From Our Files: No such windfall...timely rewards...foul means, financial gains
50 YEARS AGO
CLOTHING and bed linen headed the list of property taken by Hampshire shoplifters in 1973. The statistics given in the annual report of the Chief Constable Sir Douglas Ormond show that 998 items were stolen and detected.
The other items in the top ten were: provisions (735), Cosmetics (560), tools and equipment (429), toys (344), cigarettes and sweets (282), jewellery (269), books and documents (248), furniture and household effects (243), radios (239).
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THE attitude of insurance companies to damage when trees fall has caused concern to many people following the great gale earlier this year.
Much seems to depend on the companies’ interpretation of the ‘Act of God’ clause in their policies and upon arguments of contributory negligence.
A New Milton girl Miss Julie Hudson has had a claim for £12 personal injuries caused by injuries when a tree fell on a roof rejected by the Sun Alliance and London group on the grounds that the incident was caused by abnormally high winds.
She needed eight stitches when a tree fell on a glass roofed garage she was under but only claimed for the cost of her suede coat.
She said: “I had blood everywhere and my clothes were ruined. I thought I was being very reasonable asking for £12.”
The claim was rejected because “there is no evidence to show the roof was in any way unsafe prior to this incident.
“It was all caused by high winds which our client has no control over.”
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MR BOB THATCHER of Barton and Mr Reg Gale of Sway were presented with watches at the annual dinner of the Hampshire Cattle Breeders’ Association.
Both have been providing a service to local farmers in the area for the last 25 years and during that time have each as artificial inseminators brought about the births of nearly 6,000 heifer calves.
Mr Thatcher who is also a part-time fireman and talented artist has been asked to do a painting for the association’s board room at Lyndhurst.
25 YEARS AGO
NEW MILTON under-7s rugby team travelled to Basingstoke for the county tournament against 17 teams full of confidence after winning the North Dorset and the New Milton tournaments with a playing record of played 17 won 17.
Despite the miserable weather all the proud parents had a great day and look forward to the Camberley Festival where New Milton Under-7s will play against top London rugby teams.
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DOG owners who fail to clean up after their pets are facing fixed penalty notices from New Forest District Council’s patrolling dog wardens who are now out and about enforcing new dog fouling laws.
Dog warden Neil Burton said: “Anyone who has ever trodden in dog faeces knows just how smelly, messy and unpleasant it is. Would you believe that about 1,000 tons of dog faeces are deposited on Britain’s streets and public parks every day?”
The new legislation gives anyone with a fixed penalty notice 14 days to pay the fine. After this the council will take court action against the offender which could result in a fine of up to £1,000.
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FIVE tortoises were stolen from a garden in Hordle on Saturday night. Sylvia Searle of Cherry Tree Court kept her five pets in a pen at the bottom of her garden.
She woke on Monday morning to find the greenhouse door and the pen door open and there was no sign of the tortoises.
To buy a tortoise today would cost over £100 as they are a protected species and reputable pet shops will only buy one if it has a Department of the Environment license.
Mrs Searle has owned her tortoises for nearly 30 years, two are over 60 years old. She is offering a £200 reward for their return.
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IN the region of 15,000 people camped out in the New Forest over the Easter weekend bringing about 4,300 caravans and completely filling the 17 Forestry Commission campsites.
