Latest news with #Chelmsford
BBC News
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Road works paused after four-hour queues at Broomfield Hospital
Hospital road works have been paused and rescheduled after motorists described being stuck in "horrendous" traffic for up to four Approach, the entrance and exit to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex, was partially closed on Monday, making it a one-way entrance while exiting traffic was diverted down Court Hayden, 62, sat in traffic with his mother-in-law for more than four hours and said "we had the engine turned off for an hour and a half, it was just stationary". A spokesperson for Essex Highways said: "The developer and Essex Highways will work closely to ensure any future works have minimal impact on traffic going in and out of Broomfield Hospital." Mr Hayden, who works in IT for emergency road transport systems, said he has experience with traffic management and attempted to contact the construction firm carrying out the works. "The other annoying thing is the housing developer who is responsible for it all, come 16:00 BST they're all shut up and gone home.""There were even ambulances stuck in the traffic... I think at one point there were three ambulances trying to get out of hospital that were just stuck in traffic [and couldn't] go anywhere." Mr Hayden explained that the cars leaving the hospital were having to join queues with all the cars coming in."Everyone was complaining and moaning, but people were in quite good spirits," he said. Mr Hayden told BBC Essex that his mother-in-law was OK after the experience. "I think she was there to get home and get a cup of tea."The BBC has contacted contractors CGS Construction and Broomfield Hospital for comment. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Telegraph
Baby died in car crash after being ‘thrown from seat'
A seven-month-old boy died when he was thrown from a car seat that was allegedly 'not strapped in properly' during a collision. Harry Kiely died from injuries sustained on July 13 in 2022, after his mother Morgan Kiely, then 19, had consumed rose wine during an afternoon at Clacton beach. Chelmsford Crown Court heard that Ms Kiely and her friend Stevie Steel had been 'relaxing in the sunshine' and planned to drive and drop Harry at his grandmother's house before they went to a Wetherspoons pub. A friend offered to take the women and Harry in his car but Ms Kiely and Ms Steel, both described as 'a bit tipsy', went on to drive themselves. Ms Kiely, now 22, is accused of manslaughter by gross negligence, which she denies. The court was told that Ms Steel, 23, of Dartford, had previously admitted causing death by dangerous driving by due care while over the prescribed limit. Prosecutor Mr Alex Stein told jurors that Ms Kiely was the passenger in a car driven by Ms Steel, with Harry in a child seat in the back of the car, sat behind his mother. Mr Stein claimed: 'That car seat had not been properly strapped in and more significantly he [Harry] had not been strapped into the seat itself properly.' He detailed that Ms Steel became distracted, hit a parked car and the car rolled and Harry was thrown out of the car through an open window. Mr Stein added: 'He landed on the tarmac and as a young infant he had no way of protecting himself,' Mr Stein added. 'He suffered a devastating skull fracture. It's a very, very sad case.' Chelmsford Crown Court heard that Ms Kiely and Harry had been picked up by Ms Steel at around 3pm on July 13. They went to the beach but stopped via Aldi on their way where they bought three bottles of rose. 'Tipsy and happy' at time of driving Ms Kiely and Ms Steel were described as being 'just a bit tipsy and happy'. Their plan was that Harry would be at Ms Kiely's mum's home whilst they went to the pub. At the time of the collision, Harry was in a child seat at the rear of the car with his mum in front of him and Ms Steel driving, there was 'no suggestion' that the car had been speeding. The car carrying Harry hit the corner of a parked vehicle, ending up on its roof and Harry was 'thrown or fell' out the nearside window. Chelmsford Crown Court heard Kiely 'loved her child' and there is 'no evidence to suggest that she was anything other than a loving and caring mother'. Mr Stein added: 'Whatever happened that day she certainly did not mean for it to happen.' A 999 call made to emergency services after the collision was played to jurors. During this Ms Kiely was said to have been heard saying 'my baby, my baby, is my baby okay'. Emergency services attended but Harry was declared dead at just after 9pm on July 13. Mr Stein said: 'We will anticipate that she [Kiely] thought she had secured Harry properly. 'No parent would want to admit to themselves that they were the cause of their own child's death, but the evidence we say is quite clear that she failed to look after Harry properly that day.' Kiely, of Ryde Avenue in Clacton, is accused of manslaughter by gross negligence. She denies the charge. The trial continues.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Baby died after being thrown from car seat in crash after mother and pal 'drank wine at the beach' as he was 'not strapped in properly', court hears
A seven-month-old baby died in a car crash after his mother and her friend drove home from Clacton beach after 'relaxing' and drinking wine, a court heard. Prosecutor Mr Alex Stein told Chelmsford Crown Court that Harry Kiely had not been 'properly' strapped into the car seat during the drive from the beach to his grandma's house. The baby boy was subsequently flung from the seat and died of 'unsurvivable' injuries sustained from the crash on July 13, 2022. His mother, Morgan Kiely had been drinking rosé on the beach with her friend, Stevie Steel. The two women planned to drop Harry at Ms Kiely's mum's house before heading to Wetherspoons. Harry was sitting in a child seat in the back of the car behind his mother while Ms Steel drove. Mr Stein told the court: 'That car seat had not been properly strapped in and more significantly he [Harry] had not been strapped into the seat itself properly.' He explained that Ms Steel was distracted and hit a parked car, the car ended up on its roof and Harry was 'thrown or fell' out the car window. Mr Stein said the girls were 'left hanging upside down, held in by their seatbelts'. The court was told that Ms Steel previously admitted causing death by dangerous driving by due care while over the prescribed limit. Jurors were told there was 'no suggestion' that the car had been speeding. 'He landed on the tarmac and as a young infant he had no way of protecting himself,' Mr Stein added. 'He suffered a devastating skull fracture. It's a very, very sad case.' An Isofix Maxi-Cosi car seat and base had initially been installed in Kiely's grandmother's car. The car seat without the base was placed in Ms Steel's car when she picked up Ms Kiely and Harry at around 3pm on July 13, the court heard. Before arriving at the beach, the friends stopped at Aldi. Ms Kiely, who was 19 at the time, bought two bottles of wine and Ms Steel bought one, they were described as being 'just a bit tipsy and happy'. While at the beach, Ms Steel saw her ex-boyfriend Mitchell Bassett, who offered them a lift to the pub - but they chose to drive themselves. According to Essex Live, Chelmsford Crown Court heard that Ms Kiely 'loved her child' and there is 'no evidence to suggest that she was anything other than a loving and caring mother' to Harry. Prosecutor Mr Stein said: 'Whatever happened that day she certainly did not mean for it to happen.' A 999 call made to emergency services after the collision was played to jurors. Ms Kiely appeared to wipe her eyes and cry in the courtroom dock while the audio was played. After hearing the collision, neighbours rushed to the scene, including a retired paediatric nurse who spoke to the 999 call handler and provided some of the immediate care towards Harry. Ms Kiely was said to have been heard saying 'my baby, my baby, is my baby okay'. Emergency services attended but Harry was declared dead at just after 9pm on July 13. Mr Stein said: 'We will anticipate that she [Kiely] thought she had secured Harry properly. I'm sure that any of you can appreciate that this would be very difficult for her. 'No parent would want to admit to themselves that they were the cause of their own child's death, but the evidence we say is quite clear that she failed to look after Harry properly that day.' Kiely has been accused of manslaughter by gross negligence. She denies the charge. The trial is ongoing.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
‘We can't walk safely day or night': How an Essex town reached boiling point over a migrant hotel
Epping Forest. Ancient woodland, historic royal hunting ground, Site of Special Scientific Interest – and now the latest violent flashpoint between police and protesters over the incendiary issue of migrant hotels. At its centre is The Bell Hotel, where ugly scenes have played out after 38-year-old Ethiopian asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was arrested and charged with three counts of sexual assault after an incident in which he is alleged to have tried to kiss a 14-year-old girl. He denied the charge when he appeared at Chelmsford magistrates' court and has been remanded in custody. Meanwhile the focus of local outrage has been the Bell, a 79-room hotel believed to house asylum seekers. Last Sunday, violence erupted at a protest which saw more than 1,000 people gather outside the hotel, leading to six arrests, after bottles and smoke flares were thrown towards police vehicles. This was the fourth demonstration in just nine days. Some were peaceful, others less so; eight police sustained injuries in clashes last Thursday, and six people were arrested yesterday. Whilst many who have taken to the streets seem intent on airing their discontent in an orderly manner – carrying banners bearing slogans such as 'Make Epping Safe Again' and 'I'm not far-Right, I'm worried about my kids' – others appear to have had less honourable intentions. The weekend's demonstrations were polluted by some far-Right rabble rousers as well as counter-protesters, who weighed in, some wearing balaclavas, under the banner of 'anti-racism'. Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, has blamed 'bad eggs' from the anti-fascist group Antifa and 'far-Right thugs' for the ugly scenes of unrest. After the drama of police lining up in riot gear, today marks the calm after the storm. But in truth it is just a temporary lull: another demonstration is planned for the weekend coming. Locals do not appear to endorse angry clashes – everyone I talk to insists that peaceful protest is the only way forward – but a mood of resentment is fomenting amid feelings of frustration and fear. 'I have a 12-year-old daughter who is now on holiday for six weeks – I can't let her out knowing there are predators on the street,' says one 44-year-old construction boss, out walking his beagle at lunchtime. 'But why should she have to be kept indoors while a load of foreigners walk free? 'I'm not a racist, I have friends who are Asian, friends who are black. This is about the fact that successive governments have poured taxpayers' money into providing for people who enter our country illegally and then commit crimes. Right now nobody seems to be entering, or leaving, the Bell. Security guards in the hotel's foyer have reportedly instructed those believed to be being housed there not to speak to the press. The area is still reeling from the media glare. A well-to-do area of smart £571,000 terraced houses, detached properties and pricey villas – a four-bed converted barn is currently on the market for £1.25 million – it boasts excellent links to the city by rail and Underground. No small wonder, then, that it is highly attractive to couples with young families in search of bigger homes and better schools, surrounded by the acres of green space inner-city dwellers can only dream of. Amid the lovingly-tended gardens and smart cars in gated driveways, The Bell Hotel is a shabby-looking edifice well past its prime, despite the sign reading 'Banqueting Suite & Conference Rooms'. A long, low, modern accommodation block is concealed behind a hedge. Fencing has been erected in the car park to block off the building and numerous notices read 'This Hotel is closed for (sic) general public'. Its TripAdvisor rating remains online however; a dismal 2.7. Judging by the reviews, there appear to have been no new guests since August 2021 but someone calling themselves Roving22251070829 has added a comment on July 18 to reflect the high emotions outside the premises. 'Infested. Disgusting. Unsafe,' it reads. 'The owners have sold their souls. Avoid at all costs, especially if you have children. Check recent news.' What recent news will do for the wider reputation of Epping remains to be seen. But the beauty of the surroundings, where deer and heritage English longhorns roam at will, is incontestable. Incongruously, right across the road stands a corner of forest, edged with silver birch and oak, field elm. and briars heavy with early blackberries. 'We moved out of the inner city for a quieter pace of life, but the riots are a reminder of the terrible problems Britain has at a national level,' says one mother, pushing a buggy, who prefers not to be named. 'Something needs to be done about random hotels full of asylum seekers being dumped in residential areas. It's a crazy idea.' Crazy maybe, but increasingly a fact of life for communities across the country. Indeed, the cost of housing migrants has tripled to £4m a day as new arrivals continue to make it to Britain's shores at pace. There were 38,000 migrants housed in hotels as of the end of last year, and a further 66,000 asylum seekers in 'dispersed accommodation', predominantly made up of self-catering houses and flats. It would be easy to lambast locals in places such as Epping as racist. Easy but unfair – and deeply unhelpful. Truthfully, who amongst us would want to live next to a hotel, housing dozens of displaced individuals, overwhelmingly male, without employment, milling around day after day without purpose? 'Me and my sister went to the first protest on Sunday the 13th, which had a lovely, family atmosphere,' a grandmother in her 70s tells me. 'We were quite open, saying we were there for the children and had no other agenda about race or religion. Our only aim was to protect our children. 'Now it's all kicking off. I won't be attending another, which is a shame, as the more of us who voice our unhappiness, the better.' Many commentators have described the events at The Bell Hotel as having come out of the blue. But that's not the full story. In April of this year, mother of three Orla Minihane, a Reform candidate for Epping and Theydon Bois, raised the issue of the believed migrant hotel at a council meeting – and was ejected for her troubles. Her apprehensions have proved to be prescient, but Minihane, who has spearheaded the peaceful protests, said the main focus now was conveying that demonstrators had legitimate concerns, and did not care about the race of the asylum seekers in the hotel. 'I wouldn't care if they were from Iceland, blonde, blue-eyed and Christian. At the end of the day they're strange men who nobody has checked,' she says. Minihane also unequivocally condemned the violence saying, 'we get branded as far-Right thugs', which takes focus away from the fact that 'the sexual abuse of young girls is not a Right or Left issue – it's a moral issue'. That sentiment is echoed throughout the town. For Patricia Martin, a 63-year-old former admin assistant, there is a deep disconnect between what happens in Westminster and what is taking place in the country as a whole. 'We don't know who these men are, we know nothing about their history or what terrible situation they may have escaped and the effect on their mental health,' she says. 'And we are expected to just let them into our town to wander freely around? The politicians who let this happen don't live like us, they use private healthcare and don't know or care about the impact this has on us.' She tells me about a friend of hers, a mother of four who has been homeless for nine years and has spent that time being shunted from one shabby local-authority-funded bed and breakfast to another. 'How come she has nobody on her side while a bunch of illegal immigrants only have to turn up to be given a roof over their heads? This country should start by looking after its own.' Similar views can be heard in other British towns home to migrant hotels. 'I don't think anybody in London even understands just how close we are to civil disobedience on a vast scale in this country,' Farage said on Monday. 'But do I understand how people in Epping feel? You bet your life I do.' Martin's cousin, Teresa Mann, 45, gives a shudder at the mention of the recent alleged assaults. As a mother, she is incensed that The Bell Hotel is so close to the local secondary school. 'These men come from other countries, other cultures where they have other attitudes towards women and girls,' she says. 'Siting any sort of accommodation near a school shows how little this problem has been thought through. 'If people come over here they should be put in a place where they can be monitored, their cases looked at quickly and then immediately sent packing if they have no right to be here. Yes they may be fleeing war or whatever but that is no excuse to go about abusing young girls.' Chris Whitbread, the Conservative leader of Epping Forest District Council, said the local authority had opposed plans for a migrant hotel in the area. The next demonstration, again led by Minihane, is due to take place next Sunday in front of the hotel. Before then she has challenged the authorities to be more transparent about who is being housed there and what is the plan for them going forward. 'A lack of transparency on the part of the authorities has increased tensions; if you withhold information, you make people suspicious,' she says, adding that the sight of women standing shoulder to shoulder will send a powerful signal to the government. 'Right now we can't walk safely in our community day or night,' says Minihane, who has lived in the area since she was 12 years old. 'Our message is that we live here – it's our right to be safe.'
The Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Racehorse owned by TikTok star Big John that costs £60 a share branded ‘terrible' after beating one rival in three races
A RACEHORSE owned by TikTok star Big John has been branded 'terrible' after beating just one rival home in three races. Shares in two-year-old filly Bosh Soldier cost £60 each and give you 0.05 per cent of the horse. 3 3 3 Viral sensation Big John, who has found fame for his colossal Chinese orders and 'Bosh!' catchphrase, has been used in promotion of the runner. Wearing ill-fitting silks, a jockey cap and goggles, he appeared in one video championing the filly and said: "I'm Big John and I'm here to see the Bosh Soldier!" But after being bought by 14-time Champion Jumps Trainer Paul Nicholls' daughter Meg for a shade over £24,000, Bosh Soldier is yet to earn a penny on the track. Trained by the respected George Boughey, who won the 1,000 Guineas with Cachet in 2022, Bosh Soldier has raced three times. She finished last of seven on debut at Yarmouth in May when sent off 18-1 under former Champion Apprentice jockey Billy Loughnane. Her next outing came a month later at Chelmsford when she finished last again over six furlongs at odds of 66-1. Then, at Newmarket this month, Bosh Soldier was sent off 150-1 under jockey Grace McEntee for a seven furlong maiden for fillies. She was always behind and finished totally tailed off, beaten a massive 50 lengths with only one horse behind her. Bosh Soldier qualifies for an official rating now and she may well prove a totally different prospect thrown into handicaps. Especially as shrewd trainer Boughey has shown in the past he knows exactly how to place one to win. But Bosh Soldier's performances - and the cost of shares - have caught the attention of some punters. Especially given she has been beaten a combined 97 lengths on her three runs. One punter said she had looked 'terrible' on the track while another wrote on X: "This filly has been running like Big John has been riding her himself." What the owners say about Bosh Soldier Anyone can buy a share in Bosh Soldier, with prices starting at £60. Here's what Racing Club, who run the syndicate, have to say about the horse... Calling all Bosh Soldiers! Introducing our first horse to be based in Newmarket, Bosh Soldier, who is in training with Classic winning trainer George Boughey. This stunning chestnut filly is in collaboration with John Fisher, AKA Big John – hence the name Bosh Soldier! The two-year-old has a striking pedigree, having been sired by Sergei Prokofiev, who was a Group 3 winner and placed in Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot. Since being sent to stud, he has sired the likes of Arizona Blaze (Group 3 winner and Group 1 runner-up) and Enchanting Empress (Listed winner). Sergei Prokofiev's sire Scat Daddy was a two-time Grade 1 winner and has been a phenomenal source of producing horses with plenty of raw speed. With plenty of pace in her pedigree, we're confident that Bosh Soldier will have the speed to blitz her rivals! Bosh Soldier is our first horse in training in Newmarket, which is considered the 'headquarters' of horse racing, as well as being our first horse with trainer George Boughey. The Group 1-winning trainer has gone from strength to strength since saddling his first winner in 2019, and we cannot wait to see him train Bosh Soldier, who looks set for a productive two-year-old campaign in 2025. The syndicate consists of 2,000 shares, with each share purchased equating to a 0.05 per cent shareholding in Bosh Soldier. In fairness, Racing Club VIP, who run the syndicate, have made clear before each of Bosh Soldier's runs that they have been about her gaining experience. And prior to her most recent outing, Boughey said: "Bosh Soldier is yet to show on the track what she's been showing us at home. "She's still a work in progress, but she's got ability." Syndicates are a great way to get into racing and this year has shown how good the horses can be. Middleham Park Pacing have finished runner-up in the Derby and Irish Derby with Lazy Griff, winning more than £500,000 in the process. While social media star Basher Watts won the French 1,000 Guineas with Shes Perfect - before the result was overturned in the stewards' room. So while Bosh Soldier is yet to return a profit, there is hope for the future at least. And she has some eyecatching entries. Bosh Soldier has been put in the Somerville Auction Stakes at Newmarket on August 23, where victory is worth more than £50,000. And she could line up in October's Tattersalls October Auction Stakes, where a win would net owners £80,000. Either of those would certainly pay for a few takeaways. Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
