WALKABOUT - 8th JANUARY 2011

Cllrs Harry Grayson and Ken Moss have undertaken their first walkabout of 2011 with Rishton resident Clare Cleary and noted several issues around the village.  Reports will be sent to Hyndburn Borough Council within the next few days and problems are usually dealt with in under a week.  Several areas of Rishton are still to be inspected but notes were taken this morning on the following:

• Fielding Street - No 20 boarded up for some time and unsightly
• Cliff Street - flytipping in alley
• Stourton Street - blocked storm drain in alley
• Brook Street - guttering dumped behind No 58
• Brook Street - plasterwork frozen off by frost damage
• Spring Street - flytipping in alleyway
• Spring Street - blocked storm drain in alley
• Spring Street - burglar alarm going off at derelict No 84

• Bridgefield Close - blocked and broken storm drain
• Bridge Street - blocked storm drain
• Bridge Street - road on crescent too narrow for wagons
• Edward Street - alleyway in need of general cleaning
• Noble Street - flytipping in alley
• High Street - flytipping behind doctor's surgery

• High Street - five bins requiring collection behind disused shop
• Shuttleworth Street - overturned bin full of hardcore and rubble
• Spring Street - tyres and rubble behind derelicts
• Bridge Street - grit bin removed from top of street

Other issues which have reoccurred include the scrap cars parked at the top of Walmsley Street.  Several residents groups have registered concern with the councillors about the potential safety hazard of so many cars being parked full of fuel and complaints have also been received from businesses in the area.  The person responsible operates in Oswaldtwistle and has rented small spaces from local landowners for storage but it is now causing problems and he agreed to move all the cars by mid-December following a meeting with Harry Grayson and Ken Moss.  Regrettably, this promise has not been honoured and the situation will now be handled in a more formal way by the Environmental Health department of Hyndburn Borough Council.

Complaints are also being made once again about the parking behaviour of parents and visitors to Norden High School on Stourton Street.  Reports have been made regarding verbal abuse to residents, dangerous parking and the difficulties being faced by bus drivers who simply cannot manoeuvre their vehicles through thoughtless parking by parents.  A letter will be written to headmaster Bob Flood to ask that parents are urged to be more mindful when collecting children and Lancashire County Council will be contacted to request double yellow lines on street corners in the area.