Author: Clerk

CCC #Stand Firm against Covid

Last month we launched our new multi-media campaign called #StandFirm which focusses on the personal testimonies of local people who have been impacted by Covid-19. We will be encouraging people to Stand Firm against Covid, stay home, protect families and protect communities.   https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/coronavirus/stand-firm

This week we launched our video of Tony – watch his story here: https://youtu.be/hSeMjhDUkV8
Previously we’ve shared the stories of:
Kevin: https://youtu.be/5j-Xe7Hoves Winnie: https://youtu.be/RlzsZMZ5AKc Andy: https://youtu.be/kIwtXYElckE Kim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnwqh8vwQns  

eCops Logo Cambridgeshire Constabulary
Warning After Attempted Dog Thefts In Cambridgeshire
Dear subscriber,

We are sending out an important message following a national rise in dog thefts and a number of attempted burglaries across the north of Cambridgeshire.

Between 16 and 23 February, there were several reports of attempted burglaries and concerns around these being a precursor to dog thefts.

Nationally there has been an increase in reports of dog thefts, however we have been made aware of incidents and concerns regarding potential attempted dog thefts across north Cambridgeshire, in particular the Thorney and Whittlesey areas.

We are urging residents across the whole county to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to us. Social media can be a great platform for providing information but it is extremely important this information is passed to us and not just shared on the internet.

At least five reports have included seeing a blue Audi A3 in the area of the attempted burglaries and suspicious activity, therefore we are asking members of the public to be on the lookout and report any concerns to us.

Advice on how to best protect your pet from thieves: Keep an ID tag on your dog at all times Lock gates using bolts at the top and bottom, along with a heavy-duty padlock Ensure there are no places where dogs or other animals can escape or be pulled through, if they are left in a back garden Never leave your pet in the garden unattended Fit a bell or gate alarm so it makes a sound when someone opens it Purchase a driveway alarm so you are alerted to any visitors, these can also be used in rear gardens Make sure your dog is microchipped and their details are updated so that they can be returned if they are stolen and subsequently found Avoid leaving a dog tied up outside a shop or left alone in a car, even for a few minutes Take lots of photographs of your dog to prove ownership if it’s stolen and then found Report dog theft to police straight away
If you have information about a stolen dog or suspicious behaviour, you can report it via our webchat service or by calling 101 if you do not have internet access.

For more advice, visit our dedicated dog theft information page.

Kind regards,
Message Sent By
Lauren Alexander (Police, Senior Communications Officer, Cambridgeshire Constabulary)

Flooding issues in Willingham

A huge amount of work has gone into trying to understand exactly what went wrong over the Christmas period. The parish council is grateful for the considerable assistance received from our county and district councillors and, in particular, our local experts who have the detailed knowledge to ask probing questions and are part of the working group that has now been formed.

The parish council will be meeting with Anglian Water in April and they have provided the response below to our initial enquiries. A further, more detailed list of questions has been put to Anglian Water and we anticipate a response to these by the end of March.  

Anglian Water Questions and responses

  • The theoretical capacity of the main sewers in terms of population, bearing in mind that the current infrastructure was designed and installed when the village was a third of the current size?

Sewerage systems are designed to a 1 in 30 storm event rather than on population capacity. We make growth capacity assessments based on the proposed use class, the amount of flow the site would produce, the connection regime (gravity or pumped) and the connection point. We do not make it solely on the number of properties.

  • The proportion of surface water to raw sewage that they carry.

The amount of surface water within a sewerage system is weather dependent so it is not possible to say what the proportion of surface water to raw sewage as this proportion constantly changes. The majority of customers in Willingham currently receive surface water removal from Anglian Water according to our billing information. We do rely of customers telling us if they have a separate surface water soakaway/system – and would encourage any customer who has a separate surface water soakaway to inform us (as this would reduce their water bill). 

  • What plans, if any, AW have to reinforce the current infrastructure?

We currently have a scheme underway to add additional capacity at Over Water Recycling Centre (WRC) which would increase the capacity to store water from heavy rain events.

  • What capacity is left for further development in terms of population growth and whether or not this takes account of climate change?

There are currently no capacity issues predicted in the network as a result of known planned development. Anglian Water has a legal obligation to accommodate growth via treatment capacity at our water recycling facilities (WRCs) as and when it occurs. Willingham is part of the Over WRC catchment and biological capacity at Over WRC is almost double the current population equivalent served by Over WRC. Over WRC also has a storm tank scheme currently underway (mentioned above) to increase storm capacity in the WRC.  

It is also important to note that we are not statutory consultees to individual planning applications and we therefore self-monitor the 65 Local Planning Authorities in our region. We have a statutory duty to connect all new premises and we cannot reject a connection irrespective of network capacity under section 106 of the Water Industry Act. This section also states that the applicant only needs to provide us with 21 days’ notice of their intention to connect. It is therefore critical for us to monitor Planning Applications. We offer a service to our customers where, if they have concerns about a planned development, they can provide us with the planning reference and we will assess the impact. This service is provided free of charge. For each request, one of our Planning Engineers will assess the impact of the growth and provide a written report to the Local Planning Authority. You can find more information on this service on our Planning Services webpage.

SCDC looking for staff to work on election day

On Thursday 6 May 2021 elections will be taking place across South Cambridgeshire. Many of SCDC staff and regular polling station workers will once again be working, but we are looking for people who may be interested in working. In particular we are in need of poll clerks and overnight verification assistants. Please see below for details on the jobs available and email elections@scambs.gov.uk to apply or for further information

  • Poll Clerks (ref: PC) (no experience needed) & Safety Marshall Poll Clerks (ref. SMPC) (no experience needed)

When: 6.30 until 22.30, Thursday 6 May 2021

Where: Polling Stations across South Cambs

Pay: £225.00 (including all travel and expenses)

Note: All Poll Clerks must attend a training session

  • Thursday Night Verification Assistant (ref: VA)

When: 21.30, Thursday 6 May 2021

Where: Imperial War Museum, Duxford (TBC)

Pay: £55.00, plus £15.00 per hour after midnight

Note: Staff that have worked on polling day cannot be considered for this role. Staff must be able to stay until the session is complete.

Covid-19 Safety

We will endeavour to make working at these polls as safe as possible:

  • All staff will be required to wear masks (to be supplied) for all roles
  • Routine hand hygiene processes will be in place throughout
  • All attendees at all election processes will also be required to wear masks
  • Distancing measures will be adopted in all locations
  • Busy polling stations will have extra staff (marshalls) to manage throughput of voters
  • We will be adopting one way systems in polling stations wherever possible and will be asking voters to queue outside where necessary

All safety measures are subject to change based on the prevailing Covid-19 outlook

Notes

  • All staff must be eligible to work in the UK and will be expected to prove their eligibility if they have not previously done so
  • By working at this election, you will be committing to not working for any party or candidate at these elections

Climate Environment Fortnight – Starts today – free webinars available

Commencing on Monday 22 February, the South Cambs District Council will be marking Climate and environment fortnight 2021 with a series of webinars to help people think about how to live more sustainably, reduce carbon emissions and in turn help tackle climate change. All are welcome to join any of these free online event
• Greener businesses, Thursday 25 February, from 1pm to 2pm
• Sustainable farming in Cambridgeshire, online film premiere and discussion, Friday 26 February, from 9am to 10am
• Greening your older home, tips and inspiration, Tuesday 2 March, from 1pm to 2pm
• Shrinking your carbon footprint, Wednesday 3 March, 7.30pm to 8.30pm
• Food for our Future workshop, Thursday 4 March, from 7.30pm to 8.30pm.
For more information, please visit SCDC website from next week where they will be updating information about how to join these events.

Highways England News Release

Carving of Roman virility found on Britain’s biggest roads project

New find from A14 upgrade is almost 2,000 years old 

The team examining the finds unearthed on Britain’s biggest roads project had a surprise when they found one millstone engraved with an enhanced phallus.

More than 300 querns (hand mills) and millstones were recovered during archaeological work on Highways England’s £1.5 billion A14 upgrade between Cambridge and Huntingdon in 2017 and 2018, but this find was only recently pieced together by archaeologists MOLA Headland Infrastructure.

The archaeologists and their partners, Oxford Archaeology, discovered two crosses inscribed on the circumference of the quern, and a different type of carving on its upper face. The millstone had been broken during its use and was then adapted, which preserved the carvings as it was then reversed to be used as a saddle quern, one of the bedstones used in the grinding process, hiding the genital carving.

ISSUED-Carving-of-Roman-virility-found-on-A14-V003-1Download