COMMENT Kevin Osborne, who has called on EDF to reveal its hushed-up findings to the public in the week the repaired blade has returned to the Park Spring Road site. He’s right – if anything’s a matter of public interest, particularly to the workers who

EDF’s arrival at a site between Grimethorpe and Great Houghton in 2015 was hailed as a huge step forward in the regeneration of a part of Barnsley that’s been hit hard since pit closures.

It’s one of Barnsley’s worst-off areas for fuel poverty, foodbank reliance, benefit claimants and unemployment – so the arrival of a three-turbine wind farm which had the ability to power up to 5,000 homes – while offering surplus to community causes – was a real win.

But in March 2021, one turbine’s giant blade dislodged and plummeted to the ground, shattering into dozens of pieces on the fields below, with some remnants spreading as far as 200 metres onto a footpath used by ASOS workers on a daily basis.

Since then the wind farm’s been dormant, the damaged blade has been removed and investigations have been carried out by EDF’s engineers to ascertain its cause.

However, only a select few people know about that – because they don’t have to submit the reasoning to the public.

It’s something that still irks Coun way to Park Spring Road, travelling from the A1 through Marr, Hickleton and Goldthorpe, escorted by South Yorkshire Police, followed by the remaining load on Tuesday.

It’ll be replaced onto the structure in the coming weeks – let’s hope

EDF see sense and fill in the missing gaps.

ANOTHER week, another tale about the police’s woes and their failure to crack down on extremely serious matters.

This time, reports of domestic abuse which have rocketed in the last three months.

People are growing tired of South Yorkshire Police’s promises to act on those who commit burglaries, continually engage in antisocial behaviour, and indulge in more serious issues such as domestic abuse. They’re tired of hearing about new recruits to the force, promises to invest more cash into stations, because they seemingly can’t be making a difference, given crime rates don’t seem to be reducing.

It’s becoming nothing more than white noise.

Real action is needed. And it’s needed now.