J ? s s% ? S fa /h e fo rj 01200 422264 21 Church Street, Clitheroe , l i s i » a s i p ; , * The paperthat champions the Ribble Valley cause


THURSDAY, JANUARY 2nd, 1997 No. 5,765 Price 42p


imes by Vivien Meath


Castle could expand on Tarmac site


NEWS that Tar­ mac is to close its Horrocksford oper­ ation on the out­ skirts of Clitheroe will fuel specula­ tion' that its big brother neighbour, Castle Cement, could have expan­ sion plans for the


prominent site. Tarmac’s operations a t Horrocksford were


! temporarily suspended due to lack of business in August. Operation resumed for a while after that date, with the extension of the


M65. The company has now decided to cease all opera­ tions at the site from the end of 1996 and has stat­ ed that the plant will be


CLOSED - T a rm a c ’s


Chat burn P la n t . . .


Ce ment have expan­ sion plans here? (CAT 5948)


members of the Tarmac Liaison Committee, meet­ ing in Ribble Valley Bor­ ough Council chamber. Councillors heard Tarmac


four have been retrained and three were made redun­ dant this week. The news was broken to


kept so that, should the need arise, it is available for use if- the Government approves any large road building projects in 1997. Out of seven employees,


leased to Tarmac by Castle Cement and the lease had two years left to run.'


effect. The committee heard that


County Council to that


manager Mr Reg Mason state that only the plant at Horrocksford belonged to the company. The land was


mitted its plan to reacti­ vate and extend Bellman Quarry and, in its submis­ sion, the company stated that failure to secure a new source of limestone would ultimately mean the clo­ sure of the Ribblesdale . cement works. Other sources of limestone had been investigated, without significant success. I t is believed that the


Castle Cement has resub­


limestone under Horrocks­ ford is extremely good quality and it would appear that, if the compa­ ny’s application for Bell­ man fails again, the obvi­ ous short-term option would be to look at the limestone at Horrocksford. Consequently,


prospects of an extension on Tarmac’s lease for Hor­ rocksford would then seem remote. The plant at Horrocksford


any


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is considered to be quite old, dating back to 1951, and the bitumen coating operation is the same process as that carried out at Tarmac’s Clitheroe site. Tarmac is currently evalu­


■ The council’s environmen­ tal health officer, Mr Dairies Hind, reminded Mr Mason that should Horrocksford be closed down for a period of 12 months or more, the authorisation would be revoked. Tarmac’s head office was closed this week. A spokesman for Castle Cement said that both the Horrocksford plant and the site which it occupied were leased by Tarmac from Castle Cement and were on what was known as a demolishing lease. When the lease ran out, he said, Tarmac must not just vacate the site, but remove the plant. That lease had about two years left to run. The Horrocksford site had


:


ating excavating deeper at Bankfield Quarry and is in the throes of submitting an application to Lancashire


always been part of Cas­ tle’s Lanehead quarry development plan and con­ stituted part of the 14 years of reserves which remained within that qua­ rry site.—


Area’s closure


THE cost of people spending a penny has become a real incon­ venience to Ribble Valley Bor­ ough Council. As a result, a working group wants to close a


number of public toilets. The cost of cleaning the public con­ veniences is to be discussed at the next meeting of the council’s Com­ munity Committee on Tuesday. The proposals have alarmed Coun.


holiday means that many will not have had a chance to discuss the mat­ ter and make a formal reaction before the Community Committee meeting. Eight toilets are identified as the


most suitable for removal from the cleaning rota, either by closure or by alternative cleaning arrangements


being found. In Clitheroe, the toilets at Brunger-


Derek Waller, who represents Gis- burn and Rimington. Coun. Waller said he had no objection to anyone looking at costs, but he objected to the results of the working party’s study coming to the committee as a recommendation without consulta­ tion. Some parish councils have made


ley are described as old and dilapi­ dated and the group says that sign­ ing is needed to the cemetery toilets. Those at the Castle Museum are sim­ ilarly described, with the group say­ ing that there could be emergency use of the toilet in the museum and directions to other toilets. The Woone Lane toilets are described as old and dilapidated. Coun. Bert Jones said: "I under­


their reaction to the proposals known, but the timetable of parish council meetings over the Christmas


area, we are so strapped for cash that we have to withdraw facilities for vis­ itors.


to improve the whole Castle area. How will the people considering the bid feel about an authority which is actually cutting back on services for people coming to the town?” In Mellor, the reason given for clos­


"At the moment we have this bid in ’ _


stand the need to look very carefully at the economics of this, but I deplore the fact that, in a tourist


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ing the toilets is that they are remote, old, dilapidated and not well used, although they are the next due for renovation. The plan has drawn an angry response from Coun.Charles Wark- man. He said: “I am incensed by this proposal. I have been fighting for refurbishment of these toilets for the last five years. They are Edwardian horrors and they are hard to find. Mellor is the gateway to the Ribble Valley'and we are meant to be enc- • continued on page 12


years and that there was additional reserve material under the plant. However, where the quarry borders'; with Castle Cement, it had, to be worked on simultane- ': ously..


the reserves at Bankfield. would run for about eight


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THERE was an explosion of police activity in and over j Bankfield Quarry at ± Chatbum on Satur­


from Colne and a heli­ copter from Lancashire’s A ir -S u p p o r t. Unit a t Wharton


day. ' An armed police unit-


assisted


Clitheroe police when, they answered an alarm which was triggered a t ' about 4-30 p.m. at a store of explosives at the Tar­ mac Roadstone quarry. The-area around the


explosives store was secured by police and the


armed unit. The 'Air-.Support Unit- .


answered the alarm. Its helicopter buzzed over the quarries for an hour, using its big beam lights and heat-searching equipment. A group of specialist con­


.alarm was.declared.. When the situation was


clarified the helicopter and the armed unit returned to their bases.


Bike stolen


A MOUNTAIN bike val­ ued a t £800 was stolen from a shed in the rear


; ch°rome with butterscotch- coloured tyres and it has chrome, clipless pedals. Thieves entered the


A CHATBURN boy has experienced a completely new slant on an old Christmas story - and he hopes a kind reader may come to the rescue. Many will know the misery of Christmas


by Tony Cliff


morning and a toy with no batteries, but nine- year-old Gavin Collinson, of Bellman Farm, found he had a real;.practical farm but no livestock. Gavin’s Aunt Rachel and


Uncle Carl presented him with an ant farm, but, for understandable reasons, these come without ants. Gavin spent Boxing Day hunting for residents without success. He said: “It must have


been too cold for any ants to be above'ground. I know someone at school who has an ant farm but classes do not resume for some time. Apparently you can get ants by post, but that would take some time too.” , So, if anybody can spare some specimens to start young Gavin off, perhaps they would contact us. He needs between 25 and 40 to have his farm in full operation, but just a few would be welcome to join three dogs, a goldfish and a cat at Bellman Farm. (CAT 5934)


Sm a sh an d grab THIEVES committed a smash and grab offence in Clitheroe town centre in the early hours of Christ­


ANTLESS . . .Gavin wants to fill his toy farm (CAT 5934)


yard of a Clitheroe house. The Marin 21-speed bike is


unlocked yard and forced open the shed in Cowper Avenue, between December 22nd and Christmas Eve, to steal the bike.


. the site the police checked . the contractors and a false


tractors had been working near the store of explosives and they set off the alarm. When they drove out of


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