AND HERE IS THE NEWS…

….a light look at the latest local news with Caroline Manson

Beach closed in Canet

The red flag is flying over the main beach at Canet-en-Roussillon as swimming is prohibited until further notice.  The quality of the bathing water turned out to be non-compliant following routine testing regularly carried out by the municipality.  They do not state what has caused the pollution of the water but I think we can hazard a guess.  Further tests are being carried out regularly and as soon as the results improve the beach will be opened to swimmers again.

Heatwave nearly over

While we have enjoyed/suffered what feels like the 27th heatwave of the year, temperatures are due to drop considerably on Wednesday, accompanied by the Tramontane and even thunderstorms and rain on the plains. The temperature ‘high’ is expected to be just 23°, which is some 16° cooler than we have been used to recently.  The storms will quickly clear bringing back the warm sunny weather, but with a maximum of around 30° for the weekend which, after last weekend, will feel almost fresh.

Teenage girl missing from home

On Wednesday morning 16 year old Anais Verdu-Tomas left her home in Bages at 6.30am to catch the bus to the Léon-Blum High School in Perpignan.  She did not arrive at the school and the gendarmes have put out a call for anybody with any information to contact them.  She  is described as being 1.63m tall, with medium length light brown hair, and was wearing blue jeans, a white t-shirt and black trainers. (Edit: Now found and returned home)

More fires in the P-O

On Thursday afternoon a fire broke out in Tautavel which managed to burn 5000m2 of vegetation before being brought under control.  Shortly afterwards a second fire broke out on the edge of the A9 near the Saint-Pierre clinic in Perpignan.  Another fire then occurred in Sante-Marie-la-Mer and finally a 4th fire broke out in Canet-en-Roussillon.  On Friday afternoon a car caught fire on the RD66 near Sauto.  The fire spread to nearby vegetation and 10 firefighters and the water bomber helicopter were called to the scene but traffic was ‘delicate’ for several hours.  The fire started from a diesel car carrying batteries but the precise cause of the combustion is still unknown.  Meanwhile a huge fire is still raging in Puillaurens in the Aude and the plume of smoke could be seen from the P-O.  Firefighters advise that due to the very high temperatures the vegetation is tinder dry so the public should take every precaution, including care with cigarette butts and any work that can generate sparks.

Arsonist convicted of multiple offences

On Wednesday 2nd September a 50 year old man was sentenced to 5 years in prison having been found guilty of having repeatedly started fires in the department.  Four fires in the municipality of Saint-Estève on August 28th were attributed to him, and also several fires which had broken out on July 1st and August 29th in a former campsite in Amélie-les-bains-Palada.

Two dead and several injured in accident at sea

On Tuesday 1st September a serious accident occurred off the beach at Saint-Cyprien involving a boat which was towing a rubber buoy on a pleasure trip.  Full details are still under  investigation but it appears that the 31year old driver of the boat was thrown overboard by a wave, but the boat engine continued to run and the boat made a circle and impacted the rubber buoy, which carried several passengers.  Two people are confirmed as dead, one being the captain of the boat and another being a 29 year old passenger who was on the buoy, and several others suffered injuries, some said to be extremely serious.   The Capellans beach was immediately closed during the investigations and we await the results but early reports are questioning whether the boat carried the so called ‘dead-man’s handle’, a circuit breaker which cuts the motor in case of any problems.

And finally…..

Harvest time again and here in the back of beyond (20 minutes from Perpignan) you can’t drive anywhere without seeing the pickers bent over the vines, or those monster machines that harvest the grapes automatically.  If you were driving past the domaine of Caramany last Saturday you may have seen some other sights.  This year they have decided to make the annual Vendage a naturist occasion.  Anybody who was interested was invited to turn up at 8am in front of the Caramany Cave (sadly I was otherwise engaged…).   So far no pictures of the event have been published (officially) and I do hope that first aiders were on hand in case of any accidents – naked bodies in such close proximity to secateurs is perhaps a dangerous mix…