New Milton Advertiser 20th Nov 2020

Friday 20th November 2020

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Thug beat mum and girlfriend

Nurses’ chilly charity challenge

INSIDE Woman arrested as police break up protest at hospital Page 4 NMA Price Rise 03 Ambulance targeted by vandals during village wrecking spree Page 5 Mystery Bronze Age monument discovered in New Forest dig Page 6 Village council rejects plans for new wheelie bins waste scheme Page 7 9 771353 222036 9 771353 222036 42 9 771353 222036 43 41 Food and Drink 15 Christian Comment 18 Letters 18 From Our Files 21 Puzzle Corner 21 Good Dog 23 Legal Matters 24-25 Classifieds 26-29 Motoring 30-31 Family Announcements back page 9 771353 222036 9 771353 222036 45 9 771353 222036 46 44 Index Obituaries Planning 12 14

Road, rail and bridge in huge £140m-plus transport plans Holly Warren (left) and Rachel Easton are swimming the equivalent of the English Channel in aid of Christchurch Hospice where they work – full story, page 3

Continued on page 2 THE group representing cus- tomers of New Forest District Council’s leisure centres has quit talks over plans to hand management over to a private company, the A&T can reveal. The customer focus group (CFG) walked away because it disagrees with NFDC pressing ahead with the plan for the fa- cilities at Lymington, New Mil- ton, Ringwood, Applemore and Totton. One member, who asked to remain anonymous, told the A&T: “CFG members do not want to be associated with the forehead between her eye- brows. He bit her hard enough to remove a large chuck of her flesh between her eyebrows,” Mrs Cavender said, and Ackers spat it out on the floor. Ackers was furiously shouting that he thought Ms Bassett was dead, and he screamed at his mother: “You’ve f***ed up my life so now I’m going to f*** up yours.” According to his mother, she feared for her life when Ackers went downstairs and re-entered the bathroom with two knives. She recalled, Mrs Cavender added, that he used one to stab himself, before jumping out of the window when police came, around half an hour after Diane and neighbours had alerted of- ficers. Ackers was later found shirt- less in bushes around 300 me- tres from his mother’s house,

Violent man faces up to 12 years in jail after biting mother’s face

BY JON WALLER

A THUG stamped so hard on his pregnant girlfriend he left an imprint of his shoe on her stom- ach before he bit off a chunk of his mum’s face and spat it out, a court heard. Owen Ackers (23), from Bur- ton, faces a jail sentence for a “savage” 30-minute attack during the first national lock- down against Sapphire Bassett, his then-girlfriend who was 18 weeks’ pregnant, and his moth- er Diane. Bournemouth Crown Court heard Ackers, who has a history of violence against women, had drunk vodka and taken cocaine on the day of the attack on 21st April. Ackers became aggressive late that night when his moth- er tried to take away his bottle of vodka. He chased her up the stairs of her Lineside home and into the bathroom, punching

MAJOR spending plans worth at least £140m are being drawn up to cut congestion in the east of the New Forest with a new dual carriageway, town centre railway bridge and reopening the Waterside trainline to pas- sengers. The wide-ranging set of trans- port proposals was expected to have cleared a hurdle yesterday (Thursday) with approval to proceed with further planning from Hampshire County Coun- cil’s highways chief, Cllr Rob Humby. Funding worth £115m-£140m is being sought from the gov- decision and have people think it is one we are endorsing in any way, shape or form. “We want to send a clear mes- sage to everybody: we have not endorsed this process and have asked for it to be stopped.” Cllr Mark Steele, NFDC’s Conservative cabinet member for leisure, said the authori- ty was “disappointed” but re- spected the group’s decision. The council will be progressing to find a management partner, he added. Since NFDC first announced its intention to outsource the

ernment to expand the A326 west of Totton into a dual car- riageway. Separate plans are being considered to replace the queue-creating train gates in Junction Road, Totton, with a road bridge. The Waterside railway line could also be given money to progress to the next stage of potentially reopening to pas- sengers for the first time since 1966, following a lengthy cam- paign. The changes in the overarch- ing Waterside Transport Strat- egy are partly to ease pressure centres’ running, the issue has provoked objections from op- position councillors, protests and a petition attracting thou- sands of signatures. NFDC has invited private firms to bid for the contract to run the five centres for at least an initial decade. The Unison union has al- ready said it is opposed to the scheme, because it believes it is “politically ideologically driv- en”. The process has now reached the stage where NFDC has

on the roads predicted from the development of Fawley pow- er station with 1,500 homes, including new business space forecast to create about 1,500 jobs. Yesterday Cllr Humby was recommended in a report to approve the county putting to- gether a strategic outline busi- ness case for the Department for Transport (DfT), which will comprise its formal application for up to £140m for the A326 changes. The preferred improvement schemes have not yet been de- cided but would likely involve link and junction improvements across 12km of the northern part of the A326. The report suggests intro- ducing a dual carriageway on two main sections: west of Totton between Michigan Way

Owen Ackers

her in the side of the face, pros- ecutor Susan Cavender said. When Ms Bassett grabbed him, he set about her, pulling out “clumps” of her hair, the court was told. “Sapphire Bassett was on her back and he stamped repeated- ly on her head, shoulders, and upper chest until she was un- conscious,” Mrs Cavender con- tinued. “The stamping was sufficient to leave an imprint of his shoe on her stomach.” When Diane tried to stop Ackers he turned back on her, Mrs Cavender added. “He punched her again before biting her hard in an area of her

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Leisure centre talks walkout

9 771353 222036

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Push to build on Forest brownfield

Cash boxes stolen from town shop by masked gang CASH boxes were stolen when four masked raiders forced their way into a Pennington convenience store on Sunday night. The quartet targeted the Tesco Express in The Square shortly before midnight be- fore fleeing with the boxes containing an undisclosed sum of money. No one was reported to have been injured in the in- cident. A Hampshire police spokes- person said: “Officers are cur- rently following a number of lines of enquiry.” Anyone with information should contact Hampshire po- lice on 101, quoting crime ref- erence number 44200443251, or call Crimestoppers anonymous- ly on 0800 555 111. 07733 318619 oceancars@icloud.com Long Distance Specialist Airports / Docks Stations / Hospitals Lady driver on request Hampshire vouchers accepted Lhotse, Forward Drive, Pennington ALL TYPES OF WATCH AND CLOCK REPAIRS Kris Perlowski 6 Spartina Drive, Lymington

Rural campaign says there is room to build 2,800 homes

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THERE is enough brownfield land in the New Forest to build nearly 2,800 homes, countryside campaigners have claimed. Research by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) identified 64 sites making up a combined 104 hectares within the New Forest area covered by both the district council and the national park authority. It said that currently there are 306 unbuilt homes that have planning permission locally on sites classed as brownfield – land which has previously been developed in some way. The figures have been pub- lished just months after NFDC recently approved 20-year pol- icies that unlocked greenbelt land outside the national park for hundreds of new homes. The CPRE said its figures came from national brownfield registers introduced in 2017. It said developing brownfield sites with high quality design proper- ties needs to be prioritised. It follows a white paper put out by government which sug- gests a radical overhaul of the planning system to make it quicker to build in some areas. Crispin Truman, CPRE chief executive, said: “These figures clearly show that the planning system is not what is ailing our FOREST MINI SKIPS LYMINGTON SKIP HIRE 07787 153873 12 Fairlea Road, Lymington

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Leisure talks walkout Continued from front page housing market. “If there is enough land in the planning system to meet the government’s own housing targets – what will an overhaul of the planning system, with rushed and untested changes, really achieve? “It’s clear the government has gravely misdiagnosed the problem. Slow build-out rates and market-led housing are blocking the quality affordable housing that rural communities are crying out for.” The CPRE produced an over- all report for Hampshire, which found the county had enough brownfield land for almost 27,900 new homes. More than a third of sites already have plan- and initially claimed he had been dumped there by some- one. Ms Bassett remained un- conscious until police arrived at the home, the court heard. Both women were rushed to hospital. Diane’s injuries in- cluded severe bruising over her face and body and a dislocated finger. Her face will be permanently scarred from her son’s bite. Ms Bassett, who has since had the baby without prob- lems, suffered bruising and had to return to hospital two weeks after the attack for treatment for concussion. In a victim impact statement, Diane said: “I have never been as petrified and as scared in my life as I was that night. He could have killed me.” She said she had “lost” the defendant as a son, suffered sleepless nights, was on an- ti-depressants and feared what he may do to her in the future. Ackers has a history of vio- lence, including domestic as- sault incidents against Ms Bas- chosen its three preferred pro- viders – the identities of which have been kept secret. Speaking to the A&T, the customer focus group repre- sentative said members had told NFDC the overwhelming view of leisure centre customers was that they do not want pri- vate management, which had not been taken on board. “There is a feeling within the CFG that we have been a by- part of the procurement pro- cess so NFDC can say they have taken account of customers’ views and pat themselves on the back.” The main concern the CFG has, he stressed, was lack of accountability as current- ly NFDC councillors could be challenged in open meetings or even voted out. and Cocklydown Lane, and south-east of Totton between Hounsdown Business Park and Dibden. HCC is working with the Faw- ley power station developers to deliver an £8m package of junction improvements on the southern part of the A326 be- tween Main Road (north of Dib- den) and the B3053 at Church Lane (Fawley). A report to Cllr Humby stressed how walking and cy- cling improvements will be “key components” to the plan, and HCC has held discussions with Fawley oil refinery owner Exx- onMobil regarding a new walk/ cycle route on its land on the eastern side of the A326. Any plans will be aligned with the emerging Waterside Lo- cal Cycling and Walking Infra- structure Plan and tie in with schemes provided as part of Southampton getting £57m of DfT money. Transport plans Continued from front page Thug attacked women Continued from front page

ning permission. Asked about the CPRE fig- ures for the New Forest, the district council’s deputy leader, Cllr Edward Heron, said it had analysed the CPRE data when forming the Local Plan – which sets out local areas of greenbelt land to be developed until 2036. “The council has always giv- en priority to making best use of previously developed land where that is possible, and the plan that the council adopted in July 2020 assumes the poten- tial for brownfield development within the area is maximised,” Cllr Heron said. He pointed to a plan for 1,500 new homes on the former Fawley power station, which is a brown- sett, Mrs Cavender outlined. At the time of the April offences, he was the subject of a court order which banned him from seeing her. The court heard he was pre- viously convicted for punching and kicking her in Christchurch High Street and smashing her mobile phone in 2017, for which he had been hit with an indefi- nite restraining order. In 2019 he was convicted of breaching that order in rela- tion to another alleged assault that did not make it to trial. He has yet to be sentenced for the breach. The couple had been dating for many years, the prosecutor said, but got back together in early 2020. Mrs Cavender said their relationship was beset by his “jealousy” and on the day of the April attacks Ackers had been contacted by an ex-part- ner of hers. He had also grown frustrated at not having a job and being “broke”, she added. Ackers initially denied the two charges of causing Ms Bas- sett and his mother grievous bodily harm with intent. He was due to stand trial at Bournemouth Crown Court on He said: “This is going to be a 10 to 15-year contract and there will be no democratic ac- countability to that organisa- tion. Whoever is in charge of the council will not be able to have any kind of impact on whoever will be managing it.” The CFG was concerned a large provider could wield its financial power to challenge aspects of any NFDC contract and may resort to cost-cutting measures to maximise compa- ny profits. Cllr Steele responded by say- ing the leisure centres had pro- vided an “excellent service” for many years but with a subsidy, adding: “This position is not sustainable and therefore the service may be at risk. “The procurement process has shown that bidders can provide a service that meets the council’s objectives, and they bring industry expertise and economies of scale which go be- The city was promised the cash in late 2019 to boost trans- port and cycling in the city and surrounding areas, with ap- proximately £9m set aside for the Waterside. That will fund bus improve- ments at three key junctions – in central Totton, Rush- ington roundabout and near Hounsdown Business Park – and the creation of a contin- uous cycleway between Eling and Fawley. The overall strategy will be finalised by next spring for a public consultation, and pro- gressed to a formal plan in the autumn of 2021. The paper revealed interest in closing the level crossing at Junction Road in Totton and building a bridge. A feasibility study will be completed early next year before a spring 2021 consultation, with ideas includ- ing a road crossing at another location or a non-car crossing instead. The paper also endorsed the business case for the reopen- ing of the Waterside railway line, on which passenger ser-

field site, adding the Local Plan had been prepared after the coun- cil “made a realistic assessment” of the potential for other brown- field sites to be redeveloped. “However, despite maximis- ing the reuse of previously de- veloped land in the area there was still a need to identify ad- ditional ‘greenfield’ sites to meet the level of new housing required,” he continued. “The council continues to work with the development sec- tor to ensure new housing, on both brownfield and greenfield sites, comes forward to provide good quality housing which ad- dresses local needs and safe- guards the district’s precious environment.” Tuesday. But as the prosecu- tor stood to begin the evidence in front of the jury, Ackers sig- nalled to his defence barrister, Kevin Hill, that he wanted to have a conference with him. After a brief adjournment Mr Hill came back into court and indicated his client wanted to plead guilty to both charges. Mr Hill told the court his cli- ent was a care leaver, who had witnessed “abuse” growing up. He suggested pre-sentence reports should be conducted on Ackers to get the context of his offending. Judge Robert Pawson sug- gested the assaults could be seen as a “savage attack” and was a “very serious incident”. While he was prepared to give Ackers some credit for sparing two “vulnerable victims” from giving evidence, the judge said the defendant could face up to 12 years in jail. Judge Pawson adjourned the matter until 21st December, re- serving the sentencing exercise to himself. Dismissing the jury, he told them: “This sentence is going to be many years, and having heard what you have heard, nobody should be sur- prised.” yond what our in-house service can provide. “At the customer forums, cus- tomers will be able to listen to the preferred bidder who will be able to explain in detail how they propose to deliver the ser- vice.” Cllr Steele insisted the con- tract and specification within it was “very detailed”, covering the minimum standards re- quired and performance meas- urements. “If standards are not met then financial sanctions can be applied,” he confirmed. “We are satisfied that the con- tract and specification is right and enables us to ensure that service is provided as detailed in the specification. “A preferred bidder will be compared with the internal in- house provision when any rec- ommendation is made to cabi- net and council.” vices ceased in 1966. The idea was floated in 2013 but reject- ed by HCC on a failed business case. However, the report said its prospects were now much better – partly because a New Forest District Council vision document outlines “significant employment growth potential” on the Waterside. HCC has embarked on an outline business case for the railway, and the DfT provided £50,000 in grant money for more feasibility work by HCC. The railway news was met with “absolute delight” by Cllr David Harrison, HCC member for Totton South and March- wood, a long-time champion of the scheme. However, the separate A326 improvements needed to go further, according to Cllr Mal- colm Wade, who represents Dibden and Hythe. He said: “There needs to be further support and investment in the Hythe-to-Southampton ferry service, possibly combin- ing with or a separate one from the new development in Faw- ley.”

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Nurses take on chilly Channel challenge

Man admits attacking woman A HOLBURY man was ordered to do 100 hours’ unpaid work and pay £200 compensation to a woman he pleaded guilty to attacking. Matthew Minihan (31), of Springfield Road, assaulted the victim by beating on 9th July and admitted doing £30 damage to her car indicator. Sitting at Southampton Magistrates’ Court, District Judge Peter Greenfield told Minihan also to pay £180 court costs. Local Poundland in charity top 10 BARGAIN hunters helped Lymington’s Poundland store get into the top 10 branches which raised the most cash for children’s charities. The discount chain is supporting Make-A-Wish UK, which grants wishes for seriously ill youngsters, Tommy’s, which funds vital research into miscarriages; and Whizz Kidz, which sup- ports disabled children. Lymington’s High Street branch came in at number five, having raised nearly £6,080. During the past three years a total of £3.7m has been raised nationally. were “proud to be part of this fantastic initiative, and rep- resents a great way to help people out of poverty”. AROUND £1,500 has been raised by Fordingbridge Rotary Club for the Lend With Care charity that helps coordinate investments in start-up companies in poor countries. The money was part of a national effort worth £1m by Rotarians around the UK. Local club spokesman John Crossman said members Rotary club’s charity cash

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Pair raising funds for ill patients’ virtual day centre

BY LIZ HENDRIE

TWO nurses are braving the cold with a sea swim equivalent to crossing the English Channel to raise funds for a virtual day centre for terminally ill patients during lockdown. Clinical nurse specialist Ra- chel Easton and staff nurse Hol- ly Warren support people with life-limiting conditions at the Macmillan Unit Palliative Day Centre in Christchurch. However, the centre is cur- rently closed and many of its clients are shielding at home, with little outside contact. The pair set themselves the challenge of swimming a total of 34km – the closest distance between England and France – to fundraise for Macmillan Caring Locally charity, which has helped them set up online services for their patients. Since 19th October, Rachel and Holly have been swim- ming a kilometre every day bet- ween Boscombe and Bourne- mouth piers, enduring rough seas. “We are actively adapting our service so that patients can still get together from their homes FAMILIES could soon be able to read about the traditional Christmas story while stretch- ing their legs on a proposed Covid-secure Nativity trail in New Milton. Members at a recent online full meeting of the town coun- cil welcomed a proposal by Liz Bastable, children and family worker at Gore Road’s New Life Church, for the recreation ground to host the contactless attraction. In a letter to the council, Ms Bastable said the idea was to provide a fun festive activity for parents and youngsters who have missed out on many other events this year due to the pan- demic. She thought the green off Whitefield Road and Old Milton Road was an ideal location, and explained how visitors would follow a short route marked out by seven signs. Illustrated with images of characters from the nativity story, each would include a QR code to be scanned by smart- phones to unlock a page of fun activities and questions. The trail would be aimed at the whole community, as well as families from the New THE road running underneath Holmsley rail bridge will be temporarily closed for an in- spection ahead of major engi- neering work to replace the A35 crossing. The C10 Station Road, near Burley, will be shut during off-peak hours on Wednesday 25th November as Hampshire County Council carries out the work. The footpath and bridle- way under the bridge will

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Rachel Easton (left) and Holly Warren are swimming a kilometre a day

using video conferencing,” said Holly (37). “This week we provided our first three online sessions in - volving yoga and quizzes and our clients were so grateful for the chance to interact with us and others. “We also hope to employ a range of therapists to widen the range of sessions we can pro- vide and also buy materials so people can take part in online practical sessions at home.” Rachel (43) said: “Holly and I both took part in the Mac-

millan White Christmas Dip at Boscombe last year, dressed as penguins, and really enjoyed it. “Obviously this is very dif- ferent to a one-off sea plunge. Each day for over a month we are getting changed on a beach, with numb fingers, sometimes in the rain and then swimming in the cold sea. “This week we have also had quite large waves to contend with, but there have been some high points, such as swimming under the stars. Thanks to the huge support we are getting –

115 county school fires in five years To sponsor Holly and Rachel, go to www.justgiving.com/fund raising/rachel-holly-palliative- nurses FIREFIGHTERS tackled more than 100 blazes in schools across Hampshire during the last five years, with a fifth started delib - erately. The figures, obtained from the county’s fire service through a Freedom of Information re- quest, were released by insurer Zurich Municipal which is call- ing for sprinklers to be made compulsory in England’s insti- tutions. Foul play accounted for 23 of the 115 fires, with one Hamp - shire school sustaining signifi - cant damage. and a great deal of hot tea – we are actually enjoying it.” Neal Williams, trust secretary of Macmillan Caring Locally, said: “Rachel and Holly are out- standing medical professionals who provide a lifeline for their patients. “The fact that they are also willing to jump into the freezing sea to raise funds to support them is simply wonderful.”

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Life Church and surrounding churches. “We have seen Covid-19 hit families hard this year, with very few activities on for chil- dren and families,” Ms Bastable wrote. “We think this trail would be a good, free and safe opportunity to spread a bit of Christmas joy as well as engage children and families with their community.”

Councillors agreed town clerk Graham Flexman should contact Ms Bastable to pursue the proposal. Cllr Geoffrey Blunden said: “I think this is a brilliant idea – as long as it ticks all the boxes on being Covid-safe, which it seems to do. “Anything which supports the community like that, I would welcome.”

Rail bridge road to shut for inspection

also be closed, with a signposted diversion route in place. Cllr Rob Humby, HCC’s cab- inet member for environment and transport, said the aim was to begin work on replacing the bridge in the next financial year. He said: “Until then, inspec- tions need to be carried out reg- ularly to monitor the existing bridge’s condition. “As with all on-site work, the engineers undertaking the work will take appropriate coronavi-

rus precautions and will adhere to government guidelines on so- cial distancing while they are on site. “We remind drivers to follow the diversion route and avoid cutting across minor roads, such as Holmsley Passage, be- cause any increase in two-way traffic on these minor roads will lead to damage to the verges which are part of the protect- ed environment of the national park.”

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Woman arrested at lockdown protest

Driver given 28-month ban GETTING caught behind the wheel while nearly three times the alcohol limit cost a motorist his licence for over two years when he appeared before magis- trates. Adam Webb (22), of Fox Field, Everton, pleaded guilty to drink-driving a Fiat Punto in Norley Wood Road, Norley Wood, on 4th October. As well as the 28-month disqualification, the South- ampton Bench fined Webb £240 and ordered him to pay £119 court costs. Covid cancels lantern parade THE organisers of Totton’s annual lantern parade, which had to be cancelled due to Covid-19, have instead created online work- shops showing how to make them at home. Thousands of people normally line the streets to watch the festive event, which was scheduled for December, with hundreds more taking part in the procession. Organisers hope people will take part by watching the instruction videos online before sharing their creations. Visit www.facebook.com/ xmaslanternparade 19 Fir Avenue, New Milton whole house Cow and pig in road incidents A COW and a pig were involved in accidents on the New Forest’s roads last week. On the Thursday a belted Galloway heifer was in- jured on the Burley Road at Durhill at around 6.20pm. Agister Jonathan Gerrelli attended following a report to the verderers’ office. On Sunday an incident involving a black-and-white store pig was reported at around 5.40pm on the B3058 near Wootton. The animal was found to be unhurt.

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O cers broke up demonstration held outside hospital

BY CHRIS MARCH

A RINGWOOD woman was ar- rested when police broke up a lockdown protest outside the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. The impromptu demonstra- tion was staged outside

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the facility in Cas- tle Lane East on Saturday after of- ficers prevented a similar organised event at Bourne- mouth Town Hall that day. After cordoning

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The lockdown protest was held outside the Royal Bournemouth Hospital

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to take positive action against those breaching these laws. “Tragically coronavirus is a deadly disease that has taken the life of more than 50,000 peo- ple in the UK and we cannot al- low protests to take place and risk increasing the R rate.” In the New Forest, officers pulling over a vehicle in Sizer Way, Dibden, last Friday night fined five men inside for breach- ing the restriction on gather- ings. They also discovered a small quantity of drugs and seized two catapults from the vehicle.

Police also emphasised that bubbles of pupils did not apply outside of schools after finding groups of youngsters gathering in the Waterside area in breach of the restrictions. A police Facebook post said: “This means that after leaving the school gates, as soon as rea- sonably possible, young people are to return home, and stay in- side except for the government exemptions.” Parents were warned they would be liable for fines for any offending children under the age of 18 years old. November but which were reg- istered up to 14th November. The BCP Council area’s infection rate has also risen from 205.9 last Tuesday to 245.1 this week. There were 969 new weekly cases, up from 814 previously. It brings the combined number of Covid-19 cases across the conurbation to 6,255 since the start of the pandemic. The figures are for the numbers of people with at least one lab-confirmed pos- itive Covid-19 test result in the most recent seven-day period. if a GP or nurse is needed, an online consultation arranged within two working days. Practices can also be emailed or texted, and patients are urged to try to avoid going to the surgery without an appoint- ment. Dr Howard reminded pa- tients medical staff are working under unprecedented pressure as they also catch up with a backlog of cases not dealt with during the first wave. A much higher than usual number of flu jabs is also being administered as plans rapidly progress for a coronavirus vac- cine. Dr Howard’s comments came as the NHS urges pregnant women across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to have their free flu jab. As their immune system is naturally weakened by working to protect both themselves and their baby, they are warned flu can increase the risk of miscar- riage, or premature or under- weight birth. For more information about pregnancy and flu visit NHS.uk can gain £2,000, and those above £51,000 can apply for £3,000. Cllr Philip Broadhead, BCP Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and economy, said last week: “I am pleased to an- nounce that the application process for our Local Restric- tion Support Grant scheme is now live and I encourage you to check your eligibility and apply as soon as possible to receive your share of this available funding. “I hope this provides some relief to local businesses who have been forced to close over the last few weeks. “We remain committed to do- ing everything we can to sup- port our resilient and varied business community. This will include a continued focus in the months ahead on critical areas and other key sectors that are vitally important to the success of our local economy.’’ In addition to the LRSG, £7.9m will be provided to BCP Council to issue Additional Re- strictions Grants up until 31st March 2022. This will include a discretionary scheme, with the details currently being consid- ered. To apply for funding visit www.newforest.gov.uk/corona virusbusiness or bcpcouncil. gov.uk/covid19businesssupport

He added: “The right to protest is well established in this country and police forces have a long his- tory of upholding this by policing by consent and ensuring the safety of all those exercising that right. “However, in the current lockdown situation govern- ment legislation makes it quite clear that gatherings of more than two people are unlawful. This allows the police service

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off an area at the town hall and is- suing a warning, officers respond- ed to the hospital gathering around 2.15pm and dispersed the group. The 52-year-old Ringwood woman was one of three arrest- ed on suspicion of breaching coronavirus regulations. She was later released under in- vestigation, and the other two were de-arrested. A spokesperson for the hos- pital said: “As the numbers of Covid infections continue to rise in the community, we urge the public to follow national public guidelines, and whilst we work with our partners to help reduce the spread of this infec- tion, we encourage the public to observe all measures they are asked to.” On Tuesday Dorset Police said it had a “full and detailed policing plan” to prevent un- lawful protests across the coun- ty as more are set to take place this weekend. Supt Jared Parkin said of- ficers were engaging with or- ganisers to prevent the pro- tests, with enforcement as a last resort. A TOP GP for Lymington and New Milton is urging patients not to let the second wave of Covid-19 stop them seeking help for other medical condi- tions. In a letter to residents, Dr Will Howard, executive partner for Coastal Medical Partner- ship (CMP), sought to reassure them that local NHS services were “open for business and functioning well”. But he acknowledged the NHS was facing one of the most challenging times in its his- tory, with GP practices at the forefront facing huge surges in workload from hospitals and NHS England. “We are incredibly lucky to live in an area which has a strong and resilient GP prac- tice and hospital service,” Dr Howard wrote. “Although things might look different to the normal NHS service people are used to, the service is running.” Dr Howard said the partner- ship was collaborating with the West Hampshire Clinical Com- missioning Group (CCG) to

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Forest Covid figures: no deaths but new cases on rise THERE were no deaths from Covid-19 reported in the New Forest this week for the first time in a fortnight. per 100,000 people in the district climbed from 97.7 to 140.5. By comparison, Kirklees in West Yorkshire has a rate of 585.3.

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The death toll in the dis- trict remains at 138, accord- ing to the latest figures from the Office for National Statis- tics (ONS). Last week three fatalities were reported. However, separate govern- ment figures for the seven days to Tuesday showed new weekly cases of Covid-19 in the New Forest had surged from 176 to 253 – up by 77. It brought the total cases so far to 1,620. It meant the infection rate

The BCP Council area, which includes Christchurch, registered 12 deaths in the latest ONS update published on Tuesday, amid concerns at rising infection rates in Bournemouth, in particular. Last week the number was 17. The latest additions bring the total number of deaths in the conurbation so far to 230. The provisional figures from the ONS related to cause of death for fatalities up to 6th

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ensure health needs were safely supported during the second wave. “The CCG has set up a new ‘hot site’ at Lymington hospi- tal which will see a large num- ber of local patients who might need to be seen and assessed face-to-face with symptoms of Covid-19. This is to ensure that residents’ normal surgeries are ‘Covid-safe’,” he explained. “We would like to reassure patients that we are continuing to work hard when people are

ill. We want people to contact us when they are ill.” One significant change is patients being called by a GP, nurse or other allied health professional before being brought in to the surgery or hospital to protect them and medical staff from exposure to Covid-19. Online ‘e-consultations’ on the GP practice’s website allow patients to confidentially en- ter their problem, with advice provided for simple issues or,

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Cancer trust offers phone support WESSEX Cancer Trust is continuing to offer online and phone support for those living with the illness across Hamp- shire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight during the lockdown. People are urged to get in touch if they need to, with the charity having evolved since the spring lockdown to offer easy access from home while its support centres remain temporarily closed. A timetable of live online support sessions is soon set to be published at www.wes- sexcancer.org.uk The Waterside and Bourne- mouth cancer support cen- tres can each be phoned 10am-3pm, Monday to Thurs- day, on 023 8178 0409 and 01202 315824 respectively. Email bournemouth. centre@wessexcancer.org.uk or visit www.wessexcancer. org.uk/remote-support/cov id-services

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COMBINED support worth nearly £12m has been made available to companies in the New Forest and Christchurch forced to close by the coronavi- rus lockdown. New Forest District Coun- cil has been handed just over £3.6m by the government to distribute to eligible firms as grants of up to £3,000 to assist them during the latest phase of restrictions in England. BCP Council, which cov- ers Christchurch, is handing out £8.2m. Recipients include nightclubs and other venues that have been unable to op- erate at all since the first lock- down started in March, as well as those offering takeaways or click and collect. To be eligible, businesses must have been open as usual before any restrictions were in place, provide services in per- son to customers from their premises, and have been regis- tered for business rates before 5th November this year. The amount from the Local Restrictions Support Grants (LRSG) scheme will be de- pendent on the rateable value of the business. Properties with a rateable value of £15,000 or under will be eligible for grants of £1,334 per four weeks of closure. Those between £15,000 and £51,000

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News

Ambulance hit by ‘disgusting’ vandals

Making light work for skaters NEW floodlights have been installed at Fordingbridge skatepark thanks to a £10,000 pledge by the town council. The grant was combined with £1,250 donations from local businesses and £700 raised in a campaign by local resident Jo Windsor to fund the new lights at the concrete Ringwood Road facility. Fordingbridge mayor Cllr Edward Hale said: “The proj- ect has been a fine example of the community and town council working together to secure funding, using a combination of crowdfund- ing, grants, and council reserves.” Blaze threat to nearby homes SWIFT actions by fire - fighters were credited with preventing a blaze in a skip from spreading to nearby homes in Dibden. The alarm was raised just before 2pm on 8th Novem- ber as flames engulfed the skip outside a property in Cheviot Drive. A crew from Hardley con- tained the emergency within 25 minutes. A post on the fire station’s Twitter account said: “Quick action from the crew meant that the fire didn’t spread to neighbouring properties!” 18-month community order of rehabilitation activity and 80 hours of unpaid commu- nity work. He was told to pay £740 in court costs. ATTACKING a woman resulted in a New Milton man being banned from contact- ing her for two years. Alan England (39), of Davis Field, had previously been found guilty of assaulting the victim by beating on 15th March having initially denied the offence. Southampton magistrates also handed England an Two-year ban over attack

Two schools shut after coronavirus cases confirmed Eling Infant was one of two Totton schools to close (Photo: Google)

VANDALS were branded “dis- gusting” for targeting a first responder ambulance car dur- ing a vehicle wrecking spree in Bransgore. The car will be off the road for a week, and lives could be lost as a result of the “mindless” ac- tions during the early hours of Sunday, Bransgore Community First Responders warned. The Dacia Duster’s wing mir- ror was smashed off sometime between 1.30am and 7.30am while parked outside an on-call volunteer’s home on Elmers Way. One of a Hampshire fleet of 14 new responder vehicles rolled out by South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) about three months ago, it had attended two call-outs earlier that night. Several other vehicles around the village were targeted, with broken wing mirrors and smashed windows reported in Shackleton Square, Hill Close, Shearsbrook Close, Rosehill Drive, Stibbs Way, Brookside Road and Tyrells Court. Group coordinator Mike Jukes, who was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2018 for his service and fund- raising, told the A&T CCTV footage of the vandalisms was being shared in the communi- ty. A resident had even chased suspects at around 6am on Sunday. “While we obviously share the frustration of everyone whose car has been damaged, to ac- tually damage our ambulance car so it is not useable, during a time of the pandemic, is dis- graceful,” he said. “As a result of this mindless action our volunteers are less First responder car damaged in village wrecking spree BY CHRIS MARCH

TWO Totton schools were forced to close their doors com- pletely yesterday (Thursday) due to positive cases of corona- virus. Abbotswood Junior School sent a letter to parents in- forming them, while Hamp- shire County Council listed on its website that Eling Infant School had also shut. Abbotswood head teach- er Glen Moore said it shut the school after consulting Public Health England following a fur- ther positive case at the site. He stressed it was a “pre- caution” and “not because of a widespread outbreak”. He add- ed: “Furthermore, this decision has not been taken lightly but the health and safety of our pu- pils and staff is always of para- mount importance. “With regards to your child’s learning, we will be sending out a letter in the morning with de- tails of ‘remote learning’. “Finally, I would like to reas- sure the whole school commu- nity that we continue to follow government guidance in terms of social distancing, handwash- ing and cleanliness to minimise the spread of the virus.” A previous letter to parents had confirmed a positive Cov - id-19 case at Abbotswood in October. But the school remained open while the individual – who was described as a “school com- munity member” – self-isolated. Close contacts were also iden- tified and had to self-isolate but the school said “no children”

The first responder car will be off the road for a week while the damage is repaired

Abbotswood head Glen Moore

had been identified as such. Eling Infant School’s closure was listed online by Hampshire County Council but there was no confirmation on its own website or Facebook page, and it did not respond to a request from the A&T for comment. HCC revealed other schools which had recorded positive cases since Sunday 15th No- vember, but remained open, included Bartley and Lyming- ton juniors and Netley Marsh infant. Since the start of November, according to HCC, there have been positive cases at Ring- wood infant, Fawley infant, For- est Park, and St Michael and All Angels in Lyndhurst. Five secondary schools have also been hit: Arnewood, Priest- lands, Ringwood, Applemore and Hounsdown.

likely to be able to provide that critical response in the first few minutes of a medical emergen- cy or cardiac arrest. “This really could cost lives in our community until we can get the car back on the road. Local communities donate money which enables South Central Ambulance charity to provide the cars. To have someone do this is so disrespectful to those who care.” Jack Ansell, SCAS communi- ty response operations manag- er, estimated repairs to the first responder vehicle will cost up to £600. “Now we’re having to secure a replacement vehicle while repairs are undertaken which, unfortunately, we have to take out of the charity’s funds which would normally go towards oth- er equipment such as lifesaving

defibrillators,” he told the A&T. “Damaging a vehicle, which our local responders use in vol- unteer capacity and continue to raise funds to support, is dis- gusting. “Group coordinator Mike Jukes and his team do a smash- ing job out there and they cer- tainly don’t deserve their vehi- cle being damaged and taken off the road like that.” A picture of the damaged responder car loaded on a re- covery truck was shared on the group’s Facebook page on Sun- day evening. The post highlighted the po- tentially catastrophic impact of a frontline ambulance not reaching a more serious emer- gency in time due to having to respond to a non-injury fall in the car’s place. The volunteer driver’s daugh-

ter was among several residents who took to Facebook to ex- press anger and frustration. “My dad tirelessly gives up his time in that car to help those in need as quickly as possible,” she wrote. “Let’s hope whoever you are, you don’t need their as- sistance anytime soon!” Some called for vigilante ac- tion amid claims police were failing to investigate the van- dalism adequately, with reports other vehicles were hit in Brans- gore over recent weekends. A Hampshire police spokes- person told the A&T on Mon- day officers were “pursuing lines of enquiry”. Anyone with information should contact the force on 101, quoting crime reference num- ber 44200442536, or call Crime- stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Fairy dust to be sprinkled on village’s £7,000 play area

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A TINY fairy forest is set to be included in a new £7,000 woodland play area planned in Bransgore. More details have been re- leased about the play trail at Clare Lodge copse which is be- ing installed as a joint project between the parish council and the national park authority, as reported in the A&T. Other confirmed features

of the attraction include a na- ture-based sculpture for imag- inary play and climbing; bal- ancing and stepping logs; and woodland viewing screens de- signed with peep holes at differ- ent heights. Claire Pearce, wild play of- ficer for the NPA, said: “Right now, it is more important than ever for children to have easy access to nature with opportu-

nities to engage their imagina- tion and energy with the natu- ral environment. “I hope that the wild play trail will become a much-loved part of the village.” The trail is due to be com- pleted by the end of March next year. It will be the fourth wild play site in the New Forest, joining similar attractions at Ashurst, Sway and Holbury.

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