including Beech Bottom Dyke and Sandridge Road Wastes
There have been several outbreaks of the not unattractive, but very invasive plant Japanese knotweed on the Heath, mostly near the old Fire Station and behind the Judo Club. It is a major problem in that it grows very rapidly and can cause serious damage, especially to underground structures. A garden outbreak can easily be a reason to refuse a mortgage application.
Continue reading “Japanese Knotweed on the Heath”
The Heath has been subjected to drilling work in several areas as a follow up to ‘anomalies’ found in the ground that might be related to the subsidence in the Fontmell/Bridle close area. Work now continues by the children’s play area which is temporarily closed.
Update: work completed, Photo: DP
As you will probably know, there are a lot of oak trees on the Heath and these could be affected by the oak processionary moth (OPM) following an outbreak in Watford.
People are being advised not to touch the OPM caterpillars and nests, to keep animals away from the pests, and to report sightings to the Forestry Commission and the District Council.
OPM can affect trees, people and animals, and was first discovered in England in London in 2005. Tree and public health authorities in Hertfordshire have been preparing for the possibility of its spreading into the county.
The caterpillars shed thousands of their tiny hairs in the nests, and these can cause itchy skin rashes and eye irritations. In extremely rare cases, they can cause breathing difficulties in people and animals. The caterpillars eat oak leaves, leaving infested trees weakened and vulnerable to other threats.
David Pearce giving young people a taste of hedgerow jelly (or jam) at Bernards Heath Infants School on Global Families Day. Many of the berries can be found on the Heath, but you might have to make a visit to the market too. Jenny B has kindly provided a recipe which you can download here
David puts the finishing touches to those delicious scones and hedgerow jelly.
After determined efforts, Friends of Bernards Heath has now opened up the Dyke so that it is possible to walk along the bottom from the entrance near the Ancient Briton junction to the railway embankment, a distance of about one mile. We are very grateful to all those who came along on a last Saturday morning to clear the area from the rifle butts to Valley Road.
A verdant sward of new grass now runs across the Lower Field towards Fontmell Close. This was recently an unsightly mess following attempts to provide access for residents of Fontmell and Bridle Close after the sinkhole appearance last October. Photo: MN.
A slippery steep slope made access difficult during our efforts to clear the bottom of Beech Bottom Dyke, and this has now been addressed by clearing a path near the Ancient Briton Junction. The arrow shows where we started.
For the time being, it is not only the new entrance, but also the only exit, unless you are a mountain goat!
Photos: PC and RM
Friends of Bernards Heath made a big effort to start clearing paths at Beech Bottom Dyke on Saturday morning. Thank you everyone who took part.
Where, and what is Beech Bottom Dyke? It is a major pre-Roman ancient earth work that begins at the junction of Townsend Drive and Batchwood Drive and runs for the first part parallel to Beech Road, then on across Valley Road to the railway embankment. The Dyke is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) under the protection of Historic England and owned and managed by St Albans District Council. The Google aerial view below makes the prominent part of the location clear and shows where we carried out path clearance work. Read more about the Dyke here.
Continue reading “Beech Bottom Dyke Action Day 1 – FoBH clears the way”
Work started this week to restore the Lower Field. The photo on the left shows how it looked after the Fontmell/Bridle Close sinkhole episode and the photo on the right shows how things are beginning to look now. Photos: MN Peter Bone, Senior Surveyor – Public Sector Services, Lambert Smith Hampton writes:
I should like to let you know that remediation works to the area of ground that was disturbed by the original temporary access route to Fontmell Close and Bridle Close will be commencing next week. The works will comprise levelling of the rutted areas and cultivating the topsoil ready for grass seeding.
The reinstatement area will need to be temporarily fenced off with cones and tape whilst the works are carried out, and the fencing will be left in place after the area has been seeded to give the new grass a chance to establish itself. The advice we have on that is that it would be best if the reinstated area could be left for the grass to re-establish the root system until May 2017 if possible. It would therefore be helpful if you could help to let users of the field know that a period for the grass cover to regenerate itself will be beneficial in the longer term.
We are also arranging for other works such as grass cutting, weed spraying, and a tidying-up of branches across the larger field area.
We are urgently looking for someone who would be interested in becoming the School Crossing Patrol for
The pay is £7.20 per hour (plus holiday pay and retainer). If you are interested or would like further information please contact Heather Hill on 01992 556815
Can we please remind you that it is a parental responsibility to get your child to and from school safely.
Hertfordshire County Council, Transport, Access and Safety,
County Hall, Pegs Lane,
Hertford, SG13 8DN.
Tel: 01992 556815
March 2016