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PPP Awarded £259k DEFRA Funding for Air Quality Improvement Programme. The Public Protection Partnership have been awarded £259K from the DEFRA Air Quality grant programme to deliver an ambitious and exciting project to make improvements to air quality across Bracknell Forest, West Berkshire and Wokingham Council areas.

Reassurance of Safety of COVID-19 Lateral Flow Test. We'd like to remind everyone that COVID-19 lateral flow tests are safe to use and can be used on a regular basis. There have been inaccurate posts on social media and on-line regarding their safety, in relation to the use of ethylene oxide in the sterilization of the swabs. We urge everyone to get their facts from reputable sources.

Guidance on Pubs, Beer Gardens, Outside and Open Space to avoid noise nuisance. The Coronavirus epidemic has had a major impact in many areas of commercial activity but none more so than restrictions on the entertainment and hospitality industry including public houses.  This guidance document is issued by the PPP to assist organisers in thinking about noise issues as they prepare to re-open or plan for community and similar events.

Residents Be Alert - Roofing & Steam Cleaning Company. We would like to warn residents to be alert when dealing with tradespeople, especially those that contact you directly. We've been made aware of a company, who seem to be working in the Crowthorne & Twyford area at the moment, who are over charging on their services. They are offering roofing and steam cleaning services and are charging several thousands pounds for the work. Trading standards are currently looking into the matter.

Updated Wedding Guidance. This guidance for marriages and civil partnerships has been drafted on the basis of the scientific evidence available and will be updated in line with the changing situation and as more data becomes available on COVID-19.

First time victims of fraud go on to lose £373 million to repeat frauds – with victims of at least one investment fraud worst affected. Data from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) at the City of London Police has revealed that over £373million was lost by repeat victims of fraud in the financial year 2019/20, with the average repeat victim losing £21,121. However, when someone was reporting at least one investment fraud, this figure jumped 300 percent to £84,604.

Council Tax Scam - West Berkshire. Earlier today (17th March 2021) there was a phone call into West Berkshire Council switchboard from an elderly gentlemen advising that a lady called Kimberly Collins, from council tax, had called them to take a payment over the phone for council tax arrears. They were advised no one under that name works for West Berkshire Council. Unfortunately his wife had already given 'Kimberly' their bank card. We are working with the couple to help them see if they can stop the payment.

Summary of traffic weight restrictions monitoring for February. There were 33 monitoring instances during which 20 traffic weight restriction breaches were witnessed.

SME Brexit Support Fund opens for applications. From yesterday (15 March), smaller businesses can apply for grants of up to £2,000 to help them adapt to new customs and tax rules when trading with the EU.

New findings highlight a surge in the proportion of scam and nuisance calls as callers target people over the age of 70 to exploit new and unfamiliar processes associated with COVID-19, such as applying for swab tests and vaccines.