Around 20 allotment plots at Hagg Lane were broken into on Thursday 15 December.
Padlocks were cut and smashed from both gates and sheds in order to steal property, according to The Hagg Lane and District Gardeners’ Allotments Society. The society’s website says:
We have again been advised to let as many people as possible know who have suffered individual theft/damage to contact the Police (telephone 101) so they can quickly link all the reports together.
No one else can report on a plot holder’s behalf and it is very important that everyone affected contacts them and gains a crime reference number to help build the full picture of the above incidents.
Crosspool residents are being urged to check their bank statements following further reports of unauthorised withdrawals from bank accounts after using the cash machine in Crosspool.
One person on Twitter said: “Just to let you know, the cash machine outside the spar in Crosspool has been tampered with again. (information from spar staff) please check your bank accounts!”.
If you have used the ATM outside Spar recently then we recommend that you double-check the transactions on your account and contact your bank if you see anything unusual.
If you’ve been a victim of this you can report your incident to the police by calling 0114 220 2020. If you want to speak to Bank Machines, the company that runs the machine, they can be contacted on 0800 028 6923.
We’ve received several reports from concerned local residents who have had unauthorised withdrawals from their accounts after using the cash machine in Crosspool.
It seems that people who took cash out early last week have had attempted withdrawals from their account by someone in America.
Some banks have identified the unusual activity and stopped funds leaving customers’ accounts. If you have used the ATM outside Spar over the last week or so then we recommend that you double-check the transactions on your account and contact your bank if you see anything unusual.
The police have been informed. They tell us that this ATM is not run by Spar, but by a company called Bank Machines, who it appears has just fitted a green security device to the machine.
If you’ve been a victim of this you can report your incident to the police by calling 0114 220 2020. If you want to speak to Bank Machines, they can be contacted on 0800 028 6923.
Stephen Hill/Benty Lane junction still on the agenda – hope to have a report in the next Open Meeting.
Council grant for 20 Union flags & poles – to decorate the precinct in time for the 2012 Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and Olympic games.
Treasurer’s Report (Chris Batchelor)
Our bank account remains healthy– but this is because the grant for the flags has yet to be spent, and next years’ summer flowers will need to be paid for.
Crosspool Festival
This will start on 7th July with Crosspool Open Gardens, and end with the Summer Fayre on Sat 14th, & Open Air service on Sun 15th. The Festival Committee would like some more helpers – please contact Rev Frances Eccleston or Ian.
Police Report (Pc Louise Atha & Pc Dave Hall)
Allotment break-ins – especially to the society’s hut & container, from which several hundreds of pounds were taken, & a lot of mess caused. Residents were urged to post the serial numbers of eg lawnmowers and similar equipment on the website www.immobilize.com so stolen items can be traced back to them. Operation Herbaceous is in place to try to stop this.
Scrap metal & lead nicking; Operation Anchor has been targeting & stopping suspicious vehicles in Dore & Totley (19) and Bramall Lane & Ecclesall Rd (34) – & prosecuting those with unroadworthy vans or no waste carrying licences.
Car crime; there have been some break-ins to vehicles on Crookes/Crookesmoor. Residents were urged not to leave satnav cradles on display.
Operation Dark Nights is about to begin for Halloween & Bonfire Night, & shops being checked to ensure no underage sale of alcohol or fireworks is taking place.
Questions were taken on verge bollard use, bad parking on Manchester rd & the proposed closure of Manchester road round Stephen Hill, Delph Hse Rd & Selborne Rd for resurfacing.
Councillors’ Question time (Sylvia Anginotti, Brian Holmes & Geoff Smith)
Councillors answered questions such as a query on attic extension building and trespass by a neighbour, bus timetabling & the new Optio scheme (voluntary partnership agreement between Stagecoach & First – nos. 120 & 52 buses), and why the 51 never seems to come on time!
Residents were asked to keep details of timetabling failures & send them on to Ian Hague, or direct by phone to Pam Horner (SYPTE External Relationships Manager – 0114 2211452).
There were concerns over poor bus lane signage (Ripley St), silly bus lane sections (Mushroom Lane head), and why the 120 stop in town is Flat St & not the Interchange. The Vernon Tce bus shelter issue was raised again – & Cllr Anginotti suggested an online petition direct to Council about this.
Residents asked whether the post box could be moved from outside Craft Angels to a less congested spot in the shopping precinct, but this has been requested before & Royal Mail say they can not do so.
There was also a request to have the word ‘SLOW’ painted at the bottom of Sandygate Rd hill, where drivers come round the bend to the zebra crossing.
AOB
A special limited edition of Crosspool cards is available from Craft Angels – £2.50 per pack.
There will be a Christmas Disco at St Columba’s on 4th Dec; tickets from the Crosspool Pet Shop. Father Christmas will be there!
The Sheffield to Castleton & Bakewell bus (operated by Derbyshire County Council) that runs along Manchester rd is to change to number 273/4/5.
Ian Hague is hoping to get funding for an over-60s trip …. music will be involved!
Green Garden Waste bags; remember the last collection will be the week starting 31st Oct. A report on all aspects of waste collection throughout the city is expected, so until this is published there will be no green waste collections.
The Rivelin Valley Conservation Group has been given a Lifetime Achievement Award (collected by Graham Appleby & Keith Kendall).
The next Open Meeting will be Thursday, 26 January 2012. 7pm, St Columba’s.
Last Monday night, on 17 October, a number of plots on Hagg Lane, including the members’ trading hut, were broken into and a large amount of property taken.
South Yorkshire Police has advised allotment holders who have suffered individual theft/damage to report their story to the police (telephone 101) so they can link all the reports together.
No one else can report on a plot holder’s behalf and it is important that everyone affected contacts them and gains a crime reference number to help build the full picture of the incident.
You may have noticed an increased police presence in the area this week, including a helicopter circling overhead.
We’ve looked into this and it turns out that the helicopter was deployed to complement a ground force operation to apprehend those responsible for break-ins and attempted break-ins to the huts at Hallamshire Golf Club. They also investigated a number of reported barbeques on the rocks adjacent to Sandygate Grove.
Around the same time, an accident occurred at the Blackbrook Road junction with Redmires Road.
Bullet points from Crosspool Forum Open Meeting, Thursday 28 July 2011
Matters arising and Chairman’s report
Funding has been granted for another computer course – start date 9th Sep 2011. As before an entry level course and an advanced course (spreadsheets, emails & the internet). Names to Ian Hague ASAP. If interested.
A car boot sale is expected to take place on 10th Sep, Crosspool Tavern car park as usual.
The Crosspool Festival was a great success – the Open Gardens took £2000, the pie & pea supper £230, the picnic in the park £300, and Summer Fayre £900. All this will go to charities and to Crosspool community use
Diamond Jubilee year 2012; Ian has secured some funding for flags and flowers ot mark both the Queen’s Jubilee and the London Olympics year.
The next Clarion will be out in a few weeks time; residents to send in any articles or ask these to be posted on the webpage
The ‘Crosspool Harvest’ scheme has a new name – Hillside Harvest – & an allotment site on Hagg Hill. The Forum is still looking after Hagg Copse.
There was no Treasurer’s report at this meeting and no police presence.
Councillors’ Report (Geoff Smith)
A lot of reviews and strategy meetings have been taking place in the Counci, and of interest to Crosspool are the following:
Broomhill air pollution issues; by the autumn they hope to have a strategy in place including ensuring vehicles with fewer emissions are using the Crooked hill gradient, and tackling the food outlet problems.
Mayfield Valley lorry problem; the Council is working with freight operators to designate.routes throughout Sheffield so that problems are not just moved from one road to another equally bad.
“Twenty’s plenty” campaign; a strategy is being developed to look, first, at making this the speed limit for roads round schools, and then secondly to work with Highways PFI to extend this further to other streets, from the autumn.
Stephen Hill/Benty Lane junction; after a survey the report is imminent.
Household waste review; the black bins will still be collected weekly, and blue ones fortnightly. In the trial areas of Sheffield where householders were allowed to choose which blue bin to hold which waste only 16 percent altered their use! This will not be extended, so Crosspool will use the wheeled blue bin for alu, steel cans, glass & plastic still.
Mr Smith listened to questions and arguments from the floor about commuter parking (from Derbyshire) on Crosspool streets, and local school car use (teachers & pupils). Erecting meters around Crosspool was suggested. He had not been aware of the long-standing Vernon Terrace bus shelter issue, but will take it on board. Residents are eager to see a satisfactory conclusion to this.
Guest speakers: magistrates Andrew Bentley, Anthea Peers and Grant Laughton
Magistrates at Crosspool Forum Open Meeting, July 2011
The JPs from Sheffield gave a most illuminating talk about the role of magistrates in the community, how the judgement is essentially fair and peer-led.
Almost anyone can apply to be trained to be a magistrate – age 18-70 – and can expect to be asked to sit on the bench for 26-35 half-day sittings a year. ( Employers are however not obliged to cover the expenses of their employees, which can be a problem).
The origins of the magistrate system go back to 1195 in this country, and there are now Adult, Youth & Family courts in operation, with 2 or 3 justices sitting in each court.
Sadly some 60-65 percent of the cases in front of them are drug-related, and the officers have the discretion to pass a serious case on to the Crown Court, or to hear the case and to discharge, fine (up to £5000), impose a community order (of up to 360 hours) or send to prison (up to 6 months) those found guilty. There is a large guideline document on sentencing and their powers, but discretion and common sense are also important – fining a youth with no money makes no sense, if it is the parents who will have to pay!
The justices regularly visit the local prisons and stressed they are not pleasant or comfortable places – indeed can be very intimidating, very smelly and noisy! – but neither is a community sentence a soft option.
Motoring offences were discussed, how all cautions etc stay on the individual’s permanent record for life, and how “crime does not pay” – the court will investigate thoroughly and claim back any proceeds from crime.
It was stressed that a motorist must be parked, with the car engine switched off, before using a mobile phone; penalties for misuse are about to be increased.
The main speed cameras in Sheffield are at Parkway Bernard Rd, Penistone Rd & Queen’s Rd (Earl of Arundel box junction).
AOB
The No. 51 outbound bus from town now runs from a stop outside HSBC (along with the 52) – though residents still feel there can be 3 x 52s in a row waiting so there’s a real worry of the 51 overtaking them & not picking travellers up!
Next meeting
The next Open Meeting will be 27 October 2011, 7pm, at St Columba’s.
Fire and police officers at Crosspool Festival Summer Fayre
Teams from the local fire brigade and police force were at Saturday’s Summer Fayre, talking to residents about the work they do and allowing children to explore their vehicles.
A tug-o’-war rope had been set up and after watching some the public enjoy a challenge for fun, officers from South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue agreed to take each other on.
Watch a video of the duel below to find out which team ended up on the floor and just how much extra help the winners enlisted!
You can also see a film of local families enjoying a tug-o’-war challenge.
Yesterday hundreds of Crosspool residents turned out in the sunshine for our annual Summer Fayre on the Coldwell Lane CDYST sports field.
You can watch the video and view the photos below to catch a flavour of the day.
Look out for more videos from the festival this week, including dancing from the Street Market and the historic tug-o’-war between South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue!
The Crosspool Clarion is the official newsletter of Crospool Forum. It is a free, quarterly publication, with over 2,500 copies delivered to local households.
If you are a local business then you may wish to consider advertising in the Clarion. It is a great way to reach over local households. Contact Clarion editor Ian Hague for more information.
To read PDFs on your computer, you may need to first download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Crosspool News - crosspool.info 