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'Emergency' gas works close Dorchester road for six weeks

'Emergency' gas works close Dorchester road for six weeks

BBC News15 hours ago
Six weeks of delays are expected in a market town as "emergency" gas works are carried out.The repairs have shut part of Maiden Castle Road in Dorchester - one of the most popular short cuts for motorists heading to and from Dorset County Hospital and County Hall.The road was previously closed in mid-March in the same section when a gas leak was discovered, which coincided with temporary traffic lights at Maumbury Cross for pedestrian crossing works.Diversions are in place with access available for Castle Park residents via the western end of Celtic Crescent or Brittania Way.
Both Dorset Council and SGN, the gas provider, have been approached for comment.The diversion signs have described the works as being an "emergency".
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EXCLUSIVE Why bungling cabin crew could have been reason behind terrifying evacuation of Ryanair jet in Majorca that left passengers with broken bones as they jumped from wing
EXCLUSIVE Why bungling cabin crew could have been reason behind terrifying evacuation of Ryanair jet in Majorca that left passengers with broken bones as they jumped from wing

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

EXCLUSIVE Why bungling cabin crew could have been reason behind terrifying evacuation of Ryanair jet in Majorca that left passengers with broken bones as they jumped from wing

Ryanair cabin crew are being blamed for allegedly bungling the evacuation of a holiday flight that left passengers with broken bones after they were forced to jump from a wing due to a false fire alert. Several people ended up in hospital after getting seriously injured when panic spread onboard the jet from Palma in Majorca to Manchester on Saturday night. Ryanair are being urged to investigate the evacuation procedure that left at least two British citizens with broken bones and six people hospitalised. 18 were injured in total. The airline has been accused of playing down the incident by claiming passengers only suffered 'very minor injuries' like ankle sprains in a statement where they 'sincerely apologised' to those involved. Danielle Kelly, 56, whose right leg and left arm are now in plaster, claims people started 'jumping for their lives' after a member of the cabin crew with a phone to his ear ran down the plane shouting: 'Everyone get off the aircraft now, everyone evacuate'. Air crew apparently told travellers to leave behind their belongings 'in case there is a fire and the plane explodes' which, passengers said, only added to the panic. An aviation expert told MailOnline today that the cabin crew and passengers shouldn't have found out that there was a fire warning - the reason panic spreads really quickly and often unnecessarily. The expert said that cabin crew should remain calm and are trained not to evacuate until instructed by the captain over the PA. The pilot and co-pilot have a checklist to complete, include shutting down the engines and lowering the flaps, before ordering an evacuation to ensure that passengers can can slide off the wing without serious injury. In Majorca Ryanair cabin crew deployed the emergency slides at the front doors but passengers sitting in the middle claim they were left with no choice but to jump up to 18ft from the wings onto the tarmac. When done properly, the drop should be around 4ft, MailOnline understands. Ryanair has blamed 'a false fire warning light indication' - and insists that passengers only suffered 'minor injuries'. There is a possibility that passengers panicked and decided to open the overwing exits without being told to, MailOnline's expert claimed. But people on board are blaming the staff on board. Ryanair has been asked to comment. It came as traumatised passengers hit out at Ryanair after they were seriously injured jumping off the wings of a holiday jet when panic spread about a suspected fire onboard. Danielle Kelly, 56, a self-employed fitness instructor, who was sat in row 18 with her daughter, Frankie, 26, said she feared there was a terrorist onboard so followed other passengers out onto the wing in the chaos. 'I saw a member of the cabin crew run from the back to the front of the plane, he was on the phone and suddenly started shouting, "everyone get off the aircraft now, everyone evacuate".' 'It was utter chaos, passengers were screaming, 'open the doors, open the doors'. It was terrifying, I thought there was a terrorist on board, so I grabbed my daughter and got out.' Mrs Kelly, who had been on a week-long holiday in the resort of Portals with her daughter, Frankie, 26, friend Francine Elkinson, 57, and her daughter, Savannah, 26, suffered a broken right heel, fractured left wrist and smashed elbow, when she plummeted to the concrete below. Speaking from her hospital bed, in Palma, Mrs Kelly, of Whitefield, Greater Manchester, added: 'There was no announcement from the pilot or any of the other cabin crew. The door nearest to us opened and everyone ran onto the wing and started jumping off. 'I'm 56-years-old, I didn't want to jump but I feared for my life. It felt like a life or death situation. I knew as soon as I landed that I was seriously injured, I couldn't walk but the ground staff were shouting for everyone to move away from the aircraft in case it exploded. 'It was terrifying, we've been left completely traumatised by the experience. I've got my foot and arm in plaster and I've got to have three different surgeries to pin my foot, wrist and elbow tomorrow, I'm in a mess.' Mrs Elkinson, 57, also suffered a bad break to her right foot and underwent a three-hour operation yesterday, when surgeons inserted pins and plates to repair it. The company director said: 'People were screaming, 'get off the plane now,' there was no organisation, everyone was scrambling and screaming, it was complete chaos. There was no guidance about what to do from the captain or the crew. 'I was petrified, my daughter went first and was standing on the tarmac telling me to jump and she would catch me. I hit the floor and my foot blew up, I thought I had snapped it. I couldn't walk and my daughter had to drag me away. 'I was put on an airport ambulance but it took about 40 minutes for the paramedics to arrive. Danielle was crying she was in so much pain, it was horrendous. 'The way Ryanair have dealt with it is terrible, saying that people only suffered minor injuries and the evacuation was under control. Absolute rubbish, they are just trying to play it down because no one knew what they were doing.' Another passenger, who didn't want to be named, told the Mail she suffered a double fracture to her pelvis and broke a bone in her lower back when she jumped from the wing. 'A member of the cabin crew was screaming on the Tannoy for everyone to get off the plane, they were saying, 'leave your bags, the plane could explode', which obviously just made everyone panic,' she said. 'People were clambering over each other to the exits, it was chaotic. 'I'm usually a rational thinking person. No one wants to throw themselves off the wing of a plane unless the alternative is worse – everyone was led to believe it was an emergency and they had to get out immediately. 'When we got onto a bus back to the terminal people were asking a member of the cabin crew how it happened and saying it was awful. But he simply said, 'we did our best, we are only human.' But there was no direction from the crew and they just weren't very competent. There was no clear guidance, it was every man for himself.' She said doctors had told her it could be three months before she is walking again and plans to take legal action against the airline. In total 18 people were injured, with six people hospitalised as a consequence of the way the evacuation was handled. At least one female member of the cabin crew is thought to be among the injured. A Ryanair spokesman said: 'This flight from Palma to Manchester discontinued take-off due to a false fire warning light indication. 'Passengers were disembarked using the inflatable slides and returned to the terminal. 'While disembarking, a small number of passengers encountered very minor injuries (ankle sprains, etc) and crew requested immediate medical assistance. 'To minimise disruption to passengers, we quickly arranged a replacement aircraft to operate this flight, which departed Palma at 07:05 Saturday morning.

Macron's state visit to begin in Windsor palace gets repaired
Macron's state visit to begin in Windsor palace gets repaired

BBC News

time2 hours ago

  • BBC News

Macron's state visit to begin in Windsor palace gets repaired

King Charles III will say the UK and France must stand together in the face of a "multitude of complex threats", when he speaks at a state banquet for French President Emmanuel and his wife Brigitte will be welcomed by the King and Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales, as they arrive for a three-day state state banquet will be a highlight of the trip, with famous faces, a showcase menu and a message from the King about the "shared history and culture between our two peoples".This is the first state visit by the leader of an EU country since Brexit and the King will emphasise the need to work together on issues from military threats to climate change. "For centuries our citizens have admired each other, amused each other, and imitated each other," the King will say at Tuesday evening's banquet, which will be held at Windsor Castle, as Buckingham Palace is being will warn of modern threats "emanating from multiple directions" and challenges that "know no borders" from which "no fortress can protect us"."Our two nations share not only values, but also the tireless determination to act on them in the world," the state banquet speech will say.A state visit is a "soft power" opportunity to strengthen partnerships, with the French visit set to reinforce links with the UK in trade, diplomacy and defence, at a time of uncertainty about the US stance on issues such as military backing for Ukraine.A UK-France summit at Downing Street on Thursday, hosted by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, is also likely to discuss ways of stopping illegal migration on small boats across the start of the visit on Tuesday will see ceremonial spectacles, with senior members of the Royal Family ready to greet the French visitors and to celebrate the "entente cordiale", in the first French state visit since William and Catherine will greet the French president and his wife when their plane touches down at RAF Northolt, with King Charles and Queen Camilla then welcoming them at will be horses, as well as political horse-trading, with a carriage procession through Windsor, ahead of a royal salute and military parade at Windsor Wednesday, Macron will see a horse that he gave to the late Queen Elizabeth II, to mark her Platinum Jubilee in French president and his wife are also set to visit the tomb of the late Queen, during their stay in UK government has spoken of wanting to "re-set" post-Brexit relations with European neighbours and Macron's visit will be a public endorsement of the longstanding alliance with and peers will be able to hear Macron when he gives a speech to the Houses of in science will highlighted during the visit, with examples of artificial intelligence and innovative technology being shown to the French visitors at Imperial College Charles and Queen Camilla carried out a state visit to France in 2023, where he received a standing ovation for his speech to the French had given a strongly worded message of support for Ukraine after Russia's "horrifying" invasion. The King had also highlighted the "existential challenge" of climate change. Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here.

When will Khan get a grip of Wimbledon Tube chaos? Tennis chiefs to hold crisis meeting over travel madness
When will Khan get a grip of Wimbledon Tube chaos? Tennis chiefs to hold crisis meeting over travel madness

Daily Mail​

time3 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

When will Khan get a grip of Wimbledon Tube chaos? Tennis chiefs to hold crisis meeting over travel madness

Wimbledon chiefs are set to hold crisis talks with Transport for London after chaos on the Tube affected the Championships for the second week. Thousands of fans were held up by 'severe delays' on Monday with no service on the District Line between Parsons Green and Wimbledon. Many arrived at SW19 complaining their journeys had taken as long as three hours after being forced to catch buses, pay for taxis or even walk to SW19. 'It took me over two and a half hours, I had to get a bus from Earl's Court but it was gridlock in Putney so I just got off and walked the remaining mile,' one worker at the grounds said. It comes after a 'challenging' first week at the tournament when a fire alert and signalling failures led to travel chaos causing many fans to miss matches. The under-fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was 'extremely frustrated' by the latest disruption during the event which attracts more than 42,000 spectators every day. Paul Kohler, the Liberal Democrat MP for Wimbledon, branded last week's problems an 'international embarrassment' and called on Sir Sadiq to 'get a grip' of the chaos. 'It's appalling... This is the jewel in the crown of British sport. And we can't get the infrastructure working to get people there and back,' he added. Delays have affected tennis fans visitng Wimbledon for the second week of the tournament Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, said the club was in constant talks with TfL bosses and had called a meeting to assess the service provided. 'We have arranged to catch up with them after the championships to look at not just what happened this year but also to look ahead in terms of investment into the District Line,' she added. Susan Hall, leader of the Conservatives in City Hall, said: 'What message about London does it send to tourists here to watch the tennis that not even the trains work?' TfL apologised to 'customers affected by the disruption on the District Line' which it said was due to a 'track fault at Putney Bridge'.

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