AND HERE IS THE NEWS…
….a quick glance at the latest local news with Caroline Manson
Passers-by stop thief
A man who attempted to pull a necklace from an 82 year old woman in Perpignan was chased by a waitress, a local resident and also a holiday-maker. The man was later arrested and claims that alcohol was to blame for his actions – but it was noted that he already has 31 other offences on record.
Attack on baby in shopping centre
A young mother was walking in the Auchan shopping centre with her 5 month old baby asleep in her pushchair when suddenly a woman rushed over, shook the baby’s head and jabbed her fingers in her eyes. She was quickly apprehended by security guards and put into police custody, from where she was transferred to Thuir mental hospital. The baby was examined in hospital but was said not to be badly injured.
Fire in Port-La Nouvelle
A fire which broke out in a concrete storage site quickly grew out of control and burned 35 hectares of scrubland. 100 firefighters were called out but they could not use water bombers due to the number of ‘unidentified’ caravans and huts in the area. Train traffic between Narbonne and Perpignan was disrupted.
White Walk’ in honour of stab victim
Around 80 people dressed in white marched between Place Catalunya and Le Castillet in tribute to Francois, a homeless man who was stabbed to death 2 weeks ago. They marchers also wanted to draw attention to the risks that homeless people face, due to drugs, assaults and also cold weather.
Burglaries on the rise in the P-O
So far there have been 1067 reported burglaries – up by 10% from the same period last year. One of the Chief Gendarmes has made the following suggestions; don’t leave tools lying around in your garden (they will either be taken or used to break a window), if you have an alarm put a sign up in front of the house (this will dissuade 50% of burglars from even trying), and don’t put pretty holiday pictures on social media (if burglars see you with a plate of chips in the port of St Cyprien they will know you are not at home).
Abandoned village in Les Angles
For 10 years archeologists and volunteers have been working to uncover a village dating back from the 1300s. Many of the walls are still standing and in good condition, and they are now wondering what caused the 60 – 70 inhabitants to suddenly abandon their mountain village; hypotheses include plague, attacks by brigands or even a mini ice-age. Free guided tours of Vallsera are available every Thursday at 10am.
Display jet crashes at Perpignan Airport
A plane from the Patrouille de France suffered a very bad landing at the airport last Thursday when the pilot was unable to brake. The plane struck barriers at the end of the runway and stopped at the edge of the D12 – the pilot was able to eject in time and was slightly injured. The air-show planned for St Cyprien was cancelled.
And finally …..
…. Gendarmes in Argeles-sur-Mer have some unusual new recruits – four horses and their riders will patrol the town, five days per week. They are limited to 4 hour shifts and will be around in the afternoons and early evenings.