Heckington

Three COVID fines and dispersal notices have been issued to hare coursers in Heckington who had travelled from Durham.

Police intercepted a car at East Heckington service station at 7.30am on Thursday that had three men and dogs inside.

The three men told officers that they were on their way to walk their dogs, but were issued with COVID fines and dispersal notices after having travelled three hours from Durham.

Due to being first time offenders, the fine issued was £200 per person, but will be cut to £100 if the fine is paid within 14 days.

In a tweet about the incident, Lincolnshire Police Specials said: “Can’t think what they were doing here with their dogs”, implying that the group were on their way to hare course in the county.

Construction started this week on 33 new affordable homes in Heckington near Sleaford.

The houses will be built by Lindum Construction on land off Kyme Road, on behalf of North Kesteven District Council.

Work began on Monday, January 25 and is expected to be completed by spring 2022.

It will follow on from the construction of 22 homes on Welchman Way, also completed by Lindum, in 2016.

The development off Kyme Road follows on from the construction of 22 homes on Welchman Way in 2016. | Photo: Lindum Group

The new builds will be accessed via the same road as the previous project, with each house having its own garden space and private parking provision.

There will be eight one-bedroom flats, 16 three-bed houses and nine two-bed houses in the £4.7 million council funded project.

A Lincolnshire GP surgery with branches in Heckington and Sleaford has been forced to cancel or defer several appointments due to 70% of its nursing team having to self-isolate.

Millview Medical Centre confirmed that a member of its nursing team recently tested positive for COVID-19 and is now self-isolating.

Three other staff, who had been in contact with that person, are also self-isolating as a precaution.

This means there will be a significant impact on appointments for two weeks as a lot are being cancelled from Monday, October 5.

This is in addition to one doctor and a nurse practitioner shielding, that the practice describes as “an ongoing situation with no imminent resolution”.

A spokesperson for Millview Medical Centre said: “We don’t believe any of our patients have been put at risk since our staff were wearing appropriate PPE during clinics, however, there will be a significant impact on appointments for the next two weeks.

“We will be prioritising all urgent appointments, such as those for Zoladex, Prostap, cervical smear, immunisations, chemotherapy bloods and dressings.

“We are contacting patients to rearrange appointments as required, but if you haven’t heard from us, please attend your appointment as planned.

“The flu clinics planned for Helpringham on Thursday and our Saturday in-house clinic are unaffected.

“We thank patients for their support and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused, please be assured we are taking all the possible steps to manage the situation appropriately.”