AND HERE IS THE NEWS…

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

Pony saved from canal

Firefighters responded to an unusual call on Friday afternoon when they were requested to help a pony, stuck in a canal in Reynès in the Vallespir.  The pony was stuck in the 1m20 deep canal in 40cm of water and was exhausted after having made several efforts to free himself.  A specialist animal team was called and finally, with the encouragement of the owner, the animal was freed, with no apparent injuries. 


Police check for attestations

On April 14th the police carried out a traffic check at the Euro-Mediterranean roundabout near the Perpignan Sud péage in order to ensure compliance with the new provisions in force regarding the 10km and 30km rules.  250 vehicles were checked and just four offences were noted for people travelling without the necessary attestation.  They also found one case of a lack of insurance and a vehicle was impounded.  This type of control is set to intensify in the days to come.


Farm accident in Torreilles

© L’Indépendant

A terrible accident occurred on Saturday morning in a field outside the town of Torreilles.  A 12 year old girl fell off a tractor and became trapped in the agricultural shredding machine.  She was transferred by Samu helicopter to a specialised paediatric hospital in Montpellier where her leg was amputated.


Prime Minister visits Estagel

Jean Castex met with several wine producers to listen to their grievances following the damage inflicted by the frost of April 7th.  One vigneron who owns 11 hectares of vines in Estagel estimated that he had lost between 60% and 100% of his production this year.  The government has announced an aid package of one billion euros to help farmers throughout France who have been affected by the frost.




Census campaign for donkeys

There are more Catalan donkey stickers on cars than there are Catalan donkeys – with perhaps only 40 remaining in the region.  The breed is becoming less and less popular, despite being highly sought after by market gardeners for working the land.  Pierre Pays and Claire Pariset, a couple from Mosset, are planning to create a centre for the enhancement of the animal, including breeding and reproduction, and are launching a census campaign on the internet and are looking for all Catalan donkey owners to contact them.  The adult Catalan donkey measures approximately 1m40, is black/brown in colour with a white muzzle, white belly and white eye area. 


Prisoner swallows screws and bolts

L’Indépendant

A 19 year old detainee has been causing chaos at Perpignan prison even since he arrived.  On March 21st he set fire to his cell, then on March 31st he swallowed some bolts and screws (having dismantled the television) then tried to escape via a ceiling panel when being questioned by police.  On 15th April he set fire to his cell in the isolation ward and then wrapped the television cable around his neck and pretended to be unconscious at the foot of the bed when the night guards arrived.  Once again he was removed from his cell and taken to hospital and the prison union is demanding that the man be sent to a specially equipped hospital or prison unit for violent detainees.


And finally…

danger

A woman called the animal welfare society to say that there was a dangerous looking creature lurking in a tree and that she, and other residents in the apartment block were scared to open their windows in case it went into their homes.  The rescue team, in Krakow, Poland, soon spotted the animal which, from a distance, resembled an iguana but ‘the poor creature wasn’t moving’ and was possibly an unwanted pet that had died from cold or hunger.  It turned out to be a croissant – most likely thrown out of a window to feed the birds….



(PS Thank you to Eleanor Martindale for finding this story).

Caroline Manson is an independent Property Consultant – for advice on buying, selling, renting or renovating, don’t hesitate to contact her at caroline@perpignan-properties.com



Comments


  1. Gosh there’s a lot in here!

    1) Seems to me that nuts-and-bolts eating prisoner needs a mental hospital, rather than a prison unit for voilent detainees.

    2) Glad to hear that the gov’t is going to give financial help to farmers/vignerons for losses incurred by the untimely frosts.

    3) Let’s hope the Catalan donkeys get to multiply! I would rather see one of them on our Perpignan crest than what our mayor has chosen…

    4) P-O police are more on the ball than their Parisian/Montpellier counterparts, it would seem — even though Paris is still deep red on the Covid map. I printed out all necessary attestations for an overnight stay (motif imperieux — convocation administratif) in Paris plus an unwanted night in Montpellier, owing to confinement changes to the train timetables. We weren’t asked to show a single one of them! Maybe because we weren’t in a car…?

  2. thank you for your efforts in rounding up the news.

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