Summary

  • Updates on Friday, 2 June 2017

  • Black-winged stilt chicks 'eaten'

  • 8,000 cyclists expected on Tour of Cambridgeshire this weekend

  • Hills road gearing up for roadworks

  • Bernie Sanders talks at Cambridge Union

  • Increased police numbers at Strawberry Fair

  • Internet speeds increased across Cambs and Newmarket

  1. Peterborough family's £40k appeal for five-year-old Faithpublished at 13:26 British Summer Time 1 June 2017

    John Devine
    BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

    I met the McLennan family this morning, whose little daughter Faith (below left) is living in constant pain.

    The five-year-old has cerebral palsy - a lifelong condition affecting movement and co-ordination caused by a problem with the brain during or soon after birth.

    Faith, Caroline, Lee and Faith's little sister

    She is only able to walk with a frame and her parents Caroline and Lee (above) are hoping to raise £40,000 to give her a non-NHS treatment called selective dorsal rhizotomy, external, which can be very effective at reducing stiffness and spasticity.

    Caroline says the operation and post-op physio could remove Faith's pain "and be life-changing for us as a family".

  2. Driverless pods: An out-of-hours solution for Addenbrooke's workers?published at 12:15 British Summer Time 1 June 2017

    Sara Varey
    BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

    The £250,000 feasibility study into bringing an autonomous transport system to south Cambridgeshire is also looking at linking the Trumpington Park and Ride (below) with the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

    It would be an out-of-hours shuttle service for shift workers, including those working at Addenbrooke's Hospital where parking is expensive and in demand.

    The pods could travel along the already existing fixed path between the park and ride and the campus.

    A consortium including the Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridgeshire County Council and RDM group successfully received money from the government-funded Innovate UK to see if there is a business case for the driverless shuttle pod system.

    Trumpington Park and RideImage source, Richard Vince/Geograph
  3. Driverless pods: A south Cambridgeshire transport solution?published at 12:09 British Summer Time 1 June 2017

    Sara Varey
    BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

    More now on the proposal to bring driverless electric pods to south Cambridgeshire.

    The idea is being explored in a £250,000 feasibility study and if it goes ahead would link the Wellcome Genome Campus Sanger Institute in Hinxton to Whittlesford's railway station (below) nearly three miles away.

    Whittlesford Parkway railway stationImage source, Robert Struthers/Geograph

    Dr Richard Fairchild, RDM's director of connected and autonomous mobility programmes, is leading the study.

    He says the pod looks a bit like "Cinderella's carriage" - about the size of a standard car but with two seats facing forward and two seats facing backward.

  4. Four teens due in court after memorial garden for seven-year-old girl was vandalisedpublished at 12:04 British Summer Time 1 June 2017

    Four teenagers are to appear in court after a memorial garden was damaged at a Norwich school last month.

    The garden, at Valley Primary Academy, was planted in memory of Summer Grant.

    The seven-year-old girl was killed in March 2016 when a bouncy castle was blown away in high winds at a funfair in Harlow, Essex.

    Four suspects, aged 16-18, have been reported to court for criminal damage. The date for their appearance has not been fixed yet.

    Summer's father described whoever was responsible as being the "scum of the Earth".

    Summer GrantImage source, Family photo

    Two people, from Cambridgeshire, were arrested by Essex Police last year on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence and they're due to answer police bail later this month.

  5. Driverless pods: Tomorrow's World today?published at 11:49 British Summer Time 1 June 2017

    Sara Varey
    BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

    It does sound a bit Tomorrow's World - driverless electric pods as a transport solution to tackle some of Cambridge's congestion.

    A £250,000 study is under way to explore the idea of an automated shuttle service between Whittlesford railway station - just south of Cambridge - and the Wellcome Genome Campus Sanger Institute, external, nearly three miles away in Hinxton (below left).

    Looking towards the Sanger Institute (left)Image source, John Sutton/Geograph

    The government-funded study could offer some of the institute's 2,600 workers - and many visitors - an alternative to the car.

    If it goes ahead, the £5m scheme would require an off-road pathway to be built.

    The study will also examine whether such a driverless shuttle system could provide an out-of-hours link between the Trumpington Park and Ride and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

  6. Grafton Centre £18.5m refurbishment 'desperately needed'published at 10:15 British Summer Time 1 June 2017

    David Webster
    BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

    Shoppers have told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire they're looking forward to the completion of refurbishment work on the Grafton Centre in Cambridge.

    Shops have remained open, but sometimes the sound of sledge-hammers within the 1980s complex is so deafening you have to shout to be heard.

    Centre manager John O'Shea says the work is "desperately needed" - and on 21 June the first stage of the £18.5m work will be completed, when the new frontage opens.

    Grafton Centre, Cambridge
  7. Here's what the local papers are reporting this morning...published at 08:51 British Summer Time 1 June 2017

    The Peterborough Telegraph is leading on a father's thanks to the strangers who helped his eight-year-old son when he stopped breathing, external.

    Parents in St Neots are "disappointed and frustrated" to learn their children are not being offered a place, external at a popular primary school, according to the Cambridge News.

    The Ely Standard leads on the court appearance of a 64-year-old man accused of causing the death of a Soham woman, external due to dangerous driving.

    And the Wisbech Standard is focusing on the conviction of a man, external for sexual abuse.

  8. BBC election debate: Rivals attack Theresa May over absencepublished at 08:30 British Summer Time 1 June 2017

    Hannah Olsson
    BBC Radio Cambridgeshire political reporter

    It was a lively one - passionate, raucous and with seven people talking over each other at times.

    Taking part were the Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas, Conservative Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, UKIP's leader Paul Nuttall, Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood, Scottish National Party deputy leader Angus Robertson - and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was a last-minute substitute.

    Theresa May

    Theresa May wasn't there and she faced the most sustained attack as a result - accused of lacking "guts" and of "running away from the debate" during the 90-minute BBC TV event, from Cambridge University's Senate House.

    You can read more here.

  9. Weather: Dry, warm and sunnypublished at 08:08 British Summer Time 1 June 2017

    Elizabeth Rizzini
    BBC Look East weather

    Any early morning mist patches will soon clear, to bring a dry, bright and sunny day with light winds.

    Feeling slightly cooler towards the coast, but inland we can expect temperatures to reach 23C (73F).

    Media caption,

    Elizabeth Rizzini has the outlook for the East of England on Thursday, 1 June 2017.

  10. Welcome backpublished at 08:03 British Summer Time 1 June 2017

    Katy Prickett
    BBC News

    Good morning and welcome back to live updates for Cambridgeshire on the first day of June.

    We'll be with you until 18:00 keeping you up-to-date with the latest news, sport, weather and travel as it happens around the county.

    Coming up today - could a solution to Cambridgeshire's traffic problems be driverless pods? We'll be hearing about a proposal to offer just that between Whittlesford Station and the Wellcome Genome Campus in Hinxton.

    EvertonImage source, BBC Weather Watchers/Pauline's view

    First up, a full weather forecast for the day.

    You can get in touch by email, Twitter , externaland Facebook, external.

  11. Police in tiger death probe U-turnpublished at 20:56 British Summer Time 31 May 2017

    Rosa KingImage source, Hamerton Zoo

    Police have confirmed they are now investigating the death of a zookeeper killed by a tiger.

    Rosa King, 34, died at Hamerton Zoo Park in Cambridgeshire at about 11:15 BST on Monday.

    She is understood to be from Chippenham in Wiltshire

    Police attended the scene, but on Tuesday morning said Ms King's death was "non suspicious" and they were not investigating.

    They have now said while the "circumstances" are not suspicious, her death is still "unexplained".

    A joint investigation by police and Huntingdonshire District Council - which is responsible for licensing the zoo - is under way

    Click here to read more.

  12. Cambridge sign midfielder Osabedepublished at 18:24 British Summer Time 31 May 2017

    Cambridge United sign midfielder Emmanuel Osabede on a two-year deal following his release by Gillingham.

    Read More
  13. Our live coverage across the daypublished at 18:01 British Summer Time 31 May 2017

    That's it for our live updates today, we'll be back with regular updates from 08:00 tomorrow.

    Scroll back through today's feed for anything you may have missed. Any breaking news stories will be published here overnight.

    Have a great evening.

  14. Video: Timelapse shows BBC One election debate buildpublished at 17:51 British Summer Time 31 May 2017

    Final preparations are under way in Cambridge for tonight's 7-way TV debate.

    You can watch all the action from 19:30 on BBC One.

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  15. Overnight weather: Mainly dry as showers die awaypublished at 17:35 British Summer Time 31 May 2017

    Alex Dolan
    BBC Look East weather

    A mainly dry evening with the chance of a few light showers across the southern part of the region.

    Isolated showers will die away, leaving clear skies overnight with some mist patches developing.

    Lows of 11C (52F).

    Thursday's weather map

    Thursday will stay dry with sunny spells, feeling warm with a top temperature of 23C (73F) inland, but fresher on the coast.

    Get the full forecast where you live from BBC Weather.

  16. Hamerton Zoo report highlighted concerns about 'escape protocol'published at 17:26 British Summer Time 31 May 2017

    An inspection report into Hamerton Park Zoo, where a keeper was killed by a tiger on Monday, highlighted the concerns about "escape protocol" and damaged fencing.

    The report, detailed in The Telegraph and seen by the BBC, dated January 2013, mentioned the need to "review, repair and replace [an] ageing/damaged perimeter fence where the structural integrity of the fence is compromised" and said "the escape protocol should be amended to to categorise animals of varying sizes".

    "Reliance on mobile phones... in an emergency" was also highlighted and the zoo advised to implement a system whereby all staff could be "contacted simultaneously".

    A Huntingdon District Council spokeswoman said she "cannot confirm whether this is the latest inspection report, nor... whether the findings within that report have been complied with" as the officers dealing with the case were unavailable.

    The BBC has asked Hammerton Park Zoo to comment on the inspection and whether the concerns had been addressed.

    Chris Draper, associate director for animal welfare at the Born Free Foundation, said of the report's findings: "While there are some concerns, it is impossible to say whether there is anything here that directly relates to what happened on Monday."

  17. Hundred-million-year-old bones sent to Marchpublished at 16:57 British Summer Time 31 May 2017

    Sue Marchant
    BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

    I've taken a step back in time with a visit to Fossils Galore in March where dinosaur bones, believed to be 132 million years old, have been received after they were found in a Surrey quarry.

    The bones were found about 230ft (70m) below the ground - some 10ft (3m) deeper than previously found.

    Dinosaur bones
    Dinosaur bones

    Jamie Jordan, from the venue, says that it's thought the bones "could well be the predecessor to all Iguanodons" due to the depth at which they were discovered.

    "It was of the time before the Iguanodons ever came about... it would've been carnivorous and one of the main dinosaurs for the UK."

    A special laboratory, a bit like a fishbowl, has been specially created so the public can watch volunteers prepare the bones.

    Ninety percent of the dinosaur skeleton, which when alive would have measured 10m (33ft) in length and weighed around four to five tonnes, has been recovered. Work on the remains is due to take four years.

    Sarah Moore and Jamie Jordan with fossil
  18. Police in tiger death probe U-turnpublished at 16:25 British Summer Time 31 May 2017

    Keeper Rosa King died at the zoo in Cambridgeshire on Monday when a tiger entered an enclosure.

    Read More
  19. Newton-John cancels Cambridge gigpublished at 16:04 British Summer Time 31 May 2017

    Adam Jinkerson
    BBC Local Live

    Olivia Newton-John has cancelled her performance at the Cambridge Folk Festival in July, after being diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time.

    Olivia Newton-JohnImage source, Getty Images

    Organisers say they wish her 'a full and speedy recovery and look forward to welcoming her to a Festival' in future.

    Statement on Folk Festival websiteImage source, cambridgelivetrust.co.uk

    The singer, who first had breast cancer 25 years ago, says she intends to be back on stage later this year.

    The festival has also announced it will stepping up security for this years event.

  20. Drivers stuck 'for up to three hours' in queuespublished at 15:35 British Summer Time 31 May 2017

    Adam Jinkerson
    BBC Local Live

    The A14 and M11 remain closed, hours after a crash between two lorries.

    They collided on the A14 westbound near Fenstanton at around 11:30.

    Authorities have since also closed the M11 northbound at Madingley to prevent vehicles joining the back of the congestion.

    Cambridgeshire Police say there are not believed to be any injuries, but drivers have reported being stuck in stationary queues for up to three hours.

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