Council acts on illegal ‘zigzag’ parking

PARKING outside Tring School is so dangerous that Herts County Council is seeking a special traffic order to enforce safety restrictions.
Council bosses have taken the step because zigzag lines painted outside the school are being ignored by motorists.
Under new laws introduced in 2002, Herts County Council can apply to make sure zigzag lines are enforced by traffic wardens outside specific schools.
A Herts County Council spokesman said: “At the moment we are in the process of trying to get a traffic regulation order outside Tring School.
“We really depend on people not parking on the lines because it is a danger for children coming in and out of school.
“Obviously as it is a bit of a problem outside Tring School we are in the process of applying for a traffic order.”
Herts County Council is also looking at the possibility of other parking restrictions along Mortimer Hill.
Many office workers from the town centre leave their cars parked in the road all day to avoid paying parking fees in the car parks. Cars line the road, causing traffic chaos at school pick-up and drop-off times.
Coaches also sometimes have to mount the pavement to get past oncoming traffic.
One Tring mum fears a child could be knocked  down and even killed on the busy road if the problem is not solved.
Julie Young, who lives in Mortimer Hill, blames office workers for clogging up the busy street.
She said: “It is only a matter of time before a child gets hurt. Every afternoon I watch coaches coming up the hill and they have to mount the pavement to get past oncoming cars.”
Six months ago her daughter had to stand on a bench to avoid a coach driving partly on the pavement. Mrs Young said she does not blame the coach drivers.
She said: “It is only since they introduced parking charges in the town that it has been a problem. All we need is some sort of intermittent parking restriction.”

First of three controversial mansions sold

THE first of three controversial ‘millionaire mansions’, has been sold by the couple, who bought it brand new two years ago.
The luxurious home is part of the private High Grove development in Tring, made up of three plush mansions - billed as the finest homes to be built locally since the Rothschilds.
The development in Grove Road faced opposition from residents, who thought the plot of land could have been better used for affordable housing.
This is the first sale since families took up residence following the completion of the deluxe buildings. Each mansion sold for £1.5million in 2004.
The six-bedroom property was snapped up by a wealthy couple from outside the area within a fortnight of it going on the market.
The sale was agreed close to the asking price of £1.47 million, say estate agents Aitchisons.
Director of the country house department at Aitchisons, Clive Mosson, said: “It was the first of the three to be built and the first to be sold.
“The couple who are buying it had been looking for a while and had not seen anything that compared to it, so they snapped it up.”
The mansion, which was put on the market in January, has under-floor heating, six bathrooms, granite work surfaces and built-in appliances in the kitchen, marble fireplaces and an orangery - a type of glass conservatory.
The three giant houses were built by Gowland Developments, who specialise in superior, luxury homes.
Mr Mosson said: “The builders set out to build three mansion houses, emulating the grandeur of a Georgian mansion.
“The construction is superior to other houses.
“They are superb houses, you can’t buy any others like them.
“They are built to such a high standard they are easy to sell. Obviously you have to find somebody who has the money, but they do represent excellent value because of the exceptional space and because they are such good quality,” he claimed.

Top referee is up for the cup

TRING referee Graham Poll has been hand-picked to join 22 other refs for this year’s World Cup in Germany.
It will be the second time the 42-year-old official has been chosen to take part in the international football tournament, held every four years. He was one of the referees during the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup.
FIFA officials have been evaluating the performances of 44 prospective refs during the last 18 months and announced their chosen officials on Friday,March 31.
Graham Poll will be the only English referee taking part in the World Cup, which starts in June.

Poll told Sky Sports: “I am absolutely delighted to be on the list of 23.
“Not many get to any World Cup, so to go to a second is clearly a really nice endorsement of Fifa's belief in me as a referee.
"Since January 2005 when the initial 46 were selected, we have been going through various tests: refereeing games, mental and physical and eyesight tests.
"These were confirmed last week and we then went through psychological profiling and medical checks. We did the fitness test last Friday, which was the last one, and the nerves were jangling. I am pleased to say I passed.”

Time to help brave trekkers

TWO dedicated fundraisers have set off on a gruelling trek in aid of the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home.
Director of nursing at the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, Sue Varvel and the director of the Hospice Lottery
Marion Bryant left to walk the Inca Trail in Peru on Friday, March 31.
They are trekking between six and eight hours a day, for several days, with only basic facilities. The trek from Cusco to Machu Picchu is graded as tough because of its length and altitude.
The duo have pledged to raise more than £7,000 for the charity and will return from their trek on Tuesday, April 11.
To sponsor their trek contact Louise Breen at the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home on 01442 890222 or visit http://justgiving.co.uk/suevarvel

Group to meet hostel chiefs

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save Ivinghoe’s threatened youth hostel will meet with bosses from the Youth Hostel Association later this month.
Buckinghamshire County Councillor and district councillor Avril Davies along with other campaigners will face chiefs from the YHA on Thursday, April 20.
Cllr Davies requested the meeting following an emergency village meeting after the YHA announced it is to close the hostel as part of cost cuts.
Operations director from the YHA, Mark Farmer and regional manager for London and the South East, Caroline Sier will meet with those opposing the closure.
The YHA announced in February that it is to close 32 of its least popular sites to save thousands of pounds in upgrading costs. Closures could begin as early as October and will be spread over three years. The meeting will be held at Ivinghoe Town Hall from 6pm.

Taste of France comes to Tring

THE FIRST ever French Market will be held at the refurbished Tring Market Place on Sunday, April 9.
Tasty delicacies will be on offer during the special market day, which will run from 10am to 4pm.
Tring Market Place in Brook Street opened in September. It was officially kicked off with the traditional Farmers’ Market and has thrived since.

Bridging loan?

No, it’s a gift... STEP into history and play your part in helping a worthwhile cause by sponsoring a new canal bridge.
The Wendover Arm Trust is giving people the chance to donate cash towards two new footbridges at Drayton Beauchamp as part of their restoration project.
Those who give generously will have a plaque with their name displayed on the bridge for years to come.
The Chilterns Conservation Board has given a donation of £9,900 and will have their own plaque fitted.
Volunteers from The Wendover Arm Trust, a charity that has been working for years to restore the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal, will be constructing the bridges later this month. John Savage from the trust said: “People who make a big contribution will get a plaque on one of the bridge supports. Individuals paying small amounts each get cast-metal plaques put into steps of the bridges. A similar thing has been done elsewhere and we thought it was a nice idea, so we came up with our own scheme.”
The total cost of buying the bridges and installing them is about £30,000. So far local businesses, organisations and individuals have signed up to the Buy a Plank scheme raising about £13,000.  Some people have used it as a memorial to remember a loved one.
Mr Savage said: “The bridges will be there for a very long time. Once they are finished we are going to have an official opening sometime later in the summer.”
There are about 50 steps on each bridge to fill and so far about 40 sponsors have come forward.”
The minimum donation for the scheme is £50.
To find out more contact John Savage on 01442 827702.

Alcohol level shocks coroner, but friends say she was just tipsy

‘Towpath trip into icy canal killed Charlotte’

A YOUNG woman discovered drowned in the Grand Union Canal is thought to have tripped and plunged into the freezing cold water on her way home from the pub, an inquest heard.
Charlotte Louise Corney, 26, had been living with her husband Marcus on the Aster narrow boat at Marsworth for about four years.
An inquest at Amersham heard that she is thought to have fallen into the water while walking home in the early hours of the morning after an evening in the nearby Red Lion pub in Vicarage Road.
Toxicology reports showed that Mrs Corney had 323 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of her blood. The limit for drinking and driving is 80 milligrammes.
Coroner Richard Hulett said: “Figures of more than 300 are associated with sudden death because of overdose of alcohol. By any standards it is a considerable level of alcohol.”
The British Waterways team leader at Marsworth Kevin Hamblin called the police after discovering Mrs Corney’s body floating in the canal close to Lock 38 at about 8.30am on Monday, February 6.
Mrs Corney was last seen alive by the landlords at the Red Lion pub, Michael and Julie Brake, when she left there between 1am and 2am.
A statement from Mr Brake read out by the coroner’s assistant during the inquest on Wednesday, March 29, said: “Charlotte was in the pub in the evening. She had come on her own, which is usual because she knows a lot of people in the pub.
“Charlotte appeared very happy and didn’t appear troubled.
“When she left she appeared to be intoxicated, but still steady on her feet. I would describe her as tipsy not drunk.”
Mrs Corney, who worked at Scorpion Bathrooms in Pitstone, was planning to buy a home with her husband and sell their narrow boat.
She was pulled out of the canal by police divers at 11.46am on Monday, February 6. The temperature of the water at that time was 3.5C and the canal between four and five ft deep.
Mr Hulett said: “In this particular case, also intoxicated, the shock to the system would have been profound and could have prevented the person from saving herself.
“Being plunged into a canal in a dark freezing cold night, the freezing cold water probably did mean she could not save herself and she drown.”
Mr Hulett said Mrs Corney died from drowning and returned a verdict of accidental death.

Youngsters in space race

YOUNGSTERS are keeping active by taking part in sports at Sportspace in Tring and Berkhamsted.
The two centres have more than 200 children doing junior sports courses each week and about 1,000 children taking part weekly in swimming lessons.
The most popular courses are trampolining, micro-football and swimming.
Children can start swimming aged as young as four-months-old and from nine-months-old there’s parent and baby gym courses.
By the age of three children can start football as Micro-football for three and four-year-olds teaches tots basic football skills.
Sportspace is working with Watford Football Club to put on even more courses to meet the demand.
For information on the sports courses available, visit www.sportspace.co.uk

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