June
| Published: 27th July 2008 19:51 |
LOSS OF FISH
Ray Hall, Woodland Way
I wonder if anyone in the neighbourhood has had the same problem as me or can offer a likely explanation...
I have two ponds in the garden: a small ornamental one near the house and a fairly large one at the back of the garden. I live in Woodland Way and we have very long gardens so the pond at the back of the garden is out of sight.
Although it is under some trees and is not the ideal place to site a pond I have managed to run it successfully for about 10 years and raised quite a large number of goldfish from eggs. I usually gather the eggs and incubate them in separate tanks and reintroduce them to the ponds when they are about an inch long. I net the back pond every autumn with a large net, its construction is similar to a square tent this prevents leaves falling and I also have run wire across the pond to deter any heron who might take a fancy to the fish.
About five years ago I removed the net in the February to enable the frogs etc to gain access to the pond and somehow I managed to loose all the fish which I assumed was the result of a Heron managing to navigate over the wires. I restocked and decided in future to leave the large net in place and just lift up the edges to let the frogs etc. gain access, but to my dismay the same thing has happened this year I have lost all the fish and at a loss as to who the culprit is. This has only happened in the pond at the back of the garden the one near the house is intact
It is impossible to blame the Heron; so does anyone think they know who is responsible or have had the same experience?
DISABLED PARKING & TOWNCOURT LANE ACCIDENT
Sylvia Rawlings, Eynsford Close
Disabled Parking: I cannot understand why there are no designated disabled parking spaces on the Station Square side.
Towncourt Lane Accident: Congratulations to Mr. Doré who gave a very sensible and balanced view in his letter. I wholeheartedly agree with his suggestion for a mini roundabout at the junction with Shepperton Road. I live in a close off Shepperton Road and because of the inability to see oncoming traffic I have avoided that junction for many years.
The random parking at school times on yellow lines, bends, etc. makes it impossible sometimes for me to get up Shepperton Road into my close, and buses cannot get up there at all. I avoid school times whenever possible, but sometimes this is not always convenient (doctor's appointments etc.). I agree that some kind of official presence (it could be community police or wardens) would go a long way to avoiding accidents.
I look forward to receiving the Parking Consultation document from the Council.
RE: TOWNCOURT LANE ACCIDENT
Richard Doré, Towncourt Lane
Following my letter to Chief Superintendent Griggs, as published in the May Gazette, I have had helpful discussions with Sgt John Kemp and a meeting with Simon Wickenden from the Metropolitan Police (Traffic and Road Safety).
I have been told that, subject to other priorities and commitments, local PCSOs will visit the Crofton Schools at the beginning and the end of the day, from time to time. The aim is to raise awareness of good parking and traffic management in this very busy vicinity where children are crossing Towncourt Lane.
I hope, however, that the Association, like me, will encourage this to be a regular feature of their work, and not just a short-term commitment.
On traffic management, I have been given a copy of a Traffic Survey undertaken in Towncourt Lane between 22nd April and 5th May. This shows that in this two-week period, 86,140 vehicles travelled from the Shepperton Road junction towards the Junior School (where the fatal accident occurred) and a further 77,880 travelled in the opposite direction from the school towards Shepperton Road. As an understatement: this is a very high volume of traffic!
I am very willing to share the detailed data with the Association and with our local Councillors. For example, of the 86,140 vehicles travelling from the Shepperton Road junction towards the school in these two weeks, over 6,800 were recorded as travelling at speeds of between 36mph and 55mph! There is a similar pattern of excess speeding of vehicles travelling in the other direction.
I do urge the Association and local residents to join with me in pressing for urgent action to be taken to reduce these now proven dangerous speeds where this fatal accident occurred. This is especially important to protect pedestrians and the children at the Crofton Schools.
Derek Marrable, our Police & Traffic representative who also sits on the SNT Panel, will be taking this issue forward. Ed.
RUBBISH ON RAILWAY EMBANKMENTS
David Gloin, Frankswood Avenue
Members may be interested to know that on 2nd April 2008 I wrote to Network Rail asking if they would clear the rubbish off the embankment either side of the footbridge from Bluston Parade to Queensway. Today, 21st April, I noticed that it had been done and four large sacks of rubbish were neatly stacked for disposal. I have written to thank them.
The lesson is that you can get a prompt response from a public body to a polite request.
The question is for how long the residents can keep the embankment clean? The rubbish does not come off the railway track or out of the sky, it comes from residents deliberately lobbing it over, what for the most part is, an eight foot high fence.
If you see anyone dumping rubbish, please report it! Ed.
RED RUBBER BANDS
Nigel Chambers, Prescott Avenue
Has anyone else noticed the increasing number of discarded red rubber bands lying around our streets and gardens? I know where they come from: they are discarded by the postmen as they are used to bind their post bundles together.
I regard them as somewhat of a nuisance as I find them on my drive, on my garden and on the pavements and roads around Petts Wood and Orpington. One day last week I collected eight on my way into work: two from my drive and a further six on the ten minute walk from where I park my car to my office - I regularly see four to eight bands on my journey into the office. These bands are not biodegradable and will just build up in our gardens and streets if nothing is done about them. In my book, they must be regarded as litter and should be treated in the same way as say discarded cigarette packets, sweet wrappers and the like, discarding of which in the street is a finable offence!
My view is that this litter / rubbish problem will continue to grow in our gardens and streets unless someone takes the issue up with the Post Office. I feel that the Residents' Association should contact the public relations department of the Post Office and point out that the action of their employees in discarding these bands in such an indiscriminate way is, under the present litter laws, a finable offence and should be addressed.
What do you think?
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