Hereford Voice

M5 motorway closed at Gloucester after body discovered. Officers have closed the M5 between junction 11A at Brockworth and junction 12 for Quedgeley after a person was found dead on the carriageway. The incident was reported shortly before 4.10am today (Wednesday 30 October). Officers attended the scene, on the southbound carriageway around a mile north of Gloucester Services, and have closed both sides of the motorway while the body is recovered and a serious incident investigation takes place. Diversions have been put in place but significant disruption is expected this morning and is likely to last for a number of hours while police continues its work at the scene and establishes the circumstances. Anyone who may have information but hasn't spoken to police should call 101 and quote incident 34 of 30 October.

The British people will head to the polls in a 'General Election' on Thursday 12 December 2019. Your thoughts...

There are many roads closed across the county due to the severe rainfall and conditions. Please do not drive through floods unless absolutely necessary. You are often our 'Eyes & Ears' please help us to help you by sending us your news & photographs. This can be done via Facebook messenger or Email. Thank you to all of the people who kindly take the time to send us regular updates throughout the year.

An extra hour in bed tomorrow :)

Christmas just around the corner it's time to start planning the ultimate celebration at The Glass Tandoori. Make your reservation in advance for all your family to taste North Indian Cuisine. Christmas special offer will be available soon !

Photographs courtesy of The Beefy Boys

Congratulations to The Beefy Boys again for their brilliant signature burger entry into the world food championships competition in Texas USA.

Pepe's Piri Piri looks likely to be opening in Commercial Street very soon. It is good to see this area becoming more and more busy with new shops

Crest Nicholson (Midlands) Ltd have submitted plans to create a development of 52 homes on land to the east of the A49 Holmer Herefordshire HR4 9RG. Planning Application P193296/RM

Thomas Cook has ceased trading, how will this affect local people from Herefordshire? Thomas Cook has confirmed that all the companies in its group have ceased trading, including Thomas Cook Airlines. As a result, we are sorry to inform you that all holidays and flights provided by these companies have been cancelled and are no longer operating. All Thomas Cook's retail shops have also closed. The Government and the Civil Aviation Authority are now working together to do everything we can to support passengers due to fly back to the UK with Thomas Cook between 23 September 2019 and 6 October 2019. Depending on your location, this will be either on CAA-operated flights or by using existing flights with other airlines. If you are already abroad you will find all the information you need about your arrangements to get home on this website. If you are due to depart from a UK airport with Thomas Cook Airlines, please do not travel to your UK airport as your flight will not be operating and you will not be able to travel. This repatriation is hugely complex and we are working around the clock to support passengers. Customers already abroad If you are currently abroad and your flight was with Thomas Cook we are providing new flights to return you to the UK. These repatriation flights will only be operating for the next two weeks (until 6 October 2019). After this date you will have to make your own travel arrangements. From a small number of locations, passengers will have to book their own return flights. For further advice and details of your return journey please read I am currently abroad. Please note that repatriation flights are only available for passengers whose journey originated in the UK. If you are currently abroad and due to return to the UK after 6 October 2019, please read the additional information section. If you are ATOL-protected and are having difficulties with your hotel, please read managing difficulties with accommodation. PLEASE NOTE: Some of Thomas Cook's package holiday bookings include flights with airlines unrelated to the Thomas Cook Group. If your return flight is not with Thomas Cook's airline, it will still be valid. However other elements of the package, such as accommodation and transfers will be affected. Customers yet to travel out of the UK We are sorry to inform you that all future holidays and flights booked with Thomas Cook are cancelled as of 23 September 2019. If you are booked on a Thomas Cook Airlines flight, please do not go to your UK airport, as your flight will not be operating. The Civil Aviation Authority’s repatriation programme will not include any outbound flights from the UK. If you choose to book a new flight with another airline out of the UK, you will not be eligible for a repatriation flight. PLEASE NOTE: Some of Thomas Cook's package holiday bookings include flights with airlines unrelated to the Thomas Cook Group. If your return flight is not with Thomas Cook's airline it may still be valid. However other elements of the package, such as accommodation and transfers might be affected. Further information is available at I have a future booking and have not traveled yet.

Plans have been submitted, which if approved, would see a completely new service station, demolishing the existing Harvest Energy Service Station on Commercial Road and replacing it with a new modern facility. Plans and Graphics - Adcocks Associates The new garage would include a new larger shop and an additional two car parking spaces taking the number of spaces for cars to six as well as disabled, motorcycle and cycle parking. There would also be a new forecourt and canopy, as well as a three-pump starter gate, and three jet washes. If plans are approved the new facility would create two full-time roles and four part-time positions. Planning application P193011/F

Here is another in Eign Gate planning number P193209/F

Police Statement:

Here are the 5 choices left: Complete your vote online here, deadline 30th September 2019

‘Hereford Free Week’ to celebrate Beryl Bikes success In just the first month after launching its hybrid bike share scheme in the cathedral city, Beryl’s distinctive green bikes have been cycled well over 8,000km in Hereford. To celebrate this success, Beryl and Herefordshire Council are bringing riders a free week of trips across the city. Funded by a grant from the Department of Transport, all rides ending in a Beryl Bay will be free of charge from Monday 9th to Sunday 15 of September. “Hereford Free Week” will enable more residents and visitors to choose a more environmentally-friendly means of transport. Beryl CEO Phillip Ellis says, Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Transport at Herefordshire Council, expects the Hereford Free Week to encourage even more people to hop on a Beryl bike for commuting or leisure rides. Beryl’s hybrid bike share is an innovative scheme where its bikes, that are available to hire through the Beryl app, can be picked up and dropped off in marked ‘Beryl Bays’. Riders have a payment choice of Pay-As-You-Ride (£1 unlock fee + 5p per minute), Minute Bundles (no unlock fee and bundles starting at 100 minutes for £5) or Day Passes (24 hours of unlimited riding for £12). Once their ride is complete, users simply close the lock on the bike to complete their ride and make it available for the next person to use. For more information on Beryl, please visit beryl.cc.

Hereford Voice Instagram: Church Street, Hereford - a brief history. Church Street dates back to around 800 AD and is split into two parts; the wider section from the Cathedral Close up to East Street, and the narrow passage which leads from there into High Town and which was the beginning of what, in the thirteenth century, was called ‘Cabochelone’ or Cabbage Lane. (Unlike the position of cabbage today, the privileged Norman/French churchmen ate their meat with choice vegetables like the cabbage which would have been purchased in the street, along with exotic herbs and spices.) In the fifteenth century the two parts were separately identified as Brode Cabeige Lane and Narowe Cabeige Lane, which was gentrified in the eighteenth century to Capuchin Lane. The nineteenth century saw it become Church Street with the narrow section being called, rather confusingly as it was furthest from the river, Lower Church Street. Church Street was in St. John’s Parish, where parish officials in the post reformation period applied the laws of settlement to exclude the lame, lazy and sick, thus providing for a ‘polite society’ and maintaining the area’s wealth. However, this did not stop a number of public houses and subterranean drinking dens flourishing in the area. There were three in Narrow Cabbage Lane alone. The first Herefordshire Directory, published in of 1835, lists 26 distinct trades and specialists such as a butcher, baker, fishmonger, tailor, bookseller and milliner. Church Street was seen as a street of commerce and refinement – a position it still holds today. Source

Appeal for witnesses to armed robbery - Hereford We are appealing for witnesses following an armed robbery in Hereford. The incident happened at around 10pm on Thursday, 29 August at the Tesco Express store on Holme Lacy Road. Two males wearing balaclavas are believed to have entered the store and threatened staff with a knife before making off with a quantity of cash and alcohol. Investigating officers have arrested a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy in connection with this incident and have seized a knife. The two boys remain in police custody at this time while they assist officers with their enquiries. Officers have also retrieved what is believed to be the stolen cash and alcohol. Detective Sergeant Frank Real from West Mercia Police said: Anyone with any information is asked to call West Mercia Police on 101 quoting incident number 787s of 29 August 2019. Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their website.

This is absolutely unbelievable and beyond words!! Beryl Bikes set on fire near to the skatepark at Newton Farm Hereford. We received this email just:

Yes unbelievable the lengths that someone will go in order to ruin it for others. We did pick the bikes up and place them back on their stands after we took these photographs, we also reported the damage etc to the Beryl support team, this was the nice reply that we received back:

We appreciate that they should not have to park these bikes in stands but maybe that's the only way to prevent these bikes becoming wrecked!

Beryl Bikes arrived in Hereford just over a month ago and we have all seen the vandalism and damage caused to this greta scheme to help people travel around our city, unfortunately it is always the few idiots that spoil it for the rest of the community. We took this photograph this evening outside the Oval shops, bikes in a heap and a saddle missing from one.

It has taken many years but we might just get our lights out trail now.. "When The Lights Are Out, The Traffic Just Flows"

Yes, its bee na long time coming! Hopefully we will get our lights out trial!!

The controversial bright yellow and pink shop front colours along Widemarsh Street in Hereford have been approved and the current colours are to be changed inline with current planning conditions. Planning application details: This is how to U Break We Fix store currently looks The new colours below are more inline with current planning regulations. Application P191115/A

Hereford Bypass Paused! A cabinet member decision has been taken today to pause and review the Hereford bypass and Southern link road schemes. Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Transport, said: What are your thoughts on this discision?