Local Issues

Gulp, not too far from here. Hope they are found ok.

Official Police notice: "Sometime between 8am and 5pm on the 20th February two Springer Spaniel puppies were stolen from kennels in the rear garden of a property in IIsley Road, Compton. A suspicious white Ford Transit was seen in the vicinity, index PE51NJK. If you have seen/see this vehicle in your area please call the Police Enquiry Centre on 101 and quote the URN number 1176 of 20.02.12"

Posted by Adrian Hollister

The recent announcement by Thames Water shows that groundwater levels in the Thames area is lower than during the 1976 drought. This is compounded with low rainfall over the past couple of years. They admitted that drought was inevitable and “it's a case of when and how bad”.

I've already covered the 'for profit' nature of the business and this investment required to fix leaking pipes, to make more efficient use of resources and to invest in the future; is based totally on our ability to pay up front for the investment.

Thames Water and the other utilities must work to ensure we make the most out of our precious resources. It's time Thames Water stepped up and lets see some real give back from Thames Water. Adrian Hollister's 2p worth of advise for Thames Water is:

1. Grey Water(1). Work with new builds, rentals and renovations to ensure that grey water is installed in houses by default. If 5% of our water consumption could be replaced by grey water systems, the net saving (in terms of extraction, processing, pumping, loss and any household net savings i.e. low lime scale) would be significant.
2. Smarter working. Increase the roll-out of smart meters to all homes. Help home owners/businesses to use water more efficiently and pay for school education on the issues. Use smart meters on junctions points to automatically monitor flow and identify leaks/fraud.
3. Fix Leaks. Reducing general leakage by just 1% would save millions of litres a day. Thames Water's targets for leak reduction must be accelerated.

(1)Grey water systems use rain water and other untreated household waste water (such as water from showers) to flush toilets, feed washing machines and other not for human consumption systems.

Posted by Adrian Hollister

It's good to see that all but the very minor roads up here in the Downland's of West Berkshire have been salted and cleared. There are a few snow covered roads still, but there are alternatives to the same destination that are clear and I urge people to think before attempting snow and ice covered roads. So well done West Berks, keep up the good work!

Posted by Adrian Hollister

A good 3 inches of snow here in Brightwalton this morning. It stopped snowing at about 1am and was followed by some showers until about 3am. Whilst we have lost a bit of the snow we had a 1am last night, there is still a good a crunchy layer. There is lots of ice out there, so please all take care.

Posted by Adrian Hollister

The response to this campaign has been amazing, with even the most hardened pro-speeder agreeing that there is a problem on this stretch of road. I would also back a suggestion from the Newbury Today forum, which is to introduce variable speeds on the section of road with the variability based upon the conditions ahead. A common theme with all suggestions though is to ensure that they are actively monitored and managed; something the recent 'no overtaking' for lorries trial seems to have failed on. Average speed cameras along the section would meet these needs.

But, please remember, that whilst reducing the accidents on the A34 is a critical thing to do, we are also trying to stop reckless and thoughtless diversion driving through our Downland villages, and we are trying to protect the reputation that West Berkshire is an amazing place to live (and not an accident blackspot).

p.s. there are also plenty of statistics and real speed related detail from this document:

http://20splentyforus.org.uk/UsefulReports/TRLREports/trl421SpeedAccidents.pdf - Page 2 is a good start. Where you can find details such as "The percentage reduction in accident frequency achievable per 1mile/h reduction in average speed is between 2-7%"

Posted by Adrian Hollister