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Crime Stats December 2013
Crimes committed in Felmersham and Radwell
during December 2013.
A dangerous dog injured a person in Grange
Road on 15 December 2013 at 16.30hrs.
Christingle Success
The collection at the Christingle Service
raised £258.21 for the Children's Society.
This compares with £259 raised last year.
The Children's Society is a charity who help
children of all faiths and none, including
children at risk on the streets, disabled
children, young refugees, young carers or
those within the youth justice system. Each
year the Society's programmes and services
help thousands of children and their families
up and down the country.
Play-park
hedge cut
The roadside hedge in the play-park has been
cut. Not only has this bought the hedge under
control but it has also improved the road
safety. The Swansholme boundary hedge has also
been trimmed back.
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John Hopkins |
A Memorial Service for John was held in St Mary's
Church Carlton
on Wednesday 11 December 2013.
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Felmersham on TV |
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Annette with Jasper |
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During the Felmersham Dog Show in June a television
camera was filming for Ronnie's Animal Crackers
presented by Ronnie Corbett. The show was screened on
Friday 11 October on BBC1 and it featured
Annette Courtney with her stud
labradoodle,
Jasper. Jasper has fathered an astounding 400
puppies and is now retired. There were scenes
shot in Annette's home, in the village hall
and on the playing field. Several members of
our community were also caught on camera.
To view the programme
Click Here.
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Crime Stats for
October
During October there were no reported crimes in the
parish.
Phyllis Welsh has passed
away
Phyllis' funeral service was held at St Marys
Church, Felmersham on Friday 18th October 2013. The service
was conducted by the Rev'd.
David Mason.
Crime Stats for
September
During September there was one attempted burglary in
a dwelling in Moor End Road, Radwell.
With the onset of darker evenings the police are
advising people to be more vigilant because the chances
of being burgled are increased. Don't make it easy for
them - protect your property
Bt Line Upgrade
BT are re-wiring the street cabinet near Felmersham bus
shelter. When the works are completed the line between
Felmersham and Sharnbrook will be upgraded to ADSL2+.
This upgrade will give up to 24M high speed broadband
service and should be completed by 31 October.
There are currently no plans to upgrade the line between
Sharnbrook and Felmersham to fibre.
Rachel writes: "When the exchange is enabled your
service provider MAY just automatically upgrade you but
some may not - so it's worth checking with them. Any
routers you are currently using should work OK with the
new type of service but again if not your service
provider should upgrade the box for you as part of the
move."
Wind Turbines on Horizon
Nuon Renewables have been given permission to erect
three wind turbines at Airfield Farm, Podington.
A judicial review has decided to support the Planning
Inspectorate’s decision to grant planning permission for
a wind farm near Podington.
The Sun Inn, Felmersham is now
open
The Sun's back bar is now open
every day
Monday-Friday 4:00-11:00pm
Saturday 12:00-11:00pm
Sunday 12:00-10:00pm
Ben and Hannah look forward to seeing you.
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Felmersham Wedding for Lisa and Ian |
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Ian
Painter and Lisa Stratton were married at St Marys
Church, Felmersham on Saturday 6 July. The guests
arrive and departed for the reception in a London
bus. |
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Cycling Ringers visit Felmersham Tower |
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On Saturday 27 July a group of cycling bell
ringers visited St Mary's Church Tower to ring the
bells. They spent the weekend at Chellington Centre. |
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Strawberry Fayre |
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Anna Lewes (left) and Wendy Mansell organised
a strawberry tea and garden games on Saturday
8 June 2013. The event raised funds jointly
between Ovarian Cancer Action and St John's
Hospice, Moggerhanger, in memory of Jo
Morris.
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Marriage of Lisa and Tony |
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The marriage of Lisa Higgs and Tony Beales took
place on
Saturday 8 June 2013 at St Mary's Church,
Felmersham.
The Revd. Thomas Sander officiated.
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Simon Greenish MBE |
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Simon Greenish, from Felmersham, is among those to
be recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.
Simon has been appointed MBE for services to English
heritage. He is credited with implementing the
recovery programme of Buckinghamshire's former World
War II code breaking site. |
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In his six years as a director at Bletchley Park
Trust (from 2006), it was transformed into a
globally reputed heritage site. |
Richard (Dick) Watson - An Obituary
Link to Dick's obituary
Christian Aid Appeal -
£561 Raised
Peter Rankin would like to thank all those people who
donated to Christian Aid during the recent house to
house collection. This year £561.11 was raised.
Peter is now standing down as Christian Aid coordinator
in the parish. (Peter, On behalf of the parish I
would like to thank you for your many year's of service
as the Christian Aid coordinator in the parish. It is
very much appreciated - Ken)
Crime Stats for May
5 May 2013 14:30
Criminal damage to vehicles in Sharnbrook Road
(The High Road), Felmersham.
17 May 2013 20:30
Miscellaneous theft;
Town Lot Lane, Felmersham
Jo
Morris' Funeral
The funeral service for Josephine Elizabeth Mary (Jo) Morris
took place at St
Mary's Church, Felmersham on Wednesday 15th May 2013.
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Radwell Court Open Weekends |
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Radwell Court,
Felmersham Road, Radwell has two open weekends for
viewing on the 11th & 12th of May and again on the
1st & 2nd of June. Radwell Court consists of 11 New
Luxury Park Homes looking across the Ouse Valley. |
Crime
Stats
Crimes for Beat 733 committed in April 2013.
Theft of a motor vehicle on 25 April at 20.00 hrs. The
High Road, Felmersham.
If you have any worries or concerns and wish to speak to
a local officer then please call Riseley Police station
on 01234 842865 and ask to speak to either PCSO 8423
Chris Warmington or PCSO 8007 Cameron Giles.
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PCSO
Chris Warmington |
PCSO
Cameron Giles |
Higher
Broadband Speeds available soon
Rachel writes: I thought you might all like to know that
Sharnbrook exchange is due to be enabled for higher
speed broadband in June 2013. I've tested my line and it
shows that I'm likley to get speeds between 7M and 12M.
You can test the likely speed of your line by going to
this website.
If you put in your telephone number and press "Go" this
will take you to another screen and then click on the BT
ADSL tab it will give you the date for exchange
enablement and the likely speed you will get. 21st
Century Telecoms - here we come!!!!!
Crime in Bedfordshire down 15%
“Less crime means fewer victims” says Chief Constable
Alf Hitchcock after Bedfordshire Police recorded some of
the largest reductions in the country in the 12 month
period to December 2012, particularly in key offences
such as burglary and violent crime.
The dramatic fall in overall crime, 15% compared with a
national average of 8%, follows the previous three
months which also saw a huge reduction across the
county.
Save Our Sun Campaign
Following the closure of the Sun and concerns that
it may be lost to village forever, a small group have
got together to seek to ensure the pub has a future. The group has produced a flyer which
has been distributed around the parish. If you would
like to know more, the contact details are:
• email: saveoursun@gmail.com or
• paper: Save Our Sun, ℅ Cartref, Grange Road,
Felmersham
David Frankham has passed away
David Frankham passed away peacefully on 3 April 2013
aged 51 years. The funeral service was held at Norse
Road Crematorium, Bedford on Wednesday 24 April.
Bert Cockins has passed
away
Bert Cockins has died at the age of 98. He lived in
Felmersham for most of his life.
See Obituaries
March Crimes stats for Felmersham and Radwell
Common Assault in Moor End Road, Radwell on the 15
March 2013 at 15:00
Unclassified Miscellaneous Theft in Moor End Road,
Radwell on the 3 March 2013 at 18:50
Pavenham and Felmersham CC Fixtures
Click
Here for Pavenham and Felmersham Cricket Club
fixtures for 2013. Games are played on Saturdays, start
at around 1.30 p.m. and finish at around 8 p.m.
Sue Leaves The Sun
Sue O'Brien, the landlady of The Sun, has left
after 4 years. We wish her well.
Felmersham Church Bells
Ring Out
The eight bells in Felmersham church tower have
been repaired and will ring out for the Easter morning
service at 11.00 am. The church clock striking mechanism
will also be reinstated for Easter.
St Marys PCC are grateful to Pat Albon and Steve
Stanford for their
free services and also to the Bedford District of
the Bedfordshire Association of Church Bell
Ringers who are donating the cost of the work.
The ringing chamber has also been whitewashed and
carpeted. Everything is now shipshape for the next 60
years!
Ian
Hancock has pass away
Ian Hancock , a Bedford solicitor who lived in
Felmersham in the 1980's and played cricket for the
village has died.
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Pavenham
and Felmersham Cricket Club AGM |
At the AGM of Pavenham and Felmersham Cricket Club
chairman, Ian McKenzie, reported that 2012 would go down
in the history of the club as the year it rained and the
successful resurrection of youth cricket.
Following the drought conditions half the matches were
postponed due to rain. Youth Cricket has been a big
success with training 3 coaches to ECB level 2. On
Sunday mornings the coaching and practice sessions for
young players will continue. There are 35 registered
youngsters and the club is looking to play more youth
matches locally. |
Cricket Club chairman
Ian McKenzie |
He also stressed that the succession issue for officers
responsible for running the club was unresolved and he
urged that efforts should be made to find new blood and
leadership.
Read
the Chairman's full report.
Link to PFCC Web Page
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Rosemary becomes Lay Assistant |
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On Sunday 3 February St
Marys Church celebrated Candlemas. During the service Rosemary
Drewery was made a Lay Assistant for the Benefice of Sharnbrook,
Felmersham and Knotting with Souldrop. Rosemary (centre) is pictured
with the Rev Tom (left) and Rev Robert (behind Rosemary), Colin
Scott (organist at Sharnbrook and Caroline Evens
holding a Candlemas candle.
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Felmersham Church Bells
The eight bells in Felmersham church tower are
undergoing repair work. Two local church bell
experts, Pat Albon and Steve Stanford, have removed
the 8 bell clappers and the 16 roller bearings. The
clappers are to be repaired by Whites of Appleton
(Church Bell Specialists) who will also supply 16
new roller bearings. The work will take 6 to 8 weeks
so the bells and the striking clock will be silent
until mid February.
St Marys PCC are grateful to Pat and Steve for their
free services and also to the Bedford District of
the Bedfordshire Association of Church Bell
Ringers who are donating the cost of the work.
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Pat and Steve working on the bells |
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The Rev'd. Canon Harold Jones |
The Rev'd Harold Jones has passed away. He was
Rector of Sharnbrook from ? to ? and was briefly
responsible for Felmersham Church 1982-83. He was
95.
There was a Requiem Eucharist on
Monday 16 December in St Peter's Church,
Sharnbrook followed by interment. |
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Felmersham and Radwell parish is a member of
Neighbourhood Watch scheme and they have produced
a new Ringmaster Leaflet.
It includes details of the service, how to get in
touch and some current Burglary Reduction Advice.
View Leaflet. |
High Speed Broadband
early next year
On contacting BT on a separate issue Simon Greenish was
advised that "upgrading work in the Sharnbrook exchange
is due to start on 29 November and anticipated
completion is 27th Feb. At that point the service would
top out at 20 mps [Mb]" Simon, writing on Felmersham
Forum, says that this is potentially a huge step forward
although it is not fibre. Everyone will be advised by
email 2 days in advance and the increased quality will
not increase cost!!!
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Felmersham and Radwell Autumn Show |
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The 15th Annual Autumn Show was held in
the Village Hall on 8 September 2013.
Whilst the number of entries were down
from last year, due to weather, the show
was well attended.
Terry Longstaff from Radwell won the show
plate awarded for the highest number of
“Firsts” in the show. Terry won 4. Monique
Eyre Smith won the “Best in the Show” cup
with her 3 onions (see photo above).
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Nick and Sophie - South Yorkshire Wedding |
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On Saturday 3 August 2013 Nicholas (Nick)
Wells
married Sophie Thickett
at St Mary Magdalene Church, Whiston, Near
Rotherham, South Yorks. The wedding was
officiated by Rev'd Neil Bowler and the
Rev'd Thomas Sander gave the address. The
reception was held at the bride's home.
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Radwell Bridge
Damaged |
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On Monday afternoon the 22 July, Radwell
bridge was damage. If anybody witnessed
what happened, they are asked to contact
the local police. |
Photos: Robert Edwards
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Radwell News
A new dog bin has been fitted at the top end
of Moor End Radwell. |
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Photo: Robert Edwards |
Anglian Water found when switching over to the
New Water Main, some property's on the Green
where not connected! The result being they are
now digging up the Green to make the
connections.
All the foliage has now been cut back from all
the 30 mph signs in Radwell and all the signs
have now been cleaned.
One bus shelter has been cleaned and the
gutter cleaned out of vegetation. Robert
Edwards. |
Keeping to the
30 MPH Speed Limit
Bedfordshire Police operated a speed gun in
Radwell on the 15 July and a number of tickets
were issued.
Robert Edwards is organising training of the
speed indicator device and if anybody is
interested in helping to use it please contact
Robert. The objective is to use it on a
regular basis and to report persistent speed
offenders using the road as a race track.
Police
Inspector Retires
After 27 years service with the Special
Constabulary, Police Inspector Robert Edwards of Radwell
has retired.
Robert joined Bedfordshire Police as a Special
Constable in 1989. Based at first in Bedford, he
spent his early years patrolling the town centre on
Friday and Saturday nights but as soon as he was
approved for independent patrol quickly decided his
heart lay in the countryside and he took up the
challenge of rural policing.
He worked from Riseley Police Station when it opened in 1999 dealing with a wide
range of offences including thefts from farms, road
traffic collisions, and speed limit enforcement in
the villages. He was trained in the use of the laser
speed gun and his training also allowed him to drive
a marked patrol car. Robert has also been
responsible for tackling drink driving.
He received a commendation award for his involvement in
solving a series of local burglaries which eventually
led to the arrest of the burglar. He has also received 2
Long Service awards and a
Pride in Bedford Award 2010 for making communities
safer.
On behalf of our local community, thank you Robert
for your years of service as a volunteer in the
Bedfordshire Special Constabulary.
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Confirmation at St Mary's Church |
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A
Confirmation Service was held at St Mary's
Church, Felmersham on Tuesday 2 July when
(from left to right) Sharon, David, Alison
and Derek were confirmed by the Bishop of
Bedford, Rt. Revd. Richard Atkinson.
Photo: Graeme Dawson
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Latest on the Sun Pub |
Clive and Ros Just have bought The Sun which they hope
will ensure that it remains a permanent facility in the
village and grows into a hub for the community. The pub
will be managed and run by Benjamin and Hannah Just
(Clive and Ros' son and daughter-in-law).
Once the pub is open they they would like to see other
activities taking place such as people selling handmade
gifts etc and produce. These could be integrated into a
Community Shop - run on a Not for Profit basis -
possibly utilising part of the barn. If you would like
to participate in this project then please contact Clive
and Ros - clive.just@gmail.com or 781967. |
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Ben and Hannah are really looking forward to the new
challenge of running the pub and getting more actively
involved in village life. They are passionate about
serving good quality, local produce, and they intend to
offer proper home cooked, traditional pub dishes, and
portions, at sensible prices.
In addition to the standard pub service they are looking
at other ways they can serve the village and they are
open to suggestions on what can be offered. Current
ideas include offering a parcel collection service,
opening for afternoon teas, providing a venue for public
or private events and holding regular exhibitions for
local people to present their work.
The level of support they have received over the past
few weeks has been overwhelming and they are looking
forward to providing the village with a great local. |
More on The Sun Pub
Simon Greenish writes: As the spokesman for
the ‘Save Our Sun’ group, I am able now to update the
village on progress to date. This largely confirms the
recent article in the Beds on Sunday. [See extract
below]
A village family has agreed
with Charles Wells to buy the Sun and to run it as a
pub. They have exciting ideas which will considerably
expand the activities there and potentially make it a
much more community focused operation and hopefully,
much more attractive to more people. Although the
initial sale process indicated the pub could be sold
‘for redevelopment’, Charles Wells has now agreed that
they wish to see and will support the retention of the
pub and, to ensure this happens, have added a covenant
in the sale that the purchaser must run it as a pub for
at least 3 years. It is hoped that purchase will proceed
quickly and that the clearly agreed aims of retaining it
the as a pub will materialise in the near future.
The Parish Council has now formally minuted its
application for listing the pub as a Community Asset and
it is expected that Bedford Borough Council will ratify
that decision and add it to the Register very soon. This
gives the village the right to bid for it should it be
put up for sale in the next 5 years. It will also be a
factor taken into consideration by the Planning
Department should there be any submissions for changes.
The support given to the group by many of the villagers
has been enormous with not one dissenter and support
from unexpected quarters. All ideas have been collated
and will be passed on and the group would like to take
this opportunity to thank everyone who has taken the
time to support the plan.
The Sun Pub - Offer Accepted
Bedfordshire On Sunday reported in the May 5 edition
that a spokeswoman for Charles Wells said: "An offer has
been accepted on the The Sun Inn, Felmersham with a
clause stating that the building must remain a pub,
which as we've said in the past has always been our
preferred option for sale.
"At this stage of the legal process we cannot provide
any further detail on the sale".
New WI Programme
Felmersham and Radwell WI have published their
programme of events for the coming year.
Click Here
for programme or go to the WI web page.
Radwell Bridge Closure
Update
Robert Edwards writes: The road will re open for the
weekend, then closed next week when the the water main
will be dug in across the road by the bridge.
The road will be completely closed at this point unless
you fancy driving across the trench.....
Bus Service During Road
Closure
During the road closure at Radwell our bus service is
replaced by a Grant Palmer shuttle connecting with
Stagecoach route 50 at Sharnbrook. The shuttle leaves
the northbound stop on the High Road at 06.08, 07.31,
08.43 then hourly to 14.43, 15.58, 17.08, 18.08, 19.03
and 20.18 (3 minutes earlier from Radwell). The shuttle
also connects out of all route 50 journeys to bring us
back to Felmersham and Radwell. SH.
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The last pub in the parish Closes |
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The Sun
public house has closed its doors for possibly the
last time. It is is the last pub in the parish to
close over the last 22 Years. The Plough (1991);
Six Ringers (1995); The Swan Inn, Radwell
(2008) and now The Sun Inn (March 2013).
The first documentary evidence of The Sun Inn
trading as a pub was in 1822 when John Hannah was
licensee. It has traded continuously since then.
The for sale board says it is a Public House with
conversion potential. A spokeswoman for Charles
Wells said: “.......... We would like to assure
residents that closing a pub is not a decision that
we take lightly and a whole host of factors are
taken into consideration over a period of time
before reaching that point, not least the impact on
the local community.
“However, ultimately we do have a responsibility to
make sure that every pub offers a long-term,
profitable opportunity for licensees, as it is the
licensee’s livelihood that rests with the business.
After much consideration we have reluctantly
concluded that The Sun Inn, Felmersham can no
longer generate the necessary levels of trade within
our business model and the pub has therefore been
put up for sale.
“The pub is being marketed through our agents Gerald
Eve, and we hope that an entrepreneurial retailer or
community interest group with a different business
model will step forward to buy the site and continue
to trade it as a pub”.
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Felmersham Featured in Bedfordshire On Sunday
In their series "Best of Bedfordshire",
Bedfordshire On Sunday published a two page
spread on Felmersham. The main theme of the article
was the friendly nature of the people who live here,
The Sun public house and the Church, featuring the
Sanctuary Handle on the church door.
One tiny error was made, the average church
congregation on Sundays during 2013 was 47 and not
20.
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Crimes committed in Felmersham and Radwell during
February 2013
Theft from motor vehicle in Memorial Lane on 8 February
at 15:15.
Autumn Photo Competition
Winners
The 2012 Autumn Photo Competition winner was Barry
Welsh with Laurie Jones in second and third place and
Chris Whitham in fourth place. Thank you for all who
entered the competition and congratulations to the
winners.
Click
here to see the competition photographs.
Robert promoted to a
full Inspector
Congratulations to Robert Edwards who has passed the
Inspectors Board this week. He is now a full Inspector
in the Bedfordshire Special Constabulary. Robert has yet
to find out where he will be posted, but he hopes it is
Bedford!
From Felmersham Forum -
Church Clock
Sally H says she is missing the church clock and asks when
will it be striking again?
"I am sorry Sally that you are missing the church clock
striking the hours, as soon as the bell ringers have finished
painting the ringing chamber then the striking
mechanism will be reinstated. It has taken them longer
than they thought because they needed scaffolding to
finish off the top section of the chamber. However it
has now arrived and they have started painting again so
it should be finished within the next fortnight."
"However immediately after Christmas the bells are being
repaired, the bearings are to be replaced and the
clappers serviced, so unfortunately once again the clock
will not be striking. This time until mid February."
"You are not alone in missing the old clock, several
people have mentioned it. I guess the old fella
will be pleased he is missed. If you don’t believe me,
see the last two paragraphs on page 71 of Felmersham –
The History of a Riverside Parish.” ...Ken
Average Speed Cameras at
Milton Ernest
Robert Edwards writes: A few people have asked about the
camera sitting on a black post as you drive out of
Milton Ernest towards Radwell. Its an average speed
camera, there are four, on all the roads in and out of
Milton Ernest.
The Speed Limit is 30 mph, drive any faster, will mean a
fine and points on your licence. Not sure when they
become active, normally signs are put in place to advise
you.
Talking of Signs, quiet a few drivers don't appear to be
slowing down through the road works in Radwell, even
driving through the Red Lights! The Police are doing
spot checks due to concerns from the workman.
Advance Notice
The Radwell Road is due to be closed very soon, due to
the new water main, the road has to be open cut from
moor end down to the bridge due to the number of
services under the road in this area. When I find out
the dates, I will let you all know.
Radwell Water Works
Anglian Water are replacing the mains water supply
between
Milton Ernest and Radwell. Work started on the 5
November for approximately 24 weeks
Everyone in Radwell should have a letter with all the
info. There will be contractors traffic lights so
journey times to Bedford could take a little longer. |
