‘Most-bashed bridge’ could be getting an upgrade soon
GROUP PULLS OUT OF LEASE DUE TO CRISIS
MUCH-NEEDED works to upgrade the “most-bashed bridge in Britain” could be taking a step closer.
The railway bridge over the A5 near Dodwells island, in Hinckley, received the title after it was hit by tall vehicles 25 times in a year, or once a fortnight.
Now it has emerged that Highways England (HE) is in discussions with a developer, who is considering filling a planning application for a nearby project, about ways to improve the infamous stretch of road.
A Highways England spokesperson said: “We recognise the importance of this issue and are investigating several ways to prevent further bridge strikes. Improved electronic signage was recently installed on the approaches to the low bridge to increase drivers’ awareness of the risks ahead.
“We are in discussions with a developer whose plans include potentially lowering the carriageway in the vicinity of the A5 bridge.
“Those discussions are continuing but it will ultimately be the decision of the developer whether they wish to submit a formal planning application.
“We will continue to work with our partners to achieve a solution.”
He declined to reveal who the developer is.
In December 2020, a Royal Mail
It really is unbelievable that Highways England has not yet come up with a solution Hinkley councillor David bill
lorry smashed into the bridge, tearing off the entirety of its roof and forcing the road to close. Hinckley county and borough councillor, David Bill, has been calling for improvements to stop the bridge strikes for many years.
He said previously: “Every time this happens it causes disruption to both the rail and road networks and this invariably leads to congestion on the roads through our residential areas.
“When the system is running normally we have come to expect these incidents on a fortnightly basis and it really is unbelievable that Highways England has not yet come up with a solution.”
Dr Luke Evans, MP for Bosworth, asked a question in Parliament to Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, about how improvements to the bridge could be brought forward.
He has also raised the issue with Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, calling for more funding.
A £20-25 million project to widen the stretch of the A5 between Dodwells island and the Longshoot junction is set to begin in 20242025.
TWYCROSS Zoo has launched a fundraising campaign to help protect its future.
The charity is asking supporters to consider adopting some of its animals, or even the whole zoo.
It said while the attraction is closed, food bills alone total tens of thousands of pounds a month and it has had no support from the government’s zoo fund.
Previous schemes saw the zoo’s giraffes lead the way with the most adoptions in 2020, but the zebras were left behind with very few adoptions last year. Three new Adopt our Zoo packages cover more than 500 animals from 100 species.
Each adopter will receive gifts in return, such as an adoption certificate, tickets to the zoo when it reopens and cuddly toys, depending on the package.
Dr Sharon Redrobe, chief executive of Twycross Zoo, said: “We’re very pleased to give the public the chance to adopt our zoo as once again we are reliant on the kind donations of our community to continue
Without funding we are unable to continue our award-winning conservation work Dr Sharon redrobe, chief executive of twycross Zoo
our conservation, education and research missions. “Adopting one of our animals is a great way to engage with the natural world, learn all about the species and directly fund some of the work that goes on at the zoo day to day.
“Some of our adoptions also include tickets to visit the zoo so that, hopefully in the not so distant future, you can visit the animal you adopted and learnt all about during lockdown.
“The government recently extended the application deadline for the zoo fund until the end of February but, sadly, we and many other zoos around the UK are not eligible.
“This is of course a huge shame and is very worrying for the whole industry, as without funding we are unable to continue our award-winning conservation work.”
Adopt our Zoo packages are available for £15 for a starter, £50 standard and £100 premium.
For further information, visit the zoo website at https://twycrosszoo. org.
PLANS to reopen an arson-hit restaurant unit as an Indian eatery have fallen through due to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
The former home of Italian restaurant Rossini, in The Crescent shopping complex, in Hinckley, was to be taken on by award-winning restaurant group, Santhi, which has an outlet in Leicester city centre.
Bosses at Santhi had set out to relaunch the venue offering Sri Lankan and Indian cuisine, with an express menu for people on their lunch break or on their way to the Cineworld cinema, also in The Crescent.
The unit has been shut since March 2019, after a fire destroyed the bar area and caused smoke damage to much of the building.
Terms had been agreed between Santhi and Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, which owns the block where the unit is, with ambitions to reopen the space once it had been refurbished.
But the difficulties of the past year have forced Santhi to back out of the venture.
Food At Best (FAB), another restaurant which was based in the same block of The Crescent, closed its doors at the end of 2020, after being badly hit by
Given the uncertainty of the last year, Santhi decided that they were unable to progress the lease Council spokeswoman
the coronavirus restrictions.
A spokeswoman for Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, said: “Unfortunately, given the uncertainty of the last year, Santhi decided that they were unable to progress the lease of C6 (the former unit). “Economic pressure on Food At Best Limited, in C9, particularly with the limiting conditions imposed due to Covid, crystalised their decision to cease trading at the end of last year.
Rossini
“We have invited Ward Surveyors to market these units on our behalf.”
Another former eatery in The Crescent which has yet to be taken on again is the former Louisianna Chicken outlet, which closed in June 2018 just three months after it opened.
The New Orleans-inspired restaurant was launched by former Apprentice star Joanna Kirk.
“SLEEP – how much we get on average each night and quality (the fewer awakenings during the night is considered good) – also affects your immune system and has been shown to influence your risk of developing an infection when exposed to a respiratory virus.
“People least likely to develop infections are those who get more than seven hours sleep each night, and are asleep for over 95 per cent of the time after lights out at bedtime until morning.
“There are a number of things you can do to help you get a good night’s sleep, including having a regular time for going to bed and waking up, relaxing before bedtime, having a dark, quiet, warm sleeping environment (not too warm though, a bedroom temperature of 15-19C is usually best for sleeping well) and a comfortable bed with an appropriate duvet tog rating for the time of year and cotton sheets.
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