Plans for new bus lanes and a segregated bike path on a busy main road in Bristol city centre have been approved by the city council.

The new bike path will run along Temple Way from the Old Market roundabout down to the Friary, connecting up several important routes in the cycling network.

The plans form part of Bristol City Council's ambition to get more people to use public transport or to cycle and walk. Congestion is an ongoing issue on Temple Way as it holds up bus services, leading to longer bus journeys for commuters.

The full business case was approved by councillors on the transport policy committee on Thursday, but final approval is needed by the West of England Combined Authority.

Currently, cyclists have to use a strip of red paint along the edge of the busy road, or cycle along the pavement, sharing space with pedestrians.  The new route will connect Temple Meads with the existing bike path through Castle Park, as well as the Concorde Way route to the north of Bristol. A new bike path is also planned along Victoria Street.

Adam Crowther, head of city transport at Bristol City Council, said: "What we're creating here is a network. This is creating links between various different routes, for both buses and cycling.  If you look at the programme as a whole across the city centre, there are lots of elements taking out traffic capacity, and therefore that mode shift will happen across the whole area.  It's about creating a wider network that enables a transition to more sustainable modes across the whole of the city centre."

The plans state the underpass at Broad Plan will not be changed, but it could potentially be looked at in future.  Plans are also being worked up to better connect the Bristol to Bath Railway Path, a major cycling route through east Bristol, with Old Market and Castle Park.  Upgrades to the Friary are also being explored as part of a separate project.

Thousands of jobs at risk as British Steel threatens closure




British Steel is launching a consultation that could see the closure of its two blast furnaces at Scunthorpe, putting up to 2,700 jobs at risk out of a workforce of 3,500.

The company said the blast furnaces were "no longer financially sustainable" due to tough market conditions, the imposition of tariffs and higher environmental costs.

The BBC understands British Steel was expecting a £1bn injection of government money to keep the business going, but was offered £500m.

The Prime Minister's official spokesperson said the government had made a "generous offer" to British Steel and it would continue to work with the company and its Chinese owner Jingye to secure its future.

The director general of trade group UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Steel, Gareth Stace, said British Steel's announcement was a "pivotal moment" for the sector and the steel industry was "officially in a crisis".

Community union general secretary Roy Rickhuss called it "a dark day" and urged Jingye and the UK Government "to resume negotiations before it is too late".  He warned: "We are now on the cusp of becoming the only G7 country without domestic primary steelmaking capacity, it is no exaggeration to say that our national security is gravely threatened."

The GMB union called it "devastating news for the people of Scunthorpe", while Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the potential job losses were "a disgrace" and called for the government to work with it on a "sustainable way forward".  "British Steel is guilty of trying to hold the government to ransom, while using its dedicated workforce as pawns," she said.

British Steel has been owned by Jingye since 2020. The Chinese firm says it has invested more than £1.2bn into British Steel to maintain operations and claims it suffered financial losses of around £700,000 a day.  British Steel chief executive Zengwei An said the consultations on the closure were "a necessary decision given the hugely challenging circumstances the business faces".

The company has put forward a £2bn business plan, which was set out on Wednesday by the company's chief commercial officer Allan Bell speaking to the Business & Trade Select Committee.  ''We have concluded that the only viable option for British Steel moving forward to decarbonise is to move to 100% electric arc furnace steelmaking," he said. "This is a £2bn project we estimate so it is not a project that the private sector is going to be able to implement without government support.''

The BBC understands that there was an expectation the government would meet this investment on a 50/50 basis.  But what the government offered was £500m. This offer was rejected by British Steel during the past week.

The BBC understands that at a meeting on Thursday morning between British Steel and the GMB and Community trade unions this £1bn figure was discussed. The government has a £2.5bn steel fund.

British Steel said it would "continue to work with the UK government to explore options for the future of the business".

The company is starting a formal consultation with its workforce and unions over three options:
* The closure of the blast furnaces, steelmaking operations and Scunthorpe Rod Mill by early June 2025
* The closure of the blast furnaces and steelmaking operations in September 2025
* The closure of the blast furnaces and steelmaking operations at a future point beyond September 2025.

Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: "I know this will be a deeply worrying time for staff and, while this is British Steel's decision, we will continue working tirelessly to reach an agreement with the company's owners to secure its future and protect taxpayers' money.  We've been clear there's a bright future for steelmaking in the UK. We've committed up to £2.5bn to rebuild the sector and will soon publish a Plan for Steel setting out how we can achieve a sustainable future for the workforce, industry and local communities."

Fears 19th Century canal could start to run dry in days



There are fears one of Wales' most popular canals could start to dry up within a week, prompting calls for the Welsh government to intervene.

Operators of the 225-year-old Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal have warned of an "urgent" water shortage without the prospect of imminent rainfall.  It comes amid debate over how the historic attraction should secure its water supply in future after limits were placed on taking water from the environmentally sensitive River Usk.

The Welsh government said any arrangement between the Canal & River Trust and Welsh Water would be a commercial decision in which it should play no role.

The 35-mile (56 km) waterway weaves its way through the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park - formerly known as the Brecon Beacons National Park - and the Blaenavon industrial landscape World Heritage Site, attracting an estimated 3 million visitors a year for boating, walking and cycling.

"Everything the canal supports is at threat - we risk losing the jewel in the crown of south Wales," said Tracey Leake-Jones, who runs the Bridge 46 to Five Locks canal group.  Made up of volunteers, the group runs events along the canal and has fundraised to install planters, benches and signs.  The prospect of it having to close due to water shortages was "utterly devastating", she said.  "There has to be a solution found, and my view is that the Welsh government and its leaders are the only people who can bring all the main players together."

She pointed to new housing estates being built along the canal with the waterway used as a marketing tool, and said the local council hoped to be able to open up further stretches down to Cwmbran, describing the economic benefits as "unimaginable".  "Should we have problems with water supply then what's going to happen to those plans for restoration that we've all been working on for the past three years?"

News broke of the difficulties facing the canal in a letter sent to local businesses by Glandŵr Cymru, external, the Canal and River Trust in Wales, in February.  It explained the canal, which once transported iron and coal to Newport docks, had relied on funnelling water from the River Usk and its tributaries which accounted for 80-90% of its water supply.

Recent changes in legislation, designed in part to protect rivers in the face of climate change, means licences are now required, restricting the amount of water that can be taken.  Last year, Glandŵr Cymru lost an appeal against some of the conditions stipulated by environmental regulator Natural Resources Wales (NRW^» (Network Rail Western - about)).

The River Usk is a designated special area of conservation protected by law due to its importance for rare wildlife including the Atlantic salmon, which is threatened with extinction from Wales.

"The canal took around 30% of the total flow of the river in 2022 - which was the last dry year period," said Gail Davies-Walsh, chief executive of Afonydd Cymru which represents river groups across Wales.  Limits on abstraction were needed to ensure the species and habitats had sufficient water to survive "particularly during dry summers and low flow periods," she said.



Mark Evans, director of Glandŵr Cymru, said the trust accepted it could no longer continue to abstract water from the Usk at the same level as it had in the past.  But recent dry weather highlighted the urgency of finding an alternative supply, he said.  "The amount of water we can take is starting to really concern us," he explained.  "It's urgent today, looking at the forecast for the next week.  At some point we'll have to stop the boats from using the locks," he warned, adding that both the canal's users and its wildlife would be impacted as levels fell.

Discussions have been taking place in recent weeks with Welsh Water over whether it could help to support the canal during periods of prolonged dry weather.  But this would come with "financial implications" and the potential of having to pay commercial rates for the water, resulting in a considerable bill the charity could not afford, he claimed.

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Some members seem to have missed the double negative! It’s not not Nailsea and Backwell, despite Chris from Nailsea’s assertion.

Due to some major building work, the Squirrels are currently living in the most triangular village in North Somerset (another quiz - where might that be?). NLS^▸ (Nailsea & Backwell station) is our most convenient local station for the duration.

I was shocked at the state of the stairs - surely they will be condemned soon?

Paddington vandals 'antithesis' of bear, says judge



Two RAF^▸ (Royal Air Force) engineers who broke a Paddington statue have been told by a judge they are the "antithesis" of everything the bear stands for.

Daniel Heath and William Lawrence, both 22 and based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, each admitted an offence of criminal damage at Reading Magistrates' Court.

The statue in Newbury, Berkshire, was damaged before being taken shortly after 02:00 GMT on 2 March.

The pair, who committed the offence while drunk on a night out, have been ordered to carry out unpaid work and each pay £2,725 to cover the cost of repairs.

On sentencing, district judge Sam Goozee said Paddington Bear was a "beloved cultural icon.  He represents kindness, tolerance and promotes integration and acceptance in our society," he said.  "His famous label attached to his duffle coat says 'please look after this bear'.  On the night of the 2nd of March 2025, your actions were the antithesis of everything Paddington stands for.  Your actions lacked respect and integrity, two values you should uphold as members of the armed forces."

CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele-Vision) footage was shown in court in which Heath, of Oakhall Park, Thornton, near Bradford in West Yorkshire, and Lawrence, of John Street, Enderby, Leicestershire, could be seen stopping by the Paddington Bear statue on Northbrook Street and attempting to lift it off the bench.

The seam of the statue then broke off and the pair could be seen walking off with the broken half.  The judge said the men then took it in a taxi back to RAF Odiham.

Thames Valley Police confirmed the statue did appear for sale on Facebook marketplace, but did not investigate further as it was recovered from the boot of Lawrence's car soon after.

Mr Goozee, who handed each of them a 12-month community order, said the pair had committed "an act of wanton vandalism".

The defendants' defence lawyer, Tom Brymer, told the court they were "extremely ashamed about their actions.  They are two men who are very different than what we see on the CCTV footage," he said.

A spokesperson for the Royal Air Force said they were aware of the trial outcome, but any disciplinary action would be a private matter.

The statue was unveiled in Newbury - the home of Paddington's creator Michael Bond - in October 2024.

Mr Goozee said this made the statue in the Berkshire town even more significant.  It was one of 23 placed across the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) as part of the Paddington Visits Trail.

In a statement read out by prosecutor Jaimie Renuka, CEO^▸ (Chief Executive Officer) of Newbury Business Improvement District (BID) Trish Willetts said the remains of the statue had to be covered with a bin bag to prevent it from upsetting children.

The damaged statue was recovered but a date for its return has yet to be confirmed.

Alkemade died on 22 June 1987 in Liskeard, Cornwall aged 64.

On the night of 24 March 1944, 21-year-old Alkemade was one of seven crew members in Avro Lancaster B Mk. II, DS664, of No. 115 Squadron RAF^▸ (Royal Air Force). Returning from a 300-bomber-raid on Berlin, east of Schmallenberg, DS664 was attacked by a German Junkers Ju 88 night-fighter flown by Oberleutnant Heinz Rökker of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2, the attack caused the Lancaster to catch fire and began to spiral out of control. As his parachute had caught fire and was unserviceable, Alkemade jumped from the aircraft without it, preferring to die on impact rather than burn to death. He fell 18,000 feet (5,490 m) to the ground.

His fall was broken by fir trees and a soft snow cover on the ground. He was able to move his arms and legs and suffered only a sprained leg. The Lancaster crashed bursting into flames, killing pilot Jack Newman and three other members of the crew. They are buried in the Hanover War Cemetery.

Alkemade was subsequently captured and interviewed by the Gestapo, who were initially suspicious of his claim to have fallen without a parachute. This was until the wreckage of the aircraft was examined and his parachute was found as Alkemade had described it. The Germans gave Alkemade a certificate testifying to the fact. He was a celebrated prisoner of war, before being repatriated in May 1945.