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Men arrested following attack at Apedale, Walleys Quarry Inquiry

Written by on 15 July 2024

Three men have been arrested after a man was attacked with machetes in Newcastle-under-Lyme in the early hours of Friday morning.  Police received a report around 12.10 that a man had been stabbed in Apedale Country Park near Chesterton.

The victim was approached by three masked men armed with machetes – he was able to drive away and went to hospital for treatment.  Fortunately, his injuries aren’t thought to be life-threatening or life-changing at this time.  All three suspects left the area in a red car.

Armed officers were deployed to search for the suspects. The car went over the border into Cheshire, prompting officers there to sting it and bring it to a stop.

Two men, a 22-year-old, from Stoke-on-Trent, and A 21-year-old, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, have been arrested on suspicion of robbery.  A third man, aged 22, from Stoke-on-Trent, was also arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent.  Anyone with any information that can help Police with their enquiries is asked to get in touch by calling 101, quoting incident 6 of 12 July.

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Two wide-ranging days of inquiry into Walleys Quarry will take place this summer on 23rd July and 14th August.

Community groups, the site operator, the Environment Agency, UK Health Security Agency, local councils and  Newcastle MP Adam Jogee have all been invited to take part by a special scrutiny committee of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.

Both days will take place at the Council’s Castle House headquarters and focus on

the impact of the continuing issue;… next steps, and by whom, to bring about resolution … and whether there have been missed opportunities to resolve the issue.

Cllr Robert Bettley-Smith, chair of the cross-party scrutiny committee, said: “We understand that people simply want an end to the problems coming from Walleys Quarry.  So a large part of the process will be focused on recording the continuing effect of this problem on our residents and looking at how we can get to where we want to be.

Simon Tagg is giving evidence in his capacity as Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. He said: “Not only will this be a very visible and important summary of where we stand after suffering this problem for far too long, it will also point the way forward.

“The Environment Agency is the main regulator of this site and although this council continues to do all within its limited powers to support residents I think there are lessons to be learned nationally about how the EA has mishandled this incident.”

The hearings will be open to the public, however space is limited and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. The four sessions will also be streamed live online and can be accessed here.