The number of Covid-19 cases have increased. The latest data from Public Health England shows an increase of 69 cases in Warminster West and North during the seven days to 5th January, which amounts to a 123.2% increase. 125 people tested positive during that week.

Warminster East also had a large increase in cases. 111 people tested positive, making an increase of 61 cases or 122%.

Warminster Central saw a 36 case increase, up to 88 positive cases. That is an increase of 69.2%.

Wylye Valley, which covers the area surrounding Warminster, saw a 38.1% increase, with 58 people testing positive.

The data puts Warminster in the two of the top five areas with the highest case rates. Durrington and Bulford have the highest rate, with Warminster West and North ranking second. Warminster East features as fourth on the list.

The full data can be found here:

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

Backhouse Housing has confirmed that its founder Theo Backhouse was the driver who died in a single-vehicle collision near Warminster in December. Police were called to the road between Chitterne and Knook on the afternoon of 9th December 2021. 41-year-old Mr Backhouse’s inquest was told he suffered multiple traumatic injuries when his car left the road and entered a wooded area before bursting into flames. The inquest was adjourned.

The Chairman of Backhouse Housing, Anthony Henry-Lyons, said: “Theo Backhouse founded Backhouse Housing five years ago with a clear vision: To deliver better housing in Britain. Theo believed that consumers lacked choice in the new homes market for too long and that buyers deserved a better designed, sensibly priced, more interesting home providing smart living solutions. Today, Theo’s vision has become reality and Backhouse is one of the leading house builders in the southwest of England, working with the very best in architectural talent to produce award-winning homes that offer cutting edge design alongside unique community identity whilst respecting the historical environment. We know that Theo would have wanted us to continue his great work and we remain committed to this cause. Our immediate thoughts are with Theo’s family and friends at this difficult time, and we ask colleagues from across the industry to respect the family’s privacy.”

Wiltshire Police have discovered a three-storey cannabis farm in Westbury Leigh after a vehicle collided with an electricity pylon close by. Officers were called to The Maltings late on Friday night when the fire service and an electricity company became suspicious of two cables running into an old storage building. Now Detective Inspector Tom Straker’s team are investigating as part of Wiltshire Police’s serious and organised crime Project Optimise. Anyone with information is asked to call Central CID on 101, quoting reference 54220002145. Details can also be reported anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

DI Straker said: “The building was made safe over the weekend and we are now using CSI teams to record and collate the evidence, before the plants can be removed. We were first alerted to the property by the fire service and the electricity company who had been dealing with a fire caused by a white van which collided with a pylon. The vehicle was seen to drive off shortly after the collision on Friday night and there was nobody at the premises when emergency services arrived. We would ask anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity at the premises or who may have information which could assist our enquiries to please get in touch.”

Commuters in Warminster and the surrounding area are anxiously awaiting news on the future of the Warminster to Salisbury bus service. Wiltshire Council is arranging a new provider for the route after First West of England announced that it would no longer operate to Salisbury. The D1 buses that currently connect Bath, Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, Westbury, Warminster and Salisbury will terminate at Warminster from 30th January. First also announced that the D1x services that were introduced as additional fast, peak-hour journeys will cease from the same date. The Cabinet Member for Transport at Wiltshire Council, Mark McClelland, said a timetable and details of the new provider should be available within the next fortnight. He added: “We know this particular route is important to people and having no service will adversely impact their daily lives. Therefore, we’re doing everything we can to get a new provider in quickly to fill that gap and ensure there is no disruption for people.”

Warminster Town Council’s Parks and Estates Committee will make a decision this evening on whether £8,000 should be spent to repair, replace and refurbish Warminster’s litter bins. Councillors have highlighted the condition of the town’s bins and have asked officers for a report. The document, contained within the agenda for tonight’s meeting, says that many of the bins are delaminated and almost all are in a tired condition. 10 bins have already been replaced and 10 more repaired but the council looks set to go one step further. Council officers have suggested that a sum of £3,000 should be assigned for the repair and replacement of bins in the coming year. In addition, councillors are being suggested to allocate a sum of £5,000 to refurbish litter bins in the town centre.

Warminster Town Council are looking for a site to built a facility for waste disposal. The council has revealed that it currently takes the ‘Basil Brushes’ road sweeper to a licensed specialist in Devizes but wants to construct its own facility so that the sweeper can be operating in the town for longer. At a meeting of the Council’s Parks and Estates Committee this evening, councillors will be asked to instruct council officers to work with Councillor Bill Parks to identify a suitable location.

Local residents have been urged to refer concerns about parking issues at Shearwater to Wiltshire Council. Worries about the number of vehicles at the tourist attraction in Crockerton have been raised on social media over recent months. Now a parish official has urged any concerned individuals to address their worries to the Parking Services team at the local authority.

Town councillors will be asked to agree a budget of £15,000 to replace the cable way at Queensway play area. The old cable way was taken down after the timber posts failed a penetration test. Council officers expect the cost of a replacement to be between £10,000 and £15,000. A vote on the budget allocation is expected at tomorrow evening’s Parks and Estates Meeting in the Civic Centre.

The bells of the Minster Church could be heard ringing across the west of Warminster this morning after they were rededicated. Repairs were recently made to the largest bell in the church tower, meaning the bells had to fall silent. £13,000 had to be raised to repair the bell which started ringing again in an extended peal this morning.

School children and local residents will help Warminster Town Council to plant trees on Friday 14th January. The project is part of the national ‘Queen’s Green Canopy’ campaign for HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Around the country, local authorities and individual citizens are being encouraged to plant as many trees as possible during Queen Elizabeth’s 70th year on the throne. In Warminster, the Town Council has identified land in the Lake Pleasure Grounds and at Ashley Combe as suitable locations.