|
August
2006 Burnham-On-Sea News
 Latest
News
July
2006 news archive
June
2006 news archive
May
2006 news archive
April
2006 news archive
March
2006 news archive
February
2006 news archive
January
2006 news archive
 Gift
shop shuts for final time
A GIFT shop
in the centre of Burnham-On-Sea shut its doors for the final time
on Thursday (August 31st) - as it became an Internet-only store
instead. The Gift Gallery in Cross Street began trading in April
and sold a wide variety of gifts - from candles to collectibles.
More...
 TV
cameras return to Berrow
BERROW
beach will be back in the media spotlight this week when filming
of a new music video featuring a cast of 150 people gets underway.
London-based Indie rock band The Holloways are shooting a music
video this Sunday (September 3rd) from 10am.
More...
 Warning
after life rings stolen
LIFEGUARDS in
Burnham-On-Sea are warning that lives could be put at risk if
vandals continue to steal inflatable life rings from the town's
seafront. Burnham-On-Sea.com learns that thirteen of the life-saving
rings have been stolen from the seafront in the last two years.
More...
 New
£50k pilot boat for town
A NEW pilot
boat for Burnham-On-Sea is set to be officially launched on Tuesday
September 5th in a ceremony on the South Esplanade. Sedgemoor
District Council has invested in the new pilot boat for its duties
around Bridgwater Bay and the River Parrett.
More...
 History
lessons as you walk!
WALKERS
along Burnham's seafront can now quite literally step back in
time following this week's launch of several new information points
which provide historical information about the town. Six new points
were officially unveiled on Monday (August 28th).
More...
 Brean
visitors' boost for BARB
GENEROUS Brean
holidaymakers have raised more than £1,700 towards the charity
that runs Burnham's two rescue hovercrafts after a busy summer
of fundraising. Mike and Caroline Walsh of Pontypool organised
a series of events at the Beachcomber Inn.
More...
 Fingerprint
checks for clubbers
A BURNHAM-On-Sea
night club could soon introduce fingerprint scanning at its front
door rather than requiring clubbers to show conventional ID. Shakers
in the High Street is considering asking clubbers to provide fingerprint
ID information in a bid to make it safer and easier for clubbers.
More...
 Big
turnout at hospital fete
FAIRGROUND
games and stalls were among the many attractions that attracted
large crowds to Burnham-On-Sea's annual hospital fete on Monday
(August 28th). Hundreds of holidaymakers and residents crowded
into the Manor Gardens
for the popular annual event. More...
 Park
unveils expansion plans
A BURNHAM-On-Sea
holiday park has unveiled major plans to expand its sports facilities
this week. Burnham-On-Sea Holiday Village in Marine Drive has
applied for outline planning permission to build an all-weather
bowls court, boules rink and tennis court.
More...
 Street
party raises £1,200
MORE than
£1,200 was raised for charity during a Burnham-On-Sea pub's
annual street party on Sunday evening (August 27th).
The
Somerset and Dorset's annual street party attracted large crowds
of revellers to the southern end of the High Street. More...
 RSPCA
struggles at Brent Knoll
AN RSPCA
animal shelter near Burnham-On-Sea is having to turn away abandoned
dogs because it cannot afford to help them. The RSPCA says it
is short of £300,000 to build new kennels at its Brent Knoll
centre as dogs are having to be kept in private kennels.
More...
 Town's
MP wants your views
BURNHAM-On-Sea
MP David Heathcoat-Amory is asking residents in the town to complete
a survey on his Web site so he can better understand their views
on hot topics. Subjects covered include the funding of political
parties, the NHS, wind energy and the regional assemby.
More...
 Rail
enthusiasts flock to show
MORE than
800 train enthusiasts from across the country were in Burnham-On-Sea
on Saturday (August 26th) for the town's annual Sedgemoor Rail
exhibition. The popular two-day event -
now in its 28th year - was held in the main hall at Burnham's
King Alfred School.
More...
 FolkFest
schedule announced
DOZENS of
music events are set to be held across Burnham-On-Sea during a
two-day folk music festival on September 2nd and 3rd. Musicians
from across the country are set to converge on the town for FolkFest
2006 to play a foot-tapping mixture of music.
More...
 Two
arrested over cash theft
TWO people
have been arrested in Burnham-On-Sea following the theft of a
charity collection box from a High Street shop. Two
men walked into Burnham's Specsavers store at lunchtime last Monday
and walked away with the box full of money for a local charity.
More...
 River
watch scheme starts
BURNHAM-On-Sea
residents are being invited to join a new River Parrett 'Trail
Watchers' scheme. The
project asks for volunteers to monitor a stretch of the River
Parrett Trail to act as the county council's eyes on the ground,
informing it when work is required.
More...
 Town
GCSE pupils celebrate
SCORES of
GCSE students in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge were celebrating
on Thursday morning (August 24th) when they received their long-awaited
results. Students
gathered at the Burnham Road school at 9am to receive their sealed
envelopes. More...
 Bid
for 16 new homes unveiled
PLANS to build 16 new homes on the outskirts of Highbridge
were unveiled on Thursday (August 24th). Chelvey Homes has submitted
a major planning application to demolish a bungalow at 55a Huntspill
Road and replace it with the new housing development. More...
 New
flooding advice page
BURNHAM-On-Sea.com has launched a new page offering advice
and information regarding flooding in the town. It comes after
the Environment Agency this week asked Burnham, Brean and Berrow
residents to be aware that high tides in September
could bring an increased risk of flooding. More...
 Farmers'
market this Friday
BURNHAM-On-Sea
residents will have another opportunity to buy fresh groceries
from the town's successful farmers' market on Friday (August 25th).
The
event takes place from 9am until 1pm in the High Street near Cross
Street in the centre of the town.
More...
 Graffiti
vandals target sea wall
GRAFFITI vandals have once again scrawled messages along Burnham-On-Sea's
sea wall, prompting a big council clean-up operation. Scores of
messages have been daubed on the wall at the southern end of the
Esplanade, angering the Town Council. More...
 New
town hovercraft in action
BURNHAM-On-Sea's
new £15,000 second rescue hovercraft was in action for the
first time on Wednesday (August 23rd) during its first training
session. Two pilots from BARB took the 'Light Of Elizabeth' on
its first training flight along the beach and into Bridgwater
Bay.
Video
 Opera
singer beats the rain!
HUNDREDS of
opera fans flocked to a garden centre near Burnham-On-Sea on Wednesday
(August 23rd) to hear singer Tim Pitman perform an impressive
line-up of opera music. Heavy
rain failed to dampen spirits at the concert at Sanders Garden
World.
More... | Video
 Police
appeal for witnesses
POLICE
are appealing for witnesses to a serious crash near Burnham-On-Sea
that left five people needing hospital treatment. The
accident at West Huntspill occurred last Thursday (August 17th)
at 8.35pm on the main A38 road. A car collided with a house wall.
More...
 Final
Brean concert will be free
BREAN
Leisure Park is holding its final Party In The Park concert of
this summer season on Thursday night (August 24th) when entry
will be completely free. The final show will feature local band
'Cause for Concern', an up-and-coming West Country group.
More...
 Railway
users face disruption
BURNHAM-On-Sea and Highbridge rail users face disruption this
winter when major track maintenance work gets underway, closing
the main line. Network Rail has announced that the line between
Highbridge and Bridgwater will be closed during November and December.
More...
 Cashpoint
scam hits Burnham shoppers
SCORES of shoppers at Burnham-On-Sea's Tesco supermarket may
have fallen victim to a cash mahine scam in which hundreds of
pounds has been taking from bank accounts. It
was confirmed on Monday by Tesco that criminals had installed
'skimming' devices.
More...
 BBC
Dracula film crew in Brean
BREAN Beach
was transformed into a movie set on Monday morning (August 21st)
when filming of a major new BBC film got underway. To
the sound of 'lights, camera, action', film crews from Granada
TV were shooting a new version of Dracula, to be broadcast on
BBC One. More...
 RNLI
shop's plea for helpers
BURNHAM-On-Sea
RNLI has made an urgent plea for more volunteers to come forward
to help run its seafront store. Volunteers
are desperately needed to maintain the fundraising shop, which
is located on The Esplanade near the town's jetty.
More...
 High
tide warning for Burnham
THE
Environment Agency is asking Burnham, Brean and Berrow residents
to be aware that high tides in September could bring an increased
risk of flooding. Coastal
towns and villages could be at risk from the extreme high tides
if they coincide with stormy weather.
More...
 Rush
hour crash chaos on M5
TRAFFIC was queued for more than five miles along the M5 motorway
on Monday (August 21st) after a serious accident at the Burnham-On-Sea
junction. Police and paramedics rushed to the southbound sliproad
at 6.10am after a car flipped over onto its roof. More...
 In
photos: ESCAPE Day 2006
A NEW second
rescue hovercraft for Burnham-On-Sea was officially unveiled on
Saturday August 19th during the town's third annual ESCAPE day.
A special service for the brand new £15,000 craft, called
The Light Of Elizabeth after Lelaina Hall's sister, was held.
More...
 School
records 93% pass rate
STUDENTS at King Alfred School in Burnham-On-Sea celebrated
after receiving their A and AS Level exam results this week. The
school said it was "very pleased" with its 93 per cent
pass rate. A record number of students are applying to universities
than ever before. More...
 Police
investigate rape claim
TWO men
have been arrested on suspicion of rape after an alleged attack
on two teenage girls in Highbridge. Police
confirmed on Friday (August 18th) that one of the girls has claimed
she was raped while the second says she was seriously sexually
assaulted. More...
 Second
hovercraft unveiled
A NEW second
rescue hovercraft for Burnham-On-Sea is to be officially unveiled
this Saturday during the annual ESCAPE day. A special service
for the brand new £15,000 craft - to be called The Light
Of Elizabeth after Lelaina Hall's sister - is to be held at 10.30am.
More...
 Fire
crews rush to Highbridge
TWO Burnham fire crews rushed to Highbridge on Friday evening
(August 18th) after smoke was reported to have been spotted coming
out of a derelict shop in the centre of the town. A small fire
was reported in the yard at the rear of a former kebab shop in
Church Street. More...
 Civic
Service date announced
THE date
of this year's annual Burnham and Highbridge civic service, when
four residents receive Civic Awards for their service to the community,
has been announced. The
invite-only service will be held on Sunday, September 10th at
3pm in King Alfred's School. More...
 Safety
warning on new signs
BURNHAM-On-Sea
councillors have criticised the decision to introduce 'no cycling'
signs
along the town's seafront, saying the safety of cyclists is being
put at risk. They
have hit out at the decision by the district council to place
15 signs along the seafront. More...
 Lost
dog reunited with family
A YOUNG puppy
has been reunited with its Burnham-On-Sea family six weeks after
being stolen from their garden. Stella, a 12-week-old female Staffordshire
Bull Terrier, was returned to her "overjoyed" owner,
Mark Knight, on Tuesday afternoon (August 15th).
More...
New
lap-dancing bid by club
CONTROVERSIAL plans
to introduce lap dancing at a Burnham-On-Sea night club will be
debated again in September. Shakers night club has just submitted
an appeal to Sedgemoor's licensing panel following a decision
in May to turn down its unpopular proposal.
More...
 Top
food award for Welsh's
STAFF at
a Burnham-On-Sea restaurant are celebrating this week after winning
a top food hygiene award. JJ Welsh's Tea Rooms in the High Street
was presented with a Somerset Hygiene Award for its "exceptional
high standards" of food hygiene,
much to the delight of its owners. More...
 700
in town for Infuse festival
MORE than
700 churchgoers from the Midlands are gathered in Burnham-On-Sea
this week to take part in a seven-day religious festival. Five
huge marquees have sprouted up on the BASC Ground in Stoddens
Road where a series of events are being held.
More...
 In
photos: Horticultural Show
GARDENERS,
growers, handicraft hobbyists, cooks and amateur photographers
showed off their work during the 39th annual Burnham-On-Sea Horticultural
show at the weekend. This
year's event boasted over 500 entries and was held at Sanders
Garden World.
More...
 Vintage
vehicles go on show
MORE than
200 classic vehicles roared into Mark, near Burnham-On-Sea, on
Sunday (August 13th) for the village's vintage car show. Organiser
Bruce Penrose told Burnham-On-Sea.com the event had been a resounding
success, attracting 1,000 visitors.
More...
 Barry
lifeboat visits Burnham
A TRENT Class
lifeboat from Barry in South Wales sailed into Burnham-On-Sea
on Sunday morning (August 13th) during a visit to the town. The
lifeboat's crew took the short trip across the Bristol Channel
to visit the town on a pre-arranged visit
to meet RNLI crew. More...
 Crowds
flock to town show
GARDENERS,
growers, handicraft hobbyists, cooks and amateur photographers
have been showing off their work this weekend at Burnham-On-Sea
Horticultural Society’s 39th annual show. The
event started on Saturday (August 12th) and continues on Sunday.
More...
 New
video section launched
BURNHAM-On-Sea.com has launched a brand new video news section
offering instant video coverage of events in the town. The new
section allows users to watch video footage of newsworthy events
throughout the Burnham area soon after they have occurred. More...
Motorcyclist
injured in crash
A MOTORCYCLIST had
a lucky escape when he was thrown off his bike during an accident
in Burnham-On-Sea on Friday night (August 11th). The
accident occured at around 10.30pm at the Edithmead roundabout,
just off junction 22 of the M5 motorway.
More...
 Horses
freed from Brean mud
TWO horses trapped in treacherous mud on Brean beach were
pulled free by Burnham-On-Sea Coastguards and a Bridgwater fire
crew on Friday afternoon (August 11th). The
animals had quickly sunk to the top of their legs after running
out into the mud
after getting spooked. More...
 Vandals
in £1,200 car attack
VANDALS have
badly damaged a vehicle parked in a Burnham-On-Sea street, leaving
the owner with a £1,200 repair bill. A
Volkswagen Polo parked in Abingdon Street was attacked in the
early hours of Thursday August 10th - much to the annoyance of
owner Dan Moss. More...
Body
washed up onto beach
A BODY washed up on Portishead beach on Thursday afternoon
(August 10th) could be that of a missing swimmer who sparked a
major air and sea search at the River Axe at Brean earlier this
week. A police spokesman confirmed that a body had been found
on Thursday. More...
 Phone
mast plan rejected
AN application by
phone operator Orange to build a new phone mast along Burnham-On-Sea's
Marine Drive has been turned down by town planners. The town council's
planning committee gave the thumbs down to a pre-planning application
from Orange. More...
 Anger
over bus service axe
AN ANGRY town
councillor has this week demanded answers from bus company First
Group after it ended its direct service from Burnham to Bristol.
Cllr
David Poole, second deputy mayor, said it was an "absolute
disgrace" that the service had been axed. More...
 Coastguard
search called off
COASTGUARDS called off a search of the banks of the River
Axe on Wednesday afternoon (August 9th) after no trace was found
of a man believed to have been spotted trying to swim across the
estuary on Tuesday. Coastguards searched both sides of the river.
More...
 Basil
Brush entertains visitors
THE first of four free performances featuring TV puppet Basil
Brush entertained families at Brean Leisure Park this week. Basil
- well known for his 'boom, boom' catchphrase - has shown he can
still make people of all ages laugh and smile with his mix of
stories and jokes.
More...
 Fears
for missing swimmer
A HUGE air and sea search was launched on Tuesday night (August
8th) after a swimmer went missing after apparently setting out
to cross the fast-flowing River Axe estuary near Burnham-On-Sea.
A male is believed to have attempted to swim the estuary. More...
| Video
 Town
artists set for Art Week
SEVEN Burnham-On-Sea artists will be joining more than 750
artists from across the county in exhibiting their work during
Somerset Art Week (SAW) this September. They will all be showing
their work at Middle Burnham Farm in Stoddens Lane from
September 9th to 24th.
More...
 Ecotricity
boss 'still confident'
THE boss of Ecotricity, the company behind the failed bid
to build five wind turbines on the outskirts of Burnham-On-Sea,
says he remains "very confident" that a wind farm will
one day be built on the site even though the plan was thrown out
by councillors on Tuesday. More...
 Wind
farm bid is rejected
THE bid to build five wind turbines on the outskirts of Burnham-On-Sea
was officially thrown out on Tuesday morning (August 8th). Sedgemoor
planners decided to reject the bid to build a wind farm at Brent
Knoll after hearing arguments from both sides. More...
 Boundary
dispute flares up
AN 80
square metre strip of Burnham-On-Sea land is at the centre of
a border dispute between builders, allotment owners and the town
council. The
Chairman of the Allotment Association appealed to the town council
on Monday (August 7th) to help resolve the matter.
More...
 Beach
moves into church!
A BURNHAM-On-Sea
church has been transformed into an indoor beach for youngsters
to enjoy seaside activities come rain or shine. Children
are being invited into the town's Baptist Church to enjoy the
beach, which has been especially created for a holiday club.
More...
 Jendy
wins Bath Spa contest
A BURNHAM-On-Sea
lady was one of the first bathers to take a dip in the controversial
Bath Spa complex when it officially opened to the public on Monday
(August 7th). Six
years late and built at a cost of £45m, the spa opened to
paying customers at 9am.
More...
 Berrow
flats bid rejected
A CONTROVERSIAL application
to double the size of a Berrow holiday park has been turned down.
Twenty
letters of objection were sent by anxious homeowners claiming
that the plans at Sandy Glade Holiday Park would mean a loss of
privacy for themselves.
More...
 £1,700
boost for hovercraft
A FANCY dress
competition at a Brean caravan park raised fun and funds for Burnham-On-Sea's
Spirit Of Lelaina hovercraft on Saturday (August 5th). Scores
of holidaymakers at Diamond Farm dressed up in colourful costumes
to raise money for the life-saving service.
More...
 Town
art show gets underway
A WEEK-long
art exhibition showcasing the work of local artists got underway
in Burnham-On-Sea on Saturday (August 5th). The
annual show is being held at Burnham's Community Centre in Berrow
Road from August 5-12th and is open from 10am-5pm each day.
More...
 Crowds
flock to church fete
THE sun
shone on Burnham-On-Sea's St Andrews Church on Saturday afternoon
(August 5th) when it held its annual summer fete. Residents
and holidaymakers flocked to the seafront church to support the
event's stalls, raffles and tombolas,
which generate hundreds of pounds each year. More...
 Wind
farm meeting is packed
BRENT Knoll
Village Hall was packed with more than 150 people on Friday afternoon
for a public meeting to discuss the controversial plans to build
a wind farm on land outside Burnham-On-Sea. People
on both sides of the debate gathered to hear arguments.
More...
 Trust
to hold minibus tour of Down
THE National
Trust is organising a minibus tour of Brean Down during September
for those who find it difficult to walk to enjoy a visit to the
Victorian fort. Organised
by the National Trust's Mid-Somerset Office, the tour will be
held on Thursday 7th September.
More...
 In
photos: Seaside Fun Day
LARGE crowds
of families flocked to Burnham-On-Sea on Friday (August 4th) for
the town's fourth annual Seaside Fun Day. Alongside
market stalls and games along The Esplanade, there were also a
host of other activities, including competitions, taking place.
More...
 Berrow
Dunes Day a success
NATURE lovers
flocked to Berrow for a 'Dune Discovery Day' to find out more
about the wildlife living there. Organised
by Sedgemoor District Council and assisted by Sedgemoor Conservation
Volunteers, the event saw many activities for all ages take place.
More...
 Tickets
go on sale for concert
TICKETS have
gone on sale for a classical music concert to be held in Brent
Knoll Parish Hall during September. The
event, Music for an Autumn Evening, will be held on Saturday 16th
September at 7.30pm and will include classic light music by various
local artists.
More...
Two
crashes cause M5 chaos
MOTORISTS on
the M5 motorway faced slow-moving queues of traffic for up to
seven miles on Friday afternoon (August 4th) after two separate
accidents at Burnham-On-Sea's junction 22. A
car and lorry collided in the first incident at mid-day next to
the northbound slipway.
More...
 Police
helicopter finds lost boy
A FIVE year-old
boy who went missing at Berrow, near Burnham-On-Sea, sparked a
major Coastguard and police search on Thursday (August 3rd). The
family of the young lad, who was on holiday in the seaside resort,
reported him missing at lunchtime.
More...
 OAP
robbed by bogus callers
BURNHAM-On-Sea
Police are asking residents to be on their guard against distraction
burglars after a lady was robbed of £300 in Highbridge on
Wednesday (August 2nd). An
elderly woman at her home in Moorland Road was visited by a bogus
caller who distracted her.
More...
 Toxic
algae confirmed at Apex
FISHING has been banned and dog owners are being advised to
keep their pets away from the water at Burnham-On-Sea's Apex Wildlife
Park after a confirmed outbreak of toxic blue-green algae. The
ban came into force on Wednesday afternoon (August 2nd).
More...
 First
birthday for food shop
A BURNHAM-On-Sea
health food shop is celebrating its first anniversary this week
by giving customers a free glass of bubbly. Tom
Kyffin, the owner of Kyffins Food Shop in Victoria Street, is
offering customers a free glass of bubbly on Saturday (August
5th).
More...
 High-octane
action at Brean!
HIGH-octane
action came to Brean Leisure Park, near Burnham-On-Sea, on Wednesday
night (August 2nd) when hundreds
of holidaymakers crowded into the park's arena to watch Scott
May's Daredevil Stunt Show. The show included 90 minutes of stunts.
More...
 Town
shoe shop goes online
ONE of
Burnham-On-Sea's longest-running shops has jumped onto the Web
to launch a new online store this week. Shickle
Shoes, established for more than 50 years, launched the new Internet-based
shop to let customers find shoes quicker and to buy online.
More...
| 
