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2 • Visit us @ www.ChampNews.com SF The Champion • Wednesday 27 June 2012Merseyrail namedbest performerMERSEYRAIL has been named bestperforming Train Operator in the UK forJune.The public transport company recordedperformance levels of 98%, the operatorshighest ever score, between Sunday, May 27until Saturday June 23 this year.This rail industry–wide benchmark, knownas the public performance measure, takesinto account arrival times at finaldestinations, cancellations and stopping atall designated stops. Scores are publishedevery four weeks.For sixteen days of this four week period,Merseyrail recorded performance of 99%and there were five days when reliabilitywas at 100%. All trains arrived at their finaldestinations within five minutes of thescheduled time, there were no cancellationsand all trains stopped at every stop.Merseyrail also noted their success wasdue to the contribution of Network Rail,who had no significant infrastructure issuesacross the network.Maarten Spaargaren, md of Merseyrail,said: “Together with Network Rail we willstrive to continue to provide the same topclass experience for all our passengers.”It’s a jungle out there!Grass verges are justbeing left to grow,fumes councillorReport by Natasha YoungPARTS of Southport and Ainsdale are turninginto a jungle as grass verges are being left togrow.That was the claim from Councillor HaydnPreece this week, as he called for the number oftimes that grass verges are trimmed over thesummer months to be reviewed.As Sefton Council’s budget savings for the2012/13 financial year were set in March,councillors agreed to cut back on themaintenance of grass verges, but the Ainsdaleward Liberal Democrat has now described thecurrent situation as ‘impractical.’He told the Champion: “Ainsdale for one isturning into a grass verge jungle. OurTravel News UpdatePlanned changes between01 - 07 July 2012Our weekly Travel News Update helps keep you in touch with planned changesto Merseyside’s buses, trains, Mersey Ferries and Mersey Tunnels.Planned changes to bus servicesThere are no planned changes taking place to bus services in Formby orSouthport this week.Buses are sometimes diverted due to roadworks. Visit the Buses Alerts section of ourwebsite for details.Planned changes to Merseyrail servicesNorthern Line: there are no planned changes affecting Northern Line trains this weekLiverpool Central is currently closed to passengers. For more information about the closure,please visit www.loveliverpoolcentral.com or call Traveline on 0871 200 22 33.Cllr Preece calls for review of grass verge cuts.overgrown grass verges are symbolic of therushed through Westminster driven cuts thatcouncils especially in the north were forced toimplement on an impossible timetable. Whatlooked effective on an accountants calculator isnot practical at grass roots level!”Cllr Preece said he had been ‘deluged’ withcomplaints about Ainsdale and also voicedconcerns over verges nearer to Southport towncentre with events such as the flower showlooming. And in other parts of the borough it’sthe same story.He added: “St Pauls Square is a case in point,alovelyareaoffLordStreetlookingtotallyabandoned. With our world famous flowershow just weeks away and the town regularcontenders for Britain in Bloom, we must act toensure Southport retains its uniqueness.“With financial cuts sadly inevitable in allareas and contracts tightened to an impracticalone cut every four to six weeks, we need toreview the summer months. Wear and tear onthe mowers will increase dramatically and thetime required to cut areas will increase.Tell us what you think!editor@champnews.comWest Lancashire’s IndependentMerc SpecialistsCode NA“If we cannot change the contract then let’screate a shadow team for job creation or workexperience bringing back the cutting to twicein a month in the summer. With the weatherwe have had this dreadful summer, weeds haveproliferated to unmanageable numbers and onexisting contracts the situation will worsen.”AspokesmanforSeftonCouncilsaid:“Thenumber of times that grass verges are cut wasagreed by councillors in March 2012 as thecouncil strove to meet £64 million inGovernment savings over three years.“The revised service sees verges mowedeight times between early spring and autumn.“Of course this has coincided with anunusually wet summer which makes grassgrow quicker while also causing sometechnical challenges for the contractor.“We will look at any suggestions raisedby Cllr Preece although, as with anythingwhich may have a financial consequence, thiswould need to be set in the context of thecouncil having to find even further savingsover the next two years.”PRESTIGE CAR SERVICINGON ALL MAKES AND MODELSServicing, Repairs, MoT’s arrangedon all Marques including fulldiagnostic facility availableWith over 30 years Main Dealerexperience specialising in prestige motorvehicle maintenanceWE USE GENUINE MANUFACTURERSPARTS AND LUBRICANTS ANDAS SUCH WILL NOT AFFECTMANUFACTURERS WARRANTYFree collection and delivery serviceavailable upon request.BMW1110253Tel: 01704 896161Mob: 07771 701 356Unit 3, Telletholme Trading Estate,Tollgate Road, Burscough, Ormskirk, L40 8TFwww.mscprestigegarage.com1100544Liver Beds WarehouseStockists ofWAS NOW ONLY£379.99 £259.994’6 Memory Foam Divanwith 2 Drawers plus 4’6 Flat (15”) H/BBeige, Black or Brown Faux SuedePic & headboards arefor illustration only4’6 Storage Divanwith Quilted MattressWAS NOW ONLY£379.99 £179.99WAS NOW ONLY£329.99 £229.994’6 Silver & Black Framewith 4’6” 9” Deep Damask MattressWAS NOW ONLY£349.99 £199.994’6 Faux Leather Framewith 9” Deep Luxury Damask Mattress4’6 DamaskLuxury DivanWAS NOW ONLY£279.99 £139.994’6 Faye Divanwith 4 Jumbo Drawersplus 10” Deep MattressWAS NOW ONLY£339.99 £239.99100’s of beds on display at our showroom, all top names stocked • C.O.D. Welcome • Open 7 Days a WeekTEL: 0151 286 7272 www.liverbeds.comUnit E1, Liver Ind Estate, Long Lane, Aintree (Next to Taskers The Home Store) *Headboards extra with Divans PLUS LOTSMORE INSTORE!1108436
The Champion • Wednesday 27 June 2012Man arrestedafter cannabisplants seizedA 50–YEAR–old man was arrested after 36cannabis plants were found at his Birkdalebusiness last week.Neighbourhood police officers arrested theman on suspicion of cannabis cultivationafter the plants were seized from theBirkdale Trading Estate unit last Wednesday(June 20) afternoon.The officers were acting on informationfrom the public that cannabis was beinggrown in the area, and carried out searchesbefore locating the unit due to the strongsmell.Once inside they found the 36 plants aswell as two tents erected to grow them in,and other hydroponic equipment. The50–year–old was arrested at the scene andtaken to Southport police station forquestioning. He was later released on policebail pending further enquiries.The plants have been seized for forensicexamination and destruction.Merseyside Police’s Ainsdale and Birkdaleneighbourhood inspector, Jim Atherton,said: “This was an excellent piece of policework. My officers were acting oninformation from the community that therewas a strong smell of cannabis in the areaand after a thorough search, trace the smellback to source. It just goes to show howuseful information from the public can beand the action we can take against criminalactivity as a result.”Call 101 to report any suspicious orcriminal activity in Formby, Ainsdale andBirkdale or the neighbourhood team on0151 777 4142.PASTOR Pete Cunningham became thelatest Southport resident to shine as hecarried the Olympic flame.The 70–year–old refused to let Friday’s(June 22) heavy downpour ruin his momentof glory as he boarded the BlackpoolTramway with the torch during day 35 of theLondon 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.Pastor Pete was selected for the honourthrough the Lloyds TSB bank, in recognitionof the work he has done in housing homelesspeople across the UK through his GreenPastures charity. (See also story on page 5)Meanwhile, the Royal British Legion islooking for torchbearers from Southport toappear on its float during this Saturday’s(June 30) carnival parade through theresort. You can call 01704 546064 for moreinformation.Katie Price in SouthportPastor Pete carriesOlympic flameRECOMMENDATIONS to givesome elected members in Sefton aAvailable for freedownload now atchampnews.comstaggering 67% rise in allowanceshave been rejected by councillors.As reported on the front of lastweek’s Champion, the borough’sIndependent RemunerationPanel had put forward plans to“simplify” Sefton Council’sMembers’ Allowance Schemewith a new three–band SpecialResponsibility Allowance (SRA)SCELEBRITY Katie Price kept her hordes of fanswaiting when she visited Southport.Shoppers queued for serveral hours outsideVisit us @ www.ChampNews.com • 3Katie’s visit causes quite a stir!Crowds line up to see the celebritysystem. Under the new schemethough, councillors chairing thefour overview and scrutinycommittees and the chair of theaudit committee would have beenin line to see their SRA rise from£4,260 to £12,780.So when added to their basiccouncillor allowance of £8,520they would go from receiving atotal of £12,780 to £21,300.Chairs of the planning andlicensing committees would alsoreceive a 25% boost to their pay ifthe recommendations wentahead as their total allowanceswould increase from £17,040 to£21,300.The recommendations wereblasted as “bonkers” by LiberalDemocrat councillor SimonShaw, who also said theChapel Street’s WH Smith store on Sunday forachancetomeetthestarasshesignedcopiesofher latest novel, ‘In the Name of Love.’Common sense prevails ashuge pay rises are rejectedReport byNatasha YoungDo you fancy a nibble at Tappers?SOUTHPORT’S Fancy a NibbleCake Club is up and running.The new group, which meets atTappers on Union street on thelast Monday of every month, iscalling on anyone with an‘Bonkers’ recommendations togive five councillors a whopping67% increase are rejectedenthusiasm for creating cakes tobake something and bring it,along with the recipe, to sharewith fellow bakers.The club’s next meeting will takeplace on July 23 at 7pm.UPTOIndependent RemunerationPanel needed to “think again”about proposing the massive payincreases.But when the panel’srecommendations were discussedat last Thursday’s cabinetmeeting, councillors refused totake them forward.The Labour cabinet members,lead by leader Councillor PeterDowd, instead called for theallowances to be frozen at lastyear’s levels.Afinaldecisionwillbemadeatthe next full council meeting onJuly 5.natasha.young@champnews.comSPECIALS25% OFFSelected road bikesSupport to live your life...the way YOU want to• Approved by Sefton MBC• Local to you• Over 16 yrs experience1107373NOW IN STOCKCLOTHINGFLEXI-HELP available:Home-based care2 hours a weekfrom only £24“ The carers make my day - everyday...”73 Liverpool Road, Crosby L23 5SETel: 0151 924 1999 • info@warrencare.co.ukwww.warrencare.co.uk1108340Call our team on: 01695 574 201Or email us: info@dphlaw.co.uk2012 ORBEA ORCA WAS £1899 NOW £15202011 SCOTT CRI TEAM WAS £1800 NOW £13502012 SCOTT CRI COMP WAS £1599 NOW £135088-94 Church Road, Formby, Liverpool L37 3NQTelephone: 01704 8701851110214
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