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Roads submerged after torrential downpours
Roads and pathways were deluged by torrential rainfall yesterday causing the River Severn to burst its banks. Car parks were also left submerged, while at Ironbridge, temporary barriers were put in place in a bid to hold back the bulging river after heavy downpours in parts of southwest England, the north and the West Midlands. A further 25 flooding alerts have been issued by the Environment Agency for small rivers around the Severn. Videos of Shrewsbury showed roads and pathways submerged by water and signposts immersed in the river. Several roads have
been closed and temporary flood barriers are in place at Frankwell and Ironbridge as heavy rain continues to fall.
Further torrential rain and flooding could be on the way with some snow in the north, with the Met Office warning that people in Northern Ireland and southern Scotland warned they should be braced for strong winds. Last night, 112 flood warnings and 186 flood alerts were in place in England. In Scotland, seven flood alerts are in place and two flood warnings. In Wales, eight flood warnings and 30 flood alerts have been issued.
Stroke leaves BBC chef with stammer
Chef Brian Turner has revealed a stroke has left him with a stammer. Best known for his appearances on BBC’s Ready Steady Cook, he told James Martin’s Saturday Morning on ITV: “Well, unfortunately, I had a stroke in June last year and the people at the London hospital were fantastic and helpful. So excuse me if I just make a stammer, occasionally.” Martin ended the segment on his cookery show by hugging Turner and saying: "Brian Turner, I love you." After the show aired, Martin wrote on Twitter: “Wow, well what can we both say just had Brian on the phone, ended in both us in tears at the amazing messages and support from you all... he wanted me to tell you all out there ‘thank you for all of them!’”
Brixton O2 Academy to stay shut for three more months
The O2 Academy Brixton has said it will remain shut for a further three months following a crowd crush which killed two people at the venue. Security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, and Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, were fatally hurt when fans without tickets tried to enter a show by Nigerian artist Asake at the south London site on 15 December. Lambeth Council suspended the O2’s licence shortly afterwards, pending a full hearing by a subcommittee today, which the Metropolitan Police force said it would use to “seek a further suspension”. Academy Music Group
(AMG), which owns the O2, said yesterday that it had “reflected deeply” on the incident, and its Brixton venue would remain closed regardless of the licensing decision in two days.
Drug dealer caught on way to Iceland
A drug dealer who tried to smuggle cocaine to Iceland to make more profit has been jailed after making over £2.7m from his UK operation. Bradley Pryer, 24, and Cain Adams, 23, were caught by a sniffer dog with more than £6,000 of coke hidden inside themselves. The pair were arrested at Stansted Airport last April, before they boarded a flight to Reykjavik. Messages from Pryer indicated an intention to send similar quantities of cocaine a week to Iceland by using similar drug mules. At Chelmsford Crown Court Pryer was jailed for 12 years and Adams was handed a two-year sentence in prison, suspended for two years. Both had pleaded guilty at the same court in October.
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