Highways England releases £5m for new Grantham A1 junction

A washing machine drum, four shopping trolleys and 120 glass bottles were among the items retrieved from the Sincil Bank area on Saturday by a dedicated team of volunteers.

Sincil Bank Rivercare and litter pick long-standing volunteers, and new faces, met up in the warm weather to remove an assortment of litter and larger items from the streets around Sincil Bank on Saturday, August 6.

The following items were found during August’s litter pick (with thanks to Stuart Benn who collates these figures at each monthly Litterpick):

• Washing Machine Drum,
• Flood Sign
• Tesco Shopping Trolley x4
• Pieces of Polystyrene x5
• Card Board Boxes x7
• Car Engine Panel
• Pillow
• TV Monitor
• Concrete Block
• Refrigerator Drawers x3
• Cat Litter Tray
• Car Wheel Trim
• Kiddies Shoe
• Trainer
• Flip Flop
• Wine Glass
• Large Traffic Cone
• Piece of Carpet
• Safety Boots x 2
• Trainers x2
• Oil Bottles x2
• Trolley Wheel
• Trolley Bag

This over and above the 47 bags collected, which contained the following Bottles Glass x 120, Bottles Plastic x 105, Cans x 115.

Mucking in because they care. | Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

Nick Rawsthorne, who was involved in the project, said: “I was also able to monitor the local wildlife around the area – which has also greatly benefitted from the effort of our lovely volunteers.”

“A big thank you to all those who work so hard, both to keep our lovely city nice and clean, and also to show that community and friendships matter so much to each one of us.”

The next litter pick is at 9.30am for a 10am start on Saturday 17 September at the corner of Sausthorpe Street and Sincil Bank, and volunteers are asked to message Barbara Gooding if attending.

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

| Photo: Nick Rawsthorne

Lincolnshire residents are being urged to take care to avoid devastating fires, as the hot dry conditions continue. The latest figures for the county show that during April – July there were 607 wildfires – 314 of these in July.

Last year, the same 4-month period saw 286 wildfires. These were fires involving:

• Balers, tractors and combine harvesters
• Farm fires including crop and straw bale fires
• Grassland and hedge fires
• Forests and woodlands
• Refuse, including where bonfires have needed extinguishing.

Chief Fire Officer for Lincolnshire, Mark Baxter, said: “The weather continues to be hot and dry with no signs of this changing in the coming weeks. We are asking the public to please consider whether any kind of fire outdoors is appropriate – in most cases they are not.

“We would ask people not to have campfires or barbeques in the countryside. At home barbeques should only be used on a designated hard-standing area away from fences, sheds, buildings or hedges.

“It’s disappointing that, we are still seeing residents having bonfires in their gardens, which has led to several serious fires, despite continued warnings.

“This increase in call outs is being seen across the country but puts a strain on both our Control Room staff and our crews – all of whom have coped incredibly well during this busy time.”

Other advice to avoid wildfires includes:
· never throw cigarette ends out of car windows and always make sure cigarettes are fully extinguished and cool before you dispose of them.
· sunlight shining through glass can start fires outdoors – take glass bottles/jars home or put them in a covered bin.

Mark added: “The service has recently seen more deliberate fires occurring in small pockets across the county too. These incidents put a further strain on fire and rescue resources, can easily escalate and cause serious damage, and mean fire crews could be delayed getting to other incidents.”

If you have a child or young person who you worry is setting fires or has an unhealthy fascination with fire, you can refer them to the Firesetters Intervention Scheme.

Visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/lfr for information and more fire safety information.