Double-talk, CfN? [Image from here is not available to guests]

see above my post...there's work needed... [Image from here is not available to guests]

Decision on Manchester-London 'ghost train' was uninformed, regulator admits

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The rail regulator has admitted it "did not have all the facts" when it decided to not allow passengers on a peak-time train service between Manchester and London.

The Office of Road and Rail (ORR) said it was missing "critical points" when it made a decision that would have turned the service into a 'ghost train' running daily for months.

ORR chief executive John Larkinson said his organisation did not know the train would be "fully crewed", would leave from Manchester Piccadilly rather than a depot, and that it had to get to Euston to become the 09:30 GMT service to Glasgow.

"The information that later became available to us meant that our assumption turned out to be incorrect," he said. It comes after the ORR in November faced a backlash over its decision to allow the popular 07:00 train to run, but carrying only staff.

The decision, which would have taken effect from mid-December, was quickly reversed after significant criticism, including from Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.

The ORR had justified the decision by saying the service had to run empty so its slot could be used as a firebreak - a planned gap in the timetable in case of delays. But, in a letter to the chair of Parliament's Transport Committee, Ruth Cadbury, Larkinson said the facts which later came to light meant the slot could no longer be considered an effective firebreak.

Larkinson said the ORR team assessing the application didn't ask Avanti for further information, which would have made the points clear. He said if the ORR team had contacted Avanti, its decision "may have been different, but they were stretched and trying to close out multiple interacting decisions".

He added that the ORR was dealing at the time with 82 "complex and competing" applications for track access. Even when the train operating company complained in early November, the points they made were not "escalated appropriately", his letter said.

Larkinson described it as "an unusual case, but nevertheless one we will learn from". He added: "I take full responsibility for what happened and we are strengthening our processes to reflect the lessons we have learned."

A statement in response from Cadbury, the Labour MP for Brentford and Isleworth, said: "The public was understandably baffled by the ORR's decision not to allow the 7am fast service from Manchester to London to carry passengers when a fully crewed train was running anyway. On the face of it, this was a strange decision - especially when the train was popular and profitable - and one that the Transport Committee had a number of questions about. Now we have some answers, a detailed explanation for why this happened and a welcome recognition of responsibility."

She said the committee will look for ways to avoid similar instances in the future as the government establishes Great British Railways.

Charges planned to curb peak-time roadworks

A proposal to charge utility companies up to £2,500 a day for carrying out roadworks has been submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT).

Hampshire County Council says the lane rental scheme, if approved, could generate around £1.6m annually to be reinvested in maintaining the county's road network, including pothole repairs.

The council wants to implement a daily charge of £2,500 for a full road closure and £1,500 for lane closures or the use of temporary traffic lights.

The plan was signed off by the local authority on 19 January and if the DfT gives the scheme the go-ahead, it could be introduced later this year.

Under national rules, councils can apply lane rental charges only during the busiest traffic periods, with exemptions at other times.

Based on data from recent works, officials estimate the scheme could bring in around £2.8m in gross income each year. Of that, roughly £1.2m would cover administrative costs, leaving £1.6m for road maintenance.

The council said the primary aim was not to raise revenue but to encourage faster completion of works and to deter companies from scheduling disruptive activity at peak times.

Approving the plans, Councillor Lulu Bowerman, the cabinet member for highways and public transport, said she was "really pleased to see it coming forward", adding that residents regularly experienced congestion caused by roadworks. "This is about encouraging behavioural change," she said. "The sooner we can bring this in, the better."

Tim Lawton, the council's assistant director, told a committee meeting that officers had "high confidence" the proposal met all national requirements.

During the decision session, Councillor Kirsty North noted that the maximum charges allowed by government had not changed since the scheme became possible in 2012. She said it would be "fair" to highlight that the council was limited by outdated legislation, adding she hoped the DfT would approve the scheme so the county could "reduce congestion and repair potholes".

An application to run a similar scheme was made by Southampton City Council in 2025.

Again - perhaps GBR will bring the automatic ability to use the next train in the event of disruption - however it's painted (though I understand that there's a lot of swapping of 387 units been going on, and the paint job does not confirm who's running it these days!

Brockenhurst - Lymington branch line service to resume after track repairs

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A full service is expected to resume on a branch line after a small landslip.

The track between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier in Hampshire was closed from Friday to Sunday after heavy rain. The line then reopened with one train per hour - rather than two - in each direction and a reduced speed limit.

Network Rail said it hoped to restore a full service on Thursday, although it said further work would be carried out on the weekend of 21/22 February. The recent three-day closure was caused by heavy rain that shifted an embankment near Battramsley. Engineers found a further track defect nearby, which is due to be repaired on Wednesday night, the track operator added.

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Previously, South Western Railway said a reduced service was expected until 23 February due to the complexity of the work. However, some of the repairs were brought forward due to the damage from Storm Goretti, according to Network Rail. The ground beneath the track was rebuilt and sheet piles were driven in to hold the embankment in place.

Infrastructure director Tom McNamee from Network Rail said: "I would like to thank our passengers for bearing with us. The recent wet weather and Storm Goretti left us with no choice but to get our teams to come in and carry out these vital repairs."

'I don't want anyone else to die by suicide'

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"I'm just this wee girl who wants to make a difference, who wants to help people, who doesn't want anyone else to die by suicide," says Claire Curran

A woman who has lost several members of her family to suicide has said more funding is needed for suicide prevention.

Claire Curran now uses her loss to help other families bereaved through suicide.

It comes as it was announced a new cross-party inquiry will examine how suicide prevention services are funded in Northern Ireland and how best to tackle the rising numbers.

New figures confirm that 290 deaths by suicide were registered in Northern Ireland in 2024.

The inquiry was launched by the All-Party Group (APG) on Suicide Prevention on Tuesday.

MLAs, community groups and charity leaders gathered at Stormont for the launch. Many of the intendees like Curran, had firsthand experience of losing a loved one to suicide.

She works with the Families' Voices Forum and Samaritans and believes such community groups could face closure unless more funding is allocated. "It's really difficult for services, community and voluntary, who don't have sustainable funding, so they don't know that they're going to be there," she said. "They're taking clients, they're working with them, they're helping and supporting them, but they don't know whether they're going to be there if they need more. They don't know what's going to happen next year."

"Services are closing, and when services close, they don't reopen. Our health service, our mental health service, has waiting lists. They are struggling to cope," she added. "If we lose our community and voluntary sector, what happens to all of those people who are struggling, who need help and support? We have to be able to provide that for them."

Curran is hopeful that the inquiry will ensure that funding is made available to keep suicide prevention services open. "I'm no one special. I'm just this wee girl who wants to make a difference, who wants to help people, who doesn't want anyone else to die by suicide. I know that we can't stop everyone, but we can greatly reduce the numbers," she said. "Everyone needs to get behind this because suicide is everybody's business. We all have a role to play, so actually let's step up and do that. Let's make sure that those who are making the decisions step up to do that too."

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Sarah O'Toole of Samaritans Ireland said: "What we would really like to see is suicide prevention policies that exists across departments"

The Samaritans say those phoning their helpline call for many different reasons - reasons that do not sit in the health portfolio. Callers have reached a crisis point because of problems with housing, the criminal justice system or social services.

Sarah O'Toole of Samaritans Ireland believes a joined-up and cross-departmental approach by Stormont could be the answer. "The large proportion of funding around suicide prevention does go into the health budget, but unfortunately some of the actions around the mental health strategy have been paused or stopped due to financial constraints," she said. "What we would really like to see is suicide prevention policies that exists across departments, working together, but within those policies you have plans that are fundable and are actioned as well."

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Órlaithí Flynn MLA said politicians must come together to support community groups

APG chair Órlaithí Flynn MLA has praised the work of community groups, but said politicians need to come together to support them. She said there is "so many wonderful suicide prevention groups that are constantly doing life-saving work out in our local communities". She added that "many of them aren't in receipt of any core funding from the Department of Health because that pot of money is very, very small and many of them are surviving on local fundraising initiatives".

"What we hope is to highlight the importance - the life-saving importance - of these groups and the work that they're doing and potentially to look at any cross-departmental options that are available."

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt MLA, who officially launched the inquiry, said suicide prevention could not be delivered by one department alone. "The factors that place people at risk span health, housing, education, justice, community safety and economic pressures," he said. "I welcome this inquiry and the opportunity it creates to strengthen how government works together to support prevention, early intervention and community resilience."

Latest figures from statistics agency Nisra show that 290 suicides were registered in Northern Ireland in 2024. The average number of registered suicides for each year between 2014 and 2017 was 205. That number jumped to an average of 238 each year between 2021 and 2024.

Suicide remains the leading cause of death in men under 50. In 2024, almost eight in 10 of the suicide deaths registered were men.

For support and more information on emotional distress, help is available on the BBC Action Line.

Worth pointing out that the last couple of hundred metres of Sheepway as you approach old Portbury Station from Portishead are really nasty to walk along, with some blind bends and fairly fast traffic. Most motorists I met were very courteous, but one of two were on me before either party had much chance to react.

One of two missing Christmas Day swimmers found

The body of a 47-year-old man has been recovered after two swimmers went missing on Christmas Day, police have said.

Officers said they found the man at Sandy Bay near Exmouth on Tuesday after two swimmers went missing in stormy seas at Budleigh Salterton, Devon, on 25 December.

Formal identification is yet to be carried out, but officers said they believe the person to be a 47-year-old man. His next-of-kin have been informed. One of the swimmers was named as 64-year-old local antiques dealer Matthew Upham.

Supt Ryan Doyle, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said the discovery was "very sad news". He added: "We have spoken with his family and we are continuing to support them through this difficult time. Understandably they have asked for their privacy to be respected. The family of the second missing man has also been informed and are being supported."

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Yes, the X4. Quite frequent, and usually a Yutong electric jobby!

Basingstoke MP calls for urgent review after man refused driving test

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Yin Cheong William Shen was told he did not match the photo on his provisional driving licence

An MP has written to the Transport Secretary and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) after a learner driver was turned away on the day of his test because the examiner said his face did not match the photo on his provisional licence.

Yin Cheong William Shen, who was born in Hong Kong, waited eight months for a driving test near his home in Basingstoke, Hampshire, before being prevented from taking it. The agency has upheld the decision and refused to give a refund.

The Labour MP for Basingstoke, Luke Murphy, called for an "urgent review", and said the incident raised concerns around potential unconscious bias.

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Shen said he had never had problems with the photo before

Shen said the examiner's refusal left him perplexed. "He said: 'Your face does not match my ID.' After that he decided that my test has been terminated and walked away."

"I feel confused. I've been using my ID with no issues before in the past, especially for my theory test. It's the same photo as my passport, which caused no issues when I travelled this year."

His instructor Stephen Lambert said the examiner's decision in November was an "insult".

"I said to the examiner: 'No, these are his eyes, his ears, his mouth. It looks like him to me.'"

In his letter to Secretary of State Heidi Alexander, Murphy said while his constituent "emphasised that he does not allege intentional discrimination", research showed facial recognition errors "can disproportionally affect individuals from certain ethnic backgrounds". He said Shen now faced a delay of about six months before the next test, "causing considerable practical and financial hardship".

The MP said the incident reflected "wider public concern about the consistency and fairness of identity checks at test centres". He also asked the DVSA to conduct a full review of the decision made on the day and its handling of the complaint, and said Shen should be offered a free rescheduled test as soon as possible.

The DVSA previously said it had investigated the incident and would not offer a refund or a free retest. In a letter to Shen, it wrote: "The law requires that a test candidate must produce suitable identification to the examiner at the start of the test. The examiner must refuse the test if they are not completely satisfied with the identification provided."

Driving test cheating soars as candidates turn to Bluetooth headsets and impersonators

Cheating cases during practical and theory driving tests rose by nearly 50 per cent last year in England, Scotland and Wales, new figures show.

The cheating methods varied, according to freedom of information data from the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), with more than 1,100 cases involving the use of Bluetooth headsets.

Overall, nearly 100 offenders were prosecuted for trying to cheat themselves or for impersonating driving test candidates.

Industry leaders blamed the increase on the nationwide shortage of tests and drivers' desperation to pass, while the DVSA blamed a general rise in cheating and improved detection.

A Press Association News Agency freedom information request revealed 2,844 attempts to cheat during driving tests in the year to September 2025, 47% higher than the previous year. Of those, more than a third (1,113) involved the use of technology, such as an earpiece connected via Bluetooth to a concealed phone, to try to cheat at a theory test.

Meanwhile people attempted 1,084 times to try to take theory tests while impersonating the registered candidate. And in 647 incidents, people pretended to be the registered candidate for a practical test.

Dr Rasha Kassem, leader of the Fraud Research Group at Aston University, warned of the dangers of people passing tests illegally without actually knowing how to drive. "It means that there will be more accidents, collisions, insurance issues as well, damage to the car, and damage to human beings, injuries, and in some cases, death," she said. "There has to be public awareness, because this is a serious crime, from my perspective, and also in the eyes of the law. It is fraud."

Impersonators, and those who use them, face punishments ranging from driving bans to prison sentences. They can also be ordered to carry out unpaid work or made to pay court costs.

Ninety-six people were prosecuted for attempting to cheat on driving tests or impersonate candidates in the 12 months to September last year.

Steps taken to try and prevent fraud including matching a practical test candidate's face with their photo ID, as well as asking theory candidates to roll up their sleeves and show their pockets are empty.

Examples of people prosecuted last year, reported by the Press Association News Agency, include 23-year-old Qounain Khan, who was handed an eight-month prison sentence in June 2025 after pleading guilty to impersonating learners at theory test centres 12 times. The court heard impersonators could be paid up to £2,000 for passing a test.

Sorina-Ana Turcitu, 42, admitted attempting to take a practical driving test on behalf of someone else. She was sentenced to 12 weeks' imprisonment suspended for 18 months in September 2025.

And Ali Rasul, 22, was handed a two-year prison sentence in November 2025 after being caught repeatedly trying to cheat the theory test over an eight-month period either by using a hidden earpiece or an impersonator.

The rise in reported cheating comes as learner drivers face persistently long waits for practical tests slots. The DVSA said it had no evidence cheating was linked to waiting times.

However, Carly Brookfield, chief executive of the Driving Instructors Association, told the BBC she was not surprised that fraud was on the rise in this context. "It almost seems inevitable in an era of lots of demand, but very little consistent supply, that you are going to get people engaging in risky behaviours, like using a cheat service to try and pass." She said people who "don't want to risk going on the torturous merry-go-round and trying to get another slot...might take the risk, unfortunately, of cheating."

Dr Kassem also believed long wait times to book a slot was likely to be a factor, with some people resorting to fraud for reasons such as needing to get a licence quickly for a job.

In December, the National Audit Office warned that the driving test backlog would not be cleared until November 2027. Causes include poor recruitment and retention of examiners and third-party websites booking up slots using automated programs known as bots.

The Department for Transport (DfT) previously announced more action to try to get the backlog down, including employing military driving examiners and only allowing learner drivers to book and manage their practical driving tests from the coming Spring.

Marian Kitson, the DVSA's director of enforcement services, said the organisation was committed to tackling practical and theory test fraud, and had increased its detection capabilities. "It is essential that all drivers demonstrate they have the right skills, knowledge, and attitude to drive safely. People who attempt to cheat driving tests put all road users at risk by trying to obtain a driving licence fraudulently," she said. "Our counter-fraud team carries out robust investigations into suspected fraud, working with the police to bring fraudsters to justice and keep Britain's roads safe."

That's reminded me of one of my own family memories, Mark. [Image from here is not available to guests]

**snip** Looking up at the chimney piece above the range in their kitchen **snip**