From our Files: ‘Duck pond’ hole...walkout over site damage...‘stingy’ parking
50 YEARS AGO
EXTENSIVE damage has been caused to building materials on the large council house development on the North Milton estate.
The worst instance was on Monday night when a section of wall 20 feet long and three feet wide was knocked down.
As a result of this the labour force on that particular job was extremely upset and the men walked off the job.
The clerk of works believed the vandals were aged between five and eight.
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SO far as car parking facilities were concerned Christchurch Council were the “stingiest and greediest” that she had ever come across, said a member of Highcliffe Citizens Association at a meeting this week.
She said: “I think it is absolutely abominable that one can go into a large town and have very fairly arranged parking meter and car parking fees.
“You can go to Lyndhurst and park for free. You can park for free in Ringwood and yet in Christchurch you get one hour in the town.
“You go down to the cliff and you can’t sit there for longer than five minutes for free.”
Members greeted these comments with enthusiastic applause.
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THE 50 mph speed limit had a “dramatic effect on the road accident situation”, says Hampshire Constabulary’s report on road accidents for the October – December quarter of 1973.
During December accidents were 19% fewer and casualties fell by nearly 27%.
But the reports warns: “One must first consider that it was introduced not as a road safety measure, but as a means of conserving energy.
“Most drivers are prepared to observe it only on those grounds, regarding it as purely a temporary measure.
“If it were to be made a permanent feature of our roads it is doubtful whether drivers would continue to observe it.”
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LYNDHURST Youth Centre’s girl’s football team have won through to the county youth club finals.
The qualifying matches were the first the girls had played together.
25 YEARS AGO
GLADIATOR Fox received a rapturous welcome from children at Barton-on-Sea school when she opened a new facility last week.
The TV star, alias Tammy Baker, cut the ribbon at Durlston Court School’ opening of their pre-prep facilities.
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A WOOTTON family, fed up with looking out on a three feet hole full of water, put up a sign advertising it for sale as a duck pond or grave.
Joan and Jean Lockyer also threw in some plastic ducks. The 4ft 6in by 3ft hole has been outside in Tiptoe Road for two months after Transco had investigated a gas leak.
Knackerman John said he was so frustrated waiting for the hole to be filled in he had decided to advertise it for sale.
But shortly afterwards Transco workmen arrived to remove the ‘For Sale’ sign and the ducks.
Mr Lockyer said: “I think they saw the joke but I don’t think their bosses did.”
The hole has now been filled.
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ONE of New Milton’s town council’s Becton ward councillors has hit out at plans to build rooms in the roof of a bungalow in the road where she lives.
Neighbours want to create rooms with a dormer window in Becton Lane but the councillor said it would “cause a great deal of stress to people all around” because of fears of overlooking.
She said: “It's neighbourly unfriendly” adding that it would put an end to “birthday suit sun worshipping.”
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“THIS will be the culmination of ten years work by a great many people who have put in so much effort,” said curator Steven Marshall as at long last the opening of St Barbe’s Museum in Lymington took place.
Utilising what was once the old Church of England school the principal museum area once comprised of ‘Willy’ Workman’s and ‘Fanny’ Shepherd’s classrooms.
Headmaster Mr Smith’s study where the thrash of the cane could once be heard now houses fifteen theme displays.
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AN outright ban on genetically modified food (GM) in Hampshire’s schools and social services establishments is not practicable at present the County Council declared.
It says that this is because scientific tests are not sufficiently reliable not all GM free food is labelled and it is not certain that current UK supplies of GM-free food would be sufficient to meet the authority’s requirements to produce a nutritionally balanced meal.
