Peter Swan
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire sport

Peterborough Panthers have made their second signing ahead of the next speedway season. 

Tom Bacon, 23, is taking the step up from the National League.

He will ride at reserve for the Panthers, external and joins Dane Kenneth Hansen in the Peterborough line-up for 2017.

Image source, Kevin Gipp

Bacon (above middle), who has a degree in management studies from the University of Leicester, said: "I did some meetings at second-tier level last year and scored in all of them, so I feel it's the right time to make the jump up.

"We know it's going to be a hard step up, but I'm going to give it 100% -  and hopefully I'll progress as a rider."

A jury is dismissed after failing to reach a verdict on five counts of sex offences allegedly committed by a former boarding school teacher.

Emma Maclean
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are heading our way next week.

Image source, University of Cambridge

The royal couple will head to the Fitzwilliam Museum to mark its bicentenary - and also attend a rehearsal by King's College, external choir.

Naturally we'll be following the tour throughout the day.

Katy Prickett
BBC News

The fire service have tweeted a plea to drivers to think about access when they park up after a crew got delayed in Wisbech earlier...

On 2 March Simon Ball was formally charged. 

Cambridgeshire Police said in total he abused one girl at Kimbolton School and three girls at Giggleswick.

In a statement, Det Con Hayley Kendall said he committed "predatory offences against vulnerable, young people by a person in a position of trust, whose duty was supposed to be to protect and safeguard those in his care". 

Image source, Terry Harris/Paperpix.co.uk

He's due to be sentenced on 29 November at Peterborough Crown Court.  

Simon Ball was arrested in February 2015 after reports were made to police that he had been having a sexual relationship with a student at Kimbolton School (pictured).

An investigation then launched and it was found there had been another allegation of him having sexual relations with a student, aged 15, while at a school in North Yorkshire in 2004.

Image source, Julian Osley/Geograph

That year he was arrested by North Yorkshire Police on suspicion of indecent/sexual assault and abuse of position of trust, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) found insufficient evidence to prosecute.

The jury in the case of a former teacher from Kimbolton School has been dismissed after they were unable to reach a verdict on five sex charges.

Simon Ball, 42, from Greenwich in south-east London, was found guilty yesterday at Peterborough Crown Court of four counts of engaging in sexual activity while in a position of trust at another private school in North Yorkshire.

Today the jury failed to reach a verdict on the remaining five charges related to his time at Giggleswick Senior School. He had already admitted five charges regarding offences that took place while a teacher at the Cambridgeshire independent school.

More to follow.

Image source, Terry Harris/Paperpix.co.uk

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

A driving instructor, IT technician and software analyst are just some of the jobs held by the latest special recruits with Cambridgeshire Police. 

In total 13 Cambridgeshire volunteers were sworn in last night at the force's headquarters in Hinchingbrooke. 

Image source, Cambridgeshire police

Specials are sworn in by a magistrate, external in the same manner as a regular police officer and work alongside their regular colleagues.

They are based at the same police stations, have the same powers in law, including the power of arrest, and wear the same uniform.  

BBC Weather Watchers

After a little bit of cloud this morning it's already started to brighten up in Cambridgeshire as these fantastic pictures from our BBC Weather Watchers show.

The rest of the day is set to brighten up but with some breeze, especially over higher ground such as the Gog Magog Downs.   

Maximum temperature: 10C (50F). There's more details on the forecast where you live from BBC Weather.

Andrew Sinclair
BBC Look East political correspondent

Image source, Thinkstock

The Shadow leader of the House has told MPs that yesterday's announcement of funding for an expressway between Oxford and Cambridge was elitist because it ignored more successful universities.

During business questions in parliament, Labour's Valerie Vaz said the Autumn Statement had been "a statement of the elite".

"The chancellor said the expressway would become a transformational tech-corridor drawing on the world class research strengths of our two best known universities," she said.

"But the league tables of 2017 put Oxford and Cambridge in 3rd and 4th place. Imperial was first, LSE second. 

"Can we have a statement on what will be available for the other universities which don't have the historic wealth of Oxford and Cambridge?"

The leader of the House David Lidington accused Ms Vaz of "antiquated class war".

He said: "The expressway will benefit places like Milton Keynes and Bedford... it's a sign of the times that the party has given up on such communities for whom the corridor offers opportunities for economic growth."

Tom Horn
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

The only damage to a gas pumping station in Peterborough overnight was structural, National Grid have confirmed.

Image source, Google

They added there was no explosion or damage to the gas equipment as previously reported by the police and an investigation is now under way. 

Bricks were knocked out of the building on Brewerne, Orton Melbourne and repairs will now be made. The road was closed earlier as a precaution.

Sam Edwards
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

A woman has been arrested after a 28-year-old man who was stabbed in Cambridge on Tuesday night, external. 

He's now in a stable condition after the incident which happened in the cut-through between Fair Street and the Grafton Centre west car park.

Police are still trying to find another man who was involved in the "altercation". 

The 26-year-old woman has been released on bail until December.

Sam Edwards
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

A man has appeared at Huntingdon Magistrates' Court this morning charged with the murder of a mother-of-two. 

Muhammed Malik, 36, from Perne Road in Cambridge, did not enter a plea. 

He's set to appear at Cambridge Crown Court tomorrow. 

Asia Tufail, 32, died on Wednesday morning from asphyxia after being taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital on Tuesday. 

Tom Horn
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

A minor explosion at a gas pumping station in Brewerne, in Orton Melborne, Peterborough, last night has closed a road. 

Police have confirmed it happened last night, but were only called at 07:48 this morning. They've closed the road as a precaution and are waiting for National Grid to arrive. 

Emma Baugh
BBC Look East

Image source, Andy Parrett/Geograph

A meeting is taking place this morning that could see plans to merge Hinchingbrooke Hospital with Peterborough City Hospitals, rubbed stamped. 

The hospital boards are set to discuss the merger at 11:00 - it's hoped the deal will save £9m in back office costs. 

The private medical firm Circle took operational control of Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust in 2012 but it was handed back to the NHS in April 2015.   

Johnny Dee
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

Poor Father Christmas could have fewer letter from residents in Cottenham this year, after their postbox was sealed up.  

It's been out of action for about seven weeks after the key broke. 

Roger Bridge, from the village, says it's really "inconvenient" as it's a half-a-mile walk to the next box and elderly people can't get there easily. 

Royal Mail has apologised for the "inconvenience caused" and say a new part has been ordered and "plans are in place to fit the new lock and ensure the postbox is open as soon as possible."

Hang in there Santa, we're sure you'll get some festive mail from the village eventually.

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

The news that £1m has been awarded to the Cambridgeshire-based air ambulance service Magpas, external has been met with "delight".

Darly Brown, the chief executive of the charity, says the money, awarded from Chancellor Phillip Hammond in his Autumn Statement, came from banking fines from the London inter-bank lending rate (LIBOR) scandal. 

LIBOR is considered to be one of the most important interest rates in finance, upon which trillions of financial contracts rest.

Image source, Magpas

The windfall will go towards helping the charity to find a new base as they have to leave their current home at RAF Wyton, external by 2018. 

Mr Brown said that although Magpas have yet to find a new site, they have several preferences and want it to stay in Cambridgeshire.

BBC Travel

There's currently slow traffic on the A1139, Frank Perkins Parkway southbound in Peterborough, between Eye roundabout and Boongate, because of an earlier accident. 

The road had been closed, but all lanes have now re-opened. There are still severe delays. 

Sam Edwards
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

A man from Cambridge is due to appear in court today, charged with the murder of a mother-of-two. 

Muhammad Malik, 36, from Perne Road, was arrested on Tuesday after police were called to the scene. 

Asia Tufail, 32, died on Wednesday morning after being taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital. 

Image source, Google

A post-mortem examination found Ms Tufail died of asphyxia at the hands of a third party.  

Mr Malik is due to appear at Huntingdon Magistrates' Court later.

Elizabeth Rizzini
BBC Look East weather

After a cloudy but generally dry start to the day, it will slowly brighten up with some sunny intervals developing by the afternoon. 

It'll be a breezy day, with the north-easterly winds strong at times, especially over higher ground.  

Maximum temperature: 10C (50F). Watch my full regional forecast:

For a more detailed forecast where you are, visit BBC Weather.