Explosion rocks French nuclear plant
Aurigny ice incident: 'The result of poor decision-making'
Car vandals could be 'fed up' with parking problems as '£10,000 worth of damage' reported
Jersey's environment minister wants to follow the UK in stopping plastic from beauty products ending up in the sea
Bailiff of Guernsey to stay on until 2020
Updates on Thursday 9 February 2017
Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online
X Factor auditions are taking place in Guernsey today - it's your chance to kick start a singing career on the ITV talent show.
Who knows, one day you could be like Louisa Johnson, who won in 2015, and is performing in Jersey this summer at the Big Gig in the Park.
Jersey Evening Post
Neighbours locked in parking disputes could be responsible for a spate of vandalism which has seen cars keyed and tyres slashed, external in an area of St Helier, the police say.
Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online
There are concerns major storm damage to Guernsey's sea walls may never be repaired.
A budget of £5m was put aside before the last election to fix damage caused in storms in early 2014, but a former deputy believes the works were only half completed.
Tony Spruce wants to know why these works were funded but not completed - and why a report setting out the way forward has not yet been published.
Three main areas of damage still remain - the broken sea wall at Fermain, the steps down to the Foghorn at St Martins Point, and the anti-tank wall at L'Ancresse.
The President of the Committee for the Environment and Infrastructure, Deputy Barry Brehaut, believes these sea walls were built during the German occupation as tank and not sea defences, and should now be subject to "managed decline".
Guernsey Press
An explosion has been reported at the Flamanville nuclear power station, external, with authorities saying there is no risk of a radioactive leak.
Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online
Local governments in the Channel Islands have been told there is no risk to the island following a fire and an explosion at the French nuclear power station at Flamanville.
French officials contacted the States of Jersey and Guernsey this morning to tell them about it but said there was no danger of any radioactive leaks.
The French electricity company EDF said the explosion happened at 08:40 in a room where seven staff members were working. Five of them had to be treated for the impact of breathing in smoke.
Image source, Getty ImagesFrench authorities say the companies emergency response team brought the fire under control quickly, and there were no injuries. They said the explosion happened away from any nuclear material, and there was no chance of a leak of radioactivity or risk to the environment.
EDF says the Unit 1 generator where the fire and blast took place was disconnected from the electricity grid soon after the event.
Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online
French and local authorities have been very clear that there is no nuclear risk resulting from this morning's fire and explosion at Flamanville's nuclear plant.
However, I'm sure there are plenty of people wondering exactly how far away it is - so here you go:
Image source, GoogleChris Quevatre
BBC News Online
The States of Guernsey are reassuring islanders that there are "no risks" associated with the Flamanville explosion this morning.
Kevin Murphy, the Emergency Planning Officer, said: "We received notification from Flamanville at 11.01 that there had been a small explosion and resultant fire.
"The explosion occurred in a machine room outside of the reactor zone.
"We must be clear that this was not a nuclear incident and I would like to reassure Bailiwick residents that the small fire has been extinguished, there are no injuries and no further risks associated with this incident.
"Flamanville’s emergency plan, which the Channel Islands are included in, was not triggered as there were no nuclear risks attached to this incident.
"The matter has been resolved and we remain in contact with our colleagues in France."
Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online
The States of Jersey were contacted by authorities in France this morning after the explosion at Flamanville nuclear plant.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: "The authorities at Flamanville contacted the States of Jersey Police this morning to inform them that there had been a small explosion and fire in a machine room at the plant.
"The Chief of Staff at the Préfecture de la Manche also contacted Jersey’s Bureau des Iles Anglo-Normandes and explained that the fire was in an area where no nuclear materials were present and had been extinguished.
"These calls were made out of courtesy despite the fact that the fire did not involve nuclear materials and the Flammanville emergency plan was not triggered.
"The Jersey authorities are in ongoing communication with the Préfecture and would like to reassure islanders that this will have no impact on Jersey and there is no cause for any concern."
Image source, AFP
Press Association
The utility provider that runs Flamanville nuclear plant have released a statement about the fire and subsequent fire in a reactor this morning.
EDF said: "At 09:40 (08:40 GMT) this morning, a fire resulting in a minor explosion broke out in the turbine hall on the non-nuclear part of unit one at the Flamanville nuclear power plant.
"The fire was immediately brought under control by the plant's response team.
"As per normal procedure, the fire brigade went to the affected location and confirmed that the fire had been extinguished.
"Unit one was disconnected from the grid. There were no casualties.
"There were no consequences for safety at the plant or for environmental safety."
The tweet from the French EDF Twitter feed has been translated as saying: "The fire outside the nuclear zone at Flamanville has been brought under control. Nobody injured and no impact on safety or the environment."
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Tim Finan
BBC Jersey, reporter in France
An explosion ripped through a machine room at the giant power station on the coast of France at Flamanville this morning, but didn't result in any leakage of radioactivity, French authorities reassured.
The blast occurred at about 08:40 GMT in a machine room and sent smoke into the air above one of the reactors at the site causing concern to local residents.
A statement from the Prefecture of the Manche department stressed that the explosion occurred in an area of the factory where no radioactive materials were present.
Firemen from Les Pieux and Cherbourg were quickly on the scene and were followed by ambulances and medics who treated the five workers for what was described as "intoxication" - understood to be from smoke inhalation.
Seven workers were in the machine room at the time.
Associated Press
The local government for the Manche region has told AP that the blast at the Flamanville plant on France's northwest coast has been contained and managed.
Operator EDF said that there were no injuries and that a fire led to a blast in the machine room of one of the two nuclear reactors at Flamanville.
EDF says that the fire was "immediately'' brought under control.
EDF said that the Number 1 reactor was disconnected from the grid.
The French utility company which operates the Flamanville nuclear plant has confirmed that a fire in Reactor 1 led to a blast at 08:40, Reuters reports.
The 1,300 MW reactor has been taken offline following the blast.
The explosion caused minor injuries but happened outside the nuclear zone and posed no risk of contamination, authorities said.
The nuclear safety authority ASN said it had no information and could not immediately comment.
The explosion at EDF's Flamanville plant on the French coast took place at about 10:00.
Emergency services are at the scene.
According to France Ouest , externalthere could be some people injured. The explosion is understood to have occurred outside of the nuclear zone at the plant.
BBC World Service
Reports from France say the explosion at the Flamanville nuclear power station occurred in the turbine hall, and is reported to have caused injuries.
The local authorities said there was no risk of a radioactive leak and the reactor area had not been compromised.
The nuclear emergency plan has not been activated.
The French state-owned utility company EDF is building what will be the world's largest nuclear reactor at Flamanville.
The European Pressurised Reactor is designed to use less fuel and produce a third of the waste of current reactors.
Image source, Getty ImagesAn explosion occurred at French utility EDF's Flamanville nuclear plant on Thursday in which there may have been some injuries but from which there was no nuclear risk, French newspaper Ouest France reported on its web site, citing local police.
Officials at EDF's Paris headquarters had no immediate comment and local officials at the plant in western France could not be immediately reached for comment.
There's been an explosion at EDF's Flamanville reactor on the French coast, Reuters reports.
Ben Chapple
BBC News Online
Aurigny's CEO says "safety is always of paramount importance" and "in all circumstances, remain our absolute priority", after concerns were raised following a serious incident aboard one of its planes in March.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch concluded ice contamination was the cause of problems and could have been avoided if the aircraft had been de-iced. A build-up of ice on the tail led to difficulties with pitch controls.
Quote MessageImmediately after the incident we took steps to enhance our winter awareness training. We are always looking at any further steps we can take in our ongoing commitment to safety across our network."
Mark Darby, Aurigny's Chief Executive Officer
Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online
Sir Richard Collas has been granted an extension of his role as the Bailiff of Guernsey past the official retirement age.
In 1999, the retirement age for the Bailiff of Guernsey was reduced from 70 to 65.
Sir Richard is currently 63 years old, and was therefore due to retire in 2018.
This extension from Her Majesty The Queen means the Bailiff will remain in post until he is 67.
The retirement age for the Bailiff of Jersey is 70.
Jersey Evening Post
A community campaigner has been appointed as the press officer for the External Relations Department., external
