Weekly round-up: Five stories you may have missed

The scene at Bishopstoke Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire, after a Blustar bus carrying pupils from Barton Peveril Sixth Form College came off the road and ended up in a river. The double-decker bus carrying sixth-form college students crashed off the road and ended up in a river, leaving three people being taken to hospital as "high priority" patients with 14 others treated at the scene.Image source, PA Media
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The bus crashed through railings and landed upright in the River Itchen

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A bus crash and a daughter's plea to her mum's killer to reveal what he did with her body were among our most read stories this week.

We have picked five articles from the past seven days in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire and Oxfordshire to keep you up to date.

Crash bus caught on camera as driver hailed a hero

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Electrician Bruno Aguiar captured the swerving bus on his vehicle's dashcams

The driver of a double-decker college bus that crashed into a river has been described as a "hero" by one of the first people to reach the scene.

The bus was seen swerving through oncoming traffic and ploughed through railings on the wrong side of Bishopstoke Road in Eastleigh, Hampshire, at about 10:00 BST on Thursday.

Dr John Fisher, who helped rescue students, told the BBC: "It feels that he tried to ditch it to avoid a head-on crash... it's a bit of a miracle."

On Friday, police said the 69-year-old male driver and a 16-year-old girl - who both suffered serious injuries - remained in hospital. Three other students suffered serious injuries and a further 15 had minor injuries.

'Dad, tell me where you buried Mum before you die'

Wearing a red blouse, Samantha Gillingham stares into the camera.
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Samantha Gillingham was a teenager when her mother disappeared in the summer of 1985

A woman whose dad murdered her mum has pleaded with him to reveal what he did with her body before he dies.

Samantha Gillingham said she feared Russell Causley – who is now 82 – would never reveal the truth about what happened to Carole Packman after he killed her in Bournemouth in 1985.

Mrs Gillingham had argued for a "no body, no parole" principle to be applied ahead of Causley's parole hearing in 2022 – but he was released on the grounds he no longer posed a threat to wider society.

Addressing him directly 40 years after her mother was last seen, she urged him to finally tell the truth. "Come on. What's wrong with you?" she said. "You're free now. She's not."

'Naughty' new bears damage rescue enclosure

Two caramel-coloured bears with black noses look out from an enclosure.Image source, Cameron Noble
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Benji and Balu were released into the sanctuary on the Isle of Wight earlier this month

Two brown bears saved from a cage in Azerbaijan and released into a reserve have damaged part of their new rescue enclosure.

Brothers Benji and Balu had only recently been released into their new home at Wildheart Animal Sanctuary on the Isle of Wight.

"The bears, with their notoriously curious nature, managed to dig a hole into these blocks and then proceeded to start sprinkling the polystyrene contents around their enclosure," said chief executive of the zoo Lawrence Bates.

Jokingly he said the "naughty bears" had since been moved into a smaller enclosure while concrete used to repair the hole dried out.

Invasive catfish removed from country park lake

A stock image of a Wels catfish lying on some grass. Image source, Getty Images
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The fish can grow up to 9ft (2.7m) long (stock image)

A species of fish that could potentially grow up to 9ft (2.7m) long and "devastate local wildlife" was found to have been illegally introduced to a Berkshire fishing lake.

Wokingham Borough Council said a Wels catfish was caught by anglers at Dinton Pastures Country Park.

They reported their catch to the council and two fish were humanely removed to protect native species.

It is illegal to stock the Wels catfish and others like it without a special licence from the Environment Agency and Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science).

Water gushes from burst main

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The road was closed after water was sent shooting into the air

A huge plume of water was sent gushing into the air when a main burst near a popular park in Oxford.

Thames Water said its engineers responded to reports of the problem in Rymers Lane in the early hours of Wednesday.

The company said an emergency road closure was put in place, with teams on site to "make the necessary repairs".

Nearby Iffley Academy school closed for the day as a result.

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