Reedham Parish Council

Update from Network Rail: Norwich Yarmouth Lowestoft (NYL) re-signalling project

I am writing to let you know that we are planning to complete the modernisation of the Wherry lines signalling systems in February 2020. Passengers in Norfolk will benefit from a significant upgrade in reliability and safety when a digitally-enabled signalling system goes live after the Wherry lines close for planned engineering works during February 2020. The signalling system will be controlled from the Colchester Rail Operating Centre.

We are planning to complete these upgrades during a phased 23-day programme of works in February 2020 which will require train services to be suspended. The signals will be switched on and six level crossings at Brundall, Cantley, Lingwood Chapel Road, Lingwood Station Road, Oulton Broad North and Strumpshaw will be upgraded to full barriers with remotely controlled CCTV which will improve safety for level crossing users.

To take full advantage of the line closures, we have rescheduled repairs and renewals work to coincide with the re-signalling project, including a full bridge replacement at Postwick and track renewals at Lowestoft, Acle and Hassingham. The bridge at Postwick has come to the end of its life, and a new bridge structure will be installed that is designed to last 120 years.

Additional maintenance works will be carried out to Reedham and Somerleyton swing bridges to improve reliability of services by upgrading the current detection systems which have been in use since the mid-1940s.

During this crucial work to transform the Wherry lines, train services will not operate, instead a rail replacement bus service will operate on the following routes:

• Saturday 1 February to Sunday 2 February – between Norwich and Great Yarmouth
• Monday 3 February to Sunday 16 February – between Norwich and Great Yarmouth, Norwich and Lowestoft and between Beccles and Lowestoft
• Monday 17 February to Sunday 23 February – between Norwich and Lowestoft

We are advising anyone wishing to travel across these routes in February 2020 to plan ahead and check their service with Greater Anglia before travelling. A bus replacement service will be in place to allow passengers to continue their journey.

The work will see train services resume on the branch line between Reedham and Yarmouth (serving Berney Arms station), which has been closed since October 2018. The introduction of this vital signalling system onto the Wherry lines follows the success at Old Oak Common depot in 2018, which is now performing well as part of the signalling system for the Crossrail depot and Shepperton in Feltham, in 2019 – both being used for passenger services.

I hope this information is helpful. If you require anymore information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

For more information about the project please visit our project webpage:  www.networkrail.co.uk/nyl

Our press release can be found here: https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/23-days-of-engineering-work-to-complete-modernisation-of-wherry-lines

 

Norfolk County Council have created some new pages on their website specifically for Farming and Highways issues:

Norfolk County Council Farming and Highways information

Farming activities can have a significant effect on both the structure and appearance of our rural roads and Norfolk County Council is keen to work with the farming community to help ensure our roads are safe for all users.

A new section on the website outlines how we can work together to help improve road safety and the roadside environment.

The web pages include information on:

· Cleaning of mud and spoil

· Moving livestock

· Maintaining ditches, drains and hedges

· Fire and straw burning

· Agricultural vehicles on the road

· Use of agricultural road signs

We have annual contracts with local farmers in allocated areas to help with snow clearance so please contact us if you would like to help (particularly in the west of the county) by emailing [email protected]

There is also a list of farmers without an annual contract who can help with ad-hoc clearance when snow is particularly heavy, for example during last year’s ‘Beast from the East’.

Please see below for the latest Rural Communities Newsletter from Norfolk Constabulary.

March 2019

The number of nominations for the Parish Council did not exceed the number of vacancies so a contested election will not be held for the Parish Council on the 2nd May 2019.  Please see below for a Notice of Result for Uncontested Election.

Reedham

There will be 5 vacant Parish Councillor positions in May.  If you are interested in being co-opted on to the Parish Council please contact the Clerk – 01493 750254 / 07769 972902 or [email protected]

There will be District Council elections on the 2nd May.  The Notice of Election can be viewed here.

The Parish Council also finishes its term of office and will be up for election if more than 11 candidates put themselves forward.  The Notice of Election can be viewed here.

If you would like to stand for the Parish Council an application pack can be found here and a Timetable of events.  Further information can be found on the Electoral Commission website – https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/candidate-or-agent/parish-and-community-council-elections-in-england-and-wales

Both notices will also be published at the Broadland District Council offices and also on their website.  The following is the parish/town page where all the notices will be published: https://www.broadland.gov.uk/downloads/download/628/parish_and_town_council_elections_2_may_2019

Nominations for the Parish Council can start to be submitted from Wednesday 20th March and up to final deadline of 4pm on 3 April.  Nominations must be hand delivered to the council offices.

Rogue Trader Alert – Doorstep cold caller pointing out ‘loose tiles’

We are warning residents to be on their guard after two men cold called at a property in the Hellesdon area.

The men told the resident that they ‘could see some loose tiles on the roof’ and offered to ‘fix them’ for a small fee. The men then went onto the resident’s roof.

While they were on the roof, a member of the resident’s family arrived who intervened and told the cold callers to leave the property. The men were seen to leave in a blue Ford Transit van.

We advise never to deal with cold callers looking to do work on or around your property and never allow a cold caller access to your home, roof or gardens even if they are offering to do tasks for a small fee or for free.

It is possible these doorstep cold callers could move on to other areas around Norwich and Norfolk.

Anyone concerned about possible rogue trader activity in Norfolk can contact us through our partners the Citizens Advice consumer helpline via their online reporting form or by telephone on 03454 04 05 06.

Scam Alert – ‘Brushing’ scams

We are warning about a new scam involving online deliveries called ‘brushing’.

This scam involves packages you didn’t order from online selling platforms like Amazon showing up on your doorstep.

Initially, receiving items you haven’t paid for might not seem like problem, some people might not regard this as a scam. You’re not being charged for the items, they’re not stolen as they’ve been paid for and they’re yours to keep.

But the reality is being involved in a brushing scam means that someone has gained access at minimum to your name and mailing address but depending on how they gathered this data potentially other personal and financial information as well.

Scammers do this to make the purchases look genuine and avoid violating the selling sites’ terms that prevent them providing reviews for their own products.

If you begin receiving packages that are addressed to you, but you did not order, contact the retailer immediately.

Following this, change the passwords to your online accounts in case the scammer has got your address by hacking an account. You may find if it is an online account you haven’t used for a while and you’re now ‘locked out’ it may be that the account has been taken over by the scammer.

If the volume of shipments becomes a problem, contact Royal Mail for help with holding packages until you can pick them up or otherwise handle the matter.

You can report scams to us by contacting our partners the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 040506.

Scam Alert – Telephone cold calls claiming to be from BT

We have had a number of reports from Norfolk residents about telephone cold calls claiming to be from BT in the last few days.

The cold caller claims to be a ‘BT employee’ and states that your phone and broadband accounts will be terminated if you do not pay ‘your outstanding BT bill immediately’. The cold caller then attempts to gather bank or card details against the repeated threat of ‘your account being cancelled’.

We always advise to be wary of telephone cold calls and the claims made during them. If you receive a suspicious call claiming to be from BT, do not give or confirm any personal or financial details. Hang up, wait five minutes and then contact BT customer service on 0800 800 150.

If you have received a telephone cold call which you believe to be a scam you can report it to us via our partners the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06.

Rogue Trader Alert – Doorstep cold callers selling tools

We are warning residents to be on their guard after receiving reports of doorstep cold callers in the Stalham area selling tools.

The cold callers were seen to be using a white Ford Transit van.

We advise never to deal with cold callers offering to sell items.

Anyone concerned about possible rogue trader activity in Norfolk can contact Trading Standards through our partners the Citizens Advice consumer helpline via their online reporting form or by telephone on 03454 04 05 06.

We’re really keen to make everyone aware of CarersMatterNorfolk. It is a service to support unpaid carers across Norfolk, commissioned by Norfolk County Council and the five NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups.

The support is for young carers, young adult carers and adult carers, working in partnership with many organisations and community groups. Including those which have been established for many years, as well as new ones that have formed.

There are local Carer Connectors in every Parish providing face-to-face support, within a carers own home or a place of their choice. This could be helping to navigate and understand local services, benefits, housing and adaptations or providing emotional support and assisting them to attend local activities.

The Carer Connectors can assess their needs and those of their cared-for and help them access the support which will benefit them most.

CarersMatterNorfolk provide a full breadth of support through:

• 7 days a week Freephone Advice Line
• Emotional Wellbeing support in the caring role (counselling)
• Education and Training through events and sessions for peer support groups
• An online e-learning portal (designed by carers for carers)
• Online community in The Pod, where carers can engage in peer support and speak to other carers
• Live Chat support on our website with our Advice Line
• Grants for local peer support groups
• Membership of Carers Voice – carers can have their voice on services and decisions which affect them and the person they care for.

Whatever the question or need of support the Advice Line Team are available:

8am – 8pm Monday to Friday
4pm – 8pm Saturday
8am – 12noon Sunday

Just call 0800 083 1148 or visit the website www.CarersMatterNorfolk.org.uk to find out more and access support.

Many carers are hidden, often not aware that they’re in a caring role or don’t know where or how to access support. Accessing support at an early stage, rather than being discovered or reaching out at crisis, makes a transformational difference in the outcomes for families and our communities.

Please see below for details of a temporary road closure on Mill Road from Church View Close northwards for 50m, between 18th to 20th February 2019, for BT works.

Reedham NTRO2004 HM

If you are struggling to pay your energy bills and your home is hard to keep warm in winter, you may be eligible to receive help through Norfolk’s Warm Homes Fund Partnership.

There were several burglaries in Acle last week.  Broadland Police are asking residents to be extra vigilant. If you see any suspicious activity please call 101 to report it. Please provide vehicle registration numbers where possible. Keep all doors and windows locked and keep your valuables out of view in your vehicles.