Dani Bailey
BBC Local Live

Tom Adlam VC of the Bedfordshire Regiment fought in the Battle of the Somme.

He recorded audio diaries of his personal memories in the 1970s with the Imperial War Museum.

Dani Bailey
BBC Local Live

Just days after arriving at the Somme, 18-year-old Pte Ted Ambrose from Hertfordshire was seriously wounded and died.His belongings were sent home to his mother, who couldn't bear to look at them, so they weren't opened until 96 years later.

In this film, historian Dan Hill explains...  

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

Some rather haunting figures have been spotted in the theatre district of Milton Keynes this morning. 

They're representing the ghosts of soldiers from World War One to mark the centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme.

Image source, MK Gallery

This picture was taken outside MK Gallery 

The decision to delay airport expansion in south-eastern England until "at least October" has been described as "disappointing" by the Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). 

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced the news yesterday following the Brexit vote. 

Andrew M Smith, chairman of the LEP, says the development is of "paramount importance" to Buckinghamshire businesses. 

Image source, Getty Images

Kate Bradbrook
BBC Look East

Last night was not a good night for Aggie Animuscka from Milton Keynes. 

She was stranded in the Channel Tunnel after the train from Calais to Folkestone she was on broke down. 

More than 400 passengers had to be evacuated and then walk down the tunnel to a rescue train. 

Carol Abercrombie
BBC Three Counties Radio

Easyjet has re-confirmed its commitment to Luton after speculation that it was planning to move its headquarters away from the town. 

It says it has begun negotiations to get an AOC (air operator certificate) so it can continue operating without a hitch when Britain leaves the European Union.

Image source, Getty Images

Kate Bradbrook
BBC Look East

Five hundred passengers were stranded inside the Channel Tunnel after a train from Calais to Folkestone broke down last night. 

They had to be transferred to a rescue train.

Aggie Animuscka from Milton Keynes was one of them and spoke to the BBC from the stranded train. 

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

Hertfordshire Police has said it is still investigating the death of a 78-year-old woman after a collision with a delivery lorry at the exit of the Tesco Express in Jersey Farm, St Albans.

A spokeswoman said police were keen to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time, witnessed the collision or saw the victim prior to the incident and are "especially interested in making contact with a member of the public who was in a vehicle close to the collision" as they could have "vital information".

Geoff Doyle
BBC Three Counties Radio sport

So Belgium Under-21 international Christian Kabasele has just completed a permanent transfer to Vicarage Road, external, the second summer signing for the club. 

It's a five-year deal, thought to be worth £6m, for the Racing Genk defender who's currently in France as part of Belgium’s Euro 2016 squad. 

Image source, Getty Images

The 25-year-old played 81 times for Genk, scoring seven goals, after signing for the Belgian Pro League side in 2014.   Born in Zaire, Kabasele started his career with Belgian outfits Eupen and Mechelen before spending a year in Bulgaria with Ludogorets Razgrad. 

It's official... Belgian defender Christian Kabasele has signed for Watford. 

Geoff Doyle
BBC Three Counties Radio sport

It's been an interesting morning at Watford. 

Belgian defender Christian Kabasele has joined from Racing Genk player in a £6m move.

Image source, Getty Images

It's thought the club are close to announcing the signing of Nigerian striker Isaac Success for a fee thought to be in the region of £12.5m from Granada. 

And there are also reports that the Hornets have turned down a £35m bid from Chinese club Shanghai SIPG for striker Odion Ighalo.

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

Central Bedfordshire Council has started a new appeal to find concrete blocks. 

It comes after they've been placed around Dunstable to stop travellers parking in places they shouldn't. 

Councillor Richard Stay says it's costing "taxpayers a lot of money" and it's a "far from an "ideal situation".

He claims the problem has been caused by about 25 travellers who keep on playing a "cat and mouse" game with the authorities and moving around the area

Measures brought in by Central Bedfordshire Council, external to prevent travellers from camping illegally have led to a shortage of concrete blocks. 

Several locations around Dunstable and off Junction 10 of the M1 in Luton have been blocked off.  

Councillors say they have so many areas to control they have run out. 

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

St Albans residents who live near the Tesco Express on Jersey Farm, where an elderly woman died after she was hit by a delivery lorry, have said they raised concerns with the store numerous times about the dangers large lorries were posing.

The store, in a residential area, is serviced by HGVs and residents argue there is not enough room for large lorries to carry deliveries safely to the store. They say that often surrounding roads are being blocked with lorries struggling to get into or turn around in the service yard.  

Karen Murphy said: "Visibility is non-existent... I have lived here for over 20 years and lorries delivering to their store have knocked my boundary wall over nine separate times."

Tesco has told us a full investigation is under way.

Ollie Bayliss
BBC Three Counties Radio

Residents in St Albans say the death of an elderly woman in a collision with a delivery lorry could have been prevented.

Image source, Google

The 78-year-old, who has not been named, was killed on Monday morning after the collision at the exit of the Tesco Express service yard in Twyford Road, Jersey Farm. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Residents say they had warned the store numerous times about the dangers of large delivery lorries on the narrow residential streets.

Tesco said it was working closely with police and was carrying out a full investigation.

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

The Battle of the Somme was one of the bloodiest battles of World War One and its first known as the worst day in British military history.

For five months, the British and French armies engaged the Germans on a 15-mile front in the Somme in northern France.

Military historian Dan Hill, from the Herts at War team, said: "While it is a tragic loss of life, particularly on the 1 July, when you look at the bigger picture, the legacy are the very members of the UK today; those people whose grandfathers came home and had children, the reason why we're here."

If you'd like to read more about the Battle of the Somme commemorations going on across the UK today, the BBC is running a special live page reflecting events.

You can find it here.

BBC News UK

• Began on 1 July 1916 and was fought along a 15-mile front near the River Somme in northern France
• 19,240 British soldiers died on the first day - the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army
• The British captured just three square miles of territory on the first day
• At the end of hostilities, five months later, the British had advanced just seven miles and failed to break the German defence
• In total, there were more than a million dead and wounded on all sides, including 420,000 British, about 200,000 from France and an estimated 465,000 from Germany

Image source, Getty Images

Carol Abercrombie
BBC Three Counties Radio

Commemorations are being held across the UK and France today to mark the centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme.

Last night, the Queen laid flowers at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey, at the beginning of an overnight vigil.

In Aylesbury there will be a service of remembrance focused on local soldier Captain Lionel William Crouch, who died during the battle and it will include his last letter home.

At Bletsoe in north Bedfordshire, there will be a candlelit vigil around the war memorial with readings and music. This afternoon there will also be a wreath laying at the war memorial at Tring in Hertfordshire, followed by a special service.

Elizabeth Rizzini
BBC Look East weather

A year ago today was one of the hottest days of the year - that won't be the case today.

Any early rain will clear to leave a mostly dry and bright day - but still with the chance of a shower.

Maximum temperature: 19C (66F).