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Bus safety laws could have saved my daughter's life, says mum

by Andrew January 14, 2025
written by Andrew

A mother whose 11-year-old daughter died when exiting her school bus has called for better road safety in Northern Ireland.

Caitlin-Rose McMullan died after being hit by a car in Castledawson, County Londonderry, in March.

Stella McMullan said her daughter may not have lost her life if there had been "bus safety in place".

It comes as plans are in place to bring forward legislation to prohibit drivers overtaking school buses which have stopped to drop off or pick up their passengers.

Ms McMullan said Caitlin-Rose was "blindsided" when she walked out between two buses and "couldn't see traffic coming".

Family handout
Caitlin-Rose McMullan died after being hit by a car

"My daughter unfortunately died on a 60mph road with no footpath, with no bus shelter and basically got off her bus on a mucky, grass verge – so the bus pass that she [was] issued, I thought was a death sentence," she said.

Ms McMullan was speaking at Stormont where other families who lost loved ones in similar circumstances also shared their support for any legislation to tighten road safety laws.

'It's about saving kids' lives'

PA Media
Ms McMullan, whose daughter died exiting a school bus, says it's important to "get bus safety out there"

Calls have been made for new laws to improve school bus safety in Northern Ireland since Caitlin-Rose's death.

Ms McMullan said there are "no words to describe" how poor the safety around the bus stop was.

She said she's working with the infrastructure minister "to get bus safety out there", and added that: "It's about saving kids' lives."

"I just felt that I had to reach out and do something, because it's not like this isn't going to happen again. It's when will this happen again," she said.

Overtaking school buses

PA Media
Liz Kimmins says strengthening the law 'is an important step in further improving safety for children'

There are plans to bring forward legislation to prohibit drivers overtaking school buses which have stopped to drop off or pick up their passengers.

Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said "tragic events" have highlighted the safety of children getting on or off school buses.

"I believe strengthening the law around this issue is an important step in further improving safety for children here," she said.

The St Pius X College, Magherafelt, pupil was described by her school as being "a very popular pupil who was always smiling".

Currently in Northern Ireland there is no legal requirement for other vehicles to stop when a school bus is picking up or dropping off pupils.

In some parts of the United States and Canada, it is a motoring offence to overtake a school bus when it has stopped.

Safety measures in these jurisdictions include retractable stop signs on the left-hand side of buses which flashes amber or red when children are exiting.

Similarly in Germany, drivers cannot overtake a school bus while it is letting passengers on or of, this is usually identified by red flashing lights.

Kimmins, who announced her intention to bring the legislation forward, said she has asked her department officials to "explore the issue".

"Too many families have had their world shattered by receiving the worst possible news after a loved one has set out on a routine journey," she said.

"I have met grieving families and heard their heart breaking stories. I am committing to introducing legislation to help prevent more lives being devastated."

Caitlin-Rose McMullan's school described her as "a very popular pupil who was always smiling"

'Tragic death of Caitlin-Rose'

The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) MLA Patsy McGlone said it's important to improve road safety for children in memory of Caitlin-Rose.

"Everyday across Mid Ulster and across the north, cars speed past school buses, gambling with children's lives," he said.

"The tragic death of Caitlin-Rose McMullan in March has seen a young life cut far too short, devastating her family and our community, and we as legislators need to do everything we can to prevent this from happening again."

Democratic Unionist Party MLA Deborah Erskine said the possible legislation is a "vital step in protecting our children as they travel to and from school".

"Far too often, we have seen reckless behaviour around school buses that puts young lives at risk," she said.

"Families have been left heartbroken by the loss of children."

Issue first raised over 20 years ago

It is now more than 20 years since a motion came before Northern Ireland's Assembly asking for an urgent investigation into how children could be better protected getting on and off school buses.

The 2002 motion came just months after the death of 14-year-old Julie Louise Meldrum from Kesh, County Fermanagh.

The teenager had been knocked down as she got off the bus outside her home in December 2001.

The assembly motion had been brought forward by then Ulster Unionist MLA Danny Kennedy.

He said in 2001, about 300 school children had been injured travelling to and from school.

Patricia Lewsley-Mooney, then an SDLP MLA who would later become the children's commissioner in Northern Ireland, remembers that was among a number of road safety improvements discussed.

It is a move that "still makes perfect sense", she told BBC News NI, and one that would also need other drivers to comply with the required law changes.

"Back then it was decided we would go down a different route, we would put better red warning lights on the back of buses."

That more than 20 years later there are still safety improvement calls, she said, is disappointing.

January 14, 2025 0 comments
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Economy

Campers rescued from 'terrifying' Scottish wildfire

by Ivy January 13, 2025
written by Ivy

Two fathers and their sons have spoken of the "terrifying" moment they were airlifted to safety from a hillside wildfire during a camping trip in Scotland.

Friends Bruce Marbrow and Scott Rayner, both from Beverley in East Yorkshire, took their teenage sons on a fishing trip to the Glen Trool area of Galloway Forest Park, in Dumfries and Galloway, on Friday when a fire broke out on the first night.

Mr Rayner described the moment they were rescued by a helicopter as "pretty terrifying and surreal" because they could feel the heat from the 6ft 6in (2m) high flames as the fire spread to their camp.

Crews are still tackling wildfires in parts of Scotland which have been burning since the weekend.

Scott Rayner
Bruce Marbrow (left) and Scott Rayner (right) from Beverley, had taken their sons Jack (centre left) and Frankie (centre right) on a fishing trip

Not long after arriving at the site to set up camp, the campers spotted smoke rising behind a hill in the distance but thought it was the controlled burning of heather, not realising the flames were from a wildfire.

Mr Marbrow said they saw several "glowing patches of grass in the distance" later on and by 23:00 BST, the fire was spreading. But they decided to "stay put" thinking they would be safe.

However, two hours later, the blaze had swept towards them leaving the campers perched on a rock trying to work out what to do to stay safe, he said.

Mr Rayner said seeing the orange sky was "frightening".

Scott Rayner
The group were rescued by a HM Coastguard helicopter after Mr Marbrow's wife verified her husband's location

They were rescued at about 04:00 on Saturday by the HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter.

Mr Marbrow said police had spotted his car in the forest car park and had contacted his wife, who notified them of the group's "pinpoint location".

After they were airlifted, Mr Rayner's 13-year-old son Frankie said: "It felt surreal."

He said he was relieved when he saw the helicopter and had no plans of going on another adventure anytime soon.

Mr Marbrow's son, Jack, also 13, said: "At the time I assumed we were alright. Dad was telling us we'd be fine because there was a stream and loch between us and the fire."

While thanking everyone involved in the rescue effort, Mr Rayner added: "It makes you realise the power of nature."

Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Soundslatest episode of Look North here.

January 13, 2025 0 comments
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Market

Jail for man who threw tiles at police from rooftop

by Zachary January 12, 2025
written by Zachary

A man who threw tiles at police from a hostel rooftop during a five-hour standoff has been jailed for more than two years.

Paul King, 42, climbed on to the roof of a building where he lived in Wesleyan Road, Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, and remained there until he was helped down by the fire service on 14 January.

He threw ceramic tiles, damaging three police cars, an ambulance and a hostel staff member's car.

King appeared at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday where he was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison, after previously pleading guilty to affray and four counts of criminal damage.

Cambridgeshire Police
Three police cars were damaged by King throwing ceramic tiles from the roof of a building

King initially climbed on to the roof after becoming aggressive with hostel staff who wanted him to undergo an alcohol test.

Staff called police at 20:15 GMT and officers found him on the roof.

He came down after five hours with the help of the fire service who were called when he tried to start a fire.

Cambridgeshire Police
King's actions were described as "dangerous" by Cambridgeshire Police

According to Cambridgeshire Police, three counts of the criminal damage charge related to damage worth more than £5,000 – and one count worth less than £5,000.

A charge of attempted arson will lie on file.

"King's dangerous actions resulted in lots of emergency service resources being used to protect him and the community," Det Con John Pentney, investigating, said.

"I would like to thank all those who responded to the incident and put themselves at risk to protect the public."

January 12, 2025 0 comments
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Industry

Alan Bates' 'kangaroo court' claims denied

by Vanessa January 11, 2025
written by Vanessa

Compensation for sub-postmasters is not being decided by a "kangaroo court", the body overseeing the payouts has said, pushing back against allegations made by Sir Alan Bates.

Sir Alan, who led the campaign for justice, said he had been made a "take it or leave it" offer that was less than half the amount he was claiming.

The "goal posts" had moved and claims had been "knocked back", he said, in ways he saw as unfair to sub-postmasters, many of whom have been waiting years for redress.

However, the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board has rejected his criticism, saying it was following a process agreed by Sir Alan, designed to resolve the outstanding cases.

Writing in the Sunday Times, Sir Alan had suggested the process was not following established standards, describing it as a "quasi-kangaroo court".

The board, made up of parliamentarians and academics, issued a statement on Tuesday saying: "We do not agree [with the criticisms]."

It said Sir Alan had been "closely involved" in setting up the process for deciding compensation, which included a final assessment from a "highly respected" judge.

"That was what happened in Sir Alan's case," the board said.

"It is only a 'take it or leave it' decision in the sense that at some stage the matter has to come to an end and someone has to decide, in order to bring fair closure to so many who have been harmed."

Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted after the faulty Horizon IT system indicated shortfalls in Post Office branch accounts.

Sir Alan led a group of 555 sub-postmasters who took part in the landmark group legal action against the Post Office.

Their fight for justice was brought to wider public attention last year by an ITV drama about the scandal, Mr Bates vs The Post Office.

The government went on to set up a specific compensation fund to ensure these sub-postmasters received extra money to reflect the gravity of their situations, but progress has been described as slow and many are still waiting for a payout.

Under the Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme, claimants can either receive £75,000 or seek their own settlement.

Sir Alan said the latest offer made to him amounted to 49.2% of his original claim.

He said promises that compensation schemes would be "non-legalistic" had turned out to be "worthless".

January 11, 2025 0 comments
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Business

PM living in 'la-la land', striking bin worker says

by Charlotte January 8, 2025
written by Charlotte

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was living in la-la land for calling on union workers to end their industrial action, a striking Birmingham refuse worker has said.

Lorry driver Dave Callaghan said he was sorry the city looked a mess and was gaining a bad reputation but workers could not stand by and watch people lose money.

At Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said the government supported the Labour-run council and called on Unite to end its strike immediately.

Refuse workers have been taking all-out action for 10 weeks in a dispute which now focuses on plans to cut pay for drivers. The council said the changes were part of a regrading exercise aimed at avoiding future equal pay claims.

The equal pay issue, which relates to claims staff in female-dominated roles were historically underpaid in relation to male-dominated positions, was one of the key factors in the authority declaring effective bankruptcy in 2023, when it said it was facing a bill of £760m to settle the claims.

  • Why are Birmingham's bin workers on strike?
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Unite the Union bosses said the council's stance over the refuse workers pay amounted to a 'fire and rehire' situation.

Dave Callaghan, a lifelong Labour voter who has worked in the refuse service for 35 years, said he was ashamed of the council and the government and would never vote for them again.

Speaking to Politics Midlands, Mr Callaghan said he had been involved in three previous rounds of industrial action, but this strike had cost him thousands in lost wages as well as taking a toll on his mental health.

"This is the hardest strike I've ever done, being out for so long in one go," he said.

"The 300 strong on the picket line is humbling really, because everyone feels the same."

Dave Callaghan
Dave Callaghan (front) started work in the refuse service in the early 90s, before hi-viz safety jackets were commonplace

He said the council's plans to regrade drivers were shocking and unfair but he had sympathy with residents impacted by the disruption.

"None of us want to be out on strike but as a union member we've got to be able to do something as we're losing £8,000," he said.

"I'm sorry to the people of Birmingham that it looks a mess and we're giving Birmingham a bad rap, but we can't just stand by and lose that kind of money."

Sir Keir said the government was supporting the council to make sure a backlog of waste, which at one point totalled more than 17,000 tonnes, did not reappear.

The strike escalated again last week when West Midlands Police scaled back its operation at the picket lines.

Negotiations to end the dispute are ongoing.

Dave Callaghan
Mr Callaghan said he had been involved in three previous rounds of industrial action

Meanwhile, Labour MP for Birmingham Erdington Paulette Hamilton said collections in her constituency had been "quite regular" due to the extra resources deployed by the council.

But, she called on the authority and Unite to "sit down and sort this out".

"We have to understand that this strike is something we need to end. Residents in Birmingham are tired of it," she added.

Councillor Ade Adeyemo, the leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Solihull Council, said Birmingham had experienced so much disruption during the strike that Labour would see repercussions at the next local election.

"They are going to pay a very heavy price. People in Birmingham are totally fed up of having waste piling up everywhere," he said.

Labour
Birmingham Erdington MP Paulette Hamilton called on the council and Unite to "sort this out"
January 8, 2025 0 comments
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Economy

Farm blaze 'started deliberately' – fire service

by Amy January 8, 2025
written by Amy

A blaze in a derelict building at a pig farm in North Yorkshire is thought to have been started deliberately, the fire service has said.

Fire crews from Selby and Acomb were called to the site on Magazine Road in Barlby at about 20:20 BST on Monday.

The blaze covered an area of about 33ft by 10ft (10m x 3m) and had spread to the building's roof, according to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Two youths had reportedly been spotted near the scene of the fire and investigations were continuing, police said.

A fire service spokesperson said: "Crews extinguished the fire using a hose reel jet while wearing breathing apparatus equipment.

"The cause of the fire was believed to be deliberate and the incident was left with police to investigate."

Anyone who saw what had happened, or who had information which could help the inquiry into the blaze, was asked to contact North Yorkshire Police.

January 8, 2025 0 comments
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Market

Cricket festival aims to inspire women and girls

by Sophia January 7, 2025
written by Sophia

A cricket festival returns to Worcester this weekend, celebrating women and girls in the sport.

Megafest is Worcestershire Cricket Foundation's annual women's softball festival with teams from across the country competing.

This year, it aligns with the Worcestershire Rapids women playing at Worcester's New Road ground for the T20 Blast.

Player and girls' performance coach Jess Beach told the BBC it was "amazing to play there as we don't do it too often".

"We're really looking forward to showing what we can do," she added.

Ms Beach said it was really important more women and girls were inspired to get into the sport and she had noticed an increase in opportunities in recent years.

"When I was young, there weren't many girls playing," she said. "Now you can get so many teams at clubs which is really exciting to see."

'Celebrate women's cricket'

T20 Blast is a new tournament for 2025, with 18 county teams from across England and Wales competing.

The festival takes place at a ground next to New Road, where the Women's Rapids are set to play the Derbyshire Falcons from 10:30 BST on Sunday.

"We've been working hard this week so hopefully we get a good couple of wins," Ms Beach said.

The Worcestershire Cricket Foundation said Megafest is "one of the biggest" soft ball festivals in the country.

"It's a chance to celebrate women's cricket," a spokesperson added.

Organisers said there would be a participation event focussed on fun as well as a new second competition festival, where a Megafest champion will be crowned.

January 7, 2025 0 comments
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Global Trade

Liverpool marks 36th Hillsborough anniversary

by Jason January 4, 2025
written by Jason

Liverpool fell silent earlier to mark the 36th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.

Ninety-seven football fans were fatally injured in a terrace crush at an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on 15 April 1989.

The minute's silence began across Liverpool at 15:06 BST, the exact time when the match at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium in 1989 was halted.

A bell at Liverpool Town Hall tolled 97 times in tribute to each of the men, women and children who died.

Liverpool falls silent for the 97 Hillsborough victims

New inquests into the disaster concluded in April 2016 that 96 football supporters were unlawfully killed in the disaster.

The same conclusion was reached by a coroner about the 97th victim, Andrew Devine, following his death in 2021.

Flags were flown at half mast from civic buildings in Liverpool on Tuesday, while Liverpool Town Hall will later be illuminated in red.

Liverpool Football Club also marked the anniversary.

Coaches and captains from the men's, women's, and youth teams laid wreaths at the Hillsborough Memorial at Anfield.

Liverpool FC
Liverpool manager Arne Slot and captain Virgil van Dijk paid their respects at Anfield
Liverpool FC
In an online post, Liverpool FC said: "They will never be forgotten"

In an online post, the club said the 97 victims "will never be forgotten".

Liverpool also marked the anniversary before Sunday's Premier League match against West Ham United.

A mosaic in tribute to the 97 children, women and men who died was formed on the Kop during a minute's silence.

PA Media
Players also marked the anniversary at the team's Premier League match on Sunday
PA Media
People have been laying flowers at the Hillsborough memorial throughout the day

January 4, 2025 0 comments
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