Slough

Cippenham Infant School is the winner of this year’s Slough Walk to School Week and will be presented with a trophy in a special assembly on Friday, July 16.

90 percent Slough Cippenham Infant school pupils walked their journeys during the national week, 17 to 21 May.

10ny of the infant, primary and junior schools across the Slough borough participated in this event. James Elliman, Penn Wood, Foxborough and Priory Schools all returned very high percentages of pupils walking that week, but narrowly missed out to Cippenham Infants, whose head teacher, Rachel Cross, was delighted they had won.

This year’s theme was ‘walk your way’ with a focus on helping children to build up independence and confidence by finding their own way to school.

The Mayor of Slough will present the excited children with the special trophy, sponsored by Horlicks and £150 worth of gift vouchers supplied by the Slough Borough Council road safety team.

Keith Beasley, road safety officer for Slough Borough Council, said: “Congratulations to Cippenham Infant School for such a great achievement.

“It’s very important to try and get as many children as possible to walk to school, not only for the exercise, but to help maintain a healthy lifestyle and with less vehicles on the road this improves safety and the overall environment.”

Walking improves children’s road safety skills as they learn how to cross roads and become more aware of vehicles on the road, which they wouldn’t if being driven to school.

Commissioner for Slough education and children’s services, Natasa Pantelic, added: “I’m pleased walk to school week was such a success, and only wish it could continue the whole year round.

“Congratulations to Cippenham Infants for their commitment to walking to school, which is a much healthier and more enriching way for children to travel to school. I hope the pupils who took part learnt something about road safety and adopt walking as a more regular way of getting to school and other places in Slough."

Slough Borough Council

Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after an incident on the A4 Colnbrook by-pass near Slough on Thursday 24 June.

The Slough incident took place at about 4.30pm near the Grundons Incinerator site and over the M25 motorway. The driver of a silver Audi A3 is alleged to have driven on the wrong side of the road before suddenly coming to a stop and then attacking and damaging another motorist’s vehicle.

The Audi driver, an Asian man in his late twenties, then drove off towards Heathrow Airport.

PC Nick Currie, Slough Neighbourhood Specialist Officer for Colnbrook, said: "Traffic was quite heavy at that time and we believe that other drivers stopped and may have witnessed the incident.

“It involved someone behaving extremely dangerously by driving the wrong way against traffic going towards Slough. He then stopped and kicked and punched the victim’s vehicle for no apparent reason, causing considerable damage.

"This is a busy route that many people take when commuting to and from Slough and I would like to speak to anyone who may have seen what happened.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Slough PC Currie on 08458 505 505. If you don’t want to speak to police or give your name, please call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Slough

Slough Borough Council’s cabinet is set to discuss how to deal with contaminated soil found at Upton Court Park.

During routine tests carried out in preparation for the installation of a new Slough landmark play area in the park, issues around the soil quality in two areas were discovered.

Two areas of the park are affected:

* north-east corner – bunds
* north-west corner – near main car park

Testing has been carried out across the Slough park to find the extent and spread of the problem.

Nigel Dicker, assistant director Slough environment services and quality, said: “We think the high levels of lead are a legacy going back to the 40s or 50s and though risk assessments show no immediate health hazards; there is a potential risk if there is long term exposure to soil dust or in the unlikely event of someone eating the soil.

“This risk is only likely to be a problem if there is very regular contact with the soil over a period of many years, and so all park users are highly unlikely to have had this kind of contact.

“Now we are aware of the issue, we want to take action to sort it out as soon as we sensibly can. We are putting options for the park before cabinet so they can decide how they want to proceed.”

North East Corner – Bunds

The bunds (mounds of land) in the north-east corner run parallel to the access road for the cricket and rugby clubs and are contaminated with elevated levels of lead, arsenic and benzo(a)pyrene.

Slough Officers are recommending planting dense vegetation across the affected area to ensure long-term human contact with the soil does not occur.

This is expected to cost £294,000 over three years.

North West Corner – near the car park

The north-west area affected covers a large area and runs from the main car park down the field and east to the main pathway.

The soil has areas with elevated levels of lead.

This problem was found while doing precautionary work prior to the installation of a new play area in the north-west section.

Events planned to be held in this part of the park have been moved to unaffected areas and the planned play area is being relocated.

Slough Officers are asking cabinet to look at a number of options including:

* hard surface sports facilities such as tennis courts or artificial football pitches
* planting of dense vegetation but with paths and trails laid so people could still access the area
* fencing off the affected area
* removal of soil and replacement with fresh soil

The Slough council is applying for grant funding from DEFRA to cover some of the total cost of the work which, depending on the cabinet decision, is expected to be between £130,000 and £2.7million.

The council has also been in contact with the Scout Association which has a scout hut on the border of this area and Long Close School, which is next to the park.

Nigel Dicker said: “I want to stress there is no immediate risk to health and the vast majority of the park is not affected by this issue.

“The decision to be made now is how to make the best of the situation, so the park does not lose its character, whilst making sure it is safe to use in the long term.”

Councillor Satpal Parmar, commissioner for environment and open spaces, said: “The land quality issues were discovered during preparations for the installation of a large play area in Upton Court Park.

“As soon as the contamination was discovered, work began on identifying the extent of the problem as well as how we could minimise the already low risk to park users.

“We obviously want to make sure people can continue to use as much of the park as possible, in the same way as they have in the past where it is safe to do so, so we will be looking at options at cabinet to maintain the amenity of the land.”

The main report will be discussed at the Cabinet meeting on Monday 12 July, 6.30pm, Council Chamber, Bath Road.

Slough Borough Council.

Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after a man was seriously assaulted in a pizza restaurant in Slough on Monday (28/6).

At about 3pm, two men went into Pizza Hot 4 U in Chalvey Road West, Slough. Following a dispute over the payment of the bill, one of the men punched a member of staff in the eye.

The member of staff, a man in his thirties, sustained serious injuries to his eye and was taken to Royal Berkshire Hospital, where he required surgery. He has since been discharged.

The main Slough offender is white, in his late twenties, and of average height and medium build. He has short dark hair and a pattern shaved into his eyebrow. The other man is also white, in his twenties or thirties, of average height and medium to large build. He has short black hair.

Both men were believed to be speaking Romanian.

Det Con Gareth Warr, of Slough CID, said: “Thankfully this sort of incident is rare. However, it was a particularly nasty attack that left a man with extremely serious injuries to his eye, and we urge anyone who witnessed the assault, or has any information which may assist us with our investigation, to come forward as soon as possible.”

Slough Det Con Warr can be contacted via the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505. If you don’t want to speak to police or give your name, please call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Slough

The Slough Borough Council anti-social behaviour hotline number is changing tomorrow (30 June).

Formerly 0845 605 2222, it will be changing to a local number – 01753 875298.

The new Slough number will continue to be manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The change has come about after the Home Office, who ran the original number on behalf of several local authorities, announced they were cancelling the number.

The old number used to automatically transfer callers to their local authority.

The new number cuts out this middle service and residents will now get straight through to the Slough council.

Louise Asby, community safety and anti-social behaviour manager, said: “We apologise for the confusion this may cause residents but the cancelling of the main number is out of our control.

“Residents can still report anti-social behaviour 24/7 to us; it is just on a different number.”

James Swindlehurst, commissioner for Slough neighbourhoods, said: “The anti-social behaviour hotline is key for local residents to be able to tell us about any incidents happening in their area, so we can work to resolve the issue.

“It is an inconvenience to have the service cancelled at such short notice, but the main point is that Slough will continue to run its own anti-social behaviour hotline, so residents can call directly through to the council whenever they have a problem.

“I would urge residents to tell their friends and neighbours about the change of number so anyone who wants to report anti-social behaviour to the council can do so.”

Anyone who calls the old number will receive a recorded message giving them the new number to call.

Slough Borough Council

Thames Valley Police executed a warrant under the Misuse of Drugs Act in Slough on 29/6, arresting four people.

The warrant, executed in Chatfields, Slough, at approximately 11am, followed an intelligence-led operation which involved various police departments, including Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Area Intelligence Team (AIT), and neighbourhood policing teams.

A woman and three men were arrested at the Slough address and taken into police custody.

A 54-year-old woman and 61-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of being in possession of class A drugs with intent to supply. They have since been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

A 24-year-old man was arrested for failing to attend a drugs assessment and remains in police custody this afternoon (30/6).

A 35-year-old was arrested for failing to answer police bail in connection with an incident in 2009. He has since been charged with being in possession of class A drugs with the intent to supply, possession of class B drugs, and failing to answer police bail. He is due to appear at Slough Magistrates’ Court today (30/6).

As part of yesterday’s warrant, a Slough police drugs dog also searched the premises and the two men, aged 24 and 35, were further arrested on suspicion of being in possession of drugs with intent to supply and handling stolen goods.

A substantial amount of drugs, cash, and property believed to be stolen, were also seized during yesterday’s operation.

Thames Valley Police ~ Slough

Fair Price Food and Wine Slough lose more than £2,000 and their licence to sell alcohol after sting operation

Fair Price Food and Wine, 68 High Street, Slough has been fined more than £2,300 following a prosecution by Slough Borough Council’s trading standards team.

The Slough case, heard today (Friday 25 June) at Maidenhead Magistrates Court, followed a sting operation on 4 November 2009 when owner and licence holder of the shop, Mr Gurjit Singh sold a 16 year old trading standards volunteer a bottle of Stella Artois.

Mr Gurjit Singh was fined £100 and ordered to pay £200 costs and a £15 victim surcharge. The Slough company, where Mr Singh was a director was also fined £500 and ordered to pay £1,523.26 in costs. A combined total of £2,338.26.

The Slough company has already lost its licence to sell alcohol after a licensing review by the council’s licensing committee in November 2009 found the shop to be breaking regulations by selling alcohol to children.

Dean Cooke, Slough trading standards officer, said: “The man who sold the alcohol to our under-age volunteer was not only working in the shop but was also the alcohol licence holder and was well aware he was breaking the law.

“It is a shame when we have to prosecute traders but we will not hesitate to do so when they flagrantly flout the rules and put young people at risk.

“Putting alcohol in the hands of young people who are underage can fuel anti-social behaviour and is a major concern of residents.

“We are responding to those concerns by making sure shops only sell alcohol to those who are allowed to have it.”

Councillor Roger Davis, chair of the Slough council’s licensing committee, said: “We do not want to unfairly penalise licensees who genuinely make a mistake but in this case there was clear evidence that the person who should have known, and did know better, took no notice of the law and willingly sold alcohol to a child.

“This is unacceptable and we had no other option than to take his licence away.

“I hope this serves as a deterrent to other traders who might be thinking that selling alcohol to children is OK and that they can get away with it.”

* Slough Borough Council’s trading standards team is holding a seminar for traders to help them understand the law, their responsibilities and how to deal with under age young people who are trying to buy alcohol. The seminar is on Tuesday 3 August. Traders can call 01753 477911 or e-mail ts.duty@slough.gov.uk for more information or to book a place.

Slough Borough Council

Slough Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after a serious injury collision in Slough on Saturday (26/6).

At about 6.40am, a silver Daewoo Lanos, travelling towards the A4 Bath Road, and a silver Toyota Yaris, travelling towards Stoke Poges, collided on Stoke Poges Lane, Slough near to the junction with Lansdowne Avenue.

Both Slough drivers sustained serious injuries and a passenger travelling in the Toyota suffered minor injuries as a result of the collision.

Stoke Poges Lane was closed between the A4 junction and the junction with Lansdowne Road for approximately four hours to allow police collision investigators to examine the scene.

Anyone who witnessed the collision or may have seen either car prior to the collision should contact the investigating Slough officer PC Andy Fordyce from the Gerrards Cross Roads Policing Department on 0845 8 505 505. If you don’t want to speak to police, you can call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Slough

The Slough CREW (Crime Reduction Environment Week) will start in the Manor Park area on June 28, culminating in a community event on Saturday July 3 in the Manor Field (behind the Manor Park Youth Centre).

The Slough Manor Park CREW will involved various agencies focussing on the area and dealing with matters such as crime and disorder, litter, messy gardens, and fire safety.

Slough Borough Council is leading this event, which is in partnership with Thames Valley Police, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue and Thames Valley Probation Service and local residents.

The Slough community event on Saturday, July 3 will kick off at 10am and will end at 3pm and is the first such event planned by the Manor Park Community Forum – a group of residents working with partner agencies to address local issues with the aim of improving the lives of Manor Park residents.

The community event will host a combination of music, henna painting and exciting games provided by local Slough organisations, as well as information stalls on community safety, crime and anti social behaviour, young people’s health issues and information on other services in the area.

Vinay Vyas, community safety project officer for Slough Borough Council, said: “The success of CREW events is dependent of resident involvement. The community event planned by the Manor Park Community Forum is a perfect opportunity for local residents to talk to us, as well as the police and fire service, about any matters that may be troubling them or they would like to change.

Commissioner for Slough neighbourhoods and renewal, Cllr James Swindlehurst, added: “The CREW is one of the ways we are working with residents to help improve local neighbourhoods and deliver on their priorities. Raising the standard of the local environment is also a key commitment for the council’s leadership.

“Community safety is paramount to the council and we would like to see as many residents as possible. This is their chance to speak to us and our partners and for us to help them if there are any problems where they live.”

Slough Borough Council

Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after an incident in which a car was damaged by fire in Slough.

At approximately 10.30pm on Tuesday 8 June, a green Fiat Ulysse parked in Churchill Road, Langley, Slough, was discovered on fire. The car was burnt out and a nearby fence was also damaged by the blaze. Police are treating the incident as arson. At about the same time, a red Ford Mondeo parked nearby had its windows smashed.

Two people in dark clothing with hoods were seen running away from the scene towards Trelawney Avenue, Slough.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Det Con Christian Bryant on 0845 8 505 505. If you don’t want to speak to police or give your name, please contact the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Slough