Chief reporter JACK TOLSON delves into the Chronicle archives from March 1998
CLAMP ON CAR TAX DODGERS
A CLAMPDOWN which will deliver a crushing blow to tax-dodging motorists was launched in Barnsley this week.
A team of wheel-clampers will take to the streets looking for vehicles without valid tax discs.
The scheme will mean dodgers having their vehicles clamped and impounded, big new fines, charges for storage - and even the possibility of them being crushed.
Roads Minister, Baroness Hayman, was in Barnsley on Tuesday to launch the campaign which, she warned, would prove very expensive to law breakers.
She said: “Being caught in this clamp-down will certainly hit the pockets of road tax dodgers much harder than the cost of an existing licence.
“Honest motorists are fed up of seeing the hardcore who continually evade paying their road tax.
“We are out to deter the evaders with the threat of inconvenience, large fines and prosecution.
“We will not be penalising those whose tax discs have fallen off the windscreens or are a few days late renewing their tax.
“Law-abiding motorists have nothing to fear.”
FIRM VIEWS HAIGH SITE FOR £1.5m SKI VILLAGE
THE machine that will make the snow for Barnsley’s planned alpine ski village was unveiled yesterday.
A Sheffield-based leisure company has two sites in mind for the £1.5m village which could include chalets, bars, a bobsleigh run - and all-year round snow.
It would come from a machine that has taken more than three years to develop and is capable of producing snow even on a hot summer’s day.
When the plans for the ski village were announced two years ago, the company said its favourite site was on Dodworth spoil heaps.
However, it is now looking at an alternative site near the M1 at Haigh.
Managing director of Speedome Limited, John Fleetham, said they were now ready to start serious planning for the venture.
“We announced plans for this two years ago but since then, we have been concentrating heavily on development of our snow-making machine.
“With its development now almost complete, we are in a position to turn our attention to the Barnsley site.
“We have very big plans for it.
“The ski village would be a flagship attraction, hopefully attracting thousands of visitors from West Yorkshire as well as Barnsley.”
BIRTHDAY A-WARD FOR YOUNG ASHLEY
FANS who sing ‘There’s only one Ashley Ward’ had better think again - there are two...
And the other one is a girl.
Just like her namesake she is quite a player - a midfield dynamo for Darton Primary’s school team.
She even models her game on his.
She watches videos over and over again admiring his touch, unselfish work rate and goal scoring ability.
Ashley celebrates her 11th birthday on Monday, so the Chronicle got together with Barnsley FC to give her an early birthday present.
We asked her to pop down to Oakwell with her mum and meet her hero.
She said: “When he first signed for Barnsley my friends used to torment me.
“But now al the girls at school are really jealous - he’s lovely.”
