Innovation

A driver who was filmed speeding at nearly 90mph on a residential road shortly before a fatal crash has been sentenced to more than six years in prison.

Finley Lintott-Warrillow from North East Road in Southampton, admitted causing the death by dangerous driving of Brandon Cousens, 19, who was in the front passenger seat. A rear passenger survived.

The 21-year-old lost control of his Vauxhall Corsa, hitting a wall and parked cars before flying into the air in Middle Road in Sholing, Southampton.

Judge Nigel Peters KC said he was driving at speeds "more akin to a racetrack than a residential road".

In a victim impact statement Brandon Cousen's mother Charlene Cousens said he was a "kind, caring and loving child".

She said his death had left "a hole in the family's heart that can never be filled".

Ms Cousens said Brandon was "always laughing and smiling, living his life how he wanted to right up to the moment he took his last breath".

She said: "It is so heart-breaking as a family knowing that we will never get the chance to see him grow into a man, celebrate his 21st birthday, future birthdays, get married, have children and watch him live out all the dreams and life experiences he wanted in life."

Southampton Crown Court heard Lintott-Warrillow had been driving his friends home in a black Vauxhall Corsa after going out for food together in Portswood in the early hours of 5 March 2023.

Police were then called at 00:48 to a report of a collision on Middle Road, Southampton.

CCTV footage from the junction of Middle Road and South East Road, just moments before the collision, showed the Corsa being driven at approximately 87mph.

The road has a 30mph limit and had cars parked on both sides of the road.

Police investigators found that Lintott-Warrillow lost control of his car, crashed into a wall and the speed of his driving was so extreme that the car was launched at least 15m through the air after the initial impact.

Chf Insp Emma Hart said: "Brandon had his whole life ahead of him and his family has now been torn apart by the devastating consequences of that speeding. Our thoughts are with them today.

"National research has found that young male car drivers aged 17 to 24 are four times as likely to be killed or seriously injured compared with all car drivers aged 25 or over.

"I hope this sends a message to all young drivers out there to not take unnecessary risks that could see themselves or their friends killed."

A police officer sacked after racist and offensive messages he sent to colleagues on WhatsApp resurfaced won an appeal and will be reinstated.

Jack Thrumble worked for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary until April 2024 but sent the messages when he was an unpaid special constable for Dorset Police.

A Police Appeals Tribunal found a finding of misconduct should replace a previous finding of gross misconduct last month.

Mr Thrumble will be subject to an 18-month written warning and has been removed from the College of Policing's barred list.

A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesperson said the force "will now work with him regarding the next steps".

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said last year that his dismissal showed "offensive and racially discriminatory" behaviour would not be tolerated.

A new plaque remembering civilians in Canterbury who were killed in World War Two has been installed in the city's cemetery.

About 50 people who died in two major raids targeting the city's cathedral in 1942 are buried alongside each other at the cemetery.

Their graves were discovered by Canterbury Historical Association chairman Julian Waltho, who traced the names using local archives.

A short service of remembrance will be held on Sunday when the names of all of those who died will be read out.

Mr Waltho said the timing of that second raid contributed to the large loss of life.

He explained: "It took place around tea time, and the city was still quite busy with buses running and the barrage balloons had been taken down."

The aircraft were "able to fly low over the city which was caught unprepared for what unfolded", he added.

According to Mr Waltho, the discovery of the graves during a general tour was "really significant".

"Although the cemetery is really well kept there was no recognition of who the graves belonged to and there are 50 so it's a significant area," he said.

Two days before Canterbury was bombed much of the medieval city of Cologne, Germany, was destroyed by British bombers.

The attack on Canterbury was reported in the German media as revenge for Cologne.

Efforts to install the new plaque have been supported by Canterbury City Council and the Canterbury Commemoration Society.

Surviving relatives of those buried at the cemetery are invited to Sunday's service, which is due to start at 14:00 BST.

Refuse trucks have been "delayed" in Birmingham because of strike action in the ongoing bin workers' dispute, says the local authority.

Birmingham City Council posted on social media that its vehicles had been held up at some depots.

The dispute, which saw all-out action begin on 11 March after earlier on-and-off walkouts, will enter mediation talks between the authority and the union, Unite, at conciliation service Acas next week, starting on 1 May.

After residents were hit by further collection delays on Friday, the BBC approached both the council and Unite for comment.

On X, the council wrote: "As of 8.30am there are delays with our waste wagons leaving some of the depots due to industrial action by Unite the Union.

"We apologise for the current situation. Please leave bins at the edge of your property (or collection point) we'll collect asap."

'Used to it now'

It comes after it was confirmed that Craig Cooper, the council's strategic director of city operations – who previously had described it as "disappointing" that an agreement had not been reached with Unite – will leave his role in June.

The local authority announced his departure on Friday, adding that he will continue in the role until his departure, when Richard Brooks will step in for an interim period while his full-time replacement is recruited.

The council declared a major incident in March as a backlog of waste accumulated in the city with bin bags stacked several feet high.

Help came from expert army planners and disaster relief volunteers as the council tackled the rubbish heaps, and Jim McMahon, local government minister, said regular collections had been removed after at least 26,000 tonnes of waste were cleared from the streets.

However, residents in Kitchener Road, Selly Park, have told the Local Democracy Reporting Service how the bin bags pile up again soon after they are cleared.

People living there described their relief after a huge mountain of waste on a street corner was cleared two weeks ago, only to be faced with two separate heaps of rubbish by Thursday this week.

One resident said: "It's got to the stage where we're used to it now. We've just got to wait for it to be cleared and hope the dispute gets resolved soon."

Others reported seeing rats at night and foxes rummaging through rubbish and tearing bags apart.

Birmingham City Council has said a "fair and reasonable offer" has been made and "not a single worker needs to lose a penny".

Unite has said a deal could be within "touching distance" ahead of talks at Acas next week.

A food bank has launched an urgent appeal for donations, after its stock reached the lowest level in years.

Lincoln Foodbank, which is run by the charity Acts Trust in partnership with The Trussell Trust, said it was concerned about how it would continue to support local people in need if supplies run out.

Staff said the situation was due to a significant fall in donations, alongside a rise in demand.

Services manager Carolyn Bradbury said: "The situation is dire. We've got about two weeks worth of food left in the warehouse if no other food comes in. We've never had it this empty before."

She added: "We are at a point now of having to go out and buy food. We've never had to do that before, but now we are. That is a sign that donations have dropped."

Lincoln Foodbank said it sends out between 150 and 160 food parcels per week, containing at least three days worth of meals for single people, couples, and families.

But staff expressed their concern about maintaining this if supplies run any lower.

Ms Bradbury said: "We do this because we want to help people, and if there's no food we can't.

"The best way to help is just to give. Give what you can. It doesn't matter how small it is, just put it in a donation tub and we'll get it out there."

The charity is also asking those who want to help to download the BanktheFood app, which keeps track of exactly what products are needed.

There are also various donation points at supermarkets across Lincoln where dry goods can be dropped off.

The Trussell Trust, which supports a network of food banks, said it had noticed a similar pattern across the country.

"Food banks in the Trussell community across the UK are facing challenging times, with some at breaking point, as they seek to continue to serve their communities," a spokesperson said.

"The public are extremely generous with their donations of food and money. However, due to rising costs, these donations don't stretch as far as they once did."

The charity encouraged anyone who needs to use a food bank to get in touch with their local food bank to find out how to access support.

Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds latest episode of Look North here.

A woman who is believed to have been murdered while walking her dog was found unresponsive by passers-by, a court has heard.

Anita Rose, 57, was found seriously injured in her home village of Brantham, Suffolk, on the morning of 24 July.

Rachel Island, who was also walking her dog, said she thought Ms Rose had been attacked as she was found only wearing a bra on her top half.

Roy Barclay, 56, of no fixed address, is on trial at Ipswich Crown Court and denies murder.

Giving evidence, Ms Island said she was the second person to arrive at the scene.

She said she did not know Ms Rose but had seen her on dog walks before.

Ms Island said she believed an "attack had happened" as Ms Rose would not normally be out only wearing a bra and it was a cool morning.

She said Ms Rose had "laboured breathing" and patches of blood on her face.

Jerome Tassel, also giving evidence, told jurors he was on his regular cycle from his home in Hadleigh to Manningtree railway station when he found Ms Rose alone "flat on her back" across a gravel path with blood on the left side of her face.

She was breathing and making "snoring" like sounds but was otherwise unresponsive, he said.

He said her dog Bruce was lying "patiently" next to her and the lead was wrapped twice around her leg

Tracey Lea, who said she had been friends with Ms Rose for more than two years, told jurors the pair regularly walked their dogs together.

Ms Rose liked to go out early as her dog could misbehave and she did not like him to "interfere" with others, Ms Lea described.

She said that she would never go out without her phone.

Prosecutors allege Mr Barclay had taken the device and dumped it to "put the police off the trail"

Prosecutors claim that Mr Barclay had been "on the run" trying to avoid being "recalled back to prison", when he killed Ms Rose.

Mr Barclay sat in the court dock, appearing with a shaved head, grey beard and wearing glasses with a grey tracksuit.

The trial continues.

Up to 4,000 trees infected with a deadly disease that pose a risk to public safety will be felled or made safe after councillors allocated £2.8m for the work.

Bristol City Council has agreed to spend the money on felling ash trees that are in the latter stages of ash dieback – a windblown fungus that makes trees brittle – focusing on those that could collapse near roads and properties.

Part of the money will be spent on replacement tree planting, which will eventually increase Bristol's tree canopy, the council said.

The three Labour members on the public health and communities committee refused to support the plans while the other three parties voted in favour.

An area of Bradford filled with Victorian buildings which once formed the thriving hub of the city's wool industry is to be promoted in a new campaign.

Little Germany is home to 55 listed sites, but several businesses have moved out of the area, leaving many of the 19th Century buildings to be converted into flats.

A spokesperson for Impact Hub Bradford said a team had been set up to encourage more businesses, visitors and investment into the area.

James Mason, chair of the Little Germany Steering Group, said: "If this was anywhere else in the world, it would be revered, promoted and celebrated."

Heritage trails, film tours, regular cultural events and the roll-out of a series of blue plaques would all be used to promote the area, Impact Hub Bradford said.

A new website had also been launched to highlight the area, its history and buildings, and new Little Germany branding had been produced to be used on signs and promotional material.

Meanwhile, two empty buildings on Chapel Street would be brought back into public use in the coming years, according to a spokesperson for the organisation.

The campaign would have the motto "This is the story of Bradford in stone."

At a launch event on Thursday, Mr Mason said the area "might have lost a bit of its soul over the years".

"Depending on which time of year you come, you will see the area in a different light – quite literally.

"People in Bradford don't often shout about the city's successes. It is not that they hide their light under a bushel, it is that they hide that bushel under another bushel.

"It is time we celebrate Little Germany as an important part of Bradford's regeneration."

Mr Mason, who is also chief executive of West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said the new campaign coincided with "palpable momentum" to improve Bradford, spurred on by the City of Culture 2025 celebrations and the promotion of Bradford City's promotion to League One.

Kamran Rashid, who founded Impact Hub Bradford, said the success of the venture showed Little Germany was a good base for business and creative groups.

'Great city'

Impact Hub had plans to expand into 30 Chapel Street – a long derelict building that would offer much more space, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Last year, a planning application to convert the building into office and co-working spaces, complete with cafe, workshops and a conference space, was approved by Bradford Council.

Mr Rashid pointed out that Little Germany was built by European immigrants, adding: "Bradford is seen as a city of immigrants, and many say that in a negative way.

"But if you look at history, German migrants came and built this area and helped Bradford become the great city it became."

Si Cunningham, chair of Bradford Civic Society, said there was "a lot of optimism" around Bradford, but he added that promoting the city could be "exhausting and character building".

"A lot of people don't want to give up on Bradford because there are so many opportunities," he said.

Mr Cunningham explained that there were plans to refurbish existing blue plaques in the area, as well as rolling out new ones marking the area's history, such as the foundation of the Independent Labour Party there in 1893.

There would also be a number of heritage days, he said.

David West, former director of Little Germany Action, said: "It is a stunning place, but it could be so much better."

West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds

Crews from Temple, Bedminster, Southmead, Kingswood, Patchway and Avonmouth were involved in tackling the fire.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service told the BBC: "The fire has now been extinguished. Firefighters remain on the scene to ventilate the building and ensure the scene is safe."

A spokesperson said the cause of the fire is thought to be accidental and that a number of residents were unable to return home on Tuesday night due to "significant" smoke and water damage.

A rare memorial for a one-month-old baby who died in the 17th Century is being moved into public view after being rediscovered.

Anne Baynhan's parents paid a "significant" fee for her Painswick stone effigy after she died in 1632, which was "very unusual" for that period.

In December 2023, her memorial was found behind an organ at Holy Trinity Church in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, while the instrument was being dismantled for refurbishment. Following a year of fundraising, it will now go on display.

Resident John Mounsey said: "It's not just a beautiful thing, it's also a rather poignant human story from 400 years ago."

Mr Mounsey said the initial plans for Anne's memorial was to "just take photographs" of it and then cover it up.

"That can't happen, it's a beautiful thing and it's very interesting as well," he said.

Following fundraising efforts by Mr Mounsey, the memorial will be moved by stonemasons on Friday and be displayed near the church's font.

Anne's parents, Joseph Baynham and Alice Freame, did not have any other children following her death.

"It's very unusual to have a 17th Century memorial to a baby," Mr Mounsey said.

Mr Mounsey came into contact with Roger Baynham, a direct descendant of Anne's cousins, following a chance conversation with a neighbour.

Mr Baynham, who lives near Stroud, said his family was "very happy to support the movement" of the memorial.

He said some of his family have carried out "quite a lot" of research into their genealogy, so he knew there was a memorial for Anne at Holy Trinity Church but did not know where.

"Infant mortality was prevalent at that stage so it was not only a great personal tragedy, but the family was able to commemorate that in this way, which must have been some significant cost given the considerable work that's gone into it," he said.