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10 years ago – May 8, 2014
Water warning
West Berkshire residents who were warned not to drink their tap water owing to a strange ‘odour’ have been offered £100 in compensation from Thames Water.
The water giant issued a ‘do not drink’ notice to around 1,500 homes in the RG8 postcode after reports of strange-smelling tap water were confirmed last Thursday.
Tens of thousands of water bottles were delivered to affected areas – which included Streatley, Ashampstead, Upper Basildon, Lower Basildon, Tidmarsh and parts of Pangbourne – over the weekend.
On Sunday morning, residents received the news that their water was safe to drink again.
Initial findings showed the issue was the result of “extremely low” concentrations of a chemical called styrene in the water, with the ‘odour’ coming from a newly repaired water pipe.
Thames Water has apologised and said it will send a cheque for £100 in the next 10 days to all households affected.
25 years ago – May 6, 1999
Macbeth walkout
Disgusted theatre-goers walked out of the production of ‘Macbeth – Director’s Cut’ at the Corn Exchange last Friday night, complaining of its violent and sexual content.
Almost 15 per cent of the audience left the Market Place theatre before the curtain came down on the performance by the Volcano Theatre Company.
Mrs Rosemary Thomas, from North Heath, Chieveley, said: “If I’d been on my own, I would have walked out too, but my children were too embarrassed to leave.”
Mrs Thomas, who took her two teenage sons to help with their GCSE studies, said the obscene and violent production was not suitable for children.
She said: “It was exceedingly violent and loud, and there were some very sexual scenes.
“I’m not against something a little different, but I am against the sex and violence.”
Controversial moments included a dummy child being savagely beaten by a madman and frequent suggestions of sexual acts between the actors.
Miss Katie Milledge, a spokesman for the Corn Exchange, said the arts centre welcomed unusual interpretations but, in this case, staff were unaware that the play would be as provocative as it was.
50 years ago – May 9, 1974
Ken’s on a high
Birdman Ken Messenger became Britain’s first person to ride a kite released from a hot air balloon when he winged his way down from a height of 2,300 feet above Marsh Benham on Tuesday.
Previously the feat had only been accomplished in the United States where the top release altitude record is 9,000 feet.
Conditions were described as near perfect when the Dante group’s hot air balloon Beatrice rose from a field near Bradford Farm, with co-pilots Mr David Liddiard and Mr John Green in the basket.
Dangling from it on a short tether was the 37-year-old Marlborough birdman who has made over 500 conventional kite flights, taking off from hills.
Just before making his first balloon-borne bid, Mr Messenger told a NWN reporter: “This is purely experimental and nobody knows what will happen.”
Seated in the rig under the kite’s sail, the birdman was borne up rapidly until the balloon, at some 2,500 feet, was put on a descent rate of three feet per second.
This enabled the kite’s sails to inflate ready for the birdman’s free flight, and the disconnection order was shouted to the pilots.
