AND HERE IS THE NEWS…
….a light look at the latest local news with Caroline Manson
And here is the news – a light look at the latest local news
Fire season continues
As the warm weather continues, so does the risk of fires, and last week marked at least 3 fires for the pompiers to deal with. At the beginning of the week a fire broke out on the military training ground of Opoul-Perillos, a fire which was particularly dangerous for the firemen as there was the risk of explosives buried in the terrain. A large fire then occurred near Salses-Le-Chateau and finally in the evening another one in Elne. The week finished with a smaller fire on the outskirts of Passa, but firefighters were yet again hindered by the strong gusts of the Tramontane wind which was blowing at more than 45kmh.
Lorry driver arrested for breaking rules
The Motorway police just over the border in La Jonquera had been notified of a heavy-goods vehicle being driven in a slightly erratic fashion. They managed to flag the driver down and upon questioning him discovered that he had been driving without a break for more than 30 hours. Under EU regulations truck drivers cannot exceed a daily maximum of 9 hours at the wheel, with a mandatory break after four and a half hours. The truck was immobilised as the man was obviously in no fit state to continue his journey, and the agents also cited him for six other offences including serious anomalies in his documents.
Full-scale security exercise carried out at Perpignan Airport
Late on Thursday night a full-scale training exercise was carried out at the airport, involving scores of airport staff, rescue services and a team of professional actors and extras. The scenario was that a Boeing 727 had crashed on landing with 50 passengers and 2 crew members on board. Emergency services rushed to the scene and even real journalists were asked to act as if it was a real situation and to question the ‘relatives’ of passengers and put pressure on the authorities for information. Altogether around 300 people were involved on the scene and while the complete summary is still awaited the first assessment has confirmed that improvements need to be made in identifying victims and providing information to relatives. This type of exercise is carried out every 3 years – the last one being in 2023 when the scenario involved managing a case of Ebola virus.
Drugs hidden in bus for disabled
Perhaps the driver of the mini-bus thought he would be waved through the border control at Le Boulou because of the disabled stickers largely displayed on the van. The customs officers thought otherwise and flagged the driver down and asked him what load he was carrying – as there were clearly no passengers or wheelchairs to be seen. Despite the driver saying he had no knowledge of what he was transporting the officers decided to carry out a thorough search and discovered several large sports bags carrying 263 kilos of cannabis. The value of the drugs was estimated at being over 2 million euros. The man was arrested, sentenced to 3 years in prison and will have to pay a customs fine of €2,630,000.
Lightening strikes village of Corsavy
The thunder storms of last Wednesday were a welcome brief relief from the long dry summer, but not so welcome in the village of Corsavy where a building was struck by a bolt of lightening. The building was part of the Departmental Institute of Children and Adolescence (IDEA) an institution that takes care of minors or young adults in difficulty or danger. The fire caused a fire in the boiler room of the building, about 20 firefighters were called to the scene, and thirty children and their educators were evacuated to the IDEA in Arles-sur-Tech. Fortunately there were no injuries.
And finally …….
The hunting season opened mid-September, so it is also traditionally the season for the ‘anti’ hunting brigade to start posting on social media. The President of the ACCA (official hunting association) has already decided to take the first ‘shot’. On his Facebook page he posted a rant against ‘those who would intend to disrupt the opening of the hunt’ by stating that he had prepared ‘a few cartridges filled with coarse salt’. He added ‘I guarantee you that we hunters are not violent people but we have made our plans – you risk nothing but will have a lot of pain in your buttocks’. While the president states that it was just a joke, there have been many calls for his resignation.
Grassy arse!
