AND HERE IS THE NEWS…

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

Goodbye to the Tramontane

It feels like a lot longer but according to the newspaper the wind has been blowing without interruption for 10 days.  And now it has stopped!  Apparently the wind wasn’t at the same level as the recent tempests we experienced, but an ‘exceptional’ gust of 190kmh was measured between Cerbère and Port Bou, and several planes had trouble landing at Perpignan Airport and had to be diverted to Toulouse.  The temperatures have sky-rocketed and will reach 24° over the Easter weekend.

Man trapped overnight in vehicle after accident

The RD18 is a very little used road near Calce, so it was lucky that on Sunday morning a passing vehicle spotted that a car had left the road and rolled down a bank.  It would have been even luckier if the car had been passing the night before as when firefighters arrived they discovered that the 4 X 4 had actually left the road the night before and the driver had been trapped inside overnight.  He was transported to hospital suffering from cervical, dorsal and thoracic injuries but it is said that his life is not in danger.

Prison searched after photo posted on internet

Authorities were in a panic when a photo of an inmate holding a Kalashnikov-type firearm in his cell was posted on social media last Thursday.  Two heavily armed police crews arrived at the prison but were greeted by prison warders who assured them it was probably just a fake photo generated by artificial intelligence, so they left without carrying out a search.  A little bit later on the prison officers decided to have a quick check on the prisoner who admitted he had faked the photo and has now been transferred to the disciplinary unit.  During a search of neighbouring cells a mobile phone and a saw blade were discovered.

Huge traffic jams on motorway

The Spaniards and Catalans are on the move to celebrate the Easter Weekend, it is school holiday time, the French are crossing the border looking for cheap fuel, so what better time for  customs officers to carry out a ‘control’ at the Le Boulou Péage…. The traffic jam on the A9 motorway started around mid-morning on Thursday and by late afternoon people were experiencing 10 kilometres of tail-backs.

Man dies on train track

Early on Thursday evening a man in his sixties was fatally hit by a train on the level crossing between Corneilla-del-vercol and Elne.  The article does not go into much detail so we can only assume the man was on foot when he was hit by the freight train.  Train traffic was closed while the emergency services intervened and an investigation is underway.

Man convicted for starving dog to death 

Neighbours called the gendarmes when they noticed a strong smell emanating from an apartment in Palau-del-Vidre.  Sadly they discovered the emaciated corpse of a German shepherd dog who had obviously been there for many days.  The owner was staying at a friend’s house in Port-Vendres and when questioned he came up with a load of excuses, blaming the death of his father-in-law and his forgetfulness to return home to feed his dog.  He did not attend court but in his absence was given a four month suspended prison sentence and a definitive ban on keeping animals.  He will also have to pay the sum of 1500€ to two animal charities.

And finally……

On Easter Sunday the aptly named French Federation of Angry Motorcyclists 66 carried out a protest to show their anger about the amount of potholes in the region’s roads.  Motorists driving near the Hamburg roundabout between Perpignan and Toulouges were amused to see that the potholes had been turned into little nests – filled with straw and mini Easter eggs.