AND HERE IS THE NEWS…
….a quick glance at the latest local news with Caroline Manson
Man electrocuted on Yellow Train track
A 33 year old man was driving near Mont-Louis when his mobile home became immobilised on a level crossing. He descended onto the railway, not knowing that the electricity for the train is transmitted by a third rail located on the ground, and was electrocuted. He was said to be just slightly injured and conscious when help arrived. 10 firefighters were mobilised and the intervention took just over an hour – during which time 40 passengers were blocked on the yellow train.
Drought restrictions reinforced
In a totally unprecedented situation, the entire department is on a reinforced drought alert for the next two months. The Water Resource Committee held an exceptional meeting last week and noted that due to the lack of rain in the autumn, the levels of ground water have not been replenished since the heat-waves of last summer. It is therefore prohibited to water lawns, fill private pools, clean vehicles (except in commercial stations), wash terraces and facades, and water vegetable gardens. These restrictions also apply to local authorities who cannot water green spaces, stadiums, roads or terraces.
Wild boars spotted close to Perpignan
A recent report mentioned that wild boars had been regularly spotted in the town of Amélie-les-Bains. Not particularly surprising as they have been driven to forage for food in bins as the recent cold and snow up in the mountains has led to a food shortage for them. It is perhaps not so common to see them close to Perpignan – but a woman recently had to stop her car in the Clos des Arcades area to let a little troupe of 3 sangliers cross the road in front of her. The Hunting Federation blames climate change and the lack of water and advises that if you come across a wild boar ‘you should depart from it’. Sound advice!
Building fire causes traffic chaos in Perpignan
One of the main entrances into Perpignan was temporarily closed to traffic early on Thursday evening following a fire in a building. Firefighters were called to the cellar of a 2-storey building in Cours Lazare Escarguel (near to Place Catalogne) where a fire had broken out. Residents were evacuated and the fire was brought under control, but not before rush-hour traffic was severely disrupted as this is the main axis leading to the boulevards Pyrenees and Mercader.
Hiker rescued after spending night on Canigou
A 50 year old ‘experienced’ hiker got lost at the end of the afternoon and was unable to find his way back to his car before sunset, so he ended up spending the night sleeping on the mountain. Luckily it was the weekend of high temperatures (not this weekend) and he was well-equipped for the cold. Early the next morning he managed to reach the emergency services and was rescued by the Dragon 66 helicopter, where he was discovered to be uninjured but ‘a little tired’. A 62 year old man who disappeared on the Canigou Massif in January has still not been found.
Police biker injured in accident
Late on Saturday morning a gendarme was on his way to an incident in Millas when his motorbike was in collision with a light vehicle. He was attended to by firefighters on the scene, then taken to Perpignan hospital but his life is not said to be in danger. As the accident occurred on the main D916 outside the nursery school, traffic was severely delayed for several hours as the road was temporarily closed.
Innovative new system at Perpignan Airport
If you have already parked at the airport you will have noticed the solar-panel ‘roofs’ over several areas of the car-park. These in fact belong to a company who sells the electricity back to the main network. A new photovoltaic shade installation is being built on one of the airport car-parks; specifically to benefit the airport, thus allowing aircraft to be electrically powered during their stopover. Until now, the power was produced by generators but with this system the airport will radically reduce its CO2 emissions. The cost of the installation is estimated at 526, 740€ and is co-financed by the Occitania Region and the European Union. It should be operational by this summer.
And finally…
Officers from the anti-crime (BAC) squad recognised a 32 year old man as being on their ‘wanted’ list, so gave chase. The man tried to escape on foot, while running he threw a bag containing several cocaine bottles, and then tried to seek refuge in Perpignan’s Plain des Jeux stadium. Not the best idea as there was only one main exit, so in an attempt to escape he decided to climb the perimeter netting – which is 7 metres high. Just as he reached the top, the netting broke under his weight and he fell the full 7 metres. Miraculously he was unharmed but was picked up by the police, surrounded by 2 other bags filled with cocaine and 360€ in cash.
