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Council’s developer launches appeal to overturn blocking of new homes next to oil depot

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Cambridgeshire Live

This Land Ltd is trying to overturn Cambridge City Council’s decision to refuse to grant permission for plans to build new homes next to an oil depot.

A council owned development company is trying to overturn a decision of another council to block plans to build new homes next to an oil depot in Cambridge.

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This Land Ltd, a development company wholly owned by Cambridgeshire County Council, has launched an appeal to try and get permission to build 12 new homes on land off Ditton Walk.

Cambridge City Council refused to grant permission for the development last year after “significant” concerns were raised about the impact of noise from the neighbouring oil depot on the people living in the proposed new homes.

Planning officers said they recognised that mitigation measures had been proposed by the developer to reduce the impact of the noise, including a 2.5metre or 3.5metre high fence along the boundary between the depot and the houses.

Mechanical ventilation was also proposed to be installed in the homes to reduce the need for people to open their windows. However, officers said there was a disagreement between them and the developer on how the noise impact had been measured.

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Officers said there was also an ‘agent of change concerns’, saying there was a risk of people moving into the homes and complaining about the noise at the oil depot, which could possibly lead to unreasonable restrictions placed on the business. Councillors agreed unanimously to refuse the planning application.

Developer argues homes will offer ‘satisfactory living accommodation’

The developer has now lodged an appeal to try and overturn this decision and have asked for the case to be considered at an informal hearing.

In a statement of case submitted by the developer it argued the proposed development would offer “satisfactory living accommodation” for people, which it said had been the conclusion of two independent acoustic consultants.

The developer said: “Given that the site is allocated for residential development, it must be considered possible to satisfactorily develop the site for residential development whilst also addressing noise.

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“By proposing that the scheme is refused for noise related reasons, officers are essentially arguing that that allocated residential principle of development is not suitable for the site.”

The developer went on to state that “all reasonable steps” have been taken to minimise noise, including the proposed fencing. They said: “It is important to note that the site layout was designed with noise mitigation in mind. Buildings screen gardens from noise, and most plots have been moved as far from the fuel depot boundary as possible.”

The developer highlighted that the one house that is on the boundary of the depot had been designed so it would not have any windows to habitable rooms on the “worst affected facade”.

The developer also said they did not think it would be “suitable” to reduce the number of homes any further, pointing out that the proposed density is already below that proposed for the site in the local plan.

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They said: “Elsewhere on the site, habitable rooms with windows on the worst affected facades generally have secondary openable windows on other facades (where overlooking and other site constraints allow).

“In any case, the dwellings will have whole house ventilation systems to achieve the required ventilation rates and thermal comfort with windows closed. It is not considered that any further meaningful mitigation could be provided given the constraints of this allocated site.”

The developer went on to say that the proposed development would offer “significant benefits”, including redeveloping a vacant brownfield site, creating a biodiversity net gain, and building new affordable homes. The city council will have an opportunity to publish its own statement of case, before a planning inspector considers the appeal.

For more planning notices in your area visit publicnoticeportal.uk.

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Mundo Pixar Experience – Your favourite films brought to life from Toy Story to Cars

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Daily Mirror

The global phenomenon Mundo Pixar Experience has officially opened in London, bringing the largest immersive Pixar exhibition on Earth to the UK for the very first time

If you’ve ever wanted to step inside Andy’s Toy Story bedroom or take a stroll down Monsters Inc’s Scare Floor then Pixar’s brand new exhibition is a must-visit as it arrives in the UK for the first time.

Iconic sets from the animation studio’s most adored movies have been painstakingly recreated for the Mundo Pixar Experience. The exhibition, held a stones throw from Wembley Stadium, north London, allows visitors to walk through 14 rooms celebrating some of their favourite scenes with life-sized sets and immersive sound and light effects and props.

Experience Finding Nemo’s undersea odyssey with jellyfish cascading from the ceiling or admire Luca’s quaint Italian hometown from the seat of a red Vespa. Each room brings brand new surprises and families will love emerging from the corridors to be transported into another famous Pixar universe.

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Visitors can race into Flo’s Café from Cars to meet Lightning McQueen, or soar through the skies with Carl Fredricksen from Up. They can also visit the Headquarters of Riley’s emotions from Inside Out 2, and journey from Coco Land of the Living to the Land of the Dead.

Already proving a huge hit, the first few weeks of the London exhibition have sold out fast with more dates added.

Here’s everything to know about the Experience…

How to get there

Location: Fulton Road, Wembley, HA9 0TF

It is easily accessed by car, with a public parking lot available at the venue for an extra fee.

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Coming from the closest tube station, Wembley Park (Metropolitan/Jubilee lines) head straight down Wembley Way and take a left before you reach Boxpark and continue until you see a host of favourite characters lined up on billboards showing you the way.

Stepping inside

After a quick bag check, ticket scan and buggy park up (if needed) guests will head inside an auditorium where they are greeted by one of the Pixar Experience team. A short film is played to build up the excitement of what’s to come, showcasing some beloved characters and movie moments from the last 30 years.

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Guests can explore the rooms at their own pace (although 45 minutes to one hour is the expected time to complete for most).

The experience begins in the immaculate garden of Carl Fredricksen’s house in Up. From there, take a peek inside, sit yourself down on the famous two armchairs and continue on your Pixar adventure at your leisure.

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For anyone who is a fan of the Pixar movies this exhibition is a rare and real treat.

Kids will love heading through the experience, peeling back the curtain and being transported to the sets of some of their favourite movies which come to life before their eyes.

The Toy Story rooms were a particular highlight, with the scale of Andy’s bedroom giving everyone the chance to feel like part of the toy collection. Later there is Sunnyside Daycare to explore; including the pastel haven that is Ken’s Dreamhouse.

There are plenty of opportunities to get snap happy with designated photo points throughout, although every inch of the purpose-built space is so photoworthy with impressive attention to detail you’ll want to soak it all in.

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There will be something for everyone with 1995’s Toy Story kicking off the nostalgia and newer classics including Cars (2006) Inside Out (2015), Elemental (2023) and Luca (2024) giving gans the chance to experience a catalogue of hits.

As well as the rooms, our little ones also had fun playing the Easter Egg hunt with the iconic Luxo Ball – Pixar’s famous yellow balls with the blue stripe and red star – being hidden in every room. Those in the know will already be aware that the balls appear in numerous Pixar films.

What the experts say

Jay Ward, a creative director at Pixar, said the exhibition, which features 14 film sets from the Disney-owned animation studio, sought to recapture the studio’s trademark attention to detail.

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“We are film-makers and we love to really lavish attention to detail on our movies, which you can tell when you watch them again and again. Same thing with Mundo Pixar – we want to give a lavish amount of details and hidden Easter eggs and fun things,” he said.

Mundo Pixar Experience runs from now until June and is open every day except Tuesdays. Daily time slots begin at either 9am or 10am (depending on the date) and run until 7pm. During UK school holidays, the exhibition is open daily, including Tuesdays.

Booking in advance is strongly recommended.

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Ian McKellen Admits He’s No Fan Of The Shakespeare Film Hamnet

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Ian McKellen Admits He's No Fan Of The Shakespeare Film Hamnet

One of the most popular Shakespearean actors of his generation has admitted he’s no fan of Hamnet, the latest hit drama about The Bard.

Hamnet stars Jessie Buckley as Shakespeare’s wife, referred to in the movie as Agnes, while Paul Mescal takes on the role of the legendary playwright in Chloe Zhao’s film.

During a recent interview with The Times, Sir Ian McKellen was asked for his thoughts on the tear-jerking drama, admitting that he doesn’t quite “get it”.

“I’m not very interested in trying to work out where Shakespeare’s imagination came from,” he admitted. “But it certainly didn’t just come from family life.”

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Sir Ian McKellen pictured in 2022

The iconic thespian was similarly critical about another hit film exploring the Romeo & Juliet and Hamlet writer’s life, Shakespeare In Love.

He explained: “As Hamnet races towards the finishing line as far as Oscars are concerned, it’s likely to repeat the success of Shakespeare In Love, which had odd views as to how plays get put on.

“But then Shakespeare’s perhaps the most famous person who ever lived, so of course there is some interest in what he looked like, what his relationship with his family was. And we can’t know.”

Pointing to some of his specific issues with the plot of Hamnet, he quipped: “The idea Anne Hathaway [Shakespeare’s wife, known as Agnes in the new film] has never seen a play before? It’s improbable, considering what her husband did for a living. And she doesn’t seem to know what a play is! I think there are a few doubts of probability.”

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With just under a month to go until this year’s Oscars, Hamnet has received an impressive eight nominations.

Jessie Buckley is the current favourite to pick up the Best Actress title, following her success at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, with many surprised to see that Paul Mescal was snubbed in the Best Supporting Actor category.

The film is also in the running for 11 awards at the Baftas this weekend, including acting nods for Jessie, Paul and their co-star Emily Watson, as well as nominations for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Outstanding British Film and Best Film.

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Bolton Council meeting to be held on council tax rise

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Bolton Council meeting to be held on council tax rise

This comes with a full council meeting set to take place at town hall on the evening on Wednesday February 18 with council tax set to rise by 4.99 per cent.

But the authority has already set out that there will be no new spending cuts announced as part of this year’s budget.

Speaking at an earlier briefing, council leader Cllr Nick Peel said:  “What we’re proposing has no cuts, but that’s dependent on that council tax rise.”

He added: “Everybody complains about taxes, but it’s a fact of life, over the years of austerity, any kind of inefficiencies in local government have been driven out.”

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The meeting will be held at Bolton Town Hall (Image: Anthony Moss)

The rise of 4.99 per cent was included in the authority’s budget proposals announced and consulted on last December and January before being agreed the following February.

This tax rise had been agreed to cover to the end of the 2027 financial year, but the authority is legally required to set council tax charges and consult on its best value duty every year.

The rise of 4.99 per cent is the highest any local authority in England can set without holding a referendum.

This does not include the Mayoral Police and Crime Commissioner precept or the Mayoral General Precept, which covers the fire and rescue service.

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Farage accused of ‘divisive politics’ over unproven claim white men are losing jobs because of Equality Act

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Farage accused of ‘divisive politics’ over unproven claim white men are losing jobs because of Equality Act

Nigel Farage has been accused of “playing into short-sighted, divisive politics” after making unproven claims that middle-class, white men are losing jobs because of the Equality Act.

His claim came just a day after Suella Braverman, Reform UK’s new equality and education chief, promised to scrap the act on day one if her party won the next election, claiming that Britain is being “ripped apart by diversity, equality and inclusion” policies.

The Equality Act 2010 – which replaced previous anti-discrimination laws – legally protects people with protected characteristics, including: age, disability, gender reassignment, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation, from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society.

But the Reform leader claims those protections are to the detriment of white men.

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Asked on Wednesday whether he could guarantee nobody would lose a job because of their sex, ethnicity or disability under his party’s plans to scrap the Equality Act, Mr Farage said: “Well, people are losing their jobs now, particularly if they are white, and male and middle-aged.

“And that’s the problem, that actually something that was designed to stop discrimination becomes in itself discriminatory. The protections you’re talking about were in law way before the 2010 Equalities Act.”

However, official figures from July to September 2025 appear to show that the opposite is true, with people from white ethnic backgrounds having lower rates of unemployment in the UK than those from minority ethnic backgrounds.

In this period, the UK unemployment rate for people from a white ethnic background was 4.3 per cent, an increase of 0.7 percentage points from the same period the previous year. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for people from minority ethnic backgrounds was 8.8 per cent, an increase of 0.6 percentage points from the same period the previous year.

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Middle-aged white men are losing jobs because of the Equality Act, Nigel Farage has claimed

Middle-aged white men are losing jobs because of the Equality Act, Nigel Farage has claimed (Getty)

And according to the 2021 census for England and Wales, people from White Irish and White British ethnic backgrounds had the lowest unemployment rates at 4.7 and 4.9 per cent respectively. People from Arab and Other Black ethnic backgrounds had the highest unemployment rates, at 14.3 per cent and 14.2 per cent, respectively.

Responding to Mr Farage’s remarks, Dr Shabna Begum, CEO of leading anti-racism charity the Runnymede Trust, hit out at Mr Farage’s comments, accusing him of “playing into short-sighted, divisive politics that does nothing to help anyone and instead breeds the politics of grievance and resentment”.

Dr Begum also took aim at Ms Braverman’s claim that the country is being “ripped apart by diversity, equality and inclusion” policies, dubbing it “inflammatory, divisive and quite frankly dishonest”.

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She told The Independent: “At a time when racial and religiously motivated hate crimes and violence against women and girls are all steeply rising, it would be irresponsible to remove the few protections in place for those at risk.”

Meanwhile, Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), accused Mr Farage of “peddling made-up nonsense”.

“The Equality Act protects everyone at work – including white, middle-aged men – whether from age discrimination, religious discrimination or other unfair treatment”, he said.

“Let’s be clear about what’s really going on here. Reform wants to legalise discrimination and rip up hard-won workplace rights. That isn’t standing up for working people – it’s leaving people at the mercy of bad bosses. It’s a bully’s charter.”

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James Douglas, legal director at the Good Law Project, accused Mr Farage of being “detached from both the law and reality”, telling The Independent: “Scrapping the Equality Act wouldn’t just take us back to 2010, it would reverse all the progress we’ve made since the 1970s.”

“Scare stories about white, middle-aged men losing their jobs don’t hide the fact that by opposing it, Reform have made clear that they don’t believe in equality”, he added.

And Christine Jardine, Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West, who sits on the Women and Equalities Committee, warned Mr Farage that “rights are not finite”.

She said: “Protecting people who might be vulnerable because of their sex, ethnicity, or disability does not undermine anyone else’s rights.

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Suella Braverman attacked the rights of young trans people

Suella Braverman attacked the rights of young trans people (Reuters)

“It simply creates a level playing field for all of us. Should we always be aware of how we can improve those protections in the act? Yes, but that’s very different from what Reform is suggesting.”

Mr Farage’s latest comments came after Ms Braverman, who was newly appointed as Reform’s head of education, skills and equalities, asked: “Why does no one in this government seem to care that it’s white working-class boys who have the worst educational outcomes in our country today?”

She added: “Do you know what a Reform government will do? Well, on day one, we will get rid of the equalities department, we will scrap the equalities minister.

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“And we will repeal the Equality Act, because we are going to work to build a country defined by meritocracy not tokenism, personal responsibility not victimhood, excellence not mediocrity, and unity not division.”

The MP for Fareham and Waterlooville also attacked the rights of transgender young people, saying that “social and gender transitioning will be banned in all schools, no ifs, no buts” if Reform comes to power.

She promised to “bring an end to the transgender chaos in schools”, claiming that children are “taught more about gender ideology than biological fact”.

Reform UK has been contacted for comment.

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Six teens in custody in connection with Harrogate burglary

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Six teens in custody in connection with Harrogate burglary

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old were arrested within hours of the Harrogate householder reporting the crime yesterday (February 17).   They had also found the stolen car.

Four more suspects have been arrested, after another vehicle believed to be involved in the burglary was traced, pursued and stopped in a Bradford housing estate.  Inside were two men from the West Yorkshire city, both aged 19, who were both arrested.

Two more suspects both from Harrogate and aged 17, were arrested earlier today (February 18).

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The burglary occurred in the early hours of yesterday morning, when raiders broke into the house and used keys found in the property to steal the owner’s car from outside the properly.

The same day, police traced the car and intercepted it in a Harrogate street. Two people ran away from it and after searching the area, officers found the 17-year-old and 18-year-old, who are from Bradford.

All six suspects were arrested on suspicion of burglary or theft or a combination of both and remain in police custody for questioning.

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Gunshots fired at car as driver crashes into van and occupants flee

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Daily Record

Police and fire crews were called shortly after 10.30pm on Tuesday

A vehicle came under gunfire in a residential street, with the driver subsequently crashing before all occupants abandoned the scene.

Emergency services rushed to Radnor Close in Rednal, Birmingham shortly after 10.30pm on Tuesday (February 17). Both police and fire crews responded to the incident, with firefighters alerted to the collision at 10.44pm, described as a vehicle striking a stationary van.

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Officers confirmed the vehicle had been targeted by gunfire before colliding with the parked vehicle, with those inside fleeing on foot. Authorities stated no injuries have been reported to them – whilst a West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed they received no call-out, reports Birmingham Live.

The street was cordoned off, with a damaged black Volkswagen visible wedged against the driver’s side of a white van.

West Midlands Police has launched an investigation and is appealing for witnesses, particularly anyone with dashcam footage, to contact them.

A force spokesperson stated: “We are investigating after shots were fired at a car in Radnor Close, Birmingham, at just after 10.30pm yesterday (Tues). Officers understand that the car hit a stationary vehicle before the occupants fled the scene.

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“No one has reported any injuries to us. Investigators are working to establish who was involved and trace those responsible.”

The statement added: “We will have extra patrols in the area in the coming days to offer reassurance to the community. Anyone with information including dashcam and mobile phone footage should contact us on 101 quoting l crime reference 20/151300/26”.

“Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.”

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Lee Mead to play Barnum: The Circus Musical in York

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Lee Mead to play Barnum: The Circus Musical in York

West End performer and television star Mead, now 44, made his breakthrough when winning the BBC One reality show Any Dream Will Do in 2007, going on to star in the Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat tour that brought him to the Cumberland Street theatre in 2010.

Lee is no stranger to Barnum, first playing the show-hosting Ringmaster in a school production when he was 13 or 14 in his home town of Southend-on-Sea.

“I had such a brilliant time and I thought the story and the characters were wonderful. And it had all these fantastic songs, like Come Follow The Band, The Colours Of My Life and There Is A Sucker Born Every Minute.”

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Lee’s friend Chris was cast in the lead role. “And he was a great Barnum, but I remember thinking, ‘It would be lovely to play that part one day’.”

Now, three decades later, his wish has come true at last as he headlines a lavish new UK tour of the 1980 musical by Cy Coleman (music), Michael Stewart (lyrics) and Mark Bramble (book).

Barnum: The Circus Musical tells the story of legendary American showman, marketing genius and master of spectacle P.T. Barnum, who revolutionised entertainment in the 1800s through the Barnum & Bailey Circus and the Greatest Show on Earth.

As he steps into the ring for the 2026 tour, Lee says: “It’s an absolute classic and I can’t quite believe I now get to play Barnum some 30 years after that school production. I think I must have somehow manifested it.”

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Barnum’s tour show is directed by Jonathan O’Boyle, choreographed by Strictly Come Dancing alumna Oti Mabuse and features more than 20 actor-musicians, alongside acrobats and international circus acts.

Starring as Barnum is not only a dream come true for the Any Dream Will Do winner but also an homage to his grandfather Bert and grandmother Lil, who did not have much money, meaning that a trip to the theatre was very rare for them.

“But they saved up for a year and a half to see Barnum at the London Palladium and they loved it,” says Lee. “It stayed with them their whole lives. Sadly they’re no longer with us, but I know they would have been so proud to see me in it. Every performance is going to be for them.”

Since Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Lee has starred in Wicked, Legally Blonde, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Chicago and Sister Act and plenty besides. “But this is definitely my most challenging role,” he says.

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“It’s one of those rare roles for a leading man. It’s an enormous part, with huge monologues and so many songs, and I don’t think I leave the stage for two hours, apart from the interval of course.”

Then add the tightrope walking, a discipline that has required several months of intense training for Lee. “It’s the kind of thing you learn at 24, not 44,” he says. “I’ve had to get myself fit and put in the work. The rope is about 7ft off the ground and, although I trained with a harness on, there’s no harness during the show itself.

“You have to use your whole body, your whole core and every ounce of your focus and energy to get across that wire, but I like a challenge.”

Does he play an instrument too in this actor-musician show? “I don’t, no. I already have enough to do with the acting, singing, dancing and tightrope walking!” he says.

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As with Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman, the musical looks at the real man behind the on-stage showman, not least how he had a wife named Charity but became infatuated with Swedish singer Jenny Lind.

“So he’s a flawed character, as most human beings are,” muses Lee. “As an actor, it’s interesting to explore that side of him alongside all the spectacle. It makes for great drama.”

When researching the role, “it was interesting to learn about Barnum’s tenacity and his drive, which I think you have to have to be as successful as he was,” says Lee. “At times he kind of put his wife to one side, even though she was so supportive and loving, so I guess you could say that he was very selfish.

“But he wanted the world to see all these amazing acts that he brought together, like the oldest woman in the world, Joice Heth and General Tom Thumb. It was his passion.”

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Lee picks The Colours Of My Life as his favourite song in the show “because the melody is beautiful and it’s about him trying to explain to Charity why he is the way he is, with all the different colours to him as a person and why he wants to light people up, entertain them and make them happy,” he says.

Those sentiments now apply to Lee’s own performance too.

Lee Mead stars in Barnum: The Circus Musical at Grand Opera House, York, February 24 to 28, 7.30pm plus Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

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West Lothian shopkeepers ‘fear they will be fined’ in bid to keep streets clean

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Daily Record

Sally Pattle, Lib Dem for Linlithgow, who runs a bookshop in the town, raised an amendment calling for consultation with traders across West Lothian before introducing the new rules.

West Lothian councillors have backed the introduction of service standards governing cleaner streets.

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But one councillor fears the new standards will be used to generate income through fines on shopkeepers.

Tackling commercial waste bins sitting on pavements is a key element to the new plans but some shopkeepers believe they will face fines while they have no control over when commercial waste operators lift their bins.

Sally Pattle, Lib Dem for Linlithgow, who runs a bookshop in the town, raised an amendment calling for consultation with traders across West Lothian before introducing the new rules.

READ MORE: Lothians parliamentarian to seek automatic removal of MSPs convicted of serious crimes

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“No official consultation with the business community has been carried out,” Councillor Pattle told a meeting of the council’s Executive.

She said traders feared that the council would start enforcement with traders facing fines over collection times they could not control with commercial operators.

Interim NETs Land and Countryside Manager Victoria Mungall stressed that the council saw enforcement as a last resort, adding the council wanted to work with traders and the commercial refuse operators to improve services.

Councillor Pattle told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that budget proposals to be decided next week indicated increasing the council’s income through enforcement fines.

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Fellow Linlithgow Councillor Pauline Orr pointed out that many shops in Linlithgow had difficulty storing bins and asked how officers could “reasonably enforce new rules.”

READ MORE: Livingston Nursery take on books challenge as children’s reading hits 20 year low

Ms Mungall told the meeting: “It’s important to note that by bringing in the service standards there’s no change to the legislative powers that we currently hold so at the moment we do fine bins that cause obstruction under the Section 56 of the Roads Scotland Act.

“It’s important to note that our intentions of bringing standards forward doesn’t change. It is not intended that we’d penalise businesses for situations where a bin has been left out over collection time or there’s a storage issue that becomes apparent.

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“What we intend to do is work with businesses to determine a better pace for them to have their waste collected and to offer support on how we can work to better have their waste collected.”

Linlithgow’s Labour councillor Tom Conn suggested adopting Councillor Pattle’s amendment would leave the council without any of its existing power of enforcement.

The amendment gained the support of only two Conservative councillors on the Executive. The SNP’s three members of the committee- including Councillor Orr- abstained.

READ MORE: Linlithgow Golf Club members throw every effort into changing design of course

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Apart from the concerns about the potential enforcement for commercial waste collection problems there was broad welcome across the chamber for the pledge to improve services.

The wider policy agreed covers service delivery times for street cleaning in towns and villages and fly -tipping.

Ms Mungall told the meeting the plan “places particular emphasis on education behaviour change, enforcement and community ownership.”

She added: “This will be supported by improved monitoring so that we can better understand trends and target resources where they have the greatest impact.”

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The introduction of the new service standards within its Cleaner Communities Team, as well as a new Litter Prevention Action Plan (LPAP) for 2026/27.

READ MORE: West Lothian RAAC campaigners to hold rearranged meeting with Scottish Government

The standards set out how the council will work to tackle environmental issues such as littering, fly tipping, graffiti, dog fouling and more, through a combination of education, enhanced infrastructure, community engagement and more stringent enforcement- including the use of more mobile CCTV to tackling hotspots for fly-tipping and streamlining of existing technologies.

The area has already seen an improvement in performance in the independent litter audits from Keep Scotland Beautiful, increasing to 90.2% in January 2026. However the council still lags behind a national figure of 91%

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A council spokesperson told the LDRS: “The introduction of new service standards for both proactive and responsive work, appointment of an external contractor and modernisation of the Urban Clean Team is expected to lead to further progress in the future.”

Councillor Conn, the Executive councillor for the environment and sustainability said: “I welcome this new focus on West Lothian’s environment, which takes a holistic approach to try and tackle the challenges.

READ MORE: Labour councillor challenges colleagues on health board to demand more funding from Scottish Government

Don’t miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter here.

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Man in hospital after plane crash near Masham

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Man in hospital after plane crash near Masham

Emergency services were called to the Masham area at around 12.20pm (February 18).

A man, believed to be the sole occupant of the aircraft, has been taken to hospital with serious injuries.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: “At 12.21pm today (18 February) we received a report of a light aircraft crash in the Masham area.

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“The Air Accident and Investigation Branch has been informed.

“A man, believed to be the sole occupant of the aircraft, has been taken to hospital with serious injuries.”

A spokesperson from North Yorkshire Ambulance Service said: “We received a call from police colleagues at 12.24pm on Wednesday afternoon to report a light aircraft crash in the Masham area. 

“A number of ambulance resources were dispatched to the scene, including an ambulance, a team leader and a Yorkshire Air Ambulance, and one patient was airlifted to hospital.”

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The Air Accident and Investigation Branch have been contacted for more information.

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Young father died of ‘traumatic’ injuries after A47 crash, inquest hears

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Cambridgeshire Live

The 20-year-old died after a crash on the A47 in July last year

A young father died of “traumatic” injuries after a crash on the A47 last year, an inquest has heard. Liam Knight, aged 20 and lived in Yaxley, died after a crash involving his motorbike and a van on the A47 near Eye on July 5, 2025.

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The inquest was held into the father-of-one at Lawrence Court in Huntingdon today (Wednesday, February 18). A “large number” of Liam’s family attended the inquest, including Liam’s aunt Karrie Roper and his uncle. Coroner Caroline offered her condolences to the family before starting the inquest.

A post-mortem carried out after Liam’s death confirmed he died of “multiple traumatic injuries” as a result of a road traffic collision. The inquest heard that Liam had “multiple injuries to his spleen”, he suffered a “substantial haemorrhage” to his left lung, and “cuts and bruises” to his right lung.

Liam also suffered a “traumatic head injury”. The post-mortem ruled that these injuries would have led to “significant blood loss”, causing Liam to go into shock.

A statement read out on behalf of Cambridgeshire Police confirmed they were called to the crash at around 1.15pm on July 5. The court heard that Liam was riding a blue Yamaha motorbike, and the crash involved a white Mercedes Sprinter van.

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Coroner Jones told the court the van was driving towards the Eye Green roundabout, with Liam travelling behind. The van “slowed down” towards the roundabout, as the traffic was also slowing down.

The inquest heard that for a “reason unknown”, Liam, who was wearing a helmet and protective gear, went into the back of the van. Liam then “came separate” from his bike and went into the opposite lane.

One witness said they saw Liam “fly off his bike” and his helmet came off. The court also heard that around four witnesses attended to Liam before calling the East of England Ambulance Service.

Liam was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital by the ambulance service. Before arriving, Liam went into cardiac arrest.

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He was taken to the critical care unit, but he was sadly pronounced dead at 4.08pm in hospital. After concluding the inquest, Coroner Jones offered her condolences to Liam’s family and friends on their “very sad loss”.

Last year, Liam’s auntie Karrie shared a tribute to her nephew. She said he was “full of energy” and he “never stopped laughing”.

Karrie added: “He never stopped making jokes. He would always come in from work and tell me the gossip. He loved travelling and going out with his mates. His friends meant a lot to him and were friends for life. He also loved his food, he had a big appetite.”

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