“Avalanche” 80-home development in Sibsey approved

Lincolnshire fire crews have been back at the scene of a fire nearly a month on from the blaze starting in Long Bennington.

The fire at the waste centre on Fen Lane started in the early hours of September 21, spreading a large amount of smoke in the area.

Extra heavy plant machinery was brought in this week to spread out the remaining burning materials.

The fire which started a month ago is still being dealt with in a multi-agency response. | Photo: R.S. Mortiss

Newark & Sherwood District Council said this week that residents affected have received a letter from South Kesteven District Council. SKDC has also sent letters to local residents regarding the plans to tackle the fire.

Fire crews have dampened down around three quarters of one of the large piles of waste. | Photo: R.S. Mortiss

Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue have managed to spread out and damp down around three quarters of one of the large piles of waste. The Environment Agency is also involved as part of a multi-agency response.

Danny Moss, Area Manager at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: “We have developed our plans to tackle this fire in consultation with our partners. Extra heavy plant machinery has been brought in this week to spread out the remaining burning materials and speed up the process.

“Of course the site itself and any impacts from our firefighting will continue to be monitored by supporting partners to ensure we take any other action as needed.

“Following our initial work assisted by the heavy machinery we are making good progress and have managed to spread out and damp down approximately three quarters of one of the large piles of waste. Activities are being supported by partners with air monitoring in place and water run off being considered.

“We would like to thank local residents for their continued patience and support as realise that this has been and continues to be an inconvenience due to the conditions. We are committed to working with partners to minimise the impact for all.”

The site is located on Fen Lane in Long Bennington. | Photo: R.S. Mortiss

Two arrests were made an an excavator and a lorry were seized by the Environment Agency as lorry-loads of waste, including plastics, were being accepted onto the same site and burned illegally last year, according to Grantham Journal.

The fire involved shipping containers with recycling materials and two scrap vehicles.

There have been 4,051 cases of coronavirus so far this week in Greater Lincolnshire, as UK scientists call for Plan B to be ready for “rapid deployment”.

The figure is just slightly down on the 4,075 (about -0.6%) cases at the same point last week. There have been 796 new cases in Friday evening’s figures.

The latest government data also shows there have been eight deaths of Lincolnshire residents this week – down from 12 last week – and eight deaths reported at Greater Lincolnshire’s hospitals, up from six last week.

The latest COVID stats for Lincolnshire are:

• 796 new cases of coronavirus in Greater Lincolnshire with 592 in Lincolnshire, 93 in North East Lincolnshire and 111 in North Lincolnshire
• No further deaths were recorded in the government figures for Friday
• Hospital data showed one further death at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has told the government that Plan B measures, which include compulsory mask-wearing, should be ready for “rapid deployment”.

As government leaders resist bringing back COVID-19 controls, the committee said that advising people to work from home could have the greatest impact on stopping viral spread.

It comes as in national figures today the Office for National Statistics has estimated that one in 60 people in the UK had coronavirus up to the end of October 16.

Lincolnshire’s coronavirus cases up to October 22. | Image: GOV.uk

The highest age group was among school years seven to 11 which saw the infection rate increase to 7.8% – up from 7.1% the week before.

The latest increases mean England’s R number – which estimates the average number of people each COVID-positive person passes the infection on to – has risen from 0.9-1.1 to 1.0-1.2, an equivalent of between 10-12 people.

A report by The Times has found that four in 10 people admitted to hospital with COVID were not fully vaccinated.

Of the 300 people aged 18 to 29 who were admitted to hospital in recent weeks, about 66% had not been vaccinated.

Elsewhere, an investigation into a private Immensa Health Clinic lab in Wolverhampton, which have out an estimated 43,000 false test results, has found the issue began six days earlier than previously thought.

However, the UK Health Security Agency has said the findings have not changed the estimated number of people which were affected.

Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Sunday, October 17

127,863 cases

2,376 deaths

of which 1,426 hospital deaths

Just over a quarter of councillors took up a diversity course at South Kesteven District Council, as an opposition member renewed calls for training to be mandatory after the council’s vice chairman was suspended for using the n-word in a meeting this week.

A spokesman for the authority confirmed 15 of the 54 members attended equality and diversity training over two sessions held on June 7, 2021.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Amanda Wheeler, who last year successfully pushed through a motion for diversity training to be offered, is now drafting up a new motion calling for it to be mandatory for councillors who want to be members on all committees – not just licensing or planning.

Vice chairman of the council Councillor Ian Stokes this week was suspended from his party after using the n-word in a committee meeting. He has reportedly apologised but has faced calls to be removed from his post and to step down.

Councillor Wheeler said the attendance figure was “not good enough” and that getting councillors to join the course could help avoid similar situations.

“I’d like to think [Cllr Stokes] used the words in ignorance, and if that’s the case the training would have made him aware,” she said.

“There were things in it that made me more aware of my own use of language.”

“For example the phrase “uppity” – I wasn’t even aware it had racist connotations having been used in history to refer to black people who didn’t know their place.

“I don’t think I’ve ever used that word before, but I don’t think I would have reacted negatively to that word being used, whereas I think the N-word is a much more obvious racial slur.

“You can’t force councillors to take training to be a councillor because all they have to do is be elected, but you do get to choose who is on a committee,” she said.

“Training should be mandatory – certainly for councillors who hold positions of responsibility.”

She hoped to bring the motion to Full Council on November 25.

South Kesteven District Council has been contacted for comment.