Wales' papers: Grandparents guilty of toddler murder
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Humberside firefighters at sea: 'It's like crawling into an oven'
Fires at sea are rare, but when they happen, they can be deadly, with one fire trainer explaining, "effectively, we're in a big metal box."Following a blaze in the cargo hold of a ship at Albert Dock in Hull, crews are continuing to train for one of the most dangerous jobs in the News was invited to Immingham to see how Humberside Fire and Rescue prepare for fires on board 27 June, crews were called to Albert Dock in Hull after a blaze broke out in a cargo hold packed with scrap metal leaving a thick plume of smoke drifting for miles over the months earlier, in March, a man went missing, presumed dead after two ships collided in the North Sea off the coast near Withernsea. A reminder of how serious maritime incidents in the region can be. The risk is a real one and in Immingham, firefighters are put through intense, ship-based training to make sure they're ready. The facility in North East Lincolnshire is built from three stacked shipping containers and designed to replicate the interior of a real vessel. It includes an imitation engine room, kitchen, crew quarters, and watertight doors and hatches made of thick heavy Gary O'Hara said: "Effectively, we're inside a big metal box. All that metal's getting superheated. "If we put too much water in there, you potentially create a lot of steam. Mr O'Hara said: "There isn't any visibility, depending on what's on fire. It could be thick, black, acrid smoke, so everything's done by touch and feel."He said the scale of the environment made firefighting at sea unlike any other domestic incident."If you imagine going on a ferry travelling from Hull to Amsterdam or Zeebrugge or somewhere, and the amount of floors, the amount of doors, the amount of cabins that you've got in a room like that. "Compared to your normal two-up, two-down property… it's completely different." Firefighters also train with a 45mm (1.8inch) hose, much heavier than those used for house fires. More personnel are needed just to drag it through the ship's narrow manager Glyn Dixon said: "You're fighting in extreme heats, narrow, confined spaces, and unfamiliar environments - not just because they're afloat, but because every vessel is different."It's tantamount to crawling in an oven and firefighting within it."The Humber is one of the most important port areas within the country, having 15% of most vessel traffic within the UK. "It's a predominant risk for our area, and it's something we take seriously." Crew manager Carl Carter had just completed a training scenario in which crews had to rescue a fake casualty from deep inside the simulated said: "The frequency of you getting a ship to firefight is low but yet the risk is high. "It's probably one of the most dangerous jobs you can have when you're in the service." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Boost for Wenhaston garden centre after £24k raised
A specialist garden centre at risk of closure was "overwhelmed" with gratitude after residents rallied round and raised tens of thousands of of Wenhaston, in Halesworth, recently lost access to a nearby borehole that had long supplied the site, and its rare and historical collection of plants, with just half a tank of water left, the future of the facility was plunged into doubt, with owners Gillian and Jenny Stafford fearing its plants would not issuing a plea for support, the community helped the couple raise nearly £24,000 in a matter of days, money which will be used to drill and install a new borehole. "If we run dry, that's it, there is no other alternative, so it was either try to raise these funds or we will have to close the nursery," Mrs Stafford, 45, told the BBC."We knew we had good customers and some of them would support us, but we were completely overwhelmed – we are so grateful."It's just absolutely fantastic, and we are still a little bit bewildered; our heads are all over the place." The garden centre has long proved popular due to its Plant Heritage National Collection of Pelargoniums, rare Primula auriculas, and historical bearded was opened in 1991 by founder Michael Loftus before it was taken over by the Staffords in 2016, following his death four years that time, the couple have "poured everything into keeping Woottens alive", battling through the Covid-19 pandemic, serious illness and a cyber-attack. 'Given us a boost' "Running a small business can grind you down, and we don't just grow plants that are the most popular, we grow the ones that are difficult," added Mrs Stafford."But the [support from the community] has given us a boost to keep going."We are not completely out of the woods yet, but the rain in the last few days has helped." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Swindon's Health Hydro pool work is almost completed
Work on Swindon's Health Hydro is on course to be completed by early next year.A topping out ceremony marked the finish of the major structural work in phase one of the restoration and refurbishment on the Grade II* listed Victorian building, with just internal works to are set to begin at the end of the week, offering the public an opportunity to see the progress made on the multi-million pound project since its closure two years comes as a planning application was submitted recently for phase two of the work which will focus on the main pool hall. If funding is approved, work will start in early 2027 which will see the pool closed again for a further 12 to 18 was initially due to be completed on phase one in late 2024 but the discovery of asbestos and moisture issues delayed its it is reopened improvements to the Victorian building will include a new gym, modernised accessible changing facilities, a ventilation system and a new engine room. Talking about phase two, project manager, Doug Gray said: "That's not confirmed yet but that's the plan to get funding for phase two which will deal with the swimming pool itself."In phase one we're dealing with the plant side of it which will get it all up and running but from a decorative and aesthetic point of view, we want to take that back to its original form should funding be approved."And if approved, the original decorative brickwork around the stained-glass window could be revealed after decades of being hidden by peeling steel trusses holding up the roof will also be painted in a colour more reminiscent of the hydro's early 20th-Century parts of the extensive plan are less obvious, but include improved ventilation of the main pool hall, better heating and cooling and better drainage of the pool. Councillor Marina Strinkovsky said: "Everything about it is amazing…the scale of it, the size of it and the history."It's the longest continuously operating Victorian Baths in the country but it had to adapt to the needs of the community and to changing times."
