The gates of King’s Road Gardens, near the Huntley and Palmer building in King’s Road, Reading have reopened this week following a three month project to stabilize the banks, plant trees, install new furniture and enhance the shrubbery, borders and general landscaping.

As part of the Reading programme of works, new fencing has been put up along the riverbank and brickwork has been re-pointed, with broken areas of walling repaired.

The site has been planted with urban wildlife in mind. The turfed banks are full of native wildflowers; the trees are good for birds and insects, and the border plants also have nectar, pollen and fruit for nature.

The pathway along the riverbank and through the gardens has also been re-laid with a hard-wearing surface that allows water to permeate through it. There are more benches than before, and a tree seat has been installed.

The Reading gardens are much better for a wider range of wildlife, and the views have been opened up too, making it more pleasant for people to use.

Graeme Hoskin, Lead Councillor for Reading Culture and Sport, said: "I know these gardens very well and am very pleased we’ve been able to deliver these improvements to such an important green oasis in a busy, built up area. We’ve taken particular concern to think about local wildlife, especially with the new riverbank."

Reading Borough Council

A 31-year-old man from West Reading was arrested in Salisbury Road, on Monday (8/3), after members of the team noticed him acting suspiciously.

He was searched and a quantity of Class A drugs and cash was found. He has been released on bail to return to Loddon Valley police station on 30 April.

A 38-year-old man from the Katesgrove area was arrested yesterday (9/3). He was seen to carry out a suspected drug deal in Howard Street, Reading and was followed to Castle Street where he was arrested.

He was searched and was found to be in possession of a quantity of Class A drugs. He has been released on bail to return to Loddon Valley police station of 19 April.

Reading Neighbourhood Specialist Officer PC Aaron Gibbs said: “These arrests highlight just a small amount of the work that the team constantly carries out to bring those involved in the supply of drugs in our community to justice.

“We always act on intelligence that we receive from the community and I urge anyone with any information to pass it on to the neighbourhood team.”

Anyone with any information about people involved in the supply of drugs in the Oxford Road area should contact the Reading neighbourhood team on 0845 8 505 505.

Alternatively, if you do not want to speak to police or leave your name, please contact the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Reading

A new tie-up between Reading Borough Council and JC Decaux – the UK’s leading provider of bus shelters – will see a rolling programme of installing new bus shelters beginning this spring.

As well as higher quality bus shelters, the Reading Council has insisted on a more frequent cleaning and maintenance regime for the new shelters under the 15-year contract awarded to the company earlier this year.

The Reading Council has already begun the process of removing its ‘real time’ information displays from existing shelters while the switchover to the new shelters takes place. The real-time information displays will be re-instated when the new shelters are in position.

New solar-powered real-time passenger information displays have also been ordered and these will be installed at a number of Reading stops across town as a trial. The popular Madejski Park & Ride will be among the stops set to benefit from the new equipment which gives passengers up to the minute information on when their next bus will arrive.

Clear Channel, who formerly held the contract with the Reading Council, will begin the process of removing their bus shelters later this month. This means there may be a period of time when there is temporarily no shelter in place while the replacement is put in position.

Tony Page, Reading’s Lead Councillor fro Transport and Planning, said: "Reading Borough Council and Reading Buses will be working together to ensure that replacement timetable information is available at all bus stops during this period of transition. We thank passengers in advance for their patience while the switchover to the new shelters takes place."

Reading Borough Council

Daniel Mark Smith, aged 27, from William Street, Reading was stopped on 29 September last year by Operation Falcon officers and was detained for a drug search.

He was taken back to Loddon Valley police station where police found a single cling film wrap containing heroin in his mouth and a further 23 were hidden in his boxer shorts.

Smith was charged with possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply and pleaded guilty to the offence at Reading Crown Court.

He was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

Det Con Jason Evans, from Reading Operation Falcon, said: “We hope this sends out a strong message to anyone supplying in drugs in Reading.

“This sentence demonstrates the commitment from both police and the courts to deal with drug dealers robustly.

“I would urge members of the public with any information about those involved in the supply of drugs in Reading to contact the Falcon team on 0845 8 505 505.”

Thames Valley Police ~ Reading

The Reading events have been organised by The Warehouse in conjunction with Berkshire Women’s Aid, East Reading Children’s Centre and Safer Reading, and will give visitors a taste of activities including henna hand painting, Indian head massage and ‘Colour Me Beautiful’ including image makeover, style consultation and colour analysis.

There will also be lots of information on offer including information for Healthy Eating and from Thames Valley Police. There will also be workshops including one on Bollywood-style bhangra dancing.

There will be plenty of activities for Reading children including face painting, craft activities and story-telling in dual languages.

The activities will run from 10am until 2.30pm and entry is free. Refreshments are also available with lunch costing £2 for adults and just 50p for children.

Bet Tickner, Lead Councillor for Reading Communities & Neighbourhoods said: ‘Congratulations to the Warehouse for organising this celebration of International Women’s Day – a great opportunity for women to relax , enjoy themselves and try something new.’

Reading Borough Council

Reading Det Sgt Christina Berenger, who is leading a month of intense activity aimed at further reducing vehicle crime in the area, says that, while more motorists seem to be following crime prevention advice about not leaving valuables on display, they need to take some additional steps.

She said: “The message about not leaving sat navs and other valuables on display does seem to be getting home.

“However, thieves are opportunists and we have noticed a number of recent cases where they have broken into vehicles just to see if they have any valuables stored in the glove-box or because they have seen sucker marks on the windscreen from a sat nav system.

“I would ask motorists to help us by leaving their glove-boxes open to show that they do not contain anything worth stealing and to make sure that they rub away any ring marks from the windscreen.

“Vehicle crime is falling in Reading and by working together we can reduce it further.”

Anyone with any information about people involved in Reading vehicle crime should contact the Priority Crime Team at Reading on 0845 8 505 505.

Alternatively, if you do not want to speak to police or leave your name, please contact the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Reading

The Reading drop-in will take place at Greyfriars Church, from 3.30pm to 7.00pm, on Monday, March 8.

The idea behind the event is to find out the views of single, homeless people on the services provided and to look at ways of improving them, based on this information.

People who attend will be helped by Reading staff to complete a short questionnaire. Free hot drinks and food will be provided.

Deborah Edwards, Lead Councillor for Reading Housing, said: "I urge single homeless people to take this opportunity to tell us honestly how they think we and our partners can provide better help for them. We are always looking at ways we can improve housing services in Reading, especially for the neediest members of our community, and hearing the views of people who use these services is a vital part of this process."

Reading Borough Council

The two week Reading operation, called Operation Elemental, has also seen a large quantity of cash being recovered.

Reading Arrests made during the operation so far include:

*Paul McGivern, aged 42, from Willow Street, Reading, was arrested on 16 February on suspicion of possession of class A drugs. He has been charged with the offence and appeared at Reading Magistrates’ Court the following day, where he was remanded in custody.

*An 18-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply after police executed a warrant at an address in Henley Road, Caversham, on 17 February. She has been released on bail to return to Loddon Valley police station on 30 March. During the raid a large quantity of cocaine and heroin was recovered, together with a substantial amount of money.

*A 47-year-old woman from Rose Kiln Lane, Reading was given a caution on 18 February after admitting possessing four wraps of heroin.

*A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply after police executed a warrant at an address in Oxford Road on 19 February. He has been released on bail to return to Loddon Valley police station on 27 March. A large quantity of what is believed to be class A drugs was recovered in the raid.

*Samantha McKenzie, aged 34, from Wensley Road, Coley, has been charged with possession of class A drugs, after a warrant was executed at her home address on Monday (22/2). She has been released on bail to attend Reading Magistrates’ Court on 9 March.

*A 33-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of class A drugs after police executed a warrant at an address in St Paul’s Court earlier today (26/2). He has been released on bail to return to Loddon Valley police station on 29 March.

Reading Sgt Jennie Fox, who led the operation, said: “We have executed a number of warrants across the Reading area and in doing so, have achieved some excellent results, including seizing drugs with a street value of several thousands of pounds.

“My officers will deal with individuals as robustly as necessary in order to execute the warrants and secure evidence, in order to bring them to justice.

“I urge anyone who has any information about individuals involved in the supply of class A drugs in the Reading area to contact police, so that we can take the necessary action.

“Drug dealers have an incredibly negative impact on the quality of life experienced by residents. It’s extremely disheartening, especially in the current economic climate, for honest hard-working people to see others leading luxurious lifestyles that are funded by dealing drugs.

“Operation Falcon does not tolerate individuals who seek to make profit from supplying drugs, whatever class, to our community. We will continue to seek every opportunity to tackle drug related crime.

“I would warn anyone involved in the supply of drugs in Reading that they should seriously consider their continued involvement. Operation Falcon will continue to use a zero tolerance approach and will continue to use a number of tactical options to target those responsible.”

Thames Valley Police ~ Reading

This follows the publication on February 24 2010 of figures by the national Teenage Pregnancy Unit that reveal Reading has now seen a third consecutive year of reduction in under-18 conception rates.

For 2006 the Reading rate was 54.3 per 1,000 females aged 15-17 (the standard measure). For 2007 it was 51.6 and the provisional figure for 2008 is 46.0. There has been a reduction of 27% since 1998.

Charles Waddicor, Chief Executive of NHS Berkshire West, said: "I welcome the drop in the rate of teenage pregnancies in Reading. This decrease has been the result of the far reaching work we have carried with Reading Borough Council. We are providing good advice on contraception and the message about safer sex appears to be getting through. Reading’s Walk-in Health Centre is a valuable resource in reducing conception rates among teenagers.

"Our priority is to establish a firm and sustainable downward trend in teenage conception rates and increase the proportion of teenage parents in education, training or employment to 60% and to reduce the risk of long-term social exclusion for them and their children."

John Ennis, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Children’s Services, said: "I’m delighted to see that all the hard work that the Council and NHS Berkshire West have put into reducing the rate of teenage pregnancies in Reading – and especially the efforts and resources we have put into educating our young people about this vitally important aspect of their lives – has now begun to pay off in a sustained and robust improvement. It has taken great commitment by everyone who works with young people to achieve this improvement and we are determined to do all we can to continue to reduce the level of teenage pregnancies further."

NHS Berkshire West and Reading Borough Council have based their success on the following actions:

* Consultation with young Reading people to hear their views about the rebranding of sexual health services for young people and future media campaigns
* The Teenage Pregnancy Strategic Partnership Board is now jointly chaired by the Chief Executive of NHS Berkshire West, Charles Waddicor, and Reading’s Director of Education and Children’s Services, Anna Wright.
* Appointed a specialist Reading advisor to work with schools to improve sex and relationship education. Young people have told us that they want more input on managing emotions and relationships and good information about contraception
* A pharmacy scheme funded by NHS Berkshire West continues to run. This ensures that young people in Reading can access Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) for free at 16 pharmacies across Reading.
* A Sexual Health Reading Outreach Nurse has been appointed, whose primary responsibilities are to provide sexual and reproductive health services to the most vulnerable and at risk young people in Berkshire West.
* The re-commissioning of Body Zone Clinics – young people’s health drop-in services provide information, advice and referral on all health issues, specifically sexual health and contraception advice
* The Peer education service delivered by Barnardo’s has trained 15 young people who deliver sex and relationship education to their peers
* The Reading C Card scheme was launched in March 2009 and provides young people under-19 better access to sexual health information and free condoms, leading in turn to a greater awareness about safer sex, unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.

Young people who want further information about services provided by NHS Berkshire West and Reading Borough Council to reduce teenage conceptions should contact the Teenage Pregnancy Team on 0118 966 7640.

Reading Borough Council

Officers discovered the man at about 10.15pm while on patrol at the Reading Castle Street roundabout in the town centre.

The man was taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading before being transferred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where he remains with critical injuries to his head.

Reading Det Sgt Ashley Hannibal said: “The man is white, approximately 25-years-old and we believe he may be Polish.

“I would urge that anyone who may have seen what happened come forward and speak to us and help us with our investigation.”

Anyone with information should contact Det Sgt Hannibal via the 24-hour Thames Valley Police Enquiry Line on 0845 8 505 505, or alternatively contact the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Reading