FPC Electric Land was granted permission to build a battery storage system on land near Slack Lane in 2024, but council officers put several constraints on the project.

One of these constraints prevents work during active amphibian season – March until October.

This is the condition that FPC Electric Land want to have changed, as they believe it is too restrictive.

The site on Slack Lane (Image: Google)

But Westhoughton Town Council were firmly against this proposal when they discussed it on Monday (April 13).

Westhoughton councillor and Bolton Mayor David Chadwick said: “I think that we should all object to any changes in the planning application regarding amphibians.

“Our answer should be a very firm and stern ‘no’.”

All Westhoughton councillors at the meeting assented to Cllr Chadwick’s motion.

Cllr John McHugh said: “I completely agree with Cllr Chadwick.

“This provision is there to stop developers destroying our green spaces.”

Cllr McHugh also pointed out that the Planning Inspectorate put the provision on the original plan, and therefore it would not be right to change it.

Councillor Derek Gradwell, who chaired the meeting, said Cllr McHugh’s last point was probably the most relevant one out of all the comments made.

The site plan (Image: Electric Land)

FPC Electric Land are seeking to have the amphibian provision altered due to what they believe is overly-restrictive wording.

The restriction currently states: “Works shall be timed to prevent impacts to amphibians by avoiding active amphibian season between March-October.”

But FPC – through their agent Clive Fagg Planning – are arguing that these rules are only supposed to apply to ‘vegetation clearance works’, not to work in general.

The application states this was confirmed through a discussion with Envance, the environmental consultancy on whom Bolton Council bases their planning policy.

This application will go before Bolton Council’s planning department before any decision is made on whether to alter the amphibian provision or not.

Westhoughton Town Council unanimously voted against changing the provision, but they are merely an advisory body and cannot refuse or accept planning applications.

This is the only restriction on that FPC are requesting be changed.

Westhoughton residents fighting the original plans in 2023 (Image: Martini)

All other restrictions, including other restrictions relating specifically relating to amphibians, will remain the same.

The original plans were subject to around 200 objections from local residents.

The plans were initially rejected but were then accepted on appeal.

The Bolton News has contacted Envance for comment.

Emergency services were called to a collision between a pedestrian and a car on Acklam Road in Middlesbrough, close to the Coronation Inn, at around 11.50am on Saturday (April 18)

Acklam Road in Middlesbrough was closed following a serious crash (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

The injured man was taken to James Cook University Hospital, where he remains in a serious condition.

Cleveland Police said a 36-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He has since been released on bail while enquiries continue.

The road was closed for several hours as officers carried out investigations, reopening later in the evening.

A man remains in hospital with serious injuries as another has been arrested after a serious crash on Acklam Road in Middlesbrough yesterday (April 18). (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

A man remains in hospital with serious injuries as another has been arrested after a serious crash on Acklam Road in Middlesbrough yesterday (April 18). (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Acklam Road in Middlesbrough was closed following a serious crash (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We received a call at 11.41am on Saturday 18 April to reports of a road traffic incident on the junction of Acklam Road in Middlesbrough.

“We dispatched an ambulance crew and the medicar to the scene, and transported one patient to James Cook hospital for further treatment.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact us on 101, quoting reference number 072542.

The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) has unveiled a series of new electric vehicles, including response cars, ambulances, and patient transport vehicles, as part of its broader commitment to fleet modernisation and reducing emissions.

The electric vehicles include the Skoda Enyaq Rapid Response Vehicle, Renault E‑Master ambulance, and the Ford E‑Transit ambulance.

(Image: NEAS)

Kevin Scollay, chief executive of NEAS, said: “Moving towards a more sustainable ambulance service is a vital part of our responsibility to the patients and communities we serve.

“It’s an exciting moment for the service and a real opportunity to build momentum as we move into the next phase of our electric vehicle journey.”

The showcase supports the NHS’s net zero target and highlights how ambulances can reduce carbon emissions while maintaining high standards of patient care.

Mr Scollay said: “These electric vehicles have the potential to significantly improve both staff and patient experience.

“Features such as selfloading stretchers can help reduce musculoskeletal injuries and sickness absence, while quicker loading and improved reliability support better response times.”

A  event, held at the NEAS Driver Training Centre in Team Valley, Gateshead, was attended by NHS England, other UK ambulance trusts, vehicle manufacturers, and blue light partners.

Paul Leach, head of ambulance fleet at NHS England, welcomed the progress.

Mr Leach said: “It’s a pleasure to see first‑hand the progress NEAS is making with electric ambulances and how local innovation is helping to shape national strategy.

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“These vehicles bring clear benefits for patients through improved air quality and for staff through quieter, smoother vehicles that are well‑suited to the demands of the role.”

Dave Parkin, NEAS’s fleet operations manager, highlighted both the environmental and operational benefits of the transition.

Mr Parkin said: “Alongside environmental benefits, we are seeing clear operational advantages, including lower whole life running costs, reduced vehicle downtime and quicker servicing, which improves reliability and supports more efficient use of our fleet.”

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian strikes killed at least two people in Ukraine, officials said Sunday, as the Ukrainian military struck a drone factory in southwestern Russia.

A “massive” nighttime drone strike on Chernihiv in northern Ukraine killed a 16-year-old boy and wounded four others, according to the head of the city’s military administration.

Rescuers found the teenager’s body as they cleared away rubble, Dmytro Bryzhynskyi reported on Telegram on Sunday morning. He said the drone strike also wounded three women and one man. Several houses were set on fire, he added.

Russian drones also attacked the southern city of Kherson on Sunday, local officials reported.

A man died of his wounds after a drone hit a van driving through the city center, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the regional administration. A second man was hospitalized with blast injuries, regional authorities said.

Russia launched 236 drones into Ukrainian territory overnight into Sunday, Ukraine’s air force reported. Of those, 203 drones were shot down while 32 hit targets in 18 separate locations, it said.

Kyiv says it struck a Russian drone factory

Meanwhile, Ukraine hit a drone factory in the city of Taganrog, Ukraine’s General Staff reported. The site lies some 55 kilometers (35 miles) east of Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine in southwestern Russia.

According to the military, Ukrainian drones sparked a fire at the Atlant Aero factory, which designs and produces strike and reconnaissance drones, as well as components for more powerful UAVs that can carry guided bombs weighing up to 250 kilograms (550 pounds).

Ukraine’s navy said it carried out the attack on the drone factory in southern Russia, using domestically manufactured Neptune cruise missiles.

“This defense enterprise is an important part of the Russian military-industrial complex, where drones were developed and manufactured,” the navy said in an online post.

It also posted images showing a huge cloud of smoke over the city, which it said was the impact of the strikes.

Three people were injured in a nighttime air attack on commercial infrastructure in Taganrog, according to the Russian regional governor, Yuri Slyusar. He did not specify what facility was hit, but said warehouses were set on fire following the strike.

Taganrog Mayor Svetlana Kambulova said the strike damaged “commercial enterprises” in the city, as well as a vocational school and multiple cars.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 274 Ukrainian drones during the night, as well as guided aerial bombs and a Neptune cruise missile. The ministry did not say how many struck targets.

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry on Sunday launched an official inquiry into a mass shooting in Kyiv the previous day that killed six people and wounded at least 14 others.

A gunman wielding an automatic weapon killed six people and barricaded himself inside a supermarket with hostages in the Ukrainian capital before he was shot and killed by police, authorities said.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko described the attacker’s mental state as “clearly unstable.”

The 58-year-old gunman has not been named, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday said he was born in Russia. Authorities worked to piece together a motive for the violence.

Several police officers were suspended for allegedly failing to respond appropriately in the initial stages of the shooting. Klymenko, the interior minister, described their behavior as “shameful and unworthy” of their role as police officers.

He said there was no plan to toughen gun ownership laws, arguing that guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens had helped the country’s defense against Russia.

The mass shooting — unheard of in wartime Kyiv following Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — took place in a busy central district of the city, outside an apartment block and a nearby shopping center, leaving bodies on a crowded street as bystanders fled for safety.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw victims’ bodies covered with emergency blankets before they were taken away.

Zelenskyy hits out at U.S. sanctions waiver for Russian oil

Elsewhere, Zelenskyy responded with dismay to the Trump administration’s decision on Friday to extend its pause on sanctions on Russian oil shipments.

“Every dollar paid for Russian oil is money for the war,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X, arguing that any additional revenue the Kremlin gets from oil sales “is directly converted into new strikes against Ukraine.”

“That is why it is important that Russian tankers are stopped, not allowed to deliver oil to ports. The aggressor’s oil exports must decrease, and Ukraine’s long-range sanctions continue to work toward that goal,” he added.

The so-called general license, intended to ease supply constraints resulting from the Iran war, means U.S. sanctions will not apply for 30 days on deliveries of Russian oil that has been loaded on tankers as of Friday. It extended a similar 30-day license issued in March for Russian oil that had been loaded by March 11.

___

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — A center-left coalition led by ex-President Rumen Radev will win Bulgaria ‘s parliamentary election, an exit poll suggested Sunday, though the list might not garner enough votes to rule alone, which could prolong a years-long political deadlock in the European Union country.

The election on Sunday was the country’s eighth in five years, illustrating a crippling political impasse that has gripped this Balkan nation.

The poll conducted by Trend research group showed Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria earning 39.2% support, edging out the center-right GERB party of its veteran leader, Boyko Borissov, which is expected to capture 15.1% of the vote. Despite the huge gap between the two groups, the predicted percentage may not be enough for Radev to form a one-party government, and he will face the uphill task of looking for partners to govern.

The exit poll also predicted that voter turnout stood at 43.4%, and that six parties could pass the 4% threshold to enter a fragmented parliament.

Radev said after the initial projections were announced that “we will do our best to prevent having to go to the polls” again.

“It (new election) will be a disaster for Bulgaria,” he said. “It would mean going from crisis to crisis when what we have to do is work very hard to emerge from these crises.”

The snap vote followed the resignation of a conservative-led government amid nationwide protests last December that drew hundreds of thousands, mainly young people, to the streets. The protesters called for an independent judiciary to tackle widespread corruption.

If confirmed in an official tally, the victory of Radev’s coalition could potentially bring to power a left-leaning leader who is seen by critics as pro-Russian. Last weekend, Hungarian voters rejected the authoritarian policies and global far-right movement of Viktor Orbán, who cultivated close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Radev resigned from the mostly ceremonial presidency in January, a few months before the end of his second term, to launch a bid to lead the government as prime minister.

The 62-year-old former fighter pilot and air force commander has promised to give the nation a fresh start. His supporters are split on those hoping he will put an end to the country’s oligarchic corruption and those lining up behind his Eurosceptic and Russia-friendly views.

Radev’s popularity surged as he has cast himself as an opponent of the country’s entrenched mafia and its ties to high-ranking politicians. At campaign rallies he vowed to “remove the corrupt, oligarchic model of governance from political power.”

Since 2021, the nation of 6.5 million has struggled with fragmented parliaments that produced weak governments, none of which managed to survive more than a year before being brought down by street protests or backroom deals in parliament.

After voting on Sunday, Radev said that Bulgaria now has a historic chance to change the alleged oligarchic model of governance. He urged people to go to the polls because mass “voting is the only way to drown vote-buying in a sea of free votes.”

Though Radev has officially denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he has repeatedly opposed military aid to Kyiv and has favored reopening talks with Russia as a way out of the conflict.

Radev’s relatively vague campaign has left him open for cooperation with almost any party in the future Parliament, according to Mario Bikarski, senior Eastern and Central Europe analyst at the risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.

Radev, however, seems reluctant to enter a formal coalition with the hard right and openly pro-Russian Revival party, Bikarski said.

Bulgaria is a European Union and NATO member country, joined the eurozone on Jan. 1, shortly after entering the border-free Schengen travel area.

Three appliances attended the scene on Buchanan Street on Sunday afternoon.

Fire crews raced to Frasers in Glasgow city centre after receiving reports of smoke coming from the popular store.

Emergency personnel rushed to the shop at 2.41pm on Sunday, April 19. An alarm was raised following reports of a “small fire”.

Three appliances attended the scene on Buchanan Street, and firefighters discovered a small blaze within the building. The fire was extinguished, and there were no reported injuries, reports Glasgow Live.

The cause of the fire has not been confirmed, and all crews have since left the scene.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “We received a call at 2.41pm to Buchanan Street in Glasgow.

“We sent three appliances due to reports of smoke. There was a small fire that was extinguished by the fire service.

“We are no longer in attendance.”

Frasers has been contacted for comment by our sister title.

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NEW YORK (AP) — A refund system for businesses that paid tariffs which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled President Donald Trump imposed without the constitutional authority to do so is scheduled to launch Monday.

Importers and their brokers will be able to begin claiming refunds through an online portal beginning at 8 a.m., according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency administering the system.

It’s the first step in a complicated process that also might eventually lead to refunds for consumers who were billed for some or all of the tariffs on products shipped to them from outside the United States.

Companies must submit declarations listing the goods on which they collectively put billions of dollars toward the import taxes the court subsequently struck down. If CBP approves a claim, it will take 60-90 days for a refund to be issued, the agency said.

The government expects to process refunds in phases, however, focusing first on more recent tariff payments. Any number of technical factors and procedural issues could delay an importer’s application, so any reimbursements businesses plan to make to customers likely would trickled down slowly.

In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court on Feb. 20 found that Trump usurped Congress’ tax-setting role last April when he set new import tax rates on products from almost every other country, citing the U.S. trade deficit as a national emergency that warranted his invoking of a 1977 emergency powers law. International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Although the court majority did not address refunds in its ruling, a judge at the U.S. Court of International Trade determined last month that companies subjected to IEEPA tariffs were entitled to them.

Not all taxed imports immediately eligible

Customs and Border Protection said in court filings that over 330,000 importers paid a total of about $166 billion on over 53 million shipments.

Not all of those orders quality for the first phase of the refund system’s rollout, which is limited to cases in which tariffs were estimated but not finalized or within 80 days of receiving a final accounting.

To receive refunds, importers have to register for the CPB’s electronic payment system. As of April 14, 56,497 importers had completed registration and were eligible for refunds totaling $127 billion, including interest, the agency said.

System requires accuracy

Meghann Supino, a partner at Ice Miller, said the law firm has advised clients to carefully list in their declarations all of the document numbers for forms that went to CBP to describe imported goods and their value.

“If there is an entry on that file that does not qualify, it may cause the entire entry to be rejected or that line item might be rejected by Customs,” she said.

Supino thinks the portal going live will require composure as well as diligence.

“Like any electronic online program that goes live with a lot of interest, I would expect that there might be some hiccups with the program on Monday,” she said. “So we continue to ask everyone to be patient, because we think that patience will pay off.”

The system starting up Monday will refund tariffs directly to the businesses that paid them, which are not obligated to share the proceeds with customers. However, class-action lawsuits that aim to force companies, ranging from Costco to Ray-Ban maker Essilor Luxottica, to reimburse shoppers are winding their way through the U.S. legal system.

Individuals may be more likely to receive refunds from delivery companies like FedEx and UPS, which collected tariffs on imports directly from consumers. FedEx has said it would return tariff refunds to customers when it receives them from the CPB.

“Supporting our customers as they navigate regulatory changes remains our top priority,” FedEx said in a statement. “We are working with our customers as CBP begins processing refunds and plan to begin filing claims on April 20.”

They are appealing for information about the man, whom they believe is the owner of the dog and was last seen wearing dark clothes and a black cap.

The incident happened on New Lane, Huntington, close to New Lane Cemetery, at 11.50am.

The boy did not need hospital treatment and suffered no lasting injuries, say police.

If you have information that can help police investigate the incident or locate the man, email rebecca.james@northyorkshire.police.uk, or, you can call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and ask for Rebecca James, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website.

Please quote reference 12260064394 when passing on information.

Armed police have swarmed a tower block in north Manchester following an incident.

Emergency services are at the scene on Broadmoss Drive in Blackley, where the entrance to Somerton Court has been cordoned off. The road is partially blocked in both directions, according to traffic monitoring site Inrix.

A forensics unit has also been called to the incident. Greater Manchester Police has been contacted for comment.