A production of Arabian Nights opens tonight at Hertford Theatre, with performances nightly until Saturday.

Directed by Andy Merrifield, the production is being staged by Hertford Dramatic & Operatic Society's Young Idea.

Performances are 7:30 nightly with a matinee at 3pm on Saturday.

Tickets cost £11.50 (£9.50 for concessions) and are available from the Hertford Theatre box office on 01992 531500.

Work has started on a bridge linking Sainsbury's new supermarket with the town centre.

The bridge will provide a link from the brewery site in to town via Little Hartham and Bull Plain.

Work had been delayed due to nesting swans on Little Hartham. The cygnets hatched last week and Sainsbury's have now moved on the the Folly Island site to start work.

The supermarket is scheduled to open during the Summer.

Hertford Theatre is staging an exhibition by local photographer Mark Bryan.

Trading Faces features photos of working people from Hertfordshire, portrayed in their typical working wear with a tool or prop of their profession.

The photos are on display in the theatre's recently refurbished cafe area and is free.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of GBH after a serious assault at The Stone House on Friday 23rd March.

Officers were called to Bull Plain at 1.10am after a man was punched and kicked to the ground by two offenders.

He lost consciousness as a result and suffered a fractured jaw.

Police have now appealed for information about a man they'd like to speak to in connection with the incident.

He is described as a black man of medium build, aged in his 30s. He has dyed blond or orange hair, and was wearing a bright red zip up tracksuit top with the logo DW on the front, dark trousers and white trainers.

DC Dieter Sweeting, who is investigating the incident, said: "I'd urge the man pictured or anyone who believes they know him to get in touch with me as soon as possible."

Anyone with information about the incident should contact police on the non-emergency number 101.

Local kids boutique Boutini is the latest Hertford retailer to move in to click & bricks.

The St.Andrew's Street business was started four years ago by fashion designer Jane Meekcoms, who hand picks all the products herself.

The business has now expanded online and offers free delivery on all orders over £20.

The site was designed by local company Amber Design & Marketing, who also number 1409 Hair and The Snug amongst their clients.

www.boutini.com
www.amberdesignandmarketing.co.uk

The public are being asked to submit ideas for a public work of art to be installed on the approaches to Hartham Common.

Sainsbury's has provided £10,000 for the installation of the artwork as part of the planning permission for its new supermarket.

Members of the public are being invited to submit draft proposals for the design and installation of the work.

A site has been identified for the installation. As a focal point on the approaches into the common it marks a natural gateway into Hartham. While other locations may be considered, the art and its siting need to be related to the new supermarket.

As well as striving for innovation and originality, applicants are encouraged to consider local environmental and historical contexts when developing their concepts.

Draft submissions will be considered by a panel consisting of local arts professionals. Before the commission is finalised, a consultation exhibition will be held nearby for shortlisted designs for two weeks. The winning entry will be commissioned as soon as possible after that.

The deadline for submissions is 12noon on Monday July 9.

A new "vintage" shop has opened in Railway Street selling furniture, clothing and coffee.

The Dog & Whistle Pop Up shop occupies premises between Clock Cards and Peter's Table. Customers are offered coffee in a small outside area behind the shop.

Residents and visitors are being encouraged to enjoy the markets, history, culture and street ambience of the county town during the first Hertford Live! Week, organised jointly by Hertford traders and Hertford Town Council.

Alongside street performance, the first Herford Live! Week programme builds on some of the strong Hertford cultural offer already planned, including the Hertford Art Society's Annual Open Exhibition and Courtyard Arts Exhibition, a Herts Symphony Orchestra concert, Hertford Dramatic & Operatic Society's Arabian Nights performances, and the weekly Soundbites Lunchtime concert series at All Saint's Church. At lunchtime on Wednesday 16 th May students of Performing Arts from Harlow College will be performing at three sites around the town. On Saturday 19th May a number of musicians and street performers will be performing around the centre throughout the day.

A Live Cookery Demonstration by Andrei Lussman of Lussman's restaurant in Fore Street will take place alongside the Farmers' Market on Saturday 12th May, and fitness demonstrations are amongst the events planned to add to the street ambiance and to promote the various markets that operate in Hertford.

A number of walks have been arranged including the first of a new historic Crime and Punishment walk to be run this summer. This will be held on Friday 18th May at 7.30pm. East Herts Ramblers have also arranged an Orbital Walk around Hertford on Tuesday 15th May, starting from Panshanger Picnic site, Thieves Lane at 10.00am.

Clothes left at council recycling points are being resold in upmarket "vintage" shops, with a cut of the profits going in to council coffers.

An investigation by a Sunday newspaper has revealed that clothes left at recycling points operated by Waste Aware are being sold in "trendy boutiques" and "fashionable stores".

Councils in the county have removed charity clothes banks and signed deals with recycling companies to run replacement banks and sell the clothes on the open market, netting some £160,000 for the councils.

Residents are advised to take unwanted clothes directly to charity shops rather than using the council recycling points.

A home was hit by lightning last night, damaging signaling equipment at nearby Hertford East Station.

The home in Albion Close took a direct hit shortly before midnight, causing serious damage to the roof and interior.

Network Rail engineers were on site shortly after to assess the damage and carry out repairs.

Trains were unable to run during the morning, with a bus replacement service ferrying passengers to Ware Station.