Environment Agency says pollutant in Norfolk river is ‘an unknown substance’ and is investigating
Dead fish have been found on a river in Norfolk where a large stretch of white foam appeared, the Environment Agency has confirmed.
Images shared by the agency on Saturday showed the foam covering an area of the River Thet.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Barbara de Dozsa had argued ownership because work by Italian artist Solario had been bought in good faith
A 16th-century Madonna and Child painting that ended up with a woman in Norfolk after it was stolen from a museum in Italy half a century ago is to be returned to its rightful owner.
After years of soul-searching, and persuading by an art lawyer who was acting pro bono, Barbara de Dozsa decided to hand it over to the Civic Museum of Belluno, which last saw the painting in 1973.
Continue reading...Jonathan Reynolds to hold talks with carmaker after reports suggested its UK factory could close
The business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, will hold talks with Lotus after the carmaker appeared to shelve plans to shut its UK operations.
After reports that Chinese owner Geely was planning to stop manufacturing at the Hethel plant in Norfolk, putting 1,300 jobs at risk, Lotus issued a statement saying it had “no plans” to close the factory.
Continue reading...Birds in their 40s wintering on mudflats of the Wash received leg rings in early 1980s
If your ears are assaulted by the shrill piping calls of an excitable bird on the east coast of England, fear not: it’s probably an oystercatcher experiencing a midlife crisis.
Two of the handsome black and white birds with bright red-orange bills have been found to be the oldest known oystercatchers ever recorded in Britain, clocking up at least 41 and 43 years on the mudflats of the Wash.
Continue reading...BT had planned to remove the familiar red kiosk in rural Norfolk until 89-year-old Derek Harris intervened
An 89-year-old man has won his battle to save the last remaining phone box in a village in East Anglia.
Derek Harris learned in January that BT was planning to remove the K6-style box in Sharrington, Norfolk, where he has lived for 50 years.
Harris and his fellow campaigners argued it was “an iconic heritage asset” and a vital asset to the community, due to the poor mobile signal in the rural area and North Norfolk having the highest proportion of older residents in England and Wales.
On Monday, BT informed Harris it had decided not to withdraw the payphone.
In a letter, the company said: “Given the poor mobile service in the area and the significant number of calls made from this payphone, it is clear that it serves an important function for the community. Therefore, we are withdrawing it from the removal programme.
“We understand the importance of maintaining reliable communication options, especially in areas where mobile service is lacking. The payphone has proven to be a vital resource for residents, ensuring that they have access to emergency services and can stay connected.
“Our decision reflects our commitment to supporting the community’s needs and ensuring that essential services remain accessible.”
Harris was born in 1935, the same year that the K6 style of red phone box was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. It went into production in 1936, becoming a familiar sight across the UK in just a few years.
Linda Jennings, from Brinton and Sharrington parish council, said: “It’s fantastic, the ‘normal man’ has won over the big company. We are all very pleased. It’s really good that BT has backed down.
“The mobile phone signal is really poor, it’s a lifeline for people. If you can’t get a signal there, you need these phone boxes. We have a parish council meeting on Thursday, Derek will get a big pat on the back.”
Last month, Harris told the Guardian of the need for the phone box to remain.
“We live next to perhaps the most beautiful part of Norfolk, the tranquil Glaven Valley with a pure chalk stream running through it,” he said. “It attracts ramblers, walkers, the lot, and everyone knows that there’s a working kiosk.”
In the event of an emergency and the mobile network being down, he added, “Wouldn’t it be awful if someone said: ‘If only they had kept that working kiosk’?
After fears £11m would be diverted to Treasury, money will be spent on restoring polluted areas where penalties issued
Millions of pounds of fines imposed on water firms will fund environmental schemes to protect the country’s waterways after fears the money would be diverted to the Treasury.
The water restoration fund was set up by the Conservative government to ensure that polluting water firms paid for the damage they caused. The fund received £11m in fines and penalties from April 2022 to October 2023.
Continue reading...Sightings over three airbases in East Anglia could relate to foreign powers’ concerns about possible nuclear weapons
A British former UFO hunter has said he does not “rule out” recent drone incursions over RAF bases in England being connected to Russia and China and nuclear weapons.
Unidentified drones were spotted in November over three airbases in the east of England that are used by the US air force (USAF).
Continue reading...Kevin Jordan and two other claimants argued the country’s climate adaptation plans were insufficient and unlawful
An East Anglian man who lost his home to coastal erosion has lost his high court challenge against the government’s climate adaptation plans.
Kevin Jordan was one of three claimants who argued the government’s plans for adapting to the existing and predicted impacts of climate change, known as the National Adaptation Programme 3 (NAP3), were insufficient and unlawful.
Continue reading...Bunker built in 1950s has no electricity or running water, but could be used as a wine cellar, auctioneer suggests
Online auctions are usually filled with fragile antiques and niche memorabilia that ought not to be touched. Those looking for something a bit more durable are now in luck.
An underground bunker with no running water or electricity but built to help survive a nuclear attack is to go on sale next month.
Continue reading...Residents of Snettisham, Norfolk, say birds are destroying their gardens, while food left out for them is attracting rats
The clucking nuisance of about 100 feral chickens has left residents of a Norfolk village spitting feathers, with locals claiming the birds destroy their gardens and keep them awake.
Dwellers in Snettisham, Norfolk, have said their life is being made “hell” as the chickens swarm in from a nearby wood. It is unclear who owns the land the chickens live on, but villagers believe numbers have soared recently.
Continue reading...Campaigners are calling for public inquiry into high number of patient fatalities over a decade at crisis-hit service
More than 30 patients died after risks were not acted on in the decade following a controversial service redesign at a crisis-hit NHS mental health trust, according to an analysis by campaigners.
The report by the Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk also logged nearly 20 patients of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) who have died since 2013 after communication failures, while family concerns were ignored in 15 cases.
Continue reading...Four people found dead in home named by police force as Independent Office for Police Conduct starts investigation
A man who was found dead in his home near Norwich along with three others was told to seek medical advice when he expressed concerned about his mental state in a 999 call earlier that morning, the police watchdog has revealed.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) announced on Tuesday that it has launched an investigation into Norfolk constabulary’s prior contact with the man, and its failure to respond to a call before the deaths last Friday.
Continue reading...Man, 45, and woman, 36, found dead in house in Costessey were related to two girls to be given later postmortem examinations
Two adults found dead with two children at a house in Norfolk died as a result of stab wounds to the neck, a postmortem examination has found.
The bodies of a 36-year-old woman, a 45-year-old man and two young girls, reportedly aged 12 and seven and believed to be daughters of the male, were found in a house on Allan Bedford Crescent, Costessey, on Friday. All four were related, police said. The man has been named locally as Bartłomiej Kuczyński, a structural engineer, and the 12-year-old daughter as Jasmin Kuczyński.
Continue reading...Police confirm they are not looking for anyone else in connection with incident after four people found dead
Police failed to attend a 999 call made from a house where four people, including two young children, were subsequently found dead.
Norfolk police said it was contacted by a man at the address at about 6am on Friday but no officers were deployed.
Continue reading...Officers find 45-year-old man, 36-year-old woman and two girls at a home in Costessey near Norwich
Four members of the same family have been found dead at a home in a Norfolk town, police have said.
Officers forced their way into the home in Costessey near Norwich on Friday morning at 7.15am after a call from a member of the public, and found a 45-year-old man, a 36-year-old woman and two young girls whose ages officers have not released.
Continue reading...Coin-like lead piece found near Oxburgh Hall thought to have been doled out by ‘boy bishop’ during Christmas period
They are the last resort for the most challenging of recipients, such as moody teenagers or the eccentric uncle you see once a year – but gift tokens also came in handy at Christmas in medieval times.
National Trust archaeologists have discovered a token dating from between 1470 and 1560 that was probably given by the church to poor people to be exchanged for food.
Continue reading...Staff at Iceni Care Home say vulnerable residents were treated as if they were ‘on a farm’ to reduce workload
Care workers at a private care home forced dementia sufferers out of bed as early as 5am and woke them by blasting loud radio music to save money, whistleblowers have alleged.
The management of Iceni Care Home in Swaffham, Norfolk, received repeated complaints about the practice this summer, as concerned staff said vulnerable residents were being treated as if they were “on a farm” in order to reduce the workload on daycare staff.
Continue reading...Melissa Kerr from Norfolk died on day of buttock enlargement surgery at private hospital in Istanbul in 2019
UK officials are to meet with counterparts in Turkey after the death of a British woman during so-called Brazilian butt lift surgery at a private hospital in Istanbul.
Melissa Kerr, 31, from Gorleston in Norfolk, travelled to the private Medicana Haznedar hospital for the buttock enlargement surgery in 2019.
Continue reading...Rob Behrens writes to head of Norfolk and Suffolk trust over claim to committee that questioned him about patient deaths report
The NHS ombudsman has told a health trust chief to withdraw “not accurate” remarks about him amid an alleged attempt to play down up to 1,000 avoidable patient deaths.
Rob Behrens wrote to Stuart Richardson, the head of the Norfolk and Suffolk mental health NHS trust, over remarks he made about him to Norfolk county council’s health scrutiny committee.
Continue reading...Oak floorboards discovered at St George’s Guildhall, King’s Lynn, believed to be only surviving stage from Shakespeare’s time
Boards trodden by the Bard have been discovered under layers of flooring at England’s oldest medieval guildhall as it undergoes a big refurbishment.
The 600-year-old oak floorboards are believed to be the only surviving stage from William Shakespeare’s time.
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