All posts tagged: Town

New Toby Carvery restaurant confirmed for Kent seaside town

New Toby Carvery restaurant confirmed for Kent seaside town

Published by Sam Flores

Toby Carvery has confirmed plans to open a new restaurant along the Kent coast later this year. The roast dinner chain has announced it will open a branch in Dover, taking over a former Brewers Fayre restaurant. The Duke of York Brewers Fayre closed its doors for good back in May after operating in the port town for more than three decades. Now the Toby Carvery team has expressed their excitement in bringing the vacant space back to life in the near future. A spokesperson for the restaurant chain said: “We are delighted to be bringing Toby Carvery, the home of the roast, to Dover. This will be a significant investment and will create a number of new jobs. “We are excited about the potential for this venue and will look to open our doors towards the end of the year.” An exact date for the launch is yet to be determined, though the restaurant is likely to open sometime during the winter months. Toby Carvery currently operates four restaurants in Kent, found in Badgers …

The pretty riverside town with indie shops and a fairy tale trail just 30 minutes from Birmingham

The pretty riverside town with indie shops and a fairy tale trail just 30 minutes from Birmingham

Published by Sam Flores

Here’s a fun day out that’s free and super close to home. The black-and-white town of Droitwich Spa is set on the banks of the River Salwarpe and has seven miles of canals, making it great for walks and picnics. It has independent shops to mooch and cute cafes for ice creams and milkshakes, the famous lido for outdoor swimming and a brand new Saltwich Splash Park. And, just launched for summer 2026, there’s a fairy tale trail for families to follow, exploring each of the 10 beautifully illustrated shop windows Read more: 20 free things to do around Birmingham for the whole of the summer holidays Read next: Summer 2026 things to do in and around Birmingham Once Upon a Trail is free to enjoy and kids can pick up free trail activity books to collect hidden words in each window then turn them into their own story. The black and white buildings in historic Droitwich Spa -Credit:Darren Quinton/Birmingham Live A spokesman for Wychavon District Council, which is running the trail, said: “Looking for …

When the World Cup came to town : The Picture Show : NPR

When the World Cup came to town : The Picture Show : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

As the World Cup moves toward its conclusion this weekend, these photographs from NPR station photographers look beyond the stadium pitches to the places where fans gathered to take in the games. At watch parties just outside the stadiums’ gates, on street corners and in public parks and squares, these photos capture the rituals, anticipation, joy, disappointment and celebration that unfolded as the World Cup became, for a brief period, a part of local life. Accompanied by firsthand reflections from the photographers, these images offer a glimpse of how local communities gathered to share in the Cup, as well as the observations that stayed with the photographers who documented it. Guests in the Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center’s wave pool watch Norway play against Senegal on June 22 in Chula Vista, California. The resort was filled with young families for Father’s Day, hoping to beat a heat wave, and as soon as the game came on, people began to gather around the screen. Riley Arthur/KPBS hide caption toggle caption Riley Arthur/KPBS In the first …

When Flock Comes to Your Town: I Asked Experts What to Do About These AI Cameras

When Flock Comes to Your Town: I Asked Experts What to Do About These AI Cameras

Published by skeptic

Hundreds of cities across the US had adopted a now-familiar brand: Flock Safety surveillance systems, using controversial, AI license plate detection cameras and broad contracts with local police. Now cities, from my home of Bend, Oregon, to the LAPD in Los Angeles, are canceling their Flock contracts, while other towns are even covering Flock cameras with plastic bags while trying to figure out if the cams are actually shut down.  So, what does it mean when you spot the first camera-and-solar-panel Flock setup in your own neighborhood? I talked to Flock, the American Civil Liberties Union and others about what you need to know.  Read more: State Laws Against Surveillance and License Plate Cams Flock made headlines late last year during widespread crackdowns by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Though Flock doesn’t have a direct partnership with federal agencies (a blurry line I’ll discuss below), law enforcement agencies are free to share data with departments like ICE, and they frequently do. And Flock Safety coverage, along with citizen concerns, has only risen since then.  One study from the Center for Human …

Plans for 150 homes near Nottinghamshire town approved at appeal

Plans for 150 homes near Nottinghamshire town approved at appeal

Published by Sam Flores

A housing developer’s plans for up to 149 homes to be built in a former coal mining village have been given the green light by the Planning Inspectorate. In early 2025, Countryside Properties (UK) Limited, which operates under its parent company Vistry, tabled initial plans to build 149 homes on land at Stubbinghill Farm, in Brand Lane, Stanton Hill, in Sutton in Ashfield. Ashfield District Council was expected to determine the application within the relevant timeframe but this was not the case, meaning the developer lodged an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate earlier in 2026 for a decision. Plans have been previously proposed for the site in the past, including one for 142 homes in 2020 and another for 141 homes in 2022 but these were both thrown out over concerns the homes would result in “significant harm” to the character of Brand Lane and wider area. Fears of “further encroachment” into the countryside were also noted, along with a new development that would create “significant volumes” of traffic without improvements in the area. These …

Fear and hope in Utah town in the shadow of America’s largest wildfire : NPR

Fear and hope in Utah town in the shadow of America’s largest wildfire : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

The Babylon fire burns on the Manti-La Sal National Forest outside Monticello, Utah July 6, 2026 Inciweb hide caption toggle caption Inciweb Since it started three weeks ago the Babylon Fire has consumed more than 106,000 acres of forest in the mountains outside the town of Monticello, Utah. People there remain ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice. For the last week, dozens of Monticello residents have been gathering every evening on the west edge of town, to thank and support some of the hundreds of firefighters here when a long line of their trucks roll out of the Abajo Mountains. People here have been through a lot since the Babylon Fire started June 26th, when dry conditions and 50 mile-per-hour winds blew the fire up quickly. “The first few days it was moving 20,000 acres a day,” said Monticello mayor Kevin Dunn. “Almost a thousand acres an hour. At that point it was completely uncontrollable.” Initially the fire grew inside a buffer of federal land on the Manti-LaSal National Forest. But by July 6 …

Seaside town plagued by flies in ‘biblical’ scenes making people ‘physically sick’ | UK | News

Seaside town plagued by flies in ‘biblical’ scenes making people ‘physically sick’ | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

People in this seaside town say they are being plagued by flies (Image: Getty/David Jones) Residents living in a famous UK seaside town say they are being plagued by an infestation of flies which is leaving them “physically sick” and unable to cook or eat in their own homes. One resident said it was a “recurring nightmare” that they have to deal with year after year. The issue has been affecting people in an area of Llanelli in south-west Wales since June and investigations are ongoing to determine the cause. But this isn’t the first year the area has seen scores of the insects descend on it, with the cause seemingly a mystery. Resident David Jones told WalesOnline: “It’s been going on for a few weeks now this summer but the truth is this is a recurring nightmare that keeps coming back to plague us year after year. It affects every single part of daily life. You can’t open the windows or doors to let a breeze in, even when it’s boiling hot, because they …

Man masturbates next to woman with pram in UK market town | UK | News

Man masturbates next to woman with pram in UK market town | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

A pervert was caught masturbating next to a woman with a pram at a railway station platform in a market town. Michael Wainwright, 74, from Calderdale, West Yorkshire, was caught pleasuring himself at Hebden Bridge station on February 22. He was sentenced to eight months in prison and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order at Bradford Crown Court on June 25, according to British Transport Police (BTP). Det Cons David Bentley said: “Wainwright’s actions were nothing short of horrific.” It was midday when a member of the public reported to station staff that a man was masturbating on the platform next to the woman and pram. After failing to spot it on CCTV, the railway station worker went to the platform where he saw for himself what Wainwright was up to. The station worker called the police and the sicko was arrested and taken into custody. BTP said in his police interview he admitted his crime and acknowledged it was wrong, but failed to explain why he did it. Det Cons Bentley said Wainwright later admitted …

A brilliant and bonkers day out: how art and spectacle transformed a former Durham mining town | County Durham

A brilliant and bonkers day out: how art and spectacle transformed a former Durham mining town | County Durham

Published by Sam Flores

Booming Hans Zimmer-style cinematic music reaches a crescendo, shaking my bones. Two turquoise macaws swoop within an inch of my hair and join a sky filled with nearly 250 birds. Hawks, kites, pelicans, and an owl soar and swoop around a pagan-looking wooden circle. Peacocks fuss at the makeshift river below, coaxed by two actors telling the story of humans’ relationship with nature. Grey clouds roll in, dark with rain. After all, we are risking an open-air performance in north-east England. I’m at a preview of Kynren: the Storied Lands, the latest gloriously unrestrained project in the market town of Bishop Auckland, 12 miles south of Durham. I grew up near Bishop Auckland, which was once an important coal-mining and railway town. Last time I was here, its centre was dominated by discount stores. If, in 2003, you’d told teenage me that the high street would become an ode to art, history and culture, I would have laughed. Well, I would have grunted and turned up the Nu metal on my MP3 player. The Spanish …

80-home development for Nottinghamshire town returns after being sent back to drawing board

80-home development for Nottinghamshire town returns after being sent back to drawing board

Published by Sam Flores

A town housing development has been tipped for approval after being sent back to the drawing board over a number of concerns. Developer Keepmoat Homes has been planning to build 80 homes off Grove Road in Retford, as part of its Fairygrove development. The site, which is part of a conservation area and is made up of agricultural land and a former horticultural nursery, is around 1.8 km from the town centre. It sits between the East Coast Mainline and London Road. Bassetlaw District Council had allocated the site for 61 homes, and the increase in planned houses prompted fears from dozens of nearby residents. The application was initially submitted for up to 95 homes, before being scaled back to 80. One resident, Tracey Simpson, said: “The Fairygrove site was identified in the approved Local Plan for 61 properties, the current planning application [is] for 80 properties, [and] if approved will severely impact my current privacy and peace – and my concern regarding the boundary now adds to the impact.” Another resident, Lynda Armitage, added: …