Industry

Scaffolding has gone up around buildings on a town's waterfront as part of fire safety work.

Cladding on buildings at Regatta Quay, Ipswich, Suffolk, will be replaced to meet regulations, with some windows being upgraded, according to planning documents.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said it was working with the development's owners after some cladding was found to be non-compliant.

It came after planning permission was granted in 2024 for cladding replacement across other parts of the development.

The latest planning application said all existing brickwork at lower levels will be removed and dark copper cladding installed, whilst windows at higher levels will be replaced with ones less likely to leak with greater wind resistance.

The Regatta Quay development is one of the latest sites in Ipswich to undergo fire safety improvements.

Residents at the nearby Cardinal Lofts were forced to leave their homes after serious defects were found.

People living in St Francis Tower also had to move out after a water leak in the tower block flooded much of the building, which is also undergoing cladding repairs. They are due to return in 2025.

The planning application for the latest works was lodged in April 2024 and has yet to be decided upon by Ipswich Borough Council.

Regatta Quay is owned by Regatta Holdings Ltd, which the BBC has been unable to contact.

However, its planning agent, and the firm hired for the work, have been contacted for comment.

Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with suspected hoax 999 calls.

The calls were made to Cumbria Police in Barrow-in-Furness on Saturday and the suspects were arrested on Easter Sunday.

Cumbria Police said it takes hoax calls very seriously as they use up "valuable emergency resources".

The teenagers have been released on bail while further enquiries are carried out.

A force spokesperson said hoax calls can slow down "responses to genuine emergencies and could potentially put the lives of others at risk".

"Those people at risk could be your friends or family," they said.

Plans for a major commercial development near Scunthorpe have been announced.

Property and regeneration specialist Hargreaves Land has unveiled plans for Forge Point, a 77-acre employment park near to junction 3 of the M180.

The site is part of a mixed-use area set out in the Lincolnshire Lakes Area Action Plan.

The plan supports the development of a high-tech business park, offices and hotel.

The Lincolnshire Lakes scheme is expected to create 6,000 new homes, 550 of which are proposed on land the opposite side of the M181 roundabout where the employment park would be accessed from.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Hargreaves Land said Forge Point would offer a range of options for commercial businesses, including freehold and leasehold design, and build opportunities.

The site has capacity for up 959,300sq ft (89121.8sp m) of new development.

Hargreaves Land development surveyor Brady Harrison said: "As part of the wider Lincolnshire Lakes development, which is one of the largest residential development opportunities in the UK, businesses based at Forge Point will benefit from access to a new community of over 6,000 homes, alongside a range of retail and leisure offerings."

Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds latest episode of Look North here.

A former professional footballer who turned to gambling after trying to fit in with teammates is urging others with addiction to "confide in someone".

Tony Kelly was signed by Bristol City at 16 before being released, ending up playing non-league football in London two years later where his addiction began.

He told John Darvall on BBC Radio Bristol he moved to London as a "quiet" teenager who wanted to "feel a sense of belonging".

"When I saw the older players go to the bookmakers to put their football bets on, that was my way to join in," he said.

In December 2024 NHS England said nearly 2,000 people were referred to gambling clinics between April and September – up from 800 in the same period in 2023.

The Problem Gambling Severity Index is available on the NHS website.