Police appeal following fatal accident

Police are appealing for anyone who was travelling on the A432 Badminton Road north of the Wick Wick roundabout last Friday evening (25th July) to contact them on 101. They may have important information about a fatal collision.

The incident happened at 4.41pm when a Mini Cooper, which was emerging from Cuckoo Lane, was in collision with a motorcycle travelling along the A432 Badminton Road from the direction of Wick Wick roundabout. Sadly a man in his 30s died at the scene, despite receiving medical attention.

Police believe the road was quite busy at the time of the incident with people travelling home from work and they are keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time.

Peg Hill development - consultation on public footpath diversions

South Glos Council is consulting about proposed diversions to public footpaths near Peg Hill in connection with the coming housing development.

You can find details and make comments on the South Glos website here - the consultation closes on 15 August.

Fun fitness sessions this summer for girls 14 plus

Us Girls Yate is a FREE session for girls only, aged 14+ years. Come along, join in and have a laugh with your friends while getting fit.

The sessions will be a mix of

• Aerobics
• Zumba 
• Street dance
• and more!

You can join in at Chipping Sodbury School Sports Centre on Wednesdays from 3-4 pm during the summer holidays.

For more details email sport@southglos.gov.uk or or phone 01454 865821.

Us Girls is active in lots of places throughout the country -  check them out online:

• Facebook facebook.com/UsGirlsGetActive?fref=ts 
• Twitter @UsGirlsTweet https://twitter.com/UsGirlsTweet

Illegal tobacco campaign launched

Smokefree South West, in partnership with South Gloucestershire Council, has launched the latest stage of its campaign to highlight the dangers that illegal tobacco poses to South Gloucestershire.

Illegal tobacco sells for less than half the tax paid price of legally sold tobacco. The problems include:

• impact on legitimate traders
• makes it easier for children and young people to start smoking as it is readily available at pocket money prices. 
• brings crime into communities - the criminal gangs selling it also sell other illegal products
• discourages smokers from quitting

Illegal tobacco is linked to low-level and large-scale organised crime, nationally and internationally, including smuggling of other illegal goods such as drugs, alcohol and weapons. It goes hand in hand with child exploitation and money laundering and particularly targets poor and disadvantaged communities.You can read more at http://www.illegal-tobacco.co.uk/

Tyndale Avenue Play Area now updated!

Yate Town Council has announced that the Tyndale Avenue Play Area refurbishment works are now complete. The park will be open for use from 12 noon today (11/07/14), why not go along to see the new play equipment?

Upgrade in sight for Kelston Close changing rooms?

Dodington Parish Council is seeking funding to upgrade the very dated changing rooms at the QEII Playing Fields, Kelston Close. They were originally school changing rooms, and they’ve been heavily used for many years by local amateur football clubs.

Now the Parish Council hopes to make them more comfortable and welcoming, and perhaps attract other sports or ladies’ teams. A full consultation will be carried out. Contact Paul Hulbert if you would like to know more.

Consultation for a café/kiosk in Kingsgate Park - have your say

Yate Town Council and the Friends of Kingsgate Park are consulting about a possible café/kiosk for Kingsgate Park. Click this link to have your say. The consultation is open until 18 July 2014.

Another fly tipper prosecuted

Another local fly tipping case has resulted in a conviction.

Last year waste including plastics, suitcases, furniture and cardboard was fly-tipped and set on fire on land belonging to Network Rail at Nibley Lane Railway Bridge, Iron Acton. Avon Fire & Rescue Service had to be called on two occasions on July 21 and October 12 to deal with the incidents.

A local man was fined £1,500, £750 for each fly tipping offence and ordered to pay costs of £2,000 to South Gloucestershire Council when he appeared at court on June 26th.

In court he claimed he had permission to cut down wood and foliage from the area around the railway bridge and needed to burn excess foliage such as brambles. However, environmental protection officers were able to trace some of the waste back to St Peter’s Hospice charity shop in Chipping Sodbury. The man was captured on CCTV removing items donated to charity from the rear of the premises.

Officers also spoke to him near the railway bridge when they spotted him there in his lorry. Residents had also called the council to report the fly-tipping and quoted seeing a lorry parked nearby with the same vehicle registration.

If you see anyone fly tipping in South Gloucestershire, please report it by calling 01454 868000 or online via the South Glos website. At that link you will also find other useful information on flytipping.

It's worth noting that if you use a waste carrier, it's your responsibility to make sure they are properly registered. If not and your waste ends up fly tipped, you could be fined up to £5,000. To avoid this, South Glos advises:

• ask to see a copy of the company’s waste carrier registration certificate, and where your waste is being taken. Legitimate firms will be happy to provide this information 
• you can check whether your waste carrier is registered by calling the Environment Agency on 08708 506506 or on line at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/publicregister 
• ask for a registered trading address and telephone number – not just a mobile phone number 
• ensure you have an official receipt and make a note of the registration number of the vehicle taking the waste away, along with the waste carrier's licence number 
• do not be tempted by “cash in hand deals” or cold callers and if in doubt, say no and contact the Envirocrime team for advice on 01454 868001.

Free child car seat safety checks this Wednesday

Officers from South Gloucestershire Council’s road safety team and Avon and Somerset Police are offering free child car seat safety checks at Yate Fire Station on Wednesday 9 July.

Between 8.30am and 4pm, police officers will stop vehicles carrying young people to allow the road safety team to check if child car seats are fitted correctly. They are offering these free checks to give reassurance to parents that their children are safe and secure when travelling by car.

Young passengers will also be measured to ensure they are the correct height to safely use seatbelts. The legal requirement is 135cm unless they are sitting on a booster seat.

Previous safety checks carried out in South Gloucestershire have shown that around two thirds of all child car seats are fitted incorrectly. Any parents, grandparents, childminders or carers who would like to have their child car seat checked voluntarily are welcome to stop by Yate Fire Station, Station Road, Yate, BS37 4AL between 8.30am and 4pm on Wednesday 9 July.

New play equipment for Lilliput Park

Dodington Parish Council is about to replace the wooden play equipment at Lilliput Park with something much more modern. The final choice of equipment was made by local children who answered the Parish Council’s survey. The equipment has been paid for by developers through the New Homes Bonus scheme. It is anticipated that the installation will take place 17-18 July.

Less mud at Wapley next winter

One of the muddy stretches of path earlier this year

Dodington Parish Council and Wapley Bushes Conservation Group are undertaking a major path upgrading project at Wapley Bushes this summer. The aim is to get rid of the very muddy stretches due to the last couple of very wet winters. The section of path shown in the photo is still very muddy even in the current warm weather.

Ring Paul Hulbert on 01454 315851 or email paul.hulbert@gmail.com for more information or if you would be interested in helping at conservation mornings in the Nature Reserve.

Frome Vale Area Forum next week

Do you live in Yate, Sodbury or Dodington? If so, you may be interested in the next Frome Vale Area Forum, which will be held at 7pm on Thursday 10th July in Shireway Community Association, Yate. This is your chance to go along and influence local decision making.

As well as the usual open session where you can put your questions on local issues to councillors and officers, there will be a presentation about the current consultation on community composting sites, applications for community grants and Positive Activities funding for your people, updates on the New Homes Bonus scheme and progress reports on local transport schemes.

Building understanding between bus drivers and cyclists

On Sunday, First Bus are running an event to build understanding between bus drivers and cyclists.

You'll be able to sit behind the wheel of a bus, speak with bus drivers, other First Bus staff and the police who will be present to give safety advice and promote bike security. Bus drivers will be on hand to talk to you, to understand more about how you feel about cycling near buses. The intention is to build mutual understanding and awareness.

Dr Bike and the Travelwest team will be there to talk about bike maintenance and cycle routes.

There will also be the opportunity to win cycle tool kits, hi-viz jackets and bus tickets.

The event is on Sunday 6 July 2014 between 10am and 4pm at the Lloyds Amphitheatre, Bristol Harbourside.

Another dangerous junction to be investigated

We reported recently that South Glos has agreed to investigate the junction between Rodford Way, Shire Way and Sundridge Park as a priority under the local highways schemes. Idiotic driving there continues - we recently saw one driver come out of Shire Way and do a U-turn through the junction across both carriageways to get back into Shire Way.

We’ve also asked South Glos to investigate the Abbotswood / Rodford Way junction where vehicles do U-turns across the carriageway during peak times to get into Kelston Close, where the schools are.

Cllrs Paul Hulbert and Tony Davis at the Abbotswood junction

End of the road for composting site?

South Glos Council currently has three community composting sites, partly run by volunteers. The sites are running at an appreciable loss, and Shire Way in particular has been suffering from dumping of inappropriate material. South Glos is running a consultation about the future of the sites. The consultation runs until 1 August 2014 and you can have your say online here.

First Bus Meet the Manager Southmead Hospital Thursday 3 July followed by online event

First bus will be holding a meet the manager event in the Atrium at Southmead Hospital this Thursday 3 July from 10:00 - 14:00.

In the evening, there will be an online meet the manager session from 17:00 - 19:00 on Twitter (@FirstBSA) and Facebook (First West of England).

Both sessions will offer opportunities to residents of the West of England area to provide feedback on the changes to the services to the hospital which were made in April, the forthcoming changes to the fare structures in the wider West of England area (as Bristol was changed last November) and to discuss anything else which is of concern to them.