if Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, May 20th, .1999 3, Ciitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified) _____________ __


Farmer involved in fatal accident has denied driving tractor without due care and attention


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A FARMER whose trac­ tor was involved in a fatal accident with a woman he knew well has denied driving without


due care and attention. The case against Jack


Life (67 ), of Chadwicks Farm, Settle Road, Bolton- by-Bowland, started before magistrates at Blackburn o Thursday and was


n


adjourned until June 21st. The accident on the main road


through Bolton-by-Bowland happened on the evening of May 4th, 1998. Pedestrian Miss


Valerie Pickard, a prominent personality in local agriculture, died three days later from serious


head injuries. Police interviewed the defen­


dant, who told them: "I thought a lot about that girl." He \vas asked to take an eye test, which he passed, and had a clean dri­


ving licence. .............................. ............. 1,. Miss Pickard and a friend.


Miss Jennifer Jackson, had each drunk two-and-a-half pints of


lager in the Coach and Horses, Bolton-by-Bowland, before set­ ting off to walk in the direction


of Holden. Miss Jackson told the court


that some distance up the road she saw the tractor coming from behind them. They both moved into a gateway, and then Miss


Pickard walked on. "The front wheel of the tractor i


Contravention of BSE rules costs firm £20,000


A PROSECUTION against a Ribble Valley abattoir which


in fines and costs for contravening regulations brougnt in BSE scare.


Blackburn magistrates


heard that, while the cur­ rent owners of Rose County Foods Ltd had not taken control when most of the offences were committed, they were still responsible in


law.


the company could consider byproduct then ^ to be itself unlucky to be appear- stained blue and kept sepa_


The chairman said that


ing in court under such cir­ cumstances. It was clear that effective steps had been taken to remedy previ­


ous failings. Rose County Foods


entered pleas of guilty to 10 summonses brought by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under the Specified Risk Material Regulations. They were find £2,500 on each of seven summonses and given a conditional discharge on the other three. The company, of Castill Laithe Abattoir, Gisburn Road, Sawley, was also ordered to pay £2,827


costs. Mr Adrian Closs (prose­


cuting) said the regulations


had been introduced because of the concern over


the spread of BSE.' '• "It was a concern t>0ca\is6 it was a threat to the cattle, to other animals, and because subsequent investi­ gations showed there was a risk to humans through the variation known as Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease," said Mr Closs. "Certain parts of cows and sheep have been identified as at risk of carrying BSE and these have been collectively named Specified Risk Material (SRM). The main


naa ueen -


purpose of these regulations to ensure that meat bought by members of the


, ..


public is safe to eat". Mr Closs said that


slaughterhouses had a duty to remove SRM as soon as practicable after an animal had been slaughtered. The


rate from other meat before being removed from the slaughterhouse by an approved contractor. "The onus is very much


on the owners of the slaugh­ terhouse to make sure these regulations are complied


with," he said. Inspectors from the Meat . ,


Hygiene Service, working under a ministry vet, carry out frequent checks at all slaughterhouses and it was these that had uncovered the failures to comply with the regulations. On one occasion, SRM


material was found in a con­ tainer marked "final fat" which was ready for removal from the premises and should not have con­ tained anything but animal


fat.On all the other occa­ sions, pieces of SRM were found still attached to other sections of cows and sheep. Mr Anthony Crean


(defending) said he was. instructed by Dungannon Meats, which had not taken over the company until August of last year. "I think it is important to


draw a distinction between the first seven offences and the last three," said Mr Crean. "At the time they


bought Rose County Foods, my clients were not aware that the company faced these prosecutions. Dungannon Meats has been operating for 15 years and has never been prose­ cuted for any offence." Mr Crean said that since


the takeover there had been a robust and rigorous tight­ ening up. A new manage­ ment team was in place, including a manager with specific responsibility for SRM, new systems had been put in place and there had been extensive retrain­ ing for the 160 staff at the Sawley site.


"The reason for this legis­ .


lation is to ensure the com­ pany takes steps to protect the public," said Mr Crean. "I can provide you with absolute assurances with regard to that. There has been a dramatic increase in standards of hygiene since Dungannon Meats took over and an independent report produced in Febru­ ary suggests that by then they had achieved a clean


bill of health." Announcing the decision


of the court, the chairman of the bench said there was clear evidence that the com­ pany had taken effective steps to remedy previous


failings. "The new company


shows concern about get­ ting things right and they can consider themselves unlucky to be appearing in court for offences commit­ ted at a time when they had no control," he added.


was very close to her, and the VJIW


back wheel caught her shoulder and she was pushed into the


hedge," said Miss Jackson. Barrister Mr Ian Whitehurst,


defending, cross-examined Miss Jackson about her evidence, a.nd pointed out that in her police statement she had said the front wheel of the tractor struck Miss


Pickard. "There seems to be some con­


fusion," suggested Mr White­ hurst. Miss Jackson said that it was possible, but maintained that she did see the tractor "clip"


hpr friend. She denied that it was inquest, Miss Vicky Carl^^^^


her friend. She denied that it w^ only a presumption that it did so, and disagreed with counsel's suggestion that Miss Pickard could have got in the tractor's way by stumbling or losing her


footing. Miss Jackson accepted that it , , t ____


was possible that at the inquest she had said that she only "thought" the vehicle had struck Miss Pickard. Counsel told the bench that he would be calling the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times reporter who covered the


inquest. Miss Vicky Carlin, to read from her notes what Miss Jackson had said there. Those made by the Coroner were not as


full, he indicated. PC Geoffrey Broniley said


that he interviewed Life about the accident, and asked him why the tractor had hit Miss Pickard. He replied: "I cannot tell you,


because I gave them plenty of room." When the officer suggest­ ed he had misjudged the dis­ tance, Life replied: "I didn't mis­ judge it. I go there every day."


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ELDERLY people in the Ribble Valley have been showing it is never too late to get to grips with computers. They are on an infor­ mation technology course specially geared towards them at Skill- share Adult Education Centre in Clitheroe. The "Fun and Chips"


computer course, launched on Monday, was the brainchild of Ribble Valley Age Con­ cern co-ordinator Mr Martin Bradley. He said: "I think it's a


myth that elderly people aren't interested in com­ puters. I think they are, but they just need to be geared towards their


needs." On the course, the


mature pupils are given eight weeks of tuition in basic computing and word processing skills. Course co-ordinator Mrs


Melanie Kilmister com­ mented: "It was a great success. They all said they really enjoyed it and they were amazed at what com­ puters can do. One lady on the course was born in 1912 and it proved to be a really rewarding teaching experi­


ence."


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_ _ _ 6» iNHSE UNUE LD.


, A l l - - ------- . exp an d in g , w ith the


THE latest half-year results show more moves forward by Clitheroe-based Ultraframe pic. its ma rkets are installation of more auto-


company having staff, systems and, in the case of North America, a new


1 jo in t venture, to make the most of opportuni­


1 beginning of April, turnover went up six per


ties. In the 26 weeks to the


1 2p.


cent to £27.71m, pre-tax profits up 16 per cent to £8.05m and dividends per share up 17.7 per cent to


Chairman ................ Mr Don


Greenhalgh says in his report that the third quar­ ter of the firm's financial year is showing sales at record levels, and the excit­ ing North American devel­ opment provides a platform


for the future. Mr Greenhalgh thanked


departing managing direc­ tor Mr Ian Robinson for his contribution to the business- and expressed delight at the way the workforce has responded to the challenges


facing it. These have included con­


struction of new premises.


mated plant, and general factory re-organisation. | This major re-organisation, involving the Bristol as well as Clitheroe plants, has helped growth, enhanced | customer service and offered opportunities for efficiency gains.


, Ultraframe's marketing


package for new-build hous- es has been well received by the trade. A number of | national builders are com­ mitted to offering conserva­ tories on new properties. But the commercial and portal structure division


j


has shown a turnover growth of 83 per cent. It is for larger projects, and for- ward commitments and inquiries are at a record I level. Factory space has been dedicated to the divi­ sion to facilitate its growth. Research and develop-


ment is of paramount importance, says the report. At the major Glassex exhi- bition, 67 new products were launched. And 108 patents have been granted to the company, or are |


pending.


Mr Bradley added: "It was great fun and we want­


ed to make sure it had a social element to it, per­ haps providing an antidote to the rural isolation some elderly people might feel out here. We were very pleased with the quality of


teaching provided by Skill-


share." Our picture shows Skill-


share co-ordinator Mrs Melanie Kilmister helping Mrs Doris Knowles with her mouse-work during the Fun and Chips computer course. (170599/21/22)


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