Boy aged 15 arrested on suspicion of weekend rape on Fuller Street bridge in Cleethorpes

                                                                       

The bridge where the incident is said to have occurred last Sunday evening 

POLICE investigating aa alleged  rape on Fuller Street bridge in Cleethorpes have arrested a 15-year-old boy.

The incident is said to have occurred at 9.40pm last Sunday.

Det Ch Insp Karen Rogers said this afternoon: "We have been carrying out extensive lines of  inquiries over the course of the last week.

"This included reviewing CCTV footage in the area and conducting house-to-house inquiries.

"I can now confirm that a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of rape yesterday

"He has since been released on conditional bail whilst our investigations continue.

"I know this incident will be concerning for our local community, but I hope the news of this arrest reassures the public that we continue to treat this investigation as a priority."

Poll candidate pledges fight to ensure countryside is not 'marred by endless pylons and solar farms'

                                                               

Dame Andrea - once worked at Grimsby department store

THE Reform UK candidate in the Greater Lincolnshire mayoral poll on May 1 has made her first pitch to Grimsby-area electors.

Dame Andrea Jenkyns insists: "If elected, I will cut wasteful spending and ensure every penny of taxpayers' money is used wisely.

"This means no funding for unnecessary roles like diversity officers and a focus on practical priorities like fixing potholes"

Dame Andrea's message comes in a newsletter entitled, Spirit of Lincolnshire, that is currently being distributed to households throughout Lincolnshire.

The politician's early childhood years were spent in New Holland and East Halton before moving to North East Lincolnshire where she was a pupil at schools in Healing and Cleethorpes.

Her education also included a period studying at Grimsby College. 

For a while she worked at Binns department store in Freshney Place, Grimsby and Valentino pizza restaurant in Market Street, Cleethorpes.

Her previous political career has included spells as a Lincolnshire county councillor, representing a Boston ward, and as Conservative MP for the constituency of Morley and Outwood.  

Dame Andrea (50) says she is opposed to unrealistic Net Zero targets and, if elected, will fight to ensure "Lincolnshire's stunning countryside is not marred by endless pylons and solar farms."

Spirit of Lincolnshire has been printed by a Leeds company.

NELC splashed out almost £1-million in 'exit packages' to officers made redundant in 2023-24

AN eye-watering £945,000 was last year paid out in 'exit packages' to officers leaving the employment of North East Lincolnshire Council.

A total of departing 31 staff were beneficiaries of the hand-outs.

Of these, 18 were made compulsorily redundant while 13 came in the form of 'agreed departures'.

The largest sums will have gone to five officers who had been pocketing salaries of upwards of £60,000 per annum before becoming surplus to the authority's requirements.

The eyebrow-raising figures are revealed in NELC's annual draft statement of accounts.

The corresponding 'exit packages' figure for the previous year was £921,000.

The Grimsby News says: What a crazy world! NELC hires staff, some on bumper salaries, then decides to fork out hundreds of thousands to get rid of them. Why were they taken on in the first place? The amount of money sploshing about in local government is truly extraordinary. Is it right that such a colossal amount of it is dispensed with absolutely nil benefit to the public? And where is the scrutiny by councillors? Someone at NELC needs to get a  grip on recruitment and redundancy activity without delay. 

It will be as large as a new town! Developer earmarks green fields west of Grimsby for 3,500-homes scheme

                                                                

The site outlined in red has been earmarked for the development

PLANS for a monster housing development on farm fields west of Grimsby are back in the spotlight.

The eye-watering proposal is for approximately 3,500 homes to be built on land between the  A1136 and the A46.

Not much has been heard since it came to the fore last November, but agents for the applicants are now again nudging North East Lincolnshire Council planners. 

If approved, the project would include at least one new school, sports pitches, allotments, play areas and a park, roads, footpaths, possibly a supermarket and a road bridge over the River Freshney.

The company behind the scheme is one of Britain's largest property developers and regeneration specialists, the Rotherham-based Harworth Group. 

It is understood the land is owned by members of the Strawson family.

In early discussions, NELC's highways department has indicated  support, but the views of others such as the authority's ecology unit, have not yet been heard.

The proposal has already generated plenty of controversy, not least because it will lead to the loss both of cherished countryside and, potentially, of precious wildlife.

However, with the Government eager to encourage more housebuilding, odds are that, ultimately, the development will proceed. 

                                              

The sort of housing that could be built on land that, hitherto, has always been open countryside 

                                            

Scans, X-rays and more! Freshney Place's Community Diagnostic Centre set to open early next month

                                              

The community diagnostician will see you now . . .

THE new Community Diagnostic Centre in  Freshney Place shopping centre is set to open early next month, though the precise date is not yet known.

The services will cover phlebotomy (blood), 24-hour cardiology monitoring, ECGs, echocardiographs, X-rays and non-pregnancy related ultrasound scans.

The £10-million centre is expected to ease some of the pressure on Grimsby's Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital.

The intention, later in the year, is also to offer ophthalmology  appointments.

The centre will be open from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.

More details at:  https://www.nlg.nhs.uk/services/community-diagnostic-centres/

NELC gives assurance that Toll Bar car park perimeter will be landscaped soon with native shrubs hedgerow

 

An assurance has been given by North East Lincolnshire Council that the perimeter of the new car park (pictured) opposite Waltham Toll Bar Academy will be landscaped in accordance with the planning condition. For some reason, the hedgerow planting has not yet been done, but a council spokesperson said this week: "This will be carried out shortly with a range of species including  a native mix of shrubs such as elder, holly and blackthorn."

Weekend rape report poses questions about safety - particularly of lone women - on North Wall

Fuller Street Bridge where the after-dark rape is alleged to have taken place 

DETECTIVES are carrying out extensive lines of enquiry as a part of an ongoing investigation into a reported rape in Cleethorpes at the weekend.

A woman reported she was walking along the footbridge near the North Wall in the direction of the seafront at around 9.40pm on Sunday night  when she was approached by a man walking a small dog.

She maintains he then raped her.

Ch Insp Jim Clough, of Humberside Police said: "This incident will be of extreme concern to the local community.

"I want to offer my reassurance that my officers are exploring all lines of inquiry.

"We have been speaking with witnesses, completing house-to- house inquiries and reviewing CCTV footage."

The man is described as being between 19 and 21, approximately 5ft 6 inches tall, clean shaven with short hair, wearing a grey tracksuit. 

Anyone with information is asked to call  101 quoting crime reference 25*25149 of 23 February.

The incident has occurred a fortnight after a reported robbery and assault, also in the vicinity of the North Wall.

At around 9.25pm on  Sunday  February 9, it was reported that two teenage boys approached a woman who was walking her dog. 

The teenagers are then believed to have made verbal threats, demanding that she hand over her dog. 

Subsequently one of the teenage boys is alleged to have punched the woman in the face before they both fled the scene.

The boys are thought to be 14 or 15 and around 5ft 3in tall.

The incident reference number is 25*18419.

The Grimsby News says: Both of these incidents will have caused extreme distress to the victims. They also throw the spotlight on the North Wall which is an eerie stretch of foreshore bordered by an ugly concrete wall and equally ugly palisade fencing. Even in daylight hours, it sometimes seems menacing because there is no easy place to escape if danger threatens. North East Lincolnshire Council is throwing shedloads of levelling-up money at the rest of revamping Cleethorpes seafront. In the unlikely event of there being any spare change, here's hoping it might be invested in making the North Wall a safer and more pleasing place for residents and visitors alike.    

The end of Pier Gardens as we know them. Council leader warns of 'summer of disruption'

                                                            

Pier Gardens will never look like this again. Contractors are due to move in at the beginning of May.

AN alert has been sounded that almost a year of disruption is looming in Pier Gardens, Cleethorpes.

Contractors are due  to be on site between early summer this year and early spring next year as they hard-surface lawned areas to make way for play equipment, floodlighting and pitches for stalls and fast food traders.

Enthuses the leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, Cllr Philip Jackson: "I can’t wait to see it all start to come together."

However, he warns: "We cannot do this project without disrupting one summer season."

Preliminary work was carried out last spring when the historic hedge maze was ripped out along with a 'corkscrew' pine tree.

Anyone remember the maze? 

More recently, works on the perimeter of the Sea Road construction site have resulted in whitebeam trees being removed along with a section  of the wildlife gardens.

Despite the Gardens being in a designated Conservation Area,  no planning permission has yet been been secured for any of the works - either those already done or those intended.

But who needs planning permission if you are NELC? The authority  is already seeking bids from any firms, local or beyond, that might be interested in the contract.

After evaluation of tenders between April 7-14 this year, the contract is set to be awarded on the last day  of April. 

The work is then scheduled to start on May 2 and to be completed by March 31 next year.

Says the council: "The selected organisation will require the skills, experience and resources to deliver this high profile scheme and, in doing so, play a key role in delivering part of the council's ambitious Masterplan for Cleethorpes." 

Details about what is envisaged -  particularly on the extent of greenery and wildlife to be sacrificed - remain scanty.

                                          

Part of the dedicated wildlife garden has already been removed 

NELC says there will be " an array of different zones" in the Gardens.

These will include a skatepark at the northern end, water and woodland play areas in the middle and a  "quieter, more serene and contemplative area" opposite The Knoll.

There will also be public art and, bizarrely, "foot washes and bicycle repair stations".

Why the need to remodel the Gardens at all,  given the pleasure they have brought to countless generations of residents and visitors alike?

According to Cllr Jackson's cabinet colleague, Cllr  Ron Shepherd, they are "tired and dated".

What is more, NELC was awarded a £8.57-million levelling-up grant by Boris Johnson's government, so it has to spend the money somehow.

As of mid-February, £613,000 of this allocation has been spent in consultancy and other fees.

Whether the scheme will enhance the Gardens or degrade them remains to be seen.                                      

Plenty of concrete - NELC's vision for a rejuvenated Pier Gardens

The Grimsby News says: The Pier Gardens project will inevitably gather increasing amounts of controversy as it progresses. It may be a triumph or it may be a catastrophe - or it may fall somewhere in between. What has been most striking at this stage is the readiness of the council to proceed even before planning permission has been sought, let alone granted - all the more so given that this is a site of wildlife interest located in a designated Conservation Area. One wonders what companies such as Haven Leisure and the Pleasure Island consortium must make of it all. At colossal expense, they have been obliged to jump through no end of hoops in their quest for planning consent at their respective ventures. By contrast, NELC is happy to  disregard these formalities and to go ahead regardless. Where is the fairness in that?

Mr Wilson's Second Liners proved to be frontliners at vibrant early-spring Love Cleethorpes festival

                                                 

Burnley-based Mr Wilson's Second Liners were among the attractions at Saturday's Love Cleethorpes Day which featured a range of street entertainment at the top of sea View Street, plus various stalls and an indoor craft market in St Peter's church hall. Mild early spring weather ensured  a good turn-out of enthusiastic residents and a lively atmosphere. Plaudits to all concerned.

Mystery of the migrating shingle - why is so much of it 'bouncing' out of Riverhead's ornamental flowerbeds?

 

Contractors are to be summoned back to Grimsby's Riverhead to assess why so much of the shingle is 'jumping' from the ornamental flowerbeds to much of the surrounding concourse. There have been numerous complaints from residents, and North East Lincolnshire Council want the 'problem' put right as part of 'snagging' for the project. The contractors will probably also be asked to check on the condition of the birch trees which may be ailing in the wake of   last year's drought. According to a project update, £2.2-million has so far been spent on the revamp of the Riverhead public realm out of a budget of £3.3-million.

Grimsby-born director of Miss England contest confirms make-up free round in 2025 event

                                                                  

Contestants in a previous Miss England contest (photo: Nathan Bryant)

THE Grimsby-born director of the Miss England has confirmed that there will be a make-up free round in the final stages of this year's event.

Says Angie Beasley: "Contestants who reach the semi-finals and  final can choose to enter the optional make-up free round which entails posting a natural make-up free image of themselves on their own social media accounts.

"This is a unique and empowering element of the competition - by showcasing their natural beauty without the aid of makeup, the contestants can celebrate their individuality and self-confidence. 

"This round also promotes natural and realistic beauty on social media which I believe is good thing."

                                       

Angie Beasley - she grew up in Grimsby and Cleethorpes

In her childhood, Angie lived variously in  Buller Street and Felstead Road, in Grimsby, then  in  Brereton Avenue, Cleethorpes.

She attended primary schools in Edward Street and  Yarborough Road, then Lindsey High. 

She recounted her early life, including her experiences as a beauty queen, in a fascinating book, The Frog Princess, published by Penguin in 2016.  

More about the Miss England competition at:

https://www.missengland.info/

                                           

Extraordinary revelations - Angie Beasley's book

                                              

Future of Taylors Avenue conifer hedge set to be decided at planning meeting next week

                                                                         

Members of North East Lincolnshire Council's planning committee will determine future of these conifer trees

 

AN uncertain future awaits a hedge of conifer trees that grow in a private garden next to Middlethorpe Primary School in Cleethorpes.

The trees are undistinguished Leylandii trees but they provide attractive greenery enhancement at the  junction  of Taylors Avenue and Middlethorpe Road.

However, the hedge's owner  wants to remove it in favour of installing a 1.8-metre high boundary fence.

Unfortunately for him, North East Lincolnshire Council's trees officer, Paul Chaplin, has raised an objection so the removal proposal must wait pending the outcome of discussions next week.

A report states: "The introduction of a 1.8-metre high boundary fence would be highly visible from adjoining streets, particularly Taylors Avenue, as well as the adjoining public footway given its prominent position on a corner plot. 

"It is noted that there are fences in the area, but the surrounding area is mostly made up of landscaping which contribute to its pleasant appearance."

The report continues: "The council's tree officer has expressed concerns that the removal of the hedging in this location would have a detrimental impact to the existing ambience and character of Taylors Avenue and has objected on this basis. 

"In addition, it is considered that the fence would be detrimental to the visual character of the area, in this instance by reason of its stark and solid finish and its height. 

"Painting or staining the fence would not mitigate this impact. 

"Equally, while planting is proposed behind the fence, this would take time to establish and would do little to mitigate the visual impacts of the fence. 

"Additionally, while there are other fences on the other side of the road, their impact is greatly reduced by the verge at these locations which step them back substantially from the road.

"As such, it is considered that the proposal would harm the street scene to a significant degree."

NELC's ecology officer, Rachel Graham, has raised no objection so long as no works are carried out during the nesting season which, for some species, is already underway.

The application is due to be determined next Wednesday morning at a meeting of the planning committee.                                           

 The fence on the other side of the road

Another option nearby - here the hedging has been planted on the street side of the fence

                                                     

Making Grimsby a little greener - pupils get stuck in with Cambridge Street tree-planting project

Above and below: Greening up Grimsby - some of those who took part in the Cambridge Street initiative

HATS off to all concerned with the latest 'greening' initiative in Grimsby.

Pupils and young adults from Cambridge Park Academy and Grange Primary School planted 11 native trees on Cambridge Road.

Applauding their efforts, NELC's portfolio holder for the environment Cllr Henry Hudson said: "A big thank you to everyone who took part.

"It is wonderful to see these young people getting involved in such an important project.

"There are so many benefits that trees offer us, not least of which is the effect they have on our efforts to get to net zero by capturing and storing carbon from the atmosphere.

"They also provide precious nesting and feeding habitat for songbirds, pollinating insects and other wildlife."  

He added: "The council will continue to work with partners, local businesses and community groups to increase tree canopy cover across North East Lincolnshire."

* The tree species planted are: six hedge maple (Acer campestre ), four bird cherry (Prunus padus) and one hornbeam (Carpinus betulus).

Concerned councillor sounds alert on rogue traders - 'they can be real menace to our communities'

                                                                 

Cllr Shepherd - taking aim at the rogues

A RAP for rogue traders has come from a senior North East Lincolnshire councillor.

"Rogue traders can be a real menace to our communities," says Cllr Ron Shepherd. "Please do look out for your family members, particularly older people, who may be targeted."

Cllr Shepherd, who is portfolio holder for safer communities, is concerned by reports of cold callers offering to carry out home improvements.

Often they appear to be qualified tradespeople who suggest urgent works are required and demand large upfront payments.

Warning signs include the absence of written quotes and  lack of a physical business address.

Common services offered by these unscrupulous individuals include general building work, gardening work, roofing, repairs and maintenance, and driveway resurfacing.

People can report cold callers to Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.

Anyone  who has concerns or feels threatened should call Humberside Police on 101.

Cleethorpes all set for Super Saturday with craft market, street theatre and New Orleans-style music

                                                                 

A CRAFT fair is to be held in St Peter’s Church Hall between 10am and 4pm tomorrow (Saturday).

Local artists and makers will be selling such products as crystal jewellery, cheese, artwork, greetings cards, homeware and themed gifts.

The event is one of many over Love Cleethorpes Day which is being promoted by Discover North East Lincolnshire.

Elsewhere, Sea View Street will be hosting street food, live music and street theatre performances.

Throughout the day, there will also be a range of great street theatre acts including the Stupid Cupid trio, the  Blooming Tall stilt walkers and Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, a New Orleans-style brass band.

For more information, visit: 

 Discover North East Lincolnshire | LOVE CLEETHORPES event – Discover North East Lincolnshire

Work delayed on Sea Road amenity building after discovery of underground telecommunication cables

All quiet on the eastern front - operations  have been temporarily suspended on the Sea Road site

 

CLARIFICATION has come on the delay in cracking on with the proposed showpiece  amenity building on Sea Road in Cleethorpes. 

The project has  ground to a halt with no signs of construction activity at all so far this month.

Quizzed by the Grimsby News, North East Lincolnshire Council has revealed that telephone lines have been discovered on site.

These are due to be dug up and diverted so that  construction work can resume.

Says a NELC statement: "BT Openreach will be on site next week to undertake utility diversions.

"The cables need to be moved from their current location, which runs through the site, into the pathway so that future maintenance can be safeguarded.

"Work will start on site on Monday 24 February for approximately three weeks.

"The pathway on the Pier Gardens side of Sea Road, past the hoardings, will need to be partially closed off for the duration of the works.

"Businesses in the area have been informed about the works, which are necessary before the main build can begin."

NELC had hoped the project would be complete in time for the summer season, but this now looks unlikely.

The authority remains tight-lipped about whether a prospective  anchor tenant has signed up for the project.

 

The padlocked entrance to the site

Foundation samples to be taken next week as council prepares way for Cleethorpes Market Place makeover

                                                               

Cleethorpes Market Place - council aims to start redevelopment later this year

CORE samples are to be taken next week to determine the condition of sections of the pavement and foundations in Cleethorpes Market Place.

The proposed work is ahead of the prospective makeover which, whether business owners like it or not, is scheduled to start towards the end of the year.

Of  the sampling, which will take place next Wednesday and Thursday, North East Lincolnshire Council says: "These will provide us with a good understanding on where we potentially require additional pavement works during construction.  

"Several individual parking bays in the area will be taken out of action for a short period as the surveys are carried out.

"In addition,  sections of street will need to be closed off for short periods to take these core samples.

"Localised traffic management will be implemented while this is done. Each sample will take approximately one hour.

"Once the work has been completed, the information can be included within the tender package for the redevelopment starting later this year."

According to NELC, the history of market activity in the town now known as Cleethorpes dates as far back as 1322 - possibly earlier.

The Grimsby News says: It has not been clarified by NELC whether opposition from business owners in  the Market Place has now receded. Unfortunately, all the discussions were held in private, so no one is any the wiser about the extent to which the project is either supported or opposed. Before work starts, we believe a planning application should be submitted so that the issues, including any traders' grievances, can be outlined and evaluated in full. Given the rich history of this part of town, an in-depth archaeological survey is also essential.

The new design presents  the existing car park (in purple) as a prospective 'flexible events space'

                                                      

Intriguing - NELCC has published this photograph of the Market Place as it was more than a century ago 

A bit of a kicking! Council leader admits his communication "could have been better"

                                         

Scene of last night's meeting - Grimsby Town Hall

"THIS meeting was called to give me a bit of a kicking, and I accept that. . . "

So said North East Lincolnshire Council leader Cllr Philip Jackson at last night's special meeting of the authority.

He was in the hot seat for recent correspondence with Whitehall  in which he has apparently given the nod to a shake-up of local government which would  lead to the demise of NELC.

He continued: "I hold my hands up - I should have consulted with the council’s other political group leaders.

"Communication should have been better."  

Cllr Jackson - humble pie

During the Grimsby Town Hall meeting, lasting just over an hour, Cllr Jackson’s comments were preceded and succeeded by those from Opposition members who variously accused him of "total arrogance", a "stitch-up" and of being "unfit to lead the council".

Cllr Oliver Freeston who defected last year from the Conservative Group  to Reform UK told Cllr Jackson: "You got it wrong - you should apologise."

Cllr Matthew Patrick accused Conservatives colleagues of the leader, some of whom spoke in his, being "a bunch of chickens".

To chuckles, Cllr Karl Wilson, said he was "well up" for giving the council leader "a good kicking" and callied for him to say two "apparently difficult" words: "I apologise".

A less confrontational approach was adopted  by the Lib-Dem and Independent councillors, with Cllr Paul Bright of the former Group pledging not to "go chasing Cllr Jackson in search of a scrap".

On a recorded vote, councillors voted 21-16 in favour of a  resolution submitted by the leader of the Independents, Cllr Steve Holland.

This calls for Whitehall to be sent a new letter dissociating itself from the one signed by Cllr Jackson and insisting on due diligence on potential impacts before reorganisation of local government in Greater Lincolnshire proceeds.

* For the benefit of ratepayers, last night's  meeting was screened live over the internet.

Roll up, roll up! Council offers special rent deal to attract new traders to Cleethorpes Market Place.

The plant stalls add a splash of colour to the market but the council is keen to see more variety

WANTED! More traders for Cleethorpes Market Place which is set to re-open next month.

As an inducement, North East Lincolnshire Council has come up with an offer of eight weeks trading for the price of four.

It states: "The market is now looking to welcome newcomers for the 2025 season.

"Craftmakers, bakers, fishmongers, pet stall, sweets, butchers, clothing and homeware traders are much sought after to bring added variety to the square.

"Any trader, maker or small business wanting to join Cleethorpes Outdoor Market can test the water under a great rent incentive offering eight weeks of trading for the price of four.

"This seriously savvy scheme gives potential  traders chance to try out something new and build their customer base in time for the busy summer season."

For more information or to book a stall contact the market office on 01472 325836 or market.hall@nelincs.gov.uk.

Talks due tonight on controversial Corporation Road Bridge project - but officers demand confidentiality

                                            

Troubled bridge over calm water - repairs update for councillors due to tonight   

WILL it be good news or bad news on Grimsby's famous (for all the wrong reasons) Corporation Road Bridge?

Councillors will find out this evening  when an update on the controversial project is due to be provided at a special meeting of North East Lincolnshire Council.

They are expecting to be told the outcome of a feasibility study on one particularly problematic section of the historic bridge - the span that is designed to be raised and  lowered.

They might also be given an indication on the extent to which costs are escalating such that they are long since thought to have bust the original budget.

However, there is unlikely to be a target date for when (and if) the bridge will gain be open to all traffic.

This evening's discussions in Grimsby Town Hall have been deemed confidential and officers are insisting that public and press are excluded.  

The Grimsby News says: It is hard to be overly optimistic. If the news is good, NELC would surely have issued a jubilant press statement. But, as of 2pm, no word had been uttered. The fact that the meeting is to be held in secret is also unpropitious - a sure sign that someone somewhere has some thing to hide.

Council's heritage officer sounds note of caution over bus station 'gap site' risk in Grimsby town centre

                                           

It seems no one has a kind word for this property on Osborne Street

A NOTE of  caution has been sounded on the proposal to demolish an ugly  building on Grimsby's Osborne Street to make way for a £3.6-billion  bus station.

North East Lincolnshire Council's  heritage officer, Louise Jennings acknowledges that the property "does not  make a significant positive architectural contribution to the conservation area and  has never been considered to be a fine example of a building from the mid-1970s". 

However, she continues: "The removal of the building without any plans for its replacement would be  harmful.

"If it  is removed and then the site is left open for an extended period of time, it will create a significant gap site in a street scene which has been fully enclosed for at least 200 years. 

"I would like to see the application for the replacement development come forward so that it can be considered in tandem with the potential impacts of demolition and so that the rapid redevelopment of this site can be secured."

In her report, the conservation officer also makes a comment about archaeology.

"There is potential that this site contains evidence of earlier phases of the development of Grimsby town centre," she states. "Equally it is likely that significant parts of the site have destroyed this evidence. 

"If the site is to be demolished to ground level, leaving existing foundations intact, then no archaeological input will be required. 

"However, we will need to assess the site after the above-ground buildings have been removed to assess the potential for surviving archaeological remains."

It is understood that up to six mature trees are at risk if demolition is approved.

* At a meeting this evening, councillors will hear an update on the proposal for a new bus station which is being described as a 'transport hub'.

                                            

The car park at the rear of the Osborne Street building - note the splendid tree

                                                   

It's a sell-out! Tickets for concert by pop performer Ella Henderson soon snapped up by eager fans

Coming home - Ella amid the marram grass on the coastal dunes of her native county  

IT is still four months until  Tetney-born Ella Henderson's eagerly-awaited Cleethorpes concert, but it is already a sell-out.

The 29-year-old has resolved to put on what is being billed as a 'homecoming show' at the four-acre Meridian events arena on  June 13, 2025.

That date just happens to  fall on a Friday, so here's hoping no one is overly superstitious!

The arena is said to have a capacity of 35,000 though it is not known if that is the number of tickets that are being sold.

Although born locally, Ella - short for Gabriella - won a scholarship to the Hertfordshire-based Tring Park School for the Performing Arts which she attended as a boarder from the ages of 11 to 16.

She has a superb portfolio of successful songs sometimes performed with what one commentator has described as "a sultry edginess".

One feature of her vocal range is her capacity to impart a mid-word warble to the lyrics in some of her performances as in her most famous song, Ghost.

It possible (though probably unlikely) that Ella might have picked up this piece of vocal dexterity sub-consciously after listening to the flight-calls and songs of  the Curlew - a shorebird often seen in winter on the mudflats of Cleethorpes and the Humber Estuary.    

                                             

The Meridian events arena where Ella will performing live in summer

                                               

Curlew on Cleethorpes Beach - the bird has a hypnotic warbling flight-note

                                                          

https://tinyurl.com/2s3p79mu

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Plaudits to the men and women, plus boys and girls, who took part in weekend saltmarsh litter pick-up

Hats off to all the volunteers from Scout groups and from the Grimsby and Cleethorpes Civic Society, plus others, who took part in a Saturday-morning litter-pick on  Cleethorpes saltmarsh! The weather was cold and miserable but they turned out in numbers, and the saltmarsh is a better place thanks to their valiant efforts.