Summary

  • Updates for Friday, 11 December 2015

  • News. sport, travel and weather updates resume at 08:00 on Monday

  1. Our live coverage across the daypublished at 18:00

    That's all from us for this week. Join us again on Monday at 08:00 for the latest news, sport, weather and travel for Beds, Herts and Bucks.

    Why not take a scroll through today's page to look through the pictures, videos and memories of the Buncefield explosion 10 years on.

  2. Weather: A rainy night aheadpublished at 17:52

    Chris Bell
    BBC Look East weather

    Tonight will be dry for much of the night, although it will be cloudy and rainy later. Lows around 3-4C (37F).

    Weather graphic shows rain tonight and tomorrow

    Tomorrow it will be cloudy with outbreaks of patchy rain. Highs around 11-13C (low 50s F).

  3. Buncefield explosion a decade on: Hear more 999 callspublished at 17:47

    Dani Bailey
    BBC Local Live

    Earlier today, we posted a video with some of the first calls to emergency service about the Buncefield explosion in 2005 - there was a great deal of confusion about what had happened and where.

    In this video we hear 999 calls where the public start to mention the fuel depot.

    This YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on YouTube
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.
    Skip youtube video

    Allow YouTube content?

    This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.
    End of youtube video
  4. Woman loses two teeth in night club attackpublished at 17:39

    A woman who was attacked on the dance floor of a club in High Wycombe lost two of her teeth and her friend was chased down the street.

    Five men police wish to speak to in connection with incidentImage source, Thames Valley Police

    The attacks happened between 02:00 and 03:00 on 31 October at Yates in Frogmoor. The woman was hit in the mouth and then her male friend was pushed and chased outside the Charcoal Grill kebab shop before being punched and racially abused.

    Police have released an image of five men they want to speak to in connection with the incident.

  5. The moment of the Buncefield blast caught on CCTVpublished at 17:30

    Dani Bailey
    BBC Local Live

    This was the moment theBuncefield blastwas caught on CCTV by Furnell's Transport and Storage, which was based on an industrial estate next to the oil depot.

    Director David Furnell sold this CCTV around the world to raise money for the community affected.  

  6. Baby death attack: Accused got second woman pregnantpublished at 17:22

    A man accused of killing his unborn baby has told a court he had "moved on" and got a second woman pregnant by the time his pregnant ex-girlfriend was attacked.

    Court sketch of Kevin WilsonImage source, PA

    Malorie Bantala, 22, gave birth at 32 weeks to a stillborn boy following the assault in London in June this year.

    Kevin Wilson and a 17-year-old youth allegedly attacked her when she refused a termination. Both defendants deny child destruction and causing grievous bodily harm.

  7. Illegal unregistered schools face prosecutionpublished at 17:15

    Ofsted is setting up a task force of inspectors to seek out unregistered schools operating outside the law.

    Sir Michael WilshawImage source, PA

    Chief Inspector of Schools, Sir Michael Wilshaw, says there is a serious and growing threat to the safety and well being of children. 

    They've already found 900 children being taught without the correct supervision in 18 schools in the country so far, including in Luton.

  8. Latest headlines: Watford prisoner killed... Former Bedfordshire student on trialpublished at 17:05

    Lee Agnew
    BBC Three Counties Radio

    The stories we're looking at:

    • A prisoner who was killed at Peterborough Prison this week has been named as Terry Ojuederie from Watford 
    • A review of the way police forces are funded has been described as a shambles, by a committee of MPs 
    • A man accused of killing his unborn baby says he was asleep when his former girlfriend was attacked
  9. Memory tree created at churchpublished at 16:50

    Louise Hubball
    BBC Look East

    A memory tree with 1,000 baubles and 5,000 lights has been created so members of a church congregation can remember loved ones who they can't be with this Christmas.

    One branch on the tree at the St John the Baptist Church in Royston, Hertfordshire, external has been dedicated to the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris.

    It's the third year the memorial has taken place and the tree has grown in size to accommodate all the notes.

  10. Buncefield explosion 10 years on: In picturespublished at 16:32

    Dani Bailey
    BBC Local Live

    Today we're looking back 10 years to the explosion and fire at the Buncefield Oil Storage Terminal in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.  

    At 06:01 on Sunday 11 December 2005, a fuel vapour explosion equivalent to 30 tonnes of TNT at the depot triggered a blast wave which was heard as far away as Holland.

  11. Fire service 'learnt lessons' from Buncefield explosionpublished at 16:20

    On the 10th anniversary of the Buncefield explosion, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service say the blaze led to major changes in how major incidents are tackled.

    Firefighters at Buncefield ten years agoImage source, Herts Fire and Rescue

    "Lots of things have come from Buncefield," Group Commander Rad Bristow said of the biggest explosion in peacetime Europe.

    "We've got a Fire and Rescue Service National Co-ordination Centre, external, which means we've got a national register of what equipment is where.

  12. Baby death attack: Accused said he was 'having a nap'published at 16:08

    Dani Bailey
    BBC Local Live

    A man accused of killing his unborn baby says he was asleep when his former girlfriend wasattacked in south-east London.

    Court sketch of Kevin WilsonImage source, Julia Quenzler

    The Old Bailey's heard Kevin Wilson, 22, of Bermondsey, didn't want to have a child with Malorie Bantala, 22. The pair met while studying at the University of Bedfordshire. 

    Mr Wilson told the court that on the day of the attack he'd worked at a school for children with behavioural problems and walked home for a sleep afterwards. He and a 17-year-old deny child destruction and causing grievous bodily harm. The case continues.

  13. Prisoner killed in Peterborough was from Watfordpublished at 15:58

    Lee Agnew
    BBC Three Counties Radio

    A prisoner killed at Peterborough Prison this week has been named as Terry Ojuederie from Watford.

    HMP PeterboroughImage source, Google

    The 42-year-old was pronounced dead after police were called following reports of violence inside the jail.

    A 25-year-old man, also an inmate at the prison, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He's continuing his sentence while police enquiries continue.

  14. Buncefield explosion: 'Very difficult to come to terms with'published at 15:42

    Katy Lewis
    BBC Local Live

    The damage to David Mitchell's house - about 400m from the Buncefield explosion - took about six months to repair at a cost of about £200,000, but the psychological impact was even more significant, with his family developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

    Devastation of Buncefield explosionImage source, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue

    "The thing that really got to me was how close to death my children came... that was something that was very, very difficult to come to terms with," he said.

    "The whole event did definitely change my life... we all suffered from PTSD and even years later we were still having the occasional flashbacks."

  15. Vauxhall helicopter crash deaths 'accidental,' jury findspublished at 15:30

    A pilot killed in a central London helicopter crash was under commercial pressure to satisfy an important client when he made the inappropriate and unsafe decision to fly in "excessively challenging weather conditions", a jury has found.

    Helicopter crash in London

    The jury found deaths of the pilot and a pedestrian were accidental, however Mr Barnes's decision to fly despite the freezing fog and scattered cloud that morning was "neither safe nor appropriate".

    Mr Barnes, a pilot of 24 years, had been working for the helicopter company MotorRotor, which is no longer in business. He had been flying from Redhill Aerodrome in Surrey to Elstree in Hertfordshire, but was diverted to Battersea heliport.

  16. Police force funding 'a shambles' say MPspublished at 15:17

    Lee Agnew
    BBC Three Counties Radio

    A review of the way police forces are funded has been described as a shambles, by a committee of MPs.

    Olly Martins

    The Home Affairs Committee says independent experts should be brought in to devise a fair formula.

    Bedfordshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Olly Martins says he's thankful that someone is finally listening. The PCC has been campaigning for changes to the funding system.

  17. Buncefield explosion: The first 999 calls come inpublished at 15:03

    Katy Lewis
    BBC Local Live

    Listen to some of the first calls coming in to the emergency services after Buncefield exploded - there was a lot of confusion as to what had actually happened.

    This YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on YouTube
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.
    Skip youtube video

    Allow YouTube content?

    This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.
    End of youtube video
  18. Watford man jailed for attempting to rape joggerpublished at 14:52

    Lee Agnew
    BBC Three Counties Radio

    A man who tried to rape a woman in Tring while she was out jogging has been jailed for 12 years.

    Jamie Saunders, 26, of Muirfield Road in Watford, attacked the woman, who had been running along a public footpath in August when she heard a gate close behind her. 

    Saunders pushed her to the ground and tried to pull off her clothing, but the woman scratched him before calling out a friend's name. He then made off. Saunders pleaded guilty to attempted rape and was jailed at St Albans Crown Court.

  19. Buncefield explosion: Lessons led to 'significant improvements'published at 14:40

    Katy Lewis
    BBC Local Live

    The Health and Safety Executive, external (HSE) said the lessons learned from the Buncefield explosion led to "significant improvements" in the way sites operate.

    Buncefield explosionImage source, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue

    Specific improvements include changes to the risk assessments of bulk fuel storage sites and better control systems for preventing the overfilling of fuel tanks. The HSE also adopted a "more cautious approach" to providing planning advice for land use around large-scale petrol storage sites.

    A spokeswoman said: "It is an ongoing process and there should never be a day when industry thinks they have done everything and cannot improve."

  20. NHS failure to probe deaths: Head of mental health trust won't resignpublished at 14:16

    The head of a mental health trust criticised for failing to investigate more than 1,000 unexpected deaths says she won't be resigning. 

    Photo of hospital

    A report said there had been a failure of leadership at Southern Health, which looks after thousands of people across five counties including Buckinghamshire. 

    Katrina Percy said she was sorry for what had happened, but was staying put.