New Milton Advertiser 18th December 2020

Friday 18th December 2020

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N EW M ILTON A DVERTISER | advertiserandtimes.co.uk

Food&Drink A taste of the Caribbean in the New Forest Page 28

What’s On Fun for all the family Page 18

Sport Local rugby clubs given restart green light Pages 21-23

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Town fears over ‘brazen’ drug dealing

School Santas hit the road

INSIDE Wheelie bins waste plan consultation extended again Page 2 Locals among first in UK to be given the coronavirus vaccine Page 4 New Forest clubs fear new curbs to be imposed on activities Page 5 Campaign launched to save woodland from ho using plans Page 9 17 Christian Comment 20 Letters 20 From Our Files 24 Puzzle Corner 24 Food and Drink 28 Good Dog 29 Classifieds 32-35 Motoring 36 Family Announcements back page LT Price Rise 03 Index Planning Business Obituary 14 16

Call for ‘drug rooms’ to support users and crackdown on dealers

Cllr Davies said a “big part” of the requests he receives from residents is to do with the fallout from drugs. He said: “I think in recent years drug use has become much more visible in the town. “I have had reports of brazen drug dealing at some spots, in- cluding near the Tesco Express store in Pennington. I was walk- ing past another shop last year and there were people [involved in drugs] shouting ‘We run Pen- nington!’.” According to latest govern- ment figures, in October in the Lymington and Pennington area, which includes Milford, Sway, Hordle, Boldre and Nor- leywood, there were four report- ed drugs crimes. For the first 10 months of this year, there was a total of 66 drugs crimes reported, relating to pos- session, supply and production. Drug consumption rooms are aimed at reducing the risks of disease transmission through unhygienic injecting, prevent- ing drug-related overdose deaths, and signposting drug users to addiction treatment and health and social services. Addicts are provided with sterile injecting equipment and are supervised by staff trained and equipped to deal with over- doses. Several councils in the UK have called for such facilities, most recently Glasgow in May.

Continued on page 2 A PUB has been fined £1,000 for “blatant” breaches of Covid-19 regulations after being found serving drinks without food and hosting a birthday party with households mixing. The offences were discovered when licensing officers from Hampshire police carried out routine checks at the Elephant and Castle in Commercial Road, Totton, around 7.30pm on Saturday. Customers were seen drink- ing alcohol at tables where no food had been ordered – con- trary to requirements put in place by the government for But the government says that under the Misuse of Drugs Act they are illegal, and anyone in- volved in one would be arrested. Cllr Davies branded this stance “ignorant and old fash- ioned”. He said he would like to see the focus of the police aimed at dealers rather than users, say- ing: “Drug addiction should be treated as a health issue, and being heavy-handed with ad- dicts is doing more harm than good.” The town mayor Cllr Anne Corbridge declined to comment when the A&T asked for her re- sponse. Minutes of the Q&A meeting show councillors asked whether there was anything to suggest county lines drug gangs were operating in the town. Police replied that there was “no evidence” but said a block of flats in Lower Buckland Road has “significant issues and re- mains a priority”. They also said Operation Exposed had been introduced which identifies addicts for po- lice to visit, offering them advice

BY ANTONELLA LAZZERI

Southlands School held its own Santa Run in aid of Oakhaven Hospice – full story, page 3 (Photo: Steve West)

A LYMINGTON councillor is calling for a drugs consumption room to be set up where addicts can take illegal substances un- der medical supervision amid claims of “brazen drug dealing” in the town. Cllr Jack Davies says the in- itiative will help tackle drug issues, adding: “We’ve got to think outside the box, we can’t keep going as we are. For years and years all that happens is police bust one drug ring, and another one springs up in its place. “I’ve seen drug rooms done elsewhere with good results at reducing the harm of drugs and reducing serious crime caused by them. It allows for the health impact of drugs to be tackled while also allowing the police to go after the dealers.” He raised the possibility of trialling the scheme – which has been operating across Europe for the last three decades – at an online Q&A session on 10th November with officers from Hampshire Constabulary who were asked if they would be “supportive” of such a project.

Donkey deaths speed plea

areas, like Hampshire, in Tier 2 restriction zones. Sgt Robert Cohen from the force’s licensing team said: “This was a blatant breach of the current health protection regulations. “We are working hard to en- sure that everyone is observing the restrictions in place and is safe during the pandemic. “The guidelines in place around hospitality are clear, it is very disappointing therefore that this pub felt that it was appropriate to put everyone at risk and operate as if the pan- demic is not taking place.” NEW Forest groups have united in pleading for drivers to slow down as a police investigation was launched into three don- keys killed in a single collision at an accident blackspot. The incident happened close to the Fritham junction of the B3078 Roger Penny Way be- tween Cadham and Godshill just before 7am on Saturday morning. Witnesses reported the white Mercedes van, operated by ca- tering company La Chasse Ltd, was so badly damaged it had to be recovered from the scene. The route is well known as a

He continued: “We are work- ing with partners, including the council, to ensure where busi- nesses or individuals breach the regulations that this is ad- dressed quickly to provide reas- surance to the community. “We hope this sends a mes- sage to other businesses that breaching the regulations will be dealt with robustly to ensure everyone’s safety.” The officers also saw peo- ple playing at the pub’s pool table, as well as groups stand- ing in the beer garden having dangerous stretch of road with motorists regularly recorded exceeding the 40mph speed limit. Just two days before the col- lision the New Forest Roads Awareness Speed Watch team and Hampshire police record- ed 46 cars travelling above the limit in one hour. The highest speed recorded was 68mph. Commoner and Speed Watch volunteer Gilly Jones said: “There is a blanket 40mph speed limit with 30mph in the villages. However, a speed limit is the maximum speed vehicles should be travelling at – it is not

necessarily a safe speed. “The loss of any animal im- pacts many people – the com- moner who has lost their ani- mal, the agister and police who have to attend incidents, and the driver and witnesses. “At this time of the year when daylight is limited and weather conditions vary, drivers should take extra care and adjust their speed. It is important to be aware visibility can be very poor and that other vehicles’ head- lights may impede your view of the road ahead.” The latest accident has led Forest organisations to jointly issue a special appeal to drivers to be more careful of free-roam- ing animals on the roads. It was supported by the Com- moners’ Defence Association, Forestry England, the verder- ers, the national park authority

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Pub fined for flouting Covid rules

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