Monthly Archives: February 2012

Published on Wednesday 22 February 2012 15:13 EAST Antrim MLA Roy Beggs has urged the public to prepare for the switch over to Digital TV, due to take place in October 2012. With most of the constituency receiving their TV signals from secondary relay transmitters, Mr Beggs has warned that residents of Whitehead, Glynn, Larne and the Glens could face sudden TV blackout in October unless they take advance action to put the right equipment in place. In Northern Ireland, the BBC 2 signal will be switched off on October 10 this year and on October 24 all other analogue channels will disappear. “I recently attended a briefing at Stormont from DigitalUK to explain how the switchover to Digital TV would operate in Northern Ireland – the ‘Switchover Help Scheme’. It is really important that people in East Antrim are up to speed with the major changes in television which … Continue reading →

Published on Tuesday 21 February 2012 10:51 East Antrim MLA Roy Beggs has raised the issue of salmon conservation at Stormont by querying the practice of issuing licences for drift nets in coastal waters. Mr Beggs said: “One of the major issues raised at the event by angler groups was the continued use of bag nets in coastal waters – a practice supposedly banned by the UN and European Union Directives. From questions I have placed with the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure I am surprised and concerned to learn that licences for bag nets in coastal waters continue to be issued. “The Department licenced two bag nets for salmon fishing in coastal waters around Northern Ireland last year. These nets are non-selective and damaging to population numbers for the North Atlantic Salmon. They affect rivers right down the East Antrim shoreline including the River Dun and the Glenarm … Continue reading →

Published on Monday 20 February 2012 15:25 A TOTAL of £45,000 worth of lead has been stolen from the roofs of schools in the North Eastern Education and Library Board’s area over the past nine months, a report has revealed. In East Antrim thieves struck a staggering 34 times to steal lead worth over £30,000, with several schools being targeted on more than one occasion. “We should be asking for the cooperation of residents who live in the vicinity of schools to immediately report any unlawful activity they see,” East Antrim MLA Roy Beggs said. “I would also call for legislation to be introduced to control scrap dealers who are buying the stolen lead. We need to widen awareness of what’s going on and the police should be constantly checking scrap yards to prevent the sale of stolen scrap metal.” In Carrick, Downshire School was targeted twice in 18 months. … Continue reading →

Published on Sunday 19 February 2012 09:00 LONG-AWAITED upgrade schemes on two of Newtownabbey’s busiest roads could get under way in a matter of months, it has been revealed. Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy and Finance Minister Sammy Wilson confirmed this week that almost £500 million is to be invested in the road infrastructure across Northern Ireland over the next four years, meaning the A8 Larne Line and A2 Shore Road dual carriageway projects could soon get the green light. The Shore Road will be widened at the Greenisland ‘bottleneck’ to form a new four-lane carriageway, while the dualling of the A8 corridor is scheduled to be completed between Bruslee and Millbrook near Larne. It is thought the A8 project, including the construction of a Ballynure by-pass, could cost up to £120 million. The bill for the A2 scheme is likely to be around £60 million. “Subject to the outcome … Continue reading →