The head of a swimming club said a city council's plan to build a 50-metre swimming pool was "vital" to support the athletes of the future.

Peterborough's Regional Pool has begun to be bulldozed after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was discovered in the building, which left City of Peterborough Swimming Club (Cops) without a home.

Ben Negus, from Cops, said plans to build a replacement facility "would mean Peterborough can do what it deserves [for] its swimming community".

Peterborough City Council said "plans for a new leisure centre continue to be explored" and it was "working to bring a business case forward to cabinet soon".

"We continue to seek investors interested in supporting a new pool development," the authority added.

Raac was discovered in September 2023 at the Bishop's Road site, which also had issues with asbestos and out-of-date mechanical installations.

The building's demolition will take until July, the authority said.

It was hoped that a replacement pool, which would be built at an estimated cost of £30m, would be open by 2028.

Previously, Mr Negus said the pool's closure had forced the club's athletes to find alternative locations to train.

Lily, 17, who has been part of the club since she was six, said training without a dedicated pool is "hard".

Bell Cameron, 18, who is part of Cops, said the sport has given her "life skills".

"It has even allowed me to go to university in the US. Marshall University in West Virginia reached out to me, I will be going this summer."

Mr Negus said a plan for an Olympic-sized 50-metre swimming pool was first floated about 18 years ago and he was "still waiting".

Andrew Pakes, the Labour MP for Peterborough, said he believed a new 50 metre pool could be built in the city within five years.

"The council has a plot of land in the city centre at the regional pool site. And it is important to keep it in the city centre," Pakes said.

"The council will be available to put some money into it, we can get some money from the regeneration funds from the mayor, some money from additional partners and we have a good chance to get this going."

He said the council now "needs to focus" on things that matter to the public.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted child abduction after a four-year-old child was approached in Birmingham.

West Midlands Police said the suspect, 64, was arrested shortly after the incident on Bristol Road South, in Longbridge, on Wednesday.

A woman and the child were approached by a man at about 11:30 BST.

Police previously said the man tried to grab the child by the arm, but have now confirmed there was no physical contact between the two.

A statement from the force said local officers responded quickly and CCTV footage in the area had been analysed.

It added: "Neither the woman or the child involved were hurt, and we are offering them our full support as the investigation progresses.

"We understand how distressing this is for the community, but at this stage we still believe this to be an isolated incident.

"Local officers are continuing to patrol the area for reassurance and we would urge anyone with concerns to speak to us."

More than £365,000 has been spent running traffic lights on a bridge damaged five years ago, the BBC can reveal.

The eye-watering bill was racked up by National Highways on Severalls Lane bridge, which runs over the A12 in northern Colchester, Essex.

The structure was closed five days after the UK went into lockdown in March 2020, having been struck by an excavator being transported below.

National Highways said repair work had not yet started, but £4m had been allocated to get the bridge reopened by autumn 2026.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by the BBC showed that since it was shut on 28 March 2020, £367,474 had been spent enforcing a lane closure on the bridge.

The data revealed reconstruction work would begin in "early 2026" and cost £3.7m, with a further £335,000 spent on design work.

John Coleman, who runs a butchery on the road, said it was a "disgusting" waste of money.

"Rush hour is terrible, you can have 30 or 40 cars outside here sometimes," he said.

"I just can't see why that bridge can't be open two ways, because there are still big lorries going across."

Mr Coleman said customers were often frustrated by queues that built up on the road, which links Colchester with the villages of Boxted and Great Horkesley.

"It works with the traffic lights until there's a problem, and then they send people miles out the way," he added.

Works have stalled over the years due to concern that any repairs will require a full closure of the A12.

However, it was later determined only the northbound carriageway needed to be shut.

David King, leader of Colchester City Council and the local ward councillor, said an "enormous investment" had been made "for not very much".

The Liberal Democrat said: "It's sad to say it's not just weeks or months, it's years of frustration.

"I've been promised a number of times that work will start, the design will start, that we'll get a date soon, but I see nothing – so I'm in the traffic queue for Highways advice."

Bridge beams suffered "severe damage" when they were struck by the excavator, which was being carried by a lorry on the A12, National Highways said.

Subsequent repairs could only be carried out by a specialist, and a lane closure was necessary for driver safety, a spokesman added.

He said: "We have now agreed on the preferred option for repairs and are progressing with the scheme design.

"[We] expect repairs to the beams to start in early 2026 and complete in autumn 2026, subject to funding and programming."