Picture Past: Oil Spills, village floods and budget woes
Violinists Jane Pearson (first in her class with 85 marks), Helen Storey, Anita Loney and Anthea Roberts were competing in the Junior Arts Festival of Music. Picture: WESTON MERCURY - Credit: Archant
Weston Borough Council assured residents that blobs of oil which had appeared on the town’s beaches would be cleaned up before the season started.
Borough engineer EG Smith said no expense would be spared to keep the beach clear.
The blobs of oil, which were described as ‘a very mild contamination’, were thought to have come from a tanker which collided with another vessel off Cardiff last week.
The oil was discovered on a stretch of the sands between Uphill and the Winter Gardens, and prompt action was taken to remove them.
Corporation workmen armed with spades, dustbins and flame equipment, completed operations after taking away six truckloads of polluted rubbish.
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They also burned off oil stains which appeared on the sea wall.
Mr Smith said: “We have these little blobs of oil in different places and some 200 to 400 yards of beach is affected.
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“Some of the seaweed is contaminated too but we can remove that.”
Weston’s MP described the upcoming Government budget as ‘like a poor sausage, all stuffing and little meat’.
However, MP Jerry Wiggin did say he welcomed minor concessions within the budget, in particular tax allowances for the elderly.
He also said the changes to income tax failed to help those most in need as they already did not pay income tax.
He said: “No doubt the banks will rejoice, and every cut in bank rate is especially welcome to small businesses.
“Its a budget to remember by what is left out rather than put in.
“The increase in the cost of stamps, telephone and postal charges were conveniently excluded from the budget statement.”
A court was told the theft of several spindles controlling the water levels of rhynes on Congresbury Moore could have caused flooding in several villages near Weston.
Speaking at Axbridge Magistrates Court, Inspector SJ Mann said it was good fortune there had not been heavy rainfall as several drainage hatches had been put out of commission by the actions of the four men on trial.
However he did not believe they realised the potential consequences of their actions.
Two of the men were sentenced to three months in prison, suspended for two years, and the other two were find £26,