Innovation

Councillors will be asked to approve the continued closure of a car park in Worthing which was forced to shut last month due to concerns over unstable concrete.

Specialist engineers have been assigned to investigate the Grafton multi-storey car park after recent inspections raised safety concerns about the building.

Members of Worthing Borough Council (WBC) will later be asked to consider a report on the car park's condition, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The cabinet will also consider a report to return in July to discuss the future regeneration on the site alongside assessing the progress made since the initial closure on May 16.

In a note requested by WBC, HOP Consulting Civil and Structural Engineers said it supported the closure of the car park until further notice.

'Debris detachment'

It said: "Our note outlines that there are risks of failing/falling parts of the structure that threaten the safety of the public, users of the car park and is dangerous.

"Hence, we agree it is appropriate to close the whole of the car park for urgent investigation and review."

According to HOP, the monitoring approach used for several years to manage the "resulting overhead debris risk" is becoming "increasingly unreliable at pre-empting overhead debris detachment".

The car park, which is over 60 years old, was closed because of am unstable High Alumina Cement beam.

In November 2023, Worthing Borough Council announced plans to sell and demolish Grafton car park, a move which had first been mooted in 2007.

Tourism businesses in Jersey have been making the most of the hottest April since 2018.

According to Jersey Met, the total rainfall has been around half of the usual average for this month, which usually stands at 56.7mm.

Sunshine hours have also been above average, with an estimated 80 extra hours throughout the month compared to a typical April.

One watersports business owner said the warmer weather had been a "bonus" and enabled him to start the season earlier than usual.

In St Brelade, Jono Stevenson of Jono's Watersports in St Brelade said: "It's not very often I'm open in April, it's good to get going.

"Generally, in Jersey, the season runs May to September. It's a bonus to be open".

Other businesses have not seen much of a change including Simon Monins, who drives Le Petit Train, and said it was "still very quiet."

He added: "I've been chatting to some of the hoteliers and they all agree – it's been a quiet start to the year."

He remains "hopeful" for the rest of the holiday season.

Temperatures are expected to reach highs of 26C on Wednesday, just below Jersey's April record of 26.2C in 1984.

Quaranta William is the operational manager of Jersey Bus Tours, and he says he's seen more English visitors during the warm weather.

He said: "With us having the open-top bus, it's quite a nice selling point on a hot day.

"However, there's been no presence of French visitors."

Islanders will be able to enjoy the sunshine this bank holiday weekend at the Boat Show.

John Neal of Marquee Solutions has been setting up today. He says the event "kick starts the summer season".

"It's all hands on deck at the moment but really enjoyable in the sun".

A Jersey firefighter completed his challenge to run 150km (93.21 miles) around the island for charity.

Matt Roberts has raised more than £5,000 for the Firefighters Charity and Friends of Jersey Oncology (FOJO).

He started the run from St Helier at 16:00 BST on Saturday and finished 23 hours later at 15:00 on Sunday.

Mr Roberts was joined by friends and colleagues for the vast majority of the run to help him complete his challenge.

Fire crews, friends and family members gathered at the finish line which was made by tying a line between two fire engines.

Mr Roberts said it was "actually really enjoyable" and "out of 23 hours of solid running, I was on my own for less than 10 minutes".

He added: "I genuinely didn't think I'd raise over £1,000 so £5,000 is incredible."

Mr Roberts celebrated his finish with a can of Guinness and some takeaway food which his friends had bought him.

Paul McGrath and Steven Andrews are both from Jersey Fire and Rescue Service and joined Mr Roberts on different parts of his run.

Mr McGrath said "this is just amazing" and "I just wanted to be there to support him".

Mr Andrews added "Matt is a very dedicated guy" and "it's tiring enough doing just doing a little bit of it".

Jersey's Chief Fire Officer Paul Brown also cheered on Mr Roberts as he finished.

He said: "It was really inspiring.

"I think it says something about Matt first and foremost, he is quite remarkable individual to have done this in this way for those charities.

"Hopefully he will recover well because he certainly deserves to have some down time now," Mr Brown added.

FOJO called Mr Roberts an "amazing person" for completing the "phenomenal challenge".

Outline plans to build 49 homes in a West Sussex village have been deferred by a council.

Members of the planning committee at Chichester District Council asked for more information about the application for land east of Inlands Road in Nutbourne.

Concerns were raised by some councillors about the capacity of the Thornham Wastewater Treatment Works and the impact another batch of housing would have.

While West Sussex Highways filed no objection, councillor Roy Briscoe (Con, Westbourne) suggested the application be deferred to allow the authority to have "a really good look" at it, and reassess the information provided and its conclusion.

Network Rail pointed out that the level crossing on Inlands Road was considered high risk and was critical that applicant Metis Homes Ltd, had not engaged with them earlier.

But it was road safety which proved to be the biggest sticking point, especially given the narrowness of Inlands Road, according to Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Officers were worried that a delay would see the applicant launch an appeal against non-determination, especially as the council cannot demonstrate that it has a five-year supply of housing land.

Members agreed the deferral by nine votes to two with one abstention.

A special event recreating wartime in Londonderry has taken place to commemorate the city's role in the Battle of the Atlantic.

The naval base in the city – shared by the Royal Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy and the United States Navy – was pivotal to winning the longest continuous military campaign of World War Two.

At one time, 140 Allied escort ships, vital to the protection of convoys in the Atlantic, were based on the River Foyle and in May 1945 eight German U-boats surrendered close to the city.

A recreation of the German surrender took place place at Ebrington Square on Saturday, where a number of wartime museum collections have been on display over recent days.

"Derry is a city steeped in history and often we forget its strategic importance during World War II, although in terms of global significance it played a huge role," the city's mayor Lilian Seenoi Barr told BBC News NI.

What was the Battle of the Atlantic?

The Battle of the Atlantic was fought for control of vital supply routes, beginning as war broke out in 1939.

German submarines were the Allies' principal threat at sea. Winston Churchill once wrote: "The only thing that really frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril."

Skirmishes in the Atlantic continued until the war ended in 1945, but the Allies sank particularly large numbers of U-boats in May 1943, effectively winning the Battle of the Atlantic.

Thousands of merchant ships and tens of thousands of lives were lost during the longest continuous military campaign during World War Two.

More than 66,000 Allied merchant seamen, sailors and airmen died, with 175 Allied warships and 5,000 merchant ships destroyed by German U-boats.

Derry is acknowledged as the Allies' most important escort base during the Battle of the Atlantic.

On 14 May 1945 the first of the U-boats berthed at Lisahally, the naval port on the city's outskirts, were formally ordered to surrender by Admiral Sir Max Horton.

The mayor said as well as holding such vital strategic importance during the Atlantic campaign, the city was also changed by the influx of north American service personnel, housed at Base One Europe, the US Navy's operating base in Northern Ireland.

"The billeting of Allied servicemen here during that time also had a major cultural influence here in the city, where people mingled with the US and Canadian forces," she said.

Derry City and Strabane District Council's head of culture said Saturday's event will give people a sense of the historic significance of events in the city in 1945.

Ex-Wolves and England footballer Geoff Thomas is riding in his seventh Tour De France this summer to raise money towards clinical leukaemia trials.

The retired player and former leukaemia sufferer will be part of a team to cycle the full 2,200-mile (3,540km) route across 21 days in June and July.

The challenge aims to raise £1m for Cure Leukaemia, with Thomas describing it as the "most gruelling" of his life.

He said: "I first did it in 2005, when I was six months in remission – if I could do it then, what's stopping me now?"

Thomas, who lives in Worcestershire, received nine caps for the national team, but was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in 2003, a year after he retired.

He subsequently raised millions of pounds for charity, became a patron of Cure Leukaemia and launched his own charity, The Geoff Thomas Foundation.

He said if he could reach the finishing line in Paris in July, setting off a week before the pro riders, it would "eclipse anything" he had ever done on a football pitch.

"I don't really think you can do enough training – it's about getting as many miles in your legs as possible, without fatiguing yourself," he said.

"I'm just aiming to do the first day, knowing that you've got over 100 miles to do – you've got to survive that, and then take each day as it comes."

He described reaching Paris on previous tours as "one of the most enjoyable experiences you can have".

"It eclipses anything I ever did on a football pitch, and I was lucky enough to be involved in some great games – it's just a magical time."

Thomas announced his decision to take part in the event at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, where he met current leukaemia patient Adam Claxton, 42, from Worcester.

Mr Claxton said his own diagnosis the previous year had been "a complete shock".

"I'm a football fan, and I remember Geoff as a player – his career was terrific, he had a great run on the pitch and to meet him off the pitch is an honour," he said.

"What he's doing is inspirational."

Dr Salim Shafeek, a consultant haematologist who previously treated Thomas at Worcestershire Royal, said he was "a real ambassador for people with leukaemia".

"It's unbelievable what he's been doing for clinical research over the last 20 years," he added.

Thousands of knitted poppies are expected to turn a city's famous pier into a striking remembrance memorial.

The display will run the entire 1.33-mile (2.14km) length of Southend Pier in Essex from 5-16 November.

People have been invited to donate their creations by the end of September.

Labour city councillor Matt Dent said it would be a "truly memorable" commemoration.

The display would culminate with a "dramatic installation at the pier's selfie signpost", Southend-on-Sea City Council said.

Crafters of all skills were encouraged to get involved, with Dent hoping it would instil "a sense of civic pride".

He added: "As well as being a poignant tribute, I expect the display will give a welcome boost to tourism and visitor numbers on the pier during the quieter off-peak season."

Only four fines have been issued for littering by West Oxfordshire District Council in the past decade, figures obtained by the BBC have revealed.

A Freedom of Information request showed a total of 401 fixed penalty notices for the offence have been handed out by councils across Oxfordshire since 2015.

Oxford City Council gave the most at 204.

West Oxfordshire District Council said it took environmental offences "seriously" but argued fines can only be given when people are seen littering, which can "limit enforcement opportunities".

Liam Walker, a Conservative councillor on the council, said the low level of fines was "astonishing" but he was also shocked at the level of littering.

"It's not just about enforcement from the council… and government and police, it's all also about education – teaching people not to be throwing litter in this day and age," he said.

Councils were given powers to issue larger fines of up to £500 for littering in 2023.

Tracy Adams is part of the group Thame Wombles and does a litter pick most days, collecting as much as eight bags of rubbish at a time.

"To make an example of a few people, it just might stop others doing it," she said.

"[Littering is] just pure laziness from people."

The Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) warned that littering has a serious impact on nature.

Barbara Polonara, community wildlife officer, said small mammals like hedgehogs were at risk.

She said: "There's a huge issue where they get stuck in a lot of different litter, especially when they're looking for food, they can't free themselves and then they die."

When asked about the level of fines handed out, West Oxfordshire District Council said it did recognise the importance of keeping public spaces clean.

A spokesperson said: "Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for littering can only be issued when individuals are directly observed committing an offence, which can limit enforcement opportunities.

"In many cases, litter found in public areas does not include identifying information, making it difficult to take formal action."

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Fishermen who lost their lives at sea are being remembered at special services around the UK.

National Fishing Remembrance Day was created in 2024 by maritime organisations including the Hampshire-based Fishermen's Mission.

The charity said Sunday's services – including Brixham, Kilkeel and Peterhead which have been designated as national services for England, Northern Ireland and Scotland – were a reminder that fishing remained one of the most dangerous peacetime occupations.

A total of 26 deaths involving fishing vessels were recorded in the five years from 2019 to 2023, according to the Marine Accident Investigation Board.

At Portsmouth, a service is being held at The Camber Docks next to a memorial for six crewmen who died on the Wilhelmina J in 1991.

The beam trawler sank when it collided with a cargo ship in thick fog. Four of the bodies – all men aged in their 20s – have never been found.

Hayley Hamlett from the charity said relatives and friends of the six fishermen attended last year's inaugural event.

She said: "It's a chance to remember the people who have dedicated their lives for the fishing industry and in some cases the ones who've lost their lives while getting the seafood for our plate.

"Every day particularly along the south we've still got fishermen going out risking their lives, nearly always on their own on the boats."

Fishermen and their families from across the south of England also attended a service in Poole, Dorset, with sea shanties, poetry and readings.

Groups involved in National Fishing Remembrance Day also include The Seafarers' Charity, Stella Maris, Seafish and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have agreed to halt fighting in the east of the country until peace talks mediated by Qatar reach their "conclusion".

It is the latest truce since the rebels stepped up an offensive in eastern DR Congo where authorities say 7,000 people have been killed since January.

Both sides on Wednesday jointly announced to work towards peace following more than a week of talks, which they described as "frank and constructive".

Last month, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame also reaffirmed their commitment to an "unconditional" ceasefire in a surprise meeting in Doha.

The decades-long conflict has intensified since January when M23 staged an unprecedented offensive, seizing Goma and Bukavu – eastern Congo's two largest cities – and sparking fears of a wider regional war.

DR Congo accuses Rwanda of arming the M23 and sending troops to support the rebels in the conflict. Despite assertions from both the UN and US, Rwanda has denied supporting the M23.

• What's the fighting in DR Congo all about?
• The evidence that shows Rwanda is backing rebels in DR Congo
• Your phone, a rare metal and the war in DR Congo

Rwanda has said its forces are acting in self-defence against the Congolese army and allied militias, some of which it accuses of links to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

DR Congo also accuses Rwanda of illegally exploiting its mineral deposits in the east of the country, which Rwanda denies.

In a joint statement released separately by the M23 and Congolese government on Wednesday, each side pledged to give peace talks a chance.

"By mutual agreement, both parties reaffirm commitment to the immediate cessation of hostilities, a categorical rejection of any hate speech, intimidation, and call on all local communities to uphold these commitments," they said in a statement read on Congolese national TV and and posted on X by the M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka.

They said the ceasefire would apply "throughout the duration of the talks and until their conclusion".

Sources in the Qatar talks told Reuters news agency that the outcome of the meetings were almost derailed by "technical" issues.

It is not clear how long the truce will hold as several ceasefires have been agreed since 2021, before later collapsing.

Belgium's Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Prevot termed the truce a "crucial step towards ending the violence".

Qatar has been mediating between the two parties after the rebels refused to attend peace talks in Angola last month.

The Congolese government had long refused to hold direct talks with M23, branding it a "terrorist" group.

More about the conflict in DR Congo:

• DR Congo conflict tests China's diplomatic balancing act
• How DR Congo's Tutsis become foreigners in their own country
• 'They took all the women here': Rape survivors recall horror of DR Congo jailbreak