Summary

  • Updates for Friday, 18 August 2017

  • Plans revealed for third river crossing

  • Rail disruption continues

  • Third win in a row for Ipswich Witches

  1. 'PM has been a beneficiary of carers from abroad'published at 19:04 British Summer Time 21 May 2020

    Health Secretary Matt Hancock is asked if PM changed his mind on NHS fees for health staff from abroad.

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  2. Deal agreed for antibody virus tests on NHSpublished at 16:01 British Summer Time 21 May 2020

    NHS staff will be prioritised for the blood tests, which check if someone has already had the coronavirus.

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  3. EFL to keep promotion and relegationpublished at 15:04 British Summer Time 21 May 2020

    Promotion and relegation will remain in the English Football League if seasons are ended amid the coronavirus crisis.

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  4. Coastguard warns of cliff dangerpublished at 11:40 British Summer Time 21 May 2020

    People are being urged to stay off cliffs where tonnes of sand are falling every day.

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  5. National Trust parks opening - but parking reservations requiredpublished at 08:15 British Summer Time 21 May 2020

    The National Trust is opening several of its coast and countryside parks in the East of England this Bank Holiday weekend, but visitors must book a car parking space first.

    Wicken FenImage source, Geograph/Christine Johnstone

    Some venues, including Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire, have already reached capacity.

    On its website, external, the trust said: "For some of our larger car parks, we’ve introduced a booking system to help manage visitor numbers and maintain safe social distancing."

    Other venues opening include Blickling Hall and Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk as well as Dunwich Heath and Beach in Suffolk.

    Smaller, local car parks not require booking.

  6. Concerns over Suffolk beach visitorspublished at 17:44 British Summer Time 20 May 2020

    A woman has said a stretch of Suffolk beach needs to have more police patrols after an influx of visitors following the loosening of lockdown measures.

    Cars parked at Sizewell

    Tracey Cross, who lives close to Sizewell beach, said she spotted people not maintaining social distancing and lots of campervans and cars parked up.

    "We do have the police down there once in a while - it doesn’t hurt them to know it’s going to be a busy weekend to be patrolling it a lot more," she said.

    However, visitors who spoke to the BBC said the vast majority of people appeared to be observing social distancing guidelines, following the re-opening of a cafe and toilets.

  7. Speaker asks Hancock if he 'wants to leave' PMQspublished at 13:11 British Summer Time 20 May 2020

    Sir Lindsay Hoyle warns the health secretary for addressing the Labour leader during PMQs.

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  8. EFL proposes League One & Two salary cappublished at 11:18 British Summer Time 20 May 2020

    League One and Two clubs could be placed under salary cap restrictions by new English Football League proposals.

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  9. League One clubs resume season debatepublished at 10:12 British Summer Time 20 May 2020

    Portsmouth say the difference in size between League One clubs makes it difficult to agree whether to continue or end their season.

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  10. Care homes should have been prioritised, MPs toldpublished at 21:27 British Summer Time 19 May 2020

    A care home boss in England strongly criticises the government's handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

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  11. Ministers will strengthen 'protective ring' for care homespublished at 14:01 British Summer Time 19 May 2020

    The heath secretary outlines the coronavirus testing for staff and residents in care homes.

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  12. Coffey urges unemployed to pick fruit and vegpublished at 09:32 British Summer Time 19 May 2020

    MP Therese Coffey said people who have lost their jobs in the coronavirus crisis could find roles in the agricultural sector this summer.

    Fruit pickerImage source, PA Media

    The number of people claiming unemployment benefit in the UK soared last month, the first full month of the coronavirus lockdown.

    The Suffolk Coastal MP and Work and Pensions Secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think we should be prepared for the unemployment rate to increase significantly."

    But, after insisting "there are a substantial number of vacancies already", she was pressed on where the vacant roles are.

    "There's an aspect of retail," she said. "There are quite a lot of vacancies or employment wanted in our agricultural sector to help in our near future.

    "Those very much need to be filled as well."

  13. Suffolk MP defends accusations government too slow over testingpublished at 08:50 British Summer Time 19 May 2020

    The Suffolk Coastal MP and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has been defending the government's policy on introducing testing for Covid-19.

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    Therese Coffey said anyone more than five years old who was showing symptoms could now get tested for the virus.

    The government has made increased testing one of its five goals that must be met in order to leave lockdown. Its target is to test 200,000 people a day by the end of the month.

  14. Five and overs in UK now eligible for virus testpublished at 22:31 British Summer Time 18 May 2020

    Coronavirus testing has been extended to everyone aged five and over in the UK with symptoms.

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  15. Primary school says it will not reopen on 1 Junepublished at 17:13 British Summer Time 18 May 2020

    Pete Cooper
    BBC News

    A head teacher has told parents that he will not be opening his school to Foundation, Year One and Year Six pupils on 1 June.

    Currently Woodbridge Primary in Suffolk is open to key workers' children, and head Mark Krisson said that would continue in his letter to parents, external.

    Under government plans, children in Reception (Foundation), Year One and Year Six in England are being asked to return to school after the end-of-May half-term break.

    Children home learningImage source, Getty Images

    Yesterday, Michael Gove insisted England's schools were safe to reopen, but acknowledged that "you can never eliminate risk".

    Mr Gove told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show the key was to make schools safe with smaller classes and staggered arrivals.

    But Mr Krisson said he would only start a return to school once he had more information about four questions he set out in his letter including whether the school has "enough available staff" and if "children play a role in transmission to adults".

    He went on to say he was "not completely ruling out a return to school before the end of this term".

  16. Village 'swamped' with visitors to closed water parkpublished at 16:26 British Summer Time 18 May 2020

    Residents living close to an Anglian Water reservoir took to social media to complain after visitors' cars clogged up their streets at the weekend.

    Although the Grafham Water, external in Perry, in Cambridgeshire, is closed - alongside the company's others water parks across the region - people turned up "with enough gear for camping" and several were reportedly having barbecues.

    Cars parked near Grafham WaterImage source, Samantha Smith

    Park rangers moved some on, on Saturday, but one resident, who emailed Anglian Water's chief executive complaining the village was "overwhelmed" and "swamped", said the situation "got worse on Sunday".

    An Anglian Water spokeswoman said: "Our sites are currently closed to the public at this time. We know our leisure attractions are loved by many but protecting the health and safety of our colleagues and visitors is our top priority.

    "If you were hoping to visit Grafham, Pitsford [Northants], Rutland, Alton Water [Suffolk] or any of our smaller sites soon, please postpone as we will not be open and all tracks and car parks are closed."

  17. Hancock: Coronavirus tests for anyone with symptomspublished at 16:19 British Summer Time 18 May 2020

    The health secretary announces that the loss of taste and smell are now being treated as a potential coronavirus symptoms.

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  18. Q&A: Is testing in Wales following the science?published at 08:25 British Summer Time 18 May 2020

    Policy makers say coronavirus strategies are following the science - but what is the science?

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  19. 'Phenomenal' staff help brothers through viruspublished at 10:33 British Summer Time 17 May 2020

    Jacob, 14, and Isaac, 11, were admitted to hospital with coronavirus within 24 hours of one another.

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  20. Students use Instagram after fashion show cancellationpublished at 08:00 British Summer Time 17 May 2020

    Students from University Centre Colchester were due to stage a graduation fashion show this month.

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