AND HERE IS THE NEWS…

….a quick glance at the latest local news with Caroline Manson

Summer is back!

After a wet and almost chilly start to September the hot weather is on its way back again.  While Saturday was pretty drizzly and miserable, on Sunday the mercury exceeded 29° on the Roussillon plain and the pleasant conditions are set to settle in over the next few days.  A hot air mass from the south is spreading over the country from Wednesday onwards bringing the temperatures up to around 30° over the whole department – possibly up to 35° on the plains which is very rare after 15th September.  All of this will end with a possible storm next weekend, so don’t put your jeans away just yet.

Perpignan tops the leader board for number of police officers

It is usually an honour to be considered ‘champion’ of something – but not necessarily for having the highest number of police officers per capita.  Over the last 10 years the Catalan city has almost doubled its number of agents, bringing the total to 200, which is 1 municipal officer per 613 inhabitants.  Perpignan is therefore considered one of the safest cities in France for general crimes, however the figures for narcotic related crimes always affect the statistics unfavourably.  According to Auto-Plus magazine Perpignan also holds the title of ‘City with the most speed cameras per inhabitant’ with one radar per 9,204 inhabitants – beating Paris, Marseille and Toulouse.

Mysterious epidemic in Prades

Since the beginning of last week many residents of Prades have been suffering from intestinal disorders, vomiting, fever and intense fatigue.  One resident described it as a ‘gastro rifle’.  As all the symptoms seemed similar to food poisoning or other contamination the authorities immediately suspected the water supply and residents were advised not to drink the tap water.  Following thorough testing no contamination was found and the water is not now considered to be the culprit.  Some sort of contagious virus is now suspected and residents are advised to take the usual precautions such as washing their hands frequently and respecting barrier gestures.

Block everything – but not completely

The “Bloquons Tous” protest caused some disruptions in the department last Wednesday but not the complete standstill we were worried about.  There was some attempt to block the Le Boulou toll barrier, there was a ‘revolution of shopping trolleys’ which involved people pushing trolleys into Auchan and not buying anything but the ideas of blocking the station and the Saint-Charles transport area were abandoned.  Another ‘Bloquons-tous’ day is planned on Thursday 18th which will have much more impact throughout France and people are already advised to avoid travelling on that day.

Dragon 66 helicopter assists at sea

On Thursday 4th September the Dragon 66 helicopter was called out to assist at a very usual medical emergency.  A cruise ferry travelling between Algiers and the port of Sète sent out a medical SOS when one of the passengers was found to be suffering from a very serious case of peritonitis.  The ferry was several kilometres out at sea but detoured from its course to approach the coast off Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque where the Dragon 66 helicopter, carrying a firefighter and a Samu doctor, was able to intervene.  The victim was winched from the boat and helicoptered to Perpignan Hospital.

Wine harvest low again

Harvest time is not yet over but the morale of the vignerons is very low.  Julien Thiery, the head of the viticulture service at the Chamber of Agriculture has stated that while the year 2024 was the worst harvest in history, this year is not looking to be much better.  He explains that they anticipate that the total harvest will be around half of what winegrowers need to earn a living from their work, possibly reaching a total of 350,000 hectolitres, just 25,000 more than last year.  He is demanding a plan from the government to help wine-growers in the same way they are helping other parts of the agricultural population.