Year in Review 2019: April, May and June's major stories in Basingstoke

During April, a train parked at Basingstoke station caught fire while at platform three with flames visible outside one of the carriages.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service has said none of its services was called to the incident.

A South Western Railway (SWR) spokesperson said: “As soon as staff were aware off the issue, passengers were safely evacuated from the train onto the platform.

The emergency services were not called as te small fire extinguished itself shortly after 08.00 and there were no reports of smoke inhalation.”

SWR customers who were delayed by 15 minutes or more were compensated for their delay.

Also in April, a gang who stole £1million from cashpoints including in Basingstoke were jailed for a total of 32 years.

Former Lord Wandsworth College student Patrick Drake who set up Hello Fresh returned to his old stomping ground to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs.

And former Councillor Clive Sanders stepped down from the helm of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

May

In May, one of the ‘largest cannabis farms in north Hampshire was raided by the police with hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of drugs retrieved.

Officers raided the property on Union Lane, Kingsclere at 8.50am after intelligence was gathered indicating the property was illegally growing cannabis plants.

One of the officers reported that ‘you could smell it [cannabis] from the roadside’ after they discovered a ‘massive’ cannabis in a barn at the back of the property.

Inside the barn you can see rows ‘as far as the eye can see’ of cannabis plants, with a second barn being prepared to house more plants and a third barn being used as a drying room.

Also in May, a teenager received one of the highest honours in Scouting. Louis Soccard was presented with his Queen’s Scout Award by Martin Mackey, Scouting’s Hampshire county commissioner.

And there was no surprises on Bank Holiday when the weather was cloudy.

A man suffered minor injuries after a van overturned on the M3 while in Hurstbourne Priors, a HGV went up in flames destroying a nearby bus stop.

June

As we approach the halfway mark, Basingstoke was up in arms about a registered nurse at Basingstoke hospital who was suspended for a year following a series of incidents.

Marian Blenkiron, was handed a 12-month suspension order which came into effect on May 16 after her nine-month conditions of practice came to a close.

Approximately 12 charges were brought to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Fitness to Practice Committee on April 18, including presenting a CV to RAF Odiham claiming Blenkiron was a qualified and well practised nurse when she was not back in 2014.

The acclaimed nurse was also accused of incorrectly arranging supplies of drugs and injection in 2015 along with the fact that she did not notify Bournemouth University that she was subject to an interim conditions of practice order, among other things.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust, who runs Basingstoke hospital, said: “The individual was employed through an agency and we can confirm is no longer working for the trust.”

The first ever Ark Day, in aid of Ark Cancer Centre Charity, was held on Friday, June 21. The town raised thousands of pounds to go towards their £5million total.

The new centre will be built to enhance the care received by patients and their families throughout their cancer treatment journey.

Meanwhile, Hampshire County Council has declared a climate emergency. The authority has pledged to make Hampshire carbon neutral by 2030, taking into account both production and consumption emissions.