Halifax Piece Hall renovations will stop dead rat problem
Managers of Grade I-listed landmark building want to make adaptations in an effort to keep pests such as rats out of its walls. The Piece Hall in Halifax reopened in 2017 after several years of restoration work and now hosts concerts and events.It dates back to 1799 and was originally a cloth hall for traders. In a planning application to Calderdale Council, the venue's managers asked for permission to renovate the Piece Hall's west side wall.
Supporting statements alongside the application said the proposed work would ensure the longevity and protection of the Piece Hall.The Piece Hall Trust also said the work would stop pests getting into the cavity of the building, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.The application said: "Currently we have evidence of deceased rodents that have accessed through the gaps between the brickwork…they can only be removed by removing a section of bricks to allow our pest control contractor to remove the rodents."Prior conversations with conservation officers had taken place to ensure the method of works were suitable, the supporting statement added.Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
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Telegraph
2 days ago
- Telegraph
Ding-dong in the village as church bell silenced for first time in 177 years
A village church has been forced to silence its chiming bells for the first time in nearly 180 years. St Michael's in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, was given a notice by the council to silence chiming between 11pm and 7am in April because of a series of complaints submitted by three disgruntled residents. The clock, which has been a village fixture for 177 years, does the full Westminster chimes with bells that chime on the quarter hour and another that strikes on the hour. It is not possible to pause the chiming at night until a costly device is fitted, so the bells have fallen silent in order to comply with the Calderdale council order. Many villagers were appalled by the decision and have set up an online petition to reinstate the bells, which they described as 'the soundtrack of our community's daily life'. Calderdale council said it had received complaints from three households about the chiming overnight. Roy Wrathall, who has been a church warden at St Michael's for nine years, said: 'We don't have the facilities to silence overnight. 'There's very much two sides to it. There's 'I'm awake in the night, there goes the clock that reassures me' and 'I can't get to sleep because I keep hearing that clock every 15 minutes'. It's not an easy one to resolve. 'Wearing the church hat – we're there for everybody so we'll do what the law says we have to do and do our best to try and please as many people as we can. 'The only way we can comply between 11pm and 7am is to stop the chimes. The clock's still going but the chimes have stopped.' 'A symbol of continuity and community' Villagers have set up a petition to reinstate the bells, which has received 1,296 signatures. The petition states: 'These bells have chimed since 1848, long before any of us were here – a symbol of continuity and community for over a century. 'My family's roots run deep in this village, and for us, as for numerous other residents, the chimes are more than bells – they are the soundtrack of our community's daily life.' The petition urges the council to reconsider their decision and find a solution that satisfies both the individuals who raised the complaint and the majority of village residents. One suggestion is to soundproof the complainants' residences. Danielle Durrans, the Calderdale council's cabinet member for public services and communities, said: 'The Council received several complaints from local residents about the noise of the church clock chime overnight, and the substantial impact it was having on their quality of life. 'We understand how much local people value heritage and the tradition of the church clock. 'However, the evidence from our investigation showed that the regularity and volume of the bell chiming, at the time of night when people are sleeping, was causing a substantial impact, so we had no option but to determine a statutory nuisance and serve an abatement notice requiring the chimes not to operate between 11pm and 7am.'
BBC News
05-06-2025
- BBC News
Surrey men fined after Lincolnshire hare coursing incident
Two men have been fined after they were found guilty of hare coursing in Connors, 24, and Jerry Connors, 19, both of Rectory Lane, Woodmansterne, Banstead, Surrey, were arrested and charged after an incident in Crowland in March pair, and two others, were found guilty of hunting a wild mammal with dogs and trespass during a trial in December for their arrests were later issued and they were sentenced at Lincoln Magistrates' Court on 29 May. Lincolnshire Police said officers had been called out on Sunday 12 March 2023 to reports of four men hare reported seeing the men walking across fields with one driving a blue Daihatsu Terios 4x4 through newly planted a short chase, the four members of the group were pair were both individually fined £875 and ordered to pay £4929.83 compensation and a £350 victim surcharge. What is hare coursing? Coursers will walk along a field to frighten the hare into the openThe dog catches the hare and kills it by "ragging" it - shaking the animal in its teethThe dogs - usually greyhounds, lurchers or salukis - are on a slip lead, threaded so it can be easily releasedThe dead hare is usually left in the field or thrown in a ditchHare coursing is illegal throughout the UK. The Hunting Act 2004, makes it an offence to hunt wild mammals with dogsSource: Lincolnshire Police Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
05-06-2025
- BBC News
Two arrests and birds seized in Bradford in cockfighting probe
Two men have been arrested and several cockerels seized from six properties in Bradford in connection with an investigation into animal man was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of causing an animal fight to take place and taking part in an animal fight, while another man was arrested on suspicion of being present at an animal fight, according to West Yorkshire RSPCA confirmed its officers had joined police as warrants were carried out at six addresses in Bradford and two addresses in Burton-upon-Trent and Warrington as part of the investigation.A "number" of cockerels were removed during those operations and placed into the care of the RSPCA, a spokesperson said. "The warrants are part of an ongoing investigation led by the police," they added. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
