Invasion of the edible dormice
by Victoria West
victoria.west@ccnltd.com
A BOOM in numbers of Tring's infamous glis glis has seen pest control experts over-run with calls from residents whose homes have been invaded by the rodent.
Call-outs hit a record high this week with around 12 calls in a day from concerned residents asking for help.
In one case environmental services officer Michael Watkinson said 20 dormice had been collected from a house in Wigginton, near Tring.
The edible dormouse is renowned for causing damage by gnawing through electric cables in lofts and keeping people awake as they scurry around at night.
Pest control experts at Dacorum Borough Council have had an influx of calls from people with suspected infestations of the creatures.
Over the years pest control workers have seen a steady increase in the numbers of glis glis they have captured in homes and this year they are having to make more repeat visits to homes where there has been more than one.
The borough council faces the same problem every year as the dormouse searches for a place to spend the winter months causing mayhem in homes.
The glis glis is expected to go into hibernation during October but could be around for longer this year because of the warmer than usual weather - the Met Office recently announced that Britain has seen the longest summer since records began.
Mr Watkinson said: “Their hibernation is weather dependent, they usually go into hibernation after the first couple of frosts of the winter, so if winter is late, we would expect their hibernation to also be later.”
The glis glis can fit through tiny holes and run up pipes making it very difficult to safeguard your home against the pest.
However, Dacorum Borough Council recommends that homeowners block up any holes and pest controllers say fitting a fine wire mesh under the eaves of a house could help block out the dormouse.
Mr Watkinson said: “They have been known to get into all sorts of places, some residents that we've dealt with have told us that they have found them eating cereal and fruit in the pantry or on work surfaces in the kitchen.
“One resident woke up to a glis glis on their pillow staring at them and another was found in the toilet, unable to get out.”
The dormouse is a native of Continental Europe but was introduced into this country when Walter Rothschild released several into the wild from his mansion home in Tring Park.
The second Baron Rothschild was well known for his eccentric ways and kept livestock in the grounds of Tring Park including zebra, a tame wolf, a dingo, kangaroos and giant tortoises.
His collection of wildlife can still be seen at the Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum in Akeman Street, Tring. The museum was a gift on his 21st birthday from his father.
Since its release into the wild the glis glis has spread and bred, producing up to 11 offspring in one litter.
At the moment the notorious dormouse is mainly confined to the Chilterns within a radius of 25 miles from Tring but it is slowly expanding its range. The current population is estimated to be around 10,000.
The rodent is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is illegal to trap the dormouse unless a special licence is obtained.
Dacorum Borough Council has a licence but can only deal with the rodents once they have entered a home.
Pest controllers use wire cages with apple inside to lure and trap the glis glis which is then destroyed.
If you have a problem with glis glis in your home contact Environment Health on 01442 228488 or email environmental.health@dacorum.gov.uk Have you got a glis glis problem? Call Victoria West on 01442 262311 or email editorial@hemelgazette.co.uk .
Fly-post blitz bags 100 illegal street ads
Warnings after clean-up but offenders face fines in future by Georgia Anderson
georgia.anderson@ccnltd.com
ILLEGAL advertisers came unstuck last week when more than 100 posters were removed from Dacorum's streets in just one day.
The adverts were taken down from fly-posting hot spots in Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted and Tring on Thursday and companies identified from the posters will receive warnings that future fly-posting will land them with a prosecution.
A number of sites that frequently display illegal adverts on railings, streetlamps and the highway verge were attended by Dacorum Borough Council's streetcare officers, who removed 230kg of poster material.
Head of public protection for the council, John Clarke said: “Fly-posting is illegal and can make Dacorum look untidy and uncared for. The council is working hard towards making residents feel happy that Dacorum is clean and safe. Fly-posting spoils the area for everyone.”
Advertising on the highway requires the permission of the owner, in this case Hertfordshire Highways, as well as advertisement consent from Dacorum Borough Council and offenders can face a fine of £2,500 plus £250 for each day the advert is displayed.
Planning enforcement officer Rob Egan said: “Dacorum Borough Council will not tolerate fly-posting and will take action to remove any offending adverts.
“Today has been a great success and we intend to carry out this action again in the future”.
Fly-posting is most commonly sited at main road junctions, with hotspots including the Plough Roundabout in Hemel Hempstead and the A41 junctions throughout Dacorum.
The advertising that was removed will be stored to allow owners to reclaim them. If they are not reclaimed within seven days they will be destroyed.
Housing group move
A REVIEW could prompt William Sutton Housing Association to move from its Tring base after merging with another housing firm.
William Sutton joined with The Affinity Homes Group on October 1 to form Affinity Sutton Group and the option to move out of the Sutton Court offices follows a review of their office accommodation.
Spokesman for Affinity Sutton Wendy Gornicki said: “It has not been finalised. It has not been decided that it is definitely happening. It is just one option.”
William Sutton also has offices in Hemel Hempstead, York and Cheshire. A statement from Affinity Sutton about the plans said: “It is important to stress that whatever decisions are reached, our commitment to providing excellent services to residents will not be affected.”
Staff at the Tring base are being consulted on current and possible future locations.
William Sutton was founded in 1900 after William Richard Sutton, a Victorian entrepreneur left the bulk of his fortune to fund a charitable trust for the provision of model low-rented dwellings for the poor of London and other towns.
Mrs Gornicki said: “What we are aiming to do is to offer existing staff alternative employment within the organisation wherever that is possible, even if that does mean moving to another office.”
TV antiques star attends winter show
TRING's own antiques expert John Bly will be travelling down to the big smoke next month to make a special appearance.
The Antiques Roadshow star will be at the Winter Fine Art and Antiques Fair in London and signing copies of his latest book.
In the publication John Bly's Antiques Masterclass, he reveals the logical and easy-to-follow detective methods needed to find out when an antique item was made.
Mr Bly will be on the British Antique Dealers'
Association stand G20 for one day only on Wednesday, November 8 to sign his books on sale at a specially reduced price of £20.
The fair takes place at London's Olympia.
For tickets and information please call 0870 126 1726 or visit www.olympia-antiques.com
Pub attacker's jail term stays
A WATER sports instructor from Aldbury, jailed for glassing a man in a pub, has failed to get his sentence reduced.
While acknowledging the offence had been ‘completely out of character' London's Criminal Appeal Court concluded Oliver Engel's 12-month jail term was not ‘manifestly excessive'.
Engel, 21, of Malting Lane, was jailed at St Albans Crown Court in August, after being found guilty of the unlawful wounding of Jonathan Aspland-Robinson, who was scarred for life following the assault.
Speaking to The Gazette after Friday's hearing, Engel's father Mr Roger Engel, said: “The judges thought the sentence was appropriate.
“They said a lot of other glassing offenders receive two years or even longer sentences because it is a serious crime.”
On the evening of October 7 last year, Engel had been at an Aldbury pub when he and the victim were involved in a verbal exchange.
“The complainant pushed the appellant, causing him to hit his head on the radiator behind him,” the judge said.
As he fell, Engel struck the other man with the glass he had been holding.
Mr Aspland-Robinson sustained a 10cm-deep laceration, which required internal and external stitching, and is likely to be scarred for life.
The victim said he had to move out of the village following the incident, because of local feeling against him that he had been the cause of the row, the court heard.
Mr Engel said his son, who is currently at Spring Hill Prison, Buckinghamshire, was very disappointed by the outcome, but had not been very hopeful before the appeal hearing as he had spoken to fellow inmates who had been sentenced for similar sentences.
Mr Roger Engel added: “The only other thing left for us to do now is to look to see if we can appeal against the conviction.”
The Engel family is still appealing for witnesses to the pub row to come forward to help with an appeal.
If you can help please contact Roger Engel on 07860 525285.
Bali victims remembered
Ellwood family leads call for law change and compensation
by Victoria West
victoria.west@ccnltd.com
THE BROTHER of an Aldbury man killed in the Bali bombings of October 12, 2002, is still campaigning to win compensation for the victims, four years after the devastating blasts.
Tobias Ellwood's 38-year-old brother Jonathan, a teacher in Vietnam, had travelled to the popular resort on the Indonesian island for a teachers' conference.
He was caught up in the bombings, which tore through a nightclub and bar in the tourist area of Kuta claiming 202 lives.
Tobias Ellwood, a former Dacorum councillor, his wife Hannah and mother Caroline, who still lives in Aldbury, joined hundreds of mourners to see a memorial to the victims unveiled in London on the fourth anniversary last Thursday.
Now the MP for Bournemouth East, Mr Ellwood said: “It is four years since the event and anniversaries of this kind provide mixed feelings – a reminder of loved ones we miss and secondly of the dangerous world we still live in.
“The world is an even more dangerous place and it is a sober reminder of how much there is still to do.”
The memorial opposite St James's Park includes a 5ft high marble globe engraved with 202 doves to represent those who lost their lives and a wall behind lists the names of the victims.
It was commissioned by the UK Bali Victims' Group, of which Mr Ellwood is a member, and is the work of artist Gary Breeze and sculptor Martin Cook - the same people who made Jonathan's gravestone at Aldbury where he is buried.
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were in London to unveil the memorial and led the laying of wreaths.
Jonathan's sister Totty, who wrote a book about the Bali Bombings called The Crystal Spirit: My Bali Diary and dad Peter marked the anniversary in Malaysia where they live.
Since the disaster Mr Ellwood has helped lead campaigners in the fight for compensation for the survivors of the bombings and for the families who lost loved ones.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority does not compensate British victims of terrorist attacks abroad.
Mr Ellwood said: “The Government recognises that there is a loophole and a problem with the system. Terrorism doesn't recognise any borders but our compensation system does.”
Since the Bali bombings the campaign group has helped bring about significant changes in how the Government deals with terrorism abroad.
Better advice is now available from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on travelling abroad and the risk of terrorism and the Government's response to attacks has also improved.
Now when there is an incident of terrorism abroad a special British emergency response team flies out to the site within 24 hours of an attack to help British victims and their families.
He said: “I don't believe we are winning the war on terrorism. I believe the strategy is failing. In fact we have managed to alienate many nations rather than uniting in the battle to combat international terrorism.”
Despite the good work Mr Ellwood said there is still a long way to go in the support of victims of terrorism and the fight against terrorism.
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