Dorset

Enforcement Officers from the Dorset Waste Partnership (DWP), working alongside Dorset Council’s Legal team, have secured another successful prosecution of a fly-tipper.

On Wednesday 21 August 2019, Anthony Maurice Knowles, (41, from Weymouth) appeared at Poole Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to two instances of fly-tipping and a further two matters under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act of failing to contain waste.

Last year, the Dorset Waste Partnership investigated several fly-tipping reports of building materials being illegally dumped in and around the Dorset Close and Wiltshire Avenue areas of Westham, Weymouth.

The Enforcement Team also received a report that a local resident (Knowles) had appeared to have started renovation works and was seen to remove construction waste from the rear of his property using a green wheelie bin.  Construction waste was then discovered in an alleyway nearby.

Subsequently, Enforcement Officers visited the defendant’s home address to serve papers requiring him to attend an interview at the Trading Standards Offices in Dorchester. Despite the papers being posted through the letter box, there was no contact from the defendant and he did not attend the interview.

On 15 October 2018, Enforcement Officers were again alerted to two further fly-tips in the area, which contained waste attributable to Knowles. The next day, Enforcement Officers returned to Knowles’ property and attempted to speak to him. Following a sustained period of threats and violence from the defendant, the Police were called. However, Knowles left the scene before they arrived.

On 2 November, Knowles was arrested at his home address by Dorset Police for several matters, including fly-tipping, and placed in custody. In interview, he denied any fly-tipping or having received the papers requiring him to attend the interview at the Trading Standards offices.

On 26 November, DWP Enforcement Officers received another report from an Aster Housing staff member who had witnessed Knowles again moving waste away from his home in a wheelie bin. A large amount of household waste was subsequently discovered on land adjacent to the Community Centre in Dorset Close. Officers found a substantial amount of household waste at the scene, some of which was identical to some that had been photographed in the rear garden of his home address.

The case against Knowles has now been adjourned until 16 October at Poole Magistrates Court for sentencing. However, Knowles must appear at Bournemouth Crown Court on 4 October for sentencing for several CPS matters (two of which are linked to this case as they relate to offences against the DWP’s Enforcement Officers) and the Court will be invited to consider sentencing for these additional four linked matters as well.

Cllr Tony Alford, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Customer, Community and Regulatory Services, said:

“This is another great example of partnership working by the Dorset Waste Partnership with other agencies, including Dorset Police, Aster Housing and Dorset Council Legal services.

Fly-tipping is a crime, costing the Dorset taxpayer thousands of pounds every year. We will not tolerate the actions of those who illegally dump waste and we certainly won’t accept threatening or aggressive behaviour toward our Enforcement Officers.

You can find out how you can help us in the fight against fly-tipping by visiting www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/tip-off”

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Work  started at Chesil Cove, Portland today as part of a larger monitoring study with Channel Coast Observatory working jointly with Southern Coastal Group.

The study looks into coastal protection in Weymouth and Portland and will allow us to build a detailed ground model of the current coastal slope, which will inform our longer coastal management strategy for this sensitive area of coastline.

This phase of the investigation will take approximately three weeks and will see eight boreholes drilled along the cove. To keep disruption to a minimum, drilling will take place between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday, and public access such as cycle and pedestrian walkways will be remain open.

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Dorset Council has announced what is happening next in regards to the old council building and site at North Quay in Weymouth.

Cllr David Walsh, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Planning, said:

“Following the Southern & Western Planning Committee’s decision to vote against the proposed demolition of the offices at North Quay in Weymouth, Dorset Council officers representing the Council as the owner of North Quay, have made a formal request to the Local Planning Authority that the current application is withdrawn.

Senior officers are now working hard to put together additional information in relation to the sustainability and reuse of the building, and the potential environmental impact of its demolition, which was the main concern for some members of the Planning Committee.

Dorset Council will then submit a new application – with the additional information – to the Committee in the coming months so that elected members can make a fully-informed decision on the merits of the application.”

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Visitors to Moors Valley Country Park and Forest, near Verwood, will have the chance to discover a hidden piece of Second World War history in September, which remained a closely guarded secret for over 30 years.

As part of Dorset Architectural Heritage Week, a bunker that controlled the operation of a bombing decoy will be open to the public for the first time on Sunday 15 and Wednesday 18 September from 10am-2pm.

The bunker, which is not usually accessible to the public, was used during WWII to power and control lights to mimic the appearance of a real airfield at night to draw enemy bombers away from nearby RAF airfields at Hurn and Ibsley. The restoration and research of this special site was carried out by a group of dedicated volunteers including members of 3LX Community Fund and Verwood Town Council.

Cllr Ray Bryan, Councillor for St Leonards and St Ives said, “I am very pleased that the decoy bunker has been carefully restored. The open days offer visitors a rare opportunity to take a closer look at the bunker and learn more about its history.”

During the open days volunteers will be on hand to explain more about how the bunker was used, and the scale and importance of decoy and deception techniques.

The bunker is a 2km walk from the Visitor Centre and car park; parking charges apply. There is also limited free parking at Potterne Park, Verwood, 800m from the bunker.

The location of the flare path has also been identified and a specially designed telescope will be sited on one of the park’s waymarked walking trails and will help visitors to visualise how the site would have looked at night when the decoy was in operation.

For more information on the bunker and future open days please visit www.moors-valley.co.uk/decoy-bunker.

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A vital programme to improve and prevent the loss of precious heathland and its rarest inhabitants, will start this autumn.

This important work, supported by Natural England (NE), will restore a rare and internationally important habitat which hosts a unique range of species. The restoration programme involves the felling of coniferous trees on 210 hectares of the Dorset Council owned Avon Heath Country Park and will help to improve and preserve this fragile, protected habitat.

The Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Avon Heath Country Park near Ringwood, is recognised for its internationally rare lowland heath – highly protected under European and UK law. It is home to some of Britain’s rarest wildlife including Dartford Warblers, Nightjars and all six species of UK reptiles that only live on lowland heath and which are critically endangered.  Living in Dorset, it is easy to forget how rare heathland is, but in fact Dorset is home to a significant amount of the remaining global resource, making it a priority to protect.

Pine trees are one of the main threats to the heathland and its wildlife at Avon Heath Country Park. Thousands of coniferous trees were once planted to be harvested for their timber, but through self-seeding they are now threatening to destroy the rare heathland habitat by degrading the delicate sandy soil. Dorset Council is required to reinstate the heathland to a ‘favourable’ condition, providing real benefits for the rare habitat and wildlife.

Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, Cllr Ray Bryan said: “We are proud to be carrying out work to help restore one of our rarest habitats. The tree felling is just one element of a wider restoration programme which has been agreed with advice from Natural England and other conservation partners. Other restoration work includes continued grazing by rare breed cattle and additional bracken and gorse management. Collectively this management work will help us protect the heathland for generations to come.”

The felled timber from Avon Heath will be used productively in many ways – from construction materials, to fence posts and wood chip for carbon neutral energy production. Using our own wood to help meet this demand reduces the need to import from around the world and at the same time it will help protect some of our rarest native wildlife.

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Dorset Council is considering introducing a community lottery. This is part of the our aim to develop a support package for the voluntary and community organisations.

We’re proposing that a ticket will cost £1 with 60p going to local causes. Players will be able to nominate good causes they wish to support when buying their ticket. Of this 60p – 50p would  go to the local cause and 10p will go towards a community grant.

All players get a chance to win prizes of up to £25,000. Every ticket purchased has a 1 in 50 chance of winning and winners will be given the option to reinvest their winnings to their nominated charity or community group. Tickets will be available to purchase online for a weekly draw.

 Before a final decision is made we want to hear from local voluntary and community organisations, partners and local residents for their views on the scheme.

 Share your views on the idea of a local community lottery

The post Local Community Lottery Survey appeared first on Dorset Council news.

Dorset Council Trading Standards has become a Friends Against Scams Organisation, committed to take a stand against scams in Dorset!

Scams are fraud and many people are contacted by criminals by post, phone, online or on the doorstep. It’s a huge problem with the UK detriment estimated to be up to £10 billion each year. Over half of people aged 65 and over have been targeted by criminal scams. Age UK found that worryingly only 5 percent of people report scams, so 95 percent of people don’t. Silence is a scammer’s best friend as it allows perpetrators of these crimes to continue unchallenged and victims to remain unsupported.

There is a scam for everyone and anyone can be affected. Young people can be scammed when buying a first mobile phone or paying online letting agents for student accommodation. Older people my fall for fake lotteries, prize draws and catalogue scams. Others may lose money when contacted out of the blue by someone purporting to be from their bank. Loneliness can lead to grooming by international criminals offering potential relationships, romance or contact with the dead.

People who are more vulnerable to scams can receive multiple contacts a day by fraudsters and there are many reasons why people reply. Some feel they have an obligation to respond to letters, or enjoy the routine of opening and responding to post. Some people want to receive the cheque for their promised winnings, never stopping to consider all the monies already paid over time to receive those winnings. Others will be groomed into believing they are part of an honest relationship when they are not.

Friends Against Scams aims to break the silence around scams, giving people information to be able to spot the signs of a scam, talk with and support others and report scams. It is a national and growing scheme that aims to recruit 1 million ‘Friends’ by 2020.

Anyone can become a ‘Friend’, many people are, and you could too. Visit the national website www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk to learn more about scams, to find a local face-to-face session, or to complete 20 minutes of online learning.

Jon Harris, Principal Trading Standards Officer at Dorset Council said:

“Being recognized as a Friend Against Scams Organisation will help us to spread the message about the benefits of becoming a ‘Friend’ to grow the scheme within local communities across Dorset. This is about continuing to raise awareness of scams to help people protect themselves against financial abuse by rogues.

Anyone can take a stand individually against scams and become a ‘Friend’ and other organisations can show their commitment by becoming a Friends Against Scams Organisation too.”

If you are concerned about a scam, want consumer advice, or want to report something to trading standards, then call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 040506 or visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer.

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Work has nearly finished on site and we’re on track to have all works complete by Friday 27 September.

Over the last few weeks, construction work has come to an end and work has focussed on ‘finishing’ activities such as installing the various fencing systems and putting topsoil back onto the new verges.

The installation of specialist road safety fencing at the edge of the new culverts is now finished and we’ve been able to remove the water-filled red and white safety barriers.

We’ll start removing our temporary access tracks and site compound next week, and all the estate fencing should be in place by Friday 20 September.

When all work alongside the road has been finished, we’ll be able to remove the temporary three-way lights and put the upgraded permanent A350/A357 signalised junction back in operation. This should be by 27 September.

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