Lorry Causing Traffic Chaos
A 32 tonne grab lorry has broken in the middle of the traffic interchange on Lake Hill
The vehicle belonging to Crown Park came to a halt in the centre of the traffic light inter change just after 9pm Thursday (April 29)
Hampshire Police are in attendance and are directing traffic. A control room supervisor for Hampshire Police said:
“Officers are there for scene safety and are awaiting the help of a breakdown company to recovery the vehicle.”
Bestival has sold out five months before the event begins in one of the quickest tickets sellouts in Island festivals’ history.
Rob da Bank has announced this afternoon (Thursday April 29) that all the tickets have been sold apart from a few available via the ferry operators Wightlink and Red funnel.
A limited number special coach tickets will go on sale tomorrow (Friday April 30) available from the Bestival travel partner Southern Vectis.
This year’s Bestival boasts an impressive line-up with sets from The Prodigy, Dizzee Rascal Roxy Music, Flaming Lips and Fever Ray.
Upon announcing the sell-out, Bestival spokesman thanked everyone who bought a ticket and promised the event is going to be one of the best yet.
Remember where you read it first for Breaking Island News.
Fire crews from Newport and East Cowes attended the Red funnel ferry port this morning (Thursday April 29) after a fire broke out in the engine room of the Red falcon .
The master of the roro ferry alerted Solent Coastguard just after 09:35 this morning that there was small fire in the art engine room.
The ferry, with 96 people on board was 3 miles out side of Cowes when the fire was discovered. The master advised the coastguard that oil had dripped on to lagging and ignited.
The ships crew onbard had tackled the fire wearing breathing apparatus and it had been contained.
The master advised the coastguard that they did not require any further assistance and were proceeding under slow speed to East Cowes.
IW Fire Spokesman, Station Manager, Leighton Bryant said:
“The fire was out on arrival after the ships crew had extingished the fire with a fire extinguisher. We sent in a crew to check that the fire was totally out. He confirmed that no one was hurt.”
A spokesman for Red funnel said”The relevant authorities have been informed and the ship is back in service with no disruption to the timetable.”
Paul Martin In Ryde
With only one week away from the general election and most commentators believe it to be a 3 party race with a hung parliament being the likely result.
This may well be true but there are huge issues not being faced up to by all the lading contenders and we believe that a shock result may well appear in the largest constituency in the Country, namely the Isle of Wight.
Middle England Party that has a membership of one it’s founder -Paul St John Martin says hes getting huge support from the hard working, morally sound people of the Island who are neither filthy or filthy rich, greedy or needy, far left or far right!
Here is his Manifesto.
Immigration: The Middle England Party will hold a period of nil immigration, stop the unfair benefits system which favours those from abroad, coach those who choose to live here to understand and live by our rules and customs. We will build
a ‘multi racial society’ [not multi cultural –which has been an appalling mistake and a disaster for all] ‘One Nation. One Code of Conduct’.
Single Mothers-Perpetual Handouts: The Middle England Party will stop all benefit payments to mothers under the age of 18. The maximum number of claims is for 2.
There will be no other benefits. If you want to have babies – go ahead – but don’t ask the tax payer to fund them.
Law and Order & Human Rights: The Middle England Party will put back in place the Death Penalty. It is not right to ask the tax payer to keep the worst offenders in relative comfort when the families of those destroyed by their actions have no way of gaining closure as a result of the perpetrators’ behaviour. It is not about revenge, it’s about justice. If you abuse other people’s rights you relinquish your own.
We will also change the current sentencing system; e.g. 10 years means 10 years.
Education: The Middle England Party will stop all sex education for those under 12 and will ensure the right to discipline is given back to the teachers. Disruptive pupils will be withdrawn from their class and their parents held responsible for their actions. Respect, responsibility, courtesy and manners will be added to the curriculum and more emphasis will be placed on the original 3 ‘R’s’. Computers will not be seen as the replacement for inter -personal skills.
Family values: We believe the core strength of all communities comes from
families taking responsibility for their actions, not relying on ‘State Intervention’. The elderly have the skills and experience to guide and coach the young; the young have the opportunity to learn from, and respect and care for the elderly. As capitalism continues to shrink, it is going to be even more vital that families
and communities become the bedrock for our very survival.
The Banking System: It is not right for those who are in the business of ‘casino banking’ to bring the nation to its knees by ‘gambling’ with toxic debt in such a way that the tax payer picks up the tab when the ‘bets’ fail. The ‘gamblers’ then rebuild profits to make huge bonuses whilst sticking two fingers up to the people.
We will ‘split’ the banking operations so those who want to gamble do so at their own risk, not at the expense of others.
Europe: The Middle England party will withdraw from the ‘European Community’ in its present form. Our entire way of life is being undermined by unelected autocrats in Brussels and our current major political parties are unable or unwilling to stop this cancerous and insidious drain on our way of life.
Fire fighter from Red Watch
Island fire crews called to a house fire in Northwood.
Two fire engines from Newport attended Wyatts Lane, Northwood after Fire crews answered the 999 call just after 1pm today (Wednesday 28 April) to a bungalow fire.
The middle age home-owner was first alerted to the fire by a smoke alarm fitted just outside her son’s bedroom.
She said” I heard the alarm sounding. I quickly shut the door and called 999. It was very scary and there was lots of black smoke.
The fire in a rear bedroom of the property was tackled by fire-fighters wearing breathing apparatus and equipped with hose-reels.
Duty officer Station Manager Jeff Walls said:
” The owner of the property stopped the fire from spreading by closing the door to the bedroom. This cut the path off of the fire and stopped further damage to the property. Crews are now checking in the roof space for hot spots with a thermal imaging camera. It shows the important of having a smoke alarm fitted in your property.
Mr Walls went on to say that the brigade offer free home fire safe checks were they will attended and fit a free smoke alarm. Anyone interested should contact the Community fire safety department on:01983 533834.
Police checking the Load
Island residents faced long delays this morning Wednesday April 28 after a tipper truck crashed on Arreton Down.
Police from the Shanklin Road Policing unit closed road for over Seven hours whilst recovery took place.
The 32 ton juggernaut careered off the road after serving to avoid a car just after 7am this morning.
The rear wheels of the truck clipped the grass verge and the vehicle toppled over before coming to rest in a hedge.
Police called in the Recovery specialists from Bartletts in Newchurch. A 100 ton crane from Island crane was also brought in by the owners of the lorry to help right the vehicle.
The shocked Polish lorry driver who has only been on the Island for four days spent the morning helping to unload the asphalt from the back of the vehicle. The lorry was due to drop off i its load in Ventnor.
He said ” The roads surface is not very good over here. I felt the lorry go but there was nothing I could do to stop it.”
The road was finally reopened just after 2pm this afternoon.
A spokesman for Hampshire Police said “The drive has been spoken to at the scene there were no injures or other vehicles involved. He went on to say we are leaving the driver to deal with it through his insurance company and his bosses.”
Photo gallery to right Tipper truck
The gazette can reveal that a dramatic helicopter rescue took place this afternoon, Tuesday (27 April)
After a 15 year school girl, a pupil of St Catherine”s school, Ventnor fell off rocks near to the Spyglass Inn as fellow pupils and teaching staff looked on.
Coastguard cliff rescue teams from Ventnor and paramedics stabilised the girl before she was airlifted from the bottom of the cliff face.
The Coastguard rescue helicopter from Lee on Solent delivered a basket stretcher to the beach.
After paramedics and coastguards strapped the teen to the stretcher it was winched 50 feet into the helicopter from the beach below.
The helicopter then landed on the cliff top and the injured girl was transferred to a waiting ambulance She was than taken to St Mary’s Hospital.
Suzanne Hudson Director of Development from St Catherines School said:
“Rosie’s health is our main focus at the moment. She had been out on a educational trip taking picture with a small group of children. Rosie was supervised by staff and teachers from the school.
Ms Hudson explained that the teenager is at St Mary’s Hospitial and she is being assessed by the doctors. The school nurse is with her and is keeping us updated. She went on to confirm that Rosie is from the Channel Islands and that her parents had been informed about the accident.
Remember where you read it first.
Battling beach hut owners will be arguing with council bosses over the massive hike in ground rent the gazette can reveal.
Hundreds of members of the Seaview and Ryde beach hut association packed into the Puck pool café last night (Monday April 26) and formed a committee to take on the Isle of Wight council over the rates rise.
With Brenda Wade being elected as Chairman the association also formed a fighting fund to help. Members who attended the meeting last night were asked to put one pound into a sandcastle bucket to build up funds for the fight.
Charges are set to rise from less than £75 to £400 plus over the next four years, leaving hut owners aghast.
Cllr David Knowles, who described the hike as ‘outrageous’, said both he and Seaview councilor Reg Barry who both attended the meeting last night had received complaints from many of the 212 hut owners.
See Gazette for full story.
POLITICAL groups on the Island have condemned vandals who spray canned hundreds of election signs across the constituency.
Campaign posters promoting both Lib Dem and Conservative candidates have been damaged while a number of wooden-posted garden signs have also been removed since the general election was called.
All major parties on the island constituency have slammed the attacks, with some even vowing to call police if they have evidence of illegal activity.
Within 24 hours of the first election posters being erected they were being destroyed or vandalised.
At the last general election there was a systematic and well organised effort across the whole constituency which saw many our posters stolen or defaced.
A police spokesman said anyone targeting billboards could face criminal damage charges which may result in a fine or court appearance.
She added that signs stolen from properties would be treated on a case by case basis.
Trading Standard’s team on the Island are highlighting an apparent scam that involves residents being told their computers have problems.
People from the Isle of Wight have reported getting an international phone call from a firm called Online PC Care. The caller tells the resident a problem has been detected with their computer and they can help by resolving it remotely.
Trading Standards are advising members of the public not to provide any details to the caller. If they have genuine problems with their own PC’s, they should use a reputable Island based trader.
A full list of Trader Approved computer repair firms can be found under Trading Standards Buy With Confidence scheme available at www.iwbuywithconfidence.info or by calling (01983) 823370
To find out about scams and how to avoid them go to www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/watch_out/
Annie Horne, licensee of Liberty’s and the Blacksheep Bar in Ryde was named as the Island’s Best Overall Licensee at this year’s Best Bar Awards held at Newclose Cricket Club on Monday.
The scheme aims to achieve higher standards of operation within licensed premises to help promote all the licensing objectives while ensuring that incidents of crime and disorder and anti-social behaviour are reduced and prevented where possible.
Yesterdays ceremony awards were presented by Cllr Susan Scoccia, Chair of the IW Council Licensing Committee and Inspector Bill Pinnell of Hampshire Police.
As well as Best Overall Licensee, they presented awards for Best Practice in Prevention of Crime and Disorder, Best Practice in Public Safety, Best Practice in Protection of Young People and Best Practice in Community Impact. Certificates were also presented to each licensee who achieved Best Bar None accreditation.
The scheme provides an opportunity for licensed premises to demonstrate how well they manage their own businesses and allows for positive dialogue between the various authorities with an opportunity to share best practice within the industry.
The nominees were assessed by a panel of judges representing the Isle of Wight Council Community Safety, Island Police and Isle of Wight College who hold courses for the National Certificate for Personal License Holders.
As Best Overall Licensee, Annie Horne will be invited to a special parliamentary reception in London with fellow winning licensees from around the country.
Speaking to the Gazette Annie Said “I am both pleased and proud to receive this prestigious award. It always takes a team to achieve best practice and I would like to thank all the staff who have made this possible, they are a credit to me and the industry.”
Cllr Susan Scoccia, Chair of the Isle of Wight Council Licensing Committee said: “The scheme is helping to build positive relationships between licensed trades, the police and the local authority. We hope to build on this year’s success by working with licensees so that even more licensed premises become Best Bar None accredited in 2011.”
The Bluebyrds
Many young bands dream of playing on stage at a major UK music festival, but more often than not, this dream does not become a reality. For one group of extremely talented young musicians, this wish has come true.
After competing against five other aspiring young bands in the Finals of Medina High School’s Battle of the Bands last week, The Bluebyrds won the chance to play on the Main Stage at this years Festival on Saturday June 12.
They will pave the way for legendary acts such as The Strokes, Biffy Clyro, Blondie and Crowded House. The four-piece blues band wowed the judges and audience with a unique set of their own original material.
The young band will perform their material in front of a crowd of up to 60,000 music fans - a huge privilege and opportunity for young musicians.
Founding members Keir Hicks (guitar / vocals) and Max Harrison (drums) formed the Bluebyrds in 2008 and together with Chris Williams (guitar / vocals) and Devon Badman (bass) complete a tight knit group with a full set of original material.
When asked the band said “We really weren’t expecting to win. It’s amazing. We love playing music from the sixties-seventies blues scene. They commented “It’s different and we’re mixing it up a bit, we want to bring the blues genre back into the light and play to the kids that don’t really know it as well as the mature audiences that appreciate us on the pub circuit.”
The Bluebyrds inspiration and influence comes from artists such as, Eric Clapton, Cream, Pink Floyd, ZZ Top, Gary Moore, Santana, James Brown, Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Joe Bonamassa. Playing the Kashmir tent at last years Festival and the Sail for Gold Bar Stage at Cowes Week and other events, the Bluebyrds have made a name for themselves on the island pub circuit performing covers alongside their own material.
Dave Ponin, Director, Platform One said:
“The Bluebyrds represent some serious young musical talent. This opportunity will mean so much to them and they will benefit so much from the experience. The link with the festival and John Giddings continued commitment to supporting young musicians is incredible. I look forward to seeing these guys perform on that impressive stage.”
Island Police have closed down a large cannabis factory the gazette can exclusively reveal.
Officers in Newport got a tip-off, which led to the find yesterday (Monday April 26)
Around 500 plants in various stages of growth were uncovered at the hydroponics factory in a warehouse unit just off Park Road near Lushington Hill
They are thought to be worth thousands of pounds.
Shocked dog walker Neville Johnson from Newport who was out walking his dog said” There was lots of Police cars and officers in Boiler suits who just stormed the building. It looks like they covered the roof panels so no one could see the lights. You could smell it was cannabis.
Police officers, who led the investigation, said:
“This action is part of our sustained efforts to tackle drugs locally on island.
“I am pleased that this cannabis will not find its way into the hands of young people who are considering experimenting with drugs.
“By shutting down this operation we have taken a large amount of cannabis off the streets and made the area a safer one.”
Anyone with information should contact Hampshire Police on 0845 0454545 or call Crime stoppers on telephone 0800 555 111.
Bembridge auxiliary coastguard team were called in to support the IW ambulance service yesterday (Sunday 25 April) after a woman fell ill on the beach.
Ambulance paramedics on the scene made the request to coastguard for assistance just after 3pm
Bembridge coastguard fast response team was called to St Helens beach to assisted by providing a basket stretcher to help recover the ill female who was transferred to St Mary’s hospital by ambulance.
The gazette can reveal that two people have been arrested and Police probe has been launched after a suspected arson at a house in Ryde.
A 36-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman were arrested at the scene after Fire crews and Police were called to the George Street property just after 12.30am on Friday morning (April 23).
The gazette has learnt that a hoax called was made to the address hours earlier.
Fire crews from Ryde and Newport attended the fire.
Crew cut away flooring within the property and spent three hours carrying out investigations.
An IW fire spokesman confirmed that there was a small fire within a bedroom in a multi dwelling property. He went on to say that they are working closely with Police.
A spokeswoman for Hampshire Police confirmed that Police are investigating a fire which occurred in Ryde on the Isle of Wight in the early hours of Friday, April 23.A 36-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman, both from Ryde, were arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.Both have been released on police bail until July 7, pending further enquiries.
Welcome to the Hampshire police and medina marching band gallery, 2010
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The photo gallery from the Isle of Wight Bustival at Haven Street, April 2010
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The photo gallery from the scurry April, 2010
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A lifeboat was called out to a seriously ill pensioner on-board the cruise ship Ventura this evening (Saturday April 24).
Solent Coastguard called the crew from RNLI Bembridge Lifeboat just after 6pm.
A 77 year old woman fell ill onboard the 113,000 tons P&O Cruise ship Venture, one of the largest ships of the world.
The gazette can reveal the woman who was suffering from abdominal pains was assessed by medical staff on board and transferred off the ship by the class 47 lifeboat 6 miles off Gilkicker point at 6.30pm.
The pensioner was taken back to Portsmouth by lifeboat and transferred to Queen Elizabeth hospital.
Surrey Police Car
A police officer on trial for causing the death of an elderly pedestrian in Hersham has been cleared by a jury.
PC John Wright, from Freshwater , faced charges of causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving after his patrol car hit grandfather Archibald McIlveen
But jurors at Reading Crown Court returned verdicts of not guilty on Wednesday, having heard evidence that the crash which killed Mr McIlveen was “inevitable”.
