The 53-year-old has been described by his family as a “loving father”

The family of a motorcyclist that died in a crash involving a tractor has paid a tribute to him. The crash involved a yellow Yamaha motorbike that was travelling from the Block Fen Drove roundabout towards Chatteris at around 8.11pm on March 31.

The motorcyclist, a 53-year-old man from March, died at the scene. He has been named as Napoleon Georgoulias.

Napoleon’s family said: “Napoleon Georgoulias, affectionately known as Naps to his friends and family, sadly passed away following a road traffic collision on Tuesday, March 31.

“He was a deeply loved son, brother, uncle, partner and a loving father to two wonderful children. Naps had a personality that was truly unforgettable. Once you met him, you never forgot him. His larger than life character and his warm spirit touched everyone that knew him.

“His passing has left an immeasurable void in the lives of his family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing him. He will be forever missed and always loved.”

The driver of the tractor involved in the crash, a 16-year-old boy from Haddenham, was interviewed at the scene of the crash and is helping officers with enquiries. Debris from the crash struck another car, which was a Volkswagen Polo. The driver was uninjured.

A Cambridgeshire Police spokesperson said: “An investigation has been launched and officers are keen to hear from anyone who may have witnessed either the motorbike or tractor before the collision, those with relevant dash cam footage, or with any information about the collision.”

Anyone with information should call police on 101 and quote Operation Juniper or incident 485 of March 31.

The proposals also include restoring a ‘hazardous’ waste site

A Cambridgeshire quarry could be expanded and restored and a waste site restored at the site. Cambridgeshire County Council has submitted a scoping application about Block Fen Quarry in Chatteris.

The scoping application proposes to extend the quarry and restore an inert, hazardous and stable non-reactive hazardous waste site. The plans could see mineral extraction take place on site and restoration of wet grasslands.

The applicant said the proposals could “extend the duration of the development by at least 15 years”. The scoping application was submitted to Fenland District Council (FDC). Other authorities consulted include the Environment Agency, Natural England, FDC, and other teams at Cambridgeshire County Council.

The EA raised concerns that the potential three excavation sites could be “potentially contaminative”. It said any possible contamination “should be given due consideration”. It suggested an environmental permit may be needed.

The EA also suggested a Hydrogeological Impact Appraisal (HIA) should be produced, to allow groundwater levels to be assessed. The EA didn’t raise any flood risks.

Natural England said more information needed to be provided on the handling, storing and reuse of peat in “order to minimise carbon loss and prevent its degradation”. It said: “A robust assessment of environmental impacts and opportunities based on relevant and up to date environmental information should be undertaken prior to a decision on whether to grant planning permission.”

FDC also requested a number of specific requirements for assessments, including the ecological impact assessment, hydrogeological risk assessment, and the cumulative impact the extension and waste site could have on the environment.

The county council addressed a number of concerns in a scoping opinion letter. It said the “daily number of HGV movements” would not exceed those that were previously consented for Block Fen Quarry and the Witcham Meadlands Quarry, another approved quarry next to the proposed site.

The mineral extraction would not be close to homes and the hours of operation would be permitted to 7am until 7pm from Mondays to Fridays and 7am until 1pm on Saturdays. The council said it has also “taken into consideration” the other concerns raised by the consulted authorities.

Zavinta Petrosiute died from “multiple traumatic injuries”, an inquest heard.

A woman died after being hit by a digger truck while at work in a Cambridgeshire village, an inquest opening has heard. Emergency services were called to Pretoria Energy Mepal at around 3pm on Monday, November 7, with reports of an incident at the site.

Zavinta Petrosiute, 19, died after being hit by the truck. The inquest into her death was opened by Coroner Elizabeth Gray at Vantage House in Huntingdon on Tuesday (March 17).

The inquest heard that Zavinta had been walking across the site before she was hit. Ms Gray said she was hit by a “digger truck with a fully loaded bucket on the front”.

Emergency services were called to the scene and CPR was carried out. A post mortem found that she had died from “multiple traumatic injuries”.

Coroner Gray adjourned the opening and said there was no set date for the inquest. There is an ongoing health and safety investigation into the incident.

In a tribute shared to social media, Zavinta’s father, Alan Petrašiūtė, shared his “deepest gratitude” for those reaching out to the family to share their condolences. He said: “During this incredibly painful time of losing our daughter, we never expected to receive so much kindness, unity, and warmth from so many people.”

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Plans to build a new reservoir in Cambridgeshire have taken another step forward. Anglian Water is planning to create the Fens Reservoir between Chatteris and Doddington.

The area has been identified as one of “several nationally strategic resource options” required to address the “deficits in future public water supply”. Anglian Water has submitted a planning application to Fenland District Council for part of the reservoir works.

The plans seek permission for the continued use of 29 monitoring boreholes in land north of Chatteris of the A142 and east of the A141 Isle of Ely Way in Chatteris. A borehole is a shaft to access underground sources such as water.

The “long-term” monitoring of the boreholes is important to the overall reservoir project. The applicant said the boreholes will help “understand the groundwater conditions in proximity to the location of the future Fens Reservoir”.

The plans said the boreholes will help to understand how the conditions respond longer term, while allowing for seasonal variation and external factors such as extreme weather events. It will also provide information on the effect proposed engineering works may have on the environment.

Anglian Water seeks to retain the boreholes for four years. It added: “Once the boreholes have provided sufficient information they shall be decommissioned and the ground at surface level reinstated to the satisfaction of the landowners.”

The Fens Reservoir is one of two proposed as nationally significant, with other plans to create a reservoir in Sleaford. Anglian Water has partnered with Cambridge Water for the Fens Reservoir.

It is hoped the reservoirs will improve water resources for more than three quarters of a million homes in some of England’s most water-stressed areas. The Fens Reservoir is set to supply 87 million litres a day to 250,000 homes and is hoped to be completed by 2036.

One person said the high street “isn’t the place it used to be”

Locals say their town’s high street needs to be improved, as it has “no banks” and they have to travel further away for a “big food shop”. People in Chatteris have said their hometown is “charming”.

However, as in many high streets across the UK, they say that their shops are disappearing and places are being left vacant. Like many others, people living in Chatteris wish to see their high street improved.

Andrea Moat, who runs the “busy” Elizabeth’s Florist in Chatteris, said it is a “pity” the high street is looking more empty. She said: “It’s a pity there is not a big supermarket closer. People have to travel further out of town. There are also no banks. It’s harder for older people.”

People are able to use Chatteris post office for banking, which Elizabeth said is “really good”. However, the nearest bank is Lloyds in Ely, which is a 21-minute drive away, or Nationwide in St Ives, which is a 28-minute drive away.

Andrea doesn’t run an online service for her florist. She added: “We have a website, but if you want to order then you have to come into the shop. I think there should be a personal service. We are always busy.”

Joan Bridges said Chatteris is a “really lovely place”, but it “lacks somewhere for a big food shop”. She added: “You tend to have to travel a bit for a supermarket. It isn’t the worst thing, but for someone like me who’s a bit older, it tends to be a bit harder.”

Rob Hudson believes the town “isn’t the place it used to be”. He said: “When I first moved here, it was a great place full of friendly people. Now the high street is more empty. The people are the same and friendly, but the high street isn’t the same.”

The warrior queen is one of the most famous figures in British history

One of the most famous warrior queens that fought against the Romans has links to a quiet Cambridgeshire town. Boudicca is one of the most famous figures in Roman history. But what people might not know is of her strong links to Chatteris in the Cambridgeshire Fens.

Not only was she the queen of the British Iceni tribe, but she led a major revolt against the Roman empire during the Roman’s conquest of Britain. Boudicca was married to Prasutagus, and the couple shared two daughters.

Prasutagus ruled as an independent ally of Rome and in his will, he left his kingdom to his daughters and the Roman empire. When Prasutagus died, his wishes were ignored and the kingdom was seized by the Romans.

In rebellion, Boudicca gathered together over 120,000 soldiers and led a revolt against the empire. This revolt took place throughout England.

Boudicca’s army famously burnt down Camulodunum (Colchester in Essex), Londinium (London) and Verulamium (St Albans). Around 70,000 to 80,000 Romans and Britons were killed by Boudicca’s army.

However, Boudicca’s army fell to defeat after a battle that is believed to have taken place in the West Midlands. This resulted in Boudicca’s death.

Although most of the battle took place elsewhere, it crossed parts of Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. This was before county borders existed, but remnants of the Icenic tribe are still present in Cambridgeshire today.

More notably, in Chatteris. The market town is believed to contain Brittonic elements. These are in the form of Celtic names, which suggest original Britons may have settled in Chatteris.

With Chatteris being nearly Ely, it would have also been within the boundaries of the Iceni tribe. It’s even possible that Boudicca may have journeyed through Chatteris, as well as men from the areas that travelled to join her revolt.

Another strong link that the town and county has to the Iceni tribe is that after the battle defeat, the descendants of those who fought are believed to have survived the longest in the Fens. In 2015, Chatteris Museum held an exhibition dedicated to Boudicca.

Some residents are unable to shower or do daily chores due to a lack of water.

Thousands are still facing water problems as a result of a “complicated” pipe repair. People in Chatteris continue to be left with “very low” water pressure as a result of damage to a pipe in the water supply.

Anglian Water previously told CambridgeshireLive around 2,700 residents were affected. Residents have been experiencing problems since January 29. These were due to be fixed on February 1.

However, they have now been told the issue is not expected to be resolved until 5.30pm on Friday (February 13). Demi Scott, who previously told CambridgeshireLive she was unable to work as a result of the lower pressure, is still experiencing problems.

She said: “There is not enough water to clean the house such as clothes washes, dishwater or hand washing.” She and her family are also unable to shower.

Demi added: “We are behind on daily house work. There is no shower water available for us to shower and I am worried about work and not having water.”

Lawrence Weetman said water pressure has been “noticeably lower than usual”.

An Anglian Water spokesperson said it apologises for people still experiencing problems.

The spokesperson added: “These problems are all knock-on issues from a third party contractor damaging one of our large diameter water mains on January 29. The damaged pipe helped supply the Chatteris area, so while it’s out of action while we repair it, we’re having to take water from other parts of the surrounding network to keep everyone on water.

“On a couple of occasions our pumps, which help to push water around the network, have struggled to cope with the amount of water coming through the smaller pipes and they’ve tripped. While our teams were able to get the pumps back online within three hours on both occasions, to reduce the chances of it happening again, we’ve made some adjustments and popped additional monitors around our network so we can keep a close eye on what’s happening.”

The spokesperson said the repair is more “complicated” than expected. They added: “Our priority is always keeping our people safe, and to get this work done our teams not only need additional equipment but also to work under much stricter health and safety rules. This means it’s taking longer than usual to do our work.”

Anglian Water has received requests from people for bottled water during the last two disruptions. A spokesperson added: “While we know it’s really frustrating for your water supply to keep being affected like this, it’s important for you to know that we don’t routinely provide alternative water supplies unless there’s an interruption lasting 12 hours or more.”