The Clitheroe vertiser an m The paper that champions the Ribble Valley cause


A businessman is offering a £5,000 reward after the theft of a briefcase containing secrets of the private lives of stars.


Clitheroe’s car park charging scheme is described as “a dead donkey”.


There is a £48,000 “bill” for a man who sold bootleg booze.


■ ...............page 3


Police are alerted after a child is locked in a car.


Taxi drivers are angry with “over


zealous” police


A man is remanded on bail charged with drugs and firearms offences.


FOGGITT’S WEEKEND WEATHER: The wet, mild weather will give way to a colder front, bringing strong winds and the possibility.of


snow. CALLUS


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Vf-V—_•• JU® .> Thursday; March 4th, 1999 No. 5,878 Price 47p


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Environment minister calls council chiefs to London as he steps into air quality row


by Tim Procter


THE Minister for the Environ­ ment has suddenly and unex­ pectedly stepped into the local air quality controversy - and


demanded action. Mr Michael Meacher summoned


Environment Agency and local coun­ cil representatives to his office on Monday - and asked for "renewed urgency" and a number of positive ini­ tiatives from the agency to bring about a prompt improvement to the


present situation. However, Castle Cement has wel­


comed the fact that the number of


complaints has gone down. Mr David Morris, Chief Executive


of Ribble Valley Borough Council, attended the meeting with Coun. Graham Sowter, chairman of the Community Committee. They were there at the express request of the Minister, who wanted a "local per­ spective" on the issue as he discussed it with the agency. The council pair confirmed that


emissions problems. Mr Morris and Coun. Sowter espe­


cially referred to meteorological con­ ditions which affected the situation, such as high winds and still, cold days causing temperature inversion. On these occasions, Castle Cement reduced throughput on Kilns 5 and 6. The Minister was told they were


there had been some improvement in emission problems at Castle Cement since the scrubber had been brought into use on Kiln 7, but virtually noth­ ing had been spent on Kilns 5 and 6. They were now undoubtedly the main source of the plume- grounding and


due to close down in 2001, but expressed a strong view that this should not mean any slackening of the


regulatory regime. He did not accept the Environment


Agency's point that for some months now, over half the emission com­ plaints had come from just three indi­ viduals. The Minister commented


Barbara on cue for Albert Hall spectacular


A WOMAN who has devoted a lifetime to the amateur theatre in Clitheroe and sur­ rounding towns has been headhunted for a Millennium spectacular at the Albert HalL There will be a cast of


hundreds when Mrs Barbara Taylor (pic­ tured left)) takes up her role as national director of the music, dance and drama spectacle pla­ nned as a showpiece of women's achievements j through the old millen­


nium. The invitation to direct


the show, organised by the national officers of the Townswomen's Guild, came completely out-of-the-blue in a tele-


i phone call to her home in Chatburn Road, Clith­


eroe. Mrs Taylor, who pro­


duces shows for Clitheroe Parish Church Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society and Stage Two Downham, had no idea that her reputation had spread


to London. She has no connection


with the Townswomen's Guild and had never consid­ ered applying for the posi­


tion. But she has produced


stage shows in other parts of Lancashire, including the Guild Hall, Preston, for cel­ ebratory occasions and her name was passed on to the TWG headquarters by


by Sheila Nixon


northern theatre experts impressed by her standard


of work. "It is a great honour and lam thrilled to take on the


job," said Mrs Taylor, who will be working with profes­ sional musicians and com­ posers Stephen Powell and Ty Unwin and top choreog­ rapher Julia Treadwell, plus actor Martin Jarvis, who will be the narrator. Talented TGW members


that this did not invalidate the com­ plaints. It was often the case that peo­ ple dissatisfied over an issue did not necessarily go to the effort of com­ plaining themselves, but were content to let others do it for them. There had been a downward trend


in complaints since the scrubber was installed, but there had been six occa­ sions since last year when they had


been fully justified. The agency staff pointed out that


many of the photographs used by complainants to illustrate plume­ grounding events could be very mis­ leading,because of the elevations from which they were taken. They produced their own series of pho­


tographs to demonstrate how this misleading impression could occur. The agency team undertook to


j u™,r fV»ic


treat the situation with renewed urgency and to keep the Minister and the council informed of progress on several initiatives. These include a direction to Castle


Cement to reduce throughput on Kilns 5 and 6 in certain specified weather conditions, looking into the possibility of more monitoring sta­ tions for plume-grounding and better analysing currently available data. Castle Cement general manager Mr


Ian Sutheran said the company was pleased th a t the number of com­ plaints had decreased. As the agency


uH nn . wen


had pointed out, most were from a small number of people, and the decline suggested that it had been Kiln 7 which was the most likely source of poor plume dispersion, prior to the scrubber's installation.


Mr Sutheran emphasised that there


would be no slackening of environ­ mental standards, despite the decision to close Kilns 5 and 6. There was con­ tinual monitoring by the Environ­ ment Agency, and the company con­ tinued to operate within its limits. The company would continue to


reduce output in certain weather con­ ditions, and had no objection to more monitoring stations, or fuller analysis of existing data.


Soccer star scores a hit at book week launch


from across Britain will be auditioned at regional level before curtain-up on June 27th, 2001. Apart from the professionals involved, it will be an all-female cast and the one-night show is being billed as a "major prestigious event". She said she saw the job


BLACKBURN Rovers star Kevin Gallagher swopped his football boots for books to launch Langho's St Mary's RC Primary School Book


Week. The striker caught up with the latest


best-selling children's books and chat­ ted to some of the youngsters about


their favourites. The youngsters were also treated to ses­


as a huge challenge, adding: "The Albert Hall will not be available for rehearsals - we will only be allowed on stage for the show itself. So I am going to have to work to a plan of the hall when directing the production." Rehearsals for different


sections of the show are planned at regional centres and the cast will finally be brought together under one roof in Birmingham before


the big day. C-l


Homes are evacuated in landslide drama


I A MAJOR landslide brought brief drama to the Ribble Valley yesterday morning. Three houses and three residents at Hodder Bridge


I Large trees were dragged down by the force of the earth and some fencing destroyed.


had been evacuated on Tuesday evening after half-a­ foot wide cracks appeared in the Tarmac of a car park at the rear of the properties. Yesterday, tons of earth cascaded down from the sloping 60 ft. embankment above the car park of the former Hodder Bridge Hotel.


nroperties was surrounded by the earth. Norweb engineers were quickly on site to make it safe,


A 1,000 volt transformer pole supplying some nearby . emphas


He said he was shocked by what had happened, but emphasised that safetty had been ensured.


ed t sa y had Bee


, , , , , „ , . ensuriu .............


,


joining a team securing the property led by the developer, Mr Stan Ainsworth.


sions with an illustrator on Tuesday, poet Terry Caffrey yesterday and story teller Mr


Ian Duckworth, who will visit the school today.


Tomorrow, another "celebrity , Postman .


Pat, will visit the school to greet youngsters, who will be dressed up as their favourite


book characters for the day. The Book Week involved all the pupils at


the school and helped to promote the Litera­ cy Hour, which is part of the National Cur­ riculum and the opening of the new school


library. Our picture shows Mr Gallagher with


book worms Nicola Dcwhurst (11) and Alex Davies (10). (010399/15/7)


VAT EXEMPT ON MEDICAL GROUNDS


Father fails to air view at daughter’s inquest


MEMBERS of a well-known Chatburn family wanted to put then- evidence at the inquest into the death of the 18-month-old daugh­


Baby dies after a pushchair incident ter of one of them.


But they had to accept


a ruling by the Black­ burn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Coroner, Mr Andre Rebello, that they could not speak at


the hearing. Bethany Jane Smith-


son, whose father, Mr Aiden Smithson, lives in Quarry Farm Court, Chatburn, was in the care of her mother at a house in Rishton when she died after her pushchair was found to have gone over backwards. The tragedy was followed


......... ed an open verdict into the t t


child's death. He said he did not know how the substan­ tially-built pushchair could go over backwards. Several members of the


Smithson family were at the inquest and heard the coro­ ner say that he was not able to put the tragedy down as


accidental. He said that there were unanswered questions in


the case. Leading pathologist Dr


by a detailed police investi­ gation, but it was inconclu­ sive and Mr Rebello record-


William Lawler explained that he found no head or neck injuries - but pressure to the neck could have caused the child's heart to


stop. He said that he had to


keep an open mind and accept that it was one of the very few cases where he did not know the cause of


death. Mr Aiden Smithson, and


his mother, had given back­ ground material to the coroner. But Mr Smithson was


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