'We've been through hell - let us keep family home'
"My family have been through hell - we've hurt, we've cried," said Lucie Lambourne, whose mother Rita was stabbed to death in February in the house where Lucie grew up.Friends, neighbours and councillors gathered at the house in Bexhill on Tuesday to support the mother-of-three, who is calling on Southern Housing (SH) to let her succeed the tenancy at the property where she lived at times with her children and mother."We're just hoping that [SH] will use their empathy and their understanding and their power to say, 'we can help'," Lucie said. SH said: "While we truly sympathise with her situation, Lucie is not considered to be in housing need and has no legal right to succeed the tenancy."
The housing association spokesperson added in a statement: "We appreciate the emotional significance of a family home following the loss of a loved one. "However, we continue to be guided by policies that ensure fairness and prioritise those in greatest housing need."Lucie said she and her family had left her mum's home in East Sussex because it was overcrowded, but the pair had agreed to swap her SH flat with Rita's house in what is known as a mutual exchange. SH previously said there was nothing on record to suggest Lucie and Rita were considering a swap. Lucie said she understood SH was faced with a long housing waiting list."There's 2,000 people currently on the waiting list for housing, with a property I've already stated I will return back to them," she said."That's one more person that can have that property, and we can come home where we belong."
Councillor Christine Bayliss, deputy leader of Rother District Council, said Lucie had moved from her mother's house to the flat just 12 days before Rita died."We would argue that these circumstances are absolutely exceptional and therefore [SH] can exercise discretion," she added. Rother District Council said it was working with Southern Housing to find a solution.Neighbour Winifred Warner, who has lived on the road for 51 years, remembers Rita and thinks Lucie should be allowed back to the flat."Then she's with her mother anyway, isn't she? I can't see anybody else wanting to live here, not after what's happened," she added.A man has been charged with the murder of Rita Lambourne.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
27 minutes ago
- Times
Middle-class vigilantes are turning against the state
Act now to keep your subscription We've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
India plane crash live: Ahmedabad to Gatwick flight carrying 242 people crashes; British national reportedly survived
15:26:40 British national survived Air India plane crash - NDTV report A British man who claims to have survived the crash in Ahmedabad has described the moment the plane went down. According to Sky News' partner network NDTV, Ahmedabad's police commissioner said one passenger survived the crash. NDTV names him as British-Indian man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. Speaking to the Hindustan Times newspaper, Ramesh said he heard a "loud noise" around 30 seconds after take-off before the plane went down. "It all happened so quickly," he said, adding he had received "impact injuries" on his chest, eyes and feet. "When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital." He told Indian media he had lived in London for 20 years. He said that his brother Ajay was seated in a different row on the plane. Separately, footage shared on social media showed a man limping away from the crash site and being led towards emergency services. 15:20:01 Reason landing gear was still out 'remains a mystery' - and why Boeing may ground planes Paul Edwards, an aviation security analyst and fellow at the Royal Aeronautical Society, told Sky News the footage of the plane going down is difficult to watch. "There are two things that are needed for an aircraft take-off. One is adequate airspeed and the other one is a rate of climb," he said. "And that had neither." He added that normally pilots retract the aircraft's landing gear so that the plane can be more aerodynamic, and it's not clear why this wasn't done in the case of Air India Flight 171. "It could have been he (the pilot) just didn't have time. Or it could be that perhaps he thought he could control it, go round again on land or even land straight ahead." "We can't second-guess it," Edwards added. "So that remains, if you like, a mystery." He was also asked if the tragic crash raises questions about the type of plane - a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. "Well, they've got an impeccable safety record so far, but there will be massive impetus to get to the bottom of this in case there is a factor that could be applied to other aircraft within the fleet," he said. "In which case, they may have to ground them in, they may have to modify them." 15:12:30 'Injured passengers taken to hospitals', Air India boss says Campbell Wilson, the boss of Air India, has released a video statement expressing his "deep sorrow" following the plane crash in Ahmedabad. "This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India," he says. "Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families and loved ones." He says the "injured passengers have been taken by local authorities to the nearest hospitals". "Investigations will take time, but anything we can do now, we are doing," Wilson adds. 15:07:01 Plane's path to crash - what tracking data and imagery tells us By Tom Cheshire, data and forensics correspondent Authorities quickly confirmed that Flight AI 171 crashed shortly after take-off - this is what tracking data and imagery of the crash can tell us. The plane took off on the usual flight path for this airport, bound for Gatwick. Watch below: Flight route shows plane's path This is based on incomplete tracking data - Flightradar24 has updated its findings, saying: "Additional processing confirms #AI171 departed using the full length of Runway 23 at Ahmedabad. RWY 23 is 11,499 feet long. The aircraft backtracked to the end of the runway before beginning its take-off roll." The crash location is only a couple of kilometres from the runway. There appear to be two main locations of plane debris. The initial crash, where the tail of the plane separated. And then further wreckage as the plane continued into apartment blocks, where the main fire broke out. The buildings it landed on appear to be the Atulyam 3 residential block and the Royal Mess food hall. Reviews online say that: "Atulyam is basically a series of flats and buildings for [medical] students of the civil hospital, Ahmedabad and an attached group of hospitals." 14:58:09 Air India's owners to offer victims' families around £86,000, company says Air India's owners, Tata Group, will offer around £86,000 to the families of each person who died in the Ahmedabad plane crash, the company said. A statement attributed to Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the chairperson of Air India, says the medical expenses of those injured will also be covered. "We remain steadfast in standing with the affected families and communities during this unimaginable time," it adds. 14:57:01 UK sending air accident inspectors to India The UK is deploying a team of four air accident inspectors to Ahmedabad to assist their Indian counterparts, a special adviser for the Department for Transport says. The team, from the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch, will depart from London this evening and arrive on site tomorrow afternoon. A liaison official is also being sent to Gatwick, where a reception centre for relatives is being set up. 14:50:01 Portuguese and Canadian leaders share messages in response to crash Among the 242 passengers on board, seven were Portuguese nationals and one was Canadian. Their conditions are not yet known. The leaders of each country have expressed condolences for the families of victims. Luis Montenegro, Portugal's prime minister, wrote in a post on social media: "It was with deep dismay that I learned of the tragic aviation accident in India, in which 7 citizens of Portuguese nationality were involved. "On my behalf and that of the government, I wish to express condolences and profound solidarity with the families of the victims." Mark Carney, Canada's prime minister, said he was "devastated" to learn of the crash. "My thoughts are with the loved ones of everyone on board," he wrote on social media. "Canada's transportation officials are in close contact with counterparts and I am receiving regular updates as the response to this tragedy unfolds." 14:43:01 Several fatal crashes in Air India's nine decades of operation Air India, which started operations in 1932, and its subsidiary Air India Express, have suffered several fatal crashes over the years. According to Aviation Safety Network (ASN), the most recent fatal crashes were: May 2010: Boeing 737-800 (Air India Express) overshot the runway at Mangalore, India, and crashed into a gorge, killing 158 people. August 2020: Boeing 737-800 (Air India Express) after landing in Karipur, India, the aircraft left the runway, rolled down an embankment and broke up, killing 21 people. Here are some recent non-fatal incidents, according to ASN, which references various sources: September 2024: Boeing 737-8HG (Air India Express) suffered engine problems after taking off from Delhi, which was confirmed by the airline, and the aircraft returned to the airport. October 2024: Boeing 737-8HG (Air India Express) declared an emergency immediately after take-off due to a hydraulic issue in Tamil Nadu, eventually landing safely, which a local minister said had affected the landing gear. December 2024: Airbus A320-251N started the take-off roll (the start of building up speed to take off) on a taxiway instead of the runway at Goa, according to the aviation safety regulator, but stopped when alerted by a tower controller. December 2024: Boeing 737-86N (Air India Express) returned to land at Kochi after tyre debris was found on the runway, according to Onmanorama, a local news outlet in Kerala. January 2025: Airbus A320-251N suffered an engine shutdown after departing Bangalore and landed safely at the same location, according to the Times of India.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Residents' fury as council saves ‘Jack and the Beanstalk' tree
Residents in Winchester have said they are 'extremely angry' after a council voted to protect a 'Jack and the Beanstalk' oak tree they say is dangerous. People living on one of the Hampshire city's most prestigious roads called the decision to issue a preservation order on the 45ft tree 'grotesquely irresponsible' and 'ludicrous'. Officials unanimously approved the order after hearing of the 'biodiversity value' the oak has to Canon Street, which is near Winchester Cathedral. Dr Sandra Steel, who lives nearby, spoke for residents at the Winchester city council planning meeting on Wednesday. According to the BBC, she said the tree's spreading roots 'cause structural damage', adding that 'our historic houses are particularly vulnerable'. On hearing the verdict, Dr Steel said: 'You are waiting for our houses to fall down, I guess.' She said [residents] all 'feel extremely angry' and called the decision 'quite ridiculous', adding: 'An oak tree belongs to an open area or a forest, not in gardens of historic houses.' The o ak tree was planted about 50 years ago and grew by 6ft last year. Residents have said it is 'out of proportion' to the surrounding properties and dominates the small garden in which it sits. When the current homeowners applied to have the tree felled, the council put a preliminary protection order on it, saying it was 'appreciated' by residents on a neighbouring street and was nice to look at. Mark Pocock, another resident, previously called the decision to protect the tree 'ludicrous', adding: 'If it were to fall and damage properties or persons, I would say the responsibility would be entirely with the council – not the owners of those properties. 'I think putting a tree protection order on it is grotesquely irresponsible. It could be a danger to property and life.' Nick Goff, who moved into his property on an adjacent road just over a year ago, added: 'The issue is that in 10 years that will be double the height and double the width. It put on 6ft last year, and it's going to put on another 6ft this year. 'Some guy planted this as something to do 40 years ago. Now, we have got Jack and the Beanstalk. It's not a historic tree – it's a silly mistake.' During the planning meeting, John Bartlett, the local authority's tree officer, said the oak was 'one of the last remaining significant trees' in that area. He told councillors: 'It has a significant biodiversity value supporting many different species. A mature oak tree can support up to 2,300 species, possibly more, when it reaches maturity, and its importance is only increased by the fact that it's in this urban landscape.'
