On Sunday afternoon I toured the whole of the Ward with our local PCSO, Wendy. How lucky we are to have her as the officer responsible for the area. We travelled around in her fine Land Rover Defender, which took me back to my time in Tanzania when I was driving around in a Mark III ex-army Landrover which I shipped out from England.
We visited all the villages in the ward - Middle Claydon, Sandhill, Verney Junction, East Claydon, Botolph Claydon and Steeple Claydon - covering all the villages on foot. It's amazing how many details you notice by just walking round. We spotted what looked like a caravan encampment in the distance from Middle Claydon which we thought must be somewhere near the railway line, but couldn't work out how to get closer. We saw a vehicle with an expired tax disc and obscured number plates in East Claydon, and an abandoned vehicle with a smashed window in Steeple Claydon. We inspected the thatched seat in Botolph Claydon with an oak tree growing out of the roof which has had some graffiti inflicted on it and needs a small repair which I shall tell the parish council about. The public phone box in Middle Claydon was out of order and rather dirty.
There was a large fallen branch in Botolph Claydon, and some uneven patches on the pavement.
In Steeple Claydon, the Vicarage Orchard needs tidying up and a new dog bin is needed on the
adjacent path. It is also being used as an unofficial compost heap for garden waste. We spotted
several hedges which need trimming back. The wall along the footpath beside Sportsmans Close has lost a number of bricks and tiles which need replacing. The pavement in Addison's Road is in a very poor condition (the road itself has recently been resurfaced) and the pothole in West Street outside Willow Farm has subsided again.
Lots of small things to take up with the relevant authorities.
Another need is for a handrail outside the doctor's surgery on Vicarage Lane at the corner with Challoner's Hill where the pavement is very slippery with fallen leaves and will get worse when it is icy.
Wendy has 200 square miles of north Bucks to look after and clearly is an extremely dedicated and popular officer. It was a privilege to spend the afternoon with her. PCSO's have my 100% support.
