Heckington

The A17 corridor at Heckington could soon become a dual carriageway, after Lincolnshire County Council were awarded up to £50,000 to develop a case for improvements to the road.

The funding was awarded by Midlands Connect, who gave up to £50,000 to six local authorities to develop the case for investment in their respective local roads.

The cash injection will allow for Lincolnshire County Council to assess the feasibility of adding an extra lane on the A17 corridor near Heckington.

If taken forward, the dualling scheme at the A17 will cost between £20-50 million, though the cost range will narrow as the project is developed further.

The A17 is mostly single carriageway, and is a key connecting route for Newark in Nottinghamshire and King’s Lynn in Norfolk. The 62 mile road stretches through Lincolnshire areas such as Sleaford and Holbeach.

The six schemes are supported by the Major Road Network, which forms a middle tier of the country’s busiest and most economically-important ‘A’ roads.

The support offered to these schemes will aim to reduce congestion, support housing and employment growth, as well as providing better links to motorways and major trunk roads.

The A17 dualling has been a discussion that has been ongoing for years, with a petition launched back in 2016 to convert four Lincolnshire roads, including the A17, into a dual carriageway to ease congestion in the county.

Lincolnshire County Council’s response at that time was that it could not afford to dual these roads and had to be “realistic” about what it can deliver, but this funding could now pave the way for progress five years after the petition was launched.

Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “This is fantastic news for Lincolnshire since it means we can start developing a strategic outline business case looking at dualling the A17 near Heckington, which would provide a new overtaking opportunity, improve journey times and safety, and help future-proof the A17 as more and more vehicles use it over the coming years.

“Developing schemes like this will hopefully help Lincolnshire, and the rest of the Midlands, secure a bigger share of roads funding in the years to come.”

A Lincolnshire man who attacked an old school friend with a kitchen knife has pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder.

Christopher Thompson, 23, will be sentenced in November after a judge adjourned his case for a further psychiatric report.

Lincoln Crown Court heard previously how Thompson attacked Petras Cirtautas with the knife after arranging to meet him at Heckington railway station on August 10 last year.

At the time of the offence Thompson appeared to be suffering from a psychotic episode and spoke of the “after life”, the court was told.

Earlier this year a jury found Thompson had attempted to murder his friend after being told he could not enter a plea to the charge because of his mental health issues.

Following his trial Thompson was transferred to a mental health hospital but after further treatment it was decided Thompson was able to enter a plea.

Thompson, previously of Heckington Road, Great Hale, appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on July 9 and pleaded guilty to the charge of attempted murder and a second offence of possessing a bladed article.

He was returned to prison following his guilty pleas and was due to be sentenced this month at Lincoln Crown Court.

However defence barrister, Jeremy Jaines, told the court he would like sentence on Thompson to be adjourned for a further psychiatric report on his client and to consider a hospital order.

Mr Jaines said it was clear from all the witnesses on the day of the offence that Thompson may have been suffering from mental health issues.

He added that Thompson’s condition had deteriorated since being returned to prison from hospital.

Judge Simon Hirst agreed to the request, noting there appeared to be a medical consensus that Thompson was suffering from a psychotic episode on the day of the offence which was exacerbated by stress and the misuse of drugs.

Sentence was adjourned until November 5 and Thompson was remanded back into custody, but Judge Hirst warned him: “You know in the absence of a hospital order a very lengthy custodial sentence awaits you.”

In a witness statement Mr Cirtautas, also known as Peter, described how Thompson had been talking about the after life prior to the attack and then handed him a penknife.

The two men had previously attended St George’s School in Sleaford and were old friends, the court was told.

The incident occurred after Mr Cirtautas travelled by train from Sleaford to Heckington.

Mr Cirtautas was taken to the home of two off duty police officers after Thompson produced the kitchen knife and stabbed him in the chest.

The blow punctured Mr Cirtautas’s lung and he fell to the floor.

Judge Hirst also ordered an updated victim impact statement to establish the extent of Mr Cirtautas’s recovery since the attack.

On the first weekend since coronavirus restrictions were lifted, there was plenty to do in Lincolnshire, not least at the largest village show in England, the Heckington Show.

The Heckington Show took place on Saturday, July 24, hosting cycling races, livestock shows and an open air concert with fireworks at the Hall Grounds.

It is the largest village show in England, and after being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year, there was a slight change in format for this year, limiting the event to just one day rather than spanning over a weekend.

Even though it was only one day, so much was crammed in that it was like nothing had changed!

There were national show jumping events and grass track cycling races on the main ring of the show, and elsewhere you could find a Lincoln Longwool livestock show and a diverse range of vintage machinery, including tractors, steam powered saw mills and threshing machines.

Photographer John Aron captured some of the highlights of the show for The Lincolnite, take a look at his gallery below: