BBC Local Live: Beds, Herts and Bucks

Summary

Two hurt after train derails in tunnel near Watford following landslip near entrance
Derailed train struck by another in the tunnel
Almost 400 passengers put on recovery trains
Severe disruption set to continue on mainline services
Landslip caused by "torrential rain", says Network Rail
Two men jailed for bludgeoning man to death with dumbbell
Bedford councillor cleared of rape
Updates on Friday, 16 September 2016

Live Reporting

Alex Pope

Firefighters tackle blaze at Hertfordshire farmpublished at 08:58 British Summer Time 15 September 2016
Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live
Firefighters have spent the night at the scene of a major blaze at a farm in Wareside, near Ware in east Hertfordshire.
About 40 firefighters tackled the blaze which started yesterday evening. A number of barns were destroyed but they were able to save the farmhouse.
Image source, Herts Fire and Rescue
Image source, Herts Fire and Rescue
Image source, Herts Fire and Rescue
Image source, Herts Fire and Rescue
Today's weather: Warm and sunnypublished at 08:41 British Summer Time 15 September 2016
BBC Weather
It looks like it will be another largely dry and sunny day to come, with temperatures well above the mid September average.
Some thundery showers possible. Maximum high of 28C (82F).
It'll be the last day of the hot spell, so make the most of the weather - the Met Office has issued a warning of heavy rain for tomorrow, external.
Media caption,
It'll be the last of the current hot spell
Weather: Hot and sunnypublished at 08:22 British Summer Time 15 September 2016
Elizabeth Rizzini
BBC Look East weather
Early mist and cloud clearing, to bring a sunny day with a risk of thunderstorms later.
Temperatures reaching 29C (84F).
It'll be the last day of the hot spell, so make the most of the weather - the Met Office has issued a warning of heavy rain for tomorrow.
Man charged in Milton Keynes murder probepublished at 08:18 British Summer Time 15 September 2016
Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live
A man has been charged with murder following a shooting in Milton Keynes.
Image source, South Beds News Agency
Mohammed Noor, 33, from the Milton Keynes area, was charged in connection with the shooting on Osprey Close, Eaglestone, which happened just after 05:00 on Tuesday.
The victim, who has not been named, was taken to hospital but died two hours later.
Mr Noor will appear before magistrates in Milton Keynes today.
Welcome back to live updates for Beds, Herts and Buckspublished at 08:00 British Summer Time 15 September 2016
Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live
Good morning and welcome back to another day of regular live updates of the latest news, sport, weather and travel for Beds, Herts and Bucks.
This morning we'll bring you news that a man has been charged with murder after a shooting in Milton Keynes.
We'll also be looking at what's been happening in Wareside, where firefighters have been tackling a large blaze overnight.
But first, after two days of very high temperatures it's looking pretty misty outside - we'll have a full weather forecast for the three counties.
If you'd like to get in touch, you can email us, tweet us, external or contact us via Facebook, external.
MP attacks Juncker over Essex commentpublished at 23:43 British Summer Time 14 September 2016
An MP criticises EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker for remarks about Polish workers being attacked and "murdered in the streets of Essex".
Read More
That's all for todaypublished at 18:00 British Summer Time 14 September 2016
Alex Pope
BBC Local Live
That's it for regular updates from all the team here at Local Live for Beds, Herts and Bucks.
We'll be back at 08:00 with all your news, sport, travel and weather.
You can read all today's main stories by scrolling through the page, but any updates through the evening and night will be posted on here.
The forecast: Find ways to keep coolpublished at 17:52 British Summer Time 14 September 2016
Julie Reinger
BBC Look East weather
Tonight will be a dry, warm and muggy night.
Low cloud, mist and fog may be more extensive tonight, especially in the west of the region. Temperatures falling to around 15-17C (59-63F).
Tomorrow any mist, fog and low cloud should slowly clear to leave another largely fine and dry day, with sunny spells. However, we can’t rule out some thundery downpours.
Temperatures could again climb to around 30C (86F).
Kempston man pleads guilty to London City Airport protestpublished at 17:38 British Summer Time 14 September 2016
Alex Pope
BBC Local Live
Nine people, including one from Bedfordshire, who grounded up to 131 flights with a Black Lives Matter protest at London City Airport have pleaded guilty to aggravated trespass.
They locked themselves together after storming the single runway of the east London airport on September 6, London's Westminster Magistrates' Court heard.
Richard Collet-White, 23, of Spring Road, Kempston, was ordered to pay £95 prosecution costs and was given a 18-month conditional discharge.
Image source, @ukblm
Watch: Cars of the future on showpublished at 17:28 British Summer Time 14 September 2016
Paul Scoins
BBC Three Counties Radio political reporter
The future of travel came to Bedfordshire today.
It was the first day of the annual national low carbon vehicle event, Cenex LCV2016, at Millbrook.
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Milton Keynes councillor suspended over alleged racist remarkpublished at 17:26 British Summer Time 14 September 2016
Lee Agnew
BBC Three Counties Radio
A councillor in Milton Keynes has been suspended from the National Conservative Party after allegedly making a racist remark during a visit to a fire station.
An investigation is taking place into a comment said to have been made by Andy Dransfield, who's vice chair of Buckinghamshire Fire Authority, following a complaint from the Fire Brigades Union.
Mr Dransfield, who's now serving as an independent councillor, says he believes the accusation is politically motivated.
Police trying to identify man who was hit by carpublished at 17:16 British Summer Time 14 September 2016
Police are trying to identify a man in his 30s who was killed when he was hit by a car, external after walking onto a road in Milton Keynes.
They say the man, who was wearing a distinctive white metal ring with a scorpion motif, died after being taken to hospital.
It happened at about 20:20 last night, on the V4, Watling Street, by Roni's hand carwash.
Image source, Google
Police patrols at Bedfordshire schools after children 'approached by strangers'published at 16:49 British Summer Time 14 September 2016
Alex Pope
BBC Local Live
Police are patrolling at two Bedfordshire schools after pupils were approached by strangers close to Samuel Whitbred School in Shefford and Luton Sixth Form.
They say incidents like this are rare and they don't think they are related.
Bedford councillor says rape charge is 'nonsense'published at 16:30 British Summer Time 14 September 2016
Jane Killick
BBC Three Counties Radio
A former Bedford councillor has told a court allegations of rape against him are a "load of nonsense".
Paul Prescod, 51, from Wotton, denies two charges of raping a woman twice, in 2013 and 2014.
He told Luton Crown Court he got to know the woman as part of his role as a councillor, became friends and "had a little fling" at Easter 2014.
Image source, Geograph/Thomas Nugent
He said they only cuddled and kissed and it was all consensual. He also said he was at a friend's house on Boxing Day 2013 and couldn't have committed the alleged rape.
The case is continuing at Luton Crown Court.
Luton doctors' surgery closed by flooding for second timepublished at 16:15 British Summer Time 14 September 2016
Tony Fisher
BBC Three Counties Radio
A doctors' surgery in Luton has closed for the second time in a year because of flooding.
The Farley Hill surgery, run by the Lea Vale Medical Groups, has been forced to close its doors until further notice because of a leak.
It's just a year since it was shut for three months because of flooding.
About 2,800 patients are registered at the surgery, which is being temporarily moved to the Liverpool Road practice.
Watch: Milton Keynes guide runner racing to glorypublished at 16:02 British Summer Time 14 September 2016
BBC Sport
Last night, Chris Clarke from Milton Keynes guided sprinter Libby Clegg to her second Paralympic gold medal in Rio.
You can see how he did it below.
Autumn Gooch inquest: Toddler found dead in same clothes she was wearing the day beforepublished at 15:42 British Summer Time 14 September 2016
Kate Bradbrook
BBC Look East
In court today, I heard that Autumn Gooch was found dead in her Maulden home wearing the same pink tracksuit she was wearing the day before.
The presumption was she was not "bathed, washed or changed".
Her nappy weighed 435 grams, which would equate to four or five bladder movements, the court heard.
Cheeselet biscuits were found in the room, and there was sick on the bed.
Her mother told the court she thought she was going a "good job" of looking after her daughter, who was 19-months-old when she died in April 2015.
The judge returned an open verdict.
Autumn Gooch inquest: Council to 'learn' from toddler's deathpublished at 15:28 British Summer Time 14 September 2016
Kate Bradbrook
BBC Look East
Sue Harrison, the director of children’s services at Central Bedfordshire Council, says the council will "learn" from the Autumn Gooch case.
She said the toddler's death left the teams who worked with the family "devastated".
Image source, Central Bedfordshire Council
Sunday's Premier League footballpublished at 15:27 British Summer Time 14 September 2016
Text and radio reaction as Tottenham beat Sunderland after Crystal Palace thump Stoke, Southampton edge Swansea and Watford shock Manchester United.
Read More
Taxi row councillor Stuart Burke put in '16 years hard graft' for Milton Keynespublished at 15:22 British Summer Time 14 September 2016
Craig Lewis
BBC News
Stuart Burke, the former Liberal Democrat set to be awarded one of Milton Keynes Council's highest honours tonight, was "a very, very popular ward councillor instantly recognised by the community".
Mr Burke is set to be named an Alderman of the Council tonight, but some opponents have criticised the move, external due to his role in allowing rapist taxi driver Nadeem Kiani to work in the new city.
Image source, Google
Lib Dem leader Douglas McCall said Mr Burke had worked on 10 different council committees between 1999 and 2015, including housing and environment.
The former Shenley Brook End councillor, who was his party's deputy leader prior to losing his seat, also worked on major projects at ward level - including defending playing fields in Shenley Church End and building a new community centre in Emerson Valley North.
Mr McCall said maths teacher Mr Burke, who was also a governor at two schools and the council's representative on MK Race Equality Council, had provided vital numerical skills to the authority's audit and budget committees.
Quote Message
He was a hard working, long-serving councillor. He put in 16 years of hard graft in the benefit of this city."
Douglas McCall, Liberal Democrat leader in Milton Keynes