Latest news with #Brockenhurst
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
New Forest lockable donkey-proof bins rejected by council
Lockable bins to prevent animals accessing food waste left out for recycling have been rejected by a Forest District Council said last month it was monitoring its roll out of wheelie bins and food waste caddies following reports of free-roaming donkeys and ponies breaking into owners have called for food waste collections to be suspended and Brockenhurst Green Party councillor Adam Parker said having locked bins would be a "common-sense solution".But the council said it would add time and cost to waste collections. The wheelie bins and caddies are replacing single-use black and clear plastic bags for New Forest residents' domestic and food waste, plus June the council said it had seen cases of donkeys in the national park "interacting with waste containers".Speaking at a meeting of the full council Parker said: "The common-sense solution to what's been happening in Brockenhurst is to disregard the 'one size fits all' policy – and let people leave their bins behind their gates and fences if they're at risk of donkeys."Portfolio holder for environment and sustainability councillor Geoffrey Blunden said while using lockable bins only added a few minutes to emptying each bin, cumulatively it "would add excessive time, cost and staff to complete rounds"."The new bins are an improvement from the plastic black sack easily ripped apart."He said the scheme is being monitored, with a residents' complaint forum to be set up to aid changes in the operation – but said it is not a big issue at the moment. The national park's free-roaming ponies, pigs, donkeys and cattle are owned by commoners - people who own or occupy land with ancient rights have raised concerns about animals seeing the bins as a "potential food source", which could damage their a meeting of the Verderers Court which administers commoners' rights, Commoners Defence Association (CDA) chairman Andrew Parry-Norton said the issue "would only worsen" with the approaching pannage season, when pigs are turned out onto the forest in autumn."Urgent discussions need to take place involving all interested parties, maybe suspending the separation of the waste food from general waste until this problem is solved," he move to wheelie bins was given the go-ahead in 2022 with the council insisting they were needed to increase recycling rates, while opponents argued they were unsightly and costly. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Littlehampton care home rated 'inadequate' over risk of falls
A care home has been rated inadequate by a health watchdog over concerns about the management of the risks of falls after it was notified a person using the service had died and another had sustained a serious injury. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors found that Brockenhurst, in Littlehampton, West Sussex, was lacking systems to keep people found several breaches of regulations relating to the management of risks, administration of medicines, staffing, person-centred care, dignity and respect, and the management of the service.A spokesperson for the home said improvements were made within weeks of the inspection to keep people safe, but there was more to be done. Serena Coleman, the CQC's deputy director of operations in the south, said: "During our inspection of Brockenhurst care home, we found widespread and significant issues with its leadership had placed people at risk of harm.""The inspection did not examine the circumstances of the death or the fall that prompted the inspection, but these incidents are subject to further investigation," a CQC spokesperson said. "The information shared with CQC about the incidents indicated potential concerns about the management of risks of falls and this inspection examined those risks." 'Robust action' Brockenhurst which cares for people with dementia said they took immediate action after the inspection in March to create an action plan addressing safety concerns within weeks."We took robust action to enhance the safety of all residents," said Phil Hale, an independent care consultant, working with the care home said accidents had been analysed and action taken for individual residents who have had falls, to reduce the risk of further falls. "We have therefore concentrated on making sure residents are safe and their wellbeing enhanced," added Mr Hale. The CQC report said failures in identifying people's needs had led to people needing to move from the Mr Hale said residents "were not moved out", rather that a decision had been made for a few residents that their care needs would be better met Hale also said that relatives regularly told him that they did not want their loved ones moved because they were happy with the level of care they CQC says in its report that "people and their relatives spoke positively about staff and described them as kind and caring".The home say they look forward to the CQC reinspecting later this year, "so that their rating can more accurately reflect the quality of care being provided now".
Telegraph
24-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Donkeys cause chaos by breaking into eco-friendly food bins
Roaming donkeys in the New Forest could scupper a full roll-out of food waste bins for residents after breaking into them and having a 'feast'. The animals are taking advantage of a three-month pilot scheme in Brockenhurst, New Milton and Lymington by tucking into leftovers but concerns have been raised that they could contract foot and mouth disease or African swine fever. 'I think it is only going to get worse. If the donkeys start working out how to get into these bins then they will keep doing it and the diseases will continue to spread, which is just not fair on the animals,' said Andrew Parry-Norton, chairman of the Commoners' Defence Association which has represented the Hampshire national park's community and animals for more than 100 years. 'And it will only get worse in the autumn when the pigs come out, as they really will eat anything. If the diseases spread then it could cost the farming industry, which is already in a tough place, millions if not billions of pounds to deal with. That is not an exaggeration. 'We are all for recycling, especially as the area is so connected to nature, but it needs to be done in the right way.' Mr Parry-Norton previously raised concerns about the wisdom of the scheme at the Verderers Court, which 'regulates and protects the New Forest's unique agricultural commoning practices'. Residents in the trial have been given a 23-litre brown outdoor food waste caddy and a five-litre grey box for indoors. New Forest district council said food waste would be taken to an anaerobic digestion facility and used to create fertiliser and renewable energy. Gail Whitcher, a New Forest resident, posted photos on Facebook showing donkeys eating from a toppled bin in Brockenhurst. She said: 'The donkeys have knocked over the waste bins into the road and have had a feast all the way down the road on the food waste bins, which I witnessed them opening. It's chaos.' Jack Davies, councillor for Pennington and former mayor of Lymington, said his ward was bearing the brunt of the experiment. He told The Telegraph: 'We are the guinea pig for the rest of the New Forest. The teething problems that we are having will be ironed out but that is no comfort to us in the first phase as there are clearly issues. The new bins feel cheap.' A spokesman for the council said the situation was being monitored 'in the early days of the new service' and advised residents to store the caddies within their property boundary except on collection day. He added: 'The move to bins and caddies is already leading to a massive improvement in street cleanliness. The previously used rubbish sacks were often ripped open by the free roaming animals, as well as seagulls, and foxes.'
The Guardian
23-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
‘They had a feast': New Forest donkeys spark backlash after raiding new food waste bins
In the US, residents have to contend with bears and racoons rummaging through the trash. In the UK, we have donkeys. A decision to introduce food waste bins in the New Forest national park in Hampshire has provoked a backlash – after the tenacious equines were caught breaking into them. In the last few months plastic caddies to recycle food leftovers – common in much of the country – have been distributed to residents in the area for the first time. This has led to warnings that their introduction could spread disease as livestock that has historically roamed free in the area, including ponies, donkeys and pigs, would find them irresistible when left out for collection. Within weeks of their introduction, donkeys have been spotted in several locations eating food out of the bins in various locations. Photos taken in Brockenhurst, a large village in the national park, show several of the animals gathered around a toppled over bin eating food scraps that have spread across the road. Posting the photos on Facebook, New Forest resident Gail Whitcher asked others to keep their food waste bins inside their gates and described the scene as chaos. She said: 'The donkeys have knocked over the waste bins into the road and have had a feast all the way down the road on the food waste bins which I witnessed them opening. It's chaos.' There are 200 free-roaming donkeys in the national park, all cared for by the commoners – locals who have the right to graze animals – and are said to be vital to the area's ecosystem. The commoners said they were worried that the roaming animals could contract foot-and-mouth disease or African swine fever from the food waste, which would be 'extremely dangerous'. Authorities in Hampshire's New Forest first approved a divisive wheelie bin scheme in 2022. Under the £5.6m programme, food waste caddies are being delivered to residents in Brockenhurst, New Milton, Lymington, and surrounding areas between April and June. Andrew Parry-Norton, the Commoners Defence Association chair, said they want the New Forest district council to change its advice to leave the bins outside property gates and instead to keep them inside. They have also suggested more secure locks should be put on the bins. 'This is exactly what we thought would happen and I think it is only going to get worse,' Parry-Norton said. 'If the donkeys start working out how to get into these bins then they will keep doing it and the diseases will continue to spread, which is just not fair on the animals.' Households in the national park have been given a 23-litre brown outdoor food waste recycling caddy, and a five-litre grey indoor food waste recycling caddy. New Forest district council has been contacted for comment.
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Virtually untouched 1970s time capsule home goes on the market for £675,000 in first sale of its kind
In a first of its kind sale, a virtually untouched time capsule home from the 1970s has gone on the market £675,000. Owned by the same family since it was built, this architect designed four bedroom bungalow acts as a time machine to half a century ago with its vintage design. The 2,112sq ft home is situated in Oakley, near Basingstoke, with enormous floor-to-ceiling windows which give panoramic views of open farmland. Having been kept in the same hands for so long, the bungalow still oozes seventies style with chrome armchairs, wood-panelled ceilings, and zig-zag patterned sofas. The listing describes the property as having a 'minimalist aesthetic' with quirky features such as a circular dining room built beneath a central skylight. The 2,112sq ft home is situated in Oakley, near Basingstoke, with enormous floor-to-ceiling windows which give panoramic views of open farmland Owned by the same family since it was built, this architect designed four bedroom bungalow acts as a time machine to half a century ago with its vintage design On the market with Brockenhurst estate agents, this unique home is fitted with two bathrooms and two reception rooms. The description reads: 'Offered for sale for the very first time, this striking architect-designed four-bedroom family home occupies a peaceful and highly sought-after position on the edge of the village of Oakley. 'Built in the 1970s and owned by the same family ever since, the property sits on a generous plot and offers over 2,000 sq ft of beautifully arranged single-level accommodation, blending mid-century modern elegance with huge potential to update and extend.' The property also has a block-paved driveway providing off-road parking for multiple vehicles and access to an attached garage.
