I'm not sure it was - ever - very much in person.. However, the branch network as I understand it is like little call centres where the volunteers who take some very difficult calls can be mutually supportive.  It takes a special person to man phone lines for calls like this and they need their network.   

This incident hit me hard as I’d just got home from taking a school group of 60-65 passengers to Longleat on the day it happened. I’ve never had an incident like this effect me emotionally previously.

Something that’s stood out to me in all of the news reports. There has been No mention of the driver’s  condition that I have seen.

The child, who hasn't yet been named, died yesterday afternoon while the driver remains in a stable condition in hospital.

A young woman has sustained potentially life-changing injuries to her head while on a ride at a village fair, police have said.

The 18-year-old was taken to hospital after the incident at Netley Marsh Steam and Craft Show at 22:53 BST on Saturday.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said officers were liaising with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

A woman, who told the BBC she helped administer first aid to the teenager, said she had experienced a "degloving injury".



The organisers of Netley Marsh Steam and Craft Show have been approached for comment.

An HSE spokesperson said the incident was "local authority enforced and with Hampshire police".

A post on the fair's Facebook page said on Sunday: "Good morning from day three of the show. Despite what you may have read or seen online, we are open and look forward to seeing you all!"

In terms of reusing tunnels for shared use paths, during the planning and permissions phase, not being able to see one end from the other is viewed by some as a negative - but the Two Tunnels route happily demonstrates that people who use the route come to view the curve(s) in the tunnels as a positive quality.

Perhaps Lees Moor has something going for it after all.

Err ... what sort of repairs are needed to a train that can lumber into Westbury from the South West, but then not carry on North East to Melksham and Chippenham?

The Swedes are generally law-abiding.

I don't blame the UK Government. I also wish we were more 'Swedish'....

11:27 Weymouth to Chippenham due 13:29

11:27 Weymouth to Chippenham due 13:29 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

13:47 Chippenham to Weymouth due 15:45

13:47 Chippenham to Weymouth due 15:45 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time

19:58 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 22:23 will be terminated at Reading.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:27/07/2025 04:49

I would look to MarkA's opinion on what the "unusual conditions" mean **nip**

10:41 Westbury to Swindon due 11:23

Facilities on the 10:41 Westbury to Swindon due 11:23.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.

I think it's Sweden - despite my previous Indian-sub-continent-themed post.

More ABBA, then. 

Five grab lorries were needed to remove a "carpet" of 80 tonnes of duckweed from a canal.

Stourport Basin in Worcestershire, was turned fluorescent green by the tiny, free-floating aquatic plant, and earlier in July it was reported a dog had drowned in the canal after it went into the water.

Charles Hughes from the Canal and Rivers Trust said Stourport Basin had one of the worst incidents of duckweed growth ever seen in the West Midlands, with the entire canal and nearby locations experiencing rapid widespread growth.  "We've been spending a lot of money and time trying to deal with this - it was a five day job which cost us £12,500," he said.

"Duckweed is very difficult to manually remove, because it's very small plants, but it can get quite heavy as well. Because they multiply and grow so quickly, they almost form these mats over the surface and often it can be quite deceptive, especially for people who come into an area they are not familiar with. You won't see any open water so it presents a health and safety risk," he added.



The task to remove the plant involved using a weed harvester boat, developed to specifically remove water plants. "We then remove it into a storage called a hopper before we take it away to be disposed of. We had five grab lorries worth which amounted to 80 tonnes of duckweed."

Mr Hughes said as the region experiences hotter and drier weather, it creates the perfect environment for the aquatic plant to grow quickly and invasively. "Over the last five years, we've been having to spend tens of thousands of pounds just in the West Midlands region alone. The annual costs of just managing aquatic weed can come close to the million pound mark," he said.

View from train about an hour ago ... where am I?