Three arrested after local burglaries...

Good to hear from local police that they arrested three young men last night after a spate of burglaries in the Deepings.

Police were called to an address in Clover Road, Market Deeping, shortly before midnight last night after a garage was broken into and an electric scooter taken.

The offenders were apparently disturbed by the occupants and ran off. Police attended the scene, made searches and stopped a vehicle a short time later.

Three men, all in their early twenties and all believed to be from the local area, were arrested on suspicion of burglary.

The trio are currently 'helping police with their enquiries' at Spalding Police Station where they being questioned in relation to a number of other recent offences in the area.

A true British hero from Lincolnshire...

Respects to bomb disposal officer Captain Dan Shepherd from Lincoln who has been killed in Afghanistan while trying to defuse an improvised explosive device.

I never met Captain Shepherd, but I understand we had at least two things in common - we went to the same primary school - All Saints in North Hykeham, (albeit separated by some 30 years!).

The Echo reports that Captain Shepherd is from Doddington Road, which is a stone's throw from where I grew up.

We also both served with the Royal Logistics Corps - Captain Shepherd as a professional soldier and myself only briefly after Peterborough-based 5 Royal Anglian were re-badged RLC towards the end of my 20 years in the Territorial Army.

Unlike Captain Shepherd, I was never called up for active service.

He has made the ultimate sacrifice doing what he was trained to do - putting himself in danger to try to save his comrades from yet another lethal roadside bomb planted by the Taleban.

That takes balls of steel.

A true British hero.

Whistle-blower Bowles in Lincs hospitals row...

The whistle-blower whose actions led to the Tory Leader of Lincolnshire County Council being jailed for abuse of office is back in the news.

David Bowles was Chief Exec at County Hall but was forced out by the Tories - at huge public expense after he called in the police to expose the criminality of Jim Speechley.

I'm on record as saying his reward should have been a medal - not the sack. I was a member of the "Appointments Committee" and saw first-hand the disgraceful way he was hounded out of office.

It was an absolute disgrace which piled further shame on Lincolnshire after Speechley went to jail and eventually saw Speechley's Conservative successor - Ian Croft from Bourne - banned from holding office.

I wasn't surprised when Bowles was snapped up to run Lincolnshire Hospitals - which he went on to lead into a financial surplus.

But now he's 'between jobs' again. And there's a dispute over whether he resigned or was suspended by the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust.

Lock up your sheds and garages...

local thefts.

Second class service for Deeping...?

How long does it take Grantham-based South Kesteven District Council to deal with fly-tipping...?

Apparently, it depends where you live.

Weeks ago, a resident of Deeping St James contacted SK over some dumped tyres at the corner of Outgang Road and Hall Meadow Road.

Nothing happened. So he emailed SK, and also passed on the information to DSJ Parish Council.

Over the next few weeks, he tells me he reported the fly-tipping TEN times to SK before anything happened.

With no action from SK, our parish council clerk told SK that unless they dealt with the problem, she would pick up the tyres herself.

Then an apology from SK to our resident for an email going astray and finally, this week, the tyres were removed.

Overall, a poor service.

In contrast, I understand that the latest issue of SK Today, the Council's own newsletter, has an article bragging about picking up fly-tipping in Grantham within 24 hours of it being reported.

So why does Grantham get a service within hours while we have to wait weeks before anyone takes any notice...?