New Milton Advertiser 27th Nov 2020

Friday 27th November 2020 · 9 News

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Dog owners warned over Alabama rot

Drug-driver banned for year A MILFORD man lost his licence after pleading guilty to drug-driving in Lyndhurst. Benjamin Horsford (23), of Shorefield Road, was caught in May with traces of cannabis in his blood, South- ampton magistrates’ heard. He also admitted failing to stop for police, exceeding a 30mph limit in Ashurst and driving without insurance. The Bench gave the de- fendant a 12-month disqual- ification, fined him £333 and ordered he pay costs of £119. BROCKENHURST parish councillors are to press ahead with developing plans to give a boost to the village centre. Members could even spend £15,000 on consultants to help draw up options in the wake of the pandemic. At their latest meeting members argued over whether consult- ants would be a good idea, but voted to keep the option on the table. Chair Cllr Pete Wales told Plans to boost village centre HCC highways up for award HAMPSHIRE County Coun- cil’s highways department has made the shortlist for a national sustainability award. The team was picked for its commitment to reducing carbon emissions, and will now go through to the final of Highways Magazine’s awards in January 2021. Cllr Rob Humby, HCC’s cabinet member for trans- port and environment, said: “I am delighted that our collaborative and innovative work on projects such as de- veloping facilities to recycle highways maintenance ma- terials, trial the use of plastic kerbing and move to electric vehicles is delivering such significant results.” the A&T: “The parish council will want to take forward con- sultation. However, it is un- likely to be before April 2022, having deferred the spend.”

Plan to improve transport on Waterside moves ahead Part of the A326 would be made into a dual carriageway (Photo: Google)

Vigilance urged in Forest despite drop in fatal disease numbers

Research is continuing into the cause, and NFDOG has raised tens of thousands of pounds to support the work. Janine Redman is lead vet at the Forest Lodge practice in New Milton and Lymington, and a committee member of NFDOG. She said: “The incidence of Alabama rot – or CRGV – has been relatively low in the local area but sporadic cases still occur throughout the UK be- tween October and April. “The cause remains unknown despite research, but the dis- ease is still invariably fatal in many instances. “As there is no known in- fectious agent it is difficult to give advice to help prevent its occurrence but it is a sensible precaution to wash your dog down, and especially their legs and feet, after walks in the For- est.” As reported in the A&T, New Forest vet Fiona MacDonald has claimed her own research points to the problem be- ing caused by a bacteria that thrives in the kind of cold rivers and wetland found around the New Forest. For more information, vis- it www.nfdog.org.uk thank all those working as com- munity transport drivers and those working at bus compa- nies, particularly bus drivers, who are all continuing to pro- vide a much needed service to help ensure vulnerable people can stay connected to their communities and key workers can get to work and people who rely on public transport can get essential supplies.” For taxishare operators, that primarily support older and vul- nerable people, HCC will pro- vide 80% of payments until 31st March next year.

BY JON WALLER

A MAJOR plan to improve the Waterside’s transport network and promote walking and cy- cling has taken a key step for- ward. Hampshire County Council’s deputy leader Cllr Rob Humby last week approved a bid for funding worth between £115 m and £140m from government. If secured, the money would bankroll a list of schemes on the A326, includin g an expansion of the route into a dual carriage- way west of Totton. Cllr Humby also greenlit separate feasibility studies on replacing the queue-creating train gates in Junction Road, Totton, with a road bridge, and reopening the Waterside rail- way line to passengers for the first time since 1966. Cllr Humby, who is also and cabinet member for economy, HUNDREDS of dead fish washed up on the coastline be- tween Barton and Lymington were not killed by pollution, the Environment Agency has con- firmed. The fish, which were predom - inantly gurnards, were seen on beaches at Barton and Milford and along the coastal wall at Lymington last week. A spokesperson for the En- vironment Agency said it was possible the fish became strand - ed due to a combination of high spring tides and stormy weather, or they could have been discard- ed by commercial fishermen. He continued: “We did not receive any reports of pollution in the area where the dead fish were reported. “If the water had been pollut- edmany types of fish andmarine

transport and environment, said it was “a strong vision” that was “integral to the area’s potential economic growth”. “Improvements in the local transport infrastructure here will have a significant impact on local people being able to live safe, healthy and independent lives,” he added. The proposed schemes will feed into an overarching Wa- terside Transport Strategy de- signed to ease pressure on the roads predicted from the devel- opment of Fawley power sta- tion with 1,500 homes, including new business space forecast to create about 1,500 jobs. HCC is working with power station developers Fawley Wa- terside to deliver an £8m pack - age of junction improvements on the southern part of the A326. creatures would have been af- fected. The photos that we saw appear to show one type of fish which is gurnard. We can’t say for certain how the fish died.” Tim Ferrero, marine special- ist at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, added: “There is a huge range of pos- sibilities, and it’s very easy to make a leap at a ‘sinister’ cause. “Marine strandings can be linked to weather, storms, algal blooms, predation, temperature stress, starvation and disease. “All of these things can hap- pen naturally, but all are subject to human modification.” He added: “There could’ve been a fishing incident involving an accidental loss of gear, pos- sibly illegal discarding or even the accidental loss of legitimate catch overboard.”

DOG owners are putting their pets’ lives at risk by not taking precautions against the dead- ly Alabama rot disease, a local group has warned. Complacency may have grown because the number of cases has dropped off locally, according to the New Forest Dog Owners Group (NFDOG) which urged owners to stay vig- ilant as the disease can be more prevalent between autumn and spring. A local dog training club re- cently asked new dog owners about the disease and found that around half had never heard of it, according to NF- DOG. While last year there were fewer cases overall, NFDOG said some fatal cases have been found by researchers among re- ports of the condition this au- tumn in Wiltshire, Devon and Berkshire. “Local dog owners should still take care and keep a close BUS companies will continue to receive full financial sup - port from Hampshire County Council, its transport chief has agreed, as the pandemic has hit the number of paying passen- gers. Despite drops in customers and services due to the lock- down restrictions, the author- ity has pledged to fulfil bus subsidies to support public transport instead of cutting funding, as permitted under some contracts. The decision was signed off by Cllr Rob Humby, HCC’s

Some new dog owners said they had never heard of Alabama rot

eye on their pets,” said Heather Gould, chair of NFDOG. “Many professionals suggest it may help to wash the dogs’ feet and legs, preferably with cold tap water, after walking in open areas. “If a dog acts in a strange way, licks a lesion or cut on its legs, is lethargic or appears ill, it’s im-

portant to get your vet to assist as soon as possible.” Over the last decade, hun- dreds of dogs have died after contracting Alabama rot with the New Forest said to be a hotspot. The disease is believed to be transmitted through cuts and abrasions while walk- ing in contaminated wet areas.

Mystery of dead fish washed up

Financial help continues for bus firms

cabinet member for economy, transport and environment, following government guid- ance. A council report said usage of local bus services was estimat- ed to be down by approximate- ly 50-65% and local bus services supported by HCC were in most cases operating at 80-100% of pre-Covid frequency. Cllr Humby said: “Before Covid-19, passenger numbers in Hampshire were doing well – and investment in providing a comfortable and quality service as a viable alternative to car

travel, such as on-board Wi-fi and contactless payments was paying off. “It’s important we offer some protection to the income of lo- cal bus operators to help them at this time so that, when de- mand increases again, these services will be there to play a part in Hampshire’s green re- covery. “This is particularly vital in the case of the local bus servic- es used by school and college students to access their place of education. “In the meantime, I’d like to

ADVERTI SEMENT FEATURE ‘Worth their weight in gold’: care home staff win residents’ heartfelt praise for keeping them safe, happy and fulfilled. Quality care homes are playing a vital role as friendly, reassuring havens of safety and companionship during this challenging period. That’s especially true for those registered to provide professional nursing care. Here, gentlemen at two Outstanding-rated Colten Care homes explain what the dedication and commitment of nurses and fellow staff means to them.

Some of our dedicated ’gold’ teammembers at Colten Care.

“ All the staff do their best to please everybody. They are worth their weight in gold. ” Geoff at Kingfishers

Geoff at Kingfishers says: “The nurses

Like Kingfishers and Amberwood House, Colten’s other 19 homes are all registered for nursing care. This means that most age- related conditions can be managed within the home so residents can stay in familiar surroundings and receive treatment from the nursing professionals they already know. This offers considerable peace of mind to residents already living with conditions or whose needs are likely to change in future. Avoiding unnecessary hospital visits is especially welcome at this heightened time of virus risk.

at home, feeling isolated and worried. John says: “We know the staff are there for us and we all get on very well with them, sharing jokes and so on. They are always clear this is our home and so they want to help you do what you want to do. They’re happy to make a fuss of you in a nice way. For example, I’m from the east end

John Hall and Geoff Lount moved separately to Kingfishers, Colten Care’s home in New Milton, Hampshire, just before the pandemic hit the UK. While aspects of daily life have inevitably been affected by physical distancing and restrictions on visitors, they still enjoy what they both describe as a ‘sense of community’ about the home. They imagine it’s in stark contrast to the current

such a difference to have someone else to talk to. There will be elderly people living on their own who wouldn’t know neighbours in their own road and whose only contact is with family who may not be nearby. Here, we are always meeting people. It’s very sociable.” It’s a similar story at Amberwood House, Colten’s home in Ferndown, Dorset, where resident Terry Johnson says: “This is probably one of the best care homes you could find anywhere. They keep you happy and satisfied and put your mind at ease. ”

meal of jellied eels in a bowl. There are lovely personal touches like that and, more generally, activities to get involved in every day if you want. We have quizzes, crosswords, word games or if you ask to watch a particular film they’ll arrange that for you. They do special occasions such as birthdays really personally. When my daughter and I first came to have a look here, we had already seen three or four other places but this was the top one - because of the amazing staff. They put in so much hard work every day and since the pandemic they have been coping with the Covid restrictions tremendously well.” Geoff concurs, adding that the staff help to facilitate the happy camaraderie among residents: “There’s about eight of us who meet in the lounge every morning. We’re a group of regulars who chat and get to know one another. It makes

Terry at Amberwood adds: “If you need medication, you want to know that someone is there for you and you’ve got what you need. Here at Amberwood they take care of all that. They think in advance about what you need. There is very good planning and they’re always there to comfort you and care for you if you need help.”

here at the home are all very good and I get on well with them. If you live on your own and you need treatment for a medical issue, you would have to go to a doctor’s surgery or a hospital. Here, the nurse comes to you. That’s reassurance.” John says: “Knowing someone is there looking after me all the time does give me peace of mind. I would certainly recommend this home to others.”

“ Knowing someone is there looking after me all the time does give me peace of mind. ”

experience of many elderly people across the country who will be

living on their own

John at Kingfishers

of London and they recently got in on the act with a

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