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The boss of South West Water (SWW) has said she unreservedly apologises for a parasite outbreak in south Devon a year ago.

In an interview with the BBC, Pennon Group CEO Susan Davy said she suffered "sleepless nights" as communities in Brixham and Kingswear grappled with the outbreak at the time.

More than 100 cases of cryptosporidiosis were linked to the outbreak, while tourism firms reported losing millions of pounds, after the parasite was found in a reservoir on 15 May 2024.

Responding to criticism over bill rises, Ms Davy conceded the increases were "too much" for some, but were needed to fund an upgrade of the sewerage network in Devon and Cornwall, a process that could take 15 years.

Two more people have been arrested after a car crashed into pedestrians in Leicester.

Police were called to the incident in De Montfort Street in the city centre at 00:34 BST on Saturday, which left three people with serious injuries and one person with minor injuries.

A 31-year-old man, from Leicester, had already been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and causing serious injury by dangerous driving and has since been released on police bail.

Officers said a 28-year-old man, from Leicester, and a 34 year-old man, also from Leicester have now been arrested, but said the 34 year-old was also released on bail.

The 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and causing serious injury by dangerous driving following the collision, and remains in police custody.

The 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of affray, added officers.

Police said the incident was reported to have happened following a fight at the same location and believe the suspects and the four victims had all been in attendance at a private event nearby prior to the incident.

Three of the seriously injured people currently remain in hospital in a serious but stable condition, said police.

The fourth person who suffered minor injuries and has been discharged from hospital.

A pub is due to return to the former first class waiting room of a city's railway station.

The Grade II listed room at Carlisle station was recorded as hosting Queen Victoria on a number of occasions.

It is currently used as a storage room and kitchen, but had been used as a pub in recent years.

Network Rail confirmed work would start next month to refurbish the space, including creating a mezzanine level.

The waiting room, which is on platform four, was built by architect William Tite in 1880 as an extension to his original 1847 neo-Tudor station designs.

It retains the character of the time, including prominent original fireplaces.

The work is part of the Carlisle Gateway project – a £27m government-funded plan to redevelop the station into a transport hub.

Court Square will be pedestrianised and Lawson's Monument will be moved as part of the scheme.

A new campaign has been launched to reduce the increasing rates of skin cancer amongst outdoor workers in Devon and Cornwall.

NHS figures for 2024/25 show there were 5,728 diagnoses of the condition across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Nine out of 10 of these were non-melanoma but skin cancer still causes the deaths of around 92 people in the region every year, according to the Peninsula Cancer Alliance (PCA), which works to improve cancer outcomes in the region.

It said cancer was the leading cause of death in the South West and farmers and those working in the agriculture sector were at the highest risk of developing skin cancer.

Janet Sutton, 73, farms rare breed animals at Land's End, Cornwall.

She had skin cancer removed from her forehead in December 2024.

"I stay in the shade, I don't like the heat. It was the last thing I thought I would ever get. I am a lot more careful now," Ms Sutton said.

The 73-year-old thought the scab on her forehead was an allergy. It was only when she went to see her GP about something else that the GP referred her for an appointment with dermatology.

She had the mark removed just weeks later.

"I don't hide the fact I have cancer. I find if I speak about mine, other people say, I had that. As farmers, we are very rarely in. You have to more careful."

Ms Sutton has previously had throat and breast cancer but she had been clear of cancer for five years before this recent diagnosis.

Her husband, John Sutton, 68 said: "I thought she had had enough cancers not to have anymore. I am more in the sun than she is.

"We thought the mark on her forehead was an allergy. It was getting bigger and bigger. But it was quickly sorted. They did take out a large patch of skin."

Mr Sutton said he was more careful to wear sunscreen and a hat following his wife's diagnosis.

'Significantly higher'

The new campaign will focus on raising awareness among those who work outside, with a particular emphasis on agriculture, farming, and coastal regions, where exposure to UV rays is highest, its organisers said.

NHS data shows diagnoses are significantly higher in coastal areas. Among men, it was highest in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly and Dorset.

Out of the 5,728 diagnoses in the Peninsula 2024/25, 1,950 were in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and 3,778 were in Devon (2024/25 based on the Cancer Outcomes and Services Dataset (COSD).

The PCA said teams would be attending farmers markets, cattle markets and agricultural shows until the autumn.

As part of the campaign, they will hand out reusable squeeze bottles with a carabiner to encourage the use of sunscreen.

A carabiner allows outdoor workers to clip on their shorts or trousers for ease of use and able to access while working.

North Korea has for the first time confirmed that it sent troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine.

In a report on state news agency KCNA, Pyongyang's military claimed its soldiers helped Russian forces "completely liberate" the Kursk border region, according to an order given by leader Kim Jong Un.

Pyongyang's announcement comes just days after Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov praised the "heroism" of North Korean troops, the first time Moscow has publicly acknowledged their involvement.

Western officials had earlier told the BBC they believed at least 1,000 of the 11,000 troops sent from North Korea had been killed over three months.

Gerasimov also claims Moscow regained full control of the country's western Kursk region – a claim denied by Ukraine.

Responding to the statement, the US said North Korea must now bear responsibility for perpetuating the war.

South Korean and Western intelligence have long reported that Pyongyang dispatched thousands of troops to Kursk last year.

The decision to deploy troops was in accordance with a mutual defense treaty between Pyongyang and Moscow, KCNA said.

"They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honour of the motherland," Kim said according to KCNA.

North Korea and Russia demonstrated their "alliance and brotherhood" in Kursk, adding that a "friendship proven by blood" will greatly contribute to expanding the relationship "in every way".

It added that North Korea would support the Russian army again.

KCNA did not say what would happen to the North Korean troops after their mission in Kursk ended and whether they would be able to return home.

Reports that North Korean soldiers had been deployed to fight for Russia first emerged in October, following the deepening of bilateral ties between Kim and Putin.

This included the signing of an accord where both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Kim agreed to support each other if either country was dealing with "aggression".

Military experts have said that the North Korean troops, reportedly from an "elite" unit called the Storm Corps, are unprepared for the realities of modern warfare.

"These are barely trained troops led by Russian officers who they don't understand," former British Army tank commander, Col Hamish de Bretton-Gordon had said earlier this year.

Despite this, Ukraine's top military commander Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi had earlier also warned that North Korean soldiers were posing a significant problem for Ukrainian fighters on the front line.

"They are numerous. An additional 11,000-12,000 highly motivated and well-prepared soldiers who are conducting offensive actions. They operate based on Soviet tactics. They rely on their numbers," the general told Ukraine's TSN Tyzhden news programme.

A mum whose 17-year-old daughter took her own life is planning to walk across Devon to raise money in her memory.

Darcy, who died in 2021, would have been 22 this year.

In honour of this, her mum Debbie Hollinson plans to walk 22 miles (35km) from Tavistock, where Darcy lived, to Plymouth, where she was at school on 25 May.

"I'll be thinking about Darcy with every step, wishing she was with us," said Ms Hollinson, a Devon and Cornwall Police community support officer.

It is the latest in a series of events organised by Ms Hollinson in memory of her daughter, and in aid of Papyrus, a suicide prevention charity.

The goal is to raise £22,000.

Ms Hollinson said: "I wish I wasn't doing this at all.

"But we know so many people struggle with suicidal thoughts… I don't want anyone to go through what we have been through and go though daily.

"I think Darcy would be surprised at how many are taking part.

"When she died, she thought nobody cared and the world would be better off without her.

"I wish she'd have known how many people have come forward to support this event.

"It started off just being a small group of us doing it, but lots of people have joined and there are lots of different teams."

'So much stigma'

Ms Hollinson said there was "so much stigma attached" to the subject.

"We just have to keep talking about it and make it easer for people to talk about," she said.

Her daughter, she added, was the "first person to come forward" when someone was upset.

"Darcy was really sporty: she was a horse rider, a climber, an RAF cadet and a Brownies volunteer."

Thanking all those taking part in the walk, she added: "Twenty-two miles in one day is a long way and there could be up to 100 people.

"It's as much about having conversations and raising awareness as it is about raising the money."

A boy arrested after a major fire at a retail park has been released on bail, police said.

The 14-year-old was detained on Monday by officers investigating Saturday's blaze at Nene Valley Retail Park in Northampton.

Two other boys arrested on Saturday on suspicion of arson have also been released on bail, while a 13-year-old who was detained on Saturday will face no further action.

Meanwhile, a pet owner whose animal was being treated at a veterinary surgery on the retail park has praised staff for the way they dealt with the fire.

Vets for Pets – based in the Pets at Home building next to Dunelm, where the fire started – confirmed on social media that its staff and patients were evacuated safely.

It added: "We are in the process of trying to secure a suitable alternative location to run the practice from until we can reopen in our usual location."

Patients with appointments are being contacted by staff.

The owner of a dog called Bear – in the surgery when the fire broke out – praised staff for the way they handled the emergency.

Bear was being treated for pancreatitis and all his records have been destroyed in the fire, but he was rescued.

His owner, Isabella Bowers, said: "The care he received was outstanding.

"My parents saw the post on Facebook so they headed down straight away, but on the way down they received a phone call saying that Bear is safe and not to worry and that he was being well looked after in the carpark.

"They also made arrangements for Bear to go to another vets."

Northamptonshire Police said on Saturday that the Pets at Home store manager had "made swift arrangements to move the animals to safety" during the fire.

A spokesperson for Pets at Home said: "We'd like to thank the emergency services and our colleagues at Nene Valley Retail Park who responded to fire spreading rapidly from the neighbouring Dunelm store, and took swift action to move customers and pets to safety.

"We are supporting our team through this difficult time and thank customers and clients for their support and understanding. We will also continue to help the Police with their ongoing investigation."

The lead in the Times is the proposed expansion of a network of mental health emergency care units across England, which it says are "intended to relieve pressure on hospitals and emergency services". The paper quotes the NHS national director of mental health, Claire Murdoch, as saying that the units would be a "first port of call" for patients in crisis – and would reduce lengthy stays on mental health wards.

The Daily Telegraph reports that a Jewish protester was arrested by the Metropolitan Police for holding up a placard which "satirised a Hezbollah leader" during a pro-Palestinian rally last September.

The paper says it has seen footage of a police officer asking him repeatedly if he thought the image would offend "pro-Hezbollah" demonstrators and stir up racial hatred. The Telegraph adds the man's case is the latest in what it calls a "string of heavy-handed police responses to lawful expression". A spokesperson for the Met said the force would "attempt to learn lessons from the episode".

The Guardian leads with the delay to the publication of Labour's child poverty strategy, which it says may result in tens of thousands more children falling into poverty. The paper quotes a government source as saying that he believes the two-child benefit cap – which prevents parents from claiming universal credit or tax credit for more than two children – will eventually be dropped. But it says there are questions being raised inside Number 10 over the political benefits of scrapping it.

The Daily Mail is among a number of the papers to report that a new biography about Freddie Mercury, the late lead singer of the rock group Queen, had a secret daughter. The paper says her existence was only known to his closest circle of family and friends.

According to the Mail, she is now 48 and lives in Europe and had a very "loving" relationship with Mercury before he died in 1991. It reveals he gave her 17 volumes of his personal journals, which she has shared with the rock biographer Lesley-Ann Jones. She's written the new book called Love, Freddie, which will be published in September.

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A controversial new aid distribution group backed by the US and Israel has begun working in Gaza.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said lorry loads of food had been delivered to secure sites on Monday and that distribution had begun. Hundreds of Palestinians collected food parcels from a site in southern city of Rafah on Tuesday.

The GHF, which uses armed American security contractors, aims to bypass the UN as the main supplier of aid to the 2.1 million people in Gaza, where experts have warned of a looming famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade that was recently eased.

A UN spokesman said the operation was a "distraction from what is actually needed" and urged Israel to reopen all crossings.

The UN and many aid groups have refused to co-operate with GHF's plans, which they say contradict humanitarian principles and appear to "weaponise aid".

They have warned that the system will practically exclude those with mobility issues, force further displacement, expose thousands of people to harm, make aid conditional on political and military aims, and set an unacceptable precedent for aid delivery around the world.

Israel says an alternative to the current aid system is needed to stop Hamas stealing aid, which the group denies doing.

A man has been jailed for 17 years after admitting multiple sexual offences against a child.

Graham Hart, 78, of Bransdale Road, Bridlington, pleaded guilty to 17 offences including sexual assault on a child and attempting to rape a child under the age of 13.

Hart was sentenced at Hull Crown Court on Wednesday. He will be on the sex offenders register for life.

The victim said: "Those are years that I will never get back, it has changed my life irreparably."

As well as the sexual assaults, Hart pleaded guilty to one count of possessing prohibited images of children, six counts of making indecent photographs of a child, and two counts of attempting to rape a child under 13.

Det Sgt Gemma Pearce said: "His actions were calculated and predatory, involving repeated abuse where he coerced a young girl into performing sexual acts.

"He exerted control over her, using his position of authority and manipulation to ensure she remained silent about his crimes.

"Hart's manipulation extended beyond the physical abuse, by recording his offences and later showing her select footage, he reinforced his control, deepening his influence over her.

"The lasting effects of his crimes continue to impact her life."

'Lasting impact'

The victim said Hart's offending had "destroyed the innocence" of her childhood and said the trauma continues to impact her life in all areas.

"The suffering he put me through has had a lasting impact on my education and mental wellbeing, I have lost out on achieving qualifications due to what he did to me," she said.

The victim added: "In spite of the trauma he has put me through, I am fighting to prevent his actions from affecting the rest of my life into adulthood.

"If you have experienced something similar, please speak up, there is support available, and your voice matters."

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