UK's second biggest carnival is AXED over ‘national security threat' after becoming ‘increasingly vulnerable target'
ORGANISERS of the UK's second biggest carnival have decided to cancel the event amid fears over "elevated national threat levels."
An "extensive security review" led to the cancellation of the festival with organisers and the local authority raising concerns.
4
4
The move to cancel Harborne Carnival comes after a string of attacks at events around the world have sparked fears for public safety.
Concern around the safety of public events has been growing in recent months with the Lapu-Lapu day festival tragedy sparking major fears.
The heightened security measures come after an attack which left 11 people dead in Vancouver, Canada last month
Following attacks at a number of public events across the globe in recent months, concern for public safety has skyrocketed.
Organisers of the Harborne Carnival decided to cancel their event amid these growing security concerns.
The carnival, originally planned for June 22 in Birmingham, was axed yesterday with organisers planning to refund stallholders and participants.
Similarly, the Birmingham St Patrick's Day Parade was postponed in March.
The decision to axe the event came following a meeting of the carnival committee, Birmingham City Council's Safety Advisory Group, West Midlands Police, and Home Office officials.
The City Council's Safety Advisory Group asked organisers how they would mitigate the risk of a major incident.
They were particularly concerned about the open side streets along the carnival route.
Paul Burgess MBE, Chair of Harborne Carnival, said: 'The Harborne Family Carnival is a highlight for our community, and with preparations already underway, this decision was not taken lightly.
"We fully understand the disappointment this brings to families, traders, and partners who make the carnival a success each year.
"Our safety record over the last 27 years has always been strong, and this is an area we're not willing to compromise on.
"Recent global incidents have led to new requirements for enhanced security, such as better protection of the many side streets that connect to the main carnival area.
4
4
"These changes present significant logistical and financial challenges that we simply cannot overcome in time for this year's event.
"Public safety is our top priority, and our attention now turns to 2026.
"We're actively exploring new locations and formats that can meet the latest safety guidance while preserving the community spirit that makes the Harborne Carnival so special.'
Organisers said no 'specific threat' was identified in their security review.
Despite this the event was cancelled with fears around public safety sited in the review.
It was decided that for the event to run safely the carnival would need enhanced barriers, increased stewarding and additional access routes for emergency services.
Organisers concluded that it would not be possible to implement the extensive extra measures in time for the event.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
40 minutes ago
- BBC News
Doncaster city centre safety under review as part of consultation
People have been asked how safe they feel in Doncaster city centre as part of a consultation launched by the council and police.A recent survey found more than half of people who live and work in the city felt unsafe because of issues such as begging and anti-social council said people would now be asked to share their experiences of crime and other issues that were having an impact on their Glyn Jones, deputy mayor and cabinet member for safer communities, said the results would "help us decide what we ought to prioritise in the future and how to best use our collective resources to improve safety for our city". Jones said "significant headway" had already been made on improving safety, including through more council patrols, new CCTV and an increased police Supt Pete Thorp from South Yorkshire Police said the Safer Stronger Doncaster Partnership (SSDP) was seeing "real change and improvements".He said instances of the "most serious violence across the borough" had reduced by 25%.Mr Thorp said: "But it is important that we don't just rely on our assumptions or data to tell us if things are improving or not.""This consultation will allow us to effectively respond to residents' concerns and ultimately, we hope that this will result in residents feeling and seeing positive change."The consultation runs until 6 July and a series of events to discuss the results will be announced following its conclusion. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
‘I earn £38k as a train guard, but pocket extra cash catching fare dodgers'
'The secret life of…' pulls back the curtain on professions you've always wanted to know more about. If you want to anonymously reveal all about your job, email money@ I came to the railways about three years ago from the hospitality industry, where I worked in pubs and bars. I was, quite frankly, one bad pay cheque away from oblivion, making virtually no money despite working seven days a week. So joining the rail industry was a no-brainer given the pay, which was definitely the main attraction. Most people assume I'm a train driver when I tell them I'm a conductor. Others think I'm 'just a ticket inspector'. Both are wrong. As a train conductor, also called a guard, it's my voice that you'll hear over the tannoy announcing information like route changes or platform gaps at the next station. My job focuses on customer service, operating the doors, and safety, so I'm also there in case of emergencies. Sure, we also check and issue tickets when we get time between stations. But as a conductor, I have limited power if someone doesn't buy a ticket. I can ask nicely for their name to issue an 'unpaid fare notice', but I can't force them off. Only British Transport Police can do that. The real power lies with Revenue Protection Inspectors (RPI), who have the authority to issue penalty fares, or a formal caution (meaning the case goes to a magistrate). Sometimes we travel on the same train, and when that's the case, I can call them over to a carriage. Technically, I could stop the train at the next station if a person refused to cooperate, to await back-up, but that's highly discouraged. Most guards would admit they get a bit of a thrill from catching people without a ticket. You get a little commission – like 5pc – on each ticket you sell to a customer without one. If you issue a ticket costing £100 from King's Cross to Newcastle, for instance, you'd make £5. But early commuter trains can actually be the most lucrative because the number of travellers is highest. This one guy I knew told me he used to bag an extra £800 each month doing that. Personally, if it comes to someone's livelihood, I tend to turn a blind eye. There was an incident the other day when I saw an inspector charging a penalty to this poor lady who was crying. I would have said, 'Don't worry about it'. Becoming a conductor involves a series of tests, particularly because of all the safety aspects involved in the job. I think I did around 10 to qualify. There's something called the Group Bourdon test, which tests concentration. There's also a ticket-checking test, and a verbal and written communication test. The annoying thing is you'll have to redo the exams if you switch companies – they aren't transferable. Recruitment also isn't super transparent – you need to know someone to get into an opening, or there needs to be a real shortage. Pay varies wildly between companies. Some conductors make around £50,000 annually, whereas I'm paid £38,000. The discrepancies come down to historical industrial relations and union negotiations. I am in a union, and I strike whenever I can. I like the time off. However, when drivers go on strike, all other grades must still come into work. This means guards will get paid to do nothing, or have very tense shifts with double the number of passengers onboard. We're also less likely to get overtime shifts during industrial disputes with drivers, to cut costs. What's most confusing is that the train industry has a bewildering array of roles with often minimal differences between them. It's just a huge bureaucracy. For instance, conductors and train managers can do the same job on different routes, yet train managers earn about £5,000 more than me, as a conductor. Below that, there are onboard supervisors, who are similar but aren't what's called 'safety critical'. Otherwise, the transition upwards is relatively straightforward and doesn't require too much extra training. My day starts at the depot, about an hour before my shift. I pick up my 'diagram' – essentially a schedule card showing what route I've been assigned, where I'll be stopping and all that. You might be doing Paddington, Exeter, Bristol, Gloucester, and back to Paddington in a day. Then, once I've got to the platform and am onboard, I'll close the doors and buzz the driver to depart. The shifts vary considerably, but rarely go beyond 10 hours in practice. Also, you don't have to work on Sundays, but you do get a bonus if you do. What attracted me to this role, besides the money, is the independence. You're largely left to your own devices, so there's nobody micromanaging you, and we can go about our duties as we deem fit. One of the other real perks of the job is that occasionally we get 'stand-by' shifts, which means we're not assigned to any trains, but are based at the depot in case of emergencies or service alterations. Sometimes you can go a whole shift doing nothing but watching Netflix or catching up on sleep. It happens roughly every fortnight now, but when we first came out of Covid restrictions and weren't running a full service, I barely worked a train for a month and a half. What the public doesn't see is how the railway really operates behind the scenes. We'll have passengers coming up asking, 'Could you make the train go faster?' I just think, 'What do you think my job is?' The vast majority of passengers, in my experience, are surprisingly pleasant. We do have our notorious repeat fare-dodgers who are known to staff, and the occasional noisy or drunk passenger (especially during Cheltenham). Body cameras are also being increasingly mandated for conductors, supposedly to prevent attacks. I've yet to experience a physical altercation, but I do see passengers get angry, normally at fairly innocuous stuff like a train changing platform or a last-minute delay. At Paddington, our staff can be almost surrounded by irate passengers who are verbally abusive and physically threatening. Luckily, we have a consistent British Transport Police presence at most main railway stations. The biggest downside is the shift work, which plays havoc with your social life. It's one reason I don't see myself doing this for more than another year or two. The weird shift patterns make it difficult to maintain any kind of routine or community. That's also why I wouldn't want to be a train driver, despite the huge salary. They've made what I consider a fatal calculation that money is more valuable than time. When you're working these disruptive patterns, no amount of money compensates for what the shifts do to your well-being. As for the state of our railways, the infrastructure is better than in many European countries and certainly in America. The trains themselves are quite nice and new. It's just a shame they're running on such old tracks, and passengers are bearing too much of the cost to update them. There's no reason for an Edinburgh ticket to cost £200 – the price does not reflect the true value of the service. What is also frustrating is that the taxpayer still pays regardless, as the railways are publicly funded. About 95pc of the delays you hear about are infrastructure-related, due to decaying systems that desperately need investment. I feel embarrassed sometimes at the service level – last year, drivers were getting a pay rise, while we were running a terrible service on Sundays. I actually felt a little bit of shame at that point.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Heartbreak as student dies at school with cops probing ‘unexplained' tragedy
POLICE are investigating the unexplained tragic death of a student at a school. Emergency crews rushed to Hartpury College in Gloucester at around 11.25am on Friday, following the tragedy. While the student's death is currently being treated as unexplained, it is not believed to be suspicious. is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
