Barton under Needwood Parish Council

01/09/2026

Message from Staffordshire County Cllr Catherine Brown. Barton Gate crash.

I am aware and sorry to hear of the latest road traffic collision at Barton Gate/Little India junction on Saturday night. Over the last 6 months I have been discussing with SCC at length the previous RTCs and requested meaningful changes at this junction. There is a new Give Way sign at the end of Forest Road that may not be on certain pictures. The community highways team are still waiting for investigation information from the last serious crash before any further review can take place. I have already been in touch with the highways team this weekend and asked them for an update at their earliest convenience. I have also been in direct contact with residents and Cllr Bev George. I will continue to press for meaningful changes.

Please contact me for further information: [email protected]

27/08/2026

Your invitation: The People’s Emergency Briefing
Free event - Monday 19 October

Dear Siobhan,

We are delighted to invite Barton under Needwood Parish Council to a special viewing of The People's Emergency Briefing on Monday 19 October at either 2pm or 5.30pm, hosted by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust at The Wolseley Centre, Wolseley Bridge, Stafford, ST17 0WT.

We've experienced a summer of record-breaking temperatures and unprecedented heatwaves, with landscapes scorched by drought and devastating fires threatening homes, wildlife and precious natural habitats. Wetter winters and more intense storms are also placing greater pressure on rivers, streams and communities.

The People's Emergency Briefing is an eye-opening 50-minute film featuring nine of the UK's leading climate and nature scientists and experts. The briefing explores how environmental changes are already affecting issues that matter to us all, including extreme weather, food security, health and wellbeing, and the cost of living.

Afterwards, we'll explore what these issues mean for Staffordshire, share how our work is showing that nature can be part of the solution, and discuss practical actions we can take.

Discover how nature recovery is making a difference in Staffordshire

You may have attended a briefing earlier in the year, but this one is different. We'll be discussing some of our recent projects, including the wetland restoration work currently underway at Doxey Marshes on the River Sow, being delivered in partnership with the Environment Agency. This will offer an insight into how restored and healthy habitats can play a vital role in securing the county's future.

We thought this event might be of particular interest to your council:
• If you're not planning to host your own screening, we'd be grateful if you could help promote ours to local residents through your website, social media channels or parish newsletter.
• If you're considering running a screening in the future, this is a great opportunity to see the film and find out more.
• If you've already shown the briefing but some people missed it, we'd appreciate it if you'd let them know about our event.
Whether you're simply curious to learn more, or are already involved in environmental issues, everyone is welcome.
Please feel free to share this invitation with colleagues, friends and family. This event is free to attend and is recommended for those aged 16+. Spaces are limited, so booking is essential.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-peoples-emergency-briefing-tickets-1998529955897?aff=ebdsoporgprofile&_gl=1*m17zmj*_up*MQ..*_ga*NDU3OTY5NjIyLjE3ODc3MzEzMDc.*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3ODc3MzEzMDYkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODc3MzEzMDYkajYwJGwwJGgwJGRQdTBZV2Fxa1o0NlVPYlgyOXdhclpGTFpwMy15aEF1a1ZB&utm_source=Corporates+and+organisations&utm_campaign=824d63d055-EMAIL_WELCOME_CNC_30.03_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9be2e66061-824d63d055-476557516

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Watch this special screening of this eye-opening film and hear how SWT's work is showing that nature can be part of the solution.

25/08/2026

Barton Fishpond Tree Works

The Parish Council have been working with the Environment Agency to improve the water quality in the pond including reducing the algae growth which discolours the water and has caused the de-oxygenation of the water in the very hot weather leading to fish deaths; most noticeably in the heat waves earlier this summer.
The high levels of algae are caused by the nutrient enrichment of the water due to breakdown of the large amount of leaves that fall into the pond each autumn, especially from the trees at the margins along the Efflinch Lane side.
The Parish Council have agreed a management plan with the Environment Agency’s Fisheries Officer to significantly reduce the nutrient enrichment and Tree Surgeons will carry out pollarding and coppicing of the Willow and Alder trees along the edge of the pond this week; before the school terms starts, and to prevent this years ‘crop’ of leaves falling in the water and increasing the existing problem.
‘Pollarding’ means reducing the canopies of trees to a smaller number of stems between 2-3m high.
‘Coppicing’ means reducing the trees to around 1m above ground level.
In both cases these trees will naturally re-grow from the cut points; and afterwards the Parish Council will carry out further selective pruning over the years to manage the trees so that extent of the tree canopies is kept smaller than in the past. It will also mean there is more of a mix of age groups so not all the trees are pruned at the same time in future.
There are also some dying Alder trees on the Potters Way side of the pond which will be felled to ground level as they are potentially dangerous. These may re-sprout from the stumps and any regrowth will be managed in the same way as on the Efflinch Lane side.
Works are programmed for this Thursday and Friday 27 & 28 August and there will be no access or fishing along the Efflinch Lane side of the pond on those days whilst the work is under way.
Please respect the warning signs and barriers that will be in place for your safety.

For more information on the Fishpond Management Plan and EA Fisheries reports please visit the PC’s website:
https://www.bartonunderneedwood-pc.gov.uk/Fish_Pond_30586.aspx
Or contact: [email protected] Tel: 01283 716059

Fishing is free for Barton residents only - Photo ID must be shown with proof of address All anglers must also have a valid Rod Licence as per Environment Agency Rules:- Under 12s - no licence required Ages 13 - 16 - licence (free of charge) Ages 17 onwards - Full licence required

24/08/2026

Exciting progress at Holland Sports Club!

Members of Barton Parish Council had the opportunity to attend a site meeting at the new Holland Sports Club today — and we were all blown away by how incredible it’s looking!

The changing rooms are really taking shape, the gym is enormous, and we can now really see the function room and all the fantastic facilities coming together.

It’s going to be a brilliant asset for Barton providing facilities that will serve the village for many years to come. We can’t wait to see it finished! 👏⚽🏋️‍♀️🏉🎾🏏🤩

18/08/2026

Message from your County Councillor, Catherine Brown:
As you may be aware, Diamond Bus amended Service 12 to no longer serve Kings Bromley and Yoxall on 19 June 2026, with those changes due to take effect at the end of August. Following this, Staffordshire County Council tendered for and awarded a supported service for these villages, which was due to commence in September 2026. On Friday 14 August 2026, Diamond advised the County Council that they would be withdrawing their de-registration of the commercial service. Therefore, the service will be continuing as it is currently, and the new timetable which you may have seen is now void.
Staffordshire County Council recognises that this situation may have caused confusion. However, the Council's priority throughout has been to ensure the continuation of bus services for residents in Kings Bromley and Yoxall

06/08/2026

A controlled explosion has been carried out by specialists from Explosive Ordnance Disposal on the suspected WW2 bomb at a quarry in the Barton-under-Needwood area this evening.

The cordon has been reduced from 900m to 200m, which will be removed fully this evening.

A small number of residents who had been evacuated are returning to their properties.

The A38, and other closed roads, will be re-opened to traffic.

06/08/2026

Staffordshire Police are continuing to work with specialist colleagues from Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) at the site of a suspected unexploded WW2 bomb in the Barton-under-Needwood area.

The quarry site, on Walton Lane, remains closed. A 900-metre cordon is expected to be in place between 6pm and 8pm. A successful detonation may mean this cordon is released sooner.

A controlled explosion will be carried out by EOD specialists later this evening (Thursday 6 August).

A small number of residential evacuations are in progress and individuals are expected to be able to return to their homes later tonight.

A full road closure between Kings Bromley and Barton-under-Needwood and diversions will be in place on the A38 from 6.30pm

05/08/2026

A large cordon remains in place in the area of Barton-under-Needwood this evening, following the discovery of a suspected WW2 explosive in a quarry.

The site on Walton Lane remains evacuated and a 200-metre cordon will continue to be in place overnight.

Officers are maintaining a presence in the area alongside specialists from Explosive Ordnance Disposal.

No detonation is planned for this evening (Wednesday 5 August).

Any updates on planned activity will be posted on this page in due course.

05/08/2026

https://www.facebook.com/EastStaffordshirePolice/posts/pfbid024qBWMHAz1QKYagCvBbkaMJ7PqEMfVJagYSqvSZsH5ZtbPTrDg5ZhoaNBYcMiCksNl

A large cordon is in place in the Barton-under-Needwood area following the discovery of a suspected World War 2 explosive in a quarry.

We received a report of a possible unexploded item being found in the quarry at about 8.40am yesterday (Tuesday 4 August).

The site on Walton Lane has been evacuated and a 200-metre cordon has been put in place.

Officers remain in the area while specialists from Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) work to assess the explosive and bring the incident to a safe resolution.

In the rare occasion that you come across something you believe to be an explosive, please do not pick it up or tamper with it in any way.

Maintain a safe distance of approximately 100 meters if you can and make others aware in the area.

Call 999 as soon as possible.

Further updates will be posted on this page in due course.

04/08/2026

Excavation of potential Unexploded Bomb at Barton Pit Quarry near Wychnor

Heidelberg Mineral (formerly Hansons) who operate the Barton Pit Sand and Gravel Quarry have just contacted the Parish Council (1400 hrs Tues 4 Aug) to ask us to make local residents aware that their operators working the current extraction area just downstream and to the east of the A38 bridge over the River Trent (see attached plan) believe they MAY have unearthed an unexploded bomb.

Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal experts are on their way to site to assess the situation and Heidelberg or Staffordshire Police will update us as and when they have more information.

In the meantime residents should be aware that other emergency services may be attending the location due to it's proximity to the busy A38.

BPC will post any updates as or when we get them.