Updates on Friday, 19 May 2017
Trains delays are expected until the afternoon after signalling problems caused chaos for London commuters
Jobs will go in Charles Wells brewery sale
Luton Town miss out on League Two play-off final
BBC Sport
Walter Mazzarri spoke to the media after his side's 4-3 defeat against champions Chelsea on Monday.
He said: "I am very proud of my team. We had several players out injured."
You can watch it below.
Chelsea 4-3 Watford: Mazzarri praises his side's effort despite results
Mazzarri to leave Watford
Last three Watford managers:
Slavisa Jokanovic left in June 2015, after leading the Hornets to the Premier League.
Quique Sanchez-Flores left in May 2016, after securing the Hornets safety and leading them to the FA Cup semi-finals.
Walter Mazzarri to leave in May 2017, after consolidating Watford's Premier League status.
The next manager will be their ninth in five years.
Image source, Getty ImagesBBC Sport
Manager Walter Mazzarri is to leave Watford after Sunday's final game of the season, at home to Manchester City.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe 55-year-old Italian had been in charge of the Hornets, who are 16th in the Premier League, for a year.
Watford chairman Scott Duxbury said Mazzarri's departure was confirmed after the board discussed "future goals and aspirations" with him.
Despite Monday's 4-3 defeat at champions Chelsea, Watford avoided relegation and are six points above the drop zone with a game to play.
Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live
Watford FC have announced that manager Walter Mazzarri will leave the club at the end of the season.
Image source, Getty ImagesChairman Scott Duxbury issued the following statement on the club's website:
"After the board discussed with Walter Mazzarri the club’s future goals and aspirations, it was decided he will be stepping down from his position as the club’s head coach after the final game of the 2016/17 season.
"We thank Walter and his staff for the contribution they have made to Watford Football Club over the past year."
Walter Mazzarri will leave Watford at the end of the season, the Premier League club have announced.
More to follow.
Usman Azad
BBC Three Counties Radio
Earlier we were telling you how the St Albans-based Royal National Rose Society (RNRS) had gone into administration, and that it was unlikely its world-renowned gardens would open for the season - with its long-term future also uncertain.
Image source, Geograph/Christime MatthewsThis seems to have been confirmed by the landowners - the Royal Entomological Society, external (RES) - which has told us that it will not be opening the land up to the public.
The society says it owns the land in question, which it bought some years ago and "leased back to the RNRS at a peppercorn rent to assist them".
Bill Blakemore, from the RES, said it was "very sad to know of [the RNRS'] demise".
"What the future of the land will be is something we shall determine over the coming months," he said. "However, we shall not be opening it to visitors as it is not an area we have any expertise in."
Alex Pope
BBC Local Live
Here's the first glimpse of what the David Bowie statue planned for Aylesbury could look like:
Image source, Andrew SinclairThe pictures show a manquette (miniature version) of the planned bronze sculpture, named Earthly Messenger.
It has been designed by Andrew Sinclair and the finished version would stand under the arches in the Market Square, referenced by Bowie in Five Years, the opening track of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders from Mars album.
Bowie unveiled his Ziggy Stardust persona at the Friars.
As you can see, the sculpture features David Bowie in 2002, looking down at Ziggy. There are also images of Bowie's many other looks in the background.
Image source, Andrew SinclairSome cccccc-changes are expected to the design before the finished product is officially unveiled in September.
As previously reported, there are plans for a Bowie song to be played from the statue, on the hour.
Alex Pope
BBC Local Live
Tributes have been paid to two "devoted" grandmothers who were killed on the A41 in Hertfordshire.
Jean Malone, 76, (on the left) from Hemel Hempstead and Mary Davis, 66, (on the right) from Stoke Mandeville, died when the Nissan Micra they were passengers in collided with a van along the northbound carriageway between Chesham and Tring.
They were returning home from a bingo group they ran in Hendon on 7 May.
Mrs Malone's family said: "Family was everything to her.
"Mum was a people’s person and offered family, friends and neighbours a shoulder to cry on. She would listen to their problems and offered help whenever she could."
Image source, Hertfordshire PoliceThe family of Ms Davis said: "She only lived for her kids and her grandchildren. Her whole life revolved around us.
"She was a very selfless woman. She would do anything for anybody. She had lots of friends and everybody loved her. A lot of people thought of her as a second mum."
She was also looking forward to the birth of her sixth grandchild in July, her family said.
A 17-year-old, arrested on suspicion of two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, has been released on police bail.
Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live
Earlier we told you how firefighters had tackled a blaze in the roof of a house in Francis Avenue, St Albans, on Tuesday evening.
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue said the cause was accidental.
This morning we've heard from Hertfordshire Police, which said that officers were back at the scene this morning "carrying out further inquiries".
We'll let you know as soon as we hear more.
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Alex Pope
BBC Local Live
Damon Albarn's virtual band Gorillaz have announced they'll be playing a special warm up gig in St Albans, ahead of their UK and Europe Humanz tour, external.
They're appearing at The Alban Arena on 2 June.
Tickets go on sale at 09:00 on Friday, with information being sent to fans first.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe band said: "We are doing our best to keep tickets for this event out of the hands of secondary ticket sellers and in the hands of the fans."
Tickets can only be bought directly from their website.
Geoff Doyle
BBC Three Counties Radio sport
Milton Keynes Lightning has new owners, external.
The recent English Premier League Cup and play-off winners are now owned by Coventry business entrepreneurs Graham and Monica Moody, who say they have "big plans for the future" of the ice hockey team.
Image source, MK LightningThey've also made two signings ahead of the new season.
Canadian forward Guillaume Doucet joins from EPL and Challenge Cup winners Cardiff Devils, and Kevin King comes from the French champions Gap.
Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live
Firefighters tackled a blaze in the roof of a house in St Albans last night.
They were called to the semi-detached property in Francis Avenue just after 19:30, and the fire was put out by 20:40.
Image source, Spotted:St AlbansHertfordshire Police said the force was also called to the scene and closed the road while the fire was tackled.
No-one was reported to be injured.
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue said the cause was accidental.
Simon Oxley
BBC Three Counties Radio
Kenilworth Road will be packed on Thursday night, as the club has announced that all tickets, external have now been sold for the play-off semi-final match against Blackpool.
An extra 260 tickets went on sale yesterday, but have now all gone.
The Hatters go into the game 3-2 down from the first leg.
Image source, Luton Town Football ClubKaty Lewis
BBC Local Live
Bedfordshire Police is urging people with concerns about child sexual exploitation, external to contact the authorities.
It follows the first episode of the BBC drama Three Girls, about the Rochdale abuse scandal, which aired last night.
The force said "no one deserves to suffer the type of abuse depicted in the programme - it's not OK and we will not tolerate it".
Bedfordshire Police is part of a multi-agency response to the issue, which also includes councils and the NSPCC.
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Usman Azad
BBC Three Counties Radio
What does the closure of the Royal National Rose Society mean for people involved in the rose industry?
There are a whole fraternity of people who are involved in roses in the UK, including growers, nurseries and breeders.
Image source, Geograph/Christine MatthewsThe society was effectively the "home of the rose" in the UK and organised trials every year, which were entered by hundreds of breeders across the country.
The big award was the gold standard. If you were a rose breeder awarded a gold standard it meant your rose was one of the best. It was a good publicity boost for the breeder.
But more importantly, it gave people who bought different breeds of rose confidence from an independent authority that it would survive in their gardens.
Alex Henn, from the Dutch Nursery Garden Centre at Hatfield, said the gold standard was a "guarantee of quality".
"[It showed it was a rose] you can confidently grow in your own garden and it would have a good disease resistance, it was going to have a good colour, it's going to do what it says on the tin."
The long awaited heavier rain has finally arrived with some heavy downpours overnight and this morning.
The rains will gradually dry out in the east and as it does there will be some sunny spells and it will feel warmer.
Further west it is going to stay rather wet thorughout the day. Top temperature of 20C - that's 68F.
BBC Weather has more local forecasts.
Usman Azad
BBC Three Counties Radio
As we told you yesterday, the Royal National Rose Society based in St Albans has gone into administration.
Image source, Christine Matthews/GeographThe experts on growing and breeding roses in the UK, it is responsible for classifying new types of roses, and runs trials for both amateur and professional breeders.
Its offices are now closed and the world-renowned gardens in the city - which were set to open to the public in three weeks' time for the season - are now unlikely to open.
The society is the oldest specialist plant society - formed in 1876.
I've been speaking to people who are now former workers of the society - some of whom were shocked, while others said they weren't surprised because of financial worries the society had been having for a number of years.
So what's going to happen next?
We've been trying to contact the Rose Society but all we've had so far is official confirmation from the administrators, PKF Geoffrey Martin and Co.
In a statement, it said the society would be in touch with stakeholders and creditors in the next few days.
Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live
Good morning and welcome to Wednesday's live page for the three counties where we'll be bringing you the latest news, sport, travel and weather until 18:00.
This morning, amongst other things, we'll bring you more news about the St Albans-based Royal National Rose Society, whose future remains in doubt after it went into administration.
Meanwhile, it's been raining cats and dogs where I've been in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire this morning with more rain predicted to be on the way - a regional forecast will be coming up to let you know just how much!
Meanwhile, you can contact us at any time via email, Facebook, external or Twitter, external.
The Grade II listed chimneys of the Stewartby Brickworks in Bedfordshire could soon be knocked down.
Read MoreThanks for following us on Local Live.
I'm afraid that's it for today, but take a look below at what we've been covering today in Beds, Herts and Bucks, and we'll back with all the latest news tomorrow morning from 08:00.
See you then.
