Western Daily Press
Opening of huge drone site ‘clear win for town’
AHUGE centre that will be used for testing drones for warfare has opened in Swindon. The facility is based at the vast 370-acre Panattoni Park site, which previously housed Honda’s car plant until it closed for good in 2021. At 545,000 sq ft, the...
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Lost ‘Only Fools’ scripts reveal Del Boy’s last joke
LONG-LOST Only Fools and Horses scripts including the last joke Del Boy made before becoming a millionaire that was cut from the show have been found. The historic documents include previously unseen gags and scenes that didn’t make it to broadcast...
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Your carriage awaits! Royals enjoy Ascot day out
PUNTERS packed the stands for the traditional royal carriage procession at Royal Ascott as the King, Queen and their guests rode along the course. West-based royals enjoyed their traditional day out at Ascot yesterday. Charles and Camilla were joined...
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Boy claims Aria died of knife injury in ‘playfight’
ATEENAGE boy Googled “What happens if you kill” minutes after stabbing a nine-year-old girl to death, a court heard. The 16-year-old, who the court heard was a heavy mobile phone user, stabbed Aria Thorpe once in the chest at a house in...
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Prison workers watched TV while inmate died
OFFICIALS at Bristol Prison sat watching TV and ignored a distress alarm while a vulnerable young inmate used materials in his cell to strangle himself, a court has heard. Georgie Smith activated his cell bell at 4.11am on January 2 2024. Two...
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‘Bristol Dockyards’ is next port of call for ship and heritage site
ONE of Bristol’s most famous attractions is ditching its historical name in a drive to become more inclusive, it has announced. Brunel’s SS Great Britain – the city centre docklands site that is home to the ocean liner of the same name – will drop the...
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‘Britain’s armed forces are on brink of disaster’
BBRITAIN’S armed forces are on the “brink of disaster” because of a lack of investment, the former head of the Royal Navy has said. Lord West of Spithead, who led the force for four years in the early 2000s, said the Government should make clear how...
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UK food imports ‘at risk’ from El Nino heat stress
UK food imports could be coming under further pressure from climate impacts as farmers producing supermarket staples in poorer nations are increasingly unable to work because of heat stress, experts have found. Agricultural workers who produce...
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‘Humans’ nudged Stonehenge altar stone along on its journey
STONEHENGE’S six-tonne altar stone was likely transported more than 400 miles through a mix of glacial movement and human endeavour, according to new research. The story of the stone at the heart of megalith structure on Salibury Plain has been widely...
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‘Remarkable’ landscape named country’s newest nature reserve
A“REMARKABLE landscape” of Jurassic geology, heritage, limestone grasslands and wildlife has been declared England’s latest national nature reserve. The Cheltenham Escarpment, overlooking the Regency spa town and horse-racing centre of Cheltenham,...
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Fears for future of Cider Barn as rates soar 500%
AQUIRKY Somerset “cider barn” could be forced to shut down after its business rates bill rose by 500 per cent. Jason Law has run the Cider Barn since 2012, located off the busy A371 in the small village of Draycott, near Cheddar. The small business...
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‘Court case could bring disclosure of messages’
THE disclosure of Lord Peter Mandelson’s WhatsApp messages could come through a potential future court case, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister has said. Darren Jones, also the Bristol North West MP, said the Government cannot force the...
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Wartime aircraft flips on landing at West airfield
ACLASSIC biplane carrying two people crashed at a Devon airstrip and ended up upside-down. The pair escaped without serious injury after the Tiger Moth, an aircraft known for its use for pilot training during the Second World War, suffered a...
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Another Cool record as dad scales Everest for a 20th time
ONE of the most accomplished mountain guides on Mount Everest is not ready to hang up his boots. Briton Kenton Cool this week scaled the peak for the 20th time, breaking his own record for the most ascents of the world’s highest mountain by a...
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Reservoirs ‘dangerous places to swim in’
WITH temperatures set to hover around the 30C mark until Friday, Bristol Water is urging people not to succumb to temptation and go for a cooling dip in a reservoir. The company says it receives reports of people swimming in reservoirs it manages...
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Once food prices are up, they’re up, warns study
HOUSEHOLD food staples like bread and pasta are set to remain more expensive in the long term as a result of the Middle East crisis and El Nino weather pattern, a report suggests. Food price rises leading on from “major shocks” tend to come down only...
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Call for investigation as music fans get ‘raw deal’
MPS have raised concerns about a “climate of fear” in the live music industry and called for an investigation into potential market dominance in the sector. In a report released on Sunday, the Business and Trade Committee said the Competition and...
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Teens failed as firms ‘put profit before child safety’
TWO generations of teenagers have been failed by technology firms who put profit over child safety, the boss of Britain’s equivalent of the FBI said. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said it is not a surprise that children are not safe online because...
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Famed flute set to fetch more than a few notes
THE flute that accompanied The Beatles on their 1967 track The Fool On The Hill and played the Nutcracker Suite for the classic 1970s Cadbury’s “fruit and nutcase” television commercials is to be sold at auction. Owned by leading British flautist Jack...
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Climate extremes pose threat to our way of life
THE Government must set maximum temperature rules for workplaces and roll out air conditioning in hospitals and care homes to protect Britons against worsening climate change, advisers have urged. Ministers should even consider changing the school...
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Woman died from blast injuries, inquest hears
AWOMAN who was killed in an explosion at her home died from “penetrating fragmentation blast injuries”, an inquest heard. Jo Shaw, 35, was killed in the blast in Sterncourt Road in Bristol on May 3, in which her former partner, Ryan Kelly, 41,...
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Solving the mural mystery at home of Agatha Christie
THE BBC’s popular series Hidden Treasures of the National Trust returns for another look behind the velvet rope at some of the country’s most beautiful and historic houses. The first episode, being broadcast tonight, opens the doors to Devon’s...
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Ambulance services firm facing winding up petition
ACOMPANY that provides “vital” ambulance services across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset is facing serious legal action, the Western Daily Press can reveal. HMRC has lodged a winding up petition – a process creditors can take when a...
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Members of £2m drugs gang jailed for 36 years
MEMBERS of a Gloucestershire drugs gang that flooded the county with cocaine “worth £2 million” have been jailed. Phone videos and social media posts helped police to unmask the five men, whose ringleader advertised blocks of cocaine on social media...
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Dame Mary honoured to receive Bafta award
DAME Mary Berry has said she is “immensely honoured” to be receiving the Bafta fellowship at the annual television awards. The TV cook and former Great British Bake Off judge, 91, was yesterday due to receive the Academy’s highest honour for her...
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Eight years’ jail for rape for Superdry co-founder
ACO-FOUNDER of clothing firm Superdry has been jailed for eight years after being convicted of raping a woman after a night out drinking. James Holder, 54, of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, had gone back to the woman’s home, went to the toilet and then...
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Behind-the-scenes tour of Hinkley’s first reactor
FRESH footage captures progress inside Hinkley Point C’s first nuclear reactor – including the world’s largest steam turbine. The site in Somerset is the first new nuclear plant built in the UK in a generation and will be meeting around 10 per cent of...
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Activists guilty of criminal damage over factory raid
FOUR Palestine Action activists have been found guilty of raiding an Israel-based defence firm’s UK site and destroying equipment with sledgehammers and crowbars in a bid to shut the factory down. Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio and Fatema...
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Three injured in blast at house can leave hospital
THREE people, including a child, who suffered minor injuries in a “suspicious” explosion at a house in Bristol are no longer being treated in hospital, police said. A major incident was declared by Avon and Somerset Police after two people died...
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Man and woman dead, three hurt in explosion
AVON and Somerset Police have declared a major incident after an explosion at an address in Sterncourt Road, Bristol, at 6.30am yesterday. A man and a woman died and three people, including a child, were taken to hospital following the “suspicious”...
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Co-founder of Superdry denies rape accusation
THE co-founder of clothing firm Superdry raped a woman after a night out drinking, a court has heard. James Holder, 54, went back to the woman’s home, went to the toilet and then promptly fell asleep on her bed. The fashion boss then woke up,...
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Don’t lose momentum on end-of-life care, say charities
MOMENTUM on the need for better end-of-life care sparked amid the debate on assisted dying must not be “wasted”, charities have warned the Health Secretary. Wes Streeting, right, is being urged by the specialist palliative care and hospice...
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Two more convicted for part in cocaine boat plot
TWO further men from Preston have been found guilty in connection with a cocaine haul valued at £26.5 million that was collected off the Somerset coastline. Colin Benson, 60, and Joshua Rose, 38, both residing in Longton, Lancashire, were apprehended...
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Call to celebrate what we have in common on St George’s Day
SINGER and activist Billy Bragg has called on people to celebrate shared values and identity this St George’s Day and to “resist hateful division”. He is supporting a campaign promoting unity ahead of the England patron saint’s day today. Last summer...
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Murder bid arrest after man shot in West town
RESIDENTS have described hearing gunfire and keeping “terrified” children inside their homes after a man was shot on their street on Monday evening. The shock attack happened at around 7.10pm on Butler’s Field in the Cotswolds town of Lechlade, near...
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Motorist guilty of causing death of Take That fan
A DRIVER who killed a woman on her way to a Take That concert and then claimed she’d had an epileptic seizure behind the wheel has been found guilty of causing her death by careless driving, writes Tristan Cork. After a week-long trial, a jury found...
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Teens who deliberately drove into cyclist jailed
FOUR teenagers who deliberately ran over a young cyclist in a stolen Mini leaving him with a bleed on the brain have been jailed for more than 20 years. A judge said the four teenagers were ‘hunting as a pack’ and had run over two other people earlier...
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Activist told Elbit guard ‘this place won’t be here’
APALESTINE Action activist told a security guard “this place is not going to exist tomorrow” during a raid at the UK site of an Israel-based defence firm, a jury has heard. Charlotte Head, 29, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, Fatema Rajwani, 21,...
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‘Flawed web ban risks a false sense of security’
AFAILING social media ban would create “a false sense of safety that quickly unravels”, an online safety campaigner has warned before a debate in Parliament about children’s digital rights. Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation,...
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Murder probe: Body of man found in garden
AHIGH-PROFILE murder investigation will continue into the weekend following the discovery of a man’s body in South Gloucestershire. The victim, who was in his 20s, was found with fatal injuries at the back of a garden near a path behind houses on...
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Daughter to follow in dad’s tracks at helm of mini railway
CLEVEDON’S beloved miniature railway is set to be restored – with the daughter of the man who ran the iconic Rio Grande train planning to bring it back to the town. The miniature railway which loops around the Salthouse Fields next to Clevedon’s...
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Firm brands campaign of protests ‘deplorable’
BOSSES at a defence company on the edge of Bristol that has been the subject of years of protests and direct action over their links to Israel have hit back, and said the campaign against them is “deplorable”. Elbit Systems told our sister website...
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Give UK farmers a ‘level playing field’, MPs urge
RURAL Labour MPs have called for a “level playing field” and Australian-style origin labelling to help make British farms more profitable. With British farmers facing a “perfect storm” of higher costs, more regulation and tougher competition from...
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West politicians herald potential of ‘new town’
MINISTERS have selected seven locations for new towns to be built across the UK – with the West at the forefront. Each proposed location is expected to deliver at least 10,000 homes, with several, including South Gloucestershire, being in line to...
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Gnomes back in business after flower show lifts ban
GNOMES will be making an appearance at the worldfamous Chelsea Flower Show as organisers lift their “gnome ban” for the second time in history. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said it was inviting celebrities to decorate gnomes to feature in...
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£19m will see pier ‘become a symbol of Weston’s comeback’
HERITAGE vessels could once again call at Birnbeck Pier thanks to £19m of government funding announced today for the iconic Weston-super-Mare attraction. The investment will fund the restoration of the buildings on Birnbeck Island and support the...
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Farm inheritance battle reaches the High Court
THE Government denied farmers a voice “when a voice was promised”, the High Court has been told in a challenge over inheritance tax changes. Farmer Thomas Martin, his father George Martin and the campaign group Farmers and Businesses for Fair Tax...
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Flood defence projects to share £1.4bn funding
MORE than 600 projects aimed at better protecting communities from flooding will receive a share of £1.4 billion, the Environment Department (Defra) said. The money, which had already been earmarked for flood defences, will be allocated to more than...
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Protest outside city shop after teenager attacked
ANGRY protesters gathered outside a Cabot Circus store in Bristol on Saturday following a vicious street attack on a child. Around 20 people assembled at lunchtime outside the Zara store. They could be heard shouting “shame on you” or “shame on Zara”...
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‘Monster’ is jailed for 27 years for child sex abuse
ASEX offender described as a “monster” has been jailed for 27 years after pleading guilty to rape and several other non-recent sexual offences against children. Philip Garrett, 70, inset, of Berrow, near Burnham-on-Sea, was sentenced at Taunton Crown...
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Couple attacked month before Calocane killings
VALDO Calocane attacked two members of staff when he was working at a warehouse a month before he committed the triple killings in Nottingham, an inquiry has heard. The killer fatally stabbed University of Nottingham undergraduates Barnaby Webber,...
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Fjords’ freezing waters no barrier to the Marines
SPECIALIST Royal Marines carried out reconnaissance missions in the freezing fjords of Northern Norway ahead of a major Nato Arctic operation. The Shore Reconnaissance Troop (SRT) from the expert Commando Force Boat Operators branch are trained to...
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Bombers’ arrival at West airbase sparks protest
DEMONSTRATORS gathered outside a Gloucestershire RAF base to protest against America’s bombing campaign against Iran on Saturday. RAF Fairford is being used by US forces as a base to strike Iran. Multiple US bombers have been spotted at the base in...
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Flying Scotsman on track to mark 50 years of West railway
THE world’s most famous locomotive is returning to the West this autumn to mark the 50th anniversary of a cherished heritage rail line. The Flying Scotsman will thrill crowds and those lucky enough to ride aboard carriages hauled by the celebrated...
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Strictly dancing for MPs ‘while world teeters on brink of WW3’
STRICTLY Come Dancing stars including Angela Rippon and Alex Kingston cha-cha-chad across Parliament’s Portcullis House with MPs yesterday. Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle danced with Rippon after welcoming the celebrities from the BBC programme to...
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