Combined March 26 jw v2 - Flipbook - Page 13
Community update Hayling Herald
Fire dragons to repair potholes
By Lance Quantrill, Hampshire County Councillor
for Hayling Island
A GLANCE at Met Office records reveals
that 188% of expected rainfall fell in January;
followed by the whole of February’s expected
rainfall arriving by the 8th of the month.
Such unprecedented, continual rainfall meant
that ditches were full and fields and gardens
completely saturated – with ground water levels
rising and surface water draining into roads.
Along with freeze/thaw cycles, which meant
that some potholes appeared overnight and
others grew in hours, this made filling potholes
nearly impossible.
Thankfully improving weather conditions in
March mean that Hampshire County Council’s
(HCC) highways teams will be able to get to
work.
New Dragon Patchers heat the pothole, making
it easier and faster for the repair mix to bind into
the surrounding tarmac. This also means that a
specialised two-man crew can do the work of a
regular four-man team, allowing new teams to be
formed to fix potholes elsewhere.
It’s a daunting task. In the first week of February more than 5,000 enquiries were received by
HCC Highways – compared to 3,000 in the same
week in 2025.
And, it’s here that Islanders can help. Whilst
there are Find-and-Fix teams, most potholes are
fixed after a report alerts officers to inspect the
pothole, indicate the area with white paint, then
schedule a repair along with others nearby.
Staunton Avenue was a great example last
spring when the road was closed overnight and
all the defects repaired together.
So, if you see a pothole, without white lines
around it, please report it.
hants.gov.uk/transport/highways/report-a-problem/potholes takes you to a simple
online form where you can identify the location
and add a photo (if it was safe to take one).
In less than three minutes not only will you
have registered the defect, but you then receive a
Track-It number which allows you to follow the
progress from inspection to repair.
Hayling Island u3a: Hayling at war
By Alan Bartlett
THE speaker this month is Richard Coates who
is a fire consultant experienced in fire prevention
and protection, but who has a wealth of knowledge about the role Hayling Island played in both
the First and Second World Wars.
Due to it’s proximity to Portsmouth and the
importance of protecting this vital port, it was
used by the military in a variety of ways.
Some evidence of the role in 1939-45 is still
with us some 80 years later, with several pill boxes and a gun emplacement, which hark back to
the major role in the Second World War.
In the First World War there were lots of
changes to the Island, with buildings and land
requisitioned for military use.
The building which we now know as Clapps
Newsagents was the School of Musketry organising courses in the use of weapons such as the
Lewis Gun.
In both wars the Island was militarised and
the population trebled as holiday camps, and
hotels, were requisitioned for military use. Secret
operations were planned and rehearsed with the
COPPs base established at the Hayling Yacht
Club.
The beach was ideal to practice landings on,
the most famous being the rehearsal for D-Day
and near the date of departure every creek and
harbour were full of landing craft.
Hayling was ideally isolated from prying eyes
as access was only via either a rickety wooden
bridge not suitable for heavy transport or the
light railway line, also limited in payload.
Come and discover more about the effect of
war at 2pm on March 19th in the Hayling Island
Community Centre.
Last month the speaker was Alan Chalmers
who gave us the inside view of Wimbledon and
its world famous Centre Court from the perspective of his being a steward for 40 years.
Using anecdotes about competitors and their
friends, as well as the rich and famous, he managed the seating arrangements and security of,
for example Frank Sinatra, Lewis Hamilton, David Beckham and members of the Royal Family.
He described the essential role, together with
six other staff, of keeping the area secure and
ensuring that no unauthorised personnel gained
entry.
At times he had to manage conflict when dealing with some very important people.
He described the foundation of the Lawn
Tennis Association (LTA) in 1888 as the national
governing body for tennis in Great Britain, the
Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, responsible
for promoting, developing, and governing the
sport from grass roots to elite level.
Based at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, it led the world by launching the first
Open tournament in 1968, allowing professionals
to compete.
It has built on historical ties with events such
as the Surrey Grass Court Championship, started in 1890, and now manages major events and
supports elite performance through the National
Tennis Centre.
We gained a picture of the complex world wide
organisation involved in major Open Events,
with the key countries, England, USA, France
and Australia being the earliest to establish them,
and now they are the most prestigious.
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