A major fire at a Cambridgeshire nature reserve that burned for more than a month is now under control. The blaze broke out at Holme Fen Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire on August 8, leading to a major incident being declared by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service. More than 100 firefighters and 20 fire engines responded to the scene at its peak. The blaze broke out at Holme Fen on August 8 (Image: Emily Stevens) After 31 days at the site, firefighters will hand control back to Natural England this week. Stuart Smith, assistant chief fire officer, said: "This has been the biggest incident our county has faced in many, many years. "We have seen crews from every fire station attend at some point during the response, as well as the fantastic support we’ve received from our colleagues across the country through National Resilience arrangements. "It’s been an extremely tough incident, especially with the gruelling hot weather we’ve seen over the last month or so, but we have reached a point where we feel it is safe for us to withdraw all crews and hand the site back over to Natural England." The fire spread around a four-kilometre perimeter, covering an area equivalent to around 60 f

A Huntingdonshire councillor wants councils to be given more power to protect the mix of businesses on high streets. Reform councillor Karan Maheshwari, who represents Ramsey, has submitted a motion for debate at Huntingdonshire District Council’s meeting on Wednesday. The motion says planning rules give businesses flexibility but can leave councils powerless when one type of business dominates an area. Under current planning regulations, many businesses fall within Use Class E, which allows a range of commercial, business and service activities to switch between uses without requiring planning permission. Class E covers businesses including barbers, nail bars, beauty salons and mobile-phone sales and repair shops (Image: File image) Class E covers businesses including barbers, nail bars, beauty salons and mobile-phone sales and repair shops. The motion says the Government has already proposed planning permission for new vape shops and adult gaming centres. But it says similar concerns can arise when barbers, nail bars, beauty salons or mobile-phone shops become concentrated in a town centre. Cllr Maheshwari’s proposal says no lawful business should be judged simply by its type and

A county council report revealed new 20mph limits on roads have shown “statistically significant” drops in speed a year after being introduced. Cambridgeshire County Council began introducing the new limits across the county from early 2024, across a total of 25 roads so far. The report, presented to the council’s highways and transport committee on Tuesday (September 1), looked at the impact of the limit on eight of these roads within the first year. It found that average speed was reduced on all of them. It looked at schemes in Cambourne, Histon, Ely, Great Abington, Fowlmere, Ramsey, St Neots, and Great Staughton. Speed reductions ranged from six per cent to 16 per cent, with the largest falls seen where speeds were highest before the limit was introduced. The report said early evidence of the limit’s impact on crashes is “encouraging but remains inconclusive” as numbers were already low in many towns. It said Ely is the only location which has so far shown a statistically significant fall in crashes, but Cambourne, Histon, and Ramsey have shown a downward trend. The report said there were an average of 15.6 crashes per year in Ely across the seven years from 2017, but this fell

A number of bus services in Cambridgeshire are due to change following a review. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) carried out a review of bus services across the county to ensure the bus network was affordable, sustainable, evidence led and better aligned to passenger need. In Peterborough, the proposed changes include merging services 60 and 61, and introducing different timetables for services 60, 61, 62 and 63. They also include retaining the current loop around Werrington as part of the 62 service, helping residents to continue accessing Werrington centre. Service 60 runs between Peterborough Queensgate Bus Station and Orton Northgate, while 61 runs between Queensgate and Newark Sainsbury’s, 62 runs between Queensgate and Maxey, and 63 runs between Queensgate and Parnwell. A report to go before the CPCA transport committee on September 9 stated: “There would be no significant change to overall service levels [in Peterborough], but the network should be simpler to operate and explain.” The revised proposals were developed in response to a six-week public consultation that received 1,182 responses. Residents emphasised the need for reliability, punctualit

From Ramsey Town Council Minutes: Council resolved to submit a formal request to Cambridgeshire County Council Highways for a 20mph speed zone and upgraded zebra crossing along Great Whyte, following resident traffic survey feedback.

From Ramsey Town Council Amenities Committee: Approved £14,500 contract for drainage improvements across Spinningfield recreation ground, alongside installation of replacement inclusive swing sets in September.

From Ramsey Town Council Minutes: Council resolved to submit a formal request to Cambridgeshire County Council Highways for a 20mph speed zone and upgraded zebra crossing along Great Whyte, following resident traffic survey feedback.

From Ramsey Town Council Amenities Committee: Approved £14,500 contract for drainage improvements across Spinningfield recreation ground, alongside installation of replacement inclusive swing sets in September.

From Ramsey Town Council Planning Minutes: Unanimously recommended refusal for outline application 26/00142/OUT on grounds of highway safety on Oilmills Road, surface water flood risk, and overdevelopment beyond the Ramsey settlement boundary.

From Ramsey Town Council Planning Minutes: Supported planning application 26/00188/FUL for commercial shopfront renovation and heritage signage in the Ramsey Conservation Area.

From Ramsey Town Council Minutes: Council resolved to submit a formal request to Cambridgeshire County Council Highways for a 20mph speed zone and upgraded zebra crossing along Great Whyte, following resident traffic survey feedback.

From Ramsey Town Council Amenities Committee: Approved £14,500 contract for drainage improvements across Spinningfield recreation ground, alongside installation of replacement inclusive swing sets in September.

Approved updated Highways Asset Management Strategy and winter readiness program. Priority gritting routes across Huntingdonshire and rural connector roads (including B1040) scheduled for pre-winter surface sealing.

From Ramsey Town Council Planning Minutes: Unanimously recommended refusal for outline application 26/00142/OUT on grounds of highway safety on Oilmills Road, surface water flood risk, and overdevelopment beyond the Ramsey settlement boundary.

From Ramsey Town Council Planning Minutes: Supported planning application 26/00188/FUL for commercial shopfront renovation and heritage signage in the Ramsey Conservation Area.

Reported strategic review of Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) funding allocation. Includes improvements to rural home-to-school transport routes across Huntingdonshire.