April 2003

APRIL 2003

May 2003 >>

FRENCH TOWN WITHDRAWS FROM TWINNING VISIT
A group of residents from the French town of Morieres, near Avignon, called off their plans to visit Caldicot as a result of Britain's involvement in the Gulf War. A spokesmen for the French town said that it did not seem appropriate for celebrations to go ahead at a time when people were being killed and young men were "involved in an upheaval they do not understand". The majority of town councillors, although disappointed, reacted calmly to the decision and expressed a desire that the visit would still take place in the near future. Independent Councillor Jim Harris was more angry, calling the French decision "disgusting".

CCTV FAILS FIRST TEST
Closed circuit television got off to a bad start in Caldicot when the cameras failed to pick up pictures of thieves who broke into the Right Connection phone shop and stole goods worth £8000. The shop is only a few yards from one camera. A spokesman for Monmouthshire County Council said the camera was not working because of a "network transmission problem" which has now been resolved.

MAN KILLED AT BUILDING SITE
Andrew Thomas, a delivery man for Robert Price builders, was killed when plasterboard he was delivering fell on him. The accident took place at Redmeadow Crescent, Caldicot when the boards fell from a mechanical crane on his truck. Robert Simmonds, a pupil at Caldicot Comprehensive School, was amongst locals who tried to save him but to no avail.

SCHOOL RESPONDS TO RAT COMPLAINTS
Caldicot Comprehensive School has denied that it is responsible for rats infesting a garden in the Mill Lane area. A resident had complained that rubbish dropped by pupils at the school war attracting the rats. A spokesman for the school pointed out that while litter was a continual problem, the school was working hard to resolve it. Caretakers regularly cleared litter on the school campus and an anti-litter campaign was under way. Most of the litter concerned was on the site of the skateboard park, which was not the responsibility of the school. Monmouthshire County Council has now agreed to clean the skateboard park more regularly.

HOUSE PRICE WATCH
The cheapest property for sale in Caldicot at the end of April was a three-bedroomed semi-detached house in Shelley Close with an asking price of £90,950.