Summary

  • Updates from Friday 9 September

  1. Nearly third of staff with Covid-19 at farm 'from Romania'published at 13:45 British Summer Time 17 July 2020

    BBC Hereford and Worcester

    At least 28 of the workers who have tested positive for coronavirus on a farm which went into lockdown are from Romania, the country's foreign ministry has confirmed.

    A police officer wearing a face mask at Rook Row FarmImage source, PA Media

    Vegetable producers A S Green and Co in Herefordshire ordered crop-pickers to self-isolate after 74 initially tested positive which then rose to 93.

    Romania's Foreign Ministry said, external its nationals were asymptomatic, in good health, and were being monitored daily by Public Health England officials.

    The Romanian Embassy in London said it was ready to provide consular assistance.

  2. Theft of boy's honesty shop inspires hospice fundraiserpublished at 11:24 British Summer Time 17 July 2020

    A five-year-old boy who was helping run an honesty shop and had thieves steal his supplies and money has raised more than £4,500 for a children's hospice.

    Harry with his honesty stallImage source, Clare family

    Harry Clare sells eggs, goats milk and soap among other items at Rosebud Meadow glamping site in Malvern, Worcestershire.

    The family noticed on Tuesday morning money and supplies had been stolen.

    After receiving hundreds of messages of support, his mother Rosie Clare, external set up a fundraising page for Acorns Children's Hospice with a target of £6,000 as her son said he wanted "to make other children happy again too".

    She added the family had been "truly overwhelmed" by the love they'd had since the theft.

  3. Man seriously hurt after car ends up on roofpublished at 10:47 British Summer Time 17 July 2020

    A man's suffered serious injuries after his car came off a road and ended up on its roof in a field.

    The crash happened just after midnight near High Street, Leintwardine, Herefordshire, the ambulance service said. , external

    The car had suffered "significant damage", it said, and fire crews cut the man free before he was taken to hospital.

  4. Murder arrest after man stabbed in housepublished at 14:45 British Summer Time 16 July 2020

    Armed police detain a suspect on Thursday as investigations continue at the home in Redditch.

    Read More
  5. Cases at virus hit-farm rise to 93published at 20:18 British Summer Time 15 July 2020

    Health officials are attempting to trace dozens of farm workers who came to the UK together.

    Read More
  6. Gull population in city 'risen by almost 150%'published at 18:28 British Summer Time 15 July 2020

    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    The number of gulls in Worcester has risen by almost 150% in the past 14 years, a report has estimated.

    Independent specialist Peter Rock has told the city council they have gone up from 227 pairs in 2003 to 1,072 pairs in April this year, meaning it now qualifies as a "large colony".

    SeagullImage source, Getty Images

    The study also revealed 85% of the population is black-backed gulls and the remaining 15% are herring gulls.

    Both are protected species, limiting the methods that can be use to reduce the population.

    The report said netting, spikes and plastic birds of prey had been ineffectual, but Natural England only grants licences to remove eggs or destroy nests where there is enough evidence of harm to public health or safety.

  7. Section of motorway closed after crashpublished at 18:00 British Summer Time 15 July 2020

    BBC News Travel

    The M5 in Worcestershire, heading south from junction seven, is going to remain closed after a crash which caused damage to the road surface.

    Highways England said there had been no serious injuries and it was working to release trapped traffic.

    CrashImage source, Highways England
  8. Bingo chain to close halls and cut jobspublished at 17:47 British Summer Time 15 July 2020

    Buzz Bingo says the coronavirus pandemic has had "an immediate and significant impact" on business.

    Read More
  9. New honesty shop for Harrypublished at 17:33 British Summer Time 15 July 2020

    BBC Midlands Today

    A five-year-old boy who had his honesty shop raided by thieves has opened up a new shop - and his mum says the response from all over the world has been "overwhelming".

    Rosie Clare said Harry was "absolutely devastated" when he found around £40, along with eggs, goats milk and soap had been taken from the box at the Rosebud Meadow glamping site in Malvern.

    Harry Clare

    Harry wants to be a shopkeeper and had been using the money to buy Peter Rabbit and Paw Patrol magazines.

    Rosie said it had been "heartbreaking for me, not only to think that someone had done that to him, but also to try and explain that to him when he was really upset why someone would do it to him."

  10. Hill appointed Worcester captain aged 21published at 17:05 British Summer Time 15 July 2020

    Ted Hill is named Worcester's club captain aged 21 - their youngest skipper in 16 years of Premiership rugby.

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  11. Farm workers who escaped lockdown are locatedpublished at 16:49 British Summer Time 15 July 2020

    Three farm workers, one of them with coronavirus, who left a Herefordshire farm despite being told to remain on the site have been found.

    Up to 200 workers were told to self-isolate and the A S Green and Co farm was locked down after 73 people tested positive for Covid-19.

    Farm

    Herefordshire Council said: "All three of these individuals have been reached through the agency that secured their employment and all have confirmed they are self-isolating."

  12. Buzz Bingo reveals closure plans for bingo hallspublished at 13:51 British Summer Time 15 July 2020

    A bingo firm's going to permanently shut 26 of its halls putting 537 jobs at risk.

    Buzz Bingo in Stockland GreenImage source, Google

    The move by Buzz Bingo will see six sites in the West Midlands close as part of a restructuring deal.

    The six are:

    • Hereford
    • Stockland Green, Birmingham
    • Tamworth
    • Wednesbury
    • Wolverhampton
    • Worcester

    Buzz Bingo said 91 of its clubs would keep trading under plans to start reopening them from 6 August.

    The plan still has to be approved by creditors at a meeting on 3 August.

  13. Heritage railway gets £250k from lottery coronavirus fundpublished at 11:27 British Summer Time 15 July 2020

    Severn Valley Railway is being given £250,000 by the National Lottery, to help it cope with the loss of income during the coronavirus lockdown.

    The heritage railway is due to reopen on 1 August, but estimates it will make a loss of up to £6m this year.

    Hampton LoadeImage source, John Bray

    The railway has also raised £750,000 through an appeal and said the lottery money would be used to pay its staff.

  14. Aerial photos could hold human remains cluespublished at 10:27 British Summer Time 15 July 2020

    Aerial photographs of the Worcestershire village of Kempsey, could help an investigation into the discovery of human remains there.

    It has been 12 months since maintenance workers found the bones of a woman in a septic tank at a property in Bestman's Lane and West Mercia Police wants to compare how the site looked now and in the past.

    Bestmans laneImage source, Google

    The force has previously said remains were "likely" to be those of Brenda Venables who went missing from her home in Kempsey in 1982.

  15. Recycling bosses charged over worker's deathpublished at 09:51 British Summer Time 15 July 2020

    Stuart Towns sustained fatal head injuries after an accident at Alutrade Limited in Oldbury in 2017.

    Read More
  16. Lamb rescued from drainage pipepublished at 09:34 British Summer Time 15 July 2020

    A lamb's been rescued after getting stuck in a drain.

    The animal was struggling to get out of the drainage pipe in Belmont, near Hereford, yesterday afternoon, the fire service said., external

    Lamb in pipeImage source, Hereford and Worcester Fire Service
    Lamb out of pipeImage source, Hereford and Worcester Fire Service
  17. Thieves take five-year-old's honesty shop fundspublished at 22:11 British Summer Time 14 July 2020

    Eggs, goats milk and soap are also taken from Harry Clare's honesty shop.

    Read More
  18. Motorway improvement work to start next weekpublished at 16:46 British Summer Time 14 July 2020

    Improvement works at junction one of the M42 in Bromsgrove are due to begin next week.

    The A38 northbound exit and southbound approach to the roundabout will be widened and a new service road for properties facing the A38 southbound will be built.

    Junction OneImage source, Google

    Worcestershire County Council said the changes will improve traffic flow in an extremely busy part of town.

  19. £5m defence scheme for flood hit townpublished at 13:50 British Summer Time 14 July 2020

    Allen Cook
    BBC News

    New flood defences for Tenbury Wells have been announced after the market town suffered extensive flooding in February.

    Tenbury WellsImage source, Malvern Hills District Council

    Yvonne Booth, 55, died after being swept into floodwater after her car became stuck.

    About 130 homes were evacuated.

    The cash, up to £4.9m, will go on a combination of flood walls and embankments to protect Tenbury Wells from the River Teme and the Kyre Brook.

    The government has also unveiled a new approach to combating floods in England, backing natural solutions.