Local News

The Chief Constable of Cleveland Police has announced he is to retire at the end of the year, after 18 months at the helm of the Force;

Redcar & Cleveland Council has welcomed funding of £2 million from the Department for Transport in order to improve access and ease congestion in a key corner of the borough;

...and with Bonfire Night officially a couple of weeks away, Cleveland Fire Brigade is appealing for you and your loved ones to stay safe and only attend an organised Bonfire and Fireworks display.

The Chief Constable of Cleveland Police has announced he is to retire at the end of the year, after 18 months at the helm of the Force.

Iain Spittal, who has been a Police Officer for thirty one years in both the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Forces, says he wants his replacement to commit “the 

number of years it will require” to make Cleveland Police 'outstanding’.

During his time in the top job, he's seen budgets slashed, further reductions in the number of officers and has spoken out against Government cuts, saying the force was being “held back” in its attempts to prevent crime.

Appointed Chief Constable in July 2016, Iain Spittals tenure has been praised, but his time hasn't been without troubles as the force faced the fallout from a series of scandals and criticism in various employment tribunals, court cases and disciplinary cases.

Recruitment for a replacement is set to begin within weeks.

Redcar & Cleveland Council has welcomed funding of £2 million from the Department for Transport in order to improve access and ease congestion in a key corner of the borough.

The money will allow the council to make improvements at Swans Corner roundabout and the notorious junction where Flatts Lane meets the A171 Guisborough road, which over the years has been a collision blackspot.

Traffic lights are set to be installed at both locations in anticipation of more cars in the area in future.

Meanwhile, Council chiefs in Middlesbrough are already hailing a road improvment scheme they finished just two weeks ago, a big success in helping to reduce journey times for drivers heading from the Redcar & Cleveland area.

Work to improve the the A1085 Longlands Road junction by the Buccaneer pub in North Ormesby took place over the Summer, with new traffic lights, cabling and specialist software installed, that helps with vehicle capacity at the junction.

There has been a visible decrease in congestion at peak times say the Council, with the knock on effect being that traffic along the Cargo Fleet Lane corridor at 

Brambles Farm finds a less congested path onto both the A66 and A1085.

Now with Bonfire Night officially a couple of weeks away, Cleveland Fire Brigade is appealing for you and your loved ones to stay safe and only attend an organised Bonfire and Fireworks display.

The Brigade says the misuse of fireworks at home is the most common cause of injuries and unofficial bonfires not only cause a nuisance to local people and greatly impact on the community as a whole, they tie up fire engines that should be undertaking vital life-saving prevention work or attending real emergencies.

 The most common injuries are to the hand, wrists and eyes and a lot of these are caused by sparklers which is not surprising as they burn at over 2 thousand degrees celsius.

Dave Turton, who is Head of Community Safety for Cleveland Fire Brigade, says the message this year is simple: Be Safe Not Sorry and leave the handling of fireworks to the experts on secure cordoned off sites for organised displays where you'll be well away from danger. 

There are plenty happening in our area at Skinningrove, New Marske, Redcar, Dormanstown and Marton - for the full list plus dates and times, head to the Zetland FM Facebook page.