Beg your pardon! Swear words wanted to map regional dialects
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All posts tagged: Midlands
Shocking photos emerge of crash which closed road near East Midlands Airport as warning issued
Shocking photos have been released of the aftermath of a crash which closed a bypass near East Midlands Airport. The southbound carriageway of the A42 was closed near junction 23 of the M1 in Leicestershire, as well as a slip road off the motorway following a single-vehicle collision on Saturday (April 11) morning. A large number of fire service, police, ambulance and highways vehicles attended the scene, which reportedly happened due to the driver experiencing a medical episode. Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, which deployed multiple crews to the incident, published photos showing the wreckage of a black Mercedes behind the barrier on the slip road. In a statement issued on Saturday, the station said: “Today we attended a Road Traffic Collision on the M1 A42 slip due to the driver suffering a medical episode.” Leicestershire Police were contacted for more information about the crash, but are yet to respond. Issuing a warning to other motorists, Coalville fire station said: “Your reactions, concentration and judgement can all be affected if you are feeling unwell. A …
Shame of mass pet adandonment with nearly 500 alerts in Midlands
Britain’s biggest animal charity has urged families to consider adopting a pet after revealing its rescue sites were “overwhelmed”. The RSPCA said a huge rise in mass abandonments – involving ten or more animals at once – had partly fuelled the crisis. Such incidents have rocketed by nearly 70 per cent in just four years. Last year, it responded to 4,200 incidents involving at least ten animals at the same address across England and Wales – including 493 in the West Midlands. READ MORE: New Birmingham Metro extension opening on Easter Sunday And it said rising cruelty and neglect led to a six-year high of animals in RSPCA care, with almost half in emergency boarding because centres were full. RSPCA Superintendent Jo Hirst said: “We are struggling with rising reports of cruelty and neglect and over recent years more and more of those reports will involve ten, 20, even 100 animals. And because they’ve been living in large groups, they may need more support until they are ready to find a new home. “We currently …
The West Midlands has a weapon problem – and it’s on four wheels
We have been campaigning for a Birmingham with better driving that is safer for pedestrians for years now – and it is not universally popular. “Why don’t you leave drivers alone” I hear quite a bit. In related news, I was disturbed by footage of a driver tearing along a Birmingham pavement – but not surprised. Read more: Inside suburb where ‘road rage fist fights’ happen every day The standard of driving I see in Birmingham is appalling. It doesn’t surprise me there has been a ‘concerning’ rise in the number of pedestrians killed on roads in the West Midlands. Right now, in the West Midlands, cars are among the most dangerous weapons in everyday circulation. Which is why we campaign about it. The footage above shows a driver abandoning even the most basic rules of the road, mounting the kerb and accelerating through pedestrian space. That moment matters because it breaks a fundamental boundary. Pavements are one of the last areas where people expect to be safe from vehicles. Once that line is crossed, …
West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford to retire following Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ban row | UK News
The chief constable of West Midlands Police (WMP) is to retire following a row over the force’s decision to ban Israeli football fans from a match in Birmingham for safety reasons. Craig Guildford will step down with immediate effect, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said on Friday. “In doing so, he has acted with honour and in the best interests of West Midlands Police and our region. I welcome his decision,” Mr Foster said. Image: Craig Guildford. Pic: PA Mr Guildford said after his retirement was announced that the “political and media frenzy” around his position had become “detrimental” to the force. His decision comes after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she did not have confidence in the police chief, following his force’s controversial ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from a Europa League tie against Aston Villa at Villa Park in November. On Wednesday, Ms Mahmood said: “We have witnessed a failure of leadership that has harmed the reputation of and eroded public confidence in West Midlands police, and policing more …
AI evidence, a fake match, and misleading MPs: What led to the downfall of the West Midlands Police chief goes beyond football | UK News
What led to the downfall of the chief of West Midlands Police goes beyond a football match and the exclusion of a fan base. It is a scandal that exposed skewed approaches while navigating the complexities and sensitivities of policing the ripples of the Israel-Gaza war and inflamed tensions in Birmingham. And above all, it laid bare how one of the country’s leading police forces mishandled intelligence, neglected the discrimination faced by a minority community, and repeatedly misled security meetings, the public and MPs. It led to three apologies from West Midlands Police (WMP) before the resignation of chief constable Craig Guildford on Friday, after losing the confidence of the government and the local council leader. You need javascript enabled to view this content Enable javascript to share Share Police chief apologises for Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban evidence There was evasiveness from the moment WMP went public with the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in mid-October, having had since August to prepare for the match against Aston Villa. They couldn’t immediately tell me …
Watchdog to examine West Midlands Police role in Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ban | UK News
The police watchdog has told Sky News it will assess evidence provided by West Midlands Police to MPs and consider the findings of a review into how its intelligence assessment was used to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from Aston Villa. The force is accused of misrepresenting the threat to justify advocating the exclusion of the Israeli club’s fans from the Europa League match in Birmingham in November. An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) spokesperson told Sky News: “It is right for public confidence and police accountability that the force’s involvement in the decision-making process is examined by all relevant organisations, including the IOPC.” West Midlands Police (WMP) has already had to apologise for providing misleading evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee. The force’s leadership faced further scrutiny from MPs on Tuesday about why they had only just revealed details of concerns about the local community in Birmingham apparently wanting to “arm” themselves against Maccabi fans. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for the resignation of Chief Constable Craig Guildford, claiming he presented …
East Midlands Airport issues travel warning | UK | News
An international airport in the UK has issued a warning to travellers, as a snow and ice yellow weather alert is to come into force tonight in the area. East Midlands Airport (EMA) has urged passengers to plan ahead as snowy conditions are expected to cause travel disruptions in the region. A statement from EMA, reported by NottinghamLive, read: “Wintry weather is forecast this evening and overnight. Our teams are ready to minimise any disruption it may cause. If you are travelling to the airport over the next few days, please take care and prepare in advance.” This comes as the Met Office has issued several weather warnings coming into force at various times over the next few days. Nine areas, including Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, in the East Midlands region are to be affected by a yellow snow and ice alert lasting several hours. The warning, issued earlier on Sunday, January 4, will come into force at 8pm and will remain in place until 11am tomorrow. The alert warns people that ice and snow may …
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ban: West Midlands Police ‘knew of antisemitism warning from Jewish groups’ | UK News
West Midlands Police told a safety planning meeting that Jewish groups warned excluding Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from an Aston Villa match “could be perceived as antisemitic” – weeks before telling MPs the Jewish community backed the ban, according to documents obtained by Sky News. The revelation comes after the force had to apologise for misleading the Home Affairs Select Committee ahead of its leadership being recalled to be questioned again by MPs on Tuesday. Emails and meetings related to the contentious ban decision were sent to Sky News by Birmingham City Council after a Freedom of Information request, containing redactions on security grounds. But they include minutes of the council’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) on 16 October – the day the ban on Israeli fans was ratified over the danger posed by them. There is a section on “community sentiment and impact” attributed to West Midlands Police, which had five representatives on the online Teams meeting. You need javascript enabled to view this content Enable javascript to share Share Police face fresh questions over …