Hereford Voice

Italian restaurant chain Prezzo is preparing to close around 100 of its 300 stores in an attempt to rescue the business. The chain - which is owned by private equity firm TPG Capital - employs around 4,500 people. Prezzo is also expected to completely close its TexMex chain Chimichanga, which has 33 restaurants in the UK. The closures would form part of a deal to renegotiate debts owed by the company to its landlords. Specialist restructuring firm AlixPartners is understood to be drafting a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) - a step short of going into administration - on the company's behalf. The CVA would allow Prezzo to continue trading without being pursued for the money it owes. We are not sure at this time if the Prezzo restaurant in the Old Market Hereford is listed to close although we understand that Chimichanga will be closing.

We have today created a NEW - Hereford Voice Projects forum. This is a sub forum of the Open Forum. Over many years Hereford Voice have kick-started various campaigns and initiated local projects as well as being actively involved in community events. This forum highlights and promotes the discussion of all of these activities and will lay the foundations for future Hereford Voice Projects in Hereford. This new sub forum is where all topics and discussions about previous/future projects and campaigns will reside (all in one place). We have also created a new 'Tag' called simply 'Hereford Voice Projects'

We have today added a new colour theme to the website as part of our overall upgrade. You can pick your preferred background colour by clicking on the icon on your profile bar that looks like a little mountain, from here you can select your colour choice. Alternatively, you an always just use the standard default theme by selecting it from the 'Theme' dropdown box at the bottom of the page. We are hoping to add additional themes as and when finances allow.

Severe Weather Warning. Herefordshire Council is preparing to keep the county moving as the ‘Beast from the East’ moves in. The council’s public realm contractor, Balfour Beatty Living Places, is continuing to monitor conditions around-the-clock to ensure the county’s 14 priority routes are kept clear during extreme weather conditions. In preparation, over the past 24 hours, the Balfour Beatty Living Places team has gritted over 1,000 miles of road. This includes 600 miles of priority routes and over 400 miles of secondary routes. The county’s salt barns are fully stocked with 4,800 tonnes of salt available to the 30-strong gritting team, which operates 16 frontline gritting vehicles, four snow blowers and two quad bikes. Balfour Beatty Living Places contract director, Andy Williams, said: Councillor Barry Durkin, Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Roads and Regulatory Services, added: Precautionary salting normally takes place in the early morning or evening but additional action may be required during extreme weather. You can find the latest gritting route information on Twitter @HfdsStreets The latest information about Herefordshire Council services affected by severe weather, such as road and school closures, can be found at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/severeweather