Western Daily Press
UK may enjoy bumper year for migratory birds after cold spell
BIRD lovers could enjoy a bumper year for migratory species in their local outside spaces after cold and unsettled weather across Europe, according to the RSPB. Launching its Big Garden Birdwatch today, the charity said the recent chilly spell could...
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Study freezes out ice delivery theory for Stonehenge stones
NEW research by Australian academics has delivered the strongest scientific evidence yet that people – not glaciers – transported Stonehenge’s famous bluestones to the ancient site. The Curtin University study challenges one of archaeology’s most...
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Former crew to mark 50 years since debut flight
AEROSPACE Bristol is set to welcome its biggest gathering of former Concorde flight crew to the museum today, with excaptains, first officers and engineers coming together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the supersonic plane’s first commercial...
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Mascot shock for Mark, 60, in Hereford FC birthday stitch-up
A60-YEAR-OLD man turned out as a mascot for his favourite football team after being “stitched up” by his mates for his birthday. Mark Bond walked out onto the pitch alongside child mascots when non-league Hereford FC took on AFC Flyde in the FA...
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‘Zombie’ fungus and strange snowdrop in top new species
A“ZOMBIE” fungus, a “bloodstained” orchid and a strange snowdrop are among the plants and fungi named new to science in 2025, experts have said. Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and international partners have unveiled a list of the top...
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West star’s new fantasy role even scares his kids
HE’S best known in Bristol as the voice of the morning radio airwaves, or perhaps still as the plumber Nigel Carter, who everyone thought was the murderer in Broadchurch, but this is Joe Sims as you’ve never seen him before. The actor and presenter...
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City told to find room for 5,000 more homes
BRISTOL will have to find sites for 5,265 more homes than the tens of thousands already pencilled in over the next 15 years, a Government-appointed inspector has told city planners in a review of its Local Plan. The review means Bristol City Council...
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Six face court as man is accused of drugging and raping ex-wife
AHUSBAND accused of drugging and raping his ex-wife over a 13-year period has appeared in court along with five other men who are charged with sexual offences against her. Philip Young, 49, was remanded in custody yesterday morning after a first...
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‘Bewildered’ farmers in need of a profitable deal
THE farming sector is “bewildered and frightened”, with inheritance tax and farming payment changes causing significant ongoing concern, a review for the Government has found. The farm profitability report by former National Farmers’ Union president...
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Seven men to face trial over child exploitation
SEVEN young men will face a trial next May over a series of sex and drugs offences relating to girls as young as 14 in Bristol over more than two years. The group appeared before a judge at Bristol Crown Court for the first time yesterday, in a case...
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Lando fan: I burst into tears when he won the world title
MEET the Lando Norris superfan who has followed her hero around the world. McLaren supporter Sarah Merritt, 51, has supported the Bristol-born F1 champion since 2016 and met him ten times across the globe from Shanghai to Monaco. She says he struck...
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British Empire artefacts stolen from city museum
ACITY council says it is “deeply saddened” by the theft of more than 600 artefacts from its museum collection. Four men are believed to have gained entry to a building in the Cumberland Road area of Bristol, which houses Bristol Museums’ British...
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Carer found not guilty of manslaughter of man, 75
ACARE home worker who gave the wrong medication to a resident who later died has been acquitted of manslaughter, police said. Jane Barnard, 66, denied killing Derek Davies, 75, who lived at the care home where she was employed, Wheatridge Court in...
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AI up, Gromit – Aardman says it will ‘embrace’ tech
WALLACE And Gromit creator Nick Park has said Aardman Animations will “embrace” artificial intelligence (AI) while being “very cautious not to lose our values”. It comes as entertainment trade union Equity holds an indicative industrial action ballot...
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‘Heads must roll’ after failing build given £420k
SOMERSET Council paid £420,000 towards a failing regeneration project in Glastonbury mere months after telling the public the project had been “paused”. The Red Brick Building, on Morland Road in Glastonbury, has seen significant development as part...
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Farmers left to count cost as harvests are hit by bad weather
ARABLE farmers in the UK are facing a reduction in revenues of more than £800 million following one of the worst ever harvests, analysis suggests. The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) think tank released the estimate yesterday after crop...
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What’s in a name? Luck of the draw
WINNERS of significant Premium Bonds prizes are particularly likely to be named David, John, Michael or Susan, analysis suggests. While the winners are picked completely at random, data from NS&I (National Savings & Investments) indicates that each...
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Police arrest 31 in silent protest outside City Hall
POLICE in Bristol who arrested 30 people for silently holding up signs said they tried to explain to them before they arrested them that what the sign said constituted a criminal offence. The mass arrest on College Green took more than three hours on...
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Number in ‘asylum hotels’ rises
THE number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels has risen by 13% in three months, new figures show. There were 36,273 people staying in such accommodation at the end of September, while they were awaiting a decision on their asylum...
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‘Monster’ who groomed young girls online jailed
AMAN who groomed girls online before travelling around the country to sexually abuse them has been jailed for 15 years. Derek Johnson, 59, from Hertfordshire, was finally caught after a girl from Gloucestershire reported him. Detectives in the county...
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Murals bring Muriel’s gardening dream to life
AWOMAN who ‘dreamed’ of having a garden but couldn’t manage to look after one had one painted – onto her house. Muriel Baker, 94, said her age meant she wouldn’t be able to do any watering or weeding. But now the outside of her home in Meare, near...
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Vince calls to stop tying energy bills to gas prices
STROUD green energy tycoon Dale Vince has said Rachel Reeves should reform how energy bills are calculated at the Budget this week as part of a series of measures to save billpayers hundreds of pounds. Mr Vince, right, the founder of Ecotricity and a...
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Seven in court charged with child exploitation
ALLEGATIONS of a major child sexual exploitation ring in Bristol were made at the city’s magistrates’ court yesterday. Seven young men were charged with a total of 44 offences including multiple rapes, sexual assaults, sexual exploitation and drugs...
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Bin lorry crash injures two and leaves one dead
AMAN has died and two others were injured after a bin lorry crashed into a building in Herefordshire yesterday. The man, in his 60s, was a passenger in the vehicle which collided with a building in Mill Street in Leominster at around 6.40am, West...
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‘Greedy’ crime boss and gang members are jailed
THE luxurious lifestyle of the “greedy” boss of a Bristol drugs ring has come to an end. Joe Hatherall was found to have played a “leading role” in a lucrative operation involved in the supply of class A drugs across the South West. Hatherall, along...
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‘Jab SOS’ as experts warn 1000s could die from flu
THOUSANDS of people could die from flu this winter, experts have warned, after figures suggested the number of flu deaths more than doubled last year. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimates show that deaths from flu in England stood at 7,757 last...
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Family seek answers after mum’s fall outside hospital
THE family of a woman who died after hitting her head in a fall over a ‘trip hazard’ as she walked out of the Bristol Royal Infirmary is preparing to take legal action against hospital chiefs. An incident investigation report found mum-of-two Lorna...
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Keepers get rare insight into little rhino’s arrival
THE birth of the only white rhino born in the UK this year is being celebrated at a West attraction. Markus is the newest addition to the rhino family at Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens. He is the 12th rhino calf to be born at the Burford site in...
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Tikka rather than turkey for young festive diners
YOUNGER British adults are forsaking the traditional Christmas dinner, with almost a fifth saying they will be serving up the likes of curry, pasta or pizza instead this year. Some 17% of those aged 25 to 34 are turning away from the traditional...
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BBC ‘fully committed’ to Doctor Who
THE BBC has said it is “fully committed” to Doctor Who after it was announced that Disney+ is ending its participation in the show for the next series. Disney+ has been the home of the sci-fi show outside the UK for the past two series. Disney also...
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Typhoon deal in Turkey ‘secures 1,100 West jobs’
BRITAIN has agreed to sell 20 Typhoon jets to Turkey in a deal worth up to £8 billion that ministers say will secure more than 1,000 West jobs. Sir Keir Starmer signed the deal during a visit to Ankara yesterday, describing it as “a win for British...
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Man gets 20-year prison term for role in drug plot
AMAN who plotted to sell 4kg of cocaine in Bristol as part of a ‘multi-million pound operation’ across the South West has been jailed for 20 years. Darren Newlands was sentenced in Winchester Crown Court last week. The 44-year-old, inset right, was...
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The last dance for Strictly legends Claudia and Tess
STRICTLY Come Dancing hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly have announced they are leaving the BBC dance programme. In a joint statement shared on Instagram yesterday, the co-hosts, who have fronted the series together since 2014, said they would be...
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Water buffalo ‘to boost biodiversity on Exmoor’
WATER buffalo have been introduced by the National Trust for the first time – in a bid to restore agricultural land back to its natural state. Six female water buffalo have been brought to a section of former agricultural land in Tattiscombe, West...
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Police apologise over murder probe failings
APOLICE force has apologised to the family of a woman found dead at a sex offender’s home after a watchdog identified failings in their handling of the case. Kelly Faiers, 61, died at the address of Richard Scatchard, 70, in Minehead, Somerset, on...
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Community sees sports club stalwart honoured
A SOUTH Bristol sports stalwart received a British Empire Medal in front of family and friends at a special ceremony in Knowle West yesterday. The Lord Lieutenant of Bristol, Peaches Golding, presented Mike Alden with the BEM medal at The Park centre...
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Solar developer blasted over cash ‘inducements’
MP Roz Savage has blasted Lime Down solar park developer Island Green Power for offering “financial inducements” of “up to £50,000” to Wiltshire landowners if they promise not to object to the planning application. A letter is thought to have been...
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Popular maze flooded with autumnal colours
THESE stunning pictures show the unique autumnal scene created by a flooded maze. The Jubilee Maze is a traditional hedge maze, with a romantic temple and over a kilometre of hedge built by Lindsay and Edward Heyes in 1977. But the maze in...
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World’s rarest hyena worth the wait ...
A“HAUNTING” image of a hyena in a mining ghost town that took a decade to capture has won this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest. The shot by South African wildlife photographer Wim van den Heever scooped top spot out of a...
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Alleged killers ‘had links to city postcode rivalry’
TWO men accused of the murder of Eddie Kinuthia in St Pauls were motivated by the ongoing conflict between “rival factions” in Bristol’s so-called “postcode wars”, Bristol Crown Court heard. The two were “closely associated” with the East Bristol...
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Married man booked a hotel to meet ‘teenager’
AMARRIED man groomed what he believed to be a 14-year-old girl he’d met online then booked a hotel room for them and stocked it with alcopops, condoms, sex toys, and a copy of the Kama Sutra sex book, a court has heard. Rodolfa Galvao from Yate in...
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Marines stop £35m drug boat with ‘bullseye’ shot
WITH a single shot, Royal Marines took out a drugs boat speeding across the Gulf of Oman as Plymouth-based frigate HMS Lancaster dealt a £35m blow to the illegal narcotics trade. HMS Lancaster has been operating out of the Royal Navy’s Middle East hub...
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Police chief apologises over Clare’s Law failures
ACHIEF constable has apologised after a police staff member’s failures to undertake Clare’s Law applications properly left women at risk of violence, including one woman who was the victim of attempted murder. Gavin Hudson was supposed to examine...
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King to call for harmony with nature in new film
THE King’s lifelong battle to bring nature and humanity into harmony is to be chronicled in a new Prime Video documentary, with the monarch saying it is his “fondest hope” it will encourage a new audience to embrace his environmental philosophy. As...
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By the light of the Harvest Moon ...
A RARE October Harvest Moon rose over houses in St George in Bristol on Monday night. Bristol photographer Paul Gillis captured the jaw-dropping sight as the moon dwarfs the skyline. October’s full moon is known as the Hunter’s Moon but it is also...
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City council to face legal action over van-dwellers
CAMPAIGNERS trying to end the use of Durdham Down by people living in vans and caravans say they are ready to take legal action against Bristol City Council for not acting to remove the vandwellers. The Protect the Downs group, which formed earlier...
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Police powers to restrict protests will be extended
POLICE are to be given greater powers to restrict protests by allowing them to consider the “cumulative impact” of repeated demonstrations. The measures follow frequent proPalestinian demonstrations including an event in London on Saturday which saw...
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Navy clears anti-ship missile for frontline use
SHIP-BUSTING missiles can now be fitted to Royal Navy maritime attack helicopters, it has been announced. The anti-ship Sea Venom missile can be deployed with Wildcat helicopters on frontline duties, after passing an Initial Operating Capability (IOC)...
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Firm fined £56,000 after worker crushed to death
ABUILDING company has been fined more than £50,000 after an employee was crushed to death by a 1.8m tall retaining wall. Gary Anstey, 57, from Bristol, was working for H Mealing & Sons Limited at a construction site at a school in Bath when the...
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Controversial stadium plan gets council backing
BATH and North East Somerset Council has given its backing to plans to build a stadium in the centre of Bath. Bath Rugby’s long-held ambition to build a permanent 18,000-seat stadium on the Recreation Ground has cleared a major hurdle after the...
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Home Office ‘did not respond to concerns’ about barge move
THE Home Office did not respond to concerns raised about the mental health of a man who died aboard the Bibby Stockholm before he was transferred to the accommodation barge, an inquest has heard. Leonard Farruku, from Albania, was found unresponsive...
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Couple jailed for baby’s death after going on run
ARISTOCRAT Constance Marten and her convicted rapist partner have been jailed for 14 years for killing their newborn baby while on the run. Marten, 38, and Mark Gordon, 51, were in hiding when their baby daughter Victoria died in a tent on the South...
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Open wide! Elephant Uli calm during jumbo dental treatment
AN African elephant at a West zoo has received specialist dental care to safeguard his tusk, after keepers spotted a small hole during routine health checks. Uli, a young bull at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in North Somerset, was treated by world-renowned...
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UK’s last cinema carriage will host first screening in 37 years
THE UK’s last remaining cinema carriage has been lovingly restored and will host its first screening in 37 years. The mobile cinema was saved from extinction by passionate volunteers and the friends of the British Transport Films employee who managed...
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Mystery donor offers new reward of £100k to find student
AMYSTERY donor is offering a £100,000 reward to help find missing student Jack O’Sullivan. There have been no sightings of Jack, who would now be 24, since he vanished without trace in Bristol after being last seen at 3.15am on March 2 last...
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‘Jaysley would still be here if Army had listened to her’
AFORMER senior non-commissioned Army officer has admitted sexually assaulting a teenage soldier who later took her own life. Warrant Officer Michael Webber pleaded guilty at the Court Martial Centre in Bulford, Wiltshire, to assaulting Royal Artillery...
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WECA spent £475k on payouts and settlements
THE West of England Combined Authority spent almost half a million pounds on exit packages for senior staff and settling historic grievances in Dan Norris’ last year as mayor. “Substantial” exit packages to three directors at the organisation,...
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