COUNCIL bosses hoping to create a temporary stopping place for gypsies and travellers in Sutton Bridge are being forced to renew their planning permission.

South Holland District Council has allowed the three-year permission for the land off Centenary Way to almost elapse, with little chance of any work commencing in the coming months.

Permission was given in June 2009 but a Compulsory Purchase Order to buy the land was not approved until after a public inquiry held in Long Sutton in 2010.

The current planning permission will expire on June 22.

The authority says it still intends to press ahead with its plans for the ten-pitch caravan site.

A spokesman for South Holland District Council said: “This is a procedural matter and is for the renewal of the existing planning permission on the site which expires in June.

“The council’s plans and timescales regarding the site remain unchanged.”

Sutton Bridge county and district councillor Chris Brewis said feeling towards the potential development was still “hostile” among some villagers.

He said: “They need to get their views in on the application as soon as possible to the planning department by email, telephone or by writing a letter if they want their views to count.

“You must get them in. You may not think it will not make a difference but it will.”

The proposed Sutton Bridge gypsy and traveller site is one of three on the cards for South Holland after a need was identified for 15 permanent pitches and ten overnight stopping places in May 2006.

A new site has already been set up off the A151 link road at Holbeach, which replaced an illegal site in Cranmore Lane.

However, South Holland District Council has faced extensive criticism after spending £1,075,834 on the Holbeach development – leaving just £638,682 in the budget for the other two sites.

A final site is in the pipeline for Gosberton Clough, with ongoing discussions with a landowner to replace another illegal site in Broad Drove.

It’s understood work on the site at Sutton Bridge will only be progressed once issues at Gosberton Clough have been resolved.

A Holbeach woman has spoken of her shock at stumbling across a nasty assault in the early hours of the morning.

Sophie Bailey (22) was walking towards Peterborough city centre with friend Nathan Nightingale when she saw the man lying in a pool of blood as she passed an alleyway.

The man, believed to be Polish and in his early 20s, was rushed to hospital with his eye “hanging out”.

Miss Bailey said: “He was lying on the floor knocked out, with his eye hanging out and blood everywhere.

“It was down an alleyway so I didn’t get a good look at it, but I think it was two men fighting with two other men.

“They were shouting at each other, in Polish I think.

“I shouted ‘oh my God’, and then they all ran away, but the injured guy was lying on the floor.

“He had blood all over his eye and it looked like he fractured the top and the bottom of his eye socket.

“We called for an ambulance and by the time it arrived he was conscious and able to stand up. They took him to hospital.

“I never walk down the alleyway, and especially wouldn’t now – it is dark and is obviously dangerous.”

The attack happened between Northminster and Cattle Market Road early on Friday morning.

The man is believed to have sustained a fractured eye socket.

Cambridgeshire police are investigating the incident.

A FAMILY has been left reeling after a second member was diagnosed with a serious illness almost by accident.

Mum Caroline Nightingale claims contracting meningitis helped save her life after a visit to the hospital revealed she was also suffering from a chronic form of leukaemia.

The shock diagnosis came just a year after son Jonny was found to have a serious heart defect after a trip to the hospital suffering a leg injury picked up while playing football.

The 14-year-old has since undergone pioneering heart surgery and is recovering well, although he has since been diagnosed as also suffering from ME.

Dad Kevin, of Millfield Gardens, Crowland, said: “Our family has battled through an awful lot.

“What happened to Caroline was exactly one year after Jonny’s problem – so now we are just taking one day at a time.”

Caroline (44), a teaching assistant at University Academy Holbeach, is now receiving treatment for the chronic myeloid leukaemia, which fortunately was picked up at an early stage.

The disease is a rare form of cancer that causes the body to make too many white blood cells.

About 700 people are diagnosed with it each year in UK.

She said: “I count myself fortunate. Getting meningitis may have saved my life.

“Had I been diagnosed with it at a later stage it could have progressed and made treatment difficult.

“When I was told I had leukaemia it was a massive shock and very difficult to take in at first.

“I had had meningitis three times before so I knew the symptoms but never thought it would be anything else as well.

“But when I got to the hospital I could tell staff were worried because my white blood cell count was still high despite the treatment I was getting.”

There is no cure for the type of leukaemia Caroline has, but early diagnosis and recent medical advances mean the mother-of-four should be able to lead a normal life.

She will have to take tablets every day and put up with a few side effects.

She added: “I will feel tired more often but should be able to do most normal things.”

Kevin, who has been trying to raise awareness of heart problems in children since Jonny’s operation at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, London, last May, now aims to extend his campaign to raise awareness of chronic myeloid leukaemia as well.

He added: “Leukaemia has been in the news recently with Stiliyan Petrov, the Aston Villa player, contracting it.

“But I want to try to do more to raise awareness, but my immediate priorities are to spend time looking after Caroline.”

THEATRE Company ACT II is bringing Gilbert and Sullivan’s masterpiece The Mikado to Spalding from Wednesday until Saturday, April 21.

The show at the South Holland Centre features unforgettable songs including Tit Willow and Three Little Maids as the cast tell the hilarious story of Nanki-Poo and Yum-Yum’s romance, the drums will crash and the trumpets will bray at the celebrations in Titipu.

Following on from the success of Oklahoma! and Seussical, director Charlotte Graper said: “It has been a great experience to bring the wonderful work of Gilbert and Sullivan to a new generation of performers, who have worked exceptionally hard creating a production that Gilbert and Sullivan themselves would be proud of.”

Tickets for performances nightly at 7.30pm with a matinee at 2.30pm on Saturday, are available from the box office on 01775 764777.

BEN Wilson endured a mixed start to the new Motorpoint British Supersport Championship at Brands Hatch over the Easter weekend.

After scoring a strong second place in Sunday’s opening round, the weather took a turn for the worse and Monday’s feature race turned out to be a disaster for the Kirton ace – who crashed twice in the dire conditions.

Wilson was forced to start from row two of the grid for Sunday’s sprint race after being pushed back from second to fifth in the dying stages of the session.

But once the lights went out the Gearlink Kawasaki flier got away to his usual speedy start and was ahead as they rounded Paddock Hill Bend for the first time.

He pulled out a 2.46 second lead after just two laps and was looking odds on to take the win, before tyre wear came into play. Wilson was gradually reeled in by Sam Warren and Luke Jones, who both passed him the tenth of 18 planned 18 laps.

But the race was red flagged just moments later when Jones crashed heavily, elevating Wilson back to second place behind Warren.

Wilson said: “It wasn’t a bad race for me. It got me off the zero mark so that will do me.

“It was very slippery out there but we got the job done and will take the second place.”

With Monday came more persistent rain, accompanied by a strong wind. After a series of crashes and mishaps in the previous few races, the track was even more slippery.

Wilson began the race from the front row of the grid and shot off the line to establish a remarkable 2.3 second lead at the end of the first lap. He continued to pull away from the pursuing riders and by lap nine he had a healthy advantage of 7.26 seconds.

What followed was a fiasco, with Wilson tipping off at Graham Hill Bend – swiftly followed by a number of riders as they encountered fluid on the track left by another rider’s crash.

The race was immediately red flagged and there was a lengthy delay while the track contamination was dealt with.

Wilson was allocated pole position for the restart, but his race was over by the third corner when he was involved in a multi-rider crash that brought the race to a halt.

This time a result was declared on positions held in the first half of the race and half championship points were awarded. But as Wilson wasn’t on his bike at the time he was excluded from the results, denying him the win and a further 25 points.

“There was definitely still something on the track at Graham Hill and as I touched the brakes I just went down,” added Wilson.

“Another five or six riders followed me into the gravel and that brought out the red flag again.

“I am really disappointed but it’s only the first round and there are another 11 rounds and 22 races to go.

“I am now anxious to get to Thruxton so I can try and move forward from there.”

It is a quick turnaround for the team as the Thruxton races take place this weekend. Wilson goes into the round holding third place in the embryonic championship standings, behind series leader Sam Warren and Jack Kennedy.

Free practice and qualifying take place on Friday and Saturday, with a 12-lap sprint race scheduled for 4.15pm.

The feature race, run over 18 laps of the 2.3-mile circuit is set for Sunday afternoon at 3.45pm.

HOLBEACH UNITED 0 KING’S LYNN TOWN 2 (Turner 2 & 9): JASON Turner’s double put the Linnets on the brink of the UCL Premier Division title as the Tigers were stung by two early strikes on Easter Monday.

The ex-Wellingborough Town hitman took his tally to 35 for the season with a brilliant brace, leaving Holbeach with an uphill battle to end their five-game winless streak.

John Chand was impressed with how his side reacted to the early hammer blows though, insisting that the Tigers more than matched the league leaders for the final 70 minutes.

Chand said: “We just didn’t get started early on and were made to pay for it. Turner took his goals really well.

“But after that I’d say we were more than a match for them. If we’d have managed to get a goal back things could have been much different.

“They were time wasting a bit and wanted the game finished, which I take as a compliment.

“Overall we gave a good account of ourselves against a side that now look likely to win the league, so I’m not too unhappy.”

All of the damage was done inside the first ten minutes, with the league’s leading scorer chief destroyer.

Turner needed just two minutes to break the deadlock, expertly heading home a Jamie Thurlbourne corner from the right.

It was effectively all over seven minutes later when big Jack Defty flicked on Jordan Yong’s long ball into the path of Turner, who lashed home number two from 20 yards.

Holbeach improved markedly with Andrew Tidswell forcing a couple of decent stops from Alex Street and the lively Mitch Griffiths seeing an effort hit the woodwork.

Lynn skipper Ross Watson also hit the bar in the second period, with no further goals added.

Holbeach now host Cogenhoe United at Carter’s Park this Saturday (3pm).

Tigers: Overton, Allen, Jackson (Goodhand), Kennedy, Brown, Treacher (Wilson), Flack, Stupple, Tidswell, Nimmo, Griffiths.

SPALDING UNITED 4 (James pen 31 & 38, Good 51 & 67) PETERBOROUGH NS 1 (Stead 16): RESURGENT Spalding signed off another Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field season with their best result yet under Pat Rayment.

Doubles from Tom James and Ben Good helped the Tulips come from behind to take the scalp of their high-flying city rivals on Easter Monday, in what was their final home UCL Premier Division tie of the campaign.

Full of energy and commitment, Spalding offered a glimpse of what they are capable off as they ended a near two-month winless streak.

Although Northern Star weren’t at full strength, neither were Spalding – something Rayment was keen to emphasise.

“I think a few light bulbs have finally switched on in a few heads,” said former professional Rayment. “We played well against St Ives and lost on Saturday, but we carried that form into this game and reaped the rewards.

“We were the better team and got what we deserved. There was belief both individually and collectively, which is what I’ve asked for since day one.

“Yes, they were missing a couple of key men, but so were we. I’m not having any excuses, the best team won on the day.”

Having tonked Spalding 6-0 on Boxing Day, Star looked set for a derby double when Jon Stead fired them in front on the quarter hour.

But the Tulips stuck to their guns and deservedly levelled when James buried a penalty 15 minutes later.

It got even better for James and his side before the break, with the wideman smashing home a second.

Two second-half strikes from man-of-the-match Good made it six goals in eight matches for the striker this season – and secured a first win in seven games.

It’s unlikely to be the last Spalding game at the Sir Halley – but was the perfect end to an otherwise disappointing campaign.

Spalding: Conroy, Ford, Hussey (Lyon), Porter, Fuff, Ashton, French, Bolland, Good, James, Wright (Allen).

Wisbech Town 1st (141) beat Spalding Town 1st (129) by 12 runs: NEW-LOOK Town narrowly missed out on a morale-boosting friendly win over higher-graded Wisbech on Sunday.

Chasing a gettable 142 to win amid pretty poor conditions at the home of the Fenmen, a five wicket haul from spinner Gary Freear got the hosts over the line.

There were still plenty of positives for Spalding ahead of their South Lincs and Border League Division One opener at Market Deeping 2nd on Saturday (1pm).

New captain Rob Ambrose and Ansar Hussain batted well as Town looked set to reach their target, while Henry Charlton, Charlie Kearns and Barry Stanway starred with the ball.

Skipper Ambrose said: “Obviously I would have liked to have won the game, but I’m reasonably pleased with how the lads played.

“I thought we bowled and fielded very well, but need to understand that batting on indoor net pitches and early season outdoor pitches are very different.

“I’m sure we can improve next week and go into the first league game confident of trying to get us off to a good start.

“We have three missing already for Saturday, so already some of the lads that were left out of Sundays game will get their chance.”

Ambrose won the toss and chose to put Wisbech into bat – a choice that was quickly vindicated. The captain’s faith in his bowlers was rewarded early on with great opening spells from Stanway and Charlton.

Stanway (2-32) bowled at good pace, while Charlton (2-12) looped it around at the other to helopTown make inroads into the Wisbech line-up.

Kearns (3-17) was another to catch the eye. The new recruit from Deeping bowled with pace and control and was helped by some really good fielding by a very keen Spalding side.

With Matty Effer (52) making the only notable contribution for the Fenmen, Ambrose was very pleased with bowling the home side out for 141.

However, Town got off to a poor start in reply. After losing Matt Hendry second ball, wickets fell at regular intervals with Jon Hastings (3-17) and Adam Meed (2-22) bowling very well at the start of the innings.

Spalding were struggling until Ambrose was joined by the ever-reliable all-rounder Hussain at the wicket. The pair set about trying to chip away at the Wisbech total, before Hussain (28) was unfortunate to chop onto his wicket with Spalding only 25 runs away from victory.

Wisbech skipper Freear (5-9) bowled very well for his side and got the key wicket of Ambrose (21) – albeit to a very dubious caught behind – he all but steered his side to victory.

Spalding’s final three batsmen also fell foul to the spinner, with Town finishing just shy of their target.

Town are one of just four teams to get their league campaign under way on Saturday, with the South Lincs and Border League schedule getting into full swing the following weekend.

SCORECARD

Wisbech 1st

D Haynes LBW b Stanway 6

Z Brown LBW b Charlton 3

G Freear b Stanway 17

D Wood c&b Charlton 3

D Stannard c Whitworth b C Kearns 14

M Esser b M Kearns 55

J Gollands b C Kearns 9

I Burgess LBW b C Kearns 0

A Meads c Hendry b Whitworth 6

s Sleath not out 2

J Hastings LBW b Whitworth 3

Extras (11b, 5lb, 6w, 1nb) 23

Total (all out, 43.1 overs) 141

• Bowling: Stanway 8-1-33-2; Charlton 6-2-11-2; J Juckes 6-0-17-0; C Kearns 9-1-20-3; Hussain 3-1-13-0; Whitworth 6.1-1-14-2; M Kearns 5-0-25-1.

Spalding 1st

J Newton LBW b Hastings 18

M Hendry c Burgess b Hastings 0

M Kearns LBW b Freear 17

C Kearns LBW b Hastings 1

T Norris b Meads 13

H Charlton c Sleath b Freear 5

R Ambrose c Sleath b Freear 20

A Hussain b Meads 29

L Whitworth not out 3

J Juckes b Freear 0

B Stanway b Freear 0

Extras (16b, 2lb, 5w) 23

Total (all out, 39 overs) 129

• Bowling: Hastings 8-1-18-3; Haynes 6-0-22-0; Meads 9-1-32-2; Freear 9-4-9-5; Brown 4-0-15-0; Burgess 3-1-16-0.

TWO teenagers remain in hospital after a two-car crash in Sutton Bridge on Sunday.

A 19-year-old man from Long Sutton was airlifted to University Hospital in Coventry by the Derbyshire Air Ambulance following the crash on Bridge Road shortly after 5pm.

The man, who suffered a serious head injury, is in a serious but stable condition.

He was driving a yellow Peugeot 206 which collided with a blue Peugeot 106.

The driver of the 106, a 19-year-old man from Holbeach St Johns, was taken to hospital with facial and chest injuries. He was discharged on Tuesday.

His passenger, a 17-year-old girl from Gedney Drove End, suffered facial and back injuries and remains in Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn in a stable condition.

Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the accident to get in touch.

Officers are particularly keen to trace a light-coloured Vauxhall Astra van.

Anyone with information should contact Sgt Jason Baxter of Lincolnshire Police on 101.

HOLBEACH UTD 3 (Johnson 20, Kennedy pen 53, Goodhand 90) SPALDING UTD 2 (Smith 73, Bolland 88): PAUL Goodhand’s injury-time screamer secured the South Holland bragging rights for Holbeach in a fiery derby at Carter’s Park on Wednesday night.

The midfield maestro blasted home a sensational free-kick from way out on the right to deny the Tulips a point, after Pat Rayment’s side had battled back from 2-0 down.

A sumptuous Chris Johnson finish and Luke Kennedy’s cool penalty looked to have the Tigers home and dry in the ‘South Holland clasico’, but Greg Smith’s close-range finish gave Spalding hope and set up a grandstand finish.

With Holbeach looking increasingly nervy, Simon Bolland bundled home what was ultimately a deserved levelled two minutes from time.

But substitute Goodhand had the final word, picking out the far bottom corner with a strike fit to clinch any game.

Tempers boiled over at the final whistle, with the two sides clashing as they left the field and went down the tunnel.

A full report and reaction to follow.

THE attached shot was taken on Monday on the Deeping High Bank between Crowland Bridge and Spalding.

It is obviously contents of a house that is being refurbished, either DIY or builder.

This spot on the narrow road is miles from anywhere – it would have been nearer to take it to a dump.

Can’t believe that people just think: “I’ll just go and dump this in the countryside.”

David Pearson

via email

A POLICE dog was used to try to track thieves who stole a sat nav from a van in Whaplode in the early hours of this morning.

The dog and handler were called in at about 12.30am after the owners of a house in Middle Road were woken by noises outside and looked out to see two men tampering with their red Astra van parked in the driveway.

The dog was used to try to pick up the scent of the offenders, who had taken a TomTom sat nav from the unlocked vehicle, on nearby paths, but was unsuccessful.

It is believed the men may have been prowling the area looking for cars to steal from and anyone who saw anything suspicious should contact police on 101.

Car owners are also being reminded to lock their vehicles and not leave valuables on show inside.

THERE IS a small corner of Spalding that is forever Scotland – in the heart of local artist and tutor John Gray.

Scottish-born John has been painting and teaching at the Riverbank Studios and Gallery in Spalding since it was formed in 1986.

However, for the past 20 years John has been creating a series of large-scale oil paintings about the city of Edinburgh, and some of the characters and myths associated with it.

Those works are now going on exhibition from tororrow until Thursday, April 26 at Whitespace in Edinburgh as a way of paying homage to the city where he studied art and where he was inspired to become a professional artist.

The works recreate Edinburgh, portraying the controversial and notorious characters of the city’s history as well as two paintings featuring incidents brought on by the historic acts of union.

SPALDING’S Victoria Street car park could be turned into formal gardens to replace the Sir Halley Stewart Field.

South Holland District Council leader Gary Porter has mooted the “innovative” idea of transforming the grey, concrete area into one filled with trees and flowers following talks with Holland Market developer Corbo, which plans to replace the town’s current green space with more shops.

The possible loss of the Sir Halley Stewart to make way for the redevelopment of Holland Market has upset many residents, despite assurances by Corbo representative Michael Moran that it would be replaced with something better.

Coun Porter was due to put the Victoria Street idea to fellow councillors at their monthly meeting last night.

He said: “I will be calling for the council to give its backing to further exploration of the idea of turning the car park into a formal urban public park.

“I have always said that if the Holland Market development goes ahead it needs to work for all the people of South Holland.

“This would provide accessible formal gardens which would be open from dawn to dusk for all to enjoy.”

A full-time park keeper would be employed to maintain the gardens, which could also include children’s play equipment and benches for people to sit and enjoy the outdoors.

Mr Porter described it as a “proper town park, like the Sir Halley Stewart Field should have been”.

The project would be bankrolled with a “significant” sum of money from Corbo, but Mr Porter hopes it would become self-sustaining using rental yields from sheltered accommodation which could be built on the edges of the park.

And he has promised that the council would look at alternative parking for those who currently use Victoria Street if necessary.

He said: “I have laboured under the impression that the town is short of car parking but I have now been told we are oversubscribed.

“There are other long-stay car parks in town, but car parking would need to be looked at if this goes forward.

“The diggers are not going to be moving in tomorrow.”

Mr Moran has welcomed Mr Porter’s suggestion.

He said: “He has come up with this innovative idea because he genuinely believes in giving the people of South Holland the best possible deal.

“The creation of a new park in the centre of town is an important step alongside a new bus station, a new sports facility and the 400 plus new jobs we will bring to the town.

“We have teams of professional in place working on the other parts of the project and hope to announce plans for a public exhibition in the coming weeks.”

A MOTORIST accused of causing the death of a pedestrian by careless or inconsiderate driving will have his case heard at Lincoln Crown Court.

Kyle Simpson (26), of Market Rasen Way, Holbeach, denies the charge arising from the accident on the A17 at Holbeach on June 1 last year. Jason Smith was killed.

Simpson appeared at Spalding Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday when his case was committed for trial at Lincoln Crown Court.

He had his unconditional bail extended to a plea and directions hearing at the higher court on May 22.

THIEVES have stolen a caravan from Long Sutton.

The theft happened between 10pm on Sunday and 7.30am the following morning, when a white single axle twin-berth touring caravan was stolen from Garnsgate Road.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen or heard anything to contact them on 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111, quoting incident number 88 of April 9, 2012.

SHOPPERS are being warned to be on their guard against fake £20 notes circulating around the Holbeach area.

Lincolnshire Police has confirmed reports have been made to them in recent weeks after people have found fake notes in their possession.

Butchers AW Jackson and Sons, in West End, have been displaying a warning sign in their window. Owner Jim Tointon said they had received one fake note.

He said: “We put the sign up because if someone was planning on coming in with them, they will see the sign and think it’s probably not a good idea.”

Another person said they were stopped in the street and asked to change a £20 for two £10 notes.

A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police said: “This seems to be an isolated few incidents. We would ask for residents to be vigilant and if they do see anything suspicious to contact their local neighbourhood beat team.”

Anyone with information can contact Lincolnshire Police on the non-emergency number 101.

Reports are coming in of a helicopter possibly pursuing a light aircraft in the skies above South Holland.

One Twitter follower says the dark-coloured chopper has been in the air since 9.30am.

And a Lincolnshire Free Press reader says at about 2.45pm she saw the ‘light aircraft’ make a sudden turning “as if to evade the helicopter.”

An armed forces source has suggested that it could be a training exercise ahead of the Olympics security cover.

It’s happening in the skies above West Pinchbeck and Surfleet.

Lincolnshire Police has no information on the matter and the Ministry of Defence has denied any knowledge.

• If you’ve got anything different to add, please comment on this story

TWO-time burglar Mark Hadaway was caught red-handed in a police stop and search when the screws in his pocket matched those taken from the hinges of a shed he raided.

He was also found by a police dog when he fled from the scene of a similar burglary, Spalding magistrates heard.

Hadaway (40), of Pinchbeck Road, Spalding, pleaded guilty to burglary and theft of property worth £86 from a shed at Abbey Buildings, Spalding, when he appeared in court on Thursday.

He denied a second shed break-in – where he was tracked by a police dog – but was convicted after trial the previous week.

Hadaway was sentenced for both offences on Thursday and given a year-long community order with 100 hours’ unpaid work. He must pay a total of £96 compensation and £74 costs.

Solicitor Mike Alexander, mitigating, said Hadaway had been on bail and electronically monitored on a 12-hour curfew since December 15.

Mr Alexander said: “He has stayed out of trouble for at least two years and now we have two burglaries that you have to deal with.”

Rebecca Ritson, prosecuting, said police searched Hadaway on November 24 and found items including screws – which were forensically tested and matched ones from a burglary scene.

She outlined how a police dog picked up a scent from the second burglary at Riverside Park, Spalding, and tracked Hadaway who was some distance away.

Thursday, 5.30pm: Spalding’s ‘sexual athletics’ bench has gone - leaving hot-blooded residents without their favourite spot for rowdy behaviour.

The Spalding Guardian can reveal the bench, along the River Welland opposite the Cley Hall Hotel, was moved early Thursday morning by South Holland District Council workmen.

We were first to break the news to the hotel, where guests taking a room with a view of the love bench have been kept awake until the early hours by the drink-fuelled antics of groups of young people.

Co-owner David Stanbridge said: “Oh my goodness, it IS gone! There were people on it last night at 10pm and we had to call the police numerous times at the weekend.

“That’s really amazing - we’re going to have a party.”

Complaints about behaviour at the bench were first made public at a meeting of Spalding Town Forum, when Coun Christine Lawson said: “It’s not just happening for a short time - it’s become like sexual athletics and you could even say they are turning it into an Olympic sport.”

Mr Stanbridge, who took over the hotel last year, said it had been a continuing problem as he and his business partner, Mr Rob Andrews, were trying to provide Spalding with a five-star hotel and something the town could be proud of.

He said: “I would like to thank the council for their help with this. Now we can move forward with confidence on completeing our renovation. Our guests will be able to enjoy peace and quiet and we don’t have to be embarrassed about ASB on the bench. We will be able to be proud of Spalding.”

Coun Roger Gambba-Jones, portfolio holder for waste management, green spaces and operational planning, said: “I asked for the bench to be removed as a short-term fix to a problem which has been causing the community concern.

“The bench was attracting anti-social behaviour of various kinds and it is fair to say that its location, being partially screened by surrounding walls and buildings regrettably invited this type of misuse, compared to other more open sites. I also suspect that most decent minded citizens would now avoid using this bench given its recent uses.

“Clearly this is not an overall solution to the problems being experienced in that area and the council will continue to work with the Police and other partner agencies to tackle the underlying issues.”

Thursday, 10am: A BLACKSMITH’S tourist attraction in Spalding is holding fire on taking the town’s notorious riverside bench for its visitors to sit on.

The story about “sexual athletics” on the bench opposite the Cley Hall Hotel went global after the Spalding Guardian published it online last week.

At the time, councillors wanted to end the nightmare fuelled by drinking until the early hours that was keeping guests awake in the hotel along the River Welland by finding someone to move it.

But a director at Chain Bridge Forge in High Street, who has been contacted about the bench, said he was not prepared to foot the bill to collect it until the problems were stopped.

Geoff Taylor said: “It’s not as simple as undoing a couple of bolts and moving it.

“We don’t want the people using it to migrate up to us. The problem needs resolving first.

“At some point we will need a bench for our visitors to sit on, but at the moment this is not it.”

Drinking and rowdy behaviour until the early hours has been upsetting guests at more than one hotel along the river.

The owners of a B&B that once belonged to a film star say activities on another bench opposite them have been a problem for the past three years.

Former meat trader Deryck Marshall said: “We used to get fishermen using the bench. Now we just get groups of people playing loud music, drinking and shouting until the early hours. It really is time something was done.”

Mr Marshall and his wife, Shirley, took over the High Bridge B&B 33 years ago and said London Road was a nice area then.

He said: “It had belonged to the wife of James Robertson Justice, an actor who starred in Carry On films.

“I worked for Geo Adams and Sons Ltd and it was something for my wife to do while the children were young.

“But running a B&B is not enjoyable at the moment. I’ve put in a complaint to the council and filled in forms logging when the noise happens, but nothing has been done yet.

“The problem is just a small minority of people in the town – and not just Eastern Europeans – but something needs to be done.”

A spokesmen for South Holland District Council was unable to comment as all the noise officers were on calls out of the office.