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Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified)


Amphibians row splashes along as a council official brands company ‘rather cheeky


by Vivien Meath


WORK to remove hedges, thick­ ets and trees at Bellman Quarry should have been carried out months ago, claims environmen­ talist Mrs Lynda England. The Worston resident has written


to the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, the Wildlife Liaison Officer for the Lan­ cashire Constabulary, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Council for Protection of Rural England about the devasta­ tion she claims she found on the site of the new quarry. With the permission and knowledge


of Castle Cement, Mrs England had been collecting newts and frogs and reiocating them to a pond on Worston Common, part-funded by Rural Action for the Environment and dug by residents of Worston.. Scientists from Sheffield University


had also been carrying our relocation work last year, although Mrs England is unsure of the whereabouts of the wildlife removed. "They took them miles away from the area because Cas­ tle Cement did not have the foresight to dig ponds," she claims. Then, a few months ago, she was told that there were frogs and newts still on the two- and-a-half acre site and she contacted the company. She says she has had a good relationship with Castle Cement and the company had previously been helpful as she worked to remove the amphibians, but so well screened is the site, that, she says, it is impossible to see just what is happening within it. Her hope was, that with the help of


Castle Cement, by the time work begp to reopen Bellman Quarry the wildlife would have been, as far as possible,


moved elsewhere. Two weeks ago, she visited the site and


was appalled to discover trees dug up, blackberry thickets flattened, caterpillar tracks through one of two ponds, and a moorhen's nest in the other, abandoned.


Rural kiosk shattered bin


liner bomb


M isg u id ed m an (22) did n o t realise i t s power


"YOUTHFUL folly" led to a young Clitheroe man blowing up a telephone box in bonfire


night week, said a judge Trevor Smith (22), of


Hillside Drive, Clitheroe, boasted to friends about a device he had made from gas and a black bin liner. He thought it would merely blacken the box in the hamlet of Dale Head, near Slaid- burn, Preston Crown Court heard. Instead, it not only


Friends suggested that ho


should detonate the bomb inside a greenhouse, but he


decided against it. Then the party decided


shattered the structure, causing £3,500 worth of damage, but also blew out the rear window of one of the cars being used by Smith and some friends. Smith admitted causing


criminal damage and was ordered to perform 100 hours' community service and make full restitution. The court heard how


Smith had been to a num­ ber of bonfires on tho’night of November 7th last year. A mechanic, he gathered


equipment from his work premises, and boasted to friends that he had made the device. He asked it they wanted to watch it being set


off.


Inquest is adjourned


indefinitely


THE inquest into the death of a Clitheroe man which led to a murder charge has been adjourned


indefinitely. The funeral of Mr Antho­


ny Carl Leecy (29), of Standen Road, Clithoroo, took place last week after a second post mortem exami­ nation had taken place. The inquest into his


death was opened some days after the discovery of his body in Mearloy Brook, Clitheroo, five \veeks ago. Last week Blackburn,


on Pendle Hill, but condi­ tions were too windy. Instead, Smith found the telephone box, and put the device inside. Then he and his friends went to their cars to wait for the explosion which all but destroyed the box. It shattered the glass, blew off the door and roof


and buckled the framework. Afterwards, Smith said


he thought the explosion would merely blacken the


box. Mr Richard Bennett


(defending) said that Smith had been encouraged by his friends. "He is a likeable, but mis


guided, young man," sug gested counsel. Judge Peter Openshaw


QC commented that Smith had used an unsophisticat­ ed device and there was no danger to others. He said that the offence could be put down to "youthful


folly."


Under starter’s orders for a great day out at races


FORGET Goodwood! It was glorious Gis- burn when the annual Pendlc Forest and Craven Hunt point to point meeting came


under starter's orders. Sunny weather ensured a bumper crowd


at Westby Hail Farm, where racegoers were treated to a quality six-race card, featuring a record number of runners. In the main race of the afternoon, 15


than 100 miles away. In addition to the racing, the event, which


is organised as lire hunt's thank you to local farmers, kept vi-sitors entertained with craft and outdoor clothing stalls, refreshment stands and a children's entertainment area, which featured a bouncy castle. Hunting dogs were put through their


paces in a display organised by the Country­


side Alliance Mid- Pennine Action Group, which attended the meet to promote support for countryside pursuits. Among the site's corporate hospitality


tents were those of the hunt, which provid­ ed a dining area for 500 members of the local farming community, who were treated to lunch, and that of sponsors Hillendale. Said the chairman of the point to point


mounts were jockeyed to the line in a field which attracted entrants from stables more-


committee, Mr Chris Hindley: "The meet­ ing was our best in recent years in terms of crowds and the quality of the race fields. It was an excellent family day out and I would like to thank committee secretary Mr Trevor Laxton and the clerk of the course, Mr Tom Bannister, plus all other volunteers,


for their efforts." Ouc picture show happy punters toasting


their luck. (020.599/21/26)


A SHOT in the arm for the Ribble Val­ ley tourist industry looks certain, follow­ ing two fact-finding missions by a group of Malaysians and overseas travel writ­


ers.


tors from Australia, New Zealand, and Ire­ land, as well as Malaysia, had arrived with an agenda to search out new tourist gems. They stopped off in the Ribble Valley as


Local tourism officers reported that visi­ . .


part of familiarisation visits to the North West, arranged by England's North Coun­ try - the overseas arm of the North West


Tourist Board. Tourism officer Jane Silvester and


tourist information officer Mary Parker, both based in Clitheroe, said all the visitors had been highly impressed by what they


Hyndburn and Ribble Val­ ley coroner Mr Andre Rebello ro-opened the hear­ ing and then adjourned it indefinitely. He said that the matter


had seen. The pair met a group of Malaysians on


Valley tourism gem Settle road


evening in the Ribble Valley. Other members of the party included representatives of New Zealand and Aus­


tralian publications. Another party of journalists arrived for


the May Bank Holiday weekend via the new Seacat service between Belfast and Heysham. They write for several Irish pub­ lications, including The Irish Times, and spent Saturday morning on a whirlwind heritage tour of the area. "We were pleased to have the opportuni­


ty to show the party around the Ribble Valley, which was undoubtedly at its finest during the spell of wonderful weather," said


Jane Silvester. This group slotted in the visit while


travelling around the north of England calling at Carlisle, the Lake District and Southport, before heading back across the


their inaugural flight to Manchester for an water.


was being fully investigated by the criminal justice sys­


tem. A man from Accrington


has been charged with the murder of Mr Leecy, and police enquiries are ongoing, the inquest was told.


A MAN arrested after an early morning armed siege a fortnight ago has been


Bail for m an (4 1 ) in sp ea rgu n s ie g e Cruttenden's case was sent to Preston


allowed bail. But Peter Cruttenden (41), of Conway


Avenue, Clitheroe, must live at his parents' home in Middlesborough, magistrates at


Blackburn ruled.


Crown Court for trial. He is accused of pos­ sessing a speargun with intent to cause tear of violence to his wife, Roisin. Apart from re.sidence, the bench imposed


other conditions of bail on the defendant - he must not contact his wife, and must not


enter Lancashire.


Yet another smash on


THREE people were taken to Burnley General Hospital after their car was in collision with a tree at Newsholme, near Gis- burn, in the early hours of


Saturday. John Morley (17), of /tsh


Grove, Barnoldswick, who was a passenger in a Nissan Bluebird car which left the road and collided with a tree on the A682 one-and-a- half miles from the centre of Gisburn, sustained a frac­ tured breastbone and was


detained. Driver Michael Lowe


(18), of Cragg Row, Salter- forth, was treated for a back injury and another passenger, David Halstead (27), of Kenilworth Drive, Earby, sustained, neck injuries. Both were released after


treatment. Ambulance, fire and


police services attended the accident. It was the latest in a string of incidents on the road.


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built a nest in the reeds, laid eggs in it, then all the caterpillars and chain saws appeared. They had run through the newt pond. I found five dead newts. "I can't tell you how upset I was. I


"It made me sick. The moorhen had . . . _ , ,


was absolutely furious," said Mre Eng­ land, who wrote a letter to the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times expressing her anger about the situation. She said: "What about forward planning? The company has had the whole winter. This work could have been carried out with the least amount of impact on the envi­


ronment." Mrs England has picked up 158


newts in six weeks and alieges that the company is in breach of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, updated in 1990, making it illegal to disturb nesting birds


or destroy nest sites. Responding to Mrs England's letter,


Mr John Lamb, East Lancashire Con­ servation Officer for the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, states that he under­ stands that planning consent has been given for quarrying at Bellman, hence


1


clearance of the site is a lawful opera­ tion, but it could reasonably have been done at another time. If offences had been committed under


.1_______f 4.1,^


the provisions of Act, he believes that the maximum fine per offence is £2,000, which applies to each bird, each nest and each egg. Thus if 10 eggs had bwn destroyed, the offender could face a fine up to £20,000 if sufficient incriminating evidence was available, if they were found guilty and if the maximum


o lotxrfiil nnpra- TTnnnr.il could not sttODop the work and had no control under the planning per­ mission which had been granted, there were other acts in force. Any further action would, said Mr Haine, have to be taken by the police. "It was rather cheeky of the company to say I was sat­ isfied. I made them aware of what their responsibilities were," he said.


■Counc co ld In response this week, Castle Cement


penalty was imposed. Lancashire County Council planning


officer (minerals and waste) Mr Jonathan Haine said that he visited the site last week and spoke to the assistant quarry manager. What he found there relative to wildlife was not, he said, "to his apparent satisfaction," as claimed in the company's response to Mrs Eng­ land's letter, printed in the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times last week. The company was clearing out scrub


in the base of the old quarry and, said Mr Haine, while Lancashire County


' -..-it. f e y


said': "We repeat that all the work to clear the site is being carried out in line with our planning permission. This has been confirmed by officers from Lan­ cashire County Council and the plan­ ning authority, who have regularly vis­ ited the site and are satisfied that we are complying with our permission. "We are aware of the requirements of


other legislation, but we do not know of any damage to wildlife and specifically to birds, nests or eggs. Staff clearing trees are continuing to check for nesting birds before felling and any which are found will be left until end of the nest­ ing season."


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