited is a quick process and can be done by anyone in the practice team. After signing up, the practice team will receive regular resources and training designed to help them to deliver the very best care and treatment to patients who have served in the armed forces. They also receive materials to promote their Veteran Friendly status, enabling them to send a strong signal to those patients who have served in the armed forces. Veterans can find out more about the support they can receive by telling their GP practice they have served and by visiting www.nhs.uk/veterans. Practice teams can learn more and get their practice Veteran Friendly Accredited by visiting rcgp.org.uk/veterans.

More than 300 swimming pools to benefit from £60 million to support long-term future 325 swimming pools and leisure centres across England will receive a share of £60.5 million to ensure their long term financial sustainability, by improving their energy efficiency in order to keep running costs down. Awards have been granted to; Hereford Leisure Pool - £24,500 Ross Swimming Pool - £58,100 Teme Leisure - Ludlow - £208,023 Sandford Park Lido in Cheltenham - £306,065 Gloucester Leisure Centre - £432,500 Hundreds of facilities have received Government investment to help improve the energy efficiency of their pools and leisure centres. Measures being supported by the latest Swimming Pool Support Fund investment include funding for new heating systems, solar panels, better insulation and other energy saving interventions. Over 300 public swimming pools across England will receive a share of £60 million from the Government and Sport England to improve their energy efficiency and keep running costs down Builds on almost 200 swimming pools that received a share of £20 million through Phase I of the Swimming Pool Support Fund, taking total spend to £80 million Investment will help ensure that millions of visitors can continue to use these facilities, helping us meet our target to get 3.5 million more people active by 2030 Former Team GB Swimmer Michael Gunning said: Sport England Executive Director for Place Lisa Dodd-Mayne said: Full details HERE

Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet will next week (Thursday 28 March) discuss a new road strategy for Hereford, including the recommendation to prioritise the progress of the development of a bypass to the west of Hereford. As outlined in the Core Strategy and emerging draft Local Plan, the county needs to develop the infrastructure needed to: Support growth in the county - There is a requirement to develop around 16,100 new homes in the county by 2041, with many of these being planned for Hereford. Delivering all these new homes is not possible without strengthening our local infrastructure. Reducing congestion and improving journey times will be a boost to local businesses and improve residents’ access to work, education, training and services. Improve transport connections and strengthen the resilience of the network – Vehicles travelling north to south through the county mostly go through Hereford to cross the river. Creating another road bridge across the River Wye will reduce reliance on Greyfriars Bridge and the A49 through the city, improving journey times and improving resilience of the network. Promote better health and wellbeing for our residents – reducing the volume of traffic on roads in the City creates the opportunity to deliver improvements to walking, cycling and public space in the city. Improve local air quality and public places – reducing congestion will help improve air quality in the City making it a cleaner more attractive place to visit and spend time. Cabinet members will be discussing the road development options and deciding which can best deliver on the Local Plan and support the county to achieve its economic potential. Cllr Philip Price, Cabinet Member Transport and Infrastructure, said: “The decision we’re taking at our Cabinet meeting next week is an important one for the future of our City and our county. It’s vital we build the infrastructure to support much needed housing development and economic growth, as set out in our Local Plan. “We need to look at the information we have in front of us, including the feedback gathered through the Hereford Transport Strategy Review from local residents and businesses, and make the right decision. We need to make sure we choose a road strategy that strengthens the resilience of our network, delivers more reliable journey times and improves road connections across the city and county. We need to strengthen links for people and businesses. “Alongside this, we also need to consider how we can best deliver a wider range of travel choices to make alternatives to private car journeys more attractive. We need more accessible and improved public transport, walking and cycling infrastructure, which will be developed in future. This in turn will further help to reduce congestion, improve air quality in the City and enable our residents to lead healthier and more active lives. “There is the potential for a road and river crossing to the west of Hereford to bring many more benefits, so this option has been explored further. We now need to make a decision based on the priorities for our new road strategy for Hereford. We will be fully consulting with residents and businesses as we progress.” Cabinet members will be discussing the options and making a decision on the preferred New Road Strategy for Hereford at their meeting on Thursday 28 March. The decision paper sets out the benefits and costs of the proposed Hereford Western Bypass alongside those of the proposed Eastern River Crossing and Link Road options, and describes the extent to which they support the requirements of the draft Local Plan and Core Strategy.

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust is submitting an objection to the planning application for the development of land East of Hereford (Planning reference P240422/F) which borders the Lugg Meadows Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and ecologically important floodplain meadow. Herefordshire Wildlife Trust : Lugg Meadows Hereford The application details the erection of up to 350 dwellings, a farm shop and café, employment workspaces, and land for a potential primary school, along with associated parking and access roads. The Trust’s primary concern is that there would be a greatly increased number of people visiting the Lugg Meadows, an increased number of dogs and cats, noise, light pollution and traffic. This is likely to have a significant impact on the flora and fauna of the meadows. In particular, the increased disturbance would impact the breeding curlew, which are already threatened with local extinction and the subject of a conservation project at the site. SSSI status is the greatest protection a habitat can have in the UK and should mean it is preserved in perpetuity. Floodplain meadows have become incredibly rare with only around 1,200 hectares of this habitat remaining in the UK. They fulfil natural functions of flood management, pollution reduction and carbon sequestration alongside the provision of fantastic, specialised, wildlife habitat. This habitat is also included in Herefordshire’s Biodiversity Action Plan as one that conservation groups have identified as particularly under threat in the county and in need of preservation. The nature reserve is home to many rare species of plants and animal including the snake’s head fritillary and a small population of breeding curlew. Herefordshire Wildlife Trust are currently running a project to recover rare floodplain plants on Lugg Meadows. Funded by Natural England (NE) through its flagship Species Recovery Programme (SRP), the project aims to recover populations of narrow-leaved water-dropwort and mousetail - through habitat enhancement and sowing and planting at the meadows which lie within the River Wye Catchment. The Trust also has concerns about the impact on the River Lugg, designated a Special Area of Conservation, already under huge pressure from pollution and described by Natural England as “unfavourable/declining.” The proposals do not guarantee that run-off from the development (which may include a wide range of pollutants e.g. oils, phosphates from car washings, paints, bleach) cannot enter the Lugg Rhea and, from there, the meadows and the River Lugg. Much of Lugg Meadows is owned by Herefordshire Wildlife Trust with some areas also owned by the charity Plantlife. Sarah King, Nature Recovery Manager at Herefordshire Wildlife Trust says: “Lugg Meadows Nature Reserve are an absolute jewel of Herefordshire’s natural history. It is nationally significant for its rare species such as the beautiful snake’s-head fritillary and one of very few traditionally managed, ecologically rich floodplain meadows in the UK. It is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, the highest protection a site can have and it is imperative that it is protected as it should be. “To have such a site so close to the City is a real treat for residents and visitors. However, being close to urban areas brings a lot of pressure from high numbers of visitors and dog walkers. To date, we have just about managed to balance the visitor access with conservation of wildlife but having a major new residential area right alongside the site will be devastating for the sensitive plants, birds and animals that call the nature reserve home.” Jenny Hawley, Plantlife Policy Manager, said: “Plantlife is deeply concerned about development proposals on land east of Hereford due to the high risk of unacceptable impacts on Lugg Meadow Nature Reserve next to the site. “This Plantlife nature reserve is a legally-protected Site of Special Scientific Interest, with a fragile ecosystem and nationally-scarce plant species including Narrow-leaved Water-dropwort (Oenanthe silaifolia). It is also one of the few ancient Lammas floodplain meadows remaining in England, adjacent to the River Lugg and part of the wider River Wye catchment. “The proposed 350-home development would risk irreversible damage to this precious, sensitive ecosystem through increased water pollution, noise and light pollution, road traffic and footfall from visitors.” More details on the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust Website HERE

SAS hero soldier turned mercenary Peter McAleese was once recruited to assassinate Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. Photo courtesy of Peter McAlesse Facebook. Peter McAleese was a Scottish former soldier and mercenary. He served in the British Army's Parachute Regiment and Special Air Service, the Rhodesian Special Air Service and British South Africa Police, and South Africa's 44 Parachute Brigade. Special forces hardman, Peter McAleese led a crack team of rogue black ops troops during a deadly mission to kill the notorious cartel chief in 1989. Once he left Britain's famed SAS, he was offered a staggering $1million to deliver Escobar's head. However, the attempt to raid Escobar's fortress estate failed spectacularly when his helicopter crashed over the Andes, killing the pilot and leaving McAleese critically injured on the mountaintop for three days before being rescued, back in 1989. In later life Peter became an author publishing 2 books "No Mean Soldier" and "McAleese's Fighting Manual" His death was announced last night on his official social media accounts Peter McAleese with the following statement; "𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙈𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙪𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮. 𝙄’𝙢 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙄 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙛 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙋𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙋𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙙, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙮, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚 𝙄’𝙢 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙. 𝙎𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙪𝙙𝙙𝙮, 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙅𝙤𝙚"

A legal claim potentially worth hundreds of millions of pounds has been launched by law firm Leigh Day in a bid to compensate thousands of people living in the Wye catchment likely to have been affected by a major degradation of the River Wye and its tributaries in recent years. Photo of flowering ranunculus weed bed (credit Phil Wilson) The claim will be brought against Avara Foods Limited, one of the UK’s biggest food producers, alleging that industrial scale chicken farming in the River Wye catchment area is polluting the River Wye and surrounding land. Evidence shows the operations of Avara Foods to supply UK supermarkets has been the overwhelming cause of phosphorous pollution which is damaging the River Wye, says Leigh Day. Photos of flowering ranunculus weed bed (credit Phil Wilson) Avara has said that it will cease polluting the river in the future. However, Leigh Day will argue that Avara Foods is responsible for the damage that has already been caused and should clean up the River Wye and the surrounding land, as well as pay hundreds of millions of pounds to people and businesses whose lives, livelihoods and enjoyment of the area has been impacted because of the effects of pollution. The legal claim will also look to prevent Avara Foods from polluting the river further if the company doesn’t carry out its pledge. People who can join the legal claim will have a claim alleging private and public nuisance. They will live in a 4,000 sq km area in Powys, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲: ▪️ People whose land and property surrounds the River Wye – potentially thousands of claimants ▪️People who belong to the community surrounding the Wye – potentially tens of thousands of claimants The claimants will include people affected by the pollution such as swimmers, canoeists, walkers, clubs, organisations, anglers and businesses whose lives and trade has been hit by the worsening condition of the river, or the nuisance effects on those living near chicken farming, such as smells, insects and noise. The businesses affected will include those working in tourism, hospitality and leisure. The River Wye has been at the forefront of a major expansion of the chicken industry in the UK. Between 2013 and 2017 the number of birds in Herefordshire rose by one-third and researchers estimate the area now houses 23 million or more birds at any one time, generally concentrated in very large poultry units. The largest poultry processor is Avara, which is reportedly responsible for 80% of the birds in the River Wye catchment area. It is believed that a significant factor in the increase in poultry production in the region after 2018 was in order to meet the chicken meat demands of Tesco, a customer of Avara Foods. High intensity farming, such as that required by the large-scale operations of Avara Foods, has affected the water quality of the River Wye to which landowners and others have a right under common law, the legal claim will say. Some people living in the area have reported sickness after swimming, and last year the river was downgraded to “unfavourable – declining” status by the government nature watchdog Natural England. This is only two stages away from the River Wye being listed as “destroyed”. The claim will allege that the scale of the operations of large corporate poultry producers is generating significant quantities of phosphorous-rich manure which leach into the soil and into the river. This is raising phosphorous levels in the water which cause algal blooms which result in odour, insect swarms, biodiversity loss and water quality reduction. Avara Foods is a UK subsidiary of US multinational Cargill Plc which has faced similar claims in the US as a result of polluting the Illinois River due to the same practice of high intensive poultry farming. In 2023, the Oklahoma Court ruled that Cargill Inc polluted the Illinois River by spreading chicken manure on land so that it then leached into the river’s watercourse. The judge in that case found that Cargill knew or should have known that using poultry waste as fertilizer posed a risk to waterways, and the UK claimants will similarly allege that Cargill Plc and Avara Foods knew that the outcome of intensive poultry farming would cause the pollution of the River Wye but continued with their operations anyway. Avara Foods says it is committed to playing its part in the restoration of the River Wye “by taking accountability for the poultry manure that originates from it supply chain . . . but reversing the decline of the river is beyond the means of any single organisation”. The civil claim is being handled by a team led by Leigh Day partner Oliver Holland. Leigh Day partner Oliver Holland said: “We consider that the significant decline in the health of the River Wye over the last few years is clearly linked to the significant increase in intensive poultry farming in the main brought about by Avara Foods. The lives and livelihoods of those living in the River Wye area are being significantly impacted only to the benefit of Avara Foods, a subsidiary of US multinational Cargill Plc. This destruction of one the UK’s most beautiful natural areas cannot continue, which is why we are bringing this legal action.” The claim is supported by charity River Action. Chair and founder Charles Watson said: “With around a quarter of the country’s chickens now being reared in the catchment of the River Wye, the waste emitting from this totally unsustainable concentration of poultry production has blighted communities across the region. “With a huge percentage of this industry controlled by Avara, it is entirely appropriate that the polluter must now be made to pay to clean up the mess we believe it has created and subsequently profited from. We therefore applaud this action being taken by Leigh Day to seek recompense for the pollution of this magnificent river.” Anyone who thinks they have a claim against Avara Foods because of nuisance they have suffered because of the impact of chicken farming in the Wye Valley, can get in touch with the River Wye claim legal team at Leigh Day by contacting riverwyepollution@leighday.co.uk Legal basis for the claim 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁: ▪️ Avara has a duty not to impact the reasonable use/enjoyment of neighbours’ land by conducting activity beyond reasonable land use ▪️The pollution of the river; and odour and insect pollution caused by the intensive poultry units (IPU) breaches that duty ▪️By controlling the IPUs, Avara has exercised sufficient control over the nuisance to be liable for the nuisance caused by them ▪️The impact of the scale of intensive poultry farming required by Avara Foods’ regional operations on the river and the local community was entirely foreseeable, particularly given the successful liability claim against Avara Foods’ ultimate parent company Cargill, Inc. for the poultry farming pollution of the US river Illinois ▪️Property owners bordering the river (including those with rights to the riverbank and angling/fishing rights) are entitled to recover the loss they have suffered, including damages for loss of amenity and fall in property value. They can also seek remedial action e.g. cleaning up of the river. ▪️Property owners bordering intensive poultry farming units are entitled to recover the loss they have suffered, including damages for loss of amenity from odour and insects and fall in property value. They can also seek remedial action e.g. cleaning up of the river. ▪️Businesses owning affected property which have suffered financial losses are also entitled to be compensated. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗻𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁: ▪️Avara Foods has a duty not to impact the life, health, safety and/or comfort of the public ▪️It has breached this duty by polluting the river ▪️Those who have suffered a particular damage over and above the general public are entitled to be compensated, including for financial losses of a local business and loss of amenity. Remedial action can also be sought. 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 The deterioration in the state of the River Wye has been well documented and has resulted in a public law claim against the Environment Agency. Brought by River Action, who are represented by the environment team at Leigh Day, the judicial review claim cites the Environment Agency’s failure properly to enforce the rules governing the spreading of organic manure and artificial fertiliser that can be spread on agricultural land from which water runs off and leaches into the River Wye. That claim was heard in the High Court on 7-8 February 2024. It pointed out: ▪️ The Wye was designated a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) to protect the river’s once-famous extensive Ranunculus river weed beds. However over 90 per cent of the river’s Ranunculus has now been lost, smothered by the algal blooms which means the river is not meeting the SAC conservation status specified by the Habitats Directive. In June 2020, a thick algal bloom extended for over 140 miles, almost the entire length of the river. ▪️ A study published in May 2022 by the University of Lancaster, Re-focusing Phosphorus use in the Wye Catchment (RePhoKUs Study) concluded that 60-70 per cent of the river’s total phosphorus load now comes from agriculture and an excess load of 3,000 tonnes of phosphorus is still being added to the river catchment area each year. This excess is accumulating at a rate equivalent to 17kg of phosphorus per hectare when the national average is 7kg per hectare. Mark Hubbard Adam Fisher Wye Photo by Leigh Day Pete Reddings Pete Reddings Usk photo by Leigh Day

An outline planning application has been submitted to Herefordshire Council. 'Outline planning application for the demolition of existing buildings and structures and the erection of up to 350 dwellings (including affordable housing), a farm shop and café, employment workspaces, and land for a potential primary school, along with associated parking, access roads, walking and cycling routes, public open space, landscaping, sustainable urban drainage and other associated works, site clearance and infrastructure. All matters reserved except access, which is partially reserved, with detailed approval sought for the primary vehicular site access via the A438' Planning Application P240422/F

There are some fabulous Murals in Poland, here are a photos that I took in Poland.

Extra police officers will soon be out on patrol in towns across Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford and Worcestershire as West Mercia Police introduce ten new dedicated town centre teams. The teams will see officers and PCSOs with a specific town (or city) centre focus, based in: Evesham Hereford Kidderminster Leominster Oswestry Redditch Ross-on-Wye Shrewsbury Telford Worcester Delivering on the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Safer West Mercia Plan, the introduction of the focused teams is part of our joint commitment to ensure officers are visible, accessible, and focused on tackling the priorities that matter most to the communities we serve. The locations of the new teams have been chosen based on where data shows there’s the highest policing demand, biggest populations and/or footfall, and where an extra police presence will further help prevent crime and offer additional reassure to communities. Temporary Chief Constable Alex Murray said: “The town centre teams will bolster local policing in our communities, making sure we have officers in the places we know you want to see them and tackling the issues that really matter to you. “These extra officers will work alongside response teams to make sure we are where you need us – be it in the towns and cities or the more rural areas of the three counties we serve. “Over the last year crime has reduced and more crimes have been detected and the new teams will help us in our persistent and proactive approach to fighting crime. They will be highly visible, working to cut crime, reduce anti-social behaviour, actively target repeat offences and working to reduce retail and business crime, including shoplifting.” The teams are being funded through Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion’s 2024/25 budget. Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “I hear regularly from communities calling for police officers to be evermore visible and accessible in the heart of communities. “I have listened to those concerns and have ensured West Mercia Police has the resources it needs to introduce first-of-a-kind town centre policing teams across West Mercia. "I know these teams will help drive down crime and build strong relationships with the public and businesses they proudly serve.” The teams will be in place later this year.

Herefordshire Council adopts the Council Tax precepts Herefordshire Council has adopted the total Council Tax precepts for all Herefordshire residents. As the billing authority, the council has a statutory duty to collect charges set by each parish council, the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia and Hereford & Worcester Fire Authority. However, Herefordshire Council has no control over the level of increase or how these organisations choose to spend their budget. Herefordshire residents will be provided with individual bills based on their parish location. The raised precepts are needed to support the delivery of vital services across the county, with the average Council Tax bill for a Band D dwelling set at £1,954.79. This includes the council’s own tax charge of £1,875.76 (for a band D dwelling) which was approved by Full Council on 9 February 2024. The increase is needed to support the continued delivery of vital services across the county and our priority is to get the best possible value for every pound we spend on the people of Herefordshire. The precept for the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia rose by 4.91% to £277.50, an increase of £13.00. The precept for Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority rose by 2.99% to £97.22, an increase of £2.82. The discount on the council tax reduction (CTR) scheme for any struggling family which qualifies will remain at 100% for the coming year – irrespective of the price banding of their home. Additionally, some residents will continue to pay no Council Tax at all, such as young adults who have left care and also all the council’s Foster Carer families. More information and advice on reduction schemes and allowances can be found on the Herefordshire Council website at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/counciltax The Council Tax setting report discussed at Full Council on Friday 8 March 2024 can be found on the council’s website.

This is a good point!

Council would like to convert this toilets into a sleeper pod for homeless. Just a pure coincidence and nothing more..👇

We absolutely love the new Hereford Murals and shared this on Thursday 22 February at 16:13 Someone else likes them also and shared this 4 minutes later 👇 But wait! Just incase you missed it...

We thought we would ignore the posts over Christmas, so let's see what 2024 brings.. Today we wrote a review on the fabulous Dick Whittington Pantomime Oh no someone can't have that!

This is going to be a major problem! We cannot get a 'traffic lights out trial' yet exiting a Lidl supermarket and turning right (onto one of the busiest roads in Hereford A465) and crossing the carriageway, which is the direction of oncoming traffic and hoping that the traffic heading southbound or vehicles waiting in the little filter lane turning into Lidl's will giveaway is ok though... Accidents here are sadly inevitable! Mark our words!!

You can watch the Herefordshire Council Planning And Regulatory Committee meeting below

Do not be surprised if they start to demolish the hotel fairly rapidly. Let the mayhem begin!

Well we were spot on with our prediction! The full meeting live stream can be viewed here 👉 https://hfd.news/Lidlvote

Most of the committee were in favour of refusal but we did think the Chair Terry James was a real ditherer and was more worried about being able to defend any legal appeal if refused.

The silver monolith was spotted by walkers on Hay Bluff near the Powys town of Hay-on-Wye at the weekend. It follows a spate of monoliths cropping up around the world in 2020 - from the Isle of Wight to Romania, California and the Utah desert. It also sparked social media chatter that it surely was the work of aliens. Some quashed those rumours, instead believing it’s another elaborate piece of undercover artwork we’ve become accustomed to. One of the monoliths even arrived in 2020 with the words “Not Banksy” Conspiracy theorists speculated aliens could be behind the structures - and some people on social media have turned to the same explanation for the structure in Wales. No one has come forward to claim responsibility for the Welsh monolith, although an anonymous collective called The Most Famous Artist took credit for the structures in America in 2020.

Herefordshire Council have submitted a planning application to convert existing public toilet located in Union Street Hereford into a temporary sleeper pod. 'Proposed removal of existing public toilet and change of use to provide a single occupancy self contained 'sleeper pod' to comprise a bed, shower and WC to provide accommodation for a single temporary homeless person' Full details HERE

Absolutely what we have been saying for sometime Steve.

Attractive public house available by way of a new free of tie lease Key features ▪️Attractive public house close to Hereford City Centre ▪️Located on Commercial Road comprising a mix of national and independent operators ▪️GIA approximately 5,800 Sq Ft (546 Sq M) ▪️Trading area at ground floor with central bar servery ▪️Good sized rear trade garden ▪️Rental offers invited in excess of £70,000 per annum plus VAT Property is listed with Savills here It appears that Yates may not be renewing their lease in Hereford.. The Yates brand of pubs is owned by Stonegate. The company did not renew leases on other Yates bars including the closure of their bar in Ipswich last year and another in Oldham. Yates opened in Hereford on Thursday 29 March 2012 with a celebratory launch party and surprise guest star. The pub, was formally the Litten Tree, closed on Sunday 18th March 2012.

One woman was yesterday (Wednesday 6 March) charged with drugs offences after she was arrested at an address in Leominster, Herefordshire. Victoria Cox, 37, of Cheaton Close in Leominster, Herefordshire was charged with possession with intent to supply class A drugs and being concerned in the supply of class A drugs. She was due to appear at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court this morning (Thursday 7 March) Another woman, aged 52 ,was also arrested during the warrant was released under investigation while enquiries continue.