Work has been ongoing since 2023 after sewers beneath the road were damaged

A major road that has been closed on and off since 2023 may finally reopen this month. Residents have been left frustrated since Barton Road in Wisbech closed, after the road’s sewers were damaged due to a new care home being built.

Due to “complex repairs,” the road has been closed. However, Anglian Water has confirmed when it hopes to finally reopen the road. The water company says it hopes to have completed works by March 19, when the road will fully reopen.

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “The work is to repair a sewer pipe under Barton Road. This has been a complex repair – something we foresaw from the beginning – because the pipe is more than five metres below ground in places, and the ground on Barton Road is soft, with naturally high groundwater levels which have been exacerbated by recent rainfall.

“We’ve been working hard with extra engineers and specialist teams, and we’re still planning to reopen the road on March 19. If anything changes, we’ll let local residents, the council and stakeholders know.”

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The owners of the building have pleaded guility in court for failing to make repairs to the historic building

Court action has been taken out against the owner of a building that is falling apart. The former Franks Butchers in Market Place, Wisbech has been left to fall into disrepair.

The Whitfield Group, the building’s owners, has been prosecuted by Fenland District Council for failing to make improvements to the building within two months. At Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on February 17, the Whitfield Group pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the order, which was issued in March last year.

The owners had done some work on the site. Councillor Dee Laws, portfolio holder for planning, said: “We hope this action sends a message to all owners of heritage buildings in Fenland that we won’t stand by and watch them degrade.

“And that now the owners of this building will do the right thing and take the action we’ve ordered to preserve this important building’s future.” The owners now must comply with the order.

The council will work with the owners to agree a reasonable, as soon as possible, deadline for the works to be achieved. While in court, the owners were ordered to pay £810 for not complying with the order. If they fail to meet the next deadline, they could face further prosecution and a daily fine of up to £500.

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Previous plans for a solar farm on the same land have been refused.

New plans have been submitted for a solar farm in Cambridgeshire, after plans were previously refused on the same site. Pathfinder Clean Energy wants to install a 49.9 megawatt solar farm on land at Treading Field in Treading Drain, Tydd St Giles, near Wisbech.

If approved, the panels would be on a 140.5 acre site. The applicants said: “The site comprises approximately 140.5 hectares (ha) and is proposed to provide a solar energy farm with a maximum export capacity of 49.9MW to the local distribution network.

“A solar farm of this scale would be expected to provide sufficient electricity to power approximately 22,388 average UK homes annually, preventing 16,200 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.” Battery storage, a substation, ancillary plant, security fencing, and CCTV cameras have also been proposed.

If approved, the solar farm would be operational for up to 40 years. Part of the land is also under the jurisdiction of South Holland District Council.

Pathfinder Clean Energy has submitted a scoping opinion application to both Fenland District Council and South Holland District Council. The applicants have previously submitted two applications for the same site, which were refused.

The latest refusal was in May 2025. The plans were blocked by the council who claimed they would be seen as a “blot on the landscape”.

Initially, it was recommended for approval as it would “contribute positively to environmental sustainability”. But officers recognised the potential harm could cause to the area’s appearance.

The plans received backlash from the public, with 36 objections submitted towards them. People argued the site was in an “inappropriate” location, and concerns were raised about a loss of farmland.

At the time, Councillor Brenda Barber called for the plans to be refused. She called for the “preservation of the Fenland landscape and recognition of the area of Fenland as critical for food production”.

Plans were also presented to South Holland District Council for its area of land. However, these were also refused.

A 70-year-old man was taken to hospital

Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a cyclist was left with “serious injuries” after a crash in Wisbech. Cambridgeshire Police were called to the A1101, Leverington Road, at around 4:45pm on Thursday (February 26).

The crash involved a white DAF lorry and a cyclist. Emergency services attended.

The cyclist, a 70-year-old man, from Wisbech, was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital with serious injuries. He remains there for further treatment.

A 58-year-old man from Spalding, who was driving the lorry, remained at the scene. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.

Sergeant Ian Leeson, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “I would like to hear from anyone who may have seen the collision, or who may have seen the bike or lorry heading along Leverington Road in the moments before, especially if you have any dashcam footage.”

An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called just before 4.40pm yesterday [Thursday 26 February] to a road traffic collision involving a lorry and bike on North End in Wisbech. Two ambulances, an ambulance officer vehicle and the Magpas Air Ambulance were sent to the scene.

“An adult man was transported by road to Addenbrooke’s Hospital for further assessment and treatment.”

Anyone with information can report it online through the force website or by calling 101 quoting incident 376 of 26 February.

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The fire involved a large amount of refuse

Firefighters were called to a suspected arson attack on a former pub in a Cambridgeshire town. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to a fire at a building on Norfolk Street in Wisbech.

A crew from Wisbech attended the scene at 11.53pm on Tuesday, February 24. Firefighters arrived to find a fire involving a large quantity of refuse.

The firefighters used a hose reel to extinguish the fire. The crew had returned to their station by 12.30am.

A crime for arson has been raised with Cambridgeshire Police and an investigation in ongoing. Police are asking for anyone with information about the incident to come forward.

Anyone with information or CCTV footage can report it to the police through the force website using the reference 35/14874/26.

A Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “At 11.53pm on Tuesday (24) a crew from Wisbech was called to a fire in the open on Norfolk Street in Wisbech.

“Firefighters arrived to find a fire involving a large quantity of refuse. The crew used a hose reel to extinguish the fire and returned to their station by 12.30am.”

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “We received a report yesterday (26 February) of a fire at a building in Norfolk Street, Wisbech, on 24 February, at about 11.40pm.

“A crime of arson has been raised and an investigation is on-going.”

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The man has been jailed for over a year.

A man who punched and stamped on another man in a pub has been jailed. Kyle Harry, 36, was at the Wheatsheaf Inn in Church Terrace, Wisbech on December 23, 2025.

He and a woman were involved in an argument with another man in the outside area of the pub. The victim was punched multiple times and stamped on while he was unconscious.

Cambridgeshire Police were called and the victim was taken to hospital for treatment for cuts on his face and head. Harris, of Prince Street, Wisbech, was found nearby by later that day and arrested.

In Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday (February 25), he was jailed for 14 months. DC Lauren McKeever said: “There is no place for violence like this in Wisbech.

“Harris’ actions were shameful. I’m pleased he was apprehended nearby and has now appeared in court to answer for his behaviour.”

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