Latest news with #JimGrant
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Swindon convenience store allowed to reopen after rat infestation
A convenience store, which had been closed by council inspectors due to a rat infestation, has been allowed to reopen after making Borough Council served the 9 O'Clock Shop in Manchester Road, Swindon, with an Emergency Hygiene Prohibition Notice and closed the store on 17 June after deeming that it posed an imminent risk to Magistrates' Court was told on Friday that the business had been visited by food hygiene inspectors after a member of the public reported seeing rats on the inspectors allowed the shop to reopen after carrying out a follow-up visit which showed no evidence of pests and that cleaning had improved. However, the store will maintain its zero food hygiene rating until it can demonstrate further improvements have been the initial inspection, inspectors found holes under the butchery floor which were being used by rats and rat droppings throughout the business. Several gnawed food items were found on shelves which were on display for sale and seven dead rats were discovered in the flat above. Councillor Jim Grant, cabinet member for communities and partnerships, said: "It is important that we highlight cases like this so customers are aware of the problem and to show that we will deal with it to keep them safe."Significant improvements have been made, which is why our officers have allowed the store to reopen, but it is up to the business owner to keep improving standards for customers and to work on improving the zero food hygiene rating."
BBC News
20-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Council looks to extend dog fouling order
A council is looking for people to share their views on a proposed renewal of a legal order to clamp down on dog Borough Council's Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) is expiring, and the authority wants to continue to use the powers.A separate order covering Lydiard Park is also due for renewal. It has been in place since 2016, and the council said it has reduced the number of complaints about fouling, nuisance dogs and their Jim Grant, cabinet member for communities and partnerships, said dog fouling was regularly raised by residents who use local parks and open spaces. The PSPO allows anti-social behaviour wardens to issue fixed penalty notices to anyone caught failing to pick up after their Grant urged people to complete an online survey about the order."We think it is working," he said. "But by law, after every three years, we have to renew it, and we have to consult with the public to determine whether they want it renewed."It's pretty obvious that people do want it renewed, and I'm hoping that people that do respond to the consultation will not just say yes, but give further views on the subject." Councillor Grant added that even people who fail to respond to a warden can still be fined."Almost nobody goes to Lydiard Park without a car. If they ignore the officer, that officer can then note down the number plate, and we will be able to get these people," he said."The more fines we're able to issue, the more of a deterrent it is going to be."He said the council is also looking to employ more wardens to address the survey can be completed on the council's website until 20 July.
BBC News
20-06-2025
- BBC News
Swindon kebab shop rat infestation leads to longer closure
A kebab shop will remain closed after a judge was shown evidence of a major rat Kebab, located on Manchester Road in Swindon, was initially forced to close its doors after Swindon Borough Council's Environmental Health team responded to a complaint from a member of the the visit on 5 June, officers found rat droppings and evidence of gnawing in the food preparation areas, along with the smell of inspectors noted there was an imminent risk to the health of customers and shut the premises to protect the public. 'Extreme case' District Judge Kirsty Allman, sitting at Swindon Magistrates' Court on Thursday, imposed a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order on the shop after being presented with evidence of the inspection by the urine stains and droppings were found on the lids of plastic containers for spices within the kitchen. Gnawed flour bags were also found on shelves among the rat were found in walls, floors and doors making it easy for the rodents to enter the premises. The cleaning standards were also found to be poor with a build-up of debris and rodent smears on floors and lack of appropriate cleaning chemicals for food contact surfaces was also noted while containers, utensils, chopping boards and crockery were stored openly in areas of rodent and general personal hygiene was also observed to be poor. The emergency prohibition order granted by the court allows the council to keep the shop shut until it is satisfied that the safety of customers can be met. Councillor Jim Grant, Cabinet Member for Joint Working and Communities, said: "The conditions found in this kebab shop were appalling."He added: "This is an extreme case but it is a reminder to all food business owners of their responsibilities when it comes to food hygiene."I'd like to personally thank the member of the public who reported this infestation to us, so our environmental health officers could take prompt action to protect the health of customers."
Telegraph
06-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
‘This is our duty': D-Day veterans gather to mark landings 81 years on
D-Day veterans have gathered on a Normandy beach to remember the landings 81 years on. The veterans, aged between 99 and 101, travelled to France for the annual ceremony of remembrance for the men who landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6 1944, to liberate France from Nazi occupation during the Second World War. The five men – Ken Hay, Richard Aldred, Henry Rice, Jim Grant and John Dennett – gathered ahead of the ceremony for a photograph on Sword Beach, one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast. The veterans, sitting in wheelchairs while adorned with medals of service, are some of the few D-Day veterans who are still alive today. Mr Hay, 99, was a private in the 4th Battalion with the Dorset Regiment, and was captured by Nazi troops shortly after the D-Day landings. Held as a prisoner of war, he was taken to Poland and forced to work in coal mines before he was liberated by US troops in 1945. On the eve of the ceremony, Mr Hay told The Telegraph: 'Even though the 80th anniversary has passed, we veterans still feel it is our duty to come back here and remember all our friends who never came home. 'We get applauded, even though they are the ones who gave all. 'Sharing my stories with children in the UK and France is something I am very passionate about. We are the age of their great grandparents – we experienced it, understand it and know that it should never happen again.' Francis 'Jim' Grant, 100, served as a Royal Marine and manned a gun on a Landing Craft Flak on D-Day, spending many hours providing covering fire for troops landing on the Normandy beaches. He said: 'I don't think we were really prepared for what happened. We were firing over the tops of their heads.' John Dennett, 100, was a Royal Navy anti-aircraft gunner on one of the thousands of ships taking troops onto the Normandy beaches. The veteran, from Wallasey, Merseyside, made sure the Allied soldiers did not get shot from overhead during the combined naval, air and land assault on Nazi-occupied France. On the 80th anniversary of the famous landings last year, Mr Dennett recalled the 'unbelievable' sight of the ships sailing to Normandy. He said he remembered the sight of the 7,000 ships and thinking 'nothing can happen to us'. 'When they'd gone and opened their fire and they did realise there was trouble, and your feelings were 'well this one is a bit different than the last one',' he added. Mr Rice, 99, from Cranleigh, Surrey, was a signalman who arrived off Juno Beach five days after D-Day. While Mr Aldred, 100, was a Cromwell tank driver attached to the 7th Armoured Division in the Army. Their photographs came before Lord Dannatt, former head of the Army, spoke at the remembrance service at the British Normandy Memorial above Gold Beach. He said the legacy of the soldiers killed on the battlefields of Normandy paved the way for the Europe in which we live today, before warning that the shadow of the Ukrainian war looms over the continent. The former chief of the general staff added: 'The price of returning peace and freedom to Europe was very high but the legacy of the fallen and the courage, determination and commitment of all those who fought in the Normandy Campaign has given us the Europe in which we live today, albeit in the shadow of the war in Ukraine.' Lord Dannatt, who chairs the Normandy Memorial Trust and is patron of the Spirit of Normandy Trust, gave the welcoming speech at the annual ceremony of remembrance, which is led jointly by the two trusts. The Rev Simon d'Albertanson, a Royal Navy chaplain and the chaplain for the Spirit of Normandy Trust, led a memorial service at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, describing D-Day as a 'seminal moment in history'. He reminded veterans, officials and members of the public that the legacy of D-Day was vitally important given the conflict and 'troubled times that we live in'. Mr d'Albertanson said: 'This was a seminal moment in history, and we forget it at our peril. 'There's a legacy that builds from the different conflicts, and we live in very troubled times right now, and we need men and women who are fighting for peace. 'As a Christian, one of the lines in the Bible is 'Blessed are the peacemakers'. 'We're called to make peace and sometimes that means we have to bring violence, but that's the last resort. We want to be peacemakers.' Two of the chaplain's own relatives fought during the Second World War. His grandfather, Fred Hawker, joined the Royal Marines in 1942 and served on several ships, including HMS Ark Royal, while his great-uncle, who was a Royal Navy sailor, lost his life during the Battle of the Denmark Strait. Mr d'Albertanson said: 'It's an absolute honour and a privilege to be a part of this. This is all about the veterans and honouring the fallen, those who gave their lives, for our freedom. 'Being here brings it to life. 'It makes you realise what you're involved in, the men and women of the armed forces today – and as chaplains we go with them.' John Healey, the Defence Secretary, also attended events commemorating D-Day, alongside politicians from the United States and France. He said: 'We forever owe an enormous debt to the British and Allied forces who landed in Normandy 81 years ago today, determined to defeat Nazi tyranny and restore peace to western Europe. 'As we reset the nation's contract with our armed forces, we will continue to remember all those who served to defend our values.' The Normandy landings took place on June 6 1944, when nearly 160,000 Allied forces opened a second front by invading Nazi-occupied France. Of those, 73,000 were from the United States and 83,000 from Britain and Canada. Forces from several other countries were also involved, including French troops fighting with General Charles de Gaulle. The Allies faced around 50,000 German forces and a total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
‘Pink micromoon' hovers over San Diego
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — On Saturday, San Diegans — at least those in areas with minimal cloud cover — were treated to a celestial spectacle as April's full 'pink moon' rose over the horizon. It was also considered a 'micromoon'—a phenomenon where the moon appears slightly smaller and dimmer due to its position at the farthest point from Earth in its orbit. The 'pink moon' reached its peak illumination at 5:22 p.m. locally, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac. Despite its name, the 'pink moon' doesn't necessarily give off a pink hue; instead, the name originates from the blooming of pink phlox flowers during this time of year. It's also considered a 'micromoon' because this year's 'pink moon' was approximately 252,225 miles away from Earth, as explained by The Old Farmer's Almanac. This distance is about 6% greater than the average full moon, making it appear slightly smaller and dimmer in the night sky. WNDR Museum to host night of art, music and mental health advocacy For observers in San Diego, the moon rose in the east-southeastern sky shortly before 7:30 p.m., offering a view of this unique lunar event. The photo below, captured by Jim Grant, was taken from San Diego's Linda Vista area on Saturday. The 'pink moon' holds cultural significance as well, according to Almanac. In Christianity, it's known as the 'Paschal Full Moon,' as it's the first ecclesiastical full moon of spring (after the equinox). Almanac explains that the moon also determines the date of Easter this year. Looking ahead, the next full moon will occur on May 12, traditionally known as the Flower Moon, marking the peak of spring's floral bloom. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
