Latest news with #GarethMorgan
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Angry Liverpool shop owners ask why roads were open to vehicles before disaster
Despite warnings given to businesses about the expected crowds, not all roads on the route were closed for the parade which ended in chaos and 79 people injured after a car crashed into fans Angry shop owners have questioned why some roads remained open to vehicles for the Liverpool FC homecoming. Despite warnings given to businesses about the expected crowds, Dale Street in the centre of Liverpool was not completely closed. The parade ended in chaos, with 79 people injured after a car crashed into fans on adjoining Water Street. Months of planning went into the event, and a "robust traffic management plan" was in place, Liverpool city council said. But Gareth Morgan, 46, owner of The Dead Crafty Beer Company on Dale Street, outlined how he was told to remove street furniture for the event last Monday. He demanded to know why vehicles were still allowed access. "When you have 800,000 people walking back up to the city centre, it's crazy that any of the main roads in the city centre were open," he said. "Everyone I have spoken to is in agreement that it should not have been open to traffic. The pavements aren't big enough to take that volume of the public, so the only place for them to go is the road." Mohamad Abbar, of A2Z Mobile on Dale Street, added: "There were too many people on this road." Liverpool City Council stressed Dale St had not been completely closed for Liverpool FC victory parades in the past, and the bus had travelled on the same route as in 2019 and 2022. Elsewhere on the 10-mile route, one side of Queens Drive remained open. Again, crowds were forced onto the road at the same time as vehicles, including heavy goods wagons. Eyewitnesses told how 'dozens of HGVs' were on the route at the same time as big crowds. Cllr Alan Gibbons, who leads the city's Community Independents Group, submitted a Right to Know request to the city council regarding organisation of the parade. In an email to council chief executive Andrew Lewis, he wrote: "Based on footage circulating on social media and mainstream news outlets, a number of critical questions arise surrounding the circumstances of the incident, the preparedness of the authorities, and the overall safeguarding of the public. "Why does footage appear to show no visible police presence in the vicinity at the time of the vehicle entering the area? "What was the contingency plan in the event of a vehicle breach, and how was it communicated to officers and stewards on duty?" The city's Lib Dem leader Cllr Carl Cashman has called for a full independent inquiry. Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims told how they worked with event organisers on traffic management. It included a number of road closures throughout the route and the city centre. Former Royal Marine Paul Doyle appeared at Liverpool Magistrates' Court and Liverpool Crown Court last week. He faced seven charges including wounding with intent, causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, attempting to cause GBH with intent and dangerous driving. Mr Doyle faces charges relating to six victims, including two children aged 11 and 17, after a total of 79 people were injured. He will next appear at Liverpool Crown Court on 14 August for a plea hearing.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Why was Liverpool road open during parade?'
Almost a week on from Liverpool FC's trophy parade and questions are being asked over why a main city centre road remained open to vehicles and what caused hour-long queues at the city's biggest station. Dale Street, which runs through the city centre before it joins Water Street, was left open for vehicles, despite warnings given to businesses over expected crowds. At about 18:00 BST on Monday evening, 79 people were injured when a car crashed into fans on Water Street during Monday's parade. But the council said planning for the parade had taken place over several months and there was a robust traffic management plan agreed by all partners. Gareth Morgan, 46, owns The Dead Crafty Beer Company on Dale Street. He says they were told to remove street furniture due to the volume of crowds expected, yet "the council still let vehicles up and down". "When you have 800,000 people walking back up to the city centre, it's crazy that any of the main roads in the city centre were open," Mr Morgan said. "There should not have been any vehicles - everyone I have spoken to is in agreement that it should not have been open to traffic. "The pavements aren't big enough to take that volume of the public so the only place for them to go is the road." Mohamad Abbar, who works at A2Z Mobile also on Dale Street, echoed his comments and said "there were too many people on this road" which he thought was "supposed to be closed". But the council said Dale Street had never been completely closed for a Liverpool FC victory parade, with the bus travelling on the same route as in 2019 and 2022. A Liverpool City Council spokesman added that the part of Dale Street left open was a key route for traffic going to and from the Mersey Tunnel. He said all roads feeding into Dale Street and Water Street from Exchange Street East down towards the Strand were shut, and there was a further closure at the top of Water Street outside the Town Hall. On Friday, former Royal Marine Paul Doyle appeared at Liverpool Magistrates' Court and Liverpool Crown Court where he faced seven charges including wounding with intent, causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, attempting to cause GBH with intent and dangerous driving. Mr Doyle faces charges relating to six victims, including two children aged 11 and 17, after a total of 79 people were injured in the city centre on Monday evening. He will next appear at Liverpool Crown Court on 14 August for a plea hearing. Tom Benson, 24, who works in Manchester, said he had travelled to Liverpool for various events previously and he felt a lot more roads had been closed. "But this time around that wasn't the case," he said. "It seemed like a fair few of the roads were opened despite there being significantly more people." Mr Benson also said he felt the organisation at Liverpool's Lime Street Station was "pretty terrible", with police blocking all the entrances and "thousands of people" queueing for hours only to be told to "go and join a queue at the other side of the station". A 24-year-old, who asked not to be named, said he queued for more than an hour at the train station only to be told he was in the wrong place. He described the scenes at the station as "absolute carnage". "There was no organisation at all," he added. "We were pretty lucky we got the last train to Birmingham, but it was terrible for the people with children who were all crying." Network Rail said there had been "an unprecedented number of people travelling to and from Lime Street Station to be part of the parade". The firm had used "tried and tested plans" to manage demand, it said, including closing the Lime St entrance and putting a one-way queueing system in place starting at the Skelhorne St entrance. However, the large numbers of people wanting to travel at the same time "significantly impacted" the queuing system, and Network Rail said it is reviewing what happened so as to learn from it in future. "We are sorry that people were delayed in getting to where they needed to be during a distressing time," a spokesperson said. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Paul Doyle accused of using car as weapon, court told Liverpool turns red for double cup-winning parade Crowds bid farewell to Liverpool Giants Liverpool City Council Merseyside Police Network Rail
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Questions over why Dale Street stayed open for LFC parade
Almost a week on from Liverpool FC's trophy parade and questions are being asked over why a main city centre road remained open to vehicles and what caused hour-long queues at the city's biggest Street, which runs through the city centre before it joins Water Street, was left open for vehicles, despite warnings given to businesses over expected about 18:00 BST on Monday evening, 79 people were injured when a car crashed into fans on Water Street during Monday's the council said planning for the parade had taken place over several months and there was a robust traffic management plan agreed by all partners. Gareth Morgan, 46, owns The Dead Crafty Beer Company on Dale Street. He says they were told to remove street furniture due to the volume of crowds expected, yet "the council still let vehicles up and down"."When you have 800,000 people walking back up to the city centre, it's crazy that any of the main roads in the city centre were open," Mr Morgan said."There should not have been any vehicles - everyone I have spoken to is in agreement that it should not have been open to traffic."The pavements aren't big enough to take that volume of the public so the only place for them to go is the road." Mohamad Abbar, who works at A2Z Mobile also on Dale Street, echoed his comments and said "there were too many people on this road" which he thought was "supposed to be closed".But the council said Dale Street had never been completely closed for a Liverpool FC victory parade, with the bus travelling on the same route as in 2019 and 2022.A Liverpool City Council spokesman added that the part of Dale Street left open was a key route for traffic going to and from the Mersey said all roads feeding into Dale Street and Water Street from Exchange Street East down towards the Strand were shut, and there was a further closure at the top of Water Street outside the Town Hall. On Friday, former Royal Marine Paul Doyle appeared at Liverpool Magistrates' Court and Liverpool Crown Court where he faced seven charges including wounding with intent, causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, attempting to cause GBH with intent and dangerous Doyle faces charges relating to six victims, including two children aged 11 and 17, after a total of 79 people were injured in the city centre on Monday will next appear at Liverpool Crown Court on 14 August for a plea Benson, 24, who works in Manchester, said he had travelled to Liverpool for various events previously and he felt a lot more roads had been closed."But this time around that wasn't the case," he said."It seemed like a fair few of the roads were opened despite there being significantly more people." Mr Benson also said he felt the organisation at Liverpool's Lime Street Station was "pretty terrible", with police blocking all the entrances and "thousands of people" queueing for hours only to be told to "go and join a queue at the other side of the station".A 24-year-old, who asked not to be named, said he queued for more than an hour at the train station only to be told he was in the wrong place. He described the scenes at the station as "absolute carnage"."There was no organisation at all," he added."We were pretty lucky we got the last train to Birmingham, but it was terrible for the people with children who were all crying." Network Rail said there had been "an unprecedented number of people travelling to and from Lime Street Station to be part of the parade".The firm had used "tried and tested plans" to manage demand, it said, including closing the Lime St entrance and putting a one-way queueing system in place starting at the Skelhorne St the large numbers of people wanting to travel at the same time "significantly impacted" the queuing system, and Network Rail said it is reviewing what happened so as to learn from it in future."We are sorry that people were delayed in getting to where they needed to be during a distressing time," a spokesperson said. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Wales Online
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Wales Online
Unseen footage reveals car's journey through Liverpool before it ploughed into fans at the parade
Unseen footage reveals car's journey through Liverpool before it ploughed into fans at the parade A range of CCTV videos of the Ford Galaxy car have been obtained which help plot its course to Water Street where 79 people were hurt The Ford Galaxy car was driven along Dale Street before it was steered into a crowd of Liverpool fans in Water Street Footage from the moments before a car ploughed into pedestrians during Liverpool FC's Premier League title parade has emerged. Videos show a Ford Galaxy, which injured 79 people celebrating their team's victory on Monday evening, May 26, navigating through the city centre before crashing into crowds in Water Street. The previously unseen footage captures the car entering Dale Street at its eastern-most point, near the Queensway Tunnel, at 17:56pm. Just two minutes prior, an ambulance is seen going through the same busy area with its lights flashing and siren blaring. It is believed that this is the ambulance that the Galaxy followed, enabling it to bypass a road closure at the start of Water Street and then drive into the crowd of pedestrians, reports the Liverpool Echo. Further along Dale Street, the dark-coloured Ford Galaxy continues its journey. The vehicle is spotted near the junction of Dale Street and Cumberland Street at 17:57pm. In this video, Dale Street is noticeably bustling with vehicles and pedestrians returning from the parade. At one point, the Ford Galaxy narrowly avoids colliding with a woman crossing the road. More mobile phone footage captured from further along Dale Street, near Moorfields Station, shows numerous pedestrians spilling onto the road as they return from the parade. The Ford Galaxy is seen making its way through streams of parade-goers. Subsequently, it emerged that after moving along Dale Street towards Water Street, the driver of the Ford Galaxy encountered a temporary roadblock clearance - removed to allow an ambulance to attend to a suspected heart attack patient. It is believed that the Galaxy trailed the ambulance through the temporary gap in the blockade and was then driven into the crowds. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here . The video raises questions as to why the majority of Dale Street was left open as hundreds of thousands of spectators took to the city centre for the parade spectacle. Local business owners have spoken of their disbelief at the decision to keep the road open during such a busy event, labelling it a major mistake. Gareth Morgan, owner of the Dead Crafty Beer Company situated in Dale Street, told the Echo: "All other major events that happen on the waterfront, all the traffic gets diverted so it doesn't come down Dale Street at all. "No vehicles other than emergency vehicles should have been on that road. It was like a concert had just finished. No-one was looking for cars. There should never ever have been traffic on that road." Liverpool's political opposition leader, Cllr Carl Cashman, has demanded a thorough independent inquiry into the events leading up to Monday's shocking incidents. Liverpool City Council has been contacted by the Echo for a response. Assistant chief constable Jenny Sims defended the police operation during the parade in a press briefing with around 40 journalists, stating that the force had prepared for "all contingencies" and maintained an armed presence due to the event's magnitude. ACC Sims explained that a "robust traffic management plan was put in place, which included a number of local authority road closures throughout the route and the city centre". She added: "There was no intelligence to suggest an incident of this nature would take place." Investigations are ongoing following the crash which left 79 people injured (Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire ) As police continue to investigate what happened, the investigation team has been granted more time to question a 53-year-old white British man from West Derby who is in custody in connection with the incident. Detective Chief Superintendent Karen Jaundrill, from Merseyside Police, confirmed yesterday that 79 individuals sustained injuries in the incident, with 50 being taken to hospital. Police provided an update this afternoon, revealing seven people remained in hospital in stable conditions. A young family with their baby in a pushchair were among those caught up in the chaos. The incident happened as roughly one million people gathered across Liverpool to celebrate Liverpool FC's Premier League victory. Following the crash, Dale Street and Water Street were shut down along with several adjacent roads. Riva Blu, an Italian eatery, was swiftly turned into a makeshift triage centre by emergency responders to manage the care of the wounded. Authorities erected a large blue forensic tent in Water Street as part of their investigation. Late Tuesday evening saw the re-opening of the cordoned-off streets, with council street teams cleaning up the area. Locals have started leaving bouquets and heartfelt messages at the scene for the injured, with one note reading: "To all the injured, wishing you all a speedy recovery." DCS Jaundrill informed the media that detectives were piecing together the events leading up to the incident, stating: "Extensive CCTV enquiries are being carried out across the city to establish the movements of the car before the incident took place." Article continues below ACC Sims further commented on the collaborative efforts following the incident. She said: "Merseyside Police continues to work with other emergency services, Liverpool City Council and the Liverpool City Combined Regional Authority, local hospitals and health providers and Liverpool Football Club collectively in response to this incident."
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Powys' oldest councillor for Llanidloes gives way to its youngest
A local authority's oldest councillor has stepped down after more than 50 years to "give way" to its youngest. Gareth Morgan, who will be 90 in October, has been a Powys county councillor in Llanidloes since the formation of the local authority in his place will be the council's youngest representative Glyn Preston, who was just 22 when he was first elected three years ago and has shared responsibility for the Llanidloes ward with Mr described Mr Morgan's contribution to the community as "immense", and said he expected people will go and see him about their problems even after he has left, because they always have done. "In many ways there comes a tide in the affairs of men they say, it's come to me now in what has been 52 years," Mr Morgan told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast. "I haven't got the energy I once did years ago and I thought it's time to give way to a younger person."Mr Morgan said he had seen a big change on Powys council in recent years, with a large number of younger councillors being recruited. "They're paid now and that makes it more affordable for younger people now and supplements what you're earning otherwise, the average age of Powys councillors has dropped dramatically," he said. During his time as councillor Mr Morgan held the position of council chair between 1999-2000. He also held the position of board member for arts and culture from 2002 until while it may be time for Mr Morgan to slow down, he said he was not prepared to "creep into the corner and do nothing" as he has plans to remain on Llanidloes town council. "I look back and how much I've enjoyed it. There have been moments of great anxiety, but I've enjoyed it so much," Mr Morgan said. "Most of my old council colleagues have passed away. "I was there at the beginning in the early days, when Powys council was formed from the old counties of Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire and Brecknock."It's been a big part of my life. Angela my wife even became a town councillor," he added. Preston said the people of Llanidloes knew they could rely on Mr Morgan and his open door policy and "people can go in for tea and cake and chat about their problems". "When I was knocking on doors three years ago trying to get elected, I was met with the same response on nearly every single door - 'don't worry, your vote is safe, if Gareth says you're alright, you're getting our vote'," the councillor said. He recalled how Mr Morgan once helped a man who had an operation out of the area and was denied recuperation at the local hospital in Llanidloes. "Gareth's solution was to invite this man to stay with him and his wife at their home for 11 days," Preston said. "They looked after him until he was back on his feet". "He also gave a constituent the use of his car when they fell on hard times," he added. "Gareth told them to use it whenever they needed it, he just gets things done for people." When it comes to advice on what makes a great councillor, Preston said Mr Morgan had taught him much about the role in the time he has been part of the council. "You must have integrity, enthusiasm and genuine care for the public and they must come first - before politics," Mr Morgan said. "You must have commitment and dedication. It's a huge commitment and particularly the more senior you become."He thanked the community for repeatedly electing him, as he said "there is no guarantee you're going to be there indefinitely".
