TheChronicle January 11, 2008
NEWS
Toddler rescued after accidentally locking himself in parents’ bedroom
Picture by HADYN IBALL hk100108fire-001.jpg
FIREMAN FAN: Oliver Liddiard and his mum Lucy with Oliver’s gift from Chester firefighters.
Oliver sees firefighter heroes after mishap
By Rebecca Edwards FIREMAN Sam fan Oliver had a face-to-face encounter with Chester Fire’s Green Watch this week after a family game of hide and seek went wrong.
Two-year-old Oliver Liddiard thought he had the perfect hiding place by locking himself in his parents’ bedroom on Tuesday – until he realised he couldn’t unlock the door. His mum Lucy, of Newry Park, said: “We never use the lock on the bedroom door so I didn’t think of it as a potential issue. I realised quite quickly that he wasn’t able to open the door and I knew it would be hard to force it open so I called 999.” Within 20 minutes, firefighters used a ‘rabbit’ device to pop open the door without putting Oliver in any danger. Lucy said: “He was crying and was quite upset but as soon as he saw the firemen the tears dried up. He loves Fireman Sam and has lots of fire engine toys and books. “That day he was even wearing a T-shirt with a fire engine on it. We took him out to see the fire engine and they gave him a teddy bear dressed as a fireman which he has called Fireman Sam Bear.” Oliver’s five-week-old sister, Phoebe, slept through the whole drama but former Dee 106.3 news editor Lucy, 29, found the experience embarrassing. She said: “I used to talk to the fire fighters all the time. It was a bit embarrassing to meet them in that situation.” Firefighter Andy Spencer said: “The little lad was a bit traumatised so we gave him one of our ‘trauma teds’ which we carry round in the fire engine and he soon cheered up.”
By Allison Dickinson number of illnesses, including cancer, and was bed-ridden. But Davies was found guilty of theft after what district Judge Nick Sanders called a “breach of trust”. She took £160 from Mr Reid’s wallet on November 22 and £120 on November 26 last year. Authorities believed Davies
was on duty when cash went missing and she was caught stealing £180 on December 3 after surveillance equipment was installed at Mr Reid’s home. The notes, which had been treated with dye, were later found in her possession. The court was also asked to consider two further thefts of £60 on October 14 and £70 on October 22, bringing the total
to £410, which she brought into court to repay Mr Reid. She was ordered to pay additional costs of £43 and carry out 120 hours of voluntary work over the next 12 months. Davies, visibly upset during proceedings, offered no explanation for the thefts, other than she had “succumbed to temptation”.
Care worker admits stealing from client A CARE worker who stole cash from a bed-ridden cancer sufferer was given community service and ordered to pay costs. Angela Davies, 39, of Burnham Road, Lache, was employed by Cheshire County Council as a care worker to look after Ian Reid, 64, of St Oswald’s Flats. Mr Reid suffered from a
NEWSfile
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Group walks tall
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CHESTER City Council is giving its backing to a new walking group. The group will be setting off from Westminster Park on what members hope will be a regular and popular event. The group has been organised to allow people of all ages and abilities to go on walks around their community in a safe relaxed environment and to socialise while improving their health. For information contact James Duckers, community sport officer, Chester City Council on 01244 402273 or e-mail james.duckers@chester.gov.uk
Crashes halt traffic
TRAFFIC came to a standstill on the A55 southerly by-pass on Thursday morning after two crashes during rush hour. Five cars were involved in a crash on the eastbound carriageway near the Wrexham Road roundabout at 7.28am. Nobody was injured. A black Jaguar X-type was involved in the collision with a silver Ford Focus, a grey Toyota Aygo, a blue Vauxhall Corsa and a grey Peugeot 306. Two cars also collided on the A55 near Eccleston. A white Vauxhall Astra van and a black Toyota Supra were quickly moved off the carriageway and nobody was injured.
Dukes Drive work
WORK is due to begin on improvements to Dukes Drive, Chester, as part of a scheme backed by the Forestry Commission. Last year Chester City Council carried out works in the Dingle including drainage, making hazardous trees safe and clearing vegetation. This year, work will focus on the entrance to Dukes Drive with the removal of laurel and rhododendron to open up views into the woodland and encourage woodland edge species to flourish. Other work involves making trees safe and improving footpaths by clearing overgrown sycamores. The works will take a few weeks to complete but there should be little or no disruption to the public.
Fire campaign
A FIRE safety campaign has helped reduce kitchen fires over the festive season. Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Your Grill Can Kill campaign, supported by TV chef Aldo Zilli, was launched to help underline the dangers of leaving cookers, grills and deep fat fryers unattended. Early indications show the number of fires started in the kitchen were lower than the same period in 2006. Chief Fire Officer Steve McGuirk said: “The campaign has proved to be an excellent way to get our safety message across.”
Steve McGuirk