Featured
Seal Attack Incidents Sweep the Nation
A team of medics tending to a seal have been verbally abused in Northumberland as the number of seal attacks across the country have dramatically increased.
The team were tending to a seal that had been chased by an out-of-control dog at Druridge Bay when they were faced with abusive language by the same people who were allegedly abusing the seal. It is part of a wider spate of incidents across the UK according to wildlife charity British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).
On Good Friday, there were five incidents reported to BDMLR before lunch time, the most it has ever had in such a short space of time. The charity also received reports of violence against deals in Essex, Norfolk, Kent and Yorkshire.
During the spring, there are often young seals on beaches, only recently independent of their mothers, who may be more vulnerable. Seals need to rest on land to digest, socialise and feed their pups. However, some may be sick, injured and/or weak and are less able to escape or defend themselves.
But that hasn’t deterred people from abusing the animals, with police receiving reports of young people throwing stones at a seal at Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex and kicking a seal on Roker Pier in Sunderland.
A post on the BDMLR Facebook page said cases across the country included seals being repeatedly kicked and chased into the sea by both dogs and people all along the east coast of England up to Northumberland. One responder on Facebook said they had witnessed a dog attack a seal at Low Hauxley beach, with the owner unable to get control of their pet. Fortunately, the seal managed to escape into the sea.
Dan Jarvis, director of welfare and conservation at BDMLR, said: “It’s hard to say why some people think it is OK to stone seals, drag them around by their flippers or intentionally set their dogs on them. Clearly they do not care about the welfare of the animal and only what they can get out of doing such cruel actions.
“Some of these seal pups have actually already been weak, sick or injured and have been less able to defend themselves or escape back into the sea, which makes these attacks doubly harrowing to hear about and deal with for our team.”
The BDMLR encourages anyone who witnesses attacks on seals or other wildlife to report them to the Police on 999 in an emergency or otherwise on the non-emergency number 101.
Newcastle’s Liberal Democrats have demanded “urgent” clarity on the future of the city’s main shopping street.
With work on a promised transformation of Northumberland Street yet to begin, the city’s opposition party has called on council bosses to take action on the “increasingly shabby” area. Designs for a major refurbishment of the busy pedestrian route, which Newcastle City Council said would get under way this year, have included installing a series of 50ft lighting pillars, as well as new trees, plants, and seating.
Coun Greg Stone, the Lib Dems’ spokesperson on the city centre, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that there were concerns that the scheme may be pushed back to 2024 in order to avoid a negative impact on shops as the festive period nears. In response, the Labour-run local authority confirmed that it does still intend to start the improvements on Northumberland Street by the end of this year and was in the process of appointing a contractor.
Coun Stone complained that the high street’s paving is “looking increasingly tired”, adding: “The council has an important duty to ensure that the city centre’s public realm and the fabric of our major streets are well cared for and attractive for Newcastle’s citizens, visitors, and businesses. We have been told that renovation of Northumberland Street is on the way for several years now but works on Ridley Place and Saville Row have taken an age and there is no sign of work being imminent on Northumberland Street.
“The decision to avoid construction work during last year’s pre-Christmas trading season was understandable, but the window of opportunity for work to be done this year seems to be closing. There is an urgent need for clarity from the council leadership on their vision and delivery plans for city centre improvements.”
He added: “The Lib Dem Opposition is disappointed that the council’s ambitions for Northumberland Street seem to be more tarmac patches than high quality paving and public realm. We continue to have concerns about the Labour administration’s capacity to manage major projects for the city centre and we may be facing further long waits for delivery.”
A dramatic transformation of the city centre has been the topic of debate for years. The city council has long wanted to pedestrianise the iconic Grey Street and initial works to gradually achieve that are ongoing, but controversial proposals to remove all traffic from Blackett Street were shelved last year.
A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said: “We are progressing our plans to redevelop Northumberland Street to strengthen its position as the region’s most vibrant high street and encourage higher footfall.
“We are in the process of selecting a contractor to deliver the works and exact details and timescales will be confirmed when this process is complete. The improvements will include full repaving of the street and the introduction of new seating, planting, trees and lighting making it a more welcoming place that can be enjoyed both day and night.
“Northumberland Street is the city’s premier shopping destination, and our plans will reinforce this, setting apart from other streets and creating an attractive destination where people want to spend time.
“The council remains committed to delivering its long-term ambition to transform the city centre into a cleaner, greener, more welcoming place that attracts visitors and investment, and where our residents can feel a sense of belonging.
“The work on Ridley Place is now complete, new street furniture will be installed on Saville Row in the coming weeks and Grey Street should be complete by summer 2024 as planned. The initial works on Northumberland Street will start later this year.”
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Raw sewage was released into open water in Newcastle more than 1,500 times in 2022, figures show.
Storm overflows normally happen when the sewage system is at risk of being overwhelmed – such as after a heavy rain, or during higher levels of groundwater.
In these cases, water companies may need to release excess water and sewage into rivers and the sea, to prevent water backing up into the streets and people’s homes.
This has an impact on the quality of our natural water sources, with some charities alleging storm overflows are being misused and under-reported.
Figures from the Environment Agency show storm overflows were used 1,637 times within Newcastle’s local authority boundaries in 2022, discharging for a total of around 4,724 hours.
All of these spills were from Northumbrian Water’s network.
Northumbrian Water saw 29,697 overspills across its network in 2022 – although 7% of the company’s facilities did not report overspill data last year.
You can now download our FREE new app to stay fully up to date with all North East related news – https://linktr.ee/northeastupdates
Follow us on YouTube for some big local videos and to support us!
See local offers all over the North East on the Todays Big Deals Facebook page: Facebook Page
The government has finally published a list of schools identified with collapse-prone concrete after days of mounting pressure.
The document, released by the Department for Education, showed the start of term had to be delayed at 19 schools – responsible for 11,150 pupils – as a result of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
The list came just before the first Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) since the summer recess, where Rishi Sunak told the Commons the government had “acted decisively to ensure the safety of children and minimise disruption to education”.
The Liberal Democrats’ education spokesperson, Munira Wilson, also called for Mr Sunak to “come clean over his own role in this crisis”, and publish evidence given to him when he was chancellor on the risks to children’s safety from RAAC.
The list of North East schools affected are:
St James Catholic School, Hebburn, South Tyneside
St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Sunderland
St Anne’s Catholic Primary School, Harlow Green, Gateshead
St Leonard’s School, Durham
St Benet’s Catholic Primary School, Ouston
St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School, Darlington
Ferryhill School, County Durham
Each school listed will be closed throughout this first week of September!
You can now download our FREE new app to stay fully up to date with all North East related news – https://linktr.ee/northeastupdates
Follow our YouTube for some big local videos and to support us!
See local offers all over the North East on the Todays Big Deals Facebook page: Facebook Page
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Featured
Seal Attack Incidents Sweep the Nation
A team of medics tending to a seal have been verbally abused in Northumberland as the number of seal attacks across the country have dramatically increased.
The team were tending to a seal that had been chased by an out-of-control dog at Druridge Bay when they were faced with abusive language by the same people who were allegedly abusing the seal. It is part of a wider spate of incidents across the UK according to wildlife charity British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).
On Good Friday, there were five incidents reported to BDMLR before lunch time, the most it has ever had in such a short space of time. The charity also received reports of violence against deals in Essex, Norfolk, Kent and Yorkshire.
During the spring, there are often young seals on beaches, only recently independent of their mothers, who may be more vulnerable. Seals need to rest on land to digest, socialise and feed their pups. However, some may be sick, injured and/or weak and are less able to escape or defend themselves.
But that hasn’t deterred people from abusing the animals, with police receiving reports of young people throwing stones at a seal at Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex and kicking a seal on Roker Pier in Sunderland.
A post on the BDMLR Facebook page said cases across the country included seals being repeatedly kicked and chased into the sea by both dogs and people all along the east coast of England up to Northumberland. One responder on Facebook said they had witnessed a dog attack a seal at Low Hauxley beach, with the owner unable to get control of their pet. Fortunately, the seal managed to escape into the sea.
Dan Jarvis, director of welfare and conservation at BDMLR, said: “It’s hard to say why some people think it is OK to stone seals, drag them around by their flippers or intentionally set their dogs on them. Clearly they do not care about the welfare of the animal and only what they can get out of doing such cruel actions.
“Some of these seal pups have actually already been weak, sick or injured and have been less able to defend themselves or escape back into the sea, which makes these attacks doubly harrowing to hear about and deal with for our team.”
The BDMLR encourages anyone who witnesses attacks on seals or other wildlife to report them to the Police on 999 in an emergency or otherwise on the non-emergency number 101.
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Newcastle’s Liberal Democrats have demanded “urgent” clarity on the future of the city’s main shopping street.
With work on a promised transformation of Northumberland Street yet to begin, the city’s opposition party has called on council bosses to take action on the “increasingly shabby” area. Designs for a major refurbishment of the busy pedestrian route, which Newcastle City Council said would get under way this year, have included installing a series of 50ft lighting pillars, as well as new trees, plants, and seating.
Coun Greg Stone, the Lib Dems’ spokesperson on the city centre, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that there were concerns that the scheme may be pushed back to 2024 in order to avoid a negative impact on shops as the festive period nears. In response, the Labour-run local authority confirmed that it does still intend to start the improvements on Northumberland Street by the end of this year and was in the process of appointing a contractor.
Coun Stone complained that the high street’s paving is “looking increasingly tired”, adding: “The council has an important duty to ensure that the city centre’s public realm and the fabric of our major streets are well cared for and attractive for Newcastle’s citizens, visitors, and businesses. We have been told that renovation of Northumberland Street is on the way for several years now but works on Ridley Place and Saville Row have taken an age and there is no sign of work being imminent on Northumberland Street.
“The decision to avoid construction work during last year’s pre-Christmas trading season was understandable, but the window of opportunity for work to be done this year seems to be closing. There is an urgent need for clarity from the council leadership on their vision and delivery plans for city centre improvements.”
He added: “The Lib Dem Opposition is disappointed that the council’s ambitions for Northumberland Street seem to be more tarmac patches than high quality paving and public realm. We continue to have concerns about the Labour administration’s capacity to manage major projects for the city centre and we may be facing further long waits for delivery.”
A dramatic transformation of the city centre has been the topic of debate for years. The city council has long wanted to pedestrianise the iconic Grey Street and initial works to gradually achieve that are ongoing, but controversial proposals to remove all traffic from Blackett Street were shelved last year.
A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said: “We are progressing our plans to redevelop Northumberland Street to strengthen its position as the region’s most vibrant high street and encourage higher footfall.
“We are in the process of selecting a contractor to deliver the works and exact details and timescales will be confirmed when this process is complete. The improvements will include full repaving of the street and the introduction of new seating, planting, trees and lighting making it a more welcoming place that can be enjoyed both day and night.
“Northumberland Street is the city’s premier shopping destination, and our plans will reinforce this, setting apart from other streets and creating an attractive destination where people want to spend time.
“The council remains committed to delivering its long-term ambition to transform the city centre into a cleaner, greener, more welcoming place that attracts visitors and investment, and where our residents can feel a sense of belonging.
“The work on Ridley Place is now complete, new street furniture will be installed on Saville Row in the coming weeks and Grey Street should be complete by summer 2024 as planned. The initial works on Northumberland Street will start later this year.”
You can now download our FREE new app to stay fully up to date with all North East related news – https://linktr.ee/northeastupdates
Follow our YouTube for some big local videos and to support us!
See local offers all over the North East on the Todays Big Deals Facebook page: Facebook Page
Raw sewage was released into open water in Newcastle more than 1,500 times in 2022, figures show.
Storm overflows normally happen when the sewage system is at risk of being overwhelmed – such as after a heavy rain, or during higher levels of groundwater.
In these cases, water companies may need to release excess water and sewage into rivers and the sea, to prevent water backing up into the streets and people’s homes.
This has an impact on the quality of our natural water sources, with some charities alleging storm overflows are being misused and under-reported.
Figures from the Environment Agency show storm overflows were used 1,637 times within Newcastle’s local authority boundaries in 2022, discharging for a total of around 4,724 hours.
All of these spills were from Northumbrian Water’s network.
Northumbrian Water saw 29,697 overspills across its network in 2022 – although 7% of the company’s facilities did not report overspill data last year.
You can now download our FREE new app to stay fully up to date with all North East related news – https://linktr.ee/northeastupdates
Follow us on YouTube for some big local videos and to support us!
See local offers all over the North East on the Todays Big Deals Facebook page: Facebook Page
The government has finally published a list of schools identified with collapse-prone concrete after days of mounting pressure.
The document, released by the Department for Education, showed the start of term had to be delayed at 19 schools – responsible for 11,150 pupils – as a result of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
The list came just before the first Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) since the summer recess, where Rishi Sunak told the Commons the government had “acted decisively to ensure the safety of children and minimise disruption to education”.
The Liberal Democrats’ education spokesperson, Munira Wilson, also called for Mr Sunak to “come clean over his own role in this crisis”, and publish evidence given to him when he was chancellor on the risks to children’s safety from RAAC.
The list of North East schools affected are:
St James Catholic School, Hebburn, South Tyneside
St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Sunderland
St Anne’s Catholic Primary School, Harlow Green, Gateshead
St Leonard’s School, Durham
St Benet’s Catholic Primary School, Ouston
St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School, Darlington
Ferryhill School, County Durham
Each school listed will be closed throughout this first week of September!
You can now download our FREE new app to stay fully up to date with all North East related news – https://linktr.ee/northeastupdates
Follow our YouTube for some big local videos and to support us!
See local offers all over the North East on the Todays Big Deals Facebook page: Facebook Page
-
Best of North East2 years ago
Top 10: Date Ideas In Newcastle
-
Sports2 years ago
Newcastle transfer rumours as January window approaches
-
Featured6 months ago
Popular Restaurant forced to close – Statement released!
-
News2 years ago
Local mum left with serious injuries after being spiked
-
Featured5 months ago
Wet N Wild – Exploring the abandoned Water Park – See before and After pictures!
-
Featured2 years ago
North-East Collection Points For Ukraine Donations
-
Sports2 years ago
Rumours: How could Newcastle line-up after the January transfer window?
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Newcastle United to Reveal New Shirt Sponsor?
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