Roads closed in north-west after Manchester area gets two weeks’ worth of rain in 24 hours
Thunderstorms are expected to hit parts of the UK this week with a risk of more flooding following a weekend of heavy downpours.
Commuters woke up to road closures and diverted trains after parts of Greater Manchester were hit with two weeks’ worth of rain in 24 hours.
Continue reading...Met Office issues yellow warning for Scotland before sunshine breaks through later in week
Britain will experience a brief heatwave this week, but not before a storm brings torrential rain and strong gales to some areas.
The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for western parts of Scotland on Sunday and Monday, with thunderstorms, heavy rain and a risk of flooding. Rain and strong winds were also forecast to hit parts of Northern Ireland, north-west England and Wales on Sunday.
Continue reading...Mayor of New Zealand city says a tweak to signage might be all that’s needed, while some living on Baldwin Street are relieved
The New Zealand city of Dunedin has sought to look on the bright side after losing its claim to have the world’s steepest street to a town in Wales, with its mayor saying: “The street certainly hasn’t got any less steep as a result of the decision.”
This week, Guinness World Records officially stripped Dunedin’s Baldwin Street of the title and instead awarded it to Harlech in Wales. Its street, Ffordd Pen Llech, has a gradient of 37.45% at its steepest point – 2.5% steeper than Baldwin Street.
Continue reading...Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech beats renowned Baldwin Street in Dunedin, New Zealand
A meandering street in north-west Wales that challenges the fittest of walkers and cyclists has been confirmed as the steepest in the world.
Ffordd Pen Llech in the historic town of Harlech – better known for its castle and rousing song, Men of Harlech – has been judged steeper than Baldwin Street in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Continue reading...Carwyn Jones insists he made mistake in telling court he had given Ann Jones formal care role
The former Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones has been accused of lying under oath over the support measures put in place to protect a colleague who was found dead after allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour.
Carl Sargeant died four days after being sacked by Jones from his post in the Welsh government. Family and friends strongly believe the way the dismissal was handled left him in despair.
Continue reading...A Guardian/ITV News undercover investigation raises concerns about Gavin Woodhouse, who is behind project endorsed by Bear Grylls
A new £200m outdoor adventure park, which is being launched with the support of the celebrity adventurer Bear Grylls, is being fronted by a financier who has raised millions of pounds from private investors and whose businesses have a multimillion-pound “black hole”.
Related: How Gavin Woodhouse raised millions for a string of stalled projects
Continue reading...Rebecca Bryant told girlfriend of son ‘don’t tell them who you are’ in text before murder trial
A police officer who hid the fact she knew a juror on a murder trial she was involved in and then lied about it to a senior officer has admitted breaching standards of professional behaviour.
DC Rebecca Bryant sent her son’s girlfriend, Laura Jones, a text on the eve of the murder trial in which she said: “Don’t tell any of them who you are.”
Continue reading...I was a little surprised by Larry Elliott’s suggestion that the republican movement has rarely been weaker (How the House of Windsor saw off British republicanism, 13 June). In his analysis he ignores opinion polling, which shows no growth in support for the monarchy, and he ignores the perilous and imminent succession of King Charles.
A YouGov poll commissioned by Republic at the time of Prince Harry’s wedding last year showed widespread indifference to the royals. As expected, a clear majority (60%) said they liked the Queen, but only a third said they liked her “a great deal”. Meanwhile, only 37% wanted Charles to succeed the Queen; 46% said they would prefer “someone else”.
Continue reading...Witnesses say plane burst into flames after occupants were rescued from wreckage on A40 in Wales
Three people have been taken to hospital after a light aircraft they were flying in hit overhead power lines and crashed on to a dual carriageway before bursting into flames.
Gwent police said they were called at about 11am on Sunday to reports an aircraft had to make an unscheduled landing close to the A40 between Raglan and Abergavenny.
Continue reading...Demonstrators say Brexit and austerity have increased support for leaving the UK
Thousands have demonstrated in Cardiff to call for an independent Wales in what organisers said was the first such march in Welsh history.
Some protesters said they had been lifelong supporters of independence, while others said they were converted by Brexit and austerity. A recent poll for ITV Wales showed that 12% of people support self-government.
Continue reading...England just misses out on record, but new highs set in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
It has been raining in Spain and it’s jumper weather on the coast of Sicily, but in the UK it has been another glorious day, with record-breaking temperatures across much of the country.
Amid warnings that the heatwave was evidence of climate change, the Met Office said new Easter Sunday temperature records were set in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with England just missing out on a new record.
Continue reading...Man is in critical condition after being shot while trying to fix faulty satellite dish
A 74-year-old man is in a critical condition after being shot with a crossbow while trying to fix a faulty satellite dish outside his home in Wales.
The man raised the alarm shortly before 12.35am on Friday and was taken by ambulance to hospital.
Continue reading...Temperatures forecast to exceed 20C on dry and settled bank holiday weekend
Parts of the UK will be hotter than some of Europe’s top holiday destinations over the Easter weekend, with temperatures exceeding 20C (68F).
As sunseekers plan to go away over the coming weeks, the UK could be hotter than St Tropez in southern France, the Greek island of Corfu, Bodrum in southern Turkey and the Spanish island of Mallorca, which is forecast to be cloudy on Saturday and Sunday.
Continue reading...The Welsh government has given Sophie Howe statutory powers to represent people who haven’t yet been born
Sophie Howe is a public servant with a particularly tricky constituency. The people she represents are remote and unresponsive and they never show up to voice an opinion or tell her if she’s doing a good job.
They don’t even vote. That’s because they haven’t yet been born. Howe is the world’s first – and only – future generations commissioner with statutory powers. She’s there to represent the unborn citizens of Wales.
Continue reading...Motorists stranded and air and rail services cancelled as temperatures plunge
Thousands of people have been trapped, delayed and had their journeys disrupted by heavy snow that swept across parts of the UK, as forecasters warned more severe weather was on the way over the weekend. Scotland could see lows of minus 16C (3.2F) over Saturday night into Sunday as the cold snap continues, the Met Office said.
Hundreds of motorists were stranded on Friday, while air and rail passengers faced cancellations or difficult journeys and more than 1,000 schools were closed. Some householders experienced power cuts and sporting fans had events cancelled or travel plans wrecked.
Continue reading...Follow live updates on the disruption in the UK after the Met Office issues a warming for continuing snow
Wiltshire Health and Care, a partnership formed by the three NHS foundation trusts that serve Wiltshire to deliver adult community health services, is looking for volunteer 4x4 drivers to help nurses get to work.
We still urgently need 4x4 volunteer drivers in North #Wiltshire to help get nurses to and from work today. If you can help please call Sarah on 07514-323303. Please share. @wiltscouncil @Chippenhamtcl @MTCwilts @malmesburyteam @ChippenhamCEM
Welsh rugby fans trying to get to Paris for the opener of the Six Nations kept themselves entertained at Bristol airport after flights were cancelled.
Some of our amazing passengers choosing a singalong to keep upbeat during the snowy weather ❄️ pic.twitter.com/OoMigFLcJV
Continue reading...Independent review into ABMUHB highlights string of concerns about Kris Wade
A health board has been criticised over the case of a nursing assistant who murdered a neighbour in a sexually motivated attack while under investigation for abusing three patients with learning disabilities.
Kris Wade had been suspended from work for three years after the allegations of sexual abuse when he murdered his neighbour, Christine James, at her flat on Cardiff Bay in south Wales.
Continue reading...Comins Coch, Aberystwyth: Remnants of ancient volcanoes still dominate the skyline, though much less sharply than in La Palma’s younger landscape
The path up to the old quarry was wet and bordered by clumps of coarse grass, droplets of dew still hanging on to each blade. Beyond the line of trees that marks the edge of the field, dark and skeletal in their winter stasis, the sky was mottled with cloud that looked distinctly untrustworthy, with the stillness to the air that often presages showers.
Exposed on the steep back wall, grey and tarnished with flecks of iron, the ancient mudstones are too soft and easily fractured for fine building work, but the quarry served as a useful source of stone for local roads. Now abandoned, it has been out of use for long enough that mature oak trees have grown from the rounded heaps of spoil, banks of gorse – already in flower – adding bright yellow highlights.
Continue reading...Two boats go out looking for Cardiff City footballer after £259,000 raised online
A new search for missing Cardiff striker Emiliano Sala has been launched after more than £250,000 was raised to fund the operation.
An official search and rescue operation for the Piper PA-46 Malibu carrying the Argentinian striker and pilot David Ibbotson was called off on Thursday.
Continue reading...Strong northerly winds, snow and ice forecast to affect large parts of country
A large swathe of the UK is to be hit by an Arctic blast, bringing strong winds, snow and ice in a chilly end to the month.
The Met Office issued five weather warnings for the last weekend of January, saying there was a chance of power cuts and travel disruption.
Continue reading...