Hexham train station's accessibility improvements praised but 'lift needed'
Mr Rice said the barrow crossing across the tracks "affords better access from one side to the other" as the walking route around the station was "absolutely diabolical".Staff are required to use the crossing, however, to block the signals and make sure no trains are due.
"We will take the view, however, that it is a stop-gap measure because even with this it doesn't afford independent travel," Mr Rice said."It's great that it can be done but the whole idea is accessible travel should be a right, not a privilege and it should be something that the user can do independently wherever possible, not having to seek the access."Passengers on the ticket office side need to ask the on-duty member of staff to use the crossing, while those on the other platform need to use the bell on the wall to ask for assistance.A spokesperson for Northern said: "Having colleagues available to help from the first train to the last train means we can offer consistent support to customers who need help getting across the foot crossing or accessing services."This change is part of our wider efforts to improve the experience for all customers."
Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
'Dad came home with a wooden box with the FA Cup in'
We know the relationship between a football fan and their club is a special one so, as we gear up for the new season, we asked you to share why you fell in love with Leeds United and some of your favourite moments supporting are some of your submissions: Sandra: I started supporting Leeds as a child in the 1970s. My dad supported Leeds and even though we lived in Lincolnshire, which is miles away, it was the only team I ever considered first match was a friendly at Belle Vue against Doncaster Rovers. My dad didn't drive so we were never going to make it to Leeds. After starting comprehensive school, a friend and her dad invited me to Elland Road. What a thrill! I can't remember who we played or even if we won, but it was favourite players were Allan Clarke, Peter Lorimer, Billy Bremner, the Gray brothers, Paul Reaney, Gordon McQueen, Tony Currie... the whole team! I would follow the team in Match sixth form, I started my nurse training in Scarborough, but why didn't I go to Leeds? Shift work and no TV made it harder to follow them and I lapsed for a while, but the passion remained and, following the long road back to the Premier League, I was able to watch them again on Match of the Day.I still haven't returned to Elland Road, but it is on my bucket list. If anyone wants to take a young lady, I'd love to go! A vintage 70s scarf and last season's third strip awaits the opportunity. Send your pictures and stories here
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Brits could be fined THOUSANDS if they don't follow little-known duty free rules for cigarettes, booze & perfume
BRITS could be fined thousands if they fail to follow these little known rules at border control. Holidaymakers could also see their items seized upon re-entering the UK, if they fail to meet border control's high standards. 3 3 The laws are designed to protect the UK economy, as well as out natural environment. To make it easy for travellers, the Government and British border forces are clear about how much of each product you can bring in. Importing alcohol to Britain Bringing alcohol into the UK is legal, but there are strict limits on how much alcohol you can take with you through customs. You can bring a total of 4 litres of a spirit over 22 per cent ABV (alcohol by volume) or 9 litres of an alcohol under 22 per cent ABV. However, you cannot bring both quantities. If you have a variety of alcoholic products with you, then they must total the same amount listed above. For example, 4.5 litres of cider (a drink under 22 per cent ABV) and 2 litres of a spirit above 22 per cent ABV would be allowed into Britain. This is because each quantity is equivalent to 50 per cent of the legal amount. Meanwhile, 4 litres of a spirit and 9 litres of cider would be double the amount which you can import. Failing to follow customs law could see you being handed a £2,500 fine per contravention. UK airport reveals new security rules for passengers If the amount of imported alcohol is exceptionally high or you are a repeat offender, you could be slapped with a prison sentence. The length of the sentence could vary greatly, depending on your crime. There are strict limits on tobacco products too UK law allows you to bring a maximum 200 cigarettes OR 100 cigarillos OR 50 cigars of 250g of tobacco (including shisha) OR 200 sticks of tobacco for heating to Britain. Like alcohol, you must combine these allowances. That would mean you could bring 100 cigarettes and 25 cigars, for example, as each is at 50 per cent of the total allowed in. Tobacco products, like alcohol, can only be brought into the country by someone over the age of 17. Also, tobacco and alcohol quantities are counted as entirely separate so you don't get a larger quantity of one by taking none of the other. Luxury goods at the border Luxury goods, including perfume or electrical items, can often be imported into the UK without paying duty or tax. However, if the sum total of the items exceeds £390, you will have to pay tax on every item - not just the ones which push you over the limit. For people arriving by private plane or boat for leisure, the allowance is £270. Meat, milk and plants are banned The importation of meat, honey and dairy is strictly prohibited. The only exception to this rule is to infant milk or medical food, though both amounts cannot exceed 2kg. Failing to follow these rules could see you being slapped with a staggering £5000 fine. EU arrivals are the only group allowed to take high-priority plants into the country, though they will need to apply beforehand for a phytosanitary certificate. Restrictions on cash Cash up to a total of £10,000 can be brought into Britain, though this must be declared 72 hours in advance of your arrival. Declarations on all products listed here must be made, even if you are just transferring flight. Failing to declare something could result in you receiving a criminal sentence. 3
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
The Lions will endure … but who can we expect in the squad for 2029?
The average worker bee, in the busiest months of the year, generally lives for up to seven weeks. Talk about a short and sweet existence. It is not dissimilar with British & Irish Lions tours. One moment players are winning a major series, the next their team abruptly ceases to exist. That's all, folks, unless you can make the next trip in four years. That is a lifetime for many professional athletes, particularly those who routinely operate on a week-to-week basis and are about to enjoy a long-awaited summer break. So you would expect someone like England's Ben Earl to roll his eyes and change the subject when asked if he would like to be involved in the scheduled next men's tour to New Zealand in 2029. Instead, the 27-year-old flanker sounded as if he would happily jump on a plane to Auckland tomorrow morning if asked. 'If someone said to me I could go on the next one, I'd do anything. Everyone talks about the aura around the badge, the honour … it has not been lost on me or anyone else. I've seen people potentially play their last game in the shirt and what it means. I'd do anything to play for the Lions one last time.' Right there, in a red-shirted nutshell, is the reason the Lions concept continues to endure. For as long as it remains a priority for the players, the old-school dream will live on. For as long as a series triumph feels like the ultimate challenge, or at least comparable with winning a Rugby World Cup, supporters will also be attracted like, well, bees to a honey pot. Even as they fly back north people have already been scribbling down their putative 2029 team (see below) on the back of their boarding passes. And the usual banter is already starting. Will there be any more than a couple of Irish players in a mostly Welsh-dominated squad. What price Owen Farrell going on a fifth Lions tour? After all he will only be 37. And so on. It is actually an interesting exercise given the probability that a sizeable chunk of this year's tour party are unlikely to return. Even Maro Itoje, who will be 34, might conceivably have moved on to a fresh challenge in business or politics by then. If so Dan Sheehan, who must be close to establishing himself as the world's best hooker, might well enter the captaincy equation with a fit-again, motivated Caelan Doris another possible contender. Beyond that there are a good few gaps to fill in. Who will be the tactical driving force, for example, if Finn Russell has hung up his Test boots? Fin Smith or Sam Prendergast? Might we see Louis Rees-Zammit, minus his gridiron helmet and shoulder pads, back in a Lions jersey? And could 2029 be the tour where someone like Manny Feyi-Waboso becomes a serious global star if he has not already done so at the next Rugby World Cup back in Australia in two years' time? Questions, questions. The assumption is that Andy Farrell will be reinstalled as head coach having presided over the 2-1 series victory against the Wallabies. But if he is otherwise engaged, to whom might the Lions turn? Steve Borthwick? Or perhaps Ronan O'Gara, who has worked in New Zealand and made no secret of his desire to coach at international level one day. An O'Gara-steered Lions tour would certainly not be dull, always assuming his present employers La Rochelle were even vaguely on side. All of this idle speculation, however, is based on the landscape of global rugby union remaining broadly as it is. Which, depending to whom you talk, is by no means certain. Those trying to set up the R360 global rebel league, involving a Formula One-style calendar of matches in different cities worldwide, are actively courting the world's leading male and female players and claiming it will be ready to launch in September next year. Among those said to have been approached, for example, are the entire English Red Roses squad, hardly surprising given the more modest sums of money on offer in the women's professional game. And if the organisers' stated objective is to pay the best 40 men's players in the world about £1m a year for a much shorter season, you can see why a few old-timers near the end of their careers might be interested. The catch is that the R360 season could intersect with the Lions 'window' in rugby's ever-congested calendar. At which point a few players – and remember this is all theoretical – would have a decision to make. Stick with tradition in the form of an intense series between the Lions and New Zealand or follow the mega money? Welcome to a major clash of cultures and philosophies wearily familiar to golf fans since LIV parked its tanks on the fairways of the established order. You would hope that the allure of facing the All Blacks and following in the footsteps of legends would still count for something. Then again, the agents punting the R360 scheme will rightly be reminding their clients that careers can be cut short by injury at any moment. Earl's aforementioned words, even so, are worth pinning up on every clubhouse wall in Britain and Ireland. Clearly rugby cannot afford to be allergic to change but, equally, its soul needs preserving. While the Lions become less romantic and more commercially rapacious with each passing year, there remains a lot of love for them out there. R360 might be offering eye-watering amounts of dosh but you cannot put a price on lifelong friendships and true sporting fulfilment. Possible 2029 Lions: B Kinghorn (Scotland); L Rees-Zammit (Wales), J Osborne (Ireland), S Tuipulotu (Scotland), M Feyi-Waboso (England); F Smith (England), J van Poortvliet (England); A Opoku-Fordjour (England), D Sheehan (Ireland), T Clarkson (Ireland), M Itoje (England), J McCarthy (Ireland), T Curry (England), J Morgan (Wales), C Doris (Ireland). Replacements: K Tuipulotu (England), J Boyle (Ireland), O Chessum (England), H Pollock (England), B White (Scotland), S Prendergast (Ireland), T Freeman (England). This is an extract taken from our weekly rugby union email, the Breakdown. To sign up, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
