Market

Work to locate and fix a water leak on a major route into Southampton has been delayed, having been aborted.

Southern Water had warned local residents and commuters that the eastbound carriageway of the Redbridge Flyover would be closed from 21:00 BST on Sunday.

Having initially closed the road, the water company said the work had been aborted and the road reopened due to an "operational issue".

It added that the road would now be closed from 22:00 on Monday so the work could commence.

Customers had been warned of Sunday night's closure, with some taking to social media to say they had rearranged their commutes to prepare for delays.

Southern Water said it was "sorry for the confusion".

"Our teams had initially closed the eastbound carriageway on Sunday evening as the first phase of a leak investigation but this work did not proceed as planned," it said in a statement.

"We remain committed to finding and fixing this leak and we will be back on site again from 10pm tonight into Tuesday morning which will involve closing the flyover eastbound carriageway."

It added that the work was expected to last "a number of days", and would provide further updates on Tuesday.

The BBC has contacted Southampton City Council for a comment.

A man has been arrested after four police officers were attacked during a disturbance in Sheffield.

South Yorkshire Police said a man became violent after officers arrived in South Road at 19:15 BST on Thursday.

One of the PCs was taken to hospital for treatment, while the other three suffered minor injuries.

A 36-year-old man was held on suspicion of three counts of assaulting a police officer, racially or religiously aggravated actual bodily harm and criminal damage and remains in custody.

South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds

Baroness Coffey has spoken of the trauma of losing her Commons seat in July's general election and just hours later finding out her mother had only a month to live.

The former Conservative MP for Suffolk Coastal had held her seat since 2010 and lost it to Labour's Jenny Riddell-Carpenter in the 2024 vote that saw her party lose power.

Coffey said after some "time out" she was now ready to apply her "political antennae" to her new role in the House of Lords.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch put Coffey forward for a life peerage at the end of last year and she took her seat in the Lords in January.

The baroness said Suffolk felt like "home" and some people were "surprised" when she decided to stay in the county after losing her seat and then her mother.

"My mother got ill during the election campaign and went into hospital. I visited every day… and then, when I went to tell her I had lost, within an hour we had the diagnosis that she would pass away within a month. So it was quite a traumatic time in that regard," she said.

She added not being an MP anymore meant she was able to spend those last few weeks with her mother, which was a "privilege".

Applying 'peer pressure'

There has had to be adjustments for her in her new role in Parliament's upper house.

"I would say about 90% of the time is spent scrutinising legislation and it is much harder to scrutinise the government. So I have had come to that understanding," she said.

Baroness Coffey also wants to use her position to deal with some "unfinished business" from her time as an MP in Suffolk.

She said she was considering tabling an amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill due before the Lords shortly and was looking forward to using some of her experiences in Suffolk and as a minister in order to apply some of what she punningly calls "peer pressure".

She said she wanted to prevent buildings designated as community assets being demolished, and cited the loss of the sports hall and Angel Theatre in Rendlesham as motivations.

Therese Coffey spent nine years as a minister, starting in the Whips' Office in 2014, holding a number of cabinet roles and also a short, and not uncontroversial spell, as deputy prime minister to Liz Truss.

On being a minster, she said: "That is just constant pressure, which varies. I spent three years at Defra [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) initially before going off to join the cabinet and running Work and Pensions during Covid.

"So I think it's fair to say it is relentless and… I got ill several years ago. I was just run down. Because it was never ending."

Baroness Coffey had a serious brain infection which put her in hospital.

In November 2023, she resigned from the government front bench.

'It is why I wear a scarf'

During her time in government, as well as attracting political criticism, Coffey has also been portrayed in the media as someone who likes a few drinks and having a good time.

A picture of her taken at a party smoking a cigar with a drink stain down the front of her top, looking intoxicated, is regularly republished.

She said: "It was taken at a Spectator summer party on a particularly hot day and I just knew then it was a bad photo. Funnily enough a lot of the national journalists seemed to think it was great and showed I was 'down'.

"I knew it was a disaster. But I cannot do anything about it, so I don't worry about it.

"It's the reason I started wearing scarves. To try and make sure that any future spills, as it were, which do happen from time to time to everybody, do not show. "

A teenager who died in a crash was awaiting a start date to pursue his dream career as a submariner, his family said.

Morgan James Robert Swann sustained fatal injuries in a multiple vehicle crash on the eastbound carriageway of the A14 in Horningsea, Cambridgeshire, on 22 April.

A family tribute to the 19-year-old from Spalding, Lincolnshire, said he had passed his interviews and assessments to secure a place at Britannia Royal Naval College.

Following the incident, a lorry driver, a 38-year-old man from Cambridge, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

The family of Morgan James Robert Swann said their world would never be the same.

"Our beautiful son was taken from us at the tender age of 19," a tribute said.

"He is utterly adored by his parents, Mark and Sonia, his three sisters, Georgia, Ellie and Scarlett, as well as grandparents, uncles, auntie, cousins and godparents, and so loved by his many, many friends.

"Morgan had passed all his interviews and assessments to secure a place at Britannia Royal Naval College as a Cadet Officer and follow a career as a submariner. He was awaiting a start date to pursue his dream.

"We are so proud of him."

Emergency services were called to the incident at 21:25 BST.

The A14 was closed eastbound between junctions 34 and 35 until about 20:00 the following day.

Police said one person sustained fatal injuries and three other people in the same car suffered serious injuries.

It's fair to say Oldham is no stranger to immigration.

It has transformed the town, a place that has witnessed a faster than average population rise between the last two Censuses (2011 – 2021) and where almost one in five residents (17.8%) were born outside the UK.

So what do the prime minister's words mean here, when he warned that without changes to cut migration, the UK was at risk of becoming an "island of strangers"?

Yorkshire Street runs straight through the town centre, and it's here where we met John and John.

Between them they've been repairing roads in Oldham for more than 50 years.

They welcome the government's pledge to reduce migration.

"We're a bit overrun aren't we, with the NHS and everything," the younger John explains.

"You can't get doctors or dentist. And housing for young people, you can't get on the market."

The reason he gives for struggling to access these services is simple: "There's just too many people."

But he recognises the country depends on overseas labour – "the country needs it don't it" – says the older John.

"Where does the country go from here. In another 10, 15 years it's going to be a different place completely isn't it."

• BBC Verify: What are the challenges facing the government's immigration plan?
• Chris Mason: Starmer's robust language nods to immigration failures
• How many people come to work and study in the UK?

Concerns about the pace of change are not limited to those born and bred in this part of the Pennines.

Hussein was born in Pakistan and moved here forty years ago. He now runs a thriving mobile phone shop at Tommyfield indoor market.

He tells the BBC he is so frustrated with rising immigration he voted for Brexit in 2016 and has since written to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner about his concerns.

"We are already short of jobs," he tells us.

"If we are getting professionals from outside, what are you going to do about the professionals in this country? It means they're going to hurt the working class."

Back on Yorkshire Street, we caught up with Michelle Delaney in the doorway of her charity, Project Pearl.

"This used to be a pub, that used to be a pub, that up there was a pub and it's now a takeaway place," she says, pointing to at least half a dozen chicken shops, plus the same number again of Eastern European mini marts and Middle Eastern-run barbers.

But Michelle is not worried about the post-Covid change on her high street. Her big concern is who will staff care homes and hospitals.

"What will we do if we haven't got the nurses, and the doctors, the carers and all the others to do the jobs that they do, like they did with my Mum and my husband when they were ill," she tells us.

"How will we manage?"

And it's that question causing deep concern at Pennine Social Care on Union Street. Directors Violet Gutu and Elliot Sparks simply do not know how they will cope.

Violet explains that 99% of her work depends on "foreign workers."

"We have tried local recruitment but we've failed in many cases," she says.

From their brightly painted offices, this care provision agency and charity works in multiple areas to support those with disabilities and mental health crises – from providing support workers or carers, to throwing the doors open for training and creative activities.

Without their care, Elliot and Violet both say these vulnerable children and adults would be left to struggle almost completely alone.

"The effects could be quite catastrophic."

"The rules change but the responsibilities don't," Elliot explained.

"We rely on good staff, with good hearts, who've given up their lives, their families to come here and take care of our vulnerable people."

Violet, who came to the UK herself from Zimbabwe over twenty years ago, became emotional when explaining how proud she is of her staff.

"So long as you're an immigrant there's no appreciation for you whatsoever. There's always backlash."

The challenge for the government is to address deep public concerns on immigration in the UK, without threatening public services.

An interactive hub has opened to give people information and support in regard to ongoing £19m improvement works in Wolverhampton city centre.

The two-and-a-half year transformation of the city centre began in January, with works underway on Darlington Street and set to move onto Lichfield Street and Queen Square.

The council has now announced the opening of the Urban Room, a hub providing drop in sessions at set times, pre-booked meeting opportunities, and direct assistance from council staff and contractor Taylor Woodrow.

The first sessions will take place between 12:00 BST and 13:30 BST on Tuesdays, with the plan to increase the number of sessions over time.

According to the council, the sessions will give businesses, residents and visitors access to information about the scheme and dedicated support for any concerns or issues they have.

The £19m transformation is the third and final phase of the council's city centre improvements programme, following completed schemes in the Victoria Street and University of Wolverhampton at The Halls areas.

Councillor Chris Burden, the council's cabinet member for city development, jobs and skills, said: "We want people to enjoy our city centre from the moment they arrive, and these works are the next step in our transformation plans that are delivering positive outcomes.

"This is a scheme for everyone, and the Urban Room is another way we are connecting with businesses, residents and visitors to ensure they are supported during the works and fully understand it so they can maximise the opportunities it presents to them."

Stuart Townsend, Taylor Woodrow operations manager, said: "During these sessions, we will showcase drawings of the scheme, have updates on our social value projects locally, and we will be displaying information, including a video about the scheme.

"Additionally, we will provide information about our chosen charities, The Way Youth Project Board, and have brochures available for career opportunities."

The country has had a good dose of spring sunshine of late, meaning many of us are getting back into the garden.

One gardener has shared a few tips for looking after plants, which she says need particular care at this time of year.

Claire Greenslade, former head gardener at Hestercombe House near Taunton, said it was a good idea to cover plants at night, and water them in the morning, rather than the evening, so the water does not get too cold overnight.

Ms Greenslade told BBC Radio Somerset there were lots of other jobs to be done besides. "All of us gardeners get itchy fingers this time of year because we want to get on with everything," she said.

How can I keep my plants warm during the night?

Ms Greenslade said it was still "really cold" at night and gardeners without a greenhouse might need to improvise.

"I don't have a greenhouse," she said. "I've got two methods – one is that all my seedlings at night I cover in fleece.

"It will keep it a little warmer for them. When it gets to about 09:00, I uncover them and let the sunlight get to them.

"Another thing I do, which sounds a bit weird, but those plastic containers you can get and slide under your bed and keep stuff in – I've been treating those as a cold frame.

"I've got them out in the garden and at night I pop the lid on and in the morning take the lid off. Top tip, I would say."

When should I water my plants?

"Because it's been so windy, lots of plants are losing water quite quickly," Ms Greenslade said.

"If you've got bulbs I would carry on watering. I'd try not to water at 22:00 or really late – when the temperatures drop it will stay cold at night.

"If you can water in the morning or straight after work it should be OK."

What other jobs are there to do in spring?

"Keep your eye on the weeds," Ms Greenslade said.

"If you lose control in April or May, you're done for. "Especially with this dry weather, you can just knock off those weeds."

The Royal Horticultural Society says many flower seeds can be sown directly into the ground in April, along with a wide range of vegetable and herb seeds.

It's also a good time to sow grass seed for new lawns or repairing bare patches, the RHS says.

Gardeners are advised to protect fruit tree blossom from late frosts, using fleece or cloches, for example.

And for those with indoor plants, the warmer April weather signals the time to start increasing the amount of water given to them, the RHS says.

A police officer accused of kneeing a teenager in the groin, causing him to lose half a testicle, has been found not guilty of grievous bodily harm.

Harley Murphy was 17 when he was arrested for being drunk and disorderly outside Cube night club in Bangor, Gwynedd, in the early hours of 29 January 2023.

PC Ellis Thomas, 24, from Anglesey, told Mold Crown Court that he took Mr Murphy to the floor by sweeping his legs from underneath him during his arrest, but did not knee him in the groin.

Mr Murphy suffered a ruptured testicle, 50% of which had to be removed during surgery.

Mold Crown Court heard on Tuesday that the jury in the trial had come to a unanimous decision after about three hours of deliberation.

During the trial, Mr Murphy approached him and insulted him and it "was clear" he was "committing a criminal offence of being drunk and disorderly," PC Thomas said.

He said he advised Mr Murphy of this and told him to go home, but said he swore at him and said he had not done anything wrong.

"It wasn't whether we were black or white, Christian or Muslim or Greek Orthodox – if you lived in Tiger Bay, you were from the bay."

Gaynor Legall and three of her life-long friends have been looking at old photographs and reminiscing about growing up in Cardiff's Tiger Bay in the 1950s.

Tiger Bay is Wales' oldest multi-ethnic community and sprang up in the 1800s when sailors from around the world came to work around the city's prosperous coal trade.

Gaynor and her friends Dawn Collins, Pauline Williams and Farida Mohamed are all granddaughters of men who travelled from their homelands and grew up in the close-knit dockland community together.

"We never looked at people's colour, we never looked at people's race, we were one big happy family," recalled Pauline, 81.

The friends have been selecting photographs of old Tiger Bay to be displayed at National Museum Cardiff.

The black and white photos, taken by photographer Bert Hardy in 1950 for British Picture Post, will be shown at an exhibition about the photo-magazine.

The publication, which ran in the UK between 1938 and 1957, captured everyday life and major events and reached 1.7 million readers at its peak.

Seeing the images "just threw us back to childhood," said Farida, 81.

Dawn, 78, said it had made her look at her childhood in a new light.

"We thought that everything looked beautiful but when you look at some of the pictures you think they are kind of sad," she said.

"We looked poor, even though we didn't feel poor because everybody was in the same situation around us."

The women recalled a community where everyone looked out for each other.

"If Pauline's mother didn't have something she could knock my nana's door and vice versa," said Dawn.

"And you know what, you were glad to help, you always had somebody that you could turn to or just have a kind word."

The friends all grew up taking part in each other's religious and cultural events.

Dawn said at Eid all the children, regardless of religion, would go to the mosque wearing a headscarf and be fed.

"We were taught to respect from when we were little children," she said.

"We didn't feel threatened by other religions and other customs," added Gaynor.

"We embraced them, we took them… we just got involved in whatever our friends were doing and we were never turned away and made to feel different."

Tiger Bay was also a sanctuary from the racism the community experienced in various aspects of daily life.

In the 1950s and '60s it was not unusual for rental listings to include signs that read: "No blacks, no Irish, no dogs."

Black workers also often got paid less for the same work as their white counterparts.

"My father worked as a welder for a big steel company and used to train the white supervisors that would come in for them to be his supervisor," said Dawn.

"He would say at the table 'I trained another one today'."

Pauline recalled being refused entry to clubs because of the colour of her skin.

"Some of them would allow black women in because we are exotic and beautiful and so we would attract business," added Gaynor.

"But they wouldn't let the men and boys in."

She said there was a sense of "us against the rest of the world".

The railway bridge acted as a buffer between their community and the rest of Cardiff, they said.

"My father was chased home many, many, many times from different places and the minute he got under the bridge he could breathe a sigh of relief because the ones that were chasing him wouldn't come any further than that," said Dawn.

"We were clearly not welcome in town," added Gaynor.

"So the bridge was the sort of a barrier between us and them and there certainly was an us and them."