Author: admin

LANCASHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

(TENNYSON AVENUE, READ, RIBBLE VALLEY)

(TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF THROUGH TRAFFIC) ORDER 2025

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Lancashire County Council intend to make an Order under Section 14(1) (a) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, as amended, the effect of which will be to temporarily prohibit traffic on the roads set out in this notice.

1. No person shall cause any motor vehicle to proceed over that length of Tennyson Avenue, Read from its junction with George Lane to its junction with Church Street.

• Nothing in this order shall apply to persons engaged in the carrying out of the works.

• The prohibition will be operative from 0800 hours on 26^th January 2026 until 1700 hours on 30^th January 2026 or until completion of the works within this period.  

• Vehicular access for residents will be maintained whenever and wherever possible. Pedestrian access to properties will always be maintained.  Access for emergency services will be maintained. 

• An alternative route for vehicular traffic affected by the closure is via: –

                    George Lane – Whalley Road – Church Street

The temporary prohibition is necessary to allow Network Plus on behalf of Electricity North West to carry out essential works on their assets.

Authority given for this Order to be made:

Amanda Meldrum,

Streetworks Team Leader

Highways Network Management

Highways and Transport

03001236780

[Ref: HRiT/64926/KF]

We’ve launched our second #LancsWinter campaign. It brings together everything Lancashire County Council offers to help residents stay safe, well and supported this winter.

The campaign runs until the end of February. It covers all areas of the council and aims to meet people where they are, providing the information they need.

Themes include:

Winter Ready
Winter Wellbeing
Winter Support
Winter Travel
Winter Fun
Winter Opportunities
Winter Flooding
Winter Gritting
From low-cost festive family fun and Warm Spaces to road safety and self-care, we’ve got it covered.

Visit the campaign webpage: https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/winter

Follow the campaign, share your ideas and tips, and help spread the word. Use the hashtag #LancsWinter to join the conversation.

Locksmith scams  

Locksmith scams often target people in desperate situations, escalating prices and doing unnecessary work.  Be careful if searching for a locksmith online, make sure the locksmith you choose is a known local trades person, not a fake business listing.  Be suspicious if you are quoted an extremely low price over the phone and then are pressurised into making a quick decision for extra work that inflates the cost, or if the locksmith arrives in an unmarked van, typically locksmiths arrive in branded vehicles. 

A Preston resident recently rang a locksmith after searching online, just to enquire about costs, no visit was arranged or work agreed.  A few hours later the locksmith arrived, the customer was out and the locksmith is now demanding a call out fee.   

The Safetrader scheme can help you find a trader in your area, contact 0303 333 1111 or go to www.safetrader.org.uk.  

WhatsApp Gold scam

Beware receiving a WhatsApp message promoting a sham version of the messaging service calling itself ‘WhatsApp Gold’ which supposedly has special features that can be unlocked by clicking a link.  The link may lead to malware being downloaded to your device.  This is a longstanding scam that it is understood may have resurfaced. 

Be cautious of any messages promoting ‘WhatsApp Gold’.  To report the sender on WhatsApp, open the chat, tap on the sender’s contact details and select ‘block and report’.

Insurance review phishing scam

A Burnley resident received a telephone call from a business claiming to be offering advice on life insurance.  The caller knew the residents name and address and requested further personal details including medical information and details of their current provider.  Options available were to be provided by email and then a call back, neither of which came.

Beware receiving an unexpected call or an advert pop up on social media encouraging you to review your life insurance policy.  The fraudsters may claim they are from a reputable insurance company or that they’ve been asked to do this by the regulators – all in a bid to gain your trust.  They may offer lower premiums but not mention your cover will be reduced, or they are simply phishing for personal information. 

Report scam mobile calls by forwarding to 7726, texting the word ‘call’ then the number.  

Contact the Trading Standards Service via the Citizens Advice consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.

Check out our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/StanleyDards/

Report it to Action Fraud via www.actionfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040. 

Read Parish Council would like to advise parish residents to remain cautious of cold-callers and vigilant in locking doors following recent unpleasant incidents of burglary in the area.

Read Village Playground will be closed from 02/10/2025 until 08/10/2025 whilst work is carried out to improve the levelling of the playground surface.

A Read resident has had a poor experience with a driveway cleaning company on Tuesday, the company Moss Expert Cleaning Solutions knocked on at the address stating they had been hired to clean the neighbours drive and did the occupant want theirs doing which they were told no, they then offered to clean a test patch and again were told in no uncertain terms no. The occupants later witnessed the company starting to clean the driveway so went out and challenged them to which the company offered to clean it for half price and again were told no and instructed to rectify what they’d done by cleaning the rest of the drive for free as with one clean patch it looked unsightly and they’d been categorically told not to touch it, unsurprisingly at this point they got back in their van and cleared off. Upon speaking with the neighbours they’d not engaged the services of this company either.

Whilst they haven’t committed a crime I think their sales techniques leave a lot to be desired and I’m sure their pricing structure would be somewhat fluid depending on what they thought they may be able to get out of an individual. Please be mindful when dealing with any door to door salespersons and my best advice would be to only engage the services of individuals you have sought to employ and had personal recommendations for.

Take care

PCSO Katie Ferguson

NEWS RELEASE

Have your say on future of LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN LANCASHIRE

RESIDENTS, businesses and community groups in Ribble Valley are invited to have their say on the future of local government in Lancashire.

Ribble Valley Borough Council could be abolished by 2028 in the biggest shake-up of local government in over 50 years.

Currently, Lancashire County Council provides services such as social care, education, roads and libraries, while district and borough councils manage services such as recycling and refuse collection, planning, housing and leisure.

Unitary authorities in Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen deliver all of their services.

The Government wants to dissolve councils in Lancashire and replace them with single-tier authorities delivering all services.

All of Lancashire’s 15 councils are now working together to develop proposals for what these new authorities might look like.

And they are calling on residents, businesses and community organisations to have their say in a short survey.

Questions include what your experience of council services has been and what you think about the creation of the new unitary authorities, including the benefits and opportunities, as well as concerns.

The answers will help councils shape their proposals, which must be submitted to the Government by November 28.

Ribble Valley Borough Council leader Simon Hore said: “Although the council believes that our residents are best served by the current system of local government in Lancashire, they can rest assured that we will be fighting for the best outcome for the borough if reorganisation goes ahead

“It is important that residents and businesses make their views heard in the survey on the future of local government in Lancashire.”

A range of options for the creation of two to five unitary councils in Lancashire are being considered.

The proposals must demonstrate:

●          Stronger local leadership

●          Improved service delivery and outcomes

●          Value for money and financial sustainability

●          Economic growth and prosperity

●          Community identity and effective local partnerships

The Government is expected to lead a public consultation on the proposals early next year with a preferred option selected in the summer.

New elections for the shadow authorities could take place in May 2027 with the new councils taking over services on April 1 2028.

Parish and town councils will not be affected by the proposed changes.

To take part in the survey visit givemyview.com/lancashirelgr or Lancashire libraries in person.

Paper copies are available at the Ribble Valley Borough Council Offices in Church Walk, Clitheroe, or by phoning 0300 1236701.

Brierfield Mobile Library route: parks on the car park by the cricket club 10:50 am – 11: 30 am on the following upcoming Fridays in 2025: 22 August, 12 September, 3 October, 24 October, 14 November. For more information contact Kevin via text or voice on mobile 07774335889 or email brierfield.mobile@lancashire.gov.uk

Scam gardening services offered
Beware cold callers offering garden
services knocking on doors in the West
Lancashire area. In one incident the
elderly householder agreed to the
traders, described as two males in their
20’s, both with dark hair, tidying up the
garden and taking away some cuttings.
The traders were only there 10 to 15
minutes, did very little work and did not
take the cuttings away, took £500 from
the householder and tried to bully them
into giving a further £700.

In another incident in the Chorley area, a
resident agreed to cold callers pruning a
medium sized a tree. The householder
agreed as she initially believed she had
used the trader before, but this was not
the case. The traders charged nearly
£1000 for the work which was very
poorly done. The following day they
returned trying to get further work agreed
to, luckily the householder refused.
Bogus fencing work
A Hyndburn resident looking for some
fencing work to be carried out took the
recommendation of a friend of a friend.
The fencer came to look at the job and
asked for £500 up front for materials
which was provided in cash, but did not
return. The householder was provided
with no paperwork and had no address
details to contact the trader.
Always do your own research before
agreeing to work. Be wary if traders ask
for money upfront. Remember, if you
agree there and then in your own home
the trader should give you paperwork
informing you of your 14 day right to
cancel, which should also include a business address.

If you are struggling
to find a known local tradesman, The
Safetrader scheme can help you find
a trader in your area, contact 0303 333
1111 or go to www.safetrader.org.uk.
Trading Standards advice is to always
say no to cold callers.

Scam parking penalty notice text.
Beware receiving a text claiming that
you’ve been issued a parking penalty
notice (PCN). The text tells you that you
must pay a £20 parking fine and says
that this is your final notice. The text
uses a spoofed mobile number and
email address. It goes on to scare the
recipient by claiming that legal action
could be taken against you if you don’t
pay and includes a malicious link to
follow to make the payment.

TV Licence scam
Genuine emails from the TV Licencing
organisation will be sent from either
donotreply@tvlicensing.co.uk or
donotreply@spp.tvlicensing.co.uk. Do
not trust any emails that look suspicious
or unusual. Hover over the email
address bar, sometimes a scam address
can be hidden, and check what address
appears between the < > symbols.
Report scam emails by forwarding
them to report@phishing.gov.uk.

Report scam texts by forwarding to
7726.

Contact the Trading Standards
Service via the Citizens Advice
consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133