Latest news with #BradfordonAvon
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Cameras to catch lorry drivers flouting weight limits in Wiltshire
Lorry drivers flouting weight restriction laws could soon be caught on camera and Council last month approved a plan to protect weak, weight-restricted sections of road, including bridges, by installing mobile cameras that recognise number council said it was now speaking to police to set the plan in motion. Under a successful lorry watch scheme in 2012, volunteers monitored a bridge in Bradford on Avon, reporting 1,000 drivers to Philip Whitehead, who put forward the new plan, said there were between 200 and 300 sections of road in the county that could benefit from cameras. Mr Whitehead said lorry drivers had been taking a shortcut on Spaniels Bridge Road when travelling between Devizes and Coate, which is in his ward.A bridge on the road has a 7.5 tonne weight limit, which he estimates saves drivers about four minutes, according to the Local Democracy Reporting they are dropping off or picking up goods, lorry drivers are breaking the law. Mr Whitehead said there was nowhere on the shortcut where loading or unloading could said the Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson, had assured him that officers would "act on evidence supplied to them".The previous lorry watch scheme was discontinued when lorry numbers fell from "20 or 30" a day to none, the councillor said. 'They'll stop doing it' "[The volunteers] would sit there and take photographs and write the number plates down and they were happy because they nicked somebody that day," Mr Whitehead said."New technology allows us to put one camera at one end, one camera at the other end, record the time and if they're not dropping off in the middle you give that evidence to the police and they will prosecute."When you start catching them, they'll stop doing it."Drivers caught flouting the rules face a fine and a possible three points on their licence.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Historic Bradford-on-Avon cottages to be made available for rent
A pair of historic cottages on the site of a grand country estate will be renovated and made available as rental homes thanks to a new loan. Work on the stone cottages at the entrance to The Hall in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, is being funded by a £150,000 loan from the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF), which has supported the charitable trust which runs the estate since 2017. The estate was last occupied by engineer Dr Alex Moulton, who invented the suspension systems used in the Mini and the Moulton bicycle. Christine Olivieri, CEO of the Moulton Trust, said the organisation was "delighted" to have received the loan which had been "instrumental" in restoring the cottages. "Providing much-needed residential accommodation within the Bradford-on-Avon community has been a key priority for the Trust," Ms Olivieri Dr Moulton's death in 2012, The Hall was donated to a charitable trust set up in his own name, with the missions of preserving the building and its collections as well as promoting the estate for public visits and weddings. Built in the early 17th Century by clothier John Hall, the Grade I listed main house has been home to leading figures in Britain's wool, rubber and automotive industries. The AHF's Heritage Impact Fund loan will help refurbish the two cottages - thought to date back to the mid-19th Century and used to house estate workers - to go be used as rental properties. The rent will be used to help the Moulton Trust preserve The Hall and other buildings. Andrew Hitches-Davies, investment manager at AHF, said the loan would "help secure the future" of the estate. "Once the work has finished, these cottages will bring in a steady income to fund the trust's charitable work and community programmes while continuing its mission to protect and preserve the historic hall," he added.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Work starts on new cricket nets in town
Work has started on new cricket nets in Bradford on Avon's Culver Close. The nets are being installed next to the tennis courts, with the work expected to take up to three weeks, depending on weather and ground conditions. The council has assured that access to Culver Close from the main road near the tennis courts remains open, and the tennis courts will continue to operate as usual. For the safety and convenience of the workers, a couple of benches have been temporarily removed, but they will be reinstated once the installation of the nets is completed. The new nets are part of the council's ongoing efforts to improve recreational facilities in the area and encourage more residents to engage in sports activities. Read more: One of the UK's oldest lions dies at Wiltshire wildlife park The council has stated that the nets will provide a great opportunity for both amateur and seasoned cricketers to practice and hone their skills. Residents have expressed their appreciation for the new addition, with many looking forward to using the facility once it is completed. A spokesperson for the council said: "We are pleased to be able to provide this new facility for the community. "We hope it will encourage more people to take up cricket and enjoy the many benefits of the sport."
BBC News
02-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Wiltshire man who lost dad at 10 raising thousands for charity
A man who lost his father aged 10 is aiming to raise thousands of the charity that supported him through his loss. Josh Preece, 31, from Bradford-on-Avon, is set to run a 25km course along the Somerset coast on Saturday as part of the SW Coast 50 Ultra Challenge. He has already raised more than £1,000 for Winston's Wish, the UK's first dedicated bereavement charity for children and young people. In January Mr Preece marked the 20th anniversary of the loss of his father Andrew in a road traffic incident, and said he wants to give back to the charity for the "massive difference" it made to his life. "It was a big shock," said Mr Preece, describing how his family only found out about his father's death when police knocked on the door. "I'll never forget that night," he added. But while he and his family struggled to come to terms with their sudden loss, by a "complete, weird coincidence" one of Mr Preece's best friends at primary school was the son of the founder of Winston's Wish. This meant he and his sister were able to access the help they needed quickly, and were supported throughout the rest of their adolescence by the Gloucester-based charity. As well as support in school and at home, Mr Preece said was able to make use of the charity's trips to camp or weekends away to meet other young people who had experienced bereavement. The sessions, he said, helped him to make sense of his emotions. "They make you realize that you're not the only one going through it," he said. "As a 10-year-old, you start to realise there's quite a big world out there, and there's lots of people going through things."Dealing with grief at a young age does teach you a lot," he continued. "It teaches you a lot of lessons in its own way, and as an adult in its own way too." Describing his father as a "big Bruce Springsteen fan", Mr Preece said: " I always think it's quite funny because on his gravestone it says "born to run"."It was obviously one of his favourite songs, but he definitely wasn't born to run - he was of a similar height to me [...] but carried a bit more weight."Now, in light of his fundraising challenge, that famous lyric has taken on a new poignancy. "That's quite nice, running now, and thinking about that," he joked.
BBC News
27-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Bradford-on-Avon 'not being abandoned' after £11m scheme u-turn
The Environment Agency says it is not abandoning town hit by heavy flooding after scrapping a proposed £11m defence in Wiltshire, was badly flooded in January 2024 before being devastated by Storm Bert in agency said a permanent £11m flood scheme for the town is now "unviable", adding it is committed to "community resilience and better flood warning".Ian Withers, the Environment Agency's area director for Wessex, said: "It would be irresponsible to spend that kind of money that wouldn't necessarily protect the town from the sort of flooding we've seen in the last two years." The River Avon has burst in banks in Bradford-on-Avon on numerous occasions in recent years, flooding nearby roads and Withers added the threat of a flood is "tripled" there because:It has a "huge catchment which drains through the town","Huge volume of water which goes underground, that floods properties from the grounds upwards",And town is in a "steep-sided bowl".The agency said it has ruled out the planned permanent flood scheme, which involved low walls and pumping stations, as prospective costs have more than doubled since it was proposed in 2017. Mr Withers said the "impact of climate change" has also caused the agency to re-think its plans."Originally the plan was valid for the sort of weather we were having associated with the climate, before we started seeing the impact of climate change."Now we know the river can run through that town at the volume, speed and height that it does – we've seen it every winter for the last two of three years – the game's changed. We need to modernise our thinking and put in place a better system."He added: "We're absolutely not abandoning the town or walking away." On Monday hundreds of people attended a special event held to provide information on how to protect homes and businesses from flooding in event was organised by the Environment Agency, Wiltshire Council and Wessex Water.
