
Tensions mount over temporary fence barring swans
Onlookers cheered as a section was removed by several people on Thursday.Peter Rix, 68, a retired builder, was one of the people involved in the removal and was happy to see the swans being able to roam again.He said he was not worried of any repercussions, however."They've got their freedom back - that should never have been taken away from them in the first place," he said."Nobody asked, they just put it up and built a prison for them, it's wrong."When challenged by the BBC over his actions, Mr Rix said he understood the safety concerns and was aware there were five signs warning people to stay away.
Nikki Thomas is a local business owner and long term resident of Oulton Broad.She was not involved in the removal of the fence but said "generations" of people had come to love the swans."They [the swans] are depressed because their normal resting area is up here on the grass," she explained."They get fed in the mornings and evenings by locals and visitors alike."They can't access it. When it's high tide they can't even get out of the water because they have covered the slipway as well where they used to walk up at high tide to their resting areas."
'My friends'
Laurie Rookie, 90, comes down with buckets of seed three times a week for the swans, spending about £2,000 each year in the process. "I was devastated to see the fence, I couldn't believe it," he said. "I saw no reason for it."They're wild birds but they are my friends and I've been meeting them for years - that's my pleasure in old age to do something for wildlife."I get tonnes of pleasure out of it and I hope other people do to."
A spokesperson for the Broads Authority said it was aware of people's concerns and the removal of part of the fence."The recent removal of a section of the fence by concerned individuals is not a responsible action and has made it more difficult to manage this safety risk," they said."We urge members of the public to allow the appropriate authorities to address these issues safely and legally. "We are currently working to identify a more satisfactory and permanent solution."The authority did not yet have a timescale for the completion of the works.
Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
.jpeg%3Ftrim%3D0%2C0%2C0%2C0%26width%3D1200%26height%3D800%26crop%3D1200%3A800&w=3840&q=100)

The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Fire breaks out on Air India's flight from Hong Kong after landing in Delhi
Air India grounded an aircraft for inspection after a fire broke out in its auxiliary power unit, or APU, shortly after landing in New Delhi on Tuesday. The fire was detected while passengers were disembarking flight AI315 from Hong Kong, the airline said in a statement. 'The incident occurred while passengers had begun disembarking and the APU was automatically shut down as per system design,' an airline spokesperson said. The APU is installed at the rear of the aircraft and serves as a backup power source. It is primarily used to start the main engines and operate critical onboard systems while the aircraft is on the ground. Passengers de-boarded safely but the aircraft, which landed in Delhi at 12.31pm local time, was damaged, the airline said. Flight tracking service Flightradar24 identified the affected aircraft as an Airbus A321. This was the third Air India scare in two days. A flight from the southern city of Kochi veered off a rain-soaked runway in Mumbai on Monday. All passengers got off safely but the aircraft's engine and runway infrastructure were damaged. The plane was grounded and both pilots de-rostered. A few hours later, flight AI2403 from Delhi to Kolkata aborted take-off at high speed after a technical issue was detected. The pilots stopped the aircraft, and all 160 passengers were safely disembarked. The flight was rescheduled for later in the evening. These incidents come amid heightened scrutiny of flight safety following last month's deadly Air India crash in Ahmedabad that killed 260 people. A preliminary investigation report released a month after the crash revealed the Boeing Dreamliner's fuel control switches flipped from 'run' position to 'cutoff' within seconds of the take-off. The report said that one of the pilots was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he had cut off the fuel. The other responded that he hadn't. The report caused an uproar with pilot associations accusing the investigators of indirectly blaming the pilots for the crash. A subsequent report in The Wall Street Journal suggested that pilot error could have played a role in the incident. However, Indian authorities condemned the report as speculative and irresponsible. Meanwhile, Air India said it found no problems with the fuel control switch mechanisms across its Boeing 787 and 737 fleet during inspections carried out after the Ahmedabad crash. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau expects to give a final report detailing its investigation into the crash within a year.


BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Norfolk County Council urges action over battery farm fire fears
Energy secretary Ed Milliband will be asked to fund training and equipment for fire services in areas where large battery farms are County Council voted in favour of asking for government support for emergency services because of concerns they may have to deal with blazes at battery energy storage systems (Bess).A number are planned for Norfolk, and Conservative council leader Kay Mason Billig said she fears "they pose a serious risk", whilst calling for fire services to be consulted on battery farm planning Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said "fires at storage sites in the UK are rare" and "high safety standards" were already in place. Bess are used to stockpile excess energy from sources such as fossil fuels, solar and wind - and then release it when the power is needed electricity is held inside lithium batteries, which are housed in structures similar to shipping are seen as a key part of the government's plan for green power and energy security, with it aiming to increase storage capacity from 4.5 GW in 2024, to up to 27 GW by whilst Bess fires are rare, concerns have been raised about their safety, with Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service describing them as "an emerging risk".There is currently no single authority setting safety standards for them, but they are regulated by the Health and Safety Executive.A growing number of applications have been submitted for Bess sites, although developers recently suspended their plans for a large one at Rushall, near Diss. Mason Billig told a meeting of Norfolk County Council that she was concerned there was no legal requirement for fire services to be consulted on planning applications for Bess for a change in the law she also said she wanted ministers to make sure emergency services were equipped to deal with any fires at them."They present a real challenge to our fire and rescue services who are expected to respond to these highly complex incidents with no additional funding, training or equipment from the government or developers," she Billig added she wanted the government to set national safety standards for battery farms. Catherine Rowett, who leads the council's Green group, said she supported tighter guidelines and fire service funding – but warned against "scaremongering".She said Bess sites where there had been fires – such as one in Liverpool in 2020 – were based on older technology that is now out of use."We should resist the temptation to overstate the risks from Bess installations because local residents are receiving sensationalist misinformation that are causing many to fear for their lives," she councillors voted in favour of Mason Billig's proposals – 11 abstained and none voted against – so she will now write to Milliband.A spokesman for Norfolk's Fire and Rescue Service said it "would welcome closer fire service involvement in these sites as a positive step towards greater public safety in an emerging technology".The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's spokeswoman said that "every battery storage facility we construct helps protect families from future energy shocks".She added: "Battery fires at storage sites are rare in the UK and we already have high safety standards in place to ensure batteries are safe throughout their lifespan." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.


Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Delta airliner is filmed making 'aggressive maneuver' to avoid midair crash with B-52 bomber
A North Dakota man has captured on video the moment a Delta airliner was forced to make 'aggressive maneuver' to avoid crashing into a B-52 bomber. Josh Kadrmas and his wife were attending the opening ceremony of the North Dakota State Fair on Friday night when a B–52 Stratofortress from Minot Air Force Base roared overhead in a scheduled flyover. Kadrmas pulled out his phone to record the bomber but accidentally caught something far more dramatic: Delta flight 3788 swerving to avoid the military aircraft. 'At the time I recorded it I obviously didn't notice that there was maybe a close issue there,' Kadrmas told KFYR. He reviewed the footage after seeing headlines about the close call. 'You take a step back and look at the footage later [there is] not a lot of geographical separation between those two aircraft,' he said. 'Communication is always something that is a challenge in any industry, aviation included,' added Kadrmas, who is a scientist. 'So this is hopefully a lesson learned and something that carries forward in safety when it comes to airlines.' Delta Flight 3788, operated by SkyWest as a regional Delta Connection flight from Minneapolis to Minot, was on final approach at the time of the incident, which the FAA has confirmed it is investigating. Flight tracking data shows the Embraer E175 abruptly climbing and circling before returning to land safely. SkyWest said: 'SkyWest flight 3788, operating as Delta Connection from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Minot, North Dakota, landed safely in Minot after being cleared for approach by the tower but performed a go–around when another aircraft became visible in their flight path. We are investigating the incident.' Passengers on board were unaware at the time just how close they came to a possible catastrophe. After landing, the pilot addressed his terrified passengers, revealing how air traffic control had instructed an abrupt course change due to inadequate separation from another aircraft on the approach path. 'For those of you on the right-hand side, you probably saw the airplane kind of sort of coming at us. Nobody told us about it, and so we continued,' he explained over the public announcement system. He explained how there is no radar at Minot Airport so air traffic control has to 'visually' check that aircraft have enough clearance. He alleged he received no prior warning about nearby military air traffic and, having to act fast, decided the safest move was to abruptly swerve behind the bomber. Air traffic control informed the pilot to turn right because the spacing between Delta Flight 3788 and the jet ahead of it was too small. 'I looked over and there was an airplane, which those of you on the right-hand side, I thought it was a small airplane,' the pilot told the passengers in footage captured by passenger Monica Green. 'He [air traffic control] said, "Turn right." I said, "There's an airplane over there" And he says, "Turn left." And that by the time we read back to clearance, looked over and saw the airplane that was kind of coming on a converging course with us.' He also collectedly explained that he initially thought the approaching aircraft was a small plane - but it turned out to be a massive military jet. The pilot said he did not know how fast the bomber was flying but knew 'they were a lot faster than us' and 'felt it was the safest thing to do to turn behind it'. Despite the seriousness of what he was describing, his tone remained steady and composed throughout, just like it was just another day in the air. 'So sorry about the aggressive maneuver, it caught me by surprise, this is not normal at all,' he added. 'I don't know why they didn't give us a heads up, because the Air Force base does have radar, and nobody said, "Hey, there's also a B-52 in the pattern."' 'Long story short, it was not fun, but I do apologize for it, and thank you for understanding. Not a fun day at work.' Despite the shock, the pilot's calm and composed explanation was met with a wave of applause from the cabin – a collective release of tension as passengers realized how narrowly disaster had been averted. It remains unclear just how close the two aircraft came, or whether any cockpit warning systems were triggered during the encounter, according to ABC News.