FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 19 - 25 OCTOBER 1976
This week's many stories include the chemical waste dumping in Burtonhead Road that put three men in hospital, Cowley Boys achieve high A-level pass rates, there's criticism of town centre hawkers, a claim that the 'Hands Off Providence Hospital' campaign was telling lies and why the council facelift scheme in Derbyshire Hill would not be repeated.
We begin on the 20th with another Hillsiders performance at the Theatre Royal. That was the Liverpool country band's 36th concert in the theatre and on the following evening, the Oldham Tinkers appeared in Corporation Street. One of the folk group's most popular songs was "A Mon Like Thee", which had been written by Edmund Hill of St Helens just before the outbreak of WW1. He was a composer of Lancashire dialect poems and songs.
The St Helens Reporter was published on the 22nd and began one article by writing: "A startling loophole, giving firms the right to dump poisonous chemical waste in St. Helens without warning, is to be probed by a high-powered council delegation. An investigation team, composed of members of all political parties, have demanded a meeting with Merseyside County Council chiefs over the shock revelation."
The loophole had come to light after tanker driver Dale Kippas – who worked for British Sidac – had needed to spend a couple of days in hospital after being overcome by fumes. That was after dumping waste material onto Sidac's chemical tip in Burtonhead Road.
The 24-year-old clearly had not been wearing any protective clothing and it appeared that the effluent either reacted with chemicals already on the tip or with other material that was in the tanker. When two ambulancemen went to Dale Kippas' aid, they too were affected. And Chris Atkinson and Ian Mulqueeney subsequently had to spend 24 hours in hospital before they were discharged.
St Helens Council's twin concerns was that the town had no say in the dumping of toxic waste within its own area and that Sidac had dumped sulphide effluent at their Burtonhead Road tip without giving the required notice. Ken Perks, the council's Technical Services Director, explained:
"Normally three days notice must be given to Merseyside [County Council] for the tipping of this effluent. But it can be waved in an emergency situation. British Sidac faced an emergency situation and needed to remove the sulphide from one of their tanks."
Mr Perks told a Planning Committee meeting this week that since re-organisation in 1974 St Helens had lost the right to control such tipping. Committee chairman Bill Paton said: "It is terribly wrong that this authority is in the hands of people from far away. We must have a share of the responsibility. It is rather frightening that this authority has been taken away from us."
The Reporter described how through lack of demand, a large, empty shopping unit in the centre of the Tontine Arcade might have to be split into four smaller units. The shop was about the size of Boots' newly opened department store and when plans were first drawn up, it had been assumed that a supermarket would want it.
But no food store or anyone else had wanted to pay the £45,000 a year rent, as during the previous few years the creation of hyper markets had led to a move to out of town shopping. However, the letting agents for the arcade told the paper that they were very pleased at the huge demand for the smaller units in the Tontine.
These days we often hear employers complain that new recruits that had just left school are not prepared for a work environment and lack basic skills. Well, it seems that it was not a lot different 50 years ago. The Reporter described how earlier in the week, Prime Minister Jim Callaghan had revealed that industry was complaining how recruits from school did not possess the basic tools to do their job and he had warned teachers that educational standards must improve.
But the Reporter said at the Cowley Lower School Speech Day this week, the Boys' headmaster Maurice Clifton had stated that his students had enjoyed remarkable success at A-level: "Our pass rate at Advanced level was 10 per cent. up on the Examining Board's published average. These results have exceeded our expectations." They were also better than when Cowley was a grammar school and his pupils had also done well at the new CSE exam that had replaced O-levels.
As a result of the Reporter's revelation in recent weeks that the 16-bed children's ward at Providence Hospital might have to close, an anti-closure campaign group had been formed. The fear expressed by one opponent was that if the ward shutdown took place, then it could be the "thin end of the wedge", leading to the whole hospital's closure.
A huge "Hands Off Providence Hospital" leaflet campaign had begun, which had infuriated the St Helens and Knowsley Area Health Authority (AHA). They were responsible for allocating NHS cash and felt that in the present climate they could not justify paying £67,000 a year for paediatric care in Providence that could be better provided at Whiston and St Helens hospitals.
Ken Worthington, the Administrator for the AHA, told the Reporter that he was angry about claims that were being made in the leafleting campaign which were "totally misleading" and a downright "lie" and then explained their position: "The Authority is not closing the children's beds at the hospital. What it has said is that it can no longer afford to provide the money to pay for them. The Providence can continue to have the beds if they pay for them themselves."
Bonfire Night was not far off and the new Toy & Hobby store in Church Street in St Helens, next door to Wooworths, was advertising cut-price fireworks in the Reporter, without providing any details.
For many years town centre shops had complained about hawkers and other fly-by-night traders taking away their trade. The shops had to pay rates and other overheads but the hawkers only had to pay for a licence to trade in the streets or market – and many didn't. The Reporter described how the St Helens Chamber of Trade was now calling on the council to refuse any further hawking licences.
Charlotte Penketh, the secretary of the Chamber, said: "The hawkers are not paying the same rents and rates as shop owners in the town centre. For that reason they should not be able to trade in the area. I believe that many of the goods sold by the hawkers are not as good as the ones sold in the shops."
The Reporter described how a £186,000 council facelift scheme for Derbyshire Hill was likely to be the first and last of its kind in St Helens. A questionnaire seeking the views of the residents of Derbyshire Hill had been sent out and, following an overwhelming response, it was evident the majority wanted their own enclosed garden at the front of their house.
But the government would not contribute to the cost of any outside improvement scheme and consequently the project involving 246 homes was going to cost much more than had been budgeted. So it was felt unlikely that it could be repeated in other parts of the borough.
Nellie Talbot of Dominic Way in Sutton complained in the Reporter how last weekend she had been forced to live in a "water-sodden" council house. Mrs Talbot claimed that 200 other homes in the district were being flooded every time it rained because of faulty roofing.
One of the particularly unpleasant acts of vandalism that often occurred during the ‘70s concerned Pets Corner in Sherdley Park (pictured above). Mindless yobs or their dogs often attacked the animals for fun – but the Reporter described how last weekend a deer and a family of rabbits that were kept in the park had been slaughtered, seemingly for their meat. Head gardener Norman Clarke said:
"This is disgusting. The deer was known and loved by all the children, and the killing must have been done for profit. The persons who did this must have had a certain expertise. It was a neat and efficient job. On Saturday morning an attendant found the blood and minor remains – there was no sign of carnage." Mr Clarke said that the raiders had entered Pets Corner by cutting a hole in the wire fence.
And finally, from the 24th the ABC Savoy cinema in Bridge Street replaced Clint Eastwood's 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' with 'At The Earth's Core' with Doug McClure and Peter Cushing. And the Capitol, which was now only open five days a week, was screening 'The Dirty Dozen' starring Lee Marvin.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the campaign against plans to add fluoride to the water supply, the extension to the Hotties safety patrol, the successful Trident placement scheme and the Sutton parrot called Bimbo with a heart of gold.
We begin on the 20th with another Hillsiders performance at the Theatre Royal. That was the Liverpool country band's 36th concert in the theatre and on the following evening, the Oldham Tinkers appeared in Corporation Street. One of the folk group's most popular songs was "A Mon Like Thee", which had been written by Edmund Hill of St Helens just before the outbreak of WW1. He was a composer of Lancashire dialect poems and songs.
The St Helens Reporter was published on the 22nd and began one article by writing: "A startling loophole, giving firms the right to dump poisonous chemical waste in St. Helens without warning, is to be probed by a high-powered council delegation. An investigation team, composed of members of all political parties, have demanded a meeting with Merseyside County Council chiefs over the shock revelation."
The loophole had come to light after tanker driver Dale Kippas – who worked for British Sidac – had needed to spend a couple of days in hospital after being overcome by fumes. That was after dumping waste material onto Sidac's chemical tip in Burtonhead Road.
The 24-year-old clearly had not been wearing any protective clothing and it appeared that the effluent either reacted with chemicals already on the tip or with other material that was in the tanker. When two ambulancemen went to Dale Kippas' aid, they too were affected. And Chris Atkinson and Ian Mulqueeney subsequently had to spend 24 hours in hospital before they were discharged.
St Helens Council's twin concerns was that the town had no say in the dumping of toxic waste within its own area and that Sidac had dumped sulphide effluent at their Burtonhead Road tip without giving the required notice. Ken Perks, the council's Technical Services Director, explained:
"Normally three days notice must be given to Merseyside [County Council] for the tipping of this effluent. But it can be waved in an emergency situation. British Sidac faced an emergency situation and needed to remove the sulphide from one of their tanks."
Mr Perks told a Planning Committee meeting this week that since re-organisation in 1974 St Helens had lost the right to control such tipping. Committee chairman Bill Paton said: "It is terribly wrong that this authority is in the hands of people from far away. We must have a share of the responsibility. It is rather frightening that this authority has been taken away from us."
The Reporter described how through lack of demand, a large, empty shopping unit in the centre of the Tontine Arcade might have to be split into four smaller units. The shop was about the size of Boots' newly opened department store and when plans were first drawn up, it had been assumed that a supermarket would want it.
But no food store or anyone else had wanted to pay the £45,000 a year rent, as during the previous few years the creation of hyper markets had led to a move to out of town shopping. However, the letting agents for the arcade told the paper that they were very pleased at the huge demand for the smaller units in the Tontine.
These days we often hear employers complain that new recruits that had just left school are not prepared for a work environment and lack basic skills. Well, it seems that it was not a lot different 50 years ago. The Reporter described how earlier in the week, Prime Minister Jim Callaghan had revealed that industry was complaining how recruits from school did not possess the basic tools to do their job and he had warned teachers that educational standards must improve.
But the Reporter said at the Cowley Lower School Speech Day this week, the Boys' headmaster Maurice Clifton had stated that his students had enjoyed remarkable success at A-level: "Our pass rate at Advanced level was 10 per cent. up on the Examining Board's published average. These results have exceeded our expectations." They were also better than when Cowley was a grammar school and his pupils had also done well at the new CSE exam that had replaced O-levels.
As a result of the Reporter's revelation in recent weeks that the 16-bed children's ward at Providence Hospital might have to close, an anti-closure campaign group had been formed. The fear expressed by one opponent was that if the ward shutdown took place, then it could be the "thin end of the wedge", leading to the whole hospital's closure.
A huge "Hands Off Providence Hospital" leaflet campaign had begun, which had infuriated the St Helens and Knowsley Area Health Authority (AHA). They were responsible for allocating NHS cash and felt that in the present climate they could not justify paying £67,000 a year for paediatric care in Providence that could be better provided at Whiston and St Helens hospitals.
Ken Worthington, the Administrator for the AHA, told the Reporter that he was angry about claims that were being made in the leafleting campaign which were "totally misleading" and a downright "lie" and then explained their position: "The Authority is not closing the children's beds at the hospital. What it has said is that it can no longer afford to provide the money to pay for them. The Providence can continue to have the beds if they pay for them themselves."
Bonfire Night was not far off and the new Toy & Hobby store in Church Street in St Helens, next door to Wooworths, was advertising cut-price fireworks in the Reporter, without providing any details.
For many years town centre shops had complained about hawkers and other fly-by-night traders taking away their trade. The shops had to pay rates and other overheads but the hawkers only had to pay for a licence to trade in the streets or market – and many didn't. The Reporter described how the St Helens Chamber of Trade was now calling on the council to refuse any further hawking licences.
Charlotte Penketh, the secretary of the Chamber, said: "The hawkers are not paying the same rents and rates as shop owners in the town centre. For that reason they should not be able to trade in the area. I believe that many of the goods sold by the hawkers are not as good as the ones sold in the shops."
The Reporter described how a £186,000 council facelift scheme for Derbyshire Hill was likely to be the first and last of its kind in St Helens. A questionnaire seeking the views of the residents of Derbyshire Hill had been sent out and, following an overwhelming response, it was evident the majority wanted their own enclosed garden at the front of their house.
But the government would not contribute to the cost of any outside improvement scheme and consequently the project involving 246 homes was going to cost much more than had been budgeted. So it was felt unlikely that it could be repeated in other parts of the borough.
Nellie Talbot of Dominic Way in Sutton complained in the Reporter how last weekend she had been forced to live in a "water-sodden" council house. Mrs Talbot claimed that 200 other homes in the district were being flooded every time it rained because of faulty roofing.
"This is disgusting. The deer was known and loved by all the children, and the killing must have been done for profit. The persons who did this must have had a certain expertise. It was a neat and efficient job. On Saturday morning an attendant found the blood and minor remains – there was no sign of carnage." Mr Clarke said that the raiders had entered Pets Corner by cutting a hole in the wire fence.
And finally, from the 24th the ABC Savoy cinema in Bridge Street replaced Clint Eastwood's 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' with 'At The Earth's Core' with Doug McClure and Peter Cushing. And the Capitol, which was now only open five days a week, was screening 'The Dirty Dozen' starring Lee Marvin.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the campaign against plans to add fluoride to the water supply, the extension to the Hotties safety patrol, the successful Trident placement scheme and the Sutton parrot called Bimbo with a heart of gold.
This week's many stories include the chemical waste dumping in Burtonhead Road that put three men in hospital, Cowley Boys achieve high A-level pass rates, there's criticism of town centre hawkers, a claim that the 'Hands Off Providence Hospital' campaign was telling lies and why the council facelift scheme in Derbyshire Hill would not be repeated.
We begin on the 20th with another Hillsiders performance at the Theatre Royal. That was the Liverpool country band's 36th concert in the theatre and on the following evening, the Oldham Tinkers appeared in Corporation Street.
One of the folk group's most popular songs was "A Mon Like Thee", which had been written by Edmund Hill of St Helens just before the outbreak of WW1. He was a composer of Lancashire dialect poems and songs.
The St Helens Reporter was published on the 22nd and began one article by writing:
"A startling loophole, giving firms the right to dump poisonous chemical waste in St. Helens without warning, is to be probed by a high-powered council delegation.
"An investigation team, composed of members of all political parties, have demanded a meeting with Merseyside County Council chiefs over the shock revelation."
The loophole had come to light after tanker driver Dale Kippas – who worked for British Sidac – had needed to spend a couple of days in hospital after being overcome by fumes.
That was after dumping waste material onto Sidac's chemical tip in Burtonhead Road.
The 24-year-old clearly had not been wearing any protective clothing and it appeared that the effluent either reacted with chemicals already on the tip or with other material that was in the tanker.
When two ambulancemen went to Dale Kippas' aid, they too were affected.
And Chris Atkinson and Ian Mulqueeney subsequently had to spend 24 hours in hospital before they were discharged.
St Helens Council's twin concerns was that the town had no say in the dumping of toxic waste within its own area and that Sidac had dumped sulphide effluent at their Burtonhead Road tip without giving the required notice.
Ken Perks, the council's Technical Services Director, explained:
"Normally three days notice must be given to Merseyside [County Council] for the tipping of this effluent. But it can be waved in an emergency situation. British Sidac faced an emergency situation and needed to remove the sulphide from one of their tanks."
Mr Perks told a Planning Committee meeting this week that since re-organisation in 1974 St Helens had lost the right to control such tipping.
Committee chairman Bill Paton said: "It is terribly wrong that this authority is in the hands of people from far away. We must have a share of the responsibility. It is rather frightening that this authority has been taken away from us."
The Reporter described how through lack of demand, a large, empty shopping unit in the centre of the Tontine Arcade might have to be split into four smaller units.
The shop was about the size of Boots' newly opened department store and when plans were first drawn up, it had been assumed that a supermarket would want it.
But no food store or anyone else had wanted to pay the £45,000 a year rent, as during the previous few years the creation of hyper markets had led to a move to out of town shopping.
However, the letting agents for the arcade told the paper that they were very pleased at the huge demand for the smaller units in the Tontine.
These days we often hear employers complain that new recruits that had just left school are not prepared for a work environment and lack basic skills.
Well, it seems that it was not a lot different 50 years ago.
The Reporter described how earlier in the week, Prime Minister Jim Callaghan had revealed that industry was complaining how recruits from school did not possess the basic tools to do their job and he had warned teachers that educational standards must improve.
But the Reporter said at the Cowley Lower School Speech Day this week, the Boys' headmaster Maurice Clifton had stated that his students had enjoyed remarkable success at A-level:
"Our pass rate at Advanced level was 10 per cent. up on the Examining Board's published average. These results have exceeded our expectations."
They were also better than when Cowley was a grammar school and his pupils had also done well at the new CSE exam that had replaced O-levels.
As a result of the Reporter's revelation in recent weeks that the 16-bed children's ward at Providence Hospital might have to close, an anti-closure campaign group had been formed.
The fear expressed by one opponent was that if the ward shutdown took place, then it could be the "thin end of the wedge", leading to the whole hospital's closure.
A huge "Hands Off Providence Hospital" leaflet campaign had begun, which had infuriated the St Helens and Knowsley Area Health Authority (AHA).
They were responsible for allocating NHS cash and felt that in the present climate they could not justify paying £67,000 a year for paediatric care in Providence that could be better provided at Whiston and St Helens hospitals.
Ken Worthington, the Administrator for the AHA, told the Reporter that he was angry about claims that were being made in the leafleting campaign which were "totally misleading" and a downright "lie" and then explained their position:
"The Authority is not closing the children's beds at the hospital. What it has said is that it can no longer afford to provide the money to pay for them. The Providence can continue to have the beds if they pay for them themselves."
Bonfire Night was not far off and the new Toy & Hobby store in Church Street in St Helens, next door to Wooworths, was advertising cut-price fireworks in the Reporter, without providing any details.
For many years town centre shops had complained about hawkers and other fly-by-night traders taking away their trade.
The shops had to pay rates and other overheads but the hawkers only had to pay for a licence to trade in the streets or market – and many didn't.
The Reporter described how the St Helens Chamber of Trade was now calling on the council to refuse any further hawking licences.
Charlotte Penketh, the secretary of the Chamber, said:
"The hawkers are not paying the same rents and rates as shop owners in the town centre. For that reason they should not be able to trade in the area. I believe that many of the goods sold by the hawkers are not as good as the ones sold in the shops."
The Reporter described how a £186,000 council facelift scheme for Derbyshire Hill was likely to be the first and last of its kind in St Helens.
A questionnaire seeking the views of the residents of Derbyshire Hill had been sent out and, following an overwhelming response, it was evident the majority wanted their own enclosed garden at the front of their house.
But the government would not contribute to the cost of any outside improvement scheme and consequently the project involving 246 homes was going to cost much more than had been budgeted.
So it was felt unlikely that it could be repeated in other parts of the borough.
Nellie Talbot of Dominic Way in Sutton complained in the Reporter how last weekend she had been forced to live in a "water-sodden" council house.
Mrs Talbot claimed that 200 other homes in the district were being flooded every time it rained because of faulty roofing.
One of the particularly unpleasant acts of vandalism that often occurred during the ‘70s concerned Pets Corner in Sherdley Park (pictured above).
Mindless yobs or their dogs often attacked the animals for fun – but the Reporter described how last weekend a deer and a family of rabbits that were kept in the park had been slaughtered, seemingly for their meat.
Head gardener Norman Clarke said:
"This is disgusting. The deer was known and loved by all the children, and the killing must have been done for profit. The persons who did this must have had a certain expertise. It was a neat and efficient job.
"On Saturday morning an attendant found the blood and minor remains – there was no sign of carnage."
Mr Clarke said that the raiders had entered Pets Corner by cutting a hole in the wire fence.
And finally, from the 24th the ABC Savoy cinema in Bridge Street replaced Clint Eastwood's 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' with 'At The Earth's Core' with Doug McClure and Peter Cushing.
And the Capitol, which was now only open five days a week, was screening 'The Dirty Dozen' starring Lee Marvin.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the campaign against plans to add fluoride to the water supply, the extension to the Hotties safety patrol, the successful Trident placement scheme and the Sutton parrot called Bimbo with a heart of gold.
We begin on the 20th with another Hillsiders performance at the Theatre Royal. That was the Liverpool country band's 36th concert in the theatre and on the following evening, the Oldham Tinkers appeared in Corporation Street.
One of the folk group's most popular songs was "A Mon Like Thee", which had been written by Edmund Hill of St Helens just before the outbreak of WW1. He was a composer of Lancashire dialect poems and songs.
The St Helens Reporter was published on the 22nd and began one article by writing:
"A startling loophole, giving firms the right to dump poisonous chemical waste in St. Helens without warning, is to be probed by a high-powered council delegation.
"An investigation team, composed of members of all political parties, have demanded a meeting with Merseyside County Council chiefs over the shock revelation."
The loophole had come to light after tanker driver Dale Kippas – who worked for British Sidac – had needed to spend a couple of days in hospital after being overcome by fumes.
That was after dumping waste material onto Sidac's chemical tip in Burtonhead Road.
The 24-year-old clearly had not been wearing any protective clothing and it appeared that the effluent either reacted with chemicals already on the tip or with other material that was in the tanker.
When two ambulancemen went to Dale Kippas' aid, they too were affected.
And Chris Atkinson and Ian Mulqueeney subsequently had to spend 24 hours in hospital before they were discharged.
St Helens Council's twin concerns was that the town had no say in the dumping of toxic waste within its own area and that Sidac had dumped sulphide effluent at their Burtonhead Road tip without giving the required notice.
Ken Perks, the council's Technical Services Director, explained:
"Normally three days notice must be given to Merseyside [County Council] for the tipping of this effluent. But it can be waved in an emergency situation. British Sidac faced an emergency situation and needed to remove the sulphide from one of their tanks."
Mr Perks told a Planning Committee meeting this week that since re-organisation in 1974 St Helens had lost the right to control such tipping.
Committee chairman Bill Paton said: "It is terribly wrong that this authority is in the hands of people from far away. We must have a share of the responsibility. It is rather frightening that this authority has been taken away from us."
The Reporter described how through lack of demand, a large, empty shopping unit in the centre of the Tontine Arcade might have to be split into four smaller units.
The shop was about the size of Boots' newly opened department store and when plans were first drawn up, it had been assumed that a supermarket would want it.
But no food store or anyone else had wanted to pay the £45,000 a year rent, as during the previous few years the creation of hyper markets had led to a move to out of town shopping.
However, the letting agents for the arcade told the paper that they were very pleased at the huge demand for the smaller units in the Tontine.
These days we often hear employers complain that new recruits that had just left school are not prepared for a work environment and lack basic skills.
Well, it seems that it was not a lot different 50 years ago.
The Reporter described how earlier in the week, Prime Minister Jim Callaghan had revealed that industry was complaining how recruits from school did not possess the basic tools to do their job and he had warned teachers that educational standards must improve.
But the Reporter said at the Cowley Lower School Speech Day this week, the Boys' headmaster Maurice Clifton had stated that his students had enjoyed remarkable success at A-level:
"Our pass rate at Advanced level was 10 per cent. up on the Examining Board's published average. These results have exceeded our expectations."
They were also better than when Cowley was a grammar school and his pupils had also done well at the new CSE exam that had replaced O-levels.
As a result of the Reporter's revelation in recent weeks that the 16-bed children's ward at Providence Hospital might have to close, an anti-closure campaign group had been formed.
The fear expressed by one opponent was that if the ward shutdown took place, then it could be the "thin end of the wedge", leading to the whole hospital's closure.
A huge "Hands Off Providence Hospital" leaflet campaign had begun, which had infuriated the St Helens and Knowsley Area Health Authority (AHA).
They were responsible for allocating NHS cash and felt that in the present climate they could not justify paying £67,000 a year for paediatric care in Providence that could be better provided at Whiston and St Helens hospitals.
Ken Worthington, the Administrator for the AHA, told the Reporter that he was angry about claims that were being made in the leafleting campaign which were "totally misleading" and a downright "lie" and then explained their position:
"The Authority is not closing the children's beds at the hospital. What it has said is that it can no longer afford to provide the money to pay for them. The Providence can continue to have the beds if they pay for them themselves."
Bonfire Night was not far off and the new Toy & Hobby store in Church Street in St Helens, next door to Wooworths, was advertising cut-price fireworks in the Reporter, without providing any details.
For many years town centre shops had complained about hawkers and other fly-by-night traders taking away their trade.
The shops had to pay rates and other overheads but the hawkers only had to pay for a licence to trade in the streets or market – and many didn't.
The Reporter described how the St Helens Chamber of Trade was now calling on the council to refuse any further hawking licences.
Charlotte Penketh, the secretary of the Chamber, said:
"The hawkers are not paying the same rents and rates as shop owners in the town centre. For that reason they should not be able to trade in the area. I believe that many of the goods sold by the hawkers are not as good as the ones sold in the shops."
The Reporter described how a £186,000 council facelift scheme for Derbyshire Hill was likely to be the first and last of its kind in St Helens.
A questionnaire seeking the views of the residents of Derbyshire Hill had been sent out and, following an overwhelming response, it was evident the majority wanted their own enclosed garden at the front of their house.
But the government would not contribute to the cost of any outside improvement scheme and consequently the project involving 246 homes was going to cost much more than had been budgeted.
So it was felt unlikely that it could be repeated in other parts of the borough.
Nellie Talbot of Dominic Way in Sutton complained in the Reporter how last weekend she had been forced to live in a "water-sodden" council house.
Mrs Talbot claimed that 200 other homes in the district were being flooded every time it rained because of faulty roofing.
Mindless yobs or their dogs often attacked the animals for fun – but the Reporter described how last weekend a deer and a family of rabbits that were kept in the park had been slaughtered, seemingly for their meat.
Head gardener Norman Clarke said:
"This is disgusting. The deer was known and loved by all the children, and the killing must have been done for profit. The persons who did this must have had a certain expertise. It was a neat and efficient job.
"On Saturday morning an attendant found the blood and minor remains – there was no sign of carnage."
Mr Clarke said that the raiders had entered Pets Corner by cutting a hole in the wire fence.
And finally, from the 24th the ABC Savoy cinema in Bridge Street replaced Clint Eastwood's 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' with 'At The Earth's Core' with Doug McClure and Peter Cushing.
And the Capitol, which was now only open five days a week, was screening 'The Dirty Dozen' starring Lee Marvin.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the campaign against plans to add fluoride to the water supply, the extension to the Hotties safety patrol, the successful Trident placement scheme and the Sutton parrot called Bimbo with a heart of gold.