Hampshire & Isle of Wight weekly round-up: 27 April - 3 May 2024

Cunard's Queen Anne arrived at its home port on Tuesday

A story about the arrival in Southampton of Cunard's first new cruise ship for 14 years was among our most read this week in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight.

A variety of local issues featured on the BBC News website, BBC Radio Solent and South Today.

We have picked five stories to keep you up to date.

Thumb-bite Deliveroo rider worked after guilty plea

Jenniffer Rocha was filmed picking up a delivery despite her conviction for biting off a customer's thumb

A delivery rider who bit off a customer's thumb continued working for Deliveroo, even after the account she was using at the time was suspended.

Jenniffer Rocha, 35, from Aldershot, Hampshire, previously pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm after an argument over a pizza in December 2022.

Following her court appearance, Deliveroo cancelled her account.

But BBC News filmed Rocha in April still delivering food, again apparently using a Deliveroo rider account.

Cathedral's new peregrine eats remaining eggs

Mel arrived at the cathedral in March

A peregrine falcon nesting at Winchester Cathedral has ended hopes of raising chicks by eating her two eggs.

Mel, who took over as the cathedral's resident female falcon in March, bred with the male bird William.

Her eggs were pushed out of the nesting tray early on Monday, with a decision made to put them back in the hope she would continue to incubate.

Keith Betton, of the Hampshire Ornithological Society, said it seemed she thought they were "not viable".

New Cunard cruise ship arrives in home port

Tug boats welcomed Queen Anne as it sailed into Southampton

Crowds in Southampton watched the arrival of Cunard's newest cruise ship on Tuesday.

Queen Anne sailed into its home port from the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice.

The vessel is the company's first new cruise ship in 14 years.

The ship's maiden voyage, with 3,000 passengers, sold out in just a few minutes, Cunard said.

Flooding leaves couple homeless for 18 months

Michael and Christine Cooper blamed highway drainage and river silt for the problems

A retired couple have been living in a caravan and hotels for 18 months after repeated flooding of their bungalow.

Michael and Christine Cooper, from Brading, Isle of Wight, blamed highway drainage and a build-up of river silt for the problems since September 2022.

The Environment Agency said the island had experienced its "heaviest rainfall in decades due to climate change".

Island Roads said the site was in a low-lying area that was vulnerable to flooding from the Eastern Yar river.

Call for more diversity among train drivers

Donna Pryce is an apprentice driver for Southern Railway

The average train driver is 46 years old, male and white, according to new data compiled by an industry body.

The National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) figures show that only one in 10 drivers are non-white, with even fewer being women.

The rail industry has long recognised itself as being one of the least diverse employment sectors.

Southern Railway said it was trying to enable a wider range of people to apply for jobs.

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