THE CAT CAME BACK!
Phoebe returned to owners 20 years on
A MISSING cat has been reunited with its owner after 20 years.
Phoebe, a tabby, vanished from her home when she was just two years old, in 2001.
Devastated owner Christine Ball posted leaflets around the area and knocked on doors, but gave up hope of ever seeing her pet again.
But last week, Christine was left ‘gobsmacked’ when she got a phone call from the RSPCA to tell her Phoebe had been found – seven miles away from her home.
A woman had discovered the cat alone in a field in Bridgemere and took the elderly pet to the RSPCA’S Stapeley Grange Animal Centre.
Staff at the centre found that Phoebe was microchipped and had actually been adopted from Stapeley when she was a kitten.
They were amazed to find she was now aged 22, having been missing for 20 years. And incredibly, they were also able to trace owner Christine.
However, Phoebe was cold and wet when she was discovered and was later sent for veterinary care due to concerns about her health.
She spent two days at home with
Christine where she was given plenty of love by her original owners, but as she was having fits, and had a brain tumour, she had to be put to sleep.
Christine said she was grateful that the RSPCA were able to trace her in time to say goodbye to her pet.
The 59-year-old, of Nantwich, said: “We were absolutely gobsmacked when we got a phone call to say they
had found Phoebe. She went missing when she was just two – we think someone took her and she somehow got lost – because she always stayed close to home.
“We went looking for her with neighbours and posted leaflets all those years ago but to no avail.
“The vet said she wouldn’t have survived 20 years as a stray and we think someone probably took her in and cared for her as their pet.
“It was sad that we found her and so soon afterwards we had to let her go - but it was nice to have some time with her especially as she really needed comforting during her hour of need.
“It did bring some closure to us and we are grateful she lived to such a ripe age – someone else must have really looked after her well.”
A SINKHOLE has appeared on a city street – sparking fears a child could fall down the hole.
The ‘nine foot deep’ defect – on Smithpool Road, Fenton – now has barriers around it and is being investigated by Severn Trent Water.
Resident Fred Curry has been trying to get hold of either the city council or Severn Trent to find out whose responsibility it is to fix.
The 69-year-old is concerned a child could fall into the hole while they are out playing.
He said: “It’s about nine foot deep now! I can’t get through to the council on the phone, I’ve tried to get hold of my MP, all I’m getting is answering machines.
“It’s been a week since anyone looked at it and I don’t know who will be responsible for it, whether it’s the council or the water board, but something needs to be done about it. If a child falls down there, it’ll be trouble.
“It’s great that they’ve spent all that money on the cenotaph but you’ve got a big hole in the road. All the tarmac has given way now. Something wants doing about it because it’s dangerous.”
A Severn Trent spokesperson said: “We’re currently investigating our sewer network on Smithpool Road, to check for any issues or defects that may have contributed to the issue on the road.
“If any problems are found, it will be our priority to fix it, and make sure everything is back to normal as quickly as possible.”
FRUSTRATED families have spoken out after council road repairs left their street ‘looking a mess’.
The residents of Barbrook Avenue, in Meir Hay, were asked to move their vehicles ahead of the improvements, which were scheduled to be carried out on Friday and Saturday last week.
But they say the work had been finished by 2pm on Friday, and the workmen only returned the following day to remove the signs.
They say their grids are now a mess, the road is uneven and multi-coloured, and tarmac has ended up on a resident’s white car.
Now they want Stoke-on-trent City Council to send workmen back to the street.
Lee Davies, aged 46, said: “It just looks a mess now, the road was better how it was before, it only had a few little potholes that needed doing. They would have been better just filling those in.”
Neighbour Angela Lakin says the workmen came back on Tuesday to dig up the manholes after they tarmacked over them. Cones have been left in the middle of the road.
The 53-year-old said: “They started the work early on Friday and then didn’t do anything else on Saturday.
“When they didn’t come back the next day we were shocked as we thought they would come back and do another layer.
“Usually when a road is resurfaced it looks nice and smooth, but it’s all a mess.
“It looks worse now than before they started. We had a few potholes, but it didn’t look this messy.
“My neighbour also told me that his white car got tarmac sprayed on it.
“We pay our council tax, which is going up, to be left with an unfinished road.”
The council says residents have ‘nothing to be concerned about’.
Councillor Daniel Jellyman, cabinet member for infrastructure, said: “We are carrying out one of the biggestever sustained investments in the city’s road network, with £35 million being spent up to 2024.
“Every road we resurface is different and while some need complete reconstruction, others, such as Barbrook Avenue, only require a fresh topcoat to prolong the life of the road.
“As the process involves an overlay to the existing surface, all the grids and manholes have to be adjusted to bring them up to the new level.
“This is nothing for the residents to be concerned about and the finishing touches will be completed shortly.
“The colouration difference is a common occurrence during the initial drying period, but over the next couple of weeks it will fully dry out and return to a more normal colour.
“We have not received any reports of damage being caused to vehicles during the work, but I would encourage residents to let us know if this is the case and we can investigate.”