Author: Sal
Centre for the Coastal Environment: Positive Council Story #1
Friday, 11th July, 2008 at 6:57 pm, Isle of Wight
After our call out this morning for your positive stories about the Council, many thanks to John Allen for being the first to respond. Since his email came in a couple of comments have been added to the original posting.
Many Ventnorians have been aware of the pretty whiffy stink coming from the Haven of late. In fact it’s been the subject of several discussion threads on the forum. Although the smell has, at times, been remarkably similar to sewage, rest assured it just rotting seaweed - we wouldn’t have the Blue Flag if it were.
Some believe the problem lies with the fact that seaweed comes into the Haven, but can’t get out again, so stays there and rots.
Anyway, one home owner in Ventnor, decided to write to the town clerk last Sunday after a particularly stinky weekend.
He was pleased to receive this response today from Peter Marsden, Principal Coastal Engineer as follows:
We have made arrangements with the Probation Service to have seaweed removed by hand by those sentenced to ‘unpaid work’ by the courts.
The work is programmed for later this month, the seaweed being taken from Ventnor to an inland farm.
We reckon that community service like this is going to be a real deterrent to those thinking about a life of crime. Having to wade amongst the rotting seaweed and remove it by hand is going to be a terrible job.
The smell seems to have subsided this week, so let’s keep our fingers crossed it’ll remain that way until the rotting seaweed is removed.
Well done to the Centre for the Coastal Environment for taking on the challenge of sorting out the rotting seaweed. It’s been unclear for so long who was responsible, but they’ve taken up the gauntlet and acted swiftly.
Hurrah!
Image: Rotting seaweed: Tim Gage, Ventnor Haven: Ventlindown
Community, Law & Order, Ventnor
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July 22nd, 2008 at 10:23 pm
The smell wafting to the Rene Howe walk smelt the same as raw sewage last week. Seriously though, it could be quite dangerous wading in the rotting seaweed and breathing in those fumes whilst removing it by hand. I presume the council will provide masks for those doing the horrid job. The last thing the rate-payer needs is for someone with an Asbo to be putting in a claim if they get ill assisted by a liberal-leftie human rights lawyer and we the taxpayers will end up footing the legal bill opposing it. Apart from that, it sounds a good idea. It’s a bit like the 21st century version of the stocks like those in Brading and Godshill. I can just imagine those with nothing to do coming down to watch and taking photos of the offenders to put on facebook or youtube. It’s probably better than the birch -which is now illegal. It will be interesting to see how much of a future deterrent against crime it will be. Maybe it will catch on on a national scale. Inner-city knife crime criminals for instance could be sent to clean out the underground sewers. Maybe someone should suggest it to Boris. (OK, I know, I’m getting carried away, I’ll stop now).