Latest news with #SarahLewis
BBC News
20 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Bishopthorpe village 'smells like putting your head in a toilet'
People living in a village near York say they are having to keep their windows closed at home due to a mystery stench that has plagued them for is unclear what is causing the stink in Bishopthorpe, but a number of residents have suggested it could be farming activity or a nearby sewage treatment works."It's a real strong, horrid smell that you can't escape," said Sarah Lewis. Fellow villager Jude Hanson added: "It smells like sewage, like sticking your head in a toilet."Yorkshire Water said it could not confirm if its sewage plant at neighbouring Naburn was the source of the odour, but it was temporarily changing some of its operations "as a precautionary measure". The village is surrounded by agricultural land and is also near Yorkshire Water's Naburn Wastewater Treatment Works and Sludge Conditioning residents said they thought the stench had got worse during the recent period of hot weather and had complained to both the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water."My little one's bedroom was 28 degrees the other night and I just couldn't cool it down with fans and you can't have the windows open because the smell comes in and it's rancid and makes you feel sick," said 37-year-old Mrs Lewis."I'd say the last three years it's been particularly bad and it's been getting worse and worse and this year it's been the worst it's been."Bridget Lowe, 70, who has lived in the village for 10 years, added: "There were a couple of evenings when it was really hot when the smell was all through the house and it was nauseating." Ms Hanson, 56, who lives close to the river, said: "There's an overwhelming smell to the extent that we've actually put candles in the house to try and get rid of it."At the weekend my daughter was visiting and she was going 'this is horrible, I've got friends coming, I'm so embarrassed and it smells disgusting'".The Environment Agency urged anyone who "notices any unusual smells or odours that concern them" to report them."Our team takes these reports seriously and will investigate to ensure compliance with environmental regulations," a spokesperson said. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Swindon road closed for 'essential repairs'
A key road in Wiltshire will be closed overnight as "essential repairs" are carried out. The A419 between Swindon and South Marston will be shut from 20:00 to 06:00 BST from Monday 7 April to Saturday 12 April, National Highways has said. The main road will be closed between the Air Balloon roundabout and A46 Shurdington Road junction. It is the latest in a string of closures for improvement works which "will benefit road users and the local community for many years to come," a Highways spokesperson said. The road will also be closed overnight between Monday 28 April and Thursday 1 May between the Lady Lane junction and A420 White Hart Roundabout. It is part of ongoing repair work to various sections of the road to improve safety. Highways said diversion routes would be signposted ahead of the closure to allow drivers to plan their journeys. Sarah Lewis, service delivery manager for National Highways, said safety was the number one priority. She said: "We understand that road closures can be frustrating, we're keeping the closures to an absolute minimum and we thank all drivers in advance for their co-operation and patience while we carry out these essential works." Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. National Highways
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Swindon road closed for 'essential repairs'
A key road in Wiltshire will be closed overnight as "essential repairs" are carried out. The A419 between Swindon and South Marston will be shut from 20:00 to 06:00 BST from Monday 7 April to Saturday 12 April, National Highways has said. The main road will be closed between the Air Balloon roundabout and A46 Shurdington Road junction. It is the latest in a string of closures for improvement works which "will benefit road users and the local community for many years to come," a Highways spokesperson said. The road will also be closed overnight between Monday 28 April and Thursday 1 May between the Lady Lane junction and A420 White Hart Roundabout. It is part of ongoing repair work to various sections of the road to improve safety. Highways said diversion routes would be signposted ahead of the closure to allow drivers to plan their journeys. Sarah Lewis, service delivery manager for National Highways, said safety was the number one priority. She said: "We understand that road closures can be frustrating, we're keeping the closures to an absolute minimum and we thank all drivers in advance for their co-operation and patience while we carry out these essential works." Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. National Highways
Sky News
21-02-2025
- General
- Sky News
Surrey sinkhole: Council assessing if any residents can return home
A local council is assessing whether any families who were evacuated after a sinkhole appeared in Surrey can return home. A 62ft sinkhole appeared in the small village of Godstone on Monday night, forcing residents from 30 properties to leave their homes, with local roads closed. But since then, local authorities have faced criticism from those living and working in the area for failing to give information about when anyone can return. Residents had previously been told they may be out of their homes for months. On Friday, Catherine Sayer, leader of Tandridge District Council, said one household that had been previously evacuated has been allowed to return to its property and the council is currently assessing whether any other families could also go home. She had previously apologised to anyone feeling let down by the level of support, and said the council had been doing its best to keep residents informed. Of the household that has been permitted to return, she said: "The property is not near the sinkhole and has been assessed by a multi-agency technical team. "They deemed it is suitable for the household to return. "We are reviewing the list of evacuated households to consider if any other families could be allowed to return home." Sarah Lewis, a mother of two, said she felt "extremely stressed" about the uncertainty surrounding when they could go back to their house. The 36-year-old said the council had told her it could be between two to four months until the family may be able to return home and they are currently staying in an Airbnb. She criticised the council for a "black hole of information", adding residents had been left to "fend for themselves". 'Scared and worried' The owner of the local pharmacy, Ifesi Anyamene, 50, said her customers were "scared and worried" about whether it was safe to collect their medicine. The pharmacy is based near the edge of the cordon. "We've had to reassure people that it's safe," she said. Dana Hussein, 39, who owns a barber shop, also on Godstone High Street, said he was "worried" about the impact of the sinkhole on his business and that, so far this week, he has only had a few customers as people are staying away from the area. "If that road was closed for three to six months, it would affect our business because we would lose all the customers for six months." A spokesperson for Surrey County Council said: "Both councils' contact centres have been receiving calls throughout the past three days, have dedicated webpages live and have been issuing updates via their news pages and social media."
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Warning as six weeks of roadworks to hit key route
A key road in Wiltshire will be closed multiple times during the next six weeks. "Essential repairs" are needed on the A419 between Swindon and South Marston, according to National Highways. The first of a string of closures will run from 20:00 GMT on Friday to 20:00 on Saturday on the southbound carriageway between the Burford Road Interchange and Spine Road. This will be followed by closures from 20:00 to 06:00 every weekday next week before three weekend closures between now and the end of March. National Highways said the work involves concrete repairs, parapet replacements and resurfacing. Closures will be in place as follows: 20:00 on Friday to 20:00 on Saturday: Southbound closure between Burford Road Interchange and the Spine Road junction 20:00 to 06:00 each night from Monday to Friday 28 February: Full closure between White Hart roundabout and the Turnpike/Lady Lane junction 20:00 on Friday 28 February to 05:00 on Monday 3 March: Full closure between Commonhead roundabout and White Hart roundabout 20:00 on Friday 7 March to 06:00 on Monday 10 March: Full closure between Commonhead roundabout and White Hart roundabout 20:00 on Friday 28 March to 06:00 on Monday 31 March: Southbound closure between Spine Road junction and Lady Lane junction The A4312 and A420 will be unaffected during the works and diversion routes will be signposted. National Highways service delivery manager Sarah Lewis apologised for any inconvenience caused. "We understand that road closures can be frustrating. We're keeping the closures to an absolute minimum and we thank all drivers in advance for their cooperation and patience while we carry out these essential works," she added. "Once it's all complete, these improvements will benefit road users and the local community for many years to come." Guarding empty road to cost council £440,000 Never used, already crumbling: Road that cost £40m National Highways
