The importance of staying safe and saving lives by keeping to social distancing guidelines still remains. To make this easier, a number of measures are being introduced:

• on our High Streets

• in parks and open spaces

• outside schools

• at bus stops

• on routes to work.

Some are simple measures like cutting back vegetation to widen footpaths or installing social distancing reminders on pavements. Other schemes will have a bigger impact, such as making our town centres pedestrian areas only or creating pop-up cycle lanes at busy points.

 Unfortunately S Glos are not using 'widenmypath'. To make a comment on these larger schemes people should visit the Sustrans website https://www.sustrans.org.uk/space-to-move/?utm_source=Town+%26+Parish+Councils+%26+MPs&utm_campaign=bcfbec49be-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_04_24_12_45_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6d5a85e985-bcfbec49be-406510362

Check your washing machine and tumble dryer

A good moment to check.  Safety isn't just about coronavirus. Have you tested your smoke alarms recently?

Defective tumble dryers - is yours one of them?

There's a lot of publicity at the moment saying that a million people may still have tumble dryers that are fire risks. More than 100 Creda, Hotpoint, Indesit, Proline and Swan tumble dryer models (all brands owned by Whirlpool) made between April 2004 and October 2015 could pose a fire risk.

But how do you tell whether yours is one of them? There's an easy way:

• Which? magazine has a web page that lists the models affected
• The web pages safety.hotpoint.eu and safety.indesit.eu allow you to check both model and serial number

If you are affected, the Which? page tells you what you need to do.

Fire safety advice

South Glos Council has published some fire safety advice on its website, along with links to more comprehensive advice on the Avon Fire Service website.

Topics covered include:

• what to do if you have a fire
• preventing electrical fires
• preventing kitchen fires
• planning your escape route
• fire safety in blocks of flats 
• smoke alarms 

Well worth a read.

Do you have a road safety concern?

Since the Area Forums were scrapped, the council needed a new way to handle the local road safety schemes. If you have a road safety concern, you can now ask the council to investigate it by submitting the Highways Investigation Request Form. You will need the support of at least one local ward member and parish councillor on behalf of the parish council.

Highways officers will assess your request to see if a viable scheme is likely. If it is, it will be added to the Local Transport Investigation List and once a year will be scored and prioritised along with all the other schemes on the list. The 15 highest scoring will be investigated.

Once investigated, three things can happen:

1. If there is a simple, low cost solution, that will be programmed to be implemented immediately.
2. If a more involved scheme is needed, it will be entered on the Local Transport Priority List.
3. If no scheme is recommended, you will be told no further action will be taken.

Once a year all the schemes on the Local Transport Priority List will be scored and prioritised and given an estimated cost. The top scoring schemes will go on the council's Capital Programme for the following financial year.

You can see the current lists of possible future Investigation and Implementation schemes online. You can also see the Capital Programme for 2017-18.

You can find out more about the process here.The links above may change as time goes on, but the links on the process page should take you to the latest versions.

Police warning following distraction burglary

Following on from last week's Trading Standards warning about rogue traders, this week the police have issued a warning about distraction burglaries after an incident in Yate.

At approximately 11am on Thursday February 16th, two unknown men came to an address in Priors Lea, Yate, saying that they were there to do some work inside. They pushed a large hole in the ceiling before leaving, saying they would be return to fix it. The victim later discovered that they had stolen a box of valuables.

The Police are reminding residents to be wary of unexpected visitors. Use a door chain whenever possible, and check all other entrances are locked before opening the door.

Remember: Not Sure, Don’t Open The Door! Genuine callers will always be prepared to return or wait while you check their credentials.

If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Police on 101. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. 

Rogue Traders in South Glos – Let Trading Standards Know

South Gloucestershire Trading Standards have repeated the warning given recently to residents to be extra vigilant when dealing with unexpected callers at the front door.

Officers are aware that rogue traders are currently operating in the area and are offering to buy gold or jewellery or carry out, amongst other things, paving, roofing and gardening work. Reports suggest they are currently operating in Yate and Frampton Cotterell areas.

South Gloucestershire Council Trading Standards advise residents:

• Do not to deal with unexpected visitors at your door you do not know who they are or what their history may be.
• Do not allow any unknown and unexpected visitor into your home. If possible, try to deal with them through a window or use a door chain.
• Ensure your front and back doors are closed and locked if your attention is elsewhere.
• If you are unhappy or feel intimidated by the visitor – shut the door and call the police.
• If you think you or someone you know may have been targeted by scammers or rogue traders, please contact senior Trading Standards enforcement officer Neil Derrick on 01454 864565 or 07801 200104 as soon as possible.

Remember: Not Sure, Don’t Open The Door

For advice on this and other consumer matters, please contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06, Monday to Friday between 9am-5pm.

Community Fire Safety Volunteers wanted

Could you become a Community Fire Safety Volunteer with Avon Fire and Rescue Service and The Care Forum?

Community Fire Safety Volunteers research, contact and visit local social and community groups. They encourage these groups to sign up for Avon Fire and Rescue’s free Home Fire Safety Visits, a free lifesaving service that Firefighters deliver to people in their own homes. This is an important and worthwhile role that helps prevent devastating home fires and, ultimately, helps save lives.

You would be providing a valuable life-saving service in your community, gaining skills and using your experience and free time to help keep local people safer.

If you might be interested, please contact Steffie in Volunteering at The Care Forum, tel. 0117 9589308 or email volunteering@thecareforum.org.uk or check out the Community Fire Safety Volunteer web page

Become a Community Fire Safety Volunteer and help save lives

Help Avon Fire and Rescue Service prevent devastating home fires by encouraging social groups to sign up free Home Fire Safety Visits. Gain experience, training and references, and provide a valuable life-saving service in your community. Help make a difference.

Contact the Volunteering Team at The Care Forum  - you can phone them on 0117 9589308 or email them at  volunteering@thecareforum.org.uk

Next chance to have your say at Frome Vale Area Forum

The next Frome Vale Area Forum meeting is this Thursday 5th March at 7pm in Shireway Community Centre, Yate.




There will be a presentation from Avon Fire and Rescue raising awareness of carbon monoxide poisoning - very necessary, as shown by the recent tragedy in Cherington (Gazette report here - Yate couple killed by toxic gas boiler leak).

Other items on the agenda include decisions on community and New Homes Bonus (NHB) grants and consideration of youth funding. The Forum will also be deciding which highway schemes are a priority.

The next round of meetings will take place in July. If you would like to receive details of meetings in your area contact Democratic Services on 01454 864425 or visit www.southglos.gov.uk/areaforum

Further information regarding grant funding is available on 01454 865865 or via www.southglos.gov.uk/grants

Old Sodbury to be made 30 mph?

South Glos Council is consulting about a proposal to reduce the speed limit on the main A432 Badminton Road through Old Sodbury from 40 mph to 30 mph to make the road safer. Click here to see full details of the proposals. The consultation runs until Friday 19 September.

Free Road Smart driving courses

The statistics around road safety are scary. 95% of all collisions are caused by human error and a third of all serious crashes involve people aged 17-24. Avon & Somerset Police are therefore keen for as many people as possible to attend a FREE 2 hour session to improve their driving awareness.

The sessions are available in Keynsham, Bath, Filton, Weston-super-Mare, Taunton, Chipping Sodbury and Yeovilton and are bookable for 17-24 year olds and for those aged 25 and over. This new and potentially life-saving session is available to all drivers. To see the dates on offer and to book a place visit www.roadsmart.org

And if you give them some feedback after the session, you will be entered into a prize draw for a brand new iPad!

Consultation on plans for footpath on Dodington Road

In March, the Frome Vale Area Forum awarded funding for a new length of footpath on Dodington Road, in response to safety concerns raised by local residents.

Local people now have an opportunity to comment on the proposals. You can view the plans online and email comments to transportservices@southglos.gov.uk - the deadline for comments is Tuesday 9th September.

Check your smoke detector

Have you had a smoke detector fitted by Avon Fire and Rescue service? Unfortunately there was a faulty batch. If you test your smoke detector and find it isn't working please call the fire service on 0800 1412561 or email technicalsupport@fireangel.co.uk for advice. The fire service can't give a definite timescale for when the faulty ones were fitted, but the problems to date relate to some that were fitted more than 6 months ago.

Of course regardless of who fitted your smoke detectors, it's worth checking them regularly.

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.

Dodington Road safety issues

In April Claire Young carried out a survey in Dodington Road to find out what people thought about various options for pavements to increase pedestrian safety.

Most people supported both extending the pavement on the school playing field side to a safer crossing point and creating a pavement on the same side as the houses from there up to at least the bend. Given the costs, it would be difficult for the Area Forum to fund both in one year, so they have been added to the Local Transport Priority List as two separate schemes. It would not make sense to create a path from the bend down to Woodlands without there then being a crossing point to another footpath, so extending the existing pavement on the school playing field side to a safer crossing point is described as phase 1 and the scheme to create a path from the crossing point along to the bend as phase 2.

The proposals will be scored by officers along with all the other potential schemes on the list, which will help inform the Frome Vale Area Forum in making a decision next March as to which schemes will be funded. Members of the public can attend the Forum to speak for in support of schemes.

Free child car seat safety checks today at Yate Fire Station (Mon 29 April)

South Gloucestershire Council's Road Safety Team and Avon & Somerset Police are carrying out free child car seat safety checks today (Monday 29 April) between 8.30am and 4pm at the Fire Station on Station Road, Yate.

So far 44 seats have been checked and 8 out of 10 were found to require adjustment. Similar events will be held in South Gloucestershire between June and August.

Is your home safe for winter?

Avon Fire and Rescue Service want to help you make sure you stay safe this winter. They offer advice on:

• Home Fire Safety Visits
• Firework safety
• Winter safety issues like chimney fires
• Electric blanket testing - take your blankets to Yate Fire Station between 9.30am and 4pm this Friday (14 October) to have them tested for free. To make a booking, call South Glos on 01454 863632.

Nationally, around 1,000 fires are caused by faulty electric blankets each year. Before you buy a blanket make sure it carries a recognised approval mark, such as the British Electrotechnical Approvals Board (BEAB) mark, or the International Standard number EN 60967.Don’t buy second hand and have your blanket inspected by the manufacturer or a qualified electrician in accordance with their instructions, usually every three years.

Lower speed limits for Nibley Lane

Claire Young at Nibley Lane

Under the proposed road safety scheme for the B4465, Westerleigh Road and Nibley Lane, the current national speed limit on Nibley Lane between Badminton Road and Westerleigh Road would be reduced to 40mph. If you would like to look at the detailed plans or make comments, you can do so on the South Glos website. But hurry - the deadline for comments is Monday 21st March.

Residents who completed our surveys in the autumn were also worried about speeding in Nibley Lane between Nibley and Iron Acton. Officers are now investigating whether a 30mph limit could be introduced there, perhaps at the same time as a scheme to make Frampton End Road safer in response to the petition presented to South Glos in December.

Have your say on safety improvements on B4465, Westerleigh Road and Nibley Lane

After a long wait, you can now have your say on proposed safety improvements on some of our most dangerous local roads.

Local residents and your Focus Team have fought a long-running campaign for action to improve safety on the B4465 and Westerleigh Road. In 2008, Claire Young (pictured left with fellow councillor Sue Hope) presented a petition to South Gloucestershire Council signed by over 100 people. Claire has also been pushing for improvements on Nibley Lane.

Now the Council is proposing to lower the speed limit to 40mph from the Folly pub right through to the other side of Codrington and to 50mph from Codrington to the A46, just above the junction 18 of the M4. This is a change from previous proposals which would have seen 50mph limits at Henfield crossroads and between Westerleigh and Codrington. The speed limit on Nibley Lane will be reduced to 40mph. There are also changes to signing and road lining. You can view the detailed proposals and have your say on the South Glos website.

It’s just as important to comment if you support the proposals as if you object. Other people may object to things that you support and it’s important that the Transport Exec has the full picture when he makes his final decision. The deadline for comments is 21st March.