Latest news with #Comber
Agriland
11-06-2025
- Climate
- Agriland
Tillage: Potato canopies now meeting between the drills
Most main crop potato canopies are now 'meeting between the drills', according to Teagasc agronomists, with the recent rains having boosted growth rates across the country. Meanwhile, the threat of blight remains a very real one. Teagasc has updated its proposed blight spraying schedule, taking crops through to their later growth stages. This is particularly relevant this year as growers are expecting a much slower die-back of canopies, given the restriction on chemicals now available to them. The updated Teagasc fungicide spraying programme now contains a 15th and 16th application recommendation, covering the late season period. The 15th applications features Infinito at a rate of 1.6L/ha, with the final fungicide application comprising a mix of Ranman and Shirlan. Teagasc agronomists are stressing the absolute need to apply all fungicides at their recommended rates, whether they are used individually or in combinations. Only in this way can the use of existing blight fungicide chemistries can be retained for the long-term. New season potato crops Meanwhile first earlies grown in Co. Wexford are now in the shops. The quality of this year's crops is reported to be excellent. And it is the same story in Northern Ireland, where Comber earlies are in the shops now. Wilson's County sales and marketing manager, Joanne Weir said: 'We are delighted to have local new season crops in the shops so early. 'Last year crops were not harvested until the last week of June. 'New season Comber potatoes remain a firm favourite with consumers of all ages across Northern Ireland.' Meanwhile, weather extremes are not new phenomena for local potato farmers. Newtownards Co. Down-based grower William Gilmore said: 'Normally the issue is a combination of too much rain and cooler than normal temperatures. 'But this year the polar opposite has been the case. The new season crops have been coping with almost drought-like conditions for the past six weeks and more. 'Thankfully the rains have returned. But, as of a few weeks ago, it was fast becoming a 'touch and go' situation. All the crops were crying out for rain.' Making the difference for Gilmore were the excellent planting conditions that were the order of the day between the end of January and the middle of March. This year he is growing a range of new season potato varieties, including: Home Guard; Accord; Queen's Navan; and Sagitta.
Belfast Telegraph
07-06-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Paula McIntyre welcomes the arrival of the iconic Comber Early potatoes and a well done breast of duck
One of the great moments in the food calendar is the arrival of early potatoes, and in particular Home Guards from Co Down. The Comber Early potato was granted Protected Geographical Indicator status in 2012, aligning it with foods like Parma ham and Stilton cheese that can only come from that particular region. There's a food festival dedicated to this local delicacy annually in Comber (the last Saturday in June) where you can taste them, watch how to cook them and generally celebrate their iconic status. The potatoes are available now and what a joy they are. The skins are thin and I love how easily the muck brushes off them to reveal their pale golden loveliness. Never peel an early spud — the skin is part of the appeal. Place them in cold water and cook gently until just done. Normally at this stage, I'd say put them in a bowl, toss in a good amount of butter and enjoy. However this is a cooking column and I feel I should elaborate on this.
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Ex-BBC star is fined £600 for leaving scene of an accident after her Range Rover crashed into Mazda which ended up in a ditch
A former BBC star has been fined £600 - but will keep her driving licence - after leaving the scene of a car crash that left a driver injured in a ditch. Karen Patterson, 54, was one of the most famous faces in Northern Ireland having spent 20 years at the Beeb including a decade as a presenter on Good Morning Ulster. But she left the corporation five years ago to become a dairy farmer. On March 16 last year, the Range Rover being driven by the former journalist collided with a Mazda MX5 sports car on the Newtownards Road in Comber - a town on the northern edge of Strangford Lough. The Mazda driver told police that as he was overtaking Ms Patterson's 4x4, she moved across and hit him, sending him off the road. Her victim suffered an injured wrist and some hearing loss after developing tinnitus. Ms Patterson pleaded guilty to the offences of careless driving, failing to report and failing to remain at the scene of an accident. The 54-year-old was sentenced at Newtownards Magistrates Court yesterday and handed handed £600 of fines plus six penalty points on her driving licence. But she contested a charge of causing grievous bodily injury by careless driving - and the judge in the case sided with her. Representing the former broadcaster, her defence lawyer Conan Rea told the court that the Mazda driver's injuries to his wrist and hearing could not constitute grievous bodily injury. Mr Rea said his client had seen the Mazda 'travelling at some speed behind her' - but then lost sight of the sportscar. The cars bumped but she drove on, however, she claimed that she then went back and could not see the Mazda or any sign of the crash so went home - without calling the police. The barrister said the former BBC breakfast host now realised that she should have called the Police Service of Northern Ireland, even though she could not locate the Mazda. Mr Rees said that she had very quickly admitted the offences of leaving the scene of the accident and to careless driving. District Judge Mark Hamill found her not guilty causing grievous bodily injury by careless driving. Judge Hamill said that while the case could go to civil court, in his view the injuries suffered by the Mazda driver 'do not come near to GBI.' He also spared her a driving ban, by giving her six penalty points on her licence. She had three points already, meaning the punishment kept her below the 12 points needed for a ban from the roads. Her barrister had told the court that she has to drive between her home and the family farm to milk the cows each day, meaning a driving ban would have caused her 'considerable difficulties', according to the Belfast Newsletter newspaper. The judge imposed £600 of fines, a £15 offender levy and six penalty points. Karen joined the BBC in 2000 after working for the Bangor Spectator and Downtown-Cool FM, where she covered the 1998 Omagh bombing. She then went to BBC Newsline and then Good Morning Ulster but left in 2020 to returning to her first love, farming. She said at the time that dairy cows had been in her family's blood. She grew up on a dairy farm in County Down, which her father had farmed since 1947. 'I'm quite excited about it, I've been here for 20 years and it's been an amazing journey, but just to be able to pick projects and do things at a bit of a different pace', she said at the time.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Yahoo
New CCTV police van for Nottingham crime hotspots 'not a good sign'
A new CCTV van launched by police to tackle anti-social behaviour in Nottingham is a "bad sign" of the state of the city, residents near a problem spot say. Last week, Nottinghamshire Police unveiled the vehicle, which has cameras with a 360-degree view and are capable of seeing faces from more than 1,500 feet away. The force is deploying the van in a bid to tackle anti-social behaviour across certain neighbourhoods in the city. The van, which will be staffed by officers, has six cameras and a telescopic mast which can reach a height of more than three metres. Police said the vehicle will be sent to areas identified by residents of having a significant or emerging anti-social behaviour problem. This could include areas such as Sherwood, Bulwell town centre and Forest Recreation Ground, where the van was launched on Thursday, February 20. READ MORE: Teenage boy seriously injured in Nottingham city centre stabbing, two others hurt READ MORE: BBC Death in Paradise star announces exit as replacement arrives in Saint Marie Footage collected by the van can also be viewed remotely from the force control room, allowing for real-time information to be passed to officers. Residents in Forest Fields had mixed opinions on the £130,000 project, which is mainly funded by a Home Office grant. Lex Comber, who lives in Foxhall Road, said the project was a "symbol of how society is becoming". 'We've got cameras at the top of the street and dodgy stuff goes on but nobody does anything about it. "It's a misdirection of resources. Why don't they put some police on the ground?," said the 59-year-old university lecturer. 'That's the real issue. It's a symbol of how society is becoming, it's a symbol of unwillingness to tackle problems on the ground. Kids aren't bothered about getting nicked so it's a deterrent to what? It's still not a solution.' Mr Comber added: 'There's far too much CCTV already, you go to Germany and they're amazed at the amount of surveillance we have. It gives an image of security, but doesn't really do much to prevent crime other than something like shoplifting." Dominic Pote, 48, was more open to the idea but said he would also rather see investment made elsewhere. 'I generally don't think surveillance is good, but the way things are maybe it's sometimes necessary. It's good if it leads to things being resolved and deters people from doing things," he said. 'In some ways, it's not a good sign. I'd rather have a presence of officers on the streets. I think you feel safe if you've got a good sense of community. I'd rather see investments in other places, rather than let's stick a camera there. 'We've had all sorts of things. We've had all sorts of things on this street, we've seen fights and people shouting at each other. We've had someone dump something with unknown objects in it and right on our door." Rich Glover, a 57-year-old support worker, said it sounded like a good idea. 'If they can deal with the crime in the area then it's another string to their bow. Fly-tipping and stuff like that," he said. 'I'd feel assured. I'm sure if something like that was in the area they would be put at ease.' Neighbourhood Inspector Paul Ferguson, who is responsible for getting the project off the ground, said: 'Residents want to feel safe in their neighbourhoods and shouldn't have to experience this type of behaviour where they live and work. That's why we are committed to sorting this problem out. 'With this new piece of equipment, there will be no place to hide. This new vehicle will not replace uniformed officers who will continue to patrol these areas. However, it provides us with a full picture of the area, allowing us to zoom in so we can capture a problem, sometimes before it occurs. 'This is also not a van that we will just leave in an area like a mobile CCTV camera. It will be occupied by specially trained officers who will be actively searching for offenders. We couldn't be clearer as a force. We won't tolerate ASB in our neighbourhoods."
