Industry

The location of a new M5 junction has been revealed as part of plans for the UK's biggest electric vehicle (EV) battery plant.

A £4bn gigafactory is under construction by Agratas, Tata Group's global battery business, between Puriton and Woolavington in Somerset.

A new junction, dubbed '22A', has been designed to alleviate pressure on the motorway and will be constructed immediately to the north of the former freight line which once served it.

National Highways said it is "looking to deliver this scheme at the earliest opportunity."

An Exeter Chiefs rugby player has been banned from driving after he was caught drink-driving.

Will Goodrick-Clarke told Exeter Magistrates' Court he made a "massive lapse in judgement" during the incident in the Westclyst area of Exeter in April.

The court heard the 29-year-old's BMW driver was stopped by a routine police patrol near his home.

Goodrick-Clarke, who has no previous convictions, was banned for 12 months and fined £569.

Plans for two new padel courts at one of England's oldest golf clubs have been resubmitted after they were previously withdrawn due to concerns about the loss of trees.

The planning application by Padel X was submitted to Peterborough City Council in February, with the idea being to construct two courts in the car park of Burghley Park Golf Club, near Stamford.

However, it was withdrawn in March following recommendations by planning officers. One council officer said the proposed loss of seven trees in the original plan would be "unacceptable".

A decision will be made by the authority at a later date.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the new application was resubmitted on 9 June, with the proposed site moved further to the north west to avoid the loss of existing established trees and landscaping.

The new courts are said to provide a "strategic opportunity" to diversify the club's offerings.

Padel, which is seen as a blend of tennis and squash, has been growing in popularity in recent years and the Lawn Tennis Association estimates there are now about 800 courts and more than 400,000 players in Britain.

However, some people who are keen to play have expressed frustration at a lack of courts, and the cost to play.

The planning statement for the proposed courts at Burghley Park stated: "Padel is a rapidly growing sport that is known for its accessibility and social appeal, making it a popular and ideal addition to Burghley Park Golf Club's amenities.

"The applicant, Padel X Club, are experienced operators of such facilities and therefore have a proven track record of identifying and developing successful sites for new courts that will not only be a valuable addition to the golf club but will also improve footfall and visitors to the area, benefitting the wider local economy and community."

During the sentencing hearing, the court heard there had been heavy rain in the days before and "the river was in flood conditions" with a "visibly strong current".

On Tuesday, the court was shown photos of a weir the group was trying to navigate.

This included a section called fish pass, which was 11m (36ft) long and on an incline of about one in seven, or 14%.

The court was shown conditions on the weir on the day of the incident, with Mark Watson KC, prosecuting, explaining on Tuesday it showed "immense turbulence" of the water.

Mrs Justice Mary Stacey said the group "fell down the face of the weir" in no more than 20 seconds.

They were sucked into a hydraulic jump – or spin – a recirculating flow similar to a washing machine.

She added: "The ankle leashes attached to the boards of those stuck in the hydraulic spin, which are totally unsuitable for fast-flowing water, made it even harder for them to get free."

Mrs Justice Stacey said that the "four participants were not wearing wetsuits and one had decided that a life jacket would not be necessary."

She added there had been "no safety briefing" beforehand, none of the participants had the right type of leash for their boards in these conditions and Lloyd did not have any next of kin details.

Mr O'Dwyer initially exited the river safely, but then re-entered the water in an attempt to rescue the others.

Mr O'Dwyer, from Port Talbot, Ms Rogers, from Merthyr Tydfil, and Ms Wheatley, of Pontarddulais, Swansea county, all died at the scene.

Ms Powell, from Bridgend, died in hospital on 5 November 2021, about a week after the incident.

The judge said it was clear to her Lloyd intended for the group to go over the weir down the fish pass if possible "which would be more interesting" than carrying the boards round the weir.

Mr O'Dwyer had researched alternative routes, but all were "dismissively rejected by you", the judge said.

Mr O'Dwyer deferred to Lloyd as the company owner to decide the final route but raised valid concerns, such as the drop over the weir.

Mrs Justice Stacey said Lloyd's interest "seemed to be more in an exciting route than safety" and it was clear from CCTV she went straight down the middle of the weir rather than making any attempt to get to the side.

She added she showed "a blatant disregard for a very high risk of death".

Her lawyer told the court Lloyd took "full blame for the mistakes" that led to the deaths. He said there was a plan to get out of the water ahead of the weir but the force of the water meant she and the others were carried over it.

Mrs Justice Stacey asked Mr Elias to explain why Lloyd's arms could be seen in a "joyful, confident, triumphant" manner in the video of her going over the weir.

The judge said this gave the impression it was "all intentional," adding the gesture seemed to convey "excitement and fun".

David Elias KC, defending, responded saying this was not the case and Lloyd "simply couldn't wait for those who were coming behind her because of the force over the weir".

Mrs Justice Stacey said in her sentencing remarks said that Mr O'Dwyer and Lloyd did not intend to harm any participants.

"But you chose to lead the group over a weir in conditions that could not have been more treacherous, placing all of them in extreme danger," the judge added.

Lloyd trained as a firearms officer after joining South Wales Police following university and Mrs Justice Stacey said she would have been "well-versed" in the importance of health and safety and risk assessments.

Lloyd was sacked by the police in November 2021 for a matter "unrelated to the paddleboarding incident," the force said.

A month earlier she accepted a caution for fraud, relating to a vehicle insurance claim.

The judge paid tribute to the families of those who died for their "dignity and courage in the midst of overwhelming grief".

Det Supt Cameron Ritchie, of Dyfed-Powys Police, described the paddleboarding tragedy as "completely avoidable".

Speaking after the sentencing, Lisa Rose, specialist prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service special crime division, said Lloyd was not qualified to take inexperienced paddleboarders out in such conditions.

"There are no words that can articulate the devastation this tragedy has caused, and I can only hope that this sentence provides a sense of justice for those affected," she said.

Helen Turner, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector said the victims placed their trust in Lloyd to deliver a safe and enjoyable paddle, "but through her incompetence, carelessness and complacency she failed to plan or assess the obvious risk at the weir or to take even basic safety measures".

'Guided to her death'

On Tuesday, the court heard powerful impact statements from the families of each of the victims.

Morgan Rogers' mum, Theresa Hall said Lloyd "guided Morgan to her death" and the "physical and mental pain that I now live with is too much to bear".

Speaking to Lloyd, she said, "you, in your arrogance have stopped me being able to fully grieve for my daughter".

Nicola Wheatley's husband Darren Wheatley called Lloyd "a coward" who had "hidden behind your carefully orchestrated smoke screen".

With audible anger in his voice he said while they "cried all day" that Christmas, Lloyd was posting pictures on social media celebrating Christmas lights with her family and friends.

Mark Powell, the husband of Andrea Powell, said when he saw his wife in a coma he "burst into tears" seeing the cuts and bruises to her face and body.

Mr Powell said their son Finn "had the most amazing bond" with his mum.

When he told Finn, who was seven at the time of her death, that she had died, he burst into "uncontrollable tears" and that noise would stay with him forever.

Ceri O'Dwyer, the wife of Mr O'Dwyer, had a statement read on her behalf. She told Lloyd she was once her friend but was met with "blame, rejection and gaslighting" when she tried to "shift blame" on to her husband.

Paul made a "devastating mistake" but "died trying to save others". "Grief is in our household every single day. You carried on as if nothing ever happened," she added.

India has announced that it will stop its water from flowing over international borders.

"Now, India's water will flow for India's benefit, it will be conserved for India's benefit, and it will be used for India's progress", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.

While he did not mention Pakistan specifically, Modi's comments come about two weeks after India suspended a 65-year-old water sharing treaty with its neighbour.

Relations between India and Pakistan have declined sharply following a deadly militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir last month. India accuses Pakistan of backing cross-border terrorism – a charge Islamabad flatly denies.

On Tuesday night, India said it had launched missile strikes on nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan's military said eight people had been killed.

India said three civilians were killed by Pakistani shelling on its side of the de facto border.

• Follow live: India launches air strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Several rivers flow from India into Pakistan, providing vital water supplies to about 80% of farms there. Pakistani leaders previously warned that any attempt to stop the flow of water "will be considered as an act of war".

The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which governs the water sharing of six rivers in the Indus basin between India and Pakistan, survived two wars between the nuclear rivals and was seen as an example of trans-boundary water management.

Modi's suspension of the treaty was one of several steps he took against Pakistan after the attack, which killed 26 civilians.

The PM did not elaborate on how India plans to use the excess water, and experts say the country needs to build more dams, reservoirs and lakes to store it, which will take time to build.

The escalation prompted the US to repeat its calls for calm.

"We continue to urge Pakistan and India to work towards a responsible resolution that maintains long-term peace and regional stability in South Asia," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters on Tuesday afternoon.

The future of a Victorian bridge hangs in the balance after councillors deferred a decision to demolish it.

Boxted Bridge, which straddles the Essex-Suffolk border near Colchester, was shut over safety fears in June 2023.

Essex County Council was expected to approve a scheme to remove it on Friday, but members instead voted to conduct a site visit before deciding its fate.

Parish councillor Jon Hunt said it sent a "strong message" about seeking alternative solutions.

The steel structure was built four years before the end of Queen Victoria's reign, carrying people over the River Stour.

An inspection in 2018 found the bridge was "dangerously weak" due to corrosion of its beams.

The county council planned to demolish it and build a wider structure in its place, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillors voted to defer the demolition decision so they could inspect the bridge themselves and consider alternative options.

Labour councillor Dave Harris told the meeting: "I don't think we've got enough in front of us at the moment to do anything but either refuse or defer."

It was not specified when the inspection would take place.

NHS England is to review its current policy concerning a decision not to fund a potentially life-extending treatment devised by NHS doctors for a type of eye cancer.

The treatment, called chemosaturation, treats the cancer once it has spread to the liver – which means it is at an advanced stage.

It comes as a mum from Greater Manchester tries to fundraise more than £180,000 for treatment at the Christie Hospital.

Hannah Quigley McKie from Trafford said she was "not ready to give up" and wanted to see her children grow up.

Hannah has ocular melanoma, the most common eye cancer in adults, which she discovered after going for an eye examination.

In nearly half of patients it spreads to their liver, where survival rates have been poor.

"The NHS offered me immunotherapy but that would only extend my life by a matter of months," said Hannah.

"My family mean everything to me… I love them so much and I want to see my children grow up. I want to grow old with my husband. We've got too much life to live and we don't want to give up yet."

Chemosaturation uses a standard chemotherapy drug but in a far stronger dose than the human body could normally tolerate.

This is done by temporarily isolating the liver and flooding it with the drug, before removing it, while a patient is under general anaesthetic. It means that the rest of the body is not exposed and therefore side effects can be minimised.

It was pioneered by a group of NHS doctors in 2012 and their studies have shown a response rate of nearly 90%.

More than a year ago BBC North West highlighted the plight of Craig Shore from Glossop who was also fundraising to pay for chemosaturation treatment.

He had nine tumours but today, after three rounds of treatment, he says that has reduced to two and they are regarded as stable.

But the treatment carries risks because of the possibility the powerful drug can leak into the rest of the body.

In 2021, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evaluated chemosaturation and gave it a guarded approval.

They said it did seem to work, but there could be serious complications – so those risks should be explained to the patients and the results should be reviewed.

As a result, following NICE guidance, NHS England decided not to make the drug routinely available on the NHS.

NICE did say the risks appeared to be reducing as the technique advanced – and they would look at it again in April 2024, but that did not happen.

But, after years of campaigning by charities, NHS England has now told BBC North West it is reviewing the latest evidence to consider whether a change is needed to the current policy.

Welcome news – but that could take years, and Hannah cannot wait.

She has already received two treatments in the private wing of the Christie Hospital, and is now fundraising for another two.

"People have arranged countless different fundraisers for me. We've got football tournaments, a party boat, raffles and we've raised so much money. We're so grateful," she said.

"There's proof out there that it works. All I want them to do is give people the chance to try this".

An NHS spokesperson said: "NHS England is carrying out a review of the latest evidence relating to chemosaturation to consider whether a change is needed to the current policy that would lead to a clear clinical benefit to patients."

While fans of Norwich City wait for a new head coach to be announced, the coach of a rival Championship team has been earmarked as the favourite for the role.

Liam Manning has been rumoured to replace Johannes Hoff Thorup, who was sacked in April, as the new head coach of the Canaries.

The Bristol City head coach also had spells in charge of Oxford United, MK Dons and Belgian club Lommel.

While no formal announcement has been made, could he be the person to take the Canaries to success?

What is the story so far?

Thorup came into the club as the successor to David Wagner in May 2024.

However, he was relieved of his duties in April following a run of six defeats in eight league games with only one victory.

Under the Dane, the club won 14 out of 47 games.

After his exit first-team coach Jack Wilshire was put in temporary charge, but the club opted against giving him the full-time role after Norwich finished 13th in the table.

He joined Thorup's backroom team in October but has now left the club.

Bristol City finished the 2024-25 season in sixth under Manning, who took a leave of absence in October after the death of his son, but they lost to Sheffield United 6-0 on aggregate in the Championship play-off semi-finals.

How does Manning like to coach?

Manning, 39, favours three central defenders and a high-pressing style.

He also likes his teams to play out from the back, something which the Canaries struggled to do successfully last year.

What is his success rate?

Manning's average win percentage across his spells in the Football League with MK Dons, Oxford United and Bristol City is 43.5%.

During his time at Bristol City it is 34.1%.

Paul Lambert has the best figures of any permanent Canaries' manager in the past 25 years with 49.3%.

However, Manning has also been credited in being instrumental in the development of players such as Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice.

It was during his time working as the under-23's coach at West Ham United where he oversaw Rice's development from the under-17s to first-team regular and senior England international.

During his 16 months in charge at MK Dons, he led them to the League One play-off semi-finals.

What are his connections to East Anglia?

The Norfolk-born Manning watched the likes of Bryan Gunn, Chris Sutton and Jeremy Goss at Carrow Road when he was younger.

He had a season ticket during the Canaries' memorable 1992-93 Premier League season and the historic Uefa Cup campaign the next.

Manning succeeded the former Canaries captain, Russell Martin, when he took on his first senior head coach role in English football at MK Dons.

His long-time assistant Chris Hogg also has East Anglian connections as he is the son-in-law of George Burley, a legend at Ipswich Town, where the pair started their coaching careers in the club's academy.

A mystery painter who has daubed yellow lines on a residential street could be putting safety at risk, the council has said.

The spray-painted squiggles have appeared in Cave Road in Brough, East Yorkshire, close to the railway station.

Residents said commuters using the station have created problems with traffic and can make getting to their properties difficult.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said the lines were illegal and strongly condemned the action.

The authority said: "We strongly condemn this action, which is illegal, and could pose a safety risk as it could lead to confusion and potential accidents.

"We are aware of concerns raised by residents regarding parking and are committed to ensuring that parking arrangements meet the need of both commuters and local residents.

"Following the opening of additional parking on Skillings Lane, we are reviewing the situation."

Residents living close to the station and the newly painted lines were critical about the level of traffic in the town.

Jason Russell, 36, said his property had been affected by passengers parking outside and claimed warning notices were often "ignored".

He added: "They (whoever has painted the lines) have obviously tried to replicate real lines but people don't take notice of signs, so they won't take notice of a few squiggles.

"It's a nice idea but it won't work."

Other people called for the station car park to be expanded to stop vehicles from being parked on neighbouring streets.

David Roberts, 65, said the lines showed the level of frustration felt by many in the town.

"People get territorial about things. It's imaginative, creative, I can't condone it but I understand why they've done it. They're obviously sick of people parking there," he added.

But Mark Langton, 58, said he was concerned about the impact the lines would have on safety, adding: "You can't take it on yourself. If it causes an accident, who is responsible?"

Transpennine Express, the operator of Brough Station, said it recognised the site was busy and availability could be limited during peak times.

Commercial director Darren Higgin said: "We're currently exploring potential opportunities to enhance parking capacity.

"However, options are limited due to the lack of available land."

Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Soundslatest episode of Look North here.

Bosses at a University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) college say they are exploring a "range of strategic options" to safeguard its long-term stability and success.

UHI Perth has been dealing with a deficit of £2m, according to The Courier.

The college told BBC Scotland News it was operating within an increasingly challenging financial environment due to rising costs.

Alistair Wylie, interim chairman of UHI Perth's management board, said provision of higher and further education remained central to the institution's mission.

UHI is a network of colleges, specialist teaching centres and research institutes in the Highlands, Northern and Western Isles, Moray and Perthshire. It was awarded university status in 2011.