Summary

  • Updates on Friday, 20 October 2017

  • Police get new powers to tackle Wisbech street drinking

  • Car fire on A14 causes commuter chaos

  • Abandoned Tesco to be turned into a Poundstretcher

  1. The ambulance service's unsung staffpublished at 17:52 British Summer Time 17 October 2017

    Suspension, bumps, cleaning and replacing kit - all in a day's work when maintaining NHS ambulances.

    Read More
  2. Children's Centres to close across Cambridgeshirepublished at 17:39 British Summer Time 17 October 2017

    Hannah Olsson
    BBC Radio Cambridgeshire political reporter

    Controversial cuts to Children's Centres across Cambridgeshire will go ahead, saving the county council £900,000 a year.

    There are currently 38 Children's Centres around the county supporting young families.

    Under the new plans there will be 10 Children's Centres across 15 sites, plus another 12 Child and Family Zones created in existing buildings such a libraries or community centres.

    More than 100 people turned up at Shire Hall today protest about the plans which were approved by the ruling Conservatives.

    Protesters outside Shire Hall

    It was a very passionate three-hour debate with councillors talking about what families from their area had told them.

    Oppositions councillors warned of parents having to make longer round-trips on public transport to baby clinics and claimed it would result in more children going into care.

    The ruling Conservatives accused them of scaremongering and said the proposals would actually mean a 7% increase to frontline services.

  3. Man guilty of beating partner to deathpublished at 17:36 British Summer Time 17 October 2017

    Kestutis Bauzys, 46, had denied beating Dzilva Butiene to death at the flat they shared.

    Read More
  4. Police name women who died after Ramsey ditch crashpublished at 15:44 British Summer Time 17 October 2017

    Sarah Jenkins
    BBC Local Live

    Two women who died when a car plunged into a water-filled ditch have been named by police.

    Ilze Dobele, 46, of New Road, Spalding, and Ingrida Dudeniene, 47, of Spring Gardens, Spalding, were both backseat passengers in a silver Mazda 6 when it crashed on Puddock Road, near Ramsey.

    Car being winched out of ditch

    Two men, who were in the front of the car, managed to get out and were taken to Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon with minor injuries.

    The driver has been charged with two counts of causing death by careless driving.

  5. Decision expected on closure of Cambridgeshire children's centrespublished at 11:38 British Summer Time 17 October 2017

    Sarah Jenkins
    BBC Local Live

    A decision will be made later today on closing some of Cambridgeshire's children's centres.

    There are currently 40 around the county providing drop-in play sessions, advice and workshops for parents, and access to midwives and health visitors.

    The Conservative-run county council wants to reduce this to 27 buildings offering services in the "right locations".

    This will see £100,000 re-invested in the service, reducing the proposed savings from £1m to £900,000.

    Children at a family centre

    Lucy Nethsingha, leader of the Liberal Democrat group at the council said: "I feel very strongly that this is a service which matters hugely to people.

    "If these services are not there, we will be stacking up problems for ourselves in the future.

    "Many families will cope, but there are some for whom children centres are the difference between coping and not coping."

    Conservative Simon Bywater, chairman of the council's children's committee, said: "We believe in these plans and we think they can improve Children's Centre Services, especially for those who really need them.

    "We have listened to local people as part of this consultation and this is why we are proposing to invest a further £100,000 in our outreach services so we have a flexible, targeted and responsive service."

    The proposals will be discussed at a full council meeting, external today. We'll bring you the latest as soon as we have it.

  6. New location for Ely registration officepublished at 10:51 British Summer Time 17 October 2017

    Sarah Jenkins
    BBC Local Live

    There's going to be a new venue to register births, deaths, marriages and British citizenship in Ely...

    County councillors on Cambridgeshire's Highways & Community Infrastructure Committee have agreed to relocate the Ely Registration Office.

    The office, currently in the Old School House on Market Street, will be moved to the new Cambridgeshire Archives Centre in Ely, which is due to open in 2019.

    Ely Registration OfficeImage source, Google
    Image caption,

    The current Registration Office on Market Street

    The move will increase the availability of public appointments with the registration service to five days a week.

    The current service on Market Street, external only offers appointments on three days.

  7. Red sun: Your pictures in the Eastpublished at 10:47 British Summer Time 17 October 2017

    The red-looking sun and hazy sky was caught on camera by photographers across the East of England.

    Read More
  8. House prices: What's the situation in Cambridgeshire?published at 09:02 British Summer Time 17 October 2017

    Sarah Jenkins
    BBC Local Live

    House prices are lower in real terms than they were 10 years ago in more than half of wards in England and Wales.

    That's according to exclusive research by the BBC data team and the Open Data Institute in Leeds, after analysis of more than eight million residential property transactions.

    CambridgeImage source, Thinkstock

    In the areas where values have continued to rise, relatively less wealthy people are finding it impossible to find an affordable home, particularly in London and the South.

    Average prices in Fletton and Woodston in Peterborough are down 28%, while Newnham in Cambridge has seen an average rise of 61%.

    According to figures sourced by the BBC, the average house in the Castle ward in Cambridge is £400,000.

  9. Tuesday's weather: Early sunshine, turning hazy laterpublished at 07:59 British Summer Time 17 October 2017

    Kate Kinsella
    BBC Weather

    After a blustery night it's still quite breezy, although gradually during the morning, winds will fall a bit lighter.

    We have a bright start with some sunshine but that will turn a bit hazier as we head into the afternoon.

    Top temperature: 16C (61F).

    Watch my full forecast here:

  10. 'We earn £50,000 but can't afford a house'published at 00:08 British Summer Time 17 October 2017

    Rental costs in Cambridge make it hard for people to buy their own homes, according to one couple.

    Read More
  11. Driverless bus 'pod' tests under waypublished at 21:32 British Summer Time 16 October 2017

    The buses could run between Trumpington Park and Ride and Cambridge Station after 20:00.

    Read More
  12. Overnight weather: Dry and feeling fresher than recent nightspublished at 18:00 British Summer Time 16 October 2017

    Julie Reinger
    BBC Look East weather

    The winds are expected to increase for a time this evening and overnight to a fresh to strong south-westerly, with gusts between 30-35mph.

    Later in the night the winds should ease and it should be dry everywhere with clear spells.

    It’ll feel fresher than recent nights with a low of 9C (48F).

    Overnight weather map

    Much of Tuesday should be fine and dry although cloud is eventually expected to thicken bringing rain to some southern parts by the end of the day.

    The winds will become light and variable and temperatures will reach around 17C (63F).

    Get a full forecast where you live from BBC Weather.

    We leave you with this picture of the red sky, taken at Whilton near Althorp House in Northamptonshire.

    Red sky over Whilton, NorthamptonshireImage source, Jamie Cooper
  13. Man in court over ditch crash deathspublished at 17:21 British Summer Time 16 October 2017

    A Mazda crashed into a water-filled ditch on Friday, killing the two passengers in the rear.

    Read More
  14. 'Hurtcore' paedophile's 100-plus offencespublished at 17:12 British Summer Time 16 October 2017

    The Cambridge graduate admitted dozens of offences, including encouraging the rape of a four-year-old.

    Read More
  15. Bike blessing rolls into Cambridgeshirepublished at 16:56 British Summer Time 16 October 2017

    What's thought to be the very first "bicycle blessing" took place in Cambridge yesterday.

    Bike blessingImage source, Lucinda Price/Camcycle

    Cyclists turned up for the service at Great St Mary's church, external, led by the Reverend Devin Mclachlan.

    Bike blessingImage source, Lucinda Price/Camcycle

    He says it's a "great way to be faithful stewards of the environment and to take care of our physical health".

    Bike blessingImage source, Lucinda Price/Camcycle

    Cyclists were asked to ring their bell instead of saying amen.

    You can watch it by clicking here, external.

  16. Lorry sheds load of paper on A14 slip roadpublished at 16:07 British Summer Time 16 October 2017

    Two giant rolls of paper have fallen off a lorry, causing traffic delays.

    It happened on the A14 by the Spittals interchange.

    The westbound exit slip road by junction 23 was closed, so the cargo could be picked up.

    Each roll weighs 1.5 tonnes, according to Highways England.

    Paper rolls fallen off lorryImage source, BCH Road Policing
  17. Red sun phenomenon 'caused by Hurricane Ophelia'published at 15:28 British Summer Time 16 October 2017

    An "unusual" reddish sky and red-looking sun have been reported across Cambridgeshire.

    The phenomenon has also been seen in the South West, West Midlands, North West and North East.

    The sun pictured from Ramsey Saint Mary'sImage source, alpaca lady
    Image caption,

    Ramsey Saint Mary's

    BBC weather presenter Simon King said it was due to the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia dragging in tropical air and dust from the Sahara.

    Sky over PeterboroughImage source, kev's place
    Image caption,

    Peterborough

    The dust has caused shorter wavelength blue light to be scattered, making it appear red.

    BassingbournImage source, Ed
    Image caption,

    Bassingbourn

  18. Shot peregrine falcon 'recovering slowly'published at 12:27 British Summer Time 16 October 2017

    Caroline Kingdon
    BBC Local Live

    A peregrine falcon, which had been wounded by pellets from an air rifle, is showing some signs of improvement.

    The juvenile male is being cared for at the Raptor Foundation at Woodhurst, near St Ives, after it was found lying on the ground by a member of the public on the outskirts of Cambridge.

    An x-ray revealed the remains of air pellets in both wings, and initially it was unable to fly.

    An X ray of the wounded peregrine falconImage source, Chine House Vets
    Image caption,

    The bell-shaped white dot close to the falcon's left shoulder is an air pellet

    Hospital manager Simon Dudhill says the young bird is slowly recovering, but still not extending its wings as fully as it should.

    "It has difficulty getting off the ground, but it can fly the length of the aviary," he said.

    "It's a very long aviary... but it has to got be able to fly a lot, lot more than this before it can be released."

  19. Strictly: The skies the limit for Astonpublished at 12:05 British Summer Time 16 October 2017

    Alex Pope
    BBC Local Live

    Jonnie Peacock wasn't the only star from Cambridgeshire to make it through to Week Five of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing show.

    Peterborough's Aston Merrygold scored 31 points for his quickstep, dancing with Janette to ELO's Mr Blue Sky, and the public vote meant there was no dance-off for him.

    Media caption,

    Aston & Janette Quickstep to 'Mr Blue Sky' by ELO.

    You can clearly see the relief on his face:

    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    End of twitter post
  20. Strictly Come Dancing: Go, Jonnie, Gopublished at 11:38 British Summer Time 16 October 2017

    Alex Pope
    BBC Local Live

    Jonnie Peacock's week-on-week improvement culminated in his first score over 30 in the BBC's dance show!

    It meant the Doddington Paralympian was safe on Saturday night's Strictly Come Dancing and will be back for Week Five.

    In the audience this week was Addenbrooke's Hospital's Per Hall, who was the surgeon who saved Jonnie's life when he had meningitis when he was five years old and, to quote Jonnie, "stole his leg".

    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    End of twitter post