Due to the recent bad weather this week has been dominated by grit stories.
At Great Waldingfield Parish Council on Monday I was asked to see if something can be done to reinstate the triangle in the conservation area close to the church which has been virtually obliterated due to the ravages of snow and ice, grit and salt. I am happy to say that the County has come back very rapidly to say that these areas are of importance to them and that they will be coming out to see what can be done.
They offered to put a grit bin in place. However the Parish Council have decided to survey the village as a whole with a view to deciding the best places for such receptacles, which I believe they have to fund at least in part.
Today, at the West Babergh Safer Neighbourhood Priority Setting meeting in Lavenham we heard another grit related tale. A member of the public informed the meeting that piles of grit provided by the council for their village had been pillaged. It transpired that it had been carried off by an individual for his own use! I understand that this practice has been quite common in the bad weather. However, as the police pointed out, it is indeed a crime to make off with grit in this way. Perhaps one or two targetted prosecutions might get the message home that grit on the side of the road is not for private consumption!
One does hear quite interesting stories at these neighbourhood meetings. I am very pleased to say they are becoming more and more popular, with some 30 or so members of the public attending this morning to air their views, or just to listen.
The next Safer Neighbourhood Priority Setting meeting will be held in Glemsford on 26th February.
