Headlines: 'Council home sell-off' and 'lakes drying up'
Our pick of local website stories
Bristol 24/7 have reported on the council's plans to sell off up to 180 council homes that are "challenging to maintain" to raise nearly £5m to reinvest in social housing.Somerset Council says it has "initiated legal steps" to remove a group of travellers that have pitched up on Burnham-on-Sea's seafront.Drove Road in Swindon is set to undergo improvement works to improve safety and stop vehicles skidding.
Our top three from yesterday
Major incident as more than 60 homes evacuatedSuitcase killer 999 call: 'There's blood coming out of the suitcase'Sex, murder and bodies in suitcases - who were the men involved?
What to watch on social media
Pictures appearing to show Chew Valley Lake drying up have sparked concerns about a potential hosepipe ban.Network Rail says it is carrying out "major resilience work" between the Severn Tunnel Junction and Gloucester to improve safety and reliability of the route.Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital's post about a badger cub that was found emaciated and drenched has attracted a lot of attention - with many saying it has become all too common.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Judge's seven-word rebuke of driver after car smash 'could have killed hundreds'
Jack Emmerson, 33, can continue driving after having eight points put on his licence despite crashing through level crossing barriers, leaving his vehicle on a busy railway line A judge scolded a reckless driver who smashed through a set of level crossing barriers before abandoning his car on the tracks. Jack Emmerson fled the scene and chose not to report the damaged vehicle on the railway line in Leicestershire in February, and was told his foolish actions "could easily have caused hundreds of deaths". Magistrates said they were horrified the 33-year-old's actions, estimated to cost £30,000 in damage and delay repayments, as he was sentenced. Police arrived to find Emmerson's Vauxhall Insignia blocking the line, with a train stopped nearby. The airbags had deployed in the car, and the front of the vehicle was badly damaged, Leicester Magistrates' Court heard. Skid marks showed the car had failed to make a bend and gone through the level crossing barriers. Prosecutor Leanne Ashcroft said Emmerson, 33, had been "driving at speed" and made "no attempt to navigate the bend in the road". The incident happened at about 5.45pm on Sunday, February 9, at the level crossing in Orston Lane near Bottesford in the north of the county, LeicestershireLive report. Ms Ashcroft said a witness had spotted Emmerson - who lives in Whatton, Nottinghamshire, three miles from the scene of the crash - get out of the car, which had "significant front end damage", and head off on foot along the railway tracks. She said there was also "significant damage" to the level crossing, valued at about £4,000. There were also further costs to Network Rail of about £26,125 due to the delays to trains on the line, which runs from Nottingham to Grantham, she said. Emmerson pleaded guilty to failing to report an accident, interfering with key infrastructure and driving without due care and attention. He was represented in court by Zara Cowan. She said: "He accepted that he took the bend at speed and he was unable to control the vehicle. This is his first accident he has ever had, so I'd ask you to take that into consideration." Ms Cowan said Emmerson lived with his father and had a 47-mile round trip to get to work every day. She said Emmerson already had three points on his licence and that anything more than eight more points for the latest offence would leave him unemployed and unable to give money to his father. The chairman of the bench, Jane Morton, told Emmerson: "I think 'horrified' is the only word for this - you could have killed hundreds of people. "You left the scene. You left your car on a level crossing. It's appalling." Emmerson was given an 18-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work, 10 days on programmes recommended by the Probation Service and a 12-month mental health treatment requirement. He also has to pay £85 court costs and a £114 victim surcharge. He had eight points put on his licence, meaning he can still drive. Mrs Morton said: "You retain your licence on a thread. "If you do anything else, you know that no other bench will give you this opportunity. You will be banned and it will be lengthy."
BBC News
9 hours ago
- BBC News
Headlines: 'Council home sell-off' and 'lakes drying up'
Here's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media. Our pick of local website stories Bristol 24/7 have reported on the council's plans to sell off up to 180 council homes that are "challenging to maintain" to raise nearly £5m to reinvest in social Council says it has "initiated legal steps" to remove a group of travellers that have pitched up on Burnham-on-Sea's Road in Swindon is set to undergo improvement works to improve safety and stop vehicles skidding. Our top three from yesterday Major incident as more than 60 homes evacuatedSuitcase killer 999 call: 'There's blood coming out of the suitcase'Sex, murder and bodies in suitcases - who were the men involved? What to watch on social media Pictures appearing to show Chew Valley Lake drying up have sparked concerns about a potential hosepipe Rail says it is carrying out "major resilience work" between the Severn Tunnel Junction and Gloucester to improve safety and reliability of the Wildlife Hospital's post about a badger cub that was found emaciated and drenched has attracted a lot of attention - with many saying it has become all too common.
BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
Murder-accused parents 'blame each other' for son's death
A couple accused of murdering their premature baby blamed each other when they were arrested, a court has Staddon, who was born at 33 weeks, suffered multiple fractures while in Yeovil District Hospital's special care baby unit on 4 March 2024 at just two weeks mother Sophie Staddon, 23, and father Daniel Gunter, 27, both of no fixed address, are on trial at Bristol Crown Court for his murder and an alternative charge of causing or allowing his death. They deny both she was arrested, Ms Staddon told police, "it wouldn't have been me, it would have been his dad", while Mr Gunter said, "she's done all this". During his summing up the judge, Mr Justice Swift, said that despite being born prematurely, Brendon was doing well and had already made the transition from nasal to bottle upon his death he was found to have, amongst other injuries, a broken neck, a broken jaw, broken legs, broken ankles and broken his short life, nursing staff at the Somerset hospital had many concerns about his parents' behaviour, particularly Mr Gunter's repeated rough handling of Gunter was seen getting angry with Brendon while changing his nappy. The couple left the hospital on 29 February, eight days after Brendon was born, and did not return until the afternoon of 4 about 04:00 GMT the following day, Ms Staddon came to the nurses' station and asked staff to check Brendon because he was cold and Gunter said "he's fine, he's fine" even as nurses began the resuscitation process, the jury then asked if the two of them could "go out for air" while the team worked. The court heard that when he was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, Mr Gunter said to police: "What are you on about?, I've done nothing wrong mate," and "I've done nothing wrong sir, she's done all this," when he was re-arrested for Ms Staddon was cautioned, she replied: "My baby's dead, you're telling me my baby's dead, I didn't kill my baby."She added later: "It wouldn't have been me it would've been his dad".The jury are due to retire to consider their verdict on Wednesday.
