The South Glos Post

A lorry driver from Weston-Super-Mare has been fined £115 and ordered to pay £583 in costs for driving a 13 tonne heavy goods vehicle through a 7.5 tonne environmental weight restriction in Westerleigh.

Christopher Pearce, from Bleadon, pleaded guilty (by post) to the offence at North Avon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 6 July.

Mr Pearce was seen driving his vehicle through the weight restriction which covers the village on Tuesday 12 January by officers from South Gloucestershire Council’s trading standards.

Cllr Heather Goddard, executive member for communities, said: “Heavy goods vehicle drivers are reminded to pay attention to weight restriction signs and should obey them at all times. It is unacceptable to burden local people with noise and pollution from vehicles on roads that are not designed to take them.”

Mark Pullin, trading standards and licensing manager, added: “The environmental weight restriction through Westerleigh was introduced by the council in 2008 and we are actively enforcing it. My officers, in partnership with the police, regularly conduct enforcement checks to ensure drivers of heavy vehicles do not breach the weight restrictions on South Gloucestershire’s roads and bridges. If drivers take a short cut, they may well find themselves caught out as this driver did.”

Source: South Gloucestershire Council

Josie Gibson from Westerleigh was the first contestant to enter the Big Briother house last night in the show’s eleventh and final (at least on Channel4) series.

Josie’s profile on the Big Brother website describes her as the life and soul of the party.

Everyone in her village already sees her as a celebrity, since in her words “they all know and love her”, according to the website, which continues:

“Fiercely independent, Josie left home at the age of 14 to live on her Aunt’s farm, where she still lives, in a ‘wooden cabin’ with her own horse and cart. Josie used to be a successful financial sales rep earning well, but now she MCs at house parties at the weekend, drives a ‘s**t-mobile’ and hates her job saying ‘I’ve lost my game and turned into a loser’.”

Josie is said to have grown up around horses as her Mum breaks in horses for a living and she spent her childhood travelling around the country visiting horse fairs.

Bookies currently rate Josie a 9/1 chance to be last out of the Big Brother house.

Know anything more about Josie? Let us know via the comments.

South Gloucestershire Council’s Conservative administration has given the green light to transport schemes designed to improve road safety and beat traffic congestion across the district.

As part of this financial year’s Local Transport Capital Programme, building work will start on the district’s first park and ride facility – a £1.2m scheme at Parkway station.

Already-announced changes to the controversial 2+ lane on the ring road will be completed in an effort to respond to Downend and Emersons Green councillors’ calls for radical action to ease congestion.

And further reducing the number of casualties, which are already at a record low, will be a central aim of this year’s transport programme with a number of road safety schemes planned.

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Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council