Latest news with #RichardField
BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
Police continue search for hand grenades found in Hopwood canal
Officers are continuing to search for five suspected hand grenades found in a Worcestershire canal by a magnet Mercia Police said a man found a total of seven devices in the canal on Lea End Lane in Hopwood on Friday, but left the area with five of them, leaving two on the force is appealing for the man who found the grenades to come forward so they can be "safely recovered".Richard Field, districts inspector for Redditch and Bromsgrove, said it was worrying as the grenades were described as being "quite volatile" and could pose a risk to the public. "Because they're ageing, the safety advice is to ring us on 999 immediately, there will be a cordon placed on and then those items will be made safe by the bomb disposal team," he two grenades that were left on the river bank had since been safely detonated in a controlled explosion, after a 100m cordon was placed around the Field said the force's primary aim was around the safety of the wider explained the grenades were from the "World War Two era and therefore there's a risk to the public if the grenade is not treated or addressed by the army bomb disposal team"."Our theory is that they've either been dumped somewhere, which is obviously quite serious to the public, or they're in someone's garage, shed or house," he man who found the grenades is described as being about 5ft 10, aged in his 50s, with grey hair and wearing green trousers. Insp Field reassured the person who had the grenades that they "would not be in trouble by the police".He told BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester it was "quite common" for hand grenades and other items to be discovered in canals or rivers."Our focus isn't around criminalising this person, they've made an error of judgement in my own personal opinion, we want to recover the items, make them safe to make sure there isn't a wider risk to the public," he added"I'd appeal to that person to come forward," he who sees the man is asked not to approach him and to call 999. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
E-bikes cause fires in London ‘every other day'
E-bikes cause fires in London 'every other day', a fire chief has warned after a blaze left 11 people needing hospital treatment. Richard Field, deputy assistant commissioner for prevention and protection at London Fire Brigade (LFB), said e-bikes and e-scooters were one of the capital's 'fastest-growing fire risks'. Mr Field said: 'Since 2023, we have seen a fire, on average, every other day and these fires are ferocious, producing extremely toxic smoke.' Many recent fires have involved second-hand e-bikes or e-scooters which have been modified using parts bought online, not meeting the correct safety standard, he added. London Fire Brigade (LFB) chiefs believe the fire at a block of flats in Bethnal Green, east London,was caused by the failure of a lithium-ion battery. The Bethnal Green blaze on April 9 saw 50 people evacuated after it spread through the block in Cornwall Avenue. One man jumped from a second-floor window to escape the flames but was unhurt. Mr Field said: 'This would have been a terrifying ordeal for all those inside this building. Firefighters demonstrated great courage to bring multiple people, including one child, to safety. 'The condition of one of the 11 people taken to hospital is no longer life-threatening.' The fire chief urged people to store e-bikes and e-scooters outside or in a location such as a shed if possible, or to keep them in rooms where the door can be shut to contain a fire. He also advised avoiding leaving e-bikes and e-scooters unattended when charging, to use correct chargers and to not overcharge the battery. Batteries using lithium-ion technology are typically fitted to e-bikes. They have caused a number of lethal explosions and fires after being plugged into the wrong chargers. In February, a coroner ruled that the deaths of a couple and their two dogs in a house fire had been caused when a charging e-bike battery ignited and 'rapidly escalated into an intense blaze'. Lutfur Rahman, the Tower Hamlets mayor, said: 'We are finding and destroying unsafe batteries, and we've halved the number of e-bike battery-related fires in the borough by 50 per cent, but we need all e-bike and e-scooter users to help protect our community.' It comes after councils across the capital called for tougher regulation of e-bike rental companies over fears that the vehicles were being dumped on pavements by customers instead of parked in designated bays. E-bikes have long been a cause for concern in London. In March, Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London banned e-bikes from Tube and rail services in London after unions threatened to strike unless the devices were not allowed on TfL services. The ban includes conventional bicycles that have been turned into e-bikes using conversion kits. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
E-bike fires happening 'every other day' in London
Fires are being caused by e-bikes or e-scooters in London "every other day", a fire chief has warned after a fire left 11 people needing hospital treatment in Bethnal Green, east London, last week. London Fire Brigade (LFB) chiefs believe the fire was caused by the failure of a lithium-ion battery. Richard Field, dep ass commissioner for prevention and protection at LFB, said e-bikes and e-scooters were one of the capital's "fastest-growing fire risks". "Since 2023, we have seen a fire, on average, every other day and these fires are ferocious, producing extremely toxic smoke," he said. Many recent fires have involved second-hand e-bikes or e-scooters which have been modified using parts bought online which do not meet the correct safety standard, Mr Field added. The Bethnal Green fire on 9 April saw 50 people evacuated after it spread through the block in Cornwall Avenue. One man jumped from a second-floor window to escape the flames but was unhurt. Mr Field said: "This would have been a terrifying ordeal for all those inside this building. "Firefighters demonstrated great courage to bring multiple people, including one child, to safety. "The condition of one of the 11 people taken to hospital is no longer life-threatening." 'Our home was destroyed by a lithium battery fire' E-bike battery fire destroys family home 'We lost everything in a converted e-bike fire' The fire chief urged people to store e-bikes and e-scooters outside or in a location such as a shed if possible, or to keep them in rooms where the door can be shut to contain a fire. He also advised avoiding leaving e-bikes and e-scooters unattended when charging, to use correct chargers and to not overcharge the battery. Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman said: "We are finding and destroying unsafe batteries, and we've halved the number of e-bike battery-related fires in the borough, but we need all e-bike and e-scooter users to help protect our community." Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to LFB
