‘Armed’ with speed gun to stop racers
by Faiza Afzaal
ARMED with laser speed guns and fluorescent jackets, Ribble Valley police officers are to man accident blackspots around the borough in a bid to crackdown on speeding
motorists. From Monday morning, local police
officers will patrol rural areas equipped with the hand-held device to carry out speed enforcement where villagers have complained about motorists who dash down their narrow country lanes - accel erating at 60 m.p.h. in a 30 m.p.h. zone. And drivers caught exceeding the 30
m.p.h. speed limit, or driving in a careless of wreckless manner especially in Sabden or Mellor, could face a £60 fine and three points on their licence. The move follows months of monitor
ing in conjunction with the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety, and working with the Road Safety group of the local Crime and Disorder Partnership, on the borough’s speeding hotspots and follow ing concerns from the public. Insp. Bob Ford, officer in charge of
policing in the Ribble Valley, said raised community concerns have led to the
police taking firm action. He commented: “Speeding in villages was the number one topic being raised at our surgeries and at public meetings. “As a result of that, our officers began
an audit of the valley’s speeding hotspots earlier this year. “They went round the borough’s towns
and villages working out where speeding occurred, at what time, and which groups of drivers were normally responsible. “In addition, our Police Community
Support Officer Nigel Williams, who staffs the mobile police station which vis its many of the villages, had been under taking speed checks as part of his routine patrols of the rural areas. “He discovered different parts of the
borough had different problems with speeding and it tended to be at certain times. “He also found Sabden and Mellor
were being used as short-cuts by com muters - causing danger and nuisance to others.” Mellor resident and the borough’s
Mayor, Coun. Charles Warkman, who has been voicing concerns for many years about the dangers of serious accidents in
Country code launch in Valley
A NEW Countryside Code has been welcomed by walkers and children from Waddington and West Bradford CE Prima ry School like a breath of fresh air. More than 50 country
side enthusiasts attended the North West launch at Downham Village Hall on Monday where they were guided through a series of
new rights and responsibil ities when out in the open scenic fields by officials from the Countryside Agency. Our picture shows coun
tryside officer Mr David Oyston, with children from the school ready to launch the code. Amelia Cottam is in the fore ground. (0120704/1)
Valley student relives Tanzania armed attack
by Richard Hartley-Parkinson
A STUDENT from Pendleton has been recovering with her fam ily after being a member of the conservation group who were held at gun point on an island
off Tanzania. Miss Charlotte Hutchi
son (21), returned safely last week following an aborted expedition after being attacked on Friday - the day they arrived on the island She was on a marine con
servation work expedition on the island of Pemba just off Tanzania when several gun men broke into the camp and attacked the group. They were held at gun
point while the attackers took personal belongings as well as a boat and engines; Charlotte was slightly
injured in the attack when a bottle was shot at above her head. She was flown from the
island to Dar-es- Salaam with Grace Forster (18), from Cambridgeshire, who was shot in the back and Robert Scott (20), from Bristol.
Some of the gunmen said
they wanted to rape and kill the girls, but others said they were only there to rob the group. They made the group lie
down in one of the huts. Charlotte said: “When it
was my turn to be walked out there, I saw all the bod ies on the floor and thought that they had killed every one and my turn was next. “But they threw me
down and I heard people breathing and whimpering. The gunmen were clicking their guns behind us and had petrol, we thought they were either going to shoot us all or burn the banda down.” Eventually the gunmen
fled by boat and local vil lagers ran for help. A representative from
the British High Commis sion took Charlotte, Grace and Robert to the local hospital. Two men have been arrested by the local police and are currently being interviewed. After recuperating at
home, Charlotte returned to Edinburgh on Monday to continue with her stud ies at university.
Mon to Fri 9am-5pm Sat 10am-4pm Weekday evenings by appointment • A unique collection of furniture & accessories to complement your home • Pendle Mill, Pendle Road, Clitheroe Telephone 01200 425522
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