There is no need to get up early
YESTERDAY our household waste recycling centres opened back up after several weeks of closure because of Covid-19 restrictions.
Thousands of residents booked appointments to visit over the course of this week, and despite some early teething problems due to the volume of visitors to our website last Thursday morning, the new booking system worked well.
A new week’s worth of slots will be released tomorrow morning, but there’s no need to set your alarm and get up early to book as there will likely be slots available to book throughout the day. Last week, the slots for Trostre and Wernddu were available for most of the day, and the availability of slots at Nantycaws and Whitland lasted over the weekend.
As essential travel restrictions are still in place, we’re asking people only to book and visit our recycling centres if you have waste that is causing a hazard. If you can safely keep items at home, we ask that you do as that will help us during introduction of the appointment system.
We’re also working hard behind the scenes to plan and prepare for the return of other council services, starting with our libraries. We’re also getting back to work in areas including highways maintenance to ensure our roads and cycleways are safe.
We continue to follow national guidance, and in the meantime remind people that Wales is still in lockdown with restrictions in place, so please heed the advice.
THE classic British sitcom “Steptoe and Son” depicted rag’n’bone man Harold Steptoe’s (Harry H Corbett) aspirations of bettering himself constantly being trampled on by his selfish old dad, Albert (Wilfred Brambell).
Galton and Simpson wrote 57 cracking shows, but one particular 1972 episode is a fan favourite.
In “Divided We Stand”, Harold’s ambition to re-decorate their house with wallpaper “Like they have in Blenheim Palace” is thwarted by Albert, content with their ancient, anaglypta walls.
Having suffered his dad’s stubbornness for years, Harold builds a partition right down the middle of every room in the house and re-decorates “his” side, much to Albert’s annoyance.
Boundary Lane in Saltney, Flintshire, is similarly split down the middle like the Steptoes’ residence in Oil Drum Lane.
One side of the lane in Flintshire is in Wales and the other side is in England!
Whoever created boundaries back in the day must have had a weird sense of humour.
Up until now it’s not been a problem, but . . . because the Welsh Parliament has taken a different approach to the lockdown to the English Parliament, it’s led to the frustrating situation where residents on the English side of Boundary Lane currently have more freedom than their neighbours on the Welsh side, just a matter of yards away.
People on the
English side can sunbathe, travel to destinations and play with people from the household.
They can also pop over to Wales and shop in their local Morrisons. other sport same
I’m obliged to say, other supermarkets are available – though I’m not sure they are in Saltney.
Residents on Boundary Lane’s Welsh side aren’t allowed to leave Wales to exercise and have been storing their rubbish for weeks because their nearest Welsh recycling centre isn’t open.
Those living across the road are having theirs taken away regularly because the nearest English recycling centre has never closed.
When deciding to take a different approach to the English Parliament, you’d think the Cardiff Bay leadership might have considered that, with so many towns and villages situated along our 160-mile border, a ridiculous situation like this might arise.
Or am I asking too much?
You can follow Phil Evans on Twitter @philevanswales or visit www.philevans.co.uk