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 With the long Easter weekend around the corner, why not make the most of it by getting out and exploring what our district has to offer!
Walking and cycling around West Berkshire is a brilliant way to connect with nature and your local community, whilst also keeping active. We have a number of walking and cycling maps available on our website that have been individually drawn to show paths and routes which are open for you to use on foot or by bike.
The maps are setup for ideal viewing on a smartphone or digital device such as a tablet. If you're thinking of exploring the district beyond our walking maps, our Public Rights of Way and Open Access Land pages provide useful information to help you enjoy trails and routes within towns and the countryside.
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Upcoming road closure - Bath Road, Speen |
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 From Monday 28 April, a section of Bath Road in Newbury - from the A34 southbound roundabout to the east of Speen Lane - will be closed. The closure will last for approximately six weeks (until Sunday 8 June) while essential mains services are installed for the new Lapwing Green development that David Wilson Homes are managing.
- A full road closure is necessary due to the scale of the works and limited space for traffic to pass safely.
- Diversion routes will be in place to help manage traffic.
- A main northbound route (via the A34/A339) will be in use for most of the works (28 April – 16 May and 19 May – 8 June).
- A temporary southbound diversion (via the A34/A343) will be active 16–19 May due to separate National Highways work.
- Access for emergency services will be maintained at all times.
- Residents directly affected by the closure will receive further details shortly.
We understand this may cause inconvenience and appreciate your patience while we work with partners to keep disruption to a minimum.
See full details and the southbound and northbound diversions on the attached maps and on one.network.
Any queries relating to the ongoing works, please contact David Wilson Homes Southern on their dedicated Customer Services email: southern@newhomecare.co.uk.
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If your recycling or black bin collection date is on Good Friday or Easter Monday we will continue to collect these as normal. Please put your rubbish or recycling containers out by 6am on your scheduled collection date.
 As part of our commitment to investing in and improving our road network, we’ve started delivering key projects from our Highway Improvement Programme.
Working with our partners, Volker Highways, our recent schemes include repairing sections of worn surface on the A339 near the Vodafone roundabout and refreshing all the lining on the A339 between the A34 and the Robinhood roundabout. Plus, resurfacing the carriageway on the service road near Chieveley Services at Junction 13 of the M4 to give this well-used route a much-needed upgrade to improve safety and ride quality for all road users.
As you can see from the before and after photos (Chieveley service road), this is a great example of how our highways investment is making a real difference on the ground.
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Keep up to date on road closures in your area by using the map of roadworks, including those of utility companies, on our website to plan your journeys. Click the link below for more information.
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 You may notice that our e-newsletters start to look a little different soon as we change providers, but don't worry, it's still us! Make sure you add noreply@info.westberks.gov.uk to your safe senders email list to ensure you carry on receiving our newsletters without interruption.
 Some pharmacies may be closed or have different opening hours for the April Bank Holidays (Friday 18 and Monday 21 April). However, we have been advised that the following pharmacies will be open:
- Boots, Newbury Retail Park – 10am to 4pm
- Tesco Extra, Newbury – 10am to 4pm
- Thatcham Pharmacy - 10am to 1pm
- Asda, Chalfont Way, Reading – 10am to 4pm
- Asda, Honey End Lane, Reading – 10am to 4pm
- Tesco, Portman Road, Reading – 10am to 4pm
Details of local pharmacies can be found by visiting www.nhs.uk.
 Quishing involves tricking someone into scanning a fake QR code with a phone or device, taking them to a fraudulent website. Because humans cannot read QR codes, it’s easy for scammers to alter them.
Action Fraud has reported a sharp increase in these scams with 1,386 reports in 2024 compared with 100 in 2019.
Hot spots include contactless payment facilities like parking meters and restaurant menus, and they have also been spotted on parcels, emails and television.
Make sure you protect yourself by following the below:
- If the QR code is on a poster check, whether it’s been stuck over the original. Laminated signs where the QR code is under the lamination or part of the original print are more likely to be genuine.
- Download the app from an official store or search the website on your phone’s internet browser, not using the QR code.
- Check the preview of the QR code and make sure the website uses HTTPS rather than HTTP, doesn't have obvious misspellings and has a trusted domain.
- Proceed with extreme caution if it points to a site asking for personal data, login credentials or financial information.
- Trust your instincts - if something doesn’t seem right, don’t share your details.
If you think you’ve been scammed, contact your bank immediately by securely dialling 159 and reporting your case to Action Fraud.
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Anyone can watch our Council and Committee meetings in person at our Market Street offices in Newbury and live on our YouTube channel to view the important decisions made by councillors on issues such as planning, waste services and schools.
Upcoming public meetings include:
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 Children aged 4 to 11 years are invited to enter the art competition now running at Theale Library, closing date Saturday 31 May.
Entrants need to create a picture of their favourite book character; this can be in any style, such as drawing, painting or a collage, and can be either colourful or black and white. Prizes will be awarded in two categories, 4-7 years and 8-11 years.
For more information and to submit your entry, please contact Theale Library.
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Hop to it: give Easter Egg packaging a second life! |
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Did you know, around 80 million Easter eggs are bought each year in the UK! However, research has shown around 25% of the weight of an Easter Egg can be packaging alone.
Now we collect plastic food pots, tubs and trays from the kerbside, most Easter egg packaging can be recycled straight from the kerbside, including cardboard, paper and plastic trays.
At present, we’re unable to accept aluminium foil and foil trays for recycling, but we’re always reviewing our services and looking for opportunities to expand what we can collect in future so watch this space.
Top tip: have you considered reusing some of the materials for arts and crafts? Find five easy Easter activities for the kids here.
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And finally...
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