Police warning following distraction burglary

Following on from last week's Trading Standards warning about rogue traders, this week the police have issued a warning about distraction burglaries after an incident in Yate.

At approximately 11am on Thursday February the 16th, two unknown men attended an address on Priors Lea, Yate, saying that they were there to do some work inside. They pushed a large hole in the ceiling before leaving, saying they would be return to fix it. The victim later discovered that they had stolen a box of valuables.

The Police are reminding residents to be wary of unexpected visitors. Use a door chain whenever possible, and check all other entrances are locked before opening the door. If you are unsure, don’t open the door! Genuine callers will always be prepared to return or wait while you check their credentials.

If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Police on 101. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

River Frome flood risks - exhibition 1st March

The Environment Agency is looking into the risk of river flooding in Yate and Chipping Sodbury and what options there might be to reduce this. Their study is at a very early stage.

They are holding a public exhibition in the Charter Suite at Chipping Sodbury Town Hall on Wednesday 1st March from 2.30 to 7.30 pm.

The area involved runs from St Johns Way through the centre of Sodbury, The Elms, The Ridge, then right past the Riverside complex, and out along Greenways Road and Cranleigh Court through to Stover Road. So anyone living in those areas might want to come along - if you're not at risk of flooding yourself, you might still be interested or concerned about potential flood works along the river.

Come along to their public exhibition to find out more about your current flood risk and what might be possible as part of a future flood alleviation scheme.

Your views and your local knowledge really matter! At the exhibition they would like to hear your views on:

• any flooding problems in the past
• their initial plans and options

You can call in at any time during the exhibition. They will be on hand to answer your questions, hear your views and to give you more information about flood protection, flood warnings and community flood plans.

Time running out to have your say on Local Plan Prospectus

You only have until next Thursday, 23 February, to have your say on the South Glos Local Plan Prospectus.

As we reported last month, South Glos has to publish a new Local Plan for 2018-2036. One of the things it will do is allocate specific sites for development - so, for example, if the final Joint Spatial Plan (JSP) for the West of England says there should be 1,500 homes at Coalpit Heath, this plan will say more precisely where they should be built. It will also allocate smaller sites, to go towards whatever figure the JSP says South Glos must provide outside the large sites.

Work on the new Local Plan is just starting and the council is asking for your views on what it should cover and what the vision and priorities should be for our area. Your Focus Team does not think large scale developments on the edge of villages is compatible with the vision we supported in the council's Core Strategy, which this Local Plan will replace. What do you think the vision and priorities should be? How would you balance concerns like protecting community identity and our countryside with the need for housing?  You can let the council know what you think by answering questions 2 and 3 of the consultation.

Watermore School to be rebuilt on one site

At the budget council meeting on Wednesday, funding was unanimously agreed to build a new Watermore Primary School on the current junior site, to bring all age groups together. Currently the Reception and Year one classes are in the old Brockeridge School while Years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are on the old Highcroft site.

Be alert for rogue traders

South Gloucestershire Trading Standards have issued an alert to be extra vigilant when dealing with unexpected callers at the front door after reports of rogue traders operating in the Yate and Frampton Cotterell areas.

The rogue traders are offering to buy gold or jewellery or carry out, amongst other things, paving, roofing and gardening work. South Gloucestershire Council Trading Standards advise:

• Do not to deal with unexpected visitors at your door, you do not know who they are or what their history may be.
• Do not allow any unknown and unexpected visitor into your home. If possible, try to deal with them through a window or use a door chain.
• Ensure your front and back doors are closed and locked if your attention is elsewhere.
• If you are unhappy or feel intimidated by the visitor – shut the door and call the police.

If you think you or someone you know may have been targeted by scammers or rogue traders, please contact senior Trading Standards enforcement officer Neil Derrick on 01454 864565 or 07801 200104 as soon as possible. Remember; Not Sure, Don’t Open The Door.

For advice on this and other consumer matters, please contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06, Monday to Friday between 9am-5pm.

Better news about Yate Fire Station

Some positive news on Yate Fire Station. At the end of last year, Avon Fire Authority was consulting on cutting Yate Fire Station from a full time service 24 hours a day to having a full time crew 8am to 5pm and just one crew on call at night. We were very concerned that this could put people in the Yate area at risk - you can see Claire Young's response to the consultation here.

Our Yate colleague Cllr Mike Drew has been working hard with the Deputy Chief Fire Officer to develop an alternative. Instead of taking us down to one on call crew, the Fire Authority has now agreed there will be two part time crews on call. While not the full time crew we wanted, it's a step in the right direction. Thank you to Mike and everyone who has campaigned for a better outcome.

Time running out to have your say on Woodlands Farm application

Don't forget you only have until Wednesday 15th February to comment on the latest Woodlands Farm application. You can view the plans and make your comments online. Don't worry that they don't appear immediately, all comments have to be manually processed and it can take up to 7 days. The case officer has assured me that she is receiving them.