Tesco Targets Three Supermarket Town update 2

Millngate

More details from Tesco developer Millngate, prior to the exhibition at the George Hotel this Friday and Saturday, including this artists impression of what the store will look like as published in today's EDP.

Interactive map of the proposed site here via gmap-pedometer.com.

Contrasting Accounts of County Crime

Thankfully Norfolk is a safe place to live with much antisocial behaviour centred in the few larger conurbations and other crime more particular to rural farming locations. Deputy Chief Constable Simon Bailey is pleased, but not complacent, in Norfolk being named the safest place in the country to live.

Google

Indeed today's warning from Norfolk Police in the EDP of a robbery in Merryweather Road, Swaffham, recorded that the robbers, er, stole nothing. Not that East Anglia is free from serious crime. Thomas Curtis was part of a gang that had a total of 32 robberies, 67 cashpoint thefts, 42 smash-and-grabs and 126 vehicle thefts linked to it. Sentenced to 12 years for his part in the crimes, he died in Norwich gaol in January after being returned to prison for breaking parole conditions. His widow reports he was a reformed character having worked in the community whilst in custody, she added:

“You couldn’t ask for a better brother and we feel he should be remembered for the positives, not just the negatives.”

Brian Purdy/EDP

Shame the wreath givers at his recent funeral were not so sensitive to the community he had wronged. I wonder whether the victims of the crimes, where the perpetrators brandished sawn-off shotguns, baseball bats, pickaxe handles and sledgehammers to carry out the robberies during their ram raiding exploits, appreciate the 'humour' of flower arrangements in the shapes of a replica cash machine, a Post Office sign, a can of red diesel and a £20 note?

Holding on to your ill gotten gains

Armed crime is never funny or clever, but some people need custodial sentences to save them from themselves.

A man has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison after committing two armed robberies in two days in Breckland. On the evening of Thursday 14 July 2011 Jordan Carr entered the BP petrol station on Norwich Road in Swaffham and demanded money. He threatened staff with a gun and fled with a quantity of cash and cigarettes – some of which he dropped outside along with part of his gun. Then, on the morning of Friday 15 July Carr, aged 22 and of no fixed address, entered the B & P Newsagents on Stone Road in Dereham with an accomplice, armed with a gun. When they fled with a quantity of cash they were challenged by members of the public and dropped the cash and another part of the gun.

One of the incidents was the site of last year's arson attacks by Hussain Murad, fortunately no one was physically hurt in any of the mercifully rare crimes in this region.

EDP24

Dandy Dancers and Insightful Interviews

Whilst international attention eyes the gladiators on Centre Court in SW19 and in the ring in Hamburg, Sheringham on the north Norfolk coast saw a dance-off between 32 morris dancing teams from around Britain. There were various styles of dress from the colourful, flower strewn, camp handkerchief waving to the more sinister looking, blackened faces resembling those seen at Sweeps festival in Kent. Excellent EDP photo story.

William Kempe morris dancing from Norwich to London

Reporting techniques in provincial newspapers can be somewhat different to sensationalist tabloid titillating  storytelling. In a not at all funny tale where several people were seriously injured in a car accident,  Rebecca Gough in the EDP filed the following stunning insight:

'One woman said she had lived in her house on the A1066 High Road, for 22 years and had not seen a crash. "I didn’t hear anything, I hadn’t heard anything about it,”'

Not happy with this revelation, the point was driven home by another fascinating interview with a couple:

'“We didn’t see or hear anything but we don’t usually get accidents along here.”'

with the man adding that, although he hadn't actually seen another accident:

'“I think the only fatality I’ve seen was a cat about three or four weeks ago which I saw at the edge of the road.”'

Regional Press Award heading to Norfolk for sure.

Monet Missing

Masterpiece Monet missing, stolen at Suffolk seaside?

Ah, no. Technical typo about thieving tykes rather than an errant Expressionist artwork. 

Treacherous Travel Tales

Sleepy sailor starts speedy saviour shout. A man off the coast of Happisburgh, that's 'haze-brrrrr' for you outsiders, fell asleep on board his boat mustering the local RNLI lifeboat to discover that, in fact, he just forgot to turn his external lights on. More dramatically there was a bus fire on the outskirts of Norwich.

Amy Taylor/EDP

No one hurt. There was a much more awfully offal accident near Thetford on the A11 which caused chaos all day as the unspeakable bits of chicken were strewn across the road. 

EDP

Umhhh, Kentucky Fried Chicken anyone?

In a spin

In this media savvy society, we must all get used to the fact that news may be factual but often designed to lead us down a certain path.

Norfolk Coast's unbiased report on the Tories' pledge to ditch the Unitary Authority for Norfolk, should they come to nationwide government, defies those in more direct control who want a single authority, as reported in the EDP.

Turbine tormented townsfolk, such as those in Beccles, may have lost their biggest allies since it seems that the stealth turbine blade experiments at NP were a success, belying the objections from the Ministry of Defence that all blades interfere with military radar. The Pickenhams' broadly welcomed our eight turbines, so it was reported.

Maybe you could use your vote to make the difference. Worries that stopping the traditional overnight poll counting may aid vote rigging was reported yesterday, how many of you will miss those returning officer allnighter thrillers?