CHANGE OF USE LOOMS FOR TWO MORE CLEETHORPES GUESTHOUSES

 

Soon to become house in multiple accommodation? Aavon Court guesthouse

TWO more long-established Cleethorpes guesthouses are set to be converted to bedsitter houses in multiple accommodation.

London-based Caden Homes is buying up holiday accommodation with a view to changing their use for a stabler and more lucrative income source.

  

The latest to come on to its radar are both on Isaacs Hill - Number 8, Sunflower House, and Number 4, Aavon Court.

It has submitted planning applications for change of use of both properties - the former to nine bedsitters and the latter to eight bedsitters.

Based on precedents set earlier this year, North East Lincolnshire Council is expected to approve both proposals.

The Grimsby News says: The likely loss of yet more holiday accommodation is worrying. It has long been of concern that tourist beds are being lost to the detriment of Cleethorpes' status as a holiday resort. And you never know with bedsitters. Some tenants are excellent, others less so. Traffic and parking pressures are likely to  increase, and there is always the risk of noise and antisocial behaviour. Unlike neighbouring East Lindsey Council, North East Lincolnshire Council seems to have no policy on protecting hotels and guesthouses from change of use. It is time that such a policy  was formulated and adopted, the sooner the better (if not a good deal sooner).

    

NEW CLEETHORPES RECORD STORE WILL DELIGHT MUSIC FANS WITH TASTE FOR NOSTALGIA

 

Good luck to the Howlin' Jacks  record store that has recently opened on High Street in Cleethorpes. Among records featured  in the front window this are albums by the likes of Bon Jovi and Tom Petty. The display caught the eye of this young passer-by.

SAVED FROM BEING SQUASHED BUT STRICKEN HOUSEMARTIN MAY STILL HAVE COME TO GRIEF

Vulnerable - the bird was first seen on Tetney Road near the junction with South Sea Lane

 AN uncertain fate befell a  housemartin chick spotted immobile on Tetney Road in Humberston.

It was at risk of being crushed by the next approaching motor vehicle until  a cyclist stopped, picked it up and checked its condition.

It seemed to be OK so he threw it into the sky, hoping to see it fly off to find the rest of its family.

At first, it appeared to fly strongly but then lost oomph and landed in a hanging basket.

It was re-rescued and again thrown into the air but was lost from sight as it fell into a back garden.

It may have survived, but it seems more likely that it will have fallen victim to a cat or some other predator.

A road carrying fast-moving traffic is no place for a housemartin

The hanging basket which broke the bird's fall as it tumbled from the air

CLEETHORPES BEACH - ONE OF BEST PLACES IN EUROPE TO WATCH UNCOMMON WADING BIRDS

 

With their long bills, godwits are well equipped to probe the mud for tasty lugworms

WATCH out for unusual birds on Cleethorpes Beach and other stretches of the Humber south bank!

That is the message from North East Lincolnshire Council which has gradually come to realise that - particularly in late August and September - this part of the UK is one of the best places in Europe for watching waders and terns (also known as sea swallows because of their forked tails).

Particularly in late August and throughout September, these birds often stop off locally to feed and rest.

Says a NELC spokesman: "These long-legged beasties - curlews, godwits, knot, sanderling, ringed plovers and the like - are a sheer delight.

"They are real tourist attraction, and we need to cherish them and ensure they come to no harm.

"Most  of the wader species are particularly conspicuous an hour before and after high tide.

"The rich feeding grounds found in Cleethorpes and the Humber Estuary act like a motorway service station by providing a rest stop for the migrating birds. 

"Some pass through on their way to other places whereas others stay for the winter."

It is useful to have a pair of 8x40 or 10x50 binoculars to watch them in close up.

Luckily, Cleethorpes has a shop - Comley's -  on St Peter's Avenue, Cleethorpes, which specialises in optical accessories across a wide price range.

* Rarity note: A mega-scarce white-winged lapwing has this week been a magnet to twitchers further up the Humber at the RSPB's Blacktoft Sands reserve.  

Terns (also known as sea swallows), foreground, and various wader species on the receding tide near Cleethorpes leisure centre earlier today

Perched on the buoy is a common tern - pausing in Cleethorpes en route to West Africa

Mute swans are not often seen on the saltmarsh but this one decided to check in for a visit

  

HOLE IN THE ROAD CAUSES HOLD-UPS ON ONE OF GRIMSBY'S BUSIEST ROUTES

EMERGENCY works are being carried out to fix a sink hole discovered during  works on Bargate, between the Abbey Road and Westward Ho junctions.

The northbound carriageway (travelling into Grimsby town centre) will remain fully closed while contractors excavate the sink hole and reconstruct the sublayers of the carriageway, following the collapse.

A full northbound closure is required due to the depth of the sink hole and the extent of the work required to reconstruct the carriageway. 

Works are estimated to take seven days to complete, but motorists are being warned that the timescales for repair are unable to be confirmed until the sinkhole has been fully excavated. 

Engineers and the contractor will be working as quickly and safely as possible to fix the carriageway and ensure it can be reopened as quickly as possible.

The southbound carriageway will remain open during the daytime and access to Westlands Avenue will be maintained.

Bus company Stagecoach have been informed of the closure and will be continuing to use the diversion route via Westward Ho, Littlefield Lane and Dudley Street when travelling into the town centre.

North East Lincolnshire Council and its regeneration partner, Engie, have apologised for the inconvenience. 

Sink holes are daid to occur naturally all over the world and are a usually the result of geological processes.

HE'S HAVIN' A LAUGH! FAMOUS BUTCHER SEEMS AS JOVIAL AS EVER IN NEW CLEETHORPES HOME

Remember this chap? Ever-cheerful, he used to stand outside the butcher's shop on St Peter's Avenue in Cleethorpes. Earlier this summer, John Turner folded and its contents went into a liquidation sale. It is not known whether this fine fellow was included in the sales catalogue, but he seems to be as happy as ever at his new home in the front window of a house in Cleethorpes.  

WOT, NO FLOWERS! IT'S BEEN GIVEN THE MONEY SO SURELY COUNCIL CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS?

                                                                            

How not to impress residents and tourists - the empty planters on North Promenade

WITH the peak holiday season now drawing to a close, there has still been no initiative by North East Lincolnshire Council to fill the planters at the north end of Cleethorpes Promenade.

They remain empty of blooms despite the authority being beneficiary of substantial grants from the Government's Welcome Back fund whose specific purpose is "to provide beautiful floral displays across the borough".

This week NELC's portfolio holder for tourism, Cllr Callum Procter, insisted: "We are  trying to do what we can to help."

Meanwhile, NELC environment Lisa Logan said: "We’ve been lucky to secure funding for this year. 

"Flowers are a great way to brighten up areas, but they also cost a lot of money to purchase, install and maintain."

"We welcome business sponsorship as we work to keep the areas in bloom all year round."

On the plus side, NELC has introduced flowers to planters elsewhere - for instance, on Cleethorpes promenade, St Peter’s Avenue, Cleethorpes Market Place, Grimsby Flyover, Grimsby Top Town and Weelsby Road.

If anyone is interested in taking on planters, hanging baskets or floral displays, including business sponsorship, please contact Lisa.logan@nelincs.gov.uk. 

                                                           

Correction - the council did manage to find one flower

SINGAPORE-BUILT SUB-STATION WILL SERVICE DANISH FIRM'S GIANT NORTH SEA WINDFARM

 

From Singapore to the North Sea. This is the sub-station from which Danish company Orsted's Hornsea Two windfarm, set to be the world's largest,  will be maintained when it starts operating next year. It is expected to be in place 55 miles of the Yorkshire Coast by the end of the month.  It has been manufactured by Singapore-based Sembcorp Marine which supplied the photograph.

DRAMA ON CROWDED SEAFRONT AS INSHORE LIFEBOAT RESPONDS TO EMERGENCY CALL-OUT

 

There was drama on a busy Cleethorpes seafront shortly after 6pm today as the inshore lifeboat was launched just as the tide was coming in. There was speculation that the crew was responding to the crew of the yacht, in the picture below, but this had not been confirmed as of 6.30pm. 

FOUR AFGHAN FAMILIES WILL BE OFFERED FRESH START IN NORTH EAST LINCOLNSHIRE

FOUR families fleeing Afghanistan are soon set to be starting a new life North East Lincolnshire.

The council confirmed today that temporary accommodation and support will be provided for those who have worked closely with British Armed Forces in Afghanistan.

This is in response to a Government request to local authorities across the UK  for help with a resettlement initiative.

Says NELC leader Cllr Philip Jackson: "It is the right thing to do - these people took a tremendous risk when they supported our soldiers in Afghanistan."

Backing has come across the political spectrum

Comments Labour leader Cllr Matthew Patrick: "We are fully supportive of resettlements efforts."

Agrees the  Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Steve Beasant: "These families will be tired, scared and confused. 

"We in North East Lincolnshire can offer them support as they start their new lives in a strange country.

"I am really pleased that the council has agreed to support those that have shown the same kindness to our troops."

The families will be offered  temporary accommodation and support with finding employment, school places for children and English language skills for women and children.

To donate items of clothing, contact www.gov.uk/help-refugees.

TINY BUTTERFLY BRINGS TOUCH OF MAGIC TO NATURE RESERVE ON CLEETHORPES FORESHORE

Because of frequently cool and wet weather, it has not been a bumper year for North East Lincolnshire's butterflies. However, the common blue seems to have fared well where habitat has not been sprayed with chemicals which kill either it or its food plants. This specimen was spotted today flitting about amid the foliage on the foreshore nature reserve in Cleethorpes.

COUNCIL SPELLS OUT MESSAGE - DOGS ARE BANNED FROM CENTRAL BEACH IN SUMMER

 

This sign has been installed today on the central beach near Cleethorpes Leisure Centre. The North East Lincolnshire Council initiative has been in response to continuing problems with both mess and out of-of-control canines causing anguish to other beach-users, including families with young children. Problem is that dogs now have to be taken to other locations such as Lakeside and the foreshore nature reserve where they can also cause nuisance. Dogs have had a bad press this week in the wake of an incident in Grimsby where two large animals mauled to death a much smaller one, causing heartbreak  to its owner.

FROM THE ARCTIC TUNDRA TO CLEETHORPES - THAT'S THE WONDER OF MIGRATION

A few weeks ago, these sanderling were in the Arctic Tundra. But this evening they were in Cleethorpes. They may stay all winter or they may fly further south, possibly even as far as Africa. That's the wonder of migration. Although only about the size of starlings, these delightful little shoreline wading birds are strong fliers and can make journeys of several hundred miles without stopping.

                             

. - 

BUCKET-AND-SPADE STEEL SCULPTURE UNVEILED TODAY ON CLEETHORPES SEAFRONT

 

A new plastic bottle bin - shaped like a bucket-and-spade - was today installed on Cleethorpes seafront near the leisure centre. It was manufactured by Blackrow Engineering - the same Grimsby firm responsible for two other bottle-collecting steel sculptures elsewhere on the promenade.

AUSTIN MITCHELL WAS DEFINITELY NOT A FAN OF 'RAVING LUNATIC' JIMMY SAVILE

 

AFTER he left parliament in  2015, Austin Mitchell - who had died just a month short of his 87th birthday - never managed to complete his autobiography.

However, some of the highlights of his career as an ITV broadcaster are recorded in his book, Calendar Boy which enjoyed brisk sales in the Grimsby area.

In it, he has an interesting take on another broadcaster of the era, Jimmy Savile.

He wrote: " He appeared on the news programme, Calendar, but there was never any indication that he was anything more than a raving lunatic with tartan hair who posed as Yorkshire's gift to sex.

"Indeed he boasted of his sexual prowess and conquests to such an extent that it made it seemed to me that he was over compensation for not getting any."

GRIMSBY'S FORMER LONG-SERVING MP AUSTIN MITCHELL HAS DIED, AGED 86

                                             

Austin Mitchell - stalwart MP

FORMER Great Grimsby Labour MP Austin Mitchell died in Leeds General Infirmary this morning, aged 86.

Before becoming a parliamentarian, Bradford-born Mr Mitchell worked as an academic in New Zealand and as a broadcaster with spells on regional TV programmes.

During his time at the BBC, he recruited Peter Levy, current anchorman of Look North.

At ITV's Calendar, he famously interviewed, in 1974,  a frosty dialogue between two football managers with an intense mutual hostility  - Don Revie and Brian Clough, both also now long dead. 

It was particularly challenging for him because he knew next to nothing about football.

One of the first to pay tribute to him was Melanie Onn, who, in 2015, had succeeded him as Grimsby's MP.

She described him as a "larger-than-life character" who had secured pensions compensation for the last generation of Grimsby's fishermen.

However, he lost another political battle when his staunch opposition of the transfer of North East Lincolnshire Council stock of council housing to the  arms-length housing association, Shoreline (now part of LHP), proved unsuccessful.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was today one of many who expressed sadness at the loss of Mr Mitchell who had been Grimsby's MP for 38 years, but who had suffered from heart disease for may years.

"My thoughts are with his wife Linda and his children," he said.

PREPARE TO FEEL FINE - A HARD DAY'S NIGHT HAS TICKET TO RIDE TO GRIMSBY AUDITORIUM

 

Can't Buy Me Love - the Mersey Beatles performing at the Cavern in Liverpool

ALL 17 of The Beatles Number One hits will be performed live next month in a show at Grimsby Auditorium.

Tribute band The Mersey Beatles have been booked for the night of  Friday September 3.

It will be their second date on a UK tour which begins the previous evening in Kings Lynn and ends in Whitchurch on December 4.

Formed in Liverpool in 1999, The Mersey Beatles - Mark Bloor (John), Steven Howard (Paul), Craig McGown (George) and Brian Ambrose (Ringo), together with keyboard player and percussionist Tony Cook - were once the resident Beatles’ band at the legendary Cavern Club.

Between 2002-2012, they clocked up more than 600 gigs.

Since leaving The Cavern, The Mersey Beatles have toured the world many times over – winning legions of fans, including John Lennon’s sister, Julia Baird.

The British Beatles Fan Club are said to  rate them as "the best Beatles tribute band around".

They exude the inner and outer spirit of the real thing, from the costumes, instruments, Scouse charm and, of course, that unmistakable era-defining, Liverpool-born sound. 

Their show  flows from the ‘Mop Top’ hits of Beatlemania, through the psychedelic creativity of Sgt Pepper to the melodic wonder of the Fab Four’s later work.

Steven said: "We can’t wait to play Grimsby again - the audiences there are amazing and are always up for a great night."

In all, around 40 songs will be performed. 

Tickets for The Mersey Beatles at Grimsby Auditorium are available now from grimsbyauditorium.org.uk or by calling 0300 300 0035.

The Beatles 17 UK Number One Hits are: 

* From Me To You

 * She Loves You

 * I Want To Hold Your Hand

 * Can't Buy Me Love

 * A Hard Day's Night

 * I Feel Fine

* Ticket To Ride

* Help!

 * Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out

* Paperback Writer

* Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby

* All You Need Is Love

* Hello Goodbye

* Lady Madonna

* Hey Jude

* Get Back

* The Ballad Of John & Yoko

Tickets for The Mersey Beatles at Grimsby Auditorium are available now from grimsbyauditorium.org.uk or by calling 0300 300 0035.

We Can Work It Out - another of the great hits of yesteryear 

You couldn't tell them apart from the real Beatles - or could you? 

WILDFLOWERS PROVIDE A WELCOME SPLASH OF COLOUR AT THIS NATURE-FRIENDLY GOLF COURSE

 

It is an oft-heard refrain that most golf courses are so heavily sprayed with chemicals that few wildflowers flourish - to the detriment of insects and birds. Not so the course at Thorpe Park in Humberston where the management regime incorporates the planting of colourful corn cockles and other native species. The course is also rich in shrubs and trees, making it one of the most attractive courses in Lincolnshire.

WANTED: MEMORIES OF GHOSTS OF TRAWLERMEN HEADING OUT TO SEA FROM GRIMSBY DOCKS!

                                                                  

Gull's eye view of part of Grimsby's famous Kasbah docks area 

MORE details are expected shortly on a proposed open day next month at the Grimsby Docks area known as the Kasbah.  

It will feature stories, photographs and memories from people who worked down dock or visited the area over the last 50-plus years.

Says North East Lincolnshire Council's portfolio holder for heritage Cllr Callum Procter: "The port was, and is, key to the lives of so many families in North East Lincolnshire.

"It is important that memories of the port as it used to be are not lost in the sands of time.

"We are striving to make use of the buildings on the port once again and create a new community, but in doing this, we must remember our collective past."

The team behind the Kasbah open day are collecting memories of this unique and often untold heritage, and would like your help.

They are especially interested to hear about any Kasbah myths and legends! Maybe you used to see the ghosts of former trawlermen heading out to sea or perhaps you were known as the fastest filleter on the dock?

If you’d like to share your memories, please visit https://grimsby-kasbah.questionpro.eu/. 

If you need any help to share these, you can also get in touch with us via email: haz@nelincs.gov.uk

The Kasbah event is being organised by North East Lincolnshire Council along ABP and GGIFT.

If you would like to register for the event, please do so here: https://grimsbykasbah.eventbrite.co.uk

WALTHAM CARE HOME BOSS SOUNDS ALARM OVER PROPOSED TOLL BAR COMPETITOR

 

Newgrove House - traditional charm in pleasing setting

A PROTEST about a proposed "extra care" development on land at the Waltham Toll Bar roundabout cut no ice with members of North East Lincolnshire Council's planning committee.

The manager of the long-established Newgrove House care home fears the 58-bedroom project submitted by an Isle of Man company, Kings Road Investments Ltd, could put the squeeze on his business - to the detriment both of residents and staff.

Says Mr Ben Evardson: "My residents and their families are very worried that this new facility will result in the closure of Newgrove House which would in turn, result in them having to be re-located.

"Some of my residents have been here more than seven years.

"It is more than likely that this new facility, so close to our existing service, would result in our current admissions being taken there, and this would have a detrimental impact on Newgrove House.

"It does appear unfair that Newgrove has been here for many many years and has served the local community, and all of a sudden, a brand new building is being built which will mean the likely closure of Newgrove. 

"There is a good choice of care homes in the area, and we all still manage to keep open and have a steady number of residents. 

"This new facility with all of its bedrooms would mean that the local homes will simply not survive."

However, the committee decided to grant planning consent for the three-storey development at Toll Bar even though there were also objections from New Waltham parish council and residents.

The Grimsby News says: It is disappointing that a former farm field at Toll Bar is to be urbanised with extra care flatlets, and, as reported earlier, an adjacent care home plus a huge Barratts Homes development. However, the residents and staff at Newgrove House should not be too worried. It has a traditional charm, intimacy, character  and rural setting  that cannot possibly be replicated in  swish new facilities overlooking a housing estate and busy roads. So long as Newgrove maintains hospitality in the best English traditions, it will surely continue to thrive and prosper. 

TETNEY TRAIL OBSTRUCTED AS HIGH WINDS BRING DOWN WILLOW BRANCH

 

HIGH winds earlier in the weekend caused some damage to trees - for instance, this willow on the Tetney Trail midway  between Humberston and Tetney Lock. It lost a branch but luckily no one was under it at the time. Trees are often more vulnerable to winds in summer than winter because of the weight of leaves and/or fruit.

PLANNERS' 'NO' TO BEDSITTER-CONVERSION PROPOSAL FOR FORMER RESORT CARE HOME

                                                  

College House - conversion plan spooked nearby residents

A PROPOSAL to convert a former care home in Cleethorpes to 15 bedsitters has this week been turned down following numerous objections from neighbours.

Doncaster firm DBG Contractors wanted to revamp College House, on College Street, to a house in multiple accommodation, but their planning application was refused by North East Lincolnshire Council.

The decision will be  be a relief to residents on College Street and Grant Street who feared the project, if approved, would have led to noise, parking congestion and other problems.

RARE CHANCE TO BUY MACHINE THAT MADE MILLIONS OF LINCOLNSHIRE SAUSAGES

Alas, not a pie in sight - Adam Martin of the auction team

THOUSANDS  of pounds worth of bakery machinery and equipment is going under the auctioneer’s hammer following the demise of one of the Grimsby area's best known butcher-bakery businesses.

Up until earlier this summer, John Turner  operated with a shop on St Peters Avenue in Cleethorpes and a bakery factory on the Wilton Industrial Estate in  Humberston.

But in June, it closed its doors and went into liquidation.

The shop business has been sold to a new operator and is to re-open shortly but Begbies Traynor, the corporate recovery specialist handling the winding up of John Turner company, has  instructed industrial auctioneers Eddisons CJM to sell off the machinery and equipment at the bakery unit and its associated offices.

The sale - which is being held online -  is scheduled to end next Tuesday ( August 17).

Says Eddisons CJM director Paul Cooper said: "The bakery provided the bread, cakes, pies and sandwiches that were sold not only in the  St Peters Avenue shop but also in many other outlets in the area. 

"It was a sizeable and extensively equipped operation."

The auction extends to more than 200 lots of commercial equipment including everything from five-deck ovens and the bakery’s 10-burner cooking range, through dozens of prep tables, work benches and bakery racks to one of the machines that was used to create Turner’s famous Lincolnshire sausages.

Also to be sold are the bakery’s three delivery vehicles including its refrigerated Mercedes Sprinter van.

Continues Mr Cooper: "It comes  as a shock when a well-regarded shop closes its doors and disappears overnight, but John Turner is just the latest in a long line of similar firms that have been struggling to stay afloat - and that was even before the pandemic struck. 

The same auction firm handled the auction that followed the closure of John Pettit & Sons, the famous Grimsby butcher, that went under in 2017 after 125 years in business.

The full auction catalogue is available at www.eddisonscjm.com. 

The viewing session is on Monday 16th August (10am-4pm) at the bakery premises on the Wilton Road Industrial Estate at Humberston. 

The online auction is scheduled to end at 1pm the following day.

                                

Everything up for grabs - inside the  prep room

GRIMSBY'S IMPERIAL HOUSE OFFICE BLOCK COULD BE CONVERTED TO APARTMENTS

 A PROMINENT office block in the centre of Grimsby could be  converted to residential accommodation.

It emerged this week that a fast-growing Stourbridge company Hawkstone Properties Ltd has earmarked Imperial House, on Victoria Street, for 24 apartments.

Hawkstone is impressed with the recent enhancement of the Riverhead area and thinks its project could be a winner with upwardly mobile professionals.

Imperial House, which is on five storeys,  could scarcely be better located for transport, retail, leisure  and other facilities.

A planning application has been submitted to North East Lincolnshire Council for consideration by officers in the coming weeks.

WINDFARM COMPANY'S UNUSUAL RAINBOW-COLOURED GAMBIT FOR THREE OF ITS TURBINES

 

For the next 11 days from tomorrow, Thursday, Ørsted - the Danish windfarm operator  with interests in Grimsby - is to illuminate three turbines in Copenhagen  in rainbow colours. The occasion is Copenhagen 2021 - WorldPride and EuroGames where the energy company is an official partner aiming to promote diversity and inclusion.

                                          

PLANNING GREEN LIGHT FOR 66-BED CARE HOME OPPOSITE WALTHAM TOLL BAR ACADEMY

Artist's impression of the proposed care home in New Waltham

THE planning go-ahead was today given by North East Lincolnshire Council for erection of a 66-bed nursing care home in New Waltham.

The location will be at the Tollbar roundabout adjacent to where Barratt Homes are building their Wigmore Park housing estate.

One constructed, the home will be run by the company, Yorkare, which operates a similar premises in Cleethorpes - the refurbished former Lindsey Lower School building on Clee Road.

COURT CRACKDOWN ON PAIR WHO RUBBISHED - LITERALLY - GRIMSBY GARDEN

                                                                               

Magnet for vermin - rubbish strewn in the Hainton Avenue garden 

ARMCHAIRS, mattresses, a shopping trolley and a door - just some of the items from a heap of rubbish North East Lincolnshire Council enforcement officers had to have cleared from a Grimsby garden.

It cost the council £2,000 to remove the rubbish from the long-term empty property in Hainton Avenue.

Now owners Peter Reid (58) and Sara Short (55) , of  Redbourne, Gainsborough, have been hit with fines and court bills totalling £1,894 after ignoring legal warnings to clean up the mess.

Says a NELC spokesperson: "Following a complaint, an environmental enforcement officer visited the property on 25 November, 2020, and found rubbish including broken furniture, a tarpaulin, building materials, tree clippings and mattresses piled up in the garden.

The accumulation of waste was deemed to be a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Sec 79 (1) (e).

Officers sent an introductory warning letter on 4 December, 2020, followed by a legal notice on 22 December stating that the rubbish had to be removed within 28 days.

No attempt was made to clear up the mess and the Council arranged for the garden to be cleared by a private contractor in February, 2021, at a cost of £2,000.

The defendants failed to attend Grimsby Magistrates’ Court  and were found guilty in their absence.

The court fined them each £770, imposed a victim surcharge of £77, and ordered them to pay costs of £100, making a total of £947 each. The council can also begin the process to recover the cost of the clean-up.

Comments Cllr Ron Shepherd, NELC's portfolio holder for Safer and Stronger Communities: "This Hainton Avenue property was a compete eyesore. 

"A massive amount of waste had accumulated in the garden.

"It’s not fair on anyone living near the property to have to put up with such a nuisance.

"When properties are left in such a state, they can attract fly-tipping and other types of anti-social behaviour.

"Accumulations or build-up of rubbish and severely overgrown gardens can have a negative impact on the neighbourhood. It becomes a nuisance when it begins to smell, encourages vermin or is unsightly."

                                                    

It cost council £2,000 to clear up the mess

NEW WATERFRONT SEATING AREA WILL ADD CHARM TO GRIMSBY TOWN CENTRE

The attractive new seating area faces east over the waterfront

GRIMSBY'S Garth Lane £3.5-million revamp project has come a stage nearer completion - the new seating area overlooking the waterfront has been opened to the public.

It comprises tiered steps and a safety barrier at the water’s edge.

Says a North East Lincolnshire Council spokesperson: "The area will provide a quiet space for contemplation, relaxation or perhaps just somewhere nice to eat your lunch and watch the world go by."

The site could also provide popular - all-year and in all weathers - with birdwatchers.

As well as resident mute swans, cormorants mallard, moorhens  and herring gulls, it is visited, especially winter, by other species such as little grebes and kingfishers.

The hope is that the water plants could, in summer  attract songbirds such as reed warblers and sedge warblers.

In the medium term, subject to safety considerations, there are also plans to introduce water sports such as paddleboarding.

Comments NELC's cabinet member for economic growth, Cllr Callum Procter: "This is a fantastic step forward for Grimsby in our aim to put pride back into the town centre. 

"We have a fantastic waterfront, and we need to use it! 

"This whole area shows ambition and a vision to bid for and win significant grant funding to enable such change. I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in this massively significant project."                                                         

Perhaps a water fountain might help to disperse all that floating algae

MIGRATING SEA SWALLOWS SWOOP IN TO CLEETHORPES FOR A BIT OF A BREATHER

Watch out for 'sea swallows' on Cleethorpes Beach during August and September. Because of their forked tails, this is the collective term sometimes used for Sandwich, common and little terns which nest on many sandy beaches around the British coast, but only occur locally when they stop off for a breather on their lengthy autumn migration to West Africa. Pictured are members of a group of Sandwich terns spotted at rest over the weekend on the beach adjacent to the leisure centre.

                                                     

PROPOSED SIGNAGE AT NEW FOOTBRIDGE SHOULD HELP STRENGTHEN GRIMSBY'S IDENTITY

 

Watch out for new signage (such as the above) soon set to be installed on the new footbridge that links Frederick Ward Way to Fisherman's Wharf in Grimsby. The intention is to give new oomph to this part of the town and its heritage. Once advertisement consent has been granted, the signs will probably also be illuminated after dark to help boost the night-time economy.  

VICTORIA PLANS TO OPEN CLEETHORPES' FIRST VEGAN FOOD TAKEAWAY OUTLET

This former crafts product shop has been earmarked for the new venture 

A NEW vegan takeaway  is on the cards for Cleethorpes.

New Waltham woman Victoria Bedford has secured planning consent from North East Lincolnshire Council for her enterprise - to be known as Vegan Street Kitchen - at 8 Market Street.

Says she: "There are currently no vegan only food outlets in the area.

"With one in four people now eating a plant-based diet this is well needed in the area.

"The shop will be open-plan, with the kitchen visible, and the premises will be redecorated to provide a trendy more current feel."

No significant changes to the the exterior of the shop are proposed.

The Grimsby News says: Sounds tasty! Go, Victoria, go!