Tag: England

Portsmouth Car Meet Driver Sentenced


https://app.portsmouth.co.uk/2023/09/19/teenage-driver-who-ploughed-into-pack-of-people-causing-serious-injury-to-two-females-at-portsmouth-car-meet-is-sentenced/content.html

Another positive result for our local police but sadly at the expense of onlookers who were injured by his acts.

The 17 year old driver hit four people, two suffering serious injuries requiring them to be taken to hospital. The other two suffered minor injuries.

At his court hearing, the defendant was banned from driving for two years and will have to undertake an extended test to regain his licence. He was also handed a referral order and was referred to Hampshire Youth Offender Panel for a six-month contract.

Only 17 so he wasn’t “legally” driving for very long and has already lost his license. He will have to retake his test to get it back.

This youth could so easily have been facing a manslaughter charge and be spending time in prison.

Let’s hope he has learnt something from this.

Police Crackdown on Shoplifting


https://app.portsmouth.co.uk/2023/09/20/one-jailed-and-three-charged-as-police-crackdown-on-prolific-shoplifters-to-support-portsmouth-businesses/content.html

This is good news but I feel it is just the tip of the iceberg. Staff in supermarkets have to deal with shoplifters on a daily basis and in some cases, several times a day.

A police statement said: “Targeting shoplifters is a priority for the district, and we will be relentlessly pursuing those that are violent to staff or are repeat offenders………”

My granddaughter used to work in a local Tesco store where shoplifters were brazen, would frequently front staff, telling them what they were taking and that they, the staff, could do nothing about it. Staff are told not to confront shoplifters due to the danger of assault.

Shoplifters are scum, the lowest of the low. They are a blight on modern society.

Regardless of the UK economy, lack of a job or home, there is no excuse for subjecting shop staff to abuse, threats of, and actual physical violence.

Bodiam Castle


Bodiam Castle

Possibly the best view of one of my favourite castles to visit. Despite its state of disrepair I believe it to be quite pretty.

Built around 1385, the Bodiam Castle is now owned by the National Trust.

New Police Stations


https://app.portsmouth.co.uk/full_page_image/page-5-1895/content.html

Brilliant !!! We need greater visibility of, and access to, our local police.

On the face of it, opening new, or reopening existing police stations is a good idea.

But, if our local area cop shops are anything to go by, access is likely to be limited.

For my home area you can only call in to Waterlooville Police Station on a Thursday or a Friday between 08:00 and 16:00 but not lunchtimes. Accessible for just two days out of seven.

For Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday you have to toddle over to Havant Police Station but again, avoid lunchtimes. A bit better, they are open three days out of seven.

Obviously for emergencies you dial 999 on any phone and, if you are lucky, the police will come. For non emergency situations there is 101 but my own personal experience of using that number is that you end up in a queue. Almost as bad as trying to get a doctors appointment.

If you get mugged in Waterlooville and have your phone nicked, better hope its on a Thursday or a Friday and not lunchtime. Otherwise you need to find a public phone box that hasn’t been vandalised.

If you can’t walk in to your local police station to report a crime or obtain advice then what is the point.

View From The Conservatory


Our tomatoes are in full fruit. We’ve already cropped a couple of dozen so far and many more to come.

They have so much more flavour than the supermarket offerings.

View From The Conservatory


Or rather, within the conservatory.

Aglais io – European Peacock Butterfly

This beautiful butterfly decided to pay me a visit.

St. Swithuns Day ?


Well, after yesterday’s rain drenched day, today is dry. But it is blowing a hooley with the British forecasters issuing a yellow alert.

What then are we to make of the St. Swithuns day prediction ?

It makes no mention of wind. Hopefully, the next forty days will be dry but free from the wind that is expected to gust up to 50 mph today.

90 Dwellings – Official


More profiteering and no concerns for Waterlooville or its residents.

See my recent post on this subject

Less WoW More Woe


After my earlier post regarding a proposed development of 29 flats, I have just become aware of this new proposal.

This new proposal would place 90 new homes adjacent to the existing West of Waterlooville (WoW) development, which currently has plans for some 2.5K homes.

So another 99 homes is definitely more woe for Waterlooville residents.

I don’t intend to repeat my points from my earlier post. Since the two developments are probably less than a mile apart, my concerns are still the same.