Lincolnshire Reporter

Stamford residents have reacted with horror after traditional paving setts in the heart of the town were permanently replaced with patches of Tarmac.

A section of Stamford’s historic High Street has been somewhat rudely brought in to the modern era after being resurfaced by contractors.

It is part of a £50,000 repair scheme by Lincolnshire County County which began in November.

But many of Stamford’s 20,000 residents reacted with outrage on Friday after a section of paving setts outside the town’s Marks & Spencer were replaced with Tarmac.

Other resurfacing work was also taking place on a nearby pedestrian crossing.

Lincolnshire County Council claim the work follows numerous cases of people tripping over uneven paving in the areas, as well as in the nearby historic Red Lion Square, and say the paving setts will be used elsewhere in the town.

But angry locals have described replacing the Williamson Cliff brick setts – formerly made in Stamford – as “madness,” like “painting an antique” and a “first step downhill.”

The historic Lincolnshire market town doubled as Meryton in the 2005 film of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice starring Kiera Knightley.

It was also a backdrop for blockbuster The Da Vinci Code and the 2011 film Middlemarch.

But this historic beauty has been ruined by the Tarmac resurfacing, warn some locals.

Stamford resident Malcolm Scholes described the work as like “painting an antique” and a “first step downhill.”

Sales director Fiona Broadbent said: “Stamford gets voted in The Times one of the nicest places to live, but then it gets the High Street tarmacked.”

Another Stamford resident, Kay Bloodworth, asked: “It needed something doing, but Tarmac, wasn’t there an alternative, like relaying the stones properly?”

A similar outcry was made by Stamford residents in March last year when town councillors agreed to consider replacing the Yorkstone in Red Lion Square with Tarmac.

Stamford Civic Society warned stone setts were more appropriate for the surroundings and Lincolnshire County Council claimed no firm plans were yet in place.

But Coun David Brailsford (Con), county councillor for Stamford West, defended the recent Tarmac work.

Coun Brailsford said: “As part of the ongoing pavement works in Stamford town centre, the highways team found two small areas that would need to be tarmacked.

“As well as the stones lifting and becoming unsafe for pedestrians, tests carried out on the ground beneath these areas have shown that the base isn’t suitable.

“The cost of the base works and then resetting the stones, plus the ongoing maintenance and repair of them – and the risk to pedestrians where they lift – means they’re not a viable option for the two areas.

“The pedestrian crossing at Broad Street and Ironmonger Street, and the parking area opposite Marks and Spencer will need to be tarmacked.

“Vehicles moving about in both these areas has compounded the issues and caused further damage to the stones.

“In both areas they’re salvaging the stones for use elsewhere in the town centre.”

Media Lincs

A lorry driver has been convicted of drink-driving twice within half an hour.

Andrius Davydovas admitted to being twice the alcohol limit on a motorbike and then a car.

The 31-year-old was videoed by a member of the public after falling off a Honda CBR600 bike and damaging it. Soon afterwards he returned to the scene to collect a wing mirror and again was filmed.

Prosecutor Nick Todd told Boston Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday that it was a “somewhat unusual case” which unfolded on August 25 last year.

He said: “Mr Davydovas drove two vehicles on the same occasion while over the limit.

“At one minute past midnight he rode his Honda on Sleaford Road, Tattershall, and came off the bike. One of the householders nearby saw that and recorded it on their mobile phone and was able to take the registration of the bike.

“Mr Davydovas left the scene but returned a short time later, this time in a car apparently to pick up bits of the bike. Again that same householder recorded the registration number of the Volvo. The householder formed the opinion that the rider – and indeed driver – were in drink.”

Police attended Davydovas’ home address in Sleaford Road and found him in the back garden with another male. It was just after half past midnight when he failed a roadside breath test and was arrested.

In custody, he blew 75 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath; the legal limit is 35.

In mitigation, solicitor Beris Brickles said Davydovas – an HGV driver for the Lincoln depot of a national bakery – had been in the UK for 13 years and was a man of previous good character.

He told the court the offences happened after a barbecue and the defendant had been showing the bike to a friend.

“One thing led to another as often happens when drink is involved,” Mr Brickles added. “Although there are two offences, this is a continuation of the same incident. If he had driven the same vehicle, he would be facing one charge rather than two.”

Mr Brickles said it was a “foolish and stupid decision” which his client deeply regretted and he would lose his job as a result of the conviction.

For each charge, Davydovas was disqualified from driving for 20 months, to run concurrently. He was also fined £583 and ordered to pay £85 costs and £58 victim surcharge.

Nigel Chapman writing for Lincolnshire Reporter from Boston Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, February 5.