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Business waste changes to continue after call-in
Becky Feather Reporter
CONTROVERSIAL plans to change business waste collection evening hours in the city centre will go ahead after a council scrutiny panel upheld the decision this week.
Bath & North East Somerset Council says changing the evening collection window from 5pm-8.45pm to the new time of 6pm-8pm will ensure no waste is left out on the streets between 10am and 6pm and will bring evening collections into line with the city centre security system.
The council acknowledges there could be an impact on small businesses, with an estimated extra cost of around £3,000 per year per business for staffing, based on an extra hour per day.
A large majority of the businesses which responded were in favour of the plans to make labelling of waste mandatory and enforcing the use of reusable rubbish bags - but 93% were against the collection time change, which starts in September as a 12-month trial.
In total 87 consultation responses were received. This was a response rate of 14% of all Bath Business Improvement District (BID) directory businesses contacted and 8% of the 1,126 businesses identified by business rates.
After Liberal Democrat cabinet member for resources Councillor Mark Elliott authorised the trial in early July, nine councillors called in his decision due to business and environmental concerns. They were Colin Blackburn (Westmoreland, Independent); June Player (Westmoreland, Independent); Alan Hale (Keynsham South, Independent); Shaun Hughes (Midsomer Norton North, Independent); Tim Warren (Midsomer Norton Redfield; Conservative); Sarah Evans (Midsomer Norton Redfield, Conservative); Joanna Wright (Lambridge, Green); Sam Ross (Farmborough, Green; and Saskia Heijltjes (Lambridge, Green).
Addressing Tuesday’s meeting, Councillor Blackburn, who has spoken with many concerned businesses, asked why cabinet
members no longer bring proposals to scrutiny.
He said: “Scrutiny by last resort is not an effective way to come up with positive actions.”
He said the decision was about the visual appeal of central Bath but “we cannot be picture perfect all of the time”.
He suggested labelling and compulsory use of food waste containers to help tackle the problem of gulls be introduced, but not the collection time change; instead, the council should work with local businesses to make things better “because they want that too”.
Charlie Dalton-Ball, who manages jewellers S.P. Green & Co Ltd in Green Street, told the meeting: “Under the new policy, waste must be collected before
staffed hours.
He said the consultation also overlooked the impact of extra expenses for employees, such as childcare and parking, adding:
“Many of our staff commute from outside Bath and rely on public transport which does not always run at suitable times.”
10am or after 6pm. On paper this may seem achievable but in reality, it is entirely unworkable for many businesses, including ours. Our business is staffed from 10am to 5.30pm which means there is now no legal window for us to place out our waste while the business is staffed.”
He continued: “If businesses are required to change staff working hours to comply with this policy, contracts will need to be amended. Staff are under no legal obligation to accept a change to their contracted hours.”
He said the figure of £3,000 doesn’t include the need for two staff at all times as required by insurance, which doubles forecasted costs, or of staff earning more than £12.21 per hour, National Insurance, pension contributions and other employer costs, along with increased utility bills for longer
He called the 12-month trial “excessively long” and added:
“Bath is a living, working city, not a film set. It is entirely reasonable to expect business waste to be presented on the city centre streets.”
Panel chair Councillor Andy Wait (Keynsham East, Liberal Democrat) asked why only one business owner had turned up to which Councillor Blackburn responded: “They are working.”
Defending his decision, Councillor Elliott (Lansdown) said the aim of the changes is cleaner and safer streets and the new collection time corresponds with the 6pm opening of the security barriers so there won’t be lorries queuing.
Although 93% of businesses did not support the proposed collection time change, he called the consultation response rate “very low”.
“There does not seem to me
to be a large groundswell of opinion against the change and certainly not a strong majority of businesses.”
Councillor Elliott said residents regularly raise issues of unsightliness and seagulls and the new measures are designed to try to solve that problem. He considered his decision “reasonable, considered and careful” and clarified that he’d only recently taken over the portfolio.
He also gave an assurance that the council would support any business struggling to cope.
Councillor Deborah Collins (Widcombe & Lyncombe, Liberal Democrat) was confused by the report which she said appeared to be based on a decision that wasn’t actually taken, as initially a two-hour, rather than a two-anda-half-hour collection window, was proposed.
Councillor Elliott agreed that the report did not reflect the fact that he had listened to what was said during the consultation period and had changed the position: “I apologise for that. I think the report could be clearer.”
Panel member Councillor Shaun Hughes (Midsomer Norton North, Independent), who signed the call-in, said the council was treating those that responded as “insignificant” but 87 was a lot of businesses.
Five of the six Liberal Democrat panel members voted for the call-in to be dismissed (Walcot councillor John Leach abstained). Councillor Hughes and Green councillor Joanna Wright voted against the dismissal. Councillor Wright had also highlighted the effect on waste contractors, including the council’s own fleet, having to drive to Bristol or Wiltshire to weigh and tip waste late into the evening.
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Council slammed over ‘criminal' work on homes
Becky Feather Reporter
CLAIMS of criminality have been levelled at Bath & North East Somerset Council over work carried out on two listed houses without permission.
9 and 10 Wellington Buildings at Upper Weston are councilowned and Grade II listed.
Bob Goodman, a former Tory councillor for Combe Down and a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors with “considerable knowledge” of listed buildings, made the allegations at a council meeting on 17th July.
He said: “Some councillors will recall my speech to full council in May of last year concerning the fact that this council and its officers carried out work to two listed buildings without consent and this was known by officers back to 2019 when an inquiry took place and the findings were not disclosed and nothing happened.
“The breach was admitted by senior officers who indicated that the tenants would be moved out and work begin on the reinstatement as soon as possible. I then estimated that each property would take £150,000 to repair.”
Mr Goodman said that “by chance” a friend had recently showed him particulars of a letting of No.10 Wellington Buildings: “You cannot imagine how immensely disappointed I was to see this criminal act had been totally ignored by this council. Looking at the
photographs my friend took also showed me it appears that all the ceilings in the property were replaced with plasterboard when they were lathe and plaster in the first place, without listed building consent, so rectification is now likely to cost over £200,000 per house.
“To let the properties, knowing that a criminal offence had been carried out, is truly shocking.”
Mr Goodman accused senior officers, the cabinet and council leaders of being “complicit”.
He added: “I have consulted a barrister who was truly shocked to see the evidence I presented. He said to see a local authority to continue to ignore the law is quite appalling and they have many questions to answer.
“He confirmed that local authorities are still bound by the law and there is no exemption. The consequence for the local authority is that officers can be prosecuted for unauthorised works, or knowing of, unauthorised works. The matter can be referred to police but is more likely to be dealt with by the Crown Prosecution Service
and Historic England, who will lead the prosecution. Indeed, documents have been sent to them.”
Mr Goodman added: “A listed building application has not been lodged over two years since it was accepted that this breach had occurred. I called for an independent inquiry when I last spoke and that of course has been completely ignored.”
He said it was a case of “Bates versus the Post Office all over again”.
Councillor Colin Blackburn (Westmoreland, Independent) asked Mr Goodman how long the chief executive had known about the criminal act committed by the council.
Mr Goodman replied: “I first brought this to the attention of officers in Jan/February 2023 and I was told at the time that the chief exec was informed.”
We asked B&NES Council to respond to the allegations and received a one-line statement saying: “We currently have a live listed building application for internal and external alterations at 9 Wellington Buildings with a
target date of 10 September.”
The application was lodged on 16th July, the day before the council meeting. It covers both 9 and 10 Wellington Buildings, despite the address being shown as No.9 only. It reveals the works that don’t have listed building consent are:
• The ensuite bathrooms to first-floor bedrooms. The application seeks their regularisation.
• The approved replacement of windows at the front was not implemented during consented works. Like-for-like repairs are now proposed.
• The new rear doors are different to the consented proposals. Approval is sought to regularise their appearance.
• Plastic soil vent pipes and aluminium roof water guards are not cast iron as consented. Cast iron replacements, painted white to match the neighbouring buildings, are proposed.
• Cementitious mortar has been used in repointing works instead of lime. New lime mortar is proposed to replace all cement-based pointing.
• Opening-up works confirmed that the modern render is attached to a contemporary concrete blockwork and cavity wall construction. However, the render is said to be in a good condition and not causing harm, so it is proposed to leave it in place. Rear boundary walls have been rendered with the same product as the extensions and the application seeks to leave that in place too.
Echo's first community awards a ‘great success’
WE were proud to host the winners of the inaugural Bath Echo Community Awards on Thursday 24th July at a special awards reception at Komedia in the city centre.
Along with our sponsors, the Bath Echo team had the opportunity to meet the fantastic winners, who were nominated across seven categories to recognise the unsung heroes in the city who go above and beyond on a daily basis.
The awards were introduced as part of celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of the Bath Echo – it will be turning 10 on 1st November.
Sebastian Hawker, editor of the Bath Echo, said: “The awards were a great success and we were so grateful to all of our reception attendees for their support.
“Being able to recognise the work our winners do was really special, and we are already looking forward to next year's awards!
“I'd like to thank our sponsors, including headline sponsor Noad Roofing, without whom we wouldn't have been able to organise these awards, and give proper recognition for the most deserving of our local residents.”
The 2025 awards received hundreds of nominations for individuals and organisations,
with thousands of votes received in the public voting for group categories. 2026 will see the introduction of new categoriesmore information on those will
be announced soon. You can find out more about the awards, our winners and see photos from our reception event, on pages 8 and 9.
Witness appeal after indecent exposure
Police have launched an appeal for witnesses after a man was arrested following an indecent exposure incident in Bath at the start of July. At around 3.35pm on Thursday 3rd July, a man was seen to be indecently exposing himself in front of members of the public on the riverside footpath near Windsor Bridge Road. The man was described as white, in his mid-20s, approximately 5ft 10ins tall, with short, brown hair. He was wearing a pair of Adidas joggers and no top.
A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure. He has been released on bail, with conditions to not return to the Bath area. Detectives believe the man was spoken to separately by a man and a woman at the time of the incident. They say they could hold important information about the incident which could be vital to their ongoing investigation and are keen to speak to them. Any witnesses or anyone with CCTV or other relevant footage in the area are urged to call 101 and quote reference 5225186466.
Midsomer Norton road closed for gas works Redfield Road in Midsomer Norton has been closed for six weeks for gas main upgrade works being done in three stages. The closure order will run for a maximum period of six months but the road will only be restricted when signs are in position. Each phase will take two weeks.
Long range forecast: (8th to 14th August)
There's potential for unsettled weather across the region, with spells of rain along with some drier interludes. Temperatures remaining around average.
Wellington Buildings in Weston village
Presenting the awards to their winners
£700-per-day council role to tackle ‘fragmented’ communications
Becky Feather Reporter
BATH & North East Somerset Council is looking to hire a contractor costing up to £700 a day to improve the way it communicates.
The role being advertised is for a Head of Communications and Engagement Transformation, based in Keynsham.
It is described as an “excellent opportunity within the public sector”. The four-day-a-week contract will run until October.
The job spec says: “The council wants to transform its communications and community engagement capability. This is currently fragmented across the council and requires a clearer operating model, strong voice and, ultimately, measurable improvements in public engagement.
“The departure of the head of corporate office provides an opportunity to look again at how these services are arranged and managed.”
The role is to “define and deliver a new communications and engagement operating model for the council, including digital, press, marketing and community engagement services”.
It involves working closely with lead members to ensure there is “a clear, shared vision for the future of these services”.
The person appointed will lead the corporate office services – communications, policy, democratic services, community engagement – on a day-to-day basis, providing line management and support as required.
This week, Councillor Manda Rigby, cabinet member for communications and communities, told the Echo:
Police appeal after man seen killing gulls
AVON & Somerset Police have launched an appeal to identify a man following attacks on gulls in the centre of Bath.
Officers want to identify the man shown in the CCTV image in connection with the reported attacks.
He was seen attacking and killing baby gulls with an umbrella on the roof of the Corridor shopping centre at around 4.50pm on Tuesday 15th July.
Officers would like to speak to the man, who is described as black, middle aged, of slim build. He was wearing a checked shirt and carrying a blue bag at the time of the incident.
Anybody who has information about the incident, or who may know who this man is, is asked to contact Avon & Somerset Police by calling 101 and giving the call handler the reference number 5225200170.
“The council is committed to giving residents a bigger say in decisions that affect their lives.
Strong communications and community engagement are key to this.
“The retirement in September of the council’s current Head of Corporate Office – which includes responsibility for communications – means that we will have a vacant post for threesix months while we identify a permanent replacement.
“We have decided to take this opportunity to appoint a temporary Head of Communications and Engagement Transformation.
“The council’s approach to these services has not been reviewed for a long time and we want to establish a clear operating model to ensure we are informing and listening to our communities in the most effective way possible.
“This will be supported by an independent review of our communication and engagement functions by the Local Government Association scheduled for October.”
Four-week road closure to install new crossing
OLD Newbridge Hill in Bath has been closed to traffic for an estimated four weeks while a new crossing is installed.
The road is temporarily closed from the junction with the A431 Newbridge Hill / Kelston Road for the entire length to the junction with Newbridge Road.
Bath & North East Somerset Council will be putting in a toucan crossing – a combined pedestrian and bicycle crossing –and carrying out road resurfacing.
The closure order began on Monday 28th July and will be in
place for a maximum period of six months. The road will only be restricted as and when traffic signs are in position which is anticipated to be for four weeks. Access will be maintained for residents.
Drivers are being diverted via the A431 Newbridge Hill, A4 Upper Bristol Road, A3604 Windsor Bridge Road, A36 Lower Bristol Road and A4 Newbridge Road.
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Teacher raises thousands from Mount Everest challenge
Becky Feather
A BATH teacher has raised nearly £4,000 so far after climbing the equivalent of Mount Everest on his bike.
Dan Fox, who teaches geography at Oldfield School, rode up and down Lansdown Lane at Upper Weston 100 times (and a quarter)
on Sunday 20th July to hit the target of 8,848 metres. The ride was in aid of the school association to raise funds to encourage more students to get into cycling by providing equipment to make pedalling to school easier.
Dan, of Broadmoor Vale, told the Echo: “It was incredible, amazing, humbling and horrendous all at the same time.
“The community came out in force, which was so special.” He said he was feeling a bit tired during the following week, but not as bad as he thought he could be.
Dan added that it’s “just unbelievable” that he has raised so much.
Donations can still be made on
Dan’s GoFundMe page at https:// bit.ly/44RtYhq
The Guildhall in Bath
The closure will be in place for around four weeks
Campaigners submit group objection to LTN consultation
Becky Feather
Reporter
CAMPAIGNERS against the latest consultation on the New Sydney Place Liveable Neighbourhood scheme have submitted a group objection of nearly 700 signatures.
In April 2024, Bath & North East Somerset Council launched the experimental through traffic restriction at New Sydney Place and Sydney Road. Bollards prevent drivers cutting through to avoid the A36/Bathwick Street junction.
The council stated that as a result, vehicle numbers have reduced by up to 90% on New Sydney Place and 70% on Sydney Road. Vehicle access to homes from either side has been maintained.
The council says that trial data has showed no significant difference to traffic flows, journey times or air quality on surrounding roads.
The United Sydney Unliveable Neighbourhoods Group (UNSUNG) claims that due to a “botched” legal implementation of the low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) trial, B&NES has had to prepare a permanent Traffic Regulation Order and repeat the consultation it did during the trial “where they ignored the 76% that objected”.
Last Wednesday, 23rd July, UNSUNG submitted 666 signatories to the council along with analysis of the findings. A final signatory list with 682 names was submitted the following day
before the consultation’s 5pm deadline.
The outcome of the latest consultation is due to be published in the autumn.
UNSUNG spokesperson Neil McCabe said that the majority of the group’s respondents want the restriction completely removed.
He said: “The composition of the group objection demonstrates the strong and continued local opposition from local residents.
Two-thirds are from the identified wards of Bathwick, which has the largest single number of signatories, Bathavon North and Walcot. Were the Lyncombe and Widcombe postcodes to be included, the number of locally affected residents would be more than three-quarters of the total.”
He added: “This is not a ‘rent a mob’ but a motivated and concerned group of local residents who are sufficiently impacted by the LTN to formally object. Their numbers also exceed those who voted in favour of the LTN in the previous B&NES consultation, despite the response time on this occasion being three weeks, rather than six months.”
UNSUNG claims that B&NES is in breach of its public sector equality duty. Over half of the signatories believe B&NES has discriminated against them.
Mr McCabe said more than 90% of respondents believe that B&NES has breached Department for Transport (DfT) guidance on community consultation, and that councillors made a “political
commitment” to a minority of benefitting residents at the expense of the majority living on boundary roads.
More than 80% of group respondents say the council has ignored Active Travel England area checks which demand redesign of schemes which do not reduce displaced traffic, And more than 70% believe that pedestrians, cyclists and road users are less safe because of the LTN. Over 50% believe pedestrians are less safe on Sydney Road at night.
Of the Bathwick residents in the group, 81% say congestion has substantially increased in their area while 58% of Bathavon North respondents believe public transport serving their area has been negatively impacted.
Mr McCabe noted that First Bus and Faresaver, whose routes are negatively impacted by the LTN, have not been consulted as required by law.
Analysis also shows that 57% of
Bathwick respondents feel less safe as local residents.
Mr McCabe added: “We are also aware that we are submitting this group objection on a day when there has been chaos on the Bathwick Street-Beckford Road junction, with traffic regularly jumping lights and obstructing the yellow box.
“This is not new – near-misses have been reported to Avon & Somerset Police, who recognise the impact of the LTN but are unable to address infractions as they are not being brought to their attention by B&NES.
“In summary, this LTN has never made sense, as it has clearly advantaged a privileged few but both disadvantaged and discriminated against a substantial majority of affected legitimate stakeholders.
“The engagement for this specific LTN has been grossly inadequate and almost certainly in contravention of the Equalities Act. Opposition to the LTN
remains firm, and B&NES should follow the DfT guidance that where the “community…no longer supportive of the scheme, authorities should introduce changes to address community concerns or remove the scheme.”
• Following a recent Freedom of Information (FoI) request made by UNSUNG, B&NES Council disclosed that the funding identified for this LN scheme is £833,458 including sunk costs. The council added that with a proposed crossing for the scheme still in design, the costs of that element are not yet known, but all the measures within the scheme will come from funding approved by the West of England Combined Authority last September.
UNSUNG has called it a “massive, previously undisclosed cost escalation” but Councillor Mark Elliott, deputy leader of B&NES Council and cabinet member for resources, told the Echo that was not the case and that UNSUNG campaigners had “misunderstood” how the schemes are funded.
But Mr McCabe said that Councillor Elliott was quite clear in an email on 14th March that: “As stated in the call-in, this scheme is projected to cost £306,000 in total once finally installed.”
He said: “There was no mention whatsoever of a further £572,000 escalation, and the cost of £833,000 has only ever been revealed in a Freedom of Information response.”
Councillors back plans to review lack of public toilets in Bath
to send people out of the market and away from local independent businesses to supermarkets and chain coffee shops.”
A LACK of public toilets in Bath has left elderly people in tears and pushed people away from local businesses, councillors have heard.
Bath & North East Somerset Council unanimously backed a call to review its “very few and far between” public toilet provision in the area at its meeting on 17th July.
But top councillors have warned it will be a “huge challenge” to improve the situation.
Addressing the council meeting, local tour guide Ed Browning said: “The one constant negative is the embarrassment of apologising for the lack of public facilities.” He said that elderly people had been reduced to tears after not being able to reach the loo in time. His family also run the delicatessen in the Guildhall Market. He said: “Aside from ‘what’s a Scotch egg?,’ the most consistent question I get on a daily basis is: ‘Where are the toilets?’
“It has always seemed ridiculous to me that a market with a delicatessen, a coffee shop, and a cafe has no public toilet and I have
Councillors were voting over a motion tabled by Councillor Robin Moss (Westfield, Labour), the leader of the Labour opposition on the council, to assess the need for public toilets in the council’s Public Toilet Provision Strategy and “prioritise better provision of clean, accessible public toilets across B&NES.”
Councillor Moss said: “For many people, a lack of public loos actually stops them going out.”
Councillor Shaun Hughes (Midsomer Norton North, Independent Group) said that the lack of public toilets in Midsomer Norton was one of the issues most commonly raised with him. He said: “We know this affects footfall in our town, but more importantly excludes large sections of our community. It undermines dignity. It makes our town less accessible.”
The council’s cabinet member for economic and cultural sustainable development, Paul Roper (Kingsmead, Liberal Democrat), seconded the motion, which he said was already something under review and being prioritised.
But he warned: “We will face a huge challenge in providing the necessary funding to significantly improve and increase the current provisions.” He added: “The issues we face are not just about funding. I cannot overstate the significance of vandalism and anti-social behaviour.
“Our existing facilities are subject to significant vandalism and in some cases within a matter of hours of being repaired they are shut again.”
The vote in support of the motion on public toilets came
immediately after councillors unanimously backed another motion calling for the council to have the power to be able to introduce a tourist tax – although it will not be able to do so unless the government changes its rules.
Councillor Roper said that, if introduced, money from the tourist tax could be used to fund public toilets.
The Labour group said there had been 27 public toilet sites across Bath and North East Somerset in 2011 but there were just 20 listed on the council website today. There are 16 council public toilets
managed by Healthmatic, which cost 20p to use, in Bath and North East Somerset, and four operated by community organisations and parish councils. But there are also privatelyoperated public toilets in the city, such as the Southgate Plaza public toilets on Railway Street. Unusually, every vote which went before the council at the meeting received unanimous support from the six different political groups on the council. Chair of the council Liz Hardman (Paulton, Labour) said: “I think this might be a record.”
John Wimperis Local Democracy Reporter
The lack of public toilets in Bath is increasingly causing issue for residents and visitors
The traffic restriction on Sydney Road in Bath
Crime & Court
40-year-old is jailed for 28 weeks after summer shoplifting spree
A BATH man who shoplifted from Sainsbury’s at Odd Down five times over the summer, stealing spirits from the store worth more than £2,000, has lost his liberty.
Jordan Edwards, of Chantry Mead Road in Moorlands, appeared before Bath magistrates on Wednesday 23rd July when he was jailed for 28 weeks.
The court heard that 40-year-old Edwards, who has 25 previous convictions, had taken steps to tackle his narcotics problem but had replaced drugs with alcohol.
As well as pleading guilty to the five thefts from Sainsbury’s, Edwards admitted shoplifting from a Co-op store in Bath, where he was tackled by a security guard, and stealing items worth £400 from Tesco on Bathwick Hill.
Edwards’ spree at Sainsbury’s began on 9th June when he stole spirits worth £372. He went back on 11th June and stole another lot worth £367.50.
On 19th June, his alcohol haul was £388, on 21st June it was £381.75, and on 23rd June, Edwards stole
bottles with a value of £553. Meanwhile on 26th May he stole alcohol and other items of a value unknown from the Coop. The items were recovered after a security guard challenged Edwards.
A charge of assaulting the guard was withdrawn, but Edwards admitted using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour, causing the shop worker harassment, alarm or distress.
Edwards' most recent offence was the one at Tesco on Bathwick Hill on Monday 21st July.
He was brought to court in custody last Wednesday. He was already under a community order but had not turned up for probation appointments.
Magistrates revoked the community order and sent Edwards to prison for a total of 28 weeks, noting there had been a “wilful and persistent failure to comply with your community order”.
They ordered him to pay £50 compensation to the Co-op security guard but did not make any order for compensation to the retailers due to Edwards’ “limited means”.
Man is fined £200 for spitting at shop worker
A BATH man going through a “mental health crisis” assaulted a shop worker by spitting at her, city magistrates heard. The incident on 6th December 2024 at the Spar in Rivers Street Place, close to Bruce Saunders’ flat in Ballance Street, was captured on CCTV. The spit hit the staff member on the shoulder and chest. Saunders, who is 62, appeared in court in custody on Wednesday, 9th July, maintaining that he had not received the summons, known as a postal requisition, to attend court.
He admitted one charge of assault and another one was withdrawn. Saunders also denied using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress, and that charge was dismissed. Magistrates were told that Saunders, who has a PhD in mechanical engineering, has a very serious mental health disorder and takes antipsychotic injections.
He had been sectioned for eight weeks shortly after the offence. Saunders, who had no previous convictions, was fined £200 and ordered to pay £100 compensation, along with £85 prosecution costs and a surcharge of £80.
Magistrates clear man of hitting his girlfriend with a pillow
rekindled the following month after he looked after her following an operation.
BATH magistrates have acquitted a man who was accused of hitting his girlfriend around the head with a pillow after allegedly consuming as many as 40 pints of cider.
Mark Williams, of Rock Road in Midsomer Norton, had pleaded not guilty to assaulting the woman in his caravan at a holiday park in Exmouth.
At his trial on Wednesday 16th July, magistrates found the 56-year-old long-distance lorry driver not guilty of assault but did convict him of a separate charge of causing criminal damage to a £45 canvas photo of the couple. Screens shielded Williams from the woman while she gave evidence. The court heard that the couple met in January 2024 and initially the relationship was “very good”.
On 26th May last year, she said Williams had been drinking and was being “verbally vile”, smashing things up in the caravan before smacking her about the head with a pillow with his full strength in the bedroom where she had taken refuge. She said she later plucked up the courage to send a text to say the relationship was over, but it was
Then on 22nd June last year, while at her home in Writhlington where they had been having a barbecue with neighbours, he became “vile” again after drinking.
She said he punched the wall and picked up a bread knife and swung it round. That night she let him sleep on the sofa as he had so much to drink and she feared he would kill someone if he got behind the wheel.
She said he woke her in the early hours of the next day, asking to get into her bed; he got angry and ripped the picture off the wall and used car keys to gouge a hole in it.
The woman reported what had happened to the police and it was then that she mentioned the alleged incident at the caravan.
Cross-examining the woman, defence solicitor Ned Kemp reminded her that she had provided a written statement to say she had not left her house for 16 weeks after what had happened, but had posted images on Facebook of a holiday in Weymouth in August which she described as the “best ever”.
The woman told Mr Kemp what she had meant was that she had not gone out in the vicinity of her home for 16 weeks, but had
felt safe while on holiday with a friend. She said she suffers from functional neurological disorder, triggered by trauma and stress, and therefore could not be precise about anything. Her daughter gave evidence corroborating that Williams had sworn, smashed things up in the caravan and that she had seen him hit her mother with a pillow through a gap in the bedroom door.
But she also made allegations that her mother had not mentioned, such as claiming that Williams had consumed between 30 and
40 pints of cider and had gone out driving that day.
When on the witness stand, Williams denied that he had got violent in the caravan, sworn or battered the woman with a pillow. He said he had drunk eight pints and denied he had gone out driving after drinking. Regarding the criminal damage charge, which he also denied, Williams accepted destroying the picture but said it was his own property. He said he’d had it delivered to the woman’s address as there was no room for him to hang it in his lorry cab.
He said he had addressed the picture to the woman as “that was how much I thought of her at the time”.
While in the witness box, Williams referred to a previous conviction he had for battery in 2019.
Mr Kemp told the magistrates that the most consistent evidence they had heard was from the defendant. He said Williams’ former girlfriend had “lied unequivocally” and made a “woeful attempt” to step back from that in court.
Mr Kemp also highlighted that the woman had bought Williams an England shirt as a gift when they were together, but had “repatriated” it on Facebook Marketplace.
After retiring to consider their verdict, magistrates found Williams not guilty of assault, saying they doubted the witnesses’ credibility. However, they convicted him of criminal damage and fined him £758 along with a surcharge of £303 and £325 prosecution costs. The magistrates did not feel a restraining order against Williams was necessary as there had been no reported incidents over the last 12 months.
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Becky Feather Reporter
Edwards stole thousands of pounds worth of alcohol
Becky Feather Reporter
Becky Feather Reporter
Bath Magistrates’ Court
Man living in Bath park while awaiting sentence Seven charges over historical sex offences
A 30-YEAR-OLD man still to be sentenced for a series of offences he committed last year has appeared in custody before Bath magistrates.
Jacob Shaw, whose previous address was in Luddenden Foot in West Yorkshire, has been living in a tent in a Bath park, the court heard on Wednesday 23rd July.
Shaw had missed a previous court hearing relating to offences he pleaded guilty to last July and requested Probation Service reports had not been done.
Shaw had admitted obstructing a police constable in the execution of their duty on 6th May at Sowerby Bridge; to driving a Ford
Transit van on 13th May on the A487 in Cardigan while over the alcohol limit; and assaulting a police constable on the same date at Haverfordwest.
He had also pleaded guilty to driving on 30th May on a M6 slip road at Stoke-on-Trent without insurance and while over the drink-drive limit; and failing to surrender to bail last August at North Staffordshire Magistrates' Court.
Bath magistrates granted Shaw conditional bail.
He must report daily to the police station in Bath and engage with the Probation Service. He is due to be sentenced on 27th August.
A TWERTON man has appeared at Bath Magistrates’ Court accused of historical sex offences in the city.
Tim Dale, of Ellen House in Eleanor Close, was in court on Wednesday 23rd July to face seven charges dating back to the 1990s.
Dale, who is 45, is accused of:
• Unlawful sex with a girl aged under 13 between November 1996 and August 1997.
• Unlawful sexual with a girl under 13 between November 1999 and November 2001.
• Unlawful sex with a girl under 13 between August 1997 and April 2004 on multiple other occasions.
Court in Brief
Man pleads guilty to voyeurism charges
A 39-year Bath man has pleaded guilty to voyeurism. Thomas Edwards, of St Catherines Close at Bathwick, appeared before Bath magistrates on Wednesday, 23rd July when he admitted six charges of recording another person doing a private act for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, knowing that the other person did not consent to the recording.
• Indecent assault on a girl under 14 between March 2002 and March 2003.
• Sexual assault on a girl aged 14 between November 2005 and November 2006.
• Sexual assault on a girl aged 15 to 16 between March 2005 and March 2007.
Magistrates granted Dale unconditional bail and adjourned the case to Bristol Crown Court, where he will appear on Monday 18th August.
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• Indecent assault on a girl under 14 between November 1999 and November 2001.
The offences all took place in Bath in 2022 – on 6th February, 29th May, 31st May, 4th June, 2nd October and 23rd October. Edwards was granted unconditional bail and will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on 21st August. As a sex offender, Edwards was ordered to register his details within three days at the police centre in Keynsham.
Damaged salon window
A 53-year-old man has denied causing more than £500 of criminal damage to the window of a Bath hair salon. A date was set on 23rd July for Stewart Atkinson’s trial after he pleaded not guilty to damaging the window at Giuseppe's of Bath without lawful excuse on 16th June. Atkinson, living in Bristol, maintains the damage was caused accidentally after he fell.
Jacob Shaw is currently living in a tent in a park
Dale has been accused of seven historic sex offences
ECHO
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We were privileged to be joined by our winners and sponsors of the inaugural Bath Echo Community Awards at Komedia in Bath on Thursday 24th July. We had a fantastic time meeting them, their friends, families and colleagues, and congratulate them on being nominated and winning their awards! We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to nominate an individual or group - our winners were incredibly grateful for the support shown to them by the local community. Planning has already got under way for our 2026 awards, so keep an eye out for more information soon!
OF THE YEAR
More photos, as well as videos, from our awards reception are being posted on our various social media channels, so do take a look to see some more. You can find us @BathEcho - head over and follow us to keep up-to-date.
We’d like to take the opportunity to thank all of our sponsors for their support in creating these awards. We look forward to working with them again next year, as well as introducing a number of exciting new categories!
GROUP OF THE YEAR
Winner Tapiwa Kambarami
OF THE YEAR Winner Bath Cats & Dogs Home
£250 prize + Afternoon Tea
Winner Walk Bath
£500 prize
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This year’s trophies for our well-deserved winners
Tapiwa Kambarami and some of her family
Leah Hamilton, Seb Hawker, Nikki Heal, Becky Feather and Rob Last
Alice and Will Noad from Noad Roofing, our headline sponsor Some of our guests at the reception at Komedia
Some members of the Walk Bath team
Attendees from Bath Cats & Dogs Home
Presenting Carer of the Year 2025
Anna-Louise Ivory with Becky Feather
Nikki Heal with Kirsty Scarlett
Pictures from the Past
Milsom Street, 200 years ago
Kirsten Elliott Akeman Press
IN 1825, the caricaturist Isaac Robert Cruickshank published this print of ‘Milsom Street & Bond Street with Portraits of Bath Swells’.
It was one of a series of illustrations for The English Spy, a ‘characteristic, satirical, and humorous’ travelogue by ‘Bernard Blackmantle’, the pseudonym of a particularly unprincipled journalist called Charles Westmacott. Not surprisingly, he concentrated on the various ‘swells’ portrayed in Cruickshank’s print, and wasted no time in describing what Milsom Street itself was like. For that we have to turn elsewhere.
Fortunately, as Milsom Street was the most fashionable street in England’s most
fashionable city, several other writers were ready to sing its praises. In 1819, for example, the well-known journalist and sports writer Pierce Egan wrote a guide to Bath in which he declared that, ‘in the height of the season, Milsom Street is the promenade of the gentlemen, and the shopping of the ladies: this latter circumstance giving it a splendid variety. It is the very centre of attraction, and till the hour of dinner-time it is the peculiar resort of the beau monde. All is bustle and gaiety: numerous dashing equipages passing and repassing, others gracing the doors of the tradesmen; sprinkled here and there with the invalids in the comfortable sedans and easy two-wheeled carriages, all anxious to participate in this active part of Bath, giving a sort of finish to the scene. The shops are tastefully laid out; capacious and elegant … In short, Milsom
and Bond Streets afford to the utmost extent everything towards supplying the real or imaginary wants of the visitors: libraries to improve the mind, musical repositories to enrich their taste and science – confectioners to invite the most fastidious appetite – tailors, milliners, &c of the highest eminence in the fashionable world, to adorn the male, and decorate and beautify the female.’
One of the best-known shops in Milsom Street was White’s Music Warehouse, on the corner of Quiet Street. It can be seen on the right of Cruickshank’s print with signs for ‘Pianoforte Manufactory’ and ‘Music Seller’. A poem called Rough Sketches of Bath, written by Thomas Haynes Bayly in 1819, which describes ‘the beaux in Milsom Street’ who seek renown ‘by walking up, in order to walk down’, goes on to add that ‘all who are musical then call
COLUMN | Clare Moody, Labour Police and Crime Commissioner
On Friday 11th July, I visited Bath and Radstock – to hear from businesses, members of the public, councillors, Radstock Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and Wera Hobhouse MP for Bath about their priorities for policing.
Keeping Bath city centre safe I heard from Wera Hobhouse MP for Bath and the local neighbourhood policing team to understand residents and businesses concerns around anti-social behaviour, shoplifting, and road safety issues in the city centre.
Together with Wera Hobhouse MP, Lindsay Holdoway – who represents the association of traders, and the local officers, we discussed efforts to make Bath a safer city for its residents, visitors, and businesses.
I heard from the local neighbourhood team about how they will be enhancing neighbourhood policing and creating safer, more vibrant town centres and high streets across the region through the Your Streets, My Priority campaign, which I launched earlier this month to deliver coordinated
action where it is needed most this summer. Local policing and response officers, as well as volunteer Special Constables and officers from specialist teams, are focusing on increasing engagement, disrupting criminals, and listening to any concerns.
Radstock community safety issues
From Bath, I visited Radstock town centre where I met with Mayor Cllr Chris Dando, Deputy Mayor Cllr Lavinia Corrick, Town Clerk George Clutten, Cllr Nick Toogood, Cllr Simon de Beer, and
at White's, To buy the dances played on Thursday nights.’
Next door to White’s was an even betterknown shop, Molland’s Pastrycook’s, which features in perhaps the most famous Bath book, Jane Austen’s Persuasion, published in 1817, when it begins to rain – ‘not much, but enough to make shelter very desirable for women’ – and Anne Elliot and the ladies with her turn into Molland’s.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about this print is how immediately recognisable the scene is today. Although the buildings on the corner of Quiet Street were rebuilt later in the 19th century, most of the others have changed very little, and Milsom Street is as fashionable – and busy – as ever. What has changed, though, it is that today’s beau monde no longer have to run the gauntlet of ‘dashing equipages’.
Cllr Dominic Tristam. They all expressed concern over the increase in anti-social behaviour, road safety issues and street drinking, among other community safety issues in the area. However, despite the challenges, I was pleased to hear that the council are in regular contact with their local neighbourhood policing team and appreciated their efforts to try and tackle some of the issues.
I reassured councillors that strengthening neighbourhood
policing is a key priority in my Police and Crime Plan. I also reminded the councillors to encourage residents to report any crime through calling 101, or 999 or anonymously through Crimestoppers.
To keep up to date with what’s happening as part of the Your Streets, My Priority, visit my website and social media pages at www.avonandsomerset-pcc. gov.uk
You can follow the PCC on social media via @AandSPCC
Milsom Street in 1825
Crossword
Congratulations to Lucy Proctor for winning £20! You can find the answers to last issue's crossword on page 28
8 Essential ingredient of stainless steel (8)
9 On or about 15/5 (3-3)
10 Advanced in years (3)
11 Comfortable piece of furniture (8)
12 Boarded up (4) 16 Speak in a slow manner (5) 19 Boozy (9)
The winner will be the first randomly opened entry with the correct answers on 13/08/2025. They will be notified using the details they provide when entering the competition. Winners will be given the option of receiving a High Street shopping voucher or be provided the £20 via a BACS transfer.
Food & Drink
Tasty Dates For Your Diary
Dive into the Seafood Extravaganza menu at Woods (Alfred Street) from Wednesday 6th - Friday 8th August: oysters, mussels, prawns and more will all be making a splash, with crab and lobster available to pre-order according to market availability (mention Seafood Extravaganza when making your essential booking). www.woodsrestaurant.com
Refresh your thirst for adventure with two Aperol Spritz for just £15 at the Adventure Cafe Bar (George Street) every MondayThursday from 10am-7pm. www.adventurecafebar.co.uk
There’s yet more reason to be cheerful when out and about on Moorland Road: Thailand Wok - specialists in authentic, freshly-prepared south-east Asian flavours from grand
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Get in touch with Rob Last via rob@mediabath.co.uk
dishes to street food classics served in vibrant modern diner surroundings - only opened a handful of weeks ago but has already earned cult status in the ‘hood.
www.thailandwok.co.uk
Just landed at the Sepoy Club (Broad Street): the Express Lunch Menu, which brings a tantalising selection of fresh, lively, fullyloaded Chicken, Fish or Veggie Bowls (plus rice) to the menu for just £11.95 every Monday - Friday 12-4pm.
www.thesepoyclub.co.uk
The Summer Terrace is officially open at Emberwood (Queen Square): soak up the sun, soak up the cocktails and graze your way through a selection of small plates and sharers while watching the world go by without you. www.emberwoodbath.com
Review Emberwood
5 Queen Square, Bath BA1 2HH
01225 473351
www.emberwoodbath.com
@emberwoodbath
Since opening its doors at the recently-refurbished Francis Hotel on Queen Square in May of this year, Emberwood has brought something fresh and new to the Bath restaurant scene in a way that’s totally unique to the Heritage City.
Smart, friendly doormen dressed in refined versions of Peaky Blinder-esque vintage gangster chic (without, please note, any trace of actual ‘gangster’ vibe) meet you at the door.
In the stylishly spacious dining room, acres of polished wood and gleaming brass are softened by potted palms and velvet banquettes.
Sparkling chandeliers twinkle overhead, bespoke low lighting flatters the whole space… and an exciting open kitchen headed up
Take an exclusive guided tour through the award-winning, breathtakingly beautiful gardens so carefully maintained by the Bath Priory (Weston Road) before further indulging your senses with a 3-course lunch inspired by seasonal garden flavours, served in unforgettably elegant surroundings. Forthcoming dates: Tuesday 5th August and Tuesday 16th September (£50pp). https://bit.ly/4mfq1ca
Shopping in the vibrant Guildhall Market (High Street)? Take a break with two gin and tonics for just £10 (yes, you read that correctly) or two cocktails for £15 at Jane’s Espresso Bar, at the epicentre of the marvellous market action. www.janespresso.com
Make the very most of the magical garden at The Old Crown
by Executive Chef David Hazell (formerly of Paco Tapas and the Clifton Lido) offers exciting open views into a rather dramatic charcoal-fired open hearth: ‘Ember' from that hearth, “wood” after the guy who built Queen Square — geddit?
Flame cooking is the Emberwood kitchen’s USP, with seasonality
Melissa Blease Food Writer
(Kelston) every Wednesday when a carafe of house wine comes as standard with every two main courses ordered, and/or a complimentary house drink with your Fish and Chip feast every Friday. www.oldcrownkelston.com
Tacos, Thai and Malaysian Curry feasts; perfect pizzas, mouthwatering Mediterranean menus and the intriguing Rice and Shine selection: hoorah for Green Park Station’s everevolving Street Food line-up, which includes a dedicated Street Food Market every Friday. www.greenparkstation.co.uk
Float along to heavenly riverside hotspot the Bathampton Mill (Mill Lane, Bathampton) and enjoy 2 courses from a superb seasonal menu for £20.95 (3/£24.95) every Monday - Friday
from 12-5pm (excluding Bank Holidays).
www.thebathamptonmill.co.uk
Bath Foodies Festival returns to Royal Victoria Park from Friday 29th - Sunday 31st August, featuring a Chefs Theatre, Silent Disco and a BBQ Stage alongside headline acts including Symphonic Ibiza, Blue and Scouting For Girls (ticket prices vary; use code OFFER30 for 30% discount).
www.thebathamptonmill.co.uk
Melissa regularly reviews eateries across Bath and the surrounding area. You can find out more on her dedicated website at: www.theprandialplayground.uk
Follow Melissa on X Find her @ThePigGuide
and impeccable sourcing writ large across an enticing menu that waltzes from small plates to massive, made-for-sharing Feasting options (the Côte de Boeuf in particular has already earned itself legendary status) with style and grace.
We started with Martinis made to order at our table by a lovely
man with a dedicated Martini trolley (gotta love a Martini trolley!) and a little board of rare breed Mangalitza Coppa from the British Heritage Cured Meats selection — a rare treat indeed.
When we managed to tear ourselves away from the cocktail/ grazing combo, we tore into a silky beef tartare accompanied by uber-beefy beef tallow crisps, and a generous pile of soft, sweet, crab delicately muddled with crab oil mayonnaise, tarragon and pickled lemon; heavenly, both.
For mains, rich, creamy red mullet resplendent on a superluxurious crab and saffron risotto and topped with vibrant spears of just-about-al-dente asparagus.
And oh, the delicate Cornish hake, perfectly teamed with nutty, anise-tinged caramelised fennel, smoky charred potatoes and briny samphire! Both were the kind of dishes that you live in hope of finding in a restaurant
in Padstow, or a Mediterranean quayside bistro, or an Amalfi Coast cucina — and I say “live in hope” because, regardless of where I’ve roamed, I’d yet to find the seafood dishes that lived up to my seafood dreams as much as the two I found here.
For dessert, a deeply umami miso custard tart for Him and for me, a fragrant yuzu curd, matcha and white chocolate choux bun from the dessert trolley — who doesn’t love a dessert trolley, especially when it has ‘secret’ drawers that are opened to reveal a beautiful array of perfect petits fours hiding in plain sight?
Throughout our dinner, service was friendly and seamless, the ambience exuded subtle, laidback exuberance and the overall experience was as contempoelegant as a contempo-elegant restaurant experience gets; if you want to feel special, you’ll feel very special at this very special place.
A selection of the food available at Emberwood
Recipe
Tomato Tonnato with Crispy Capers
Make the very most of the ripest tomatoes of the summer with this creamy, vibrant tomato salad resting on a silky tuna sauce: a staple on northern Italian summertime menus, perfect for a light lunch or starter.
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the base:
• The yolks from 3 large, hard-boiled free range eggs
• 220g tin of good quality tuna in olive oil (eg. Ortiz), drained
• 6 anchovies
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 100ml extra-virgin olive oil
• The juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
For the tomato salad:
• 3 tbsp capers, drained
• 600g ripe tomatoes, ideally a mixture of sizes and colours
• 50g pitted kalamata olives, thickly sliced
• A handful of fresh basil leaves
To serve: more extra-virgin olive oil; chargrilled ciabatta
Method
• To make the base: place the hard-boiled egg yolks, mustard, tuna, garlic and anchovies into the bowl of a food processor and blend for around 1 minute or until the mixture is smooth. With the motor still running, add the vinegar and slowly drizzle the extra-virgin olive oil into the mixture, followed by the lemon juice. Season to taste, transfer to a bowl, add the chopped parsley, stir well and place the mixture into the fridge to chill and thicken slightly for around 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the tomato topping: thickly slice the larger tomatoes, halve any smaller ones, set to one side in a colander and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a small saucepan over a medium-high heat. Pat the capers dry on a couple of sheets of kitchen paper towel and, when the oil is hot, ‘sizzle’ the capers for a couple of minutes or until crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, transfer to a kitchen-paper lined plate and season with salt.
• To assemble the dish, divide the base mixture between four serving plates, spreading it out evenly as you go to create a pool. Arrange the sliced tomatoes on top,
What's On
Frankenstein in Bath
Starts outside Sally Lunn's 2nd – 30th August
Discover how most of the world’s first science fiction novel was written in Bath in the winter of 1816/17, as well as how Mary Shelley’s real life dramas were at least as extraordinary as her creature.
Storytelling with Objects
BRLSI
6th August, 10am-12pm & 2-4pm
Use fossils, bones & rocks to make up and write stories… dragon riders, caves, fairies & monsters! Free for children, £5 for accompanying adults – book a ticket for those who are going.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Bath Abbey
8th – 29th August, 7.45pm
Step into the enchanting world of A Midsummer Night's Dream as Bath Abbey transforms into a mystical woodland for a breathtaking promenade production. Monday to Saturday.
Fairfield House Guided Tours
Fairfield House
10th August, 12pm & 1.30pm
Home of H.I.M Haile Selassie I, join a guided tour every Sunday. This hidden piece of Bath's history holds an amazing story, home to Emperor Haile Selassie I and the Ethiopian Royal family.
Wind in the Willows
American Museum & Gardens
2nd August, 6.30pm
Pack your picnics and join Ratty, Mole, Badger, and the fantastically irrepressible Toad as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime culminating in a colourful battle to save Toad Hall.
Behind-the-scenes Animal Tour
Bath City Farm
6th, 13th, & 27th August
Join Ella, the livestock coordinator, on an interactive, hands-on tour of the animals who call the farm home. What jobs to the animals do? How do they know which hen laid which eggs?
Summer Evening Dining
The Pump Rooms
8th & 9th August
Step into the timeless elegance of the Pump Room Restaurant for an evening dining experience unlike any other. Available Friday and Saturday through the summer. Featuring live music.
Start Archery - Have-a-go
Stothert & Pitt RFC
10th August, 12.30-4.30pm
Bitton Archers, a thriving local archery club, is inviting people of all ages to come and try archery for free at a special open event at their new ground at Stothert and Pitt RFC.
Friday 1st August - Thursday 14th August 2025
Vineyard Community Day
Minerva Wine, Corston
3rd August, 9am – 5pm
Back with another Community Day –they're getting stuck into leaf stripping. Join Eddie for a proper hands-on session in the vines where you'll be working together to boost vine health.
Brilliant Bubble Show!
Newton Farm
7th August, 10-11am
They're kicking things off with a spectacular, interactive bubble show that's guaranteed to amaze both children and adults alike. Expect giant bubbles, bubble tricks and plenty of fun.
Farmyard Circus Family Festival
Beckford’s Tower
10th August, 11.30am–6pm
A high-impact circus spectacle for audiences of all ages. With a show, circus workshops, food, music and giant bubbles, expect a daring riot of astonishing acrobatics and juggling.
Mini Makers: Picture Poetry
Victoria Art Gallery
12th – 14th August, 10.30am-3.30pm
Let your creativity bloom in this expertled workshop in the Modelling Room, where young artists will take a special animal shape and make poetry with words from nature.
Death Comes to Pemberley Theatre Royal 5th – 9th August
The world premiere stage adaptation of P.D. James’s best-selling novel comes to Bath this summer, a tale of love, betrayal, and intrigue in Regency England.
The Rogues
Komedia Bath
7th August, 7pm
Plus + Nothing Rhymes with Orange. A 5-piece indie rock band from Newport, South Wales who are quickly cementing their reputation as one of the UK’s most exciting emerging bands.
Sunday Walk: On Foot in Bath
Topping & Company Booksellers 10th August, 10.30am
Celebrating the newly updated third edition of On Foot in Bath, Akeman Press will be taking participants on a walk and talk through Bath, revealing some of the lesser known corners.
Katherine Rundell
The Forum
13th August, 2.30-3.30pm
Katherine is a multi-million-bestselling author whose novels for children have won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, the Blue Peter Book Award and the Costa Children's Book Award.
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Vital repairs planned to Brunel’s footbridge in Sydney Gardens
Becky Feather Reporter
NETWORK Rail has revealed plans to repair the rusty and rotting footbridge in Sydney Gardens that crosses the Great Western Main Line.
The Grade II* listed structure, which was built about 1841, is the only remaining Brunel cast iron footbridge on the railway line from London to Bristol.
In 2022 Network Rail carried out masonry repairs on the parapets and abutments and shortly afterwards Historic England added the bridge to its at-risk register due to the surface rust on the span.
Network Rail is now applying to Bath & North East Somerset Council for listed building consent to carry out more repair and maintenance works following a structural assessment.
Sydney Gardens, built in 1795, were the largest pleasure gardens created outside of London. When the railway was routed through the gardens, the footbridge and retaining walls were intended
to enhance, rather than detract from visitors’ experience.
Network Rail’s report says that whilst some of the footbridge may not be original, it is on the whole unchanged since its original construction.
The timber deck has been periodically replaced over the years and currently there are damp and rotting timber areas.
The proposed works include replacing the deck with one that is more durable, along with grit blasting and painting the footbridge, while working off scaffold.
The proposed non-slip surfacing has been used on other listed structures such as Victoria Bridge in Bath.
The report adds that vegetation sprouting from the footbridge will be removed using hand tools and the stonework will be carefully jet washed. Masonry repairs will be made where necessary.
The footbridge will be painted in the original colours of pale brown, cream and black brown as discussed with Historic England
The planning reference is 25/02855/LBA and the deadline for comments is 29th August.
Warning as children fall ill after river swimming
A WARNING has been issued after reports that children who swam in the River Avon suffered sickness and diarrhoea, with some ending up in hospital.
Oasis Academy Brislington has written to parents to say that a number of its students had recently fallen ill after swimming in the river, specifically near the area by Beeses café.
The letter says: “Several of these students have reported symptoms consistent with gastrointestinal illness and unfortunately a small number have required hospital care as a precautionary measure.”
The school says it has contacted the relevant local agencies regarding the illnesses, and in the meantime as a precaution strongly advises that students avoid swimming or entering the water in this area.
“We understand that with the recent warm weather, outdoor swimming is appealing to many young people.
“However, rivers can carry a number of health risks, including waterborne bacteria or contaminants, which are not always visible or predictable.”
The Environment Agency (EA) are responsible for managing watercourses. We contacted them and although they did not give specific information, they said there was useful advice on wild swimming on the government’s Swim healthy blog, while the Swimfo website has information about designated bathing waters which the EA monitors through regular sampling.
The map shows that the only site in our area where swimmers are advised not to bathe is in the River Frome at Farleigh Hungerford.
The latest classification for it is Poor.
Meanwhile, the government recently announced the biggest overhaul of the water sector since privatisation.
The Water Services Regulation Authority, Ofwat, will be abolished and its functions merged with water functions across the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Drinking Water Inspectorate to form a new single, powerful regulator to cut water pollution in England’s rivers, lakes and seas, and protect families from massive bill hikes.
Bath tourist tax proposals move a step closer after vote
John Wimperis Local Democracy Reporter
COUNCILLORS on Bath & North East Somerset Council have voted unanimously in support of being able to introduce a tourist tax.
English councils do not yet have the power to introduce such a measure, but councils in Scotland do and Wales is following suit.
Now Bath & North East Somerset Council leader Kevin Guy has written to Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner, in a joint letter with the leader of Cambridge City Council, urging the government to give England’s historic cities the same power.
Councillor Guy (Bathavon North, Liberal Democrat) told a council meeting on 17th July, where councillors were voting on a motion in support of being able to introduce a tourist tax: “We are not acting along and all we are doing is asking is for the government to give us a fair deal because, at the moment, English cities are being short changed.” Bath has six million visitors per year, bringing in half a billion pounds in local economic benefit and supporting 8,000 jobs, proposer of the motion Michelle Doherty (Newbridge, Liberal Democrat) told the meeting.
She said: “This motion is not about discouraging tourism.
“We really value our visitors
and we want them to continue coming, but like many European cities, we think visitors should make a small contribution towards the cost of keeping our city clean and safe and welcoming.”
She added: “This isn’t about creating a new huge revenue stream — although a modest charge per night could bring in a couple of million pounds per year for the council which would make a real difference given the pressures on our budgets.”
The tourist tax proposal was met with support across the political spectrum. Labour opposition leader Robin Moss (Westfield) seconded the motion and former Conservative council leader Tim Warren (Midsomer Norton Redfield) said: “This is something I looked at a lot of years ago. We spoke to Rishi Sunak when he was a junior minister.”
Karen Walker (Peasedown, Independents for B&NES) said she supported the idea in principle but warned it could price out low-income families.
Shaun Hughes (Midsomer Norton North, Independent Group) said: “I think it’s an option we should have available to us as a financial tool. Whether we should then actually use it is going to take a lot more debate.”
He added: “We recently saw how vibrant Bath can be. We had Robbie Williams playing in the Royal Crescent and we had the
Bath Rugby victory tour. It would be great to use this to find other ways to encourage more visitors to stay overnight instead of the daily coach trips we see.”
Every councillor present voted in support of the motion. How would a tourist tax work?
Councillors were only voting on whether they supported the principle of a tourist tax, not on actually introducing one or how it would work — but it is expected to take the form of an additional
charge on overnight stays paid by the visitor to the local council.
The letter from Councillor Guy and the leader of Cambridge City Council to the government spoke of “a tourist levy associated with overnight stays”.
The letter states: “The revenue generated could be reinvested into the community, improving facilities and services for both residents and visitors.”
Councillor Guy said: “Any levy should apply fairly across all types
She told the meeting that she envisioned a lower charge for people staying in cheaper accommodation.
Work is planned to restore the bridge in Sydney Gardens
The Roman Baths attracted more than one million visitors in 2023 of accommodation, including short-term lets such as Airbnb.” Councillor Doherty said that charges used in Europe were paid by visitors, not by local businesses.
Nearly 100 empty homes occupied thanks to council support
ALMOST 100 empty homes in the local area have been brought back into use thanks to support by Bath & North East Somerset Council.
With 943 properties in the district lying empty for more than six months, and 454 of those for more than a year, the local authority’s Empty Property Service is working with owners to identify the barriers to bringing the homes back to a standard where they can be lived in, and offering them support to make that happen.
There is no specific legislation preventing a property being left empty indefinitely, providing it is maintained to an acceptable standard and the council tax is paid.
However Bath & North East Somerset Council is developing Enforced Sale and Compulsory Purchase Orders procedures for empty properties as part of its Housing Plan, so that high-level enforcement action can be taken in future.
A three-bed terraced house in Brougham Hayes in Bath that first became vacant in 2001 and lay derelict, resulting in many complaints from neighbouring properties including issues with vermin, has now been refurbished by the new owner and was recently let to new residents.
The property regularly generated complaints dating back to 2003 to the council’s environmental protection team, and a previous owner complied with an order to clear waste and overgrowth from the garden in 2017, however no further steps to maintain the house were taken by that owner.
The council supported the new owner to buy the property in 2024 by acting as a point of contact with third parties such as auctioneers and the Insolvency Service, then providing advice and support once the sale was made, including an Empty Property Small Works Grant.
The Empty Property Service aims to bring homes back into use both by providing empty property assistance and by carrying out enforcement action based on the impact on neighbouring houses.
Councillor Matt McCabe, cabinet member for built environment, housing and sustainable development, said, “Bringing empty homes back into use benefits the environment, the economy and the community surrounding them.
“It can be a very difficult process because the owners of long-term empty properties are typically hard to engage.
“They are often vulnerable people navigating complex situations surrounding the empty property, such as bereavement, ill health or
financial difficulties.
“It’s fantastic to see the house at Brougham Hayes become a lovely home once more. This represents months of hard work and collaboration between our Empty Property Officer, internal teams at the council and property owners.
“Through our ambitious Housing Plan we have committed to providing new homes in the right places, but also to ensuring that existing homes are safe and meet
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residents’ needs.
“Empty homes offer a more environmentally sustainable option for increasing housing stock than building new property and through our Empty Property Service we are helping to maximise the use of housing stock and help people find a place they can call home.”
Under Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Empty Residential Property Policy, the council will intervene once a
privately owned home has been empty for six months. Properties that have been empty for more than a year are subject to an Empty Property Council Tax Premium. Since 2017, 825 properties have been brought back into use under the Empty Residential Property Policy.
Leep Electricity Networks Ltd started work on Monday 28th July. They are excavating a trench 25 metres in the road and 404 metres in the footway.
There is a one-way restriction on Park Lane from its junction with the drive through Royal Victoria Park, all the way down to its junction with A4 Upper Bristol Road. Traffic is only be able to travel southbound.
A no left-hand turn restriction has been introduced on A4 Upper Bristol Road at its junction with Park Lane.
There is also a no left-hand turn restriction on Audley Park Road, Tennyson Road and Coronation Road.
Traffic is only be able to turn right onto Park Lane and exit via the A4 Upper Bristol Road.
A no right-hand turn restriction has been introduced on A4 Upper Bristol Road at its junction with Park Lane.
The alternative route for eastbound traffic is via the A4 Upper Bristol Road, Marlborough Lane, Marlborough Buildings, Weston Road and Park Lane.
Westbound traffic is being diverted via the A4 Upper Bristol Road, A431 Newbridge Hill, Combe Park, Weston Lane, Weston Road and Park Road.
The Temporary Traffic Regulation Order is in place for six months but the work is anticipated to be finished by Friday 5th September. Hundreds of homes will be built on the old gas works site, which is Phase 2 of the Bath Western Riverside development.
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City’s parks and spaces recognised with Green Flag Awards
OPEN spaces and parks across the Bath area have once again been recognised with prestigious Green Flag Awards at a national ceremony.
Judges visited Bloomfield Green, Hedgemead Park, Henrietta Park, Royal Victoria Park and Sydney Gardens earlier this year and declared they met the international quality mark for parks and green spaces.
Haycombe Cemetery was also awarded the status after being assessed via a ‘mystery shop’ by the judges.
Meeting the Green Flag Award standards is testament to the hard work and dedication of those who care for the green space so that visitors and residents can enjoy them.
It’s the third year running that the six green spaces in Bath, managed by Bath & North East Somerset Council, have received an award.
The national Green Flag Award ceremony took place at the Apex Hotel in Bath and was attended by representatives of the council alongside the Mayor of Bath, Friends of Parks group members, Your Park and Bath in Bloom.
Councillor Sarah Warren, deputy council leader and cabinet member for sustainable Bath and North East Somerset, said: “We
know our residents value our green havens, which provide us all with places to relax and enjoy the outdoors.
“We are committed to continuing to invest in our parks and green spaces to ensure they are welcoming and well-managed for both people and nature.
“The support of Friends groups and many other volunteers is vital to the ongoing success of our beautiful parks. Thank you to our Parks team, our cemetery grounds team and to everyone involved in once again securing these prestigious awards.”
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, recognises and
rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
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Health leaders urge locals to get lifesaving HPV vaccine
PEOPLE across the South West who have not received the lifesaving HPV vaccine to get protected against cervical and other cancers are being urged to take action.
GP practices will send invites via letters, emails, texts and the NHS App to patients aged 16-25 whose records show they did not get their lifesaving human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in school.
The vaccine is routinely offered each year to boys and girls in Year 8 (aged 12-13) to help protect them against catching the HPV infection which causes nearly all cervical cancers, and is linked to cancers of the mouth, throat, anus, penis and vagina.
If anyone misses the jab, NHS teams also carry out school catchup visits and host community clinics for home-schooled children.
In the 2023/24 academic year, 77.9% of girls and 72.8% of boys aged 14-15 in the South West were vaccinated by Year 10. However, there are believed to be many people now aged 16-25 who were not jabbed at school.
As such, GPs will be contacting those who have not got an HPV vaccination on their records in a bid to reach as many of these people as possible, under plans to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 as set out in the recentlypublished 10 Year Health Plan.
The NHS in the South West also recently detailed its plans to eliminate cervical cancer, outlining three goals to achieve over the next five years:
• Increase HPV vaccination rates to at least 90% for boys and girls
• Halt the decline in cervical screening rates and increase the screening rate to at least 70% in the 25-49 cohort
• Ensure at least 90% of women diagnosed with cervical disease receive treatment
Dr Matthew Dominey, Consultant in Public Health and Screening and Immunisation Lead for NHS England South West, said: “It is vital that anyone who is eligible for this vaccine, girls, women, boys and men, comes forward to protect themselves.
“While the HPV vaccine is important as we aim to eliminate
cervical cancer, it also helps protect against cancers of the mouth, throat or genitals, while preventing the spread of the HPV infection to sexual partners as well.
“If you are eligible and have not had your HPV vaccine, or if you are the parent of a child who is eligible but has not received their HPV vaccine, I urge you to take up the opportunity for this lifesaving vaccine when your GP contacts you.”
Dr Alasdair Wood, Consultant in Health Protection and Vaccine Preventable Disease Lead at UKHSA South West, added: “We know that uptake of the HPV vaccination in young people has fallen significantly since the pandemic, leaving many, many thousands across the country at greater risk of HPV-related cancers. This is a real concern as each HPV vaccine, now just a single dose offered in schools, gives a young person good protection against the devastating impact of these cancers, which includes cervical, genital, mouth and throat cancers.”
Evacuation at RUH after false fire alarm
CREWS from six fire stations were sent to Bath’s Royal United Hospital on the evening of Tuesday 22nd July, after fire alarms activated at the Combe Park site.
Emergency services were called shortly after 6pm to reports of the fire alarms activating at the hospital, with patients and staff being evacuated from the Emergency Department and part of Zone C.
Firefighters from the Bath, Hicks Gate, Temple, Kingswood,
A spokesperson for Avon Fire & Rescue Service said: “Upon arrival crews carried out a full 360-degree inspection of the site but found no evidence of fire. “The incident was confirmed as a false alarm, and fire alarm panels were reset.”
Bedminster and Nailsea fire stations attended the scene.
Part of the Combe Park site was evacuated
Outstanding report from Ofsted for University of Bath nursery
Becky Feather Reporter
WESTWOOD Nursery at the University of Bath’s Claverton Down campus has retained the top Ofsted rating which it’s held since 2011.
The latest report has been published this week following an inspection last month.
The nursery is rated as Outstanding in all categories – for quality of education, leadership and management, children’s behaviour and attitudes and their personal development.
In her report the inspector says: “Parents greatly value the positive, inclusive and supportive atmosphere at this nursery.”
Staff are said to be “exceptionally responsive to children's feelings, interests and changing needs”.
The report highlights: “Children thrive on the respect, attention and care they receive. Subsequently, their behaviour is exemplary. They offer support to their friends, are caring with younger children and build very
confident and positive attitudes.”
The inspector also observes:
“Parents say that staff's high aspirations, dedication and compassion shine through in the work they do for the children.
“First-time parents are very grateful for the advice staff give them, helping them navigate milestones and support their children's learning at home.
Staff have regular meetings with parents to discuss children's progress.
They very promptly outline any areas where children may need
further support and work in a concerted way to get children the help they need to reach their potential.”
Leadership is described as “incredibly effective” and the children are “exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain and their future education”.
There is said to be an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.
There are 60 children on the roll at the nursery which originally opened in 1970.
Schools take part in recycling workshops
WORKSHOPS that encourage young people to get involved in recycling, which were recently shortlisted for a national award, have returned to primary schools across the Bath area.
Bath & North East Somerset Council was a finalist in the Social Value within a Community award at this year’s Let’s Recycle Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management for workshops it ran in 2024.
The workshops saw 160 children with school staff and volunteer parents learning how to identify and sort electrical waste for recycling.
This year’s workshops, which ran from May to July, saw 12 schools and around 500 Year 5 and 6 children take part in engaging educational activities run by Sustainable Hive and Share and Repair to help children learn more about recycling electrical waste.
The workshops in 2024 and 2025 were fully funded by Valpak, a waste management and recycling service that partners with the council to remove and
recycle electrical and electronic equipment.
Every primary school in B&NES has now been offered the chance to take part in a workshop.
Councillor Mark Elliott, deputy council leader and cabinet member for resources, said: “We’re delighted that the success of the pilot workshops last year has led to 500 more children having the opportunity to get involved in some creative and educational recycling activities this year.
“The workshops support our wider aims to engage communities by instilling responsible recycling habits in young minds that will hopefully carry forward into their rest of their lives.
“The workshops are an excellent community resource and we are very pleased they received national recognition at the recent Let’s Recycle awards.”
James Nash, Valpak’s Commercial Manager, said: “We’re proud to support workshops that inspire the next generation to think differently about waste.”
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A PRE-SCHOOL near Bath has received Ofsted’s highest rating.
Marshfield Pre-School, based at the village community centre, had been rated as Good in 2019 but is now said to be Outstanding following an inspection last month.
The report, which was published last week, says that leaders and staff implement a “highly ambitious curriculum” that aims to provide children with the skills they need for their future learning.
Children enjoy inspiring activities tailored to respond to their interests.
Staff help them to learn to use sign language and consistently narrate to them. As a result, children engage in back-andforth conversations.
The report highlights: “Leaders and staff set clear rules and boundaries, helping to guide children's behaviour. Children behave exceptionally well and demonstrate superb manners.
“Staff are excellent role models and consistently praise children's efforts. Staff help children to recognise and communicate their feelings, such as giving Becky Feather Reporter
their opinions and using voting systems. Children develop a strong sense of belonging.”
Partnerships with parents are said to be strong and support children to flourish. Parents report “overwhelming” support and deeply value the care their children receive. They feel well informed about children's learning and comment on the noticeable progression of their children's development.
The inspector also praises the strong links with local schools and the local community and highlights staff's high morale and commitment to their roles.
There are 40 children on the roll at the pre-school which registered in 2001 and has purpose-built rooms attached to Marshfield Community Centre.
The setting also runs a before and after-school club.
A TEAM of students from the University of Bath took part in the BBC TV quiz University Challenge on Monday evening, 28th July.
The team’s first round match against the University of Southampton was the first time in 10 years that Bath has taken part in the show, for which 130 teams from universities across the country apply.
The Bath team was made up of captain Joni Wildman, Luca Romagnoli, Sajjan Johal, Lewis Blakeborough and reserve Jamie McLauchlin.
Joni said: “We’re over the moon to be taking part in University Challenge this year.
“It took a lot of hard work to be one of the 28 teams that reach the main competition in the studio, and it was a really great experience.
“It’s been a long time since a Bath team has qualified, but we’ve made it this far and we’re hoping to have a team back next year.”
As the reserve member, Jamie took on the role of the team’s coach. He said: “I wrote questions and quizzes for the team, and we watched lots of old episodes as practice, including the one when a Bath team last took part.
“We also had a practice match with the University of Bristol
which we were grateful to them for.”
Joni is studying for a PhD in Architecture and Civil Engineering, and Jamie is in his final year of a PhD in Physics and Chemistry. Lewis, Luca and Sajjan graduated this summer, with an MSc in Physics, a BSc in Biochemistry and a BSc in Maths and Physics respectively. The team’s subjects of study reflect Bath’s strengths in STEM (science, technology engineering, and maths), so the team divided up their revision about other fields for the show.
Joni said: “Between us we felt we had some of the common topics like history, geography and classical music well covered – during the process I knew more
about English Literature than I’ve ever known.
“Our revision did pay off –there was one poetry question in the audition that I’d read about literally on the way there, which was very lucky. Luca had the same thing happen with a question about a philosopher.”
Professor Cassie Wilson, ProVice-Chancellor (Student Experience) at Bath, said: “To have a team representing Bath on University Challenge after several years is something we can all be very proud of. The team has done brilliantly to make it on to the show again.”
University of Bath Students’ Union President Benji Thompson added: “Appearing on University Challenge is such a win for Bath.”
Proposed solar farm would power almost 7,000 homes
PLANS have been revealed for a 14-hectare solar farm in the Green Belt near Whitchurch Village, which would power nearly 7,000 homes a year.
The Reading-based clean energy solutions company Enviromena, which operates across Europe, is behind the plans for the “temporary” (40 years) solar facility on land at Hill Farm, off East Dundry Road.
The site is within the Dundry Plateau rural landscape character area and close to the Bristol City Council boundary, but within Bath and North East Somerset.
As the construction access is within the Bristol area, the application will be considered by both local authorities.
The plans for the 15MW solar array include photovoltaic panels, substations, inverters, perimeter fencing, landscaping and other associated works.
The planning application says the solar farm would create enough clean, renewable energy to power approximately 6,915 homes per annum.
It would avoid 3,866 tonnes of CO2 being generated per annum from fossil fuel-based energy generation, which is the equivalent of taking 2,770 cars off the road each year.
The application states that views of the proposed development from urban areas would not be as noticeable, and where there would be an impact on a sensitive countryside area, it would be mitigated by planting.
The proposed development has been set back from Maes Knoll,
the Iron Age hill fort, which is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, in order to reduce impact and allow for screening through woodland mitigation planting. No hedgerows inside the site would be affected by the solar farm and the development would be planned around a distinctive horse chestnut tree.
A number of enhancements are included with a biodiversity net gain of 40.82% proposed in habitat units and 10.24% in hedgerow units.
A ‘Glint and Glare’ report concludes: “No impacts requiring mitigation are predicted on surrounding road safety, residential amenity, and aviation activity associated with Norton Malreward Airstrip, New Farm Airfield, Clutton Hill Airfield, Avon Lane Airfield, and Bristol Airport.”
Changes to former Debenhams store as M&S relocation continues
It is anticipated that the solar farm would take up to 28 weeks to complete, with the delivery period taking 12 weeks. During the construction period, a specific construction access would use the existing access to the main Hill Farm buildings further north on East Dundry Road, leading to a temporary construction compound.
Once built, access would be via the existing field accesses from East Dundry Road.
The facility would be remotely operated and monitored.
Operational access would require around two trips a month for maintenance and cleaning purposes.
At the end of the 40-year operational lifespan, the decommissioning process would take approximately six months and the intention would be to restore the land.
The application states that on balance, the harm to the Green Belt, and any other harm, is “clearly outweighed” by the considerable public and wider environmental benefits arising from the proposed solar farm.
“As a result, it is considered that very special circumstances exist to support this proposed development in the Green Belt.”
The planning reference on the B&NES Council website is 25/02595/FUL and the deadline for comments is 14th August.
High radon levels found at city centre shop
MORE building changes have been approved at the former Debenhams in Bath as Marks & Spencer prepares to relocate to the vacant department store. Built in 2009 at Southgate Place, Debenhams closed in 2021. M&S announced last summer that it would moving from Stall Street into the empty premises and would be investing £17 million to turn it into its new flagship store.
There is no official opening date as yet but it is widely rumoured to be next February.
Permission for minor alterations to the ground-floor façade and advertisement consent for new signs to support the refurbishment and regeneration of the building were granted to M&S in March of this year. The latest plans approved last week by Bath & North East Somerset Council are for minor alterations to the ground and first-floor façade and for 43 new pieces of plant equipment on the roof.
Three of the ‘dummy’ columns on the side of the building which faces onto Dorchester Street will be removed which will help to open up the proposed entrance on that side. Two new first-floor windows on the north-western side, which is the main entrance from the SouthGate shopping area, were also approved along with replacing the existing timber fire doors are with steel ones.
The new rooftop plant will include air handling units, heat recovery units, a refrigeration unit, gas cooler and smoke extractor fan.
Council planning officers said the equipment will be largely hidden between the existing parapet and canopies.
An assessment found that the noise level from the plant would be significantly below the existing background noise level - by around eight decibel levels –so will not cause significant harm to people living nearby.
The council is currently assessing another application which seeks advertisement consent for illuminated signs, window vinyls and lightboxes at the new store.
HIGH readings of the hazardous radioactive gas radon have been found at a council-owned building in the city centre.
An application for listed building consent to carry out radon mitigation works at 5 Abbey Green was submitted to, and has now been approved, by the planning department at Bath & North East Somerset Council.
There is a craft gallery on the ground floor of the property and residential accommodation above. The work will involve alterations to the Grade II listed building at basement and ground-floor level. No works are proposed on the upper floors.
The planning officers’ report said: “A radon survey has been
undertaken, which found that the readings are significantly higher than target level of radon concentration.
“Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally and is produced due to the decay of uranium in the ground. It is hazardous and long-term exposure can impact on health.
“It is therefore appreciated that action is necessary which in this instance is proposed to take the form of installation of a PIV (positive input ventilation) system, associated pipework and external vent.”
Last July, internal alterations to the property to upgrade features to meet current fire regulations were approved.
Becky Feather Reporter
Becky Feather Reporter
The former Debenhams store in SouthGate Bath
Testing an area for radon
Kitchen fitter fined £5,000 following Trading Standards prosecution
A BATH kitchen fitter has been fined £5,000 and ordered to repay more than £29,000 to two local residents following a prosecution by B&NES Council’s Trading Standards team.
50-year-old John Upson, trading as Kitchens of Bath Ltd, was sentenced at Bath Magistrates’ Court on 2nd July 2025 after pleading guilty to two counts of failing to meet professional diligence standards, in breach of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 between 6th March 2023 and 11th May 2024.
The court heard Upson accepted deposits of £12,810.61 and £16,370.02 for kitchen supply and installation works.
His bank records revealed that he had not used the funds to procure goods or services related to the projects. Instead, the money was not protected, disappeared into his other financial liabilities, and customers received neither their kitchens, nor refunds.
The investigation found the business was “operated recklessly” and fell significantly below the standards expected in the industry, including honest market practice and good faith.
Magistrates ordered Upson to repay the total amount of £29,180.63 to the victims. He was also fined £5,000 and directed to pay prosecution costs of £10,046.
Councillor Manda Rigby, cabinet member for communications and community at Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “The council takes seriously issues of rogue trading and residents being awarded their losses back is a good outcome in this case.
“Breaches of consumer protection legislation can have a huge detrimental impact on consumers and our Trading Standards team will do what they can to protect residents in Bath
and North East Somerset.”
The council runs an approved trader scheme called ‘Buy with Confidence’, where residents can search for local businesses which have been vetted and approved by Trading Standards.
Anyone looking for a local business to carry out some work is encouraged to visit the Buy With Confidence website.
Anyone who thinks they might have fallen victim to a rogue trader, should report it to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service who work in partnership with Bath & North East Somerset Trading Standards. Telephone 0345 40 40 506.
Private gym at new block given green light
PLANS to turn allocated business and commercial space on Lower Bristol Road in Bath into a private gym have been approved.
The planning application said a gym would improve the quality of life for residents in the new buildto-rent apartment block, together with their family and friends.
The change of use proposal for Unit 2 of Block 2 at Signal Box Yard included acid-etched film covering two-thirds of the fullheight windows, but Bath & North East Somerset Council planners thought this would
limit intervisibility between the ground-floor gym and the street. Following negotiations, the proposals were revised to be more “decorative” and only a 7.5cm strip of glazing will now be obscured. The doors will also have only a limited amount of decorative vinyl.
Access to the gym will be via a keycard-operated door from the parking area.
To prevent disturbing residents in the block, there will be impactresistant flooring, impact washers on weight machines and antivibration measures on aerobic machines.
The site was formerly occupied by the Dick Lovett BMW and Mini car showrooms.
HMO approved at Lambridge despite parking ‘crisis’ fear
Becky Feather Reporter
PLANS to turn a house at Lambridge into a six-bed house in multiple occupation (HMO) have been granted permission despite concern that parking in the area is close to “crisis point”. Bath & North East Somerset Council planners approved the change of use of Green Hedges in Grosvenor Bridge Road. The HMO will have one car parking space and eight cycle spaces. The council had received three objections. One local resident
highlighted the “insufficient” parking and said there is already a “dangerous” number of vehicles coming and going into London Road, with parked vehicles in Ringswell Gardens
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The Charity Commission for England and Wales has published its annual survey on public trust in charities.
The results show that, overall, average trust in charities has remained consistently high since 2020, with 50% of people having high trust (the same figure as for 2024). However, the proportion with low trust has slightly increased from 9% last year to 10% this year. When compared to other organisations, charities continue to be among the most trusted, with only doctors outperforming them.
and Grosvenor Bridge Road. They said: “It is already very difficult to exit Grosvenor Park safely with the vehicles – many of them large vans left for days when their owners go to enjoy the canal facilities – parked both left and right so that vision is seriously impaired with traffic coming from both ways.
“Cyclists and walkers are particularly vulnerable and I have no doubt if this is not protected in some way there will be very serious accidents, if not fatalities. Parking in this area is getting to crisis point.”
Concerns were also voiced that
Legal Expert
between higher levels of trust, higher socio-economic backgrounds, and those that have knowledge of the charity sector, for example, those who have heard of the Charity Commission and those who have had contact with a charity in the last year, or have a family member who has. The findings reflected that, when deciding whether to trust a charity or not, the most important factors that the public considers are whether donations are reaching the end cause, and whether the charity is achieving its purpose. There was a recurring theme running through the focus groups: participants emphasised the importance of donations
the plans lacked the basic details needed for the council to be able to make an informed decision.
But council officers said the scheme complies with relevant planning policies; the property recently underwent renovations and has the required energy performance rating of Band C.
The conversion will not result in ‘sandwiching’ between other HMO certified properties, nor breach the current 10% threshold rule. Based on council data, the permission will result in two of 118 residential properties within a 100-metre radius, which equates to 1.7%.
The officers’ report noted: “Whilst the objection states that the works will add to the already dangerous number of vehicles travelling along London Road with parked vehicles on Ringswell Gardens and Grosvenor Bridge Road, the proposal is not seeking to increase the number of bedrooms within the property and the proposal is not found likely to result in a significant increase in vehicle movements over the existing dwelling.” They said the access and parking arrangements are “acceptable and maintain highway safety standards”.
being used by charities for the stated purpose. The focus groups also found that, where this hadn’t happened in specific high-profile cases they had read about, their trust was negatively impacted. When asked about charities that actively campaign for their cause, participants felt this doesn’t negatively impact public support; in some cases, they were even more likely to support a charity if it campaigns.
Participants felt charities should be campaigning for longterm social change, but also recognised the need for them to offer immediate relief in some situations, but both kinds of activity have public support.
Trustees were also surveyed
on their feelings towards charities, revealing that the cost of living continues to be a key concern, with over half of trustees anticipating the need for adaptations, such as finding new sources of funding.
Financial support for charities has declined post-Covid as donations decline, while demand for charities’ services has increased significantly over the last five years.
However, on a more uplifting note, volunteering has seen an uplift post-Covid, and of those that volunteered during that time or had family that volunteered, four in ten had subsequent long-term involvement with the charity.
Becky Feather Reporter
Upson will also have to repay nearly £30,000 to two local residents
The site on the Lower Bristol Road in Bath
It was approved despite concerns
Politics
Changes to approved plans for recycling centre
Becky Feather Reporter
CHANGES to the approved plans for the new recycling centre at Locksbrook Road have been signed off just five days after being revealed on Bath & North East Somerset Council’s planning website.
The changes include new buildings for staff near the gantry and a “slight repositioning” of the pedestrian access from the canal towpath.
Work is expected to start on the new household waste and recycling centre this autumn and it is due to open next summer.
The council will be spending just over £10 million to relocate the recycling centre from Midland Road, where planning permission has already been secured for 176 homes on the site.
The land at Locksbrook Road currently comprises the council’s street cleansing depot and an adjoining car park used by the local VW garage. The scheme was approved by the council’s
planning committee in April despite 189 objections.
The council said Locksbrook Road was chosen after more than 50 other sites within and around the city had been considered. But objectors to the choice of Locksbrook Road have said it will not be a like-for-like replacement as it will reduce recycling provision by 70% and capacity by 20%.
Other concerns raised include the flood risk, accessibility due to a gantry system, and the impact on the local business and residential community, including
environmental health, traffic safety and congestion issues.
Three proposed amendments to the recycling centre scheme appeared on the planning portal on Friday 18th July.
The council had given itself until 15th August to decide whether to grant approval, but had done so by Wednesday 23rd July.
A note on the application said it was published for information only and not open for comments.
The council’s reasons for repositioning the pedestrian access are to “improve pedestrian circulation and safety; be closer
to the cargo bike/ bicycle parking area; and provide space for pedestrians, particularly those wheeling a cargo bike/bicycle to turn to the left for bicycle parking”.
The site will have a gantry above the waste and recycling containers. The changes include an additional staff shelter/sentry box cabin suitable for one person on the north end of the gantry to provide shelter from inclement weather, and another staff shelter/cabin to the south end.
This one will be large enough for two people and a two-metre table and have a light inside. It will be used for sorting black bag waste out of the rain and wind. Both structures will be open on one side.
In their analysis, council planning officers said they were satisfied that the changes are “non-material amendments”.
Such amendments, known as NMAs, are considered minor, meaning they would not significantly impact the original planning decision or affect neighbours or the local area.
‘Child first’ approach won’t stop ‘feral’ youths
A COUNCILLOR has warned Bath & North East Somerset Council’s “child first” approach to youth justice will not stop “feral” youths harassing people. Liberal Democrat councillors were quick to condemn the comment. The council was voting on 17th July to approve its youth justice plan, which sets out how it works to prevent offending and reoffending with a “child first” approach, prioritising the interests of children in the justice system as well as victims. Seconding the plan, Councillor
Lesley Mansell (Labour, Radstock) told the meeting: “This is not about being soft on crime, it is about being smart on prevention.”
But Councillor Alan Hale (Keynsham South, Independent Group) said the council should focus on victims, not children who made people victims. He told councillors: “If you think this is going to work, you need to sell it to the people who complain to me about anti-social behaviour.”
He said: “At the end of the day, when you have members of the public being harassed/ harangued by young people who are somewhat feral, I don’t
believe that this will achieve a great deal.”
Councillor Manda Rigby (Bathwick, Liberal Democrat) called the comment a “disgrace”. She said: “I find it appalling that I’m sitting in a council, where we are trying to talk about preventative work and helping our young people avoid the stigma of crime and ruining their life chances at an early age, and hear those young people being referred to as ‘feral’ youths. I think it’s a disgrace”
Councillor Tim Ball (Twerton and Whiteway, Liberal Democrat) said Councillor Hale had missed the point.
He said: “We need to keep the
youths out of crime to start with. If we can keep them out of crime until they are 18/19, they don’t normally get involved.”
The youth justice plan aims to reduce reoffending by maximising out-of-court alternative sentencing and restorative justice where possible.
The plan also aims to reduce serious violence such as knife crime through work with the Violence Reduction Partnership.
Councillor Tim Warren (Midsomer Norton North, Conservative) said Councillor Hale’s comments had been taken out of context. Despite voicing concerns, Councillor Hale did vote to approve the strategy.
COLUMN | Councillor Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council
Walking through Bath, we can see how hugely popular our city is. Every year, we welcome around six million visitors, mostly to Bath but also to our beautiful towns, villages and countryside in North East Somerset. Tourism generates nearly half a billion pounds in local economic benefit and supports over 8,000 jobs. We’re very proud of our area’s role in the visitor economy, but the pressures on local services and infrastructure are clear. We need a fair system for local council taxpayers - one that recognises the costs as well as the
benefits. Tourism should work for everyone.
Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Liberal Democrat administration believes that a visitor levy is an idea whose time has come. We are leading on this issue nationally. I cosigned a letter with the leader of Cambridge City Council to Angela Rayner, calling for a roundtable with government to explore options to support sustainable tourism, including introducing a modest visitor levy – common in other countrieswith revenue generated used to benefit residents and visitors by
keeping our public spaces clean and welcoming. Any levy should apply fairly across all types of accommodation, including short-term lets such as Airbnb, and we think councils should be able to have bespoke local schemes.
The council has won prestigious Green Flag Awards for six green spaces it manages: Bloomfield Green, Hedgemead Park, Henrietta Park, Royal Victoria Park, Sydney Gardens and Haycombe Cemetery.
I want to thank the Friends’ groups, other volunteers, the council’s Parks team and our
Planning Round-up
Top restaurant’s new access plans approved
A Bath restaurant which opened last year has been granted planning permission and listed building consent to install a new access so delivery drivers waiting to collect food aren’t loitering outside or congregating in the reception area.
Bardacious, founded by Steve and Dasha Luttrell, serves Californian and Mexican inspired cuisine. It opened at 8-9 Quiet Street last year after a £2 million fit-out after works to turn the ground and lower-ground levels of the derelict bank into a restaurant were approved in 2023. In May of this year the owners sought planning permission and listed building consent from Bath & North East Somerset Council to replace one of the external arched windows with glazed, frameless French doors to allow street access to a new counter for takeaway service. The scheme includes a small, designated preparation kitchen to keep warm and package to-go dishes. The premises are Grade II* listed and 7-11 Quiet Street is regarded as one of the most distinctive and high-quality commercial rank of buildings in Bath.
The owners have plans to make Bardacious an international brand.
Developer reveals Whiteway HMO bid
Another application for a house in multiple occupation (HMO) in Whiteway has been submitted. 18-25 Properties want to turn 89 Sheridan Road into a fourbed HMO. Six cycle spaces are proposed and one car parking space. The scheme includes a bin store at the front of the house. The application says works will bring the property’s EPC rating up to the required C rating. The planning reference is 25/02863/FUL and any comments must be submitted to the council by 19th August.
cemetery grounds team for their dedication to tending to these much-loved green spaces. Looking to the south of Bath, work is starting on a new active travel scheme: the Scholars’ Way.
It will connect schools, the University of Bath and residential areas, making walking, wheeling, and cycling safer and more accessible.
The route’s western section will link Combe Down to St Martin’s Garden Primary School via Mulberry Park, featuring off-road
paths and upgraded crossings. A new zebra crossing and bus shelters will be installed near Ralph Allen School this summer. With the leadership change at Wiltshire Council, new opportunities are emerging for our two councils to work closely on cross-boundary transport issues such as travel into the east of Bath.
The movement of people between Bath and Wiltshire is a shared priority, and we’re hopeful that this can be the basis for positive collaboration.
A PROPOSAL to lower the speed limit on the A4 Bath Road between Saltford and Keynsham has been approved - although one local councillor has branded it a “completely pointless measure”.
Bath & North East Somerset, as the highways authority, launched a consultation at the end of May on the proposed reduction from 40mph to 30mph but initially forgot to notify the two Saltford ward councillors and the parish council. As a result, the consultation was extended from 19th June until 2nd July.
B&NES Council says there has been increased development along this section of the A4 which has changed the character of the road, so a 30mph limit is now appropriate. A new access road will be created onto Bath Road at Withies Green where housing association Curo will soon start building more than 200 homes.
B&NES received two objections and 11 comments of support for its proposal to lower the speed limit.
One of the objectors was Saltford ward councillor Chris Warren (Independents for B&NES) who said it was a “ridiculous” proposal to restrict the speed limit to 30mph from the Broadmead Roundabout through to the Saltford village boundary.
He said: “This is a completely pointless measure. The A4 is the major arterial route between
Bristol and Bath. It is bad enough to get along there at the best of times, and when you can travel at 40mph, it really helps in getting around.
“As Independent ward councillor for Saltford, elected to stand up for the village against all this anticar nonsense from the ruling group, I would like to know why I wasn’t informed of this and more importantly where did this idea originate from? I trust you will be able to help in this matter.”
He received an apology and was told that the reduction had been requested by B&NES following additional residential development along the A4 Bath Road and that the scheme is being funded by Curo.
Councillor Warren added that the 30mph re-classification means the A4 is now considered a “residential road’ which would mean more development.
He said: “The way B&NES have deliberately concentrated development between east Keynsham and Saltford and now use that to justify this further restriction is scandalous and what I have been warning about during my 12-year stint on Saltford Parish Council. Absolutely ridiculous.”
The other Saltford ward councillor Duncan Hounsell (Liberal Democrat) voiced his support for the lower speed limit.
He said: “A part of the section of the A4 under consideration lies in Saltford ward and this section of the A4 is used by residents of Saltford heading west from the village. I am fully in favour of the
Business Directory
proposed reduction of the speed limit to 30mph as set out in the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) in the interest of public and highway safety.
“The speed reduction should assist in bringing vehicle speeds down as vehicles enter Saltford from the west and make the Norman Road junction and Grange Road junction safer consequently.
“The section of the road in the TRO is flanked by businesses, a petrol garage, the Flourish shop and café, and residential housing. The current 40mph limit has become outdated and does not reflect the current situation and planned development. Bringing
the speed limit down to 30mph is sensible.”
Saltford Parish Council also voiced support for the reduced speed limit which matches the section already in place through the village.
Keynsham East councillor Andy Wait (Liberal Democrat) also gave the proposal his backing. Keynsham town Council did not respond to the consultation. The new order will come into operation today, Friday 1st August.
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NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR GRANT OF PREMISES LICENCE UNDER THE LICENSING ACT 2003
Jason Barber applied to Bath & North East Somerset Council on 23rd July 2025 for a licence to use the premises of one chalet within the Bath Christmas Market for the sale by retail of alcohol.
Notification of the application made to the Licensing Authority is available on a register at www.bathnes.gov.uk/licensingregister.
Representations should be made in writing to: Bath & North East Somerset Council Licensing Services Lewis House Manvers Street Bath BA1 1JG or by email to licensing@bathnes.gov.uk by 22nd August 2025
Representations made will be disclosed in an open meeting should a hearing be necessary. It is an offence knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement in connection with an application and is subject to a fine of any amount on summary conviction for the offence.
Dated: 23/07/2025
The speed reduction came into effect today, Friday 1st August
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‘Great value’ at Bath City FC, despite ticket prices going up this season
Richard Briggs Reporter
BATH City Football Club say they will be offering supporters great value during 2025-26, despite rising costs meaning an increase in the price of watching matches at the Cannon Clarke Stadium @ Twerton Park.
In a statement, the Enterprise National League South outfit said: “Like many clubs up and down the country, we’ve worked hard behind the scenes to keep football affordable for all.
“However, with rising operational costs across the board, we’ve had to introduce a small increase to this season’s pricing.
“We’ve carefully considered the structure to ensure we’re still offering great value for supporters and their families, and we continue to offer discounted prices for advance online bookings.”
Prices for 2025-26 will be:
• Adult: £18 on the gate; £16.20 advance purchase.
• Over-65: £15 on the gate; £13.50 advance purchase.
• Student/Under-21: £10 on the gate; £9 advance purchase.
• Under-16: £5 on the gate; £4.50
advance purchase.
• Under-12 (there must be an adult in the same transaction): £3 on the gate; £2.70 advance purchase.
• Family (two adults and two under-12s): £36 on the gate; £32.40 advance purchase.
Paul Williams, City’s football chairman, added: “We’ve spent a lot of time trying to balance rising costs with our commitment to keeping Bath City affordable and welcoming for all.
“We understand how important it is for our fans to feel part of the journey and not priced out of matchdays.
“These slight increases help us maintain the matchday experience and facilities, and
support our ambition for the club both on and off the pitch.”
Season tickets are also available.
Visit https://www.bathcityfc. com/tickets/2025-26-seasontickets-on-sale-now/ for more details.
Bath will open their home programme in National League South by entertaining Dover Athletic on Saturday 16th August. Meanwhile, the draw for the first round of the Francis Hillier Premier Cup – formerly the Somerset Premier Cup – has given the Romans a home tie with Bridgwater United, from the Jewson Western League Premier Division.
The match will be played in October.
Bath 1st XI close gap on second place in league
BATH 1st XI closed the gap on second-placed Bedminster to just six points by beating the Bristolians in West of England Premier Cricket League Premier One on Saturday 26th July.
Third-placed Bath were four-run winners of a thrilling match at North Parade.
Electing to bat, the hosts racked up 261-8 in their 50 overs. They were given a fine start by openers Jack Scrivens and Brad Porteous. The pair put on 64 before Porteous was caught by Ollie Meadows off Sam Bowen for 35.
Scrivens was then joined by Ben Church and they added 69 for the second wicket. The duo were separated when Scrivens was caught by Meadows off Harry Bryan for 73 from 82 balls, the knock including a six and 10 fours. Church (34) was next out to leave the home side 163-3 after 37.2 overs.
Sam Young and Harry Ellison (19) put on 58 for the fourth wicket in 7.3 overs. Young was the man to go, caught for 53 off 52 deliveries. His innings contained eight fours. But 221-4 became 241-8, and it seemed Bath might not make it to 250.
However, ninth-wicket pair Louis Brown (11 not out) and Matthew Cadywould (6 not out) kept the scoreboard ticking over. Extras contributed 19. Paul Muchall was the Bedminster bowling star, with 3-33 from 10 overs.
Visiting openers Meadows and Joe Millard made a solid start to the reply, putting on 52 for the first wicket before the former fell for 25. Millard was third out, making 48 from 67 balls, but Bedminster number four Jack Henderson looked set to lead a victory charge.
The guests were in a good position at 240-5, with Henderson in form. But wickets fell and then Henderson’s exit proved a big blow for Bedminster. He was bowled by Spencer Gammon for 73 – off 84 deliveries and featuring two sixes and five fours – to leave his team 248-8 from 48.2 overs. They finished with 257-9 from 50 overs, Brown the most successful Bath bowler with 3-54 off nine overs.
There were two wickets apiece for Hamish Bell and Gammon. Bath will be on their travels this Saturday (2nd August), facing fourth-placed Thornbury at The Ship Field.
Bath Rugby to start defence of league title at Harlequins
Richard Briggs Reporter
BATH Rugby will begin the defence of their league title at Harlequins on Friday 26th September (7.45pm).
The champions will start the 202526 campaign in the rebranded Gallagher PREM – formerly the Gallagher Premiership – at Twickenham Stoop in West London in a match to be broadcast live by TNT Sports. Bath, who secured a trophy treble last season as they also won the Premiership Rugby Cup and the European Professional Club Rugby Challenge Cup, will make their return to the Rec on Friday 3rd October when they play host to Sale Sharks in round two (7.45pm).
Next up will be a home game against Gloucester Rugby on Saturday 11th October (5.30pm). That fixture forms part of the PREM’s Derby Weekend. There will be another derby at the Rec on Saturday 25th October, when Bristol Bears visit (3.05pm).
The PREM’s Festive Fixtures bring a double header of action to the Rec. Northampton Saints will provide the opposition on Saturday 27th December (5.30pm), and Exeter Chiefs will be the guests on Saturday 3rd
January (3.05pm).
Fixtures for rounds nine to 18 have not yet been assigned specific dates and kick-off times. However, Bath will go to Gloucester over the weekend of 23rd to 25th January, to Exeter over the weekend of 8th to 10th May and to Bristol over the weekend of 29th to 31st May.
The Gallagher PREM season will get under way on Thursday 25th September, when the Sharks receive Gloucester.
It will be the first time in the league’s history that a campaign has kicked-off on a Thursday. The play-offs will take place from 12th to 14th June, with the final being held at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Saturday 20th June.
Simon Massie-Taylor, chief executive of PREM Rugby, said: “Last season was a landmark one: viewership on TNT Sports rose by 28%, attendances continued their upward trend and the league has never been more competitive as we saw a sixth different champion in six years, with Bath edging Leicester Tigers in front of a soldout Allianz Stadium.
“And now, with the official launch of the new-look Gallagher PREM, the 2025-26 season marks the beginning of a groundbreaking and transformative new era for the sport.”
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Choughule stars with bat and ball as Lansdown 1st XI win again
Richard Briggs Reporter
PRANEEL Choughule starred with an unbeaten century and a double-wicket over as Lansdown 1st XI won for the fourth game running in West of England Premier Cricket League Premier Two Bristol/ Somerset.
Number three Choughule crafted 104 not out as the Down overpowered Old Bristolians Westbury by 63 runs on Saturday 26th July to keep the pressure on unbeaten table-toppers Midsomer Norton.
Second-placed Lansdown were asked to bat at Combe Park –and they posted 244-6 in their 50 overs.
But the hosts made an inauspicious start, skipper Jordan Smith and George Scott going cheaply to leave them 27-2. Wickets continued to fall but Choughule was in imperious form.
Number five Luke Charlesworth made 24 but it was not until Sam Pearce came to the crease that Lansdown constructed a partnership worth more than 46. The number seven hit a six and
five fours in his 41 off 33 balls, he and Choughule putting on 64 for the sixth wicket in 10.4 overs.
Pearce’s exit left the Down 2256 but Choughule kept going and finished with 14 boundaries in his 141-ball innings.
Most successful member of the Old Bristolians Westbury attack was Fletcher May, whose haul of 2-42 from 10 overs included Pearce’s scalp.
The guests, from Failand, were reduced to 34-2 in response.
But Ben Harris and May gave the Down pause for thought, compiling a 57-run stand for the third wicket. They were parted when Harris was removed for 33 off the bowling of Pearce.
May was sent back for 45 off 72 balls – another victim of Pearce – and that left Old Bristolians
Westbury 140-6 after 33.6 overs.
Number seven Jino Jojo was defiant in the face of adversity, making 33 at more than a run a ball before he was bowled by Choughule to see the visitors 178-9.
The end came three runs later, Choughule claiming his second wicket of the match when he bowled George Willis (1).
Old Bristolians Westbury were dismissed for 181 in 43 overs, Pearce pocketing 3-40 off 10 overs. Josh Smith returned 2-24 in eight overs, Matthew Thomas snapped up 2-42 off 10 overs and Choughule celebrated 2-3 from his one over. Lansdown will be looking for a fifth successive victory when they travel to third-placed Clevedon on Saturday 2nd August.
Richard Briggs Reporter
OLDFIELD Old Boys will feature in one of the two matches that get the 2025 Korev Bath Combination 7s under way.
The side from Shaft Road will face Trowbridge in the opening game on Pitch 1 at Norton Down, home of Midsomer Norton RFC, on Saturday 2nd August.
Two pitches will be used for the pool programme, which will feature 24 matches.
The first pool tie on each pitch will begin at 10.30am, with the last starting at 2.10pm.
Eight clubs from Bath & North East Somerset will be among the 16 outfits taking part.
The updated mini-leagues now
see Oldfield, Walcot, Keynsham and Trowbridge in Pool A, Combe Down, Midsomer Norton, Chippenham and Devizes in Pool B, Bath Saracens, Corsham, Melksham and Warminster in Pool C and Old Sulians, Old Culverhaysians, Frome and Bradford-on-Avon in Pool D.
The top two sides from each pool will move into the quarter-finals of the Korev Bath Combination 7s Cup, the final taking place on Pitch 1 at 4.40pm.
The teams finishing third in each pool will advance to the semi-finals of the Korev Bath Combination 7s Plate, whose final will be played on Pitch 1 at 4.20pm.
The British & Irish Lions’ third Test against Australia will be screened live in the clubhouse.
Jenkins-Davies nets a cracker but Romans fall at home
Richard Briggs Reporter
WILL Jenkins-Davies scored a superb goal as Bath City went down 3-1 to Yeovil Town in a friendly at the Cannon Clarke Stadium @ Twerton Park on Saturday 26th July.
The Glovers, from the Enterprise National League, deservedly led at the break, although their 3-0 advantage was rather harsh on the hosts.
But Bath upped their game in the second half and hit by far the best goal of the afternoon when Jenkins-Davies struck with nine minutes remaining.
City played up the slope in the first period. And although Town’s James Daly lashed narrowly wide from 20 yards after four minutes, Darren Way’s team had three chances shortly afterwards.
Following a cross by Ewan Clark, Joe Raynes saw two efforts from a good position blocked. And then a Clark shot was parried and gathered by Yeovil keeper Matt Gould.
The Glovers opened the scoring in the 14th minute, when Morgan Williams banged home from close range after a cross from Byron Pendleton.
And it was 2-0 in the 27th minute, thanks to another goal from close
range. This time the marksman was ex-Bristol Rovers player Daly, who stabbed the ball past City gloveman Harvey WilesRichards.
Town pulled further clear in the 37th minute, Josh Sims holding off a defender and rifling into the net from 10 yards.
Way – a former Yeovil player and
manager – brought on Jack Batten and Scott Wilson at the start of the second half. And the Enterprise National League South outfit almost reduced the arrears in the 54th minute.
Jenkins-Davies got into a fine position but he was harassed by a defender and his drive from 12
yards went well over.
Raynes curled a shot wide from 22 yards four minutes later but City deservedly got onto the scoresheet when Jenkins-Davies rifled in from 20 yards.
Twice in injury-time the home side came close to netting again.
Jordan Alves crossed and former Glover Alex Fisher’s eight-yard
header was tipped over by Gould. And a Fisher effort was cleared off the line for a corner as Bath gave their fans in the crowd of 853 plenty to be positive about.
Way said: “We were happy with our first 15 minutes of the game, then I felt as soon as the first goal went in we didn’t really recover and they managed to maintain that momentum and hit us with another two goals.
“There were lots of positives out of the game, certainly from that second-half performance. We created a lot of chances. Will Jenkins-Davies finished with an excellent goal and we should probably have had two or three others.”
Bath starting XI: Harvey WilesRichards, Joe Raynes, Danny Greenslade, Ollie Tomlinson, Kieran Parselle, Will JenkinsDavies, Ewan Clark, Brad Ash, Jordan Tillson, Mitch Beardmore, Luke Russe.
The Romans will complete their warm-up fixtures when they host Bristol City Under-21s on Saturday 2nd August (1pm). Discounted tickets are available to purchase at https://app. fanbaseclub.com/Fan/Tickets/ SelectType?fixtureId=11612
The following Saturday, 9th August, City will commence their league programme when they visit West Sussex cub Worthing.
BATH City Football Club are seeking volunteers to ensure the smooth running of operations at the Cannon Clarke Stadium @ Twerton Park.
A statement from the Romans, who are members of Enterprise National League South, said:
“We are proud to be a club which is owned by the community, and predominantly run by a dedicated team of volunteers.
“We are currently looking for new volunteers to help us grow and succeed.
“Whether you can give an hour or two on a gameday or commit to something more regular, your
support makes a real difference.
“Your time, energy and skills can power the heart of our community-owned club.
“We are looking for volunteers to join us in a variety of roles. No prior experience is needed, just a willingness to help out and a love for Bath City FC.
“Join a team that brings people together and puts community first. It is a great chance to gain experience, meet new people and be part of something truly local.”
City are looking for help with matchday duties – including selling refreshments and programmes, and hospitality support – and they are keen to hear from people interested in joining the commercial team to maintain strong relationships
with partners and source sponsorship deals.
Anyone interested in
volunteering at the club can visit https://bit.ly/4mkUkOF for more details about the roles available.
Bath to start cup defence with last term rematch
Richard Briggs Reporter
HOLDERS Bath Rugby will have South West derbies galore in the new-look 2025-26 PREM Rugby Cup.
The revamped competition will not include any sides from the Championship this season. Instead, contesting the trophy will be the 10 clubs from the Gallagher PREM. They will be split into two pools of five teams. The sides in each pool will play one another home and away. The top two from each pool will progress to the semi-finals.
The Blue, Black & White will take part in Pool A, which will also feature Bristol Bears, Exeter Chiefs, Gloucester Rugby and Sale Sharks.
Pool B will comprise Harlequins, Leicester Tigers, Newcastle Falcons, Northampton Saints and
Saracens.
The PREM Rugby Cup will get under way on Friday 12th September, with Newcastle hosting Quins in Round 1.
Bath have a bye in the opening round and will make their bow in the competition when they take on Exeter at the Rec on Saturday 20th September.
The game – a rematch of the 202425 Premiership Rugby Cup final, which was won 48-14 by Johann van Graan’s men at Sandy Park –will be shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
In Round 3, Bath will make the short trip to Ashton Gate Stadium on Friday 31st October to face Bristol.
And they will go to Gloucester on Saturday 15th November before returning to home turf a week later when they will entertain Sale.
The Blue, Black & White also have a bye in Round 6, but will be back
Crossword answers - Issue 108
in action when they visit Sale over the weekend of Friday 6th February to Sunday 8th February. Bristol will come to the Rec on Saturday 14th February, with games at Exeter on Saturday 21st February and at home to Gloucester on Saturday 28th February wrapping up Bath’s pool programme. The semi-finals will take place over the weekend of Friday 6th March to Sunday 8th March. And the final will be held the following weekend.
(18/07/2025)
Bath’s 2025-26 PREM Rugby Cup fixtures at a glance:
Whether you'd like us to include your upcoming fixtures in the newspaper, or submit a match report for publishing, we'd love to hear from you. Send fixtures lists to sport@bathecho.co.uk and we'll add your next event to our calendar. If you have photographs that we can use, we'd also like to include them within these pages, on our website and social media. Please send match reports to sport@bathecho.co.uk with the subject Match Report. Please limit the length to around 400 words to ensure we can use it.
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