Latest news with #Gloucestershire
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Woman feared dead after wire theft cut her off
A woman says her family feared she was dead after thieves stole copper pipes, wiping out all methods of communication for 23 days. Pat Lowe, 88, noticed she had "no BT telephone lines, no WiFi, no email, no WhatsApp, no message facilities" at her property in Viney Hill, Gloucestershire on 28 April. Ms Lowe, who has cancer, said hospital specialists were trying to contact her to arrange appointments but could not reach her, leaving her "in danger of getting much worse" until she was reconnected on 21 May. A spokesperson for Openreach said: "These attacks cause unacceptable disruption to the lives of local people and put vulnerable people at risk." More news stories for Gloucestershire Listen to the latest news for Gloucestershire Ms Lowe said when you're 88 years old and in difficult times with your health, your family think "you must have died because mum always answers the phone". "They were absolutely alarmed," she added. She is currently receiving treatment from a cancer specialist at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and medics were trying to contact her to arrange blood tests. "I was in danger of getting much worse because I couldn't get any of these messages," she said. "I had no security alarm system working, no medical alarm system working, no CCTV surveillance on the house. Everything was dead." While Ms Lowe said her WiFi and telephone line are now working, it caused "incredible and continuous stress". A spokesperson for Openreach said: "We're really disappointed that residents in the Forest of Dean have borne the brunt of a cable theft from our network. "Complex jointing works were needed to restore the network and this required permission for temporary traffic lights to keep our engineers safe. All customers should now be back in service." Gloucestershire Police said its intelligence teams were unaware of a large increase in copper cable thefts, which are "sporadic". Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Copper wiring stolen from mobile CT scanner Invisible marker reducing cable theft - Openreach Openreach
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Woman feared dead after wire theft cut her off for weeks
A woman says her family feared she was dead after thieves stole copper pipes, wiping out all methods of communication for 23 Lowe, 88, noticed she had "no BT telephone lines, no WiFi, no email, no WhatsApp, no message facilities" at her property in Viney Hill, Gloucestershire on 28 Lowe, who has cancer, said hospital specialists were trying to contact her to arrange appointments but could not reach her, leaving her "in danger of getting much worse" until she was reconnected on 21 May.A spokesperson for Openreach said: "These attacks cause unacceptable disruption to the lives of local people and put vulnerable people at risk." Ms Lowe said when you're 88 years old and in difficult times with your health, your family think "you must have died because mum always answers the phone"."They were absolutely alarmed," she is currently receiving treatment from a cancer specialist at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and medics were trying to contact her to arrange blood tests. "I was in danger of getting much worse because I couldn't get any of these messages," she said."I had no security alarm system working, no medical alarm system working, no CCTV surveillance on the house. Everything was dead."While Ms Lowe said her WiFi and telephone line are now working, it caused "incredible and continuous stress". A spokesperson for Openreach said: "We're really disappointed that residents in the Forest of Dean have borne the brunt of a cable theft from our network."Complex jointing works were needed to restore the network and this required permission for temporary traffic lights to keep our engineers safe. All customers should now be back in service."Gloucestershire Police said its intelligence teams were unaware of a large increase in copper cable thefts, which are "sporadic".
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Ascot 2025: Royals feel the heat as they face 32C temperatures at Ladies' Day on hottest day of the year so far
New royal favourite Harriet Sperling joked with the King on the hottest day of the year so far as she joined the family at Royal Ascot for the second time this week. But Peter Phillips ' NHS nurse girlfriend of more than a year kept her cool, despite Britain seeing highs of 32.2C at Kew, under an hour away, yesterday. Even King Charles was seen adjusting his tie in the tropical conditions as other racegoers cooled down with magnums of champagne and old-fashioned fans. And the going was stifling for the horses, who were doused in buckets of water as forecasters warned of a four-day heatwave set to see Britain turn hotter than Hawaii – with 34C (93F) expected in the South and East this weekend. Ms Sperling – who was honoured to join the monarch's carriage procession on Ascot's opening day – shone in a £725 'Sienna' lemon yellow dress from society favourite Beulah and a matching hat to keep the sun off. And all eyes were on her as she chatted easily with His Majesty, who looked delighted to see his nephew's girlfriend again. It will add fuel to rumours that an engagement may be on the cards – not least because Peter and Harriet were seen holding hands and kissing in the Royal Box. Paediatric specialist Harriet, 45, who has a daughter by a previous relationship, apparently met Princess Anne's son at a sporting event attended by both their children. She lives in Gloucestershire, as does Peter, 47, who has two daughters by Canadian ex-wife Autumn. There was certainly a family feel to yesterday's racing, with the King inviting the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh – who were celebrating their 26th wedding anniversary – to join him in the royal carriage procession down from Windsor Castle, along with his sister, Princess Anne, her husband Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, niece Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edo Mapelli Mozzi, as well his other niece Zara Tindall and her husband, Mike. Queen Camilla looked coolly elegant in a silvery blue coat dress by Anna Valentine and matching hat by Philip Treacy, along with the Jardine Star diamond brooch. The Berkshire racecourse has been enjoying record figures this week, and the King's other guests in his carriage – the Marquess and Marchioness of Salisbury – were so impressed at the sight of the huge crowds, that the latter pulled her phone from her bag and started filming them as their landau thundered down the course to cheers. It was Ladies Day at the meet, which attracted a host of celebrities and punters dressed to the nines, including former model Jerry Hall, who attended with her son Gabriel Jagger and daughter-in-law Anouk Winzenried. But as the mercury soared to temperatures in excess of 32C –almost 90F – racegoers clad in their finery, including full morning suits for the men, began dropping like flies. At least one person was taken to hospital and more than 40 treated for heat-related illness. As the Hawaii-topping highs of 34C were predicted for tomorrow, in contrast, Honolulu, capital of the US Pacific Island state, is only forecast to reach 29C (84F), while Barbados should hit 32C (89F). Ha-Bea-ness: Princess Beatrice watched on excitedly from the royal box The last time Britain reached 34C in June was almost six years ago on June 29, 2019, at Northolt and Heathrow. The record for the month is 35.6C (96.1F) on June 29, 1957, at Camden Square, central London. As The UK Health Security Agency issued a four-day amber heat health alert from noon yesterday until 9am on Monday, even Newcastle-upon-Tyne is forecast to hit 31C (87.8F) tomorrow. The agency warns 'significant impacts are likely' across health and social care services because of high temperatures, including a rise in deaths – particularly among those aged 65 and over. An official heatwave is logged when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25-28C (77-82F) in different parts. Temperatures are set to fall back to the mid-20s by the start of next week.
BBC News
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sting and Snow Patrol fans slam gridlock 'chaos' after forest gigs
Concert-goers have complained after being stuck in gridlock for "hours" as they attempted to exit a forest car of fans descended on Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire, to watch Sting and Snow Patrol perform in separate Forest Live gigs on Tuesday and Wednesday man said it was "chaos" as he spent two and half hours attempting to leave after Sting's show on England runs the concerts, a spokesperson said: "Our traffic marshals worked hard to ensure safety and efficiency, and we remain committed to delivering a safe, enjoyable festival experience." Simon Barnard, from Nailsworth, attended Sting's concert and said it took him two and a half hours to exit the car park."The traffic exit is chaos and there has been no improvement from the time we saw Madness a couple of years ago. "It is such a shame as it spoils an otherwise great event and venue," he Wilshire, a retired lecturer who attended the Snow Patrol gig, said he waited an hour and a half to exit the car park - adding the delay "took away some of the joy" from the England spokesperson said they were proud to host two "unforgettable nights of live music at Westonbirt Arboretum". "We acknowledge the queues some guests experienced when exiting the car parks due to the large volume of vehicles leaving at the same time and we thank everyone for their patience," they band Elbow is set to perform on Thursday, with McFly and The Script headlining over the weekend.
BBC News
19 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Cheltenham woman, 28, donates her eggs to help families
A woman who donated her eggs before having a family of her own said she wanted to give other people the chance to have Ward, 28, from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, decided to donate her eggs to a fertility clinic in London. Ms Ward said: "I know how much it means to me to one day have kids of my own and I thought - why not? If it means that much to me I know it means that much to other people, too."Research shows that fertility challenges are increasing, with one in seven couples now struggling to conceive. Ms Ward said: "I've always wanted kids but haven't found the right person yet."It's a donation, if I don't ever meet the child that is fine. "For me, I know this child is wanted and they're going to have a great life."The support was really good, the hormones they gave me, I'd take home. "At the end of two weeks I'd go in for a procedure. I'm receiving support after too, getting blood tests to make sure everything is okay." 'We don't have endless fertility' This comes after a new report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN agency for reproductive rights, warned that hundreds of millions of people are not able to have the number of children they surveyed 14,000 people in 14 countries about their fertility intentions. One in five said they have not had or expect they will not have their desired number of Forster, senior fertility counsellor at London Women's Clinic, said people think differently about family planning today than they might have in the past."Family planning is something we think about a lot, particularly as women," Ms Forster said."Every decision we make in our lives has to be rooted around that decision, we don't have endless fertility."People don't just get into a romantic relationship anymore and assume having children is the next step. "Young people are amazing now because they are thinking about these things in a bigger way." Becky Kearns was diagnosed with premature ovarian insufficiency in 2014, meaning she did not have enough eggs to get pregnant."I was 28, the same age Marianne is now, when I was essentially heading into early menopause," she said."We eventually decided to explore egg donation. It wasn't an easy decision to make, there was a lot of grief around losing my genetics and fear around not being seen as the real mum," she Kearns and her partner went through the donation process 10 years ago and now have three daughters."There was a beautiful moment when my daughter said to me I think I know where my curls come from," Ms Kearns said."She said 'I think my donor put a little bit of blue and some curls into the egg and that's why I have curls and blue eyes'."
