Category Archives: Norfolk

Man who lost home to coastal erosion loses court case against UK government

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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.

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‘Piece of British history’: nuclear bunker in Norfolk to be sold at auction

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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.

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‘They’re out of control’: flock of 100 feral chickens torments village

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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.

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NHS mental health trust failings blamed for more than 30 deaths in Norfolk and Suffolk

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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.

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Man found dead with three others in Norfolk had called 999 over mental state

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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.

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Two adults found dead with children in Norfolk died of stab wounds to neck

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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.

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Norfolk police refers itself to IOPC over 999 call from home where bodies found

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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.

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Four members of same family found dead at house in Norfolk, say police

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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.

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National Trust archaeologists find medieval ‘gift token’ in Norfolk

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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.

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Norfolk care home accused of waking residents with loud music to save money

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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.

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Woman’s death during Brazilian butt lift surgery prompts UK-Turkey meeting

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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.

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NHS ombudsman calls on trust chief to withdraw ‘not accurate’ remarks

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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.

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Boards trodden by Shakespeare found under floor of Norfolk guildhall

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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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US air force photos of England at war available to public for first time

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Thousands of images from second world war include bomb damage to Old Trafford and troops at leisure

Black-and-white aerial photographs offering a bird’s eye view of England as it changed during the second world war are being made available to the public for the first time.

The 3,600 images include pictures of bomb damage to Old Trafford in Greater Manchester, as well as other towns and cities. They also show ancient monuments surrounded by anti-tank defences in West Sussex, and troops at play at a US army camp in Wiltshire.

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Norfolk and Suffolk police admit breach involving personal data of 1,230 people

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Information about victims of crime, witnesses and suspects included with freedom of information responses, forces say

Two police forces in England have admitted mishandling the sensitive data of victims, witnesses and suspects in cases including domestic abuse incidents, sexual offences, assaults, thefts and hate crime.

Norfolk and Suffolk police said the data of 1,230 people was included in files responding to freedom of information requests and apologised.

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Exotic bee-eater returns to UK for second summer in a row

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European birds nest in Norfolk much to the delight of twitchers – but environmentalists warn it’s a clear sign of climate change

With plumage cherry red, ultramarine, turquoise and yellow, usually found streaking like multicoloured darts across the skies of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Spain, they present as an epitome of tropical glamour.

British birdwatchers are aflutter to have found European bee-eaters swooping and burrowing in a disused quarry in Norfolk for the second summer in a row.

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Tidal barrier proposal for Lincolnshire and Norfolk sets off wave of opposition

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Wildlife and environment groups condemn plan promising renewable energy for 600,000 homes

Plans for a renewable energy tidal barrier linking Norfolk and Lincolnshire have sparked fierce debate between scientists, wildlife charities and a port company CEO who is leading the project.

Entrepreneur James Sutcliffe, who has managed and advised port companies in Sierra Leone and Bangladesh, has now set his sights on the Wash, which is the sea, mudflats and salt marsh between the two counties.

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‘Microcosm of Brexit Britain’: Norfolk documentary is surprise German hit

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Jens Meurer’s Seaside Special follows Brexit-divided Cromer as town prepares for annual variety show

A German film director’s whimsical and heartfelt portrait of Cromer has become an unexpected hit among audiences and critics in his home country, sparking an interest in the town on the north Norfolk coast.

Seaside Special follows the town as it prepares for its annual end-of-pier variety show – a burlesque mix of song and dance, standup comedy and slapstick performed twice a day for three months – in the summer of 2019, set against the tumultuous backdrop of clashing views within the community over Brexit.

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Warning coastal erosion in Norfolk will harm tourism as houses pulled down

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Councillor says continuing loss of land to the sea would damage local economy, which is heavily dependent on visitors

A councillor has warned that continued erosion of a Norfolk coastline could cause a dramatic decline in the local economy, after a seaside home was demolished.

Several wooden properties, built on sand dunes at Hemsby, are perilously close to toppling into the sea due to coastal erosion.

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‘Norfolk’s Mary Rose’: remains of 17th-century shipwreck go on display

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Artefacts, video and 3D model tell tragic story of the Gloucester, which ran aground carrying future king

The remains of a 17th-century royal shipwreck will go on display in Norwich as part of an exhibition exploring its last voyage.

The Gloucester sank off the Norfolk coast in 1682 while carrying the future king of England, Scotland and Ireland, James Stuart, then the Duke of York.

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