Blackpool nostalgia in 1989: Flu epidemic, low alcohol drinks that hid a kick and villagers in battle against leisure site

Flu epidemic grips Fylde Coast

Casualty patients were facing a 13-hour wait for hospital beds as a flu epidemic continued a deathly sweep along the Fylde coast. Blackpool Victoria Hospital reported its busiest Christmas week ever despite predictions that the epidemic had passed its peak.

Hospital manager Gerald Wildish said there had been 52 admissions on Christmas Day, three times the average and higher than the previous record of 37.

The hospital was maintaining a yellow alert despite the fact that most staff who fell victim to the virus were back at work.

“We had a bed crisis again yesterday and we had to open a warn which we had closed for Christmas,” said Mr Wildish.

“Some of the staff are still off but the number of admissions is about 50 per cent up on last year, which was up on the year before. It is officially high.

“There has been absolutely no let up and I’ve never seen casualty as busy.” He apologised to some patients who have found themselves waiting on hospital trollies for up to 13 hours as staff try to find them beds. “We are desperately short of beds.”

Low alcohol drinks could hide a kick

Festive tipplers were being warned that low alcohol beers and wines could put them over the legal drink drive limit.

Drivers were being urged to check the strength of their drinks, to ensure they did not fall foul of the police seasonal breathalyser blitz.

The advice cam from the Lancashire Food Panel which was made up of county environmental health officers and the county analyst. The panel carried out a survey of low alcohol and alcohol free beverages.

Results shows that low alcohol beers could be as high as one per cent proof while some wines were more than four per cent.

Panel spokesman Russell Atkinson said it was important for the public to know the difference between low alcohol and alcohol free products.

Wyre councillors had their eyes set on a seat in Parliament

Two Fylde coast politicians were bidding to make a move from Wyre to Westminster.

North Fylde Labour party officials councillors Geoff Horrocks and Stan Leadbetter had put their names down on the party’s pool of potential candidates for the next general election.

The move meant both were in with a chance of being picked for their home constituency when the Wyre selection procedure began the following spring.

Coun Horrocks, a British Telecom employee, was chairman of the Wyre constituency party, said he would be pleased to stand in the Wyre seat if selected.

Coun Leadbetter, who worked in the catering department at Rossall School said it was too early to

comment on speculation about the labour ticket for Wyre but confirmed his name was on the party’s lists of potential candidates.

The two councillors represented Fleetwood Park Ward on Wyre Council.

The council’s Labour group leader Coun Ben Jackson, who had been tipped for the Labour ticket for Wyre, said he was not interested in fighting the seat because of his local government commitments.

Wyre, like the other Fylde Coast parliamentary districts, was regarded as a safe Conservative seat.

Villagers had fight on their hands against big leisure site

Villagers were drawing up their battle plans against a £23m leisure and housing complex at Wrea Green’s Ribby Hall.

A crunch public inquiry was due to open at the Wesham council offices.

A Department of Environment inspector would hear representations for and against the scheme.

The plan included the building of 250 houses, a 150 room hotel, golf course, craft village and car park on land surrounding the leisure complex which was a caravan site. Although it contravened the

Lancashire structure plan, Fylde councillors backed the blue prints, against the advice of their officers. Parish councillors claimed the development’s 250 houses would intrude upon the green belt and contribute to the merging of Wrea Green and Kirkham.

Parish council chairman Councillor Richard Cookson said: “We are not against the siting of recreational and tourist facilities at Ribby Hall.

“However, ourselves and the county council are strongly opposed to the building of such a large number of houses there.”

The inquiry would look at drainage, access arrangements and road network capabilities.