Angry residents have criticised the National Trust after a postcode mix up caused hundreds of motorists to flood into their village during the coronavirus pandemic.
Villagers next to historic Belton House say visitors to a lights trail at the Grade I listed Georgian House drove up their driveways and were even knocking on doors to ask for directions to the entrance.
The traffic chaos was so bad that residents on one lane chose to barricade their street with wheelie bins to prevent further disruption caused by visitors to the country home, near Grantham.
Belton villager Bernard Norton claims the National Trust put the misleading postcode on tickets and its advertising to take visitors away from the Lion Gates on the other side of the estate.
And Mr Norton, who made a complaint to Lincolnshire Police and the local authorities, said this led to hundreds of cars driving into the village from cities further afield such as Lincoln, Nottingham, Peterborough and Leicester, and to his house.
He has demanded that the trust changes the postcode for future events.
The event ran until January 3 and even continued when Lincolnshire was put under tier 4 restrictions – despite some local opposition.
Mr Norton said: “Hundreds of cars have been coming into the village every night. It is not the visitors’ fault but we have had to barricade our entrance to stop people driving through the gate.”
Villager and parish council member Colin Thornton described the situation as “somewhat chaotic”.
He said: “Washdyke Lane is an unadopted single track lane that leads to a dead end and was initially inundated with vehicles trying to turn around in a very small area or on private drives in the dark and in poor weather conditions, risking damage to vehicles and property, to the extent that residents had to block the entrance to the lane with a wheelie bin with a sign stating ‘not Belton House’.”
A spokesperson from the National Trust at Belton House said: “The postcode for the entrance to Belton House and its car park also covers an area of Belton village, and unfortunately a small number of visitors miss the entrance as they drive past.
“Working closely with the local authorities we have taken steps to mitigate this, including installing additional bright lights around our entrance and signage to increase its visibility.
“We have been looking into the possibility of creating a unique satnav code purely for Belton’s entrance, which will eradicate this completely in future.”
The light show has attracted thousands of visitors every night and was able to remain open once Lincolnshire was placed into tier 4.
The trust added: “Before the current national lockdown, in line with government guidelines many of our places remained open across all tiers in England. In tiers 1 and 2, houses, shops and cafés could open.
“In tiers 3 and 4, outdoor spaces and toilets could open, and cafes were takeaway only. In tier four, shops were closed but outdoor light trails were permitted.
“The safety of our staff, volunteers, visitors and local communities is always our priority, and we continue to urge people to follow government guidance and restrictions. Belton remains open for the local community to use for exercise during the national lockdown.
“The booking system is still in place to help manage capacity and enable social distancing, and visitors are asked to look at the property website for information before planning a visit.”
Local county councillor Ray Wootten said: “South Kesteven has already seen an increase in reported infections, the highest in any district with 356.7 cases per 100,000 and sadly 10 additional deaths.
“With reports from the Belton and Manthorpe Parish Council and residents, claiming that social distancing was not taking place, then on safety grounds the event should have been closed.”
Tony McGinty, assistant director of public health, said: “With Lincolnshire moving to tier 4 previously, and now subject to the restrictions of the national lockdown, it’s so important that we stay at home as much as possible, and remember the ‘hands, face, space’ guidance.
“Throughout the pandemic, the county council, in partnership with district council colleagues and the police, has worked with businesses across the county to help them operate safely and in line with the latest guidance.
“The vaccine offers us light at the end of the tunnel, but we mustn’t get complacent. There is still real pressure on our hospitals and so we all must do our bit to reduce the pressure on the NHS.”
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Lincolnshire Police have dropped the £10,000 fine that was issued to a student for organising a party attended by up to 100 people.
Police were called to Viking House on Newland, which is managed by the University of Lincoln, on December 4 last year. When officers arrived they found a party “in full swing” with “at least 70 people, possibly up to 100”.
The fine will now no longer need to be paid. Andy Morrice, Chief Inspector at Lincolnshire Police, said: “The evidence was reviewed, and we decided to withdraw the ticket. We continue to work with the university who are very proactive and supportive in ensuring students act responsibly in our community.”
When the fine was first issued the University of Lincoln said it was taking the matter “extremely seriously” and had launched an internal investigation.
The University was unable to comment on the internal investigation due to privacy reasons, but a spokesperson said: “We encourage all of our students to follow the rules and act responsibly to help stop the spread of the virus and keep our community safe. We are proud of the vast majority of our students who are doing so.”
Chief Superintendent Jon McAdam of Lincolnshire Police previously said: “It seems the organiser had decided to ignore the rules and regulations set out by the COVID-19 legislation, which says that gatherings of more than 30 people are not allowed, and which are of course there to help stop the spread of the virus.
“As a result, we identified the organiser and issued the full £10,000 fine on-the-spot. This is of course means tested and only issued for the most serious of breaches, which this was.”
Meanwhile, Lincolnshire Police issued 367 COVID-19 enforcement fines, including those under local lockdowns, between March and December last year, according to the latest data published from the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC).
City of Lincoln Council has approved a 1.9% tax hike despite a series of cuts for 2021-22 due to the financial uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 1.9% rise will take city council’s share of council tax for a Band D property in Lincoln to £285.39 – an increase of £5.31.
The executive committee agreed on increasing allotment charges, council house and garage rents.
Council bosses predict a budget gap of £1.75 million and said it must close the hole for financial stability.
Allotment charges will also see most tenants pay between £58.70-£78.30 per year from 2022, an increase of between 38p and 51 pence per week.
Council housing rent will increase by an average of 1.5%, while council garage rents will increase by 3%.
Attendees at City of Lincoln Council’s executive on Monday.
The authority said it faces a number of ongoing challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic and requires a substantial reduction in all of its budgets.
Cllr Ric Metcalfe, Leader of City of Lincoln Council said: “It’sareasonablymodestincreaseformostpeople,andwewill support lowincomegroups stillwiththeconcessions.”
The council has saved more than £9 million annually over the past decade, however will have to increase savings by £850,000 next year, rising to £1.75 million by 2023/24.
Due to the pandemic’s impact on government funded reliefs, empty properties and business closures, the authority estimates it will only retain £5.1 million of the £42 million of business rates generated in the city.
The draft budget will go to consultation and return before the council later this year for a final decision.
There have been 372 new coronavirus cases and nine COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Monday.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 325 new cases in Lincolnshire, 30 in North Lincolnshire and 17 in North East Lincolnshire.
Some nine deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and none in North and North East Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England reported nine new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and one at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust on Monday. Hospital deaths have now surpassed 1,000 since the pandemic started in Greater Lincolnshire.
National cases increased by 37,535 to 3,433,494, while deaths rose by 599 to 89,860.
Leader of South Holland District Council, Cllr Lord Gary Porter, put the spike down to outbreaks in two care facilities, one being a children’s care home.
A group of urban explorers who travelled from three different counties to look around derelict buildings were caught and fined in Grantham for breaching lockdown rules. Two groups of revellers in the woods near Woodhall Spa have also been fined.
In national news, Public Health England have confirmed 4,062,501 people have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Those in England aged 70 and over, as well as the clinically extremely vulnerable, will begin receiving offers of a coronavirus vaccine this week.
Ten hospital trusts across England consistently reported having no spare adult critical care beds in the most recent figures available.
It comes as hospital waiting times, coronavirus admissions and patients requiring intensive care are rising.
All UK travel corridors, which allow arrivals from some countries to avoid having to quarantine, have now closed until at least February 15.
Travellers arriving in the UK, whether by boat, train or plane, also have to show proof of a negative coronavirus test to be allowed entry.
Supermarkets face increased inspections from local councils to ensure they are COVID-secure amid a push from the government to clamp down further on coronavirus transmission.
Local governments have been asked by ministers to target the largest supermarkets for inspection to ensure companies are enforcing mask wearing, social distancing and limits on shopper numbers.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate up to January 17 according to the government dashboard:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Jan 11 to Jan 17. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Monday, January 18
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
44,374 cases (up 372)
30,784 in Lincolnshire (up 325)
6,927 in North Lincolnshire (up 30)
6,663 in North East Lincolnshire (up 17)
1,686 deaths (up nine)
1,196 from Lincolnshire (up nine)
268 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
222 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,006 hospital deaths (up 10)
612 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up nine)
30 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
363 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)
3,433,494 UK cases, 89,860 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.
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