A BAN on fishing at a lake is set to end this week.

Thunderstorms disrupted the water oxygen density in Pittville Lake, killing tens of thousands of fishes.

Authorities had to pump oxygen into the lake, and the fish population is expected to recover "naturally".

Community ranger Janice Peacey said: "The work we've been doing with our Environment Agency and Fire and Rescue Service colleagues has been very effective and oxygen levels in the lake are rising."

The ban will end on August 10.

CHELTENHAM schools have been named as the top two in the South West, according to The Sunday Times.

The Sunday broadsheet published its list of the leading independent and state schools.

And in the South West it named The Cheltenham Ladies' College as number one, and Pate's Grammar School as number two.

Speaking in the piece, principal of the ladies' college Eve Jardine-Young said the school was "welcoming and unpretentious".

She said: "We have a deeply committed and well-resourced teaching staff with great collective passion for their subjects, teaching beyond the demands of exam specifications to light the fires of an interest in learning for a lifetime."

Pate's was commended for its outstanding exam results and top-quality facilities.

The Hester's Way school was named as The Sunday Times State Secondary School of the Year last November.

It was one of three state schools to appear in the Sunday newspaper's top 10 list yesterday.

THOUSANDS of revellers will be heading to the county later this week to enjoy Lakefest.

Ocean Colour Scene, The Levellers, The Roving Crows and Chas & Dave will be just some of the acts performing at this year's festival.

The event, which will see an estimated 4,000 people descend on Croft Farm Waterpark, near Tewkesbury, takes place from Friday, August 9 to Sunday, August 11.

Organiser, Lee Martin, said: "We are keen to encourage everyone to come and enjoy, listen, party and drink in all that is good about our lovely part of the world."

The festival started in April 2011 when Croft Farm Waterpark hosted a giant cider festival, with some accompanying music from The Wurzels, Avert Francis and The Roving Crows.

KEITH the seal has been spotted in the River Severn near Gloucester this weekend.

Patsy Toleman, from Hempsted, was walking her dogs on Alney Island on Saturday when she saw the creature.

Keith, a female seal, has been spotted for months along the River Severn, but there have been fewer sightings this year and there were fears of her demise.

Patsy said: "I saw what I thought was a log on the mudflats. But then it lifted its head and tail and it was a big grey seal."

The Angling Trust previously applied for a licence to shoot Keith over concerns she had munched her way through fish stocks but that plan was halted after sightings stopped.

THE fireworks on stage at the first multi-street dance styles battle in Gloucester Park almost matched the pyrotechnic display a few hours later.

The grand finale of a week of fun performances and activities pulled in families from across the city. But dancers had come from all over the south west to show off their moves earlier in the day.

Three rounds of intense dance off action, with each performer showing more impressive moves than the last got underway at the bandstand in Gloucester Park on Saturday afternoon.

It was the first open air dance off for the city and proved a real hit with visitors. The competition was made up of a round of break dancing, followed by body popping and then a final round of house dance. Each lasted 40 seconds with a panel of judges voting on who went through to the final round.

Claire Dewick, from Kingsholm, was with her two children, Molly, five, and Archie, three.

"It is great to see something like this, it is very different and the dancing is inspiring, really impressive," she said.

"The children will want to have a go at this themselves, as they love dancing.

"They already go to Mandy Godding's theatre school but they have to be six to have a go at street dance there."

Tyler Attwood, from Bristol, organised the event, with dancers dropping in from across the south west to put on a show.

Drew Gallagher, 25, from Plymouth was competing in the house round.

"Everyone has their own ideas and moves, so it has been good to see how people are dancing to get new ideas to bring into my routine.

"This is the first outdoor dance off I've been to, so it's been good to see people coming together to appreciate good music and good dancing."

The fireworks in Gloucester Park on Saturday night provded a spectacular end to the day.

Deb King, 25, said: "I was really impressed. I don't normally come but I really enjoyed it."

NEARLY 2,500 county drivers have been slapped with parking tickets since April after they illegally stopped on double or single yellow lines. Eric Pickles plans to crack down on "over-aggressive parking enforcement" and give drivers a 15-minute grace period to park on double yellow lines. Laura Churchill explains.

CRITICS are already slamming Eric Pickles' new scheme which will show lenience to drivers parking on single or double yellow lines.

He believes the 15-minute grace period will regenerate the high street by allowing customers to pop into shops more easily and quickly.

But those sceptical about the plans say they would lead to more congestion on the roads.

Highways bosses in Gloucestershire, who are in charge of ticketing illegal parkers, are not taking a view on whether the plan could work.

Katherine Sinclair, of Gloucestershire County Council, said: "Supporting Gloucestershire's economy is a top priority for the county council and we look forward to seeing further detail from Government on how this initiative could achieve that without compromising road safety."

Gloucestershire County Council currently decides where the lines should be introduced. Often they are found where roads are narrow, near busy junctions, or where parking might obscure a sight line or make crossing difficult or dangerous for pedestrians.

Consultation is carried out locally before the Traffic Regulation Order is passed and the lines are painted.

New lines were recently painted in Hatherley Road near the post office at the request of residents, who had problems with visibility and accessibility at the nearby junction.

Impact

Garry Handley, from the Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership, said safety was something that would have to be looked at.

He said: "There are issues that would possibly impact congestion and tensions could rise because of that.

"But I suspect there would be a risk assessment by those responsible for enforcing and that would have to be part of the proposals.

"One thing that we have to remember is we are talking about parking problems and that is because people assume that private vehicles are the best way.

"We have got an over-reliance on cars and we need to look at how it is best to rejuvenate things without bending over backwards to the motorist."

Gloucestershire Constabulary is highlighting the dangers of illegal parking.

Simon Masters, spokesman for Gloucestershire Constabulary, said: "In general double yellow line enforcement is carried out by traffic wardens.

"Parking that obstructs other vehicles or the footpath can be very dangerous and we need drivers to work with us and the council to think before they park."

REGGAE music blasting out from Gloucester Park paired with the smells of jerk chicken and a backdrop of football was the unmistakable sight of Jamaica Independence Day celebrations.

Although it may not have been Kingston-type temperatures, the flags were flying high to mark 51 years of independence.

"Jamaica Day is important for Jamaicans to feel recognised, remember their identity and where they have come from," said event co-ordinator Verona Vidal.

"It is 51 years of our independence, but also an opportunity for the whole community to come out and join the party.

"The first year there was bad flooding and the week before the event the park was underwater.

"We didn't have the Jamaican weather this year, but that didn't matter."

MORE people receiving treatment at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital are being encouraged to give their views to help improve services there.

A Friends and Family Test was launched in April, where patients give feedback on their experiences in hospital.

But although the overall picture is one of an improving service, the numbers choosing to take part are still relatively low.

The NHS-wide scheme is asking people if they would recommend hospital services to their friends and family.

A spokesman for the Hospitals Trust said: "Our response rate is low when compared to other Trusts who have been doing it longer – the actual feedback we have had so far has been high – really positive. We just need to get more people to feed back, indeed this is increasing. "The results for July so far show improving response rates across ward and ED areas."

THE 'best cafe experience in town' is on its way to Gloucester.

Boswells Cafe Group, a family-run chain of regional cafes and restaurants, has applied for planning permission to move into The Eastgate shopping centre.

It wants to take over the old JD Sports unit in the south east corner of the site and has asked Gloucester City Council for the go-ahead to serve hot food and drink there.

Details are yet to be finalised on the deal but Boswells director Matthew Burn said Gloucester presented an 'exciting opportunity'.

"Gloucester's a really nice city, we've got other branches relatively nearby, the opportunity came up and we're excited by it," he said.

"We're not just a coffee shop, we're much more than that and quite unique. We don't just ship the food in on the back of a lorry, it's prepared as you want it on site."

Matthew runs the business with his two brothers Nick and Tim after they took it over from their dad Jeremy, who founded it in 1972.

One thing Gloucester is not short of is coffee shops, with Costa likely to open its 10th city branch at the former Gifts Direct unit in King's Square soon.

But Matthew insisted Boswells, with its family ethos and focus on good food and good service, would stand out from the crowd.

The company bills itself as 'much more than a coffee shop' and claims to be 'the best cafe experience in town'.

Loretta Vidial-White, who works at the Coffee Cup cafe in Westgate Street, welcomed the news.

"It's good for Gloucester, we need to be getting more things like this in town," she said. "I don't see it as unfair competition – everyone is entitled to have a go. It will bring more jobs too hopefully, which is always a good thing."

Deputy centre manager at The Eastgate Charlotte Jarrett added: "I can confirm the good news that a tenant has put in an application to change the unit from retail use to an A3, meaning that it will be used for food and drink.

"We have not yet formally agreed the letting of the unit, however the planning application is of course a good sign.

"The Eastgate has had a good run of lettings, and it has really improved our position in the community and what we have to offer our shoppers.

"We are currently undergoing a number of improvement works with two new passenger lifts due to be in operation from September and a clean-up and mini refurbishment of the common mall areas too. So to have more new tenants on the horizon is a great plus for us here at the shopping centre."

Boswells has 15 outlets across the south, south west and Thames Valley and reviews of their cafes on sites like Tripadvisor commend them as having consistently-good food, and a choice of vegetarian and gluten-free meals.

SHOPPERS were excited to get their first glimpse of the bigger and better River Island this weekend.

The new store, which is nearly four times larger than its previous Cheltenham home, opened ahead of schedule on Friday.

The shop has moved into a larger unit at the Regent Arcade as part of its £20 million revamp and extension.

The clothing chain has taken on 30 extra staff and now has a children's range.

Store manager Danielle Grice said it had met with a fantastic reaction from people young and old.

She said: "People are really excited and it is a massive jump in size. River Island is refreshing a lot of its stores and has been prioritising the ones that are doing well. It has been a long time in the planning and it is great to see it finally open."

A WOMAN who was hit around the head with an axe by her partner – leaving her blind in one eye and suffering from brain damage – has said part of her died during the attack.

But a new programme for domestic violence victims and their families has helped her to gain some of the confidence she did not expect to get back.

The Gloucestershire mum-of-three, who does not wish to be named, was left in a coma and hospitalised for a month following the attack in front of her children in 2009.

Her partner was jailed for eight years, but she was left with both emotional and physical scars she expects will never fully heel.

But the woman, who is in her 50s, has been attending the Your Future project, funded by Gloucestershire County Council, which is aimed at helping victims and families affected by violence.

She has started art courses and discovered a passion for pottery. She said: "I was able to talk to other woman who had been through a lot of the same things I had, I wasn't judged and I started to realise and accept that it was not all my own fault, that I didn't deserve it.

"It was the most amazing thing I could ever have wished for to be given the time and space to talk and once I started, I didn't stop talking.

"I'm very proud of the artwork I produced and it is a constant reminder to me that I am still here, I'm still alive.

"It has been so therapeutic and given me something really positive to focus on. What has given me confidence is talking about it to others and I could not have done that before.

"It is something I would recommend to anyone in this position – whether it is physical or psychological abuse you have been the victim of."

Although her children are currently not benefiting from the project, she hopes that at some point they will take advantage of the sessions that have been designed specifically for children.

She said: "Knowing what my children have been through is one of the things that still makes me really angry.

"They lost part of their mum, because a big part of me died that day, and it has been very traumatic for them. I kept questioning whether I was responsible for the attack or whether I did something to provoke it.

"But the programme makes you look at the perpetrator and makes you aware of how they work as well as making you realise it wasn't your fault.

"Some people don't even realise they are victims of this, particularly when it is psychological abuse, like most of it was in my case, because your confidence has been knocked and trodden on.

"The programme has made me see the triggers of what has happened in the past and made me realise. I will never forget what happened and I will never be the person I was because of my brain injury, but it is good to have something to focus on.

"You have to find a way of living with it and you need to talk about your experiences."

She believes talking has been vital for her family in starting the process of getting over the past.

"When you look at the statistics for domestic violence, I guess I am one of the lucky ones that survived, but sometimes I don't feel like I have been lucky," she said.

The Your Future sessions are led by trained professionals and start again in September for 20 weeks.

ILLEGAL cigarettes are becoming increasingly prevalent in Cheltenham – with two men prosecuted for selling them in just six months.

Shopkeeper Bakhttar Abdulah Ali pleaded guilty to selling the dodgy cigarettes at International Mini Market in Cheltenham High Street.

He was fined more than £5,000.

His conviction comes less than a month after Mohammed Sedoo, 57, was jailed for six months for selling illegal and counterfeit cigarettes and rolling tobacco from under the counter of his Central Newsagents in the town's lower High Street.

Ali, 35, was charged with seven offences after selling the counterfeit goods between September 14 and October 13.

Cheltenham Magistrates' Court ordered him to pay a total of £5,088.64 in fines, costs and victim surcharges.

The fake cigarettes were hidden under shelving, in an air conditioning unit and in a toilet cistern following a bust by Gloucestershire Trading Standards.

Eddie Coventry, head of the county's trading standards, warned smokers to be aware of the risks. "We are continuing to find Gloucestershire traders willing to sell illegal tobacco, despite other recent prosecutions in the county," he said.

"We remain determined to tackle this illegal trade, which can put people's health at risk and harms legitimate traders."

When Sedoo appeared at Gloucester Crown Court, Judge William Hart made similar warnings and jailed him in the hope it would deter others from the illegal trading.

He said: "Cheap cigarettes are like to lead to more health problems. Selling cigarettes without the appropriate labeling has potential adverse health consequences."

But bootleg cigarettes are still rife on the spa town's streets.

One smoker, who did not wish to be named, said: "It is pretty easy these days to get hold of cheap cigarettes and I think that kind of trade has increased as prices have been gone up and the recession has hit.

"I think generally people just think they are cheap because the tax hasn't been paid, but don't realise they might not be the genuine article and might actually be dangerous."

The investigation of Ali by Gloucestershire Trading Standards Service found 71 packs of 20 cigarettes and 127 pouches of 50g tobacco were sold illegally or seized.

It ended in one prosecution under the Trade Marks Act 1994 relating to sales of counterfeit cigarettes and six under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

The store was selling packs of 20 illegal cigarettes for between £3 and £4.50, instead of the recommended retail price of £7.09 for legitimate products.

Illegal tobacco was being sold at £6.50 or £8.50 for 50g, when the normal selling price in the shop was between £14.96 or £16 for the same amount of legitimate product.

OPINION, P8

WHEN father-of-three Alex Callaghan threw out his old mobile phone, he thought it would be the last that he heard of it.

But, when he was sent a personal photograph of his darling daughter to his new number soon after, he was shocked to learn it had been pawned for cash in Cheltenham.

"I had a text message on my phone from a phone number I didn't recognise," said the 31-year-old, who recently moved home to Abbeydale, Gloucester.

"We had been clearing out any old junk we didn't want so we didn't have to take it to our new house.

"I was concerned. I didn't know if it was somebody messing around.

"It caught me a little bit off guard. I thought it was a wind up."

Worried Alex then called the unknown number to find out who was on the other line. When I got an answer, I asked who the lady was.

"She said that she had just bought the phone in Cheltenham and she said that she didn't have a clue how it worked."

His old LG phone had been bought in CeX electrical traders in Pittville Street.

But, because Alex thought the phone had been scrapped, police were not informed that it may have been stolen so the store thought it was a fair trade.

Louise de Wet, marketing assistant for CeX, said: "We have developed an unrivalled system that incorporates the police lost and stolen goods database.

"All serial numbers and IMEI numbers are scanned into the police lost and stolen goods database when testing an item offered to us.

"CeX serves tens of thousands of customers a day worldwide. Stolen goods are not welcome at CeX and we do not buy goods that show up as lost or stolen on the police database. We cooperate fully with local authorities." Unwanted technology can be safely destroyed at council tips to avoid theft.

Alex added: "The one thing I can think of is that my partner had tried to text me the photo when she last used it and that, when this woman added credit to it, it sent old messages and pictures to me automatically.

"I still don't know where the law stands with it.

"You get all these scrap dealers coming around looking in skips. We've seen somebody going through our skip once before. It was parked in our driveway, which means it's my property."

MARK Yates was left to rue a pair of penalty decisions he felt cost his side an opening day victory over Burton Albion on Saturday.

Robins debutant Terry Gornell went down in penalty area after 16 minutes, but referee Fred Graham cautioned him for diving.

Goals from Jamie Cureton, who was taken off on a stretcher with a dislocated shoulder, and his replacement Byron Harrison then put Cheltenham 2-0 up, but Burton were awarded a penalty for a handball by Russ Penn.

Yates said he could not believe both of the referee's calls went against his side, who were pegged back by Billy Kee's successfully converted spot-kick and a second-half volley from Rory Delap which made it 2-2 at the Abbey Business Stadium.

"I spent two hours at a managers' meeting in Walsall recently, with half an hour spent on deliberate handball for penalties and I'd have been fined £5,000 if I hadn't gone, but I wonder why I bothered now," Yates said.

"How the referee has given that handball against Russ Penn I will never know and how he's booked Terry Gornell I will never know – he got them back in the game.

"Terry's was a clear penalty because there was a noise and a contact, but it's the first day of the season and maybe the referee was ring rusty and they got away with it.

"Credit to Burton for the fight-back, but their penalty deflated us and then a sloppy goal from a set piece was pretty awful.

"It was two decent teams up against each other and we are disappointed the referee has influenced it so much."

Yates handed starting debuts to five of his seven summer signings, with front men Gornell and Cureton joined by midfielder Matt Richards and defensive pair Troy Brown and Craig Braham-Barrett.

Cheltenham recovered from a first-minute scare to dominate the first half and Yates was pleased with what he saw from his new-look side.

"Jamie did what he does best with the goal and for 44 minutes we were superb," he said.

"We played with energy, pace, desire and everything I wanted, but I am frustrated because I couldn't see them getting back into the game until the penalty gave them a lifeline which they took

"Byron went on and did well, showing glimpses, but they all did and I am disappointed we've not won the game but pleased with them all."

Braham-Barrett was preferred to Billy Jones at left-back, making his Football League debut at the age of 25 and delivering an impressive display.

"Craig was excellent and he adds pace, he is two-footed and he gives us added security at the back," Yates said.

"I can't criticise any of my players because we dominated the first half and the second was fairly even."

Cheltenham play Crawley Town at home tomorrow evening (7.45pm) in the first round of the Capital One Cup.