A car crashed into the front garden of a home in Burwell, sparking a police appeal.
The Hyundai Coupe left the road and went through a hedge into the front garden at about 5.15pm on Friday (November 25) in Ness Road, at its junction with Buntings Path.
The driver managed to avoid the house. He was not seriously injured but his car was badly damaged.
The other driver involved in the accident did not stop and police would like to trace the vehicle, described as a small burgundy car, possibly a hatchback, which left the scene heading in the direction of Newmarket Road or the Swaffhams.
Pc Chris Herring, from Ely Police Station, said: “The driver of the Hyundai managed to avoid the house but it could have been a lot more serious. There were people in at the time who came out after hearing the noise.
“I would like to speak to anyone who saw the collision take place and particularly the driver of the small burgundy car, which would have damage to its front near side.”
Anyone with information should contact Pc Herring on 101.
Tributes have been paid to a father who friends will remember fondly as a man who loved a joke.
Stephen Floyd, who lived in New Road in Exning, died when his car left the B1102 Station Road in Fordham and collided with a tree on Monday.
The 53-year-old man’s dog, Stella-Rose, who went everywhere with him, also died in the accident.
Mr Floyd’s body was found by a passer-by at around 8am on Monday.
His family released a statement paying tribute to the father of one.
They said: “Steve was a loving father, brother and friend who will be sadly missed by us all.
“He was proud to be from Exning and was affectionately known by many as ‘Floydy’.”
Friends and colleagues gathered at the White Horse in Exning, which Mr Floyd had run between 1990 and 1993, to celebrate his life.
A pint mug now stands behind the bar in the pub bearing the words ‘For our Floydy’ and contains donations from customers who had their first drink on Monday night in his memory.
Jack Welford, who manages the bar at the White Horse, which is run by his father, John Welford, said the money in the mug is likely to be put towards Mr Floyd’s funeral expenses, or given to his son, Harry.
Mr Welford said Mr Floyd had helped to decorate the pub where he often pitched in as a handyman and sometimes lent a hand behind the bar. He added that when Mr Floyd was not at work, he could often be found in the pub as a customer.
Mr Welford added: “He was a cheeky sort of customer, he would always take the mickey out of everyone and loved to wind people up and loved a joke.”
But, he said, if you ever needed to talk to him, Mr Floyd had a serious side and he could always be relied upon to be there for his friends.
“I spoke to him many times about any problems I was having and he was there for me.”
Four bags containing cash have been stolen from an estate agent’s in Newmarket.
Burglars entered the office in Old Station Road through the front door between 5.40pm on Friday and 8.50am the following morning.
Call Suffolk Police on 101 with the reference NE/11/2270 if you have any information.
Pickets were held outside the offices of Forest Heath District Council and the American airbases in the Newmarket area yesterday (Wednesday, November 30) during a day of action against pension changes proposed by the Government.
The council’s offices in Mildenhall were picketed until 10am by protesters. Some council staff went out on strike, but Forest Heath District Council (FHDC) said the numbers of people involved could not be confirmed.
A council spokesman said: “FHDC has managed to keep frontline services running during the industrial action.”
RAF Lakenheath saw some of its British civilian staff take strike action and pickets held at both gates to the base.
A public affairs spokeswoman for the airbase said: “There were no interruptions to daily operations and all in all we as a wing just respect the participants’ rights to peacefully protest especially as guests of the country.”
While at RAF Mildenhall, more than 50 of the between 70 and 75 UNITE members of the airbase’s British civilian staff had taken part in the strike, including staff working in catering and transport, according to Ian Maidlow, a regional coordinating officer for UNITE.
Mr Maidlow, who did not attend the Mildenhall picket, said: “The Government are not offering our people a fair deal as regards their pensions. They are asking them to give more for a lesser benefit and to work longer as well.”
Many of the schools around the Newmarket area, including Scaltback and St Felix middle schools and primary schools including Paddocks, Exning and Laureate, were closed for the day.
Others, including Newmarket College, remained partially open with 27 of its teachers and three members of support staff out on strike.
It was able to accommodate 120 pupils in the morning and 90 in the afternoon.
A dinner attended by top jockeys and trainers has raised more than £100,000 for a fight against the development of land at Hatchfield Farm.
The Three Sirs Fundraising Dinner was hosted by commentator Sir Peter O’Sullevan and trainers Sir Henry Cecil and Sir Michael Stoute at Newmarket’s Jockey Club Rooms on Saturday night.
Among the 250 people to attend the event were jockeys Tom Queally, William Buick and Ryan Moore, trainers including James Fanshawe, John Gosden and Luca Cumani and West Suffolk’s MP, Matthew Hancock.
The Save Historic Newmarket Action Group (SHNAG) organised the event to help fund its opposition to the Earl of Derby’s plans for up to 1,200 homes, employment land and community facilities on his site in north-east Newmarket.
The group, along with Forest Heath District Council and the Tattersalls group, which included the Jockey Club Estates, Godolphin and others, locked horns with Lord Derby at a planning inquiry into the proposals after the council rejected the plans earlier this year.
SHNAG is fundraising to meet its legal costs, which had hit £300,000 by the end of the appeal in September, and to support its continued opposition to the proposed development.
Jacko Fanshawe, chairman of the event, said: “The horse racing industry is what Newmarket has been renowned for for 400 years plus and we want it to continue to be famous for that and we consider that these proposals will be extremely detrimental to the horse racing industry and we fear for people’s jobs and livelihoods.
“If Hatchfield Farm goes ahead, we think it’s going to be impossible for certain trainers to continue to train in Newmarket.”
She said she believed the development would mean traffic in Newmarket would be at race day levels every day, a claim contested by Lord Derby’s team, which believes the development will not harm the horse racing industry.
Speaking before the event, West Suffolk MP Matthew Hancock said: “I have long believed that the proposal for 1,200 homes in the centre of Newmarket is inappropriate.
“Forest Heath District Council was right to reject the proposal and I strongly support the work Save Historic Newmarket has done to fight to ensure the view of local people is not overturned on appeal.”
Eric Pickles, the Communities and Local Government Secretary, will make a decision on the plans early next year.
A dinner attended by top jockeys and trainers has raised more than £100,000 for a fight against the development of land at Hatchfield Farm.
The Three Sirs Fundraising Dinner was hosted by Sir Peter O’Sullevan, the commentator, and trainers Sir Henry Cecil and Sir Michael Stoute at Newmarket’s Jockey Club Rooms on Saturday night (November 26).
Among the 250 people to attend the event were jockeys Tom Queally, William Buick and Ryan Moore, trainers including James Fanshawe, John Gosden and Luca Cumani and West Suffolk’s MP, Matthew Hancock.
The Save Historic Newmarket Action Group (SHNAG) organised the event to help fund its opposition the Earl of Derby’s plans for up to 1,200 homes, employment land and community facilities on his site in north-east Newmarket.
The group, along with Forest Heath District Council and the Tattersalls group, which included the Jockey Club Estates, Godolphin and others, locked horns with Lord Derby at a planning inquiry into the proposals after the council rejected the plans earlier this year.
SHNAG is fundraising to meet its legal costs, which had hit £300,000 by the end of the appeal in September, and to support its continued opposition to the proposed development.
Jacko Fanshawe, chairman of the event, said: “The horseracing industry is what Newmarket has been renowned for for 400 years plus and we want it to continue to be famous for that, and we consider that these proposals will be extremely detrimental to the horseracing industry. We fear for people’s jobs and livelihoods.
“If Hatchfield Farm goes ahead, we think it’s going to be impossible for certain trainers to continue to train in Newmarket.”
She said the development would mean traffic in New-market would be at raceday levels every day, a claim contested by Lord Derby’s team, which believes the development will not harm the industry.
Eric Pickles, the secretary of state for communities and local government, will make a decision on the plans early next year.
Conifers behind a leisure park were set alight on purpose, fire officers believe.
Saffron Walden firefighters were called to 5 metres of coniferson fire behind Lord Butler Leisure Centre, in Peaslands Road, Saffron Walden, at 1.24pm today (thurs dec 1).
The fire had been put out by 1.50pm.
A fire chief has said a chimney fire which caused structural damage to a house was the worst he had seen.
The blaze happened at 10.10pm on Tuesday in Little Walden Road, Saffron Walden and has prompted a warning from firefighters about the dangers of burning oddments of wood and the need to keep chimney breasts swept.
Station Officer Paul Curtis, the incident commander, said the fire was the worst chimney blaze he had seen in 20 years’ service.
He said: “When we arrived at the scene there was a 4ft jet of flame coming from the chimney.
“This was a severe fire that caused a lot of damage to the property – walls in the loft and lounge cracked under the intense heat and the chimney breast itself came down.
“This was mainly caused by a huge build-up of carbon deposits that appeared to be along the whole length of the chimney.”
As people began lighting their fires again this year, Station Officer Curtis reminded families to ensure chimneys were swept regularly.
He also recommended that people stuck to burning seasoned wood and logs prepared for fires rather than oddments and waste, which could contain materials such as resins that might fuel a fire.
Conifers behind a leisure park were set alight on purpose, fire officers believe.
Saffron Walden firefighters were called to 5 metres of coniferson fire behind Lord Butler Leisure Centre, in Peaslands Road, Saffron Walden, at 1.24pm today (thurs dec 1).
The fire had been put out by 1.50pm.
Conifers behind a leisure park were set alight on purpose, fire officers believe.
Saffron Walden firefighters were called to 5 metres of coniferson fire behind Lord Butler Leisure Centre, in Peaslands Road, Saffron Walden, at 1.24pm today (thurs dec 1).
The fire had been put out by 1.50pm.