No immediate flooding fears in York despite heavy rain

York river level guages remain within normal limits despite recent heavy rain.

You can check river levels at the following web site http://www.gaugemap.co.uk/#!Map

Click to access river level guages

Click to access river level guages

Meanwhile the Environment Agency have confirmed details of the flood prevention project exhibitions that they plan for the City.

The exhibitions will take place on Friday and Saturday

floods-exhibition-25th-nov

Glimmer of hope for anti Cliffords Tower visitor centre campaigners

...& the planning committee decided to approve the new visitor centre at Clifford's Tower. A decision which promoted derision in some quaters

It looks like residents will get a second chance to block the proposed Clifford’s Tower Visitor Centre.

It has been revealed today that the York Council will have to agree to sell a small area of land to English Heritage if the centre is to be built.

The Council’s Executive is scheduled to consider the sale at its meeting on 7th December.

It is widely believed in the City that the project went through the planning process without its implications being properly understood by most residents.

Now the Council has the opportunity to put matters right.

Several thousand residents have signed petitions criticising the design of the visitor centre which has widely been described as resembling a Public Convenience block .

Other aspects of the project – which would see Clifford’s Tower itself become much more accessible to visitors – have received  higher levels of public support.

Campaigners will be hoping that the centre can be redesigned -and possibly realigned – to reduce its visual impact on the ancient monument.

 

York “scambusters” success

£129,000 recovered from fraudsters

sCAM ALERTCouncil officials seconded to a regional task group have had notable successes recently in dealing with scams and eCrime in the City.

A York Council report, to a meeting taking place next Monday, lists 8 cases where court action has already been taken against traders

In most cases prison sentences were handed out by the courts.

Examples of the type of fraud being committed included:

  • On-line bogus recruitment and CRB checking scam
  • On –line airline tickets scam.
  • Council tax re banding scam.
  • Second hand car dealership
  • On-line business grants scam.
  • Rogue builders. Aggressive selling, pressurising vulnerable consumers into paying for unnecessary work,
  • Itinerant drive tarmacing gang targeting vulnerable elderly home owners.
  • Kitchen retail business Misrepresentation as to the quality of the product,

Other investigations yet to come to court relate to “copycat” web sites, roofing repairs, medical bed sales & vacuum cleaner repairs.

Many of the cases involve the exploitation of elderly/vulnerable people.

Since 1st April 2014 the Council has received £129,000 from the Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation hearings relating to Scambuster cases.