Babak Belurs

Selasa, 05 April 2022

Manchester Airport: Police could help tackle 'chaos', mayor says - BBC

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Police and fire and rescue service staff could be drafted in to help tackle the chaos at Manchester Airport, the region's mayor has said.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is meeting airport bosses to discuss the "concerning" current situation.

Travellers have criticised long delays and missed flights over the weekend.

Mr Burnham said he would be seeking reassurance about what is being done to bring the situation under control, but will also offer his support.

Travellers at the airport have faced long queues for check-in and security over the past month, with some missing flights at the start of the Easter school holidays.

Manchester Airport has previously apologised and said the industry was "facing staff shortages and recruitment challenges".

"I have been in touch with colleagues at Greater Manchester Police at the weekend to see what we can do to support the airport," Mr Burnham said.

"It's a difficult moment for airports around the world having laid low for the pandemic, they've had to scale up very quickly.

"But at the same time, we don't want to see the scenes that we saw at the weekend and we obviously need to work with them to work through those issues and make sure we're managing those things and giving the right information to the public and being clear about the plan to get things to an acceptable level."

Manchester Airports Group is partly owned by the 10 local authorities of Greater Manchester, with the biggest stake held by Manchester Council, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Mr Burnham said although the airport was run independently of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, it matters "hugely" to the city-region.

"To some degree, airports all over the world are going through this because gearing up an airport after they're almost ground to a halt over the last couple of years is a really hard thing to do," he added.

"Airports need staff across security, check-in, retail - there's a huge number of people who work at an airport and it's not easy to go back."

Airport management are meeting political leaders and unions later on Tuesday and a statement on the talks is expected from Mr Burnham on Wednesday.

Andy Prendergast, the national secretary for the GMB union which represents aviation staff, told BBC Radio 5 Live the aviation industry was "one that's had a torrid couple of years".

"Over that period they've lost huge numbers of staff via redundancy and people getting other jobs," he said.

"Quite simply there isn't the capacity to look after all the travellers."

John O'Neill, North West Regional Industrial Officer for Unite, said after mass redundancies due to Covid, some workers have found alternative jobs with similar wages and may not be willing to return to work at the airport doing unsocial hours for similar rates of pay.

"Summer is going to be far worse than this. It is the time to get everything in place otherwise summer is going to very difficult," he said.

Greater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry said: "As a member of the local resilience forum, Greater Manchester Police supports partner agencies in producing plans to prevent and mitigate the impact of incidents on our local communities."

One airport worker also said he had quit his job over the "dangerous" situation at the airport.

Ray Ellis said: "It just felt so dangerous and so wrong in my soul.

"I couldn't do it any longer so I put my notice in.

"On the final day I didn't know if I was working a full shift or a half shift, I got no feedback, so I just walked off the job."

There were still problems on Tuesday morning, with one Twitter user describing only two security scanners in operation and "many panicking passengers" and another saying they could not get into the airport.

Can’t even get into Manchester Airport never mind through security or passport control! @manairport pic.twitter.com/q2OPN3e5Ks
— The Secret Accountant 🇺🇦 (@TheSecretAcct) April 5, 2022

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

However, another passenger said they got through security quickly and said departures staff "were great too".

Through @manairport t2 security in fifteen mins, now having a longgg breakfast. @jet2tweets bunch at departures were great too
— Hannah G-A (@HannahG64669458) April 5, 2022

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

Manchester Airport has previously admitted passengers' experiences have fallen "below the standard we aim to provide".

A spokesperson said: "We are doing all we can to recruit the staff we need to meet this demand, but this is taking time due to the lengthy vetting and training processes involved.

"Our whole industry is facing staff shortages and recruitment challenges at present, after the most damaging two years in its history."

Have your travel plans been affected by disruption at UK airports? Tell us about it by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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Senin, 04 April 2022

Partygate: Fines issued by Metropolitan Police for events on eve of Prince Philip's funeral - Sky News

The Metropolitan Police have issued fines relating to Downing Street events that took place on the night before the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral last year, it has emerged.

Last week the force issued 20 fixed penalty notices to people who attended lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street and Whitehall.

Some of these were for two separate events on 16 April 2021, when advisers and civil servants are said to have gathered after work.

Prince Philip died on 9 April 2021 and his funeral was on 17 April in Windsor.

One of the events was for James Slack, the former Downing Street director of communications, and the other was for a photographer.

Number 10 staff were said to have partied until the early hours of the morning in a seven-hour drinking session with takeaway pizzas.

Some attendees are said to have used a slide belonging to Wilfred, the one-year-old son of Boris and Carrie Johnson.

The Queen was pictured alone at St George's Chapel the next day, sitting socially distanced from her family as she said goodbye to her husband.

Number 10 previously said an apology had been extended to Buckingham Palace.

The Met Police are investigating 12 events that allegedly broke lockdown rules in Westminster, including as many as six that Mr Johnson is said to have attended, and has sent out more than 100 questionnaires and so far issued 20 fines.

The prime minister has not been fined in the first tranche of fixed penalty notices, which are worth £50.

The prime minister received his questionnaire in February but he will not be interviewed by the force, according to ITV News.

The force is not interviewing those who have been sent questionnaires and could potentially be fined, it said.

Only "witnesses", whose role is to help officers interpret questionnaires will be questioned.

Number 10 has said it will confirm if Mr Johnson or Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, are given a fixed penalty notice.

Mr Johnson is not said to have attended the events on 16 April.

The Met Police declined to comment. The Cabinet Office also said it had nothing to add.

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2022-04-04 05:53:42Z
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Minggu, 03 April 2022

Just Stop Oil: More than 200 arrests as climate activists disrupt key terminals for third day - Sky News

About 100 protesters have disrupted key oil terminals in England for a third consecutive day.

Activists from the environmental campaign group Just Stop Oil have forced a number of facilities to cease operating on Sunday.

The protesters are demanding that the UK government stops new oil and gas projects.

More than 30 members of Just Stop Oil camped outside the Buncefield oil terminal in Hertfordshire overnight.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, 12 activists gained access to the site and entered the facility.

Some stood on fuel trucks with banners and refused to come down, while others sat outside the gates to prevent tankers from leaving.

Ronan, a protester who slept overnight at the site, told Sky News: "This is an ongoing campaign so there is no end date to it.

"Our message is that direct action and civil disobedience is only going to ramp up until we see change in the right direction.

"It's just incredibly sad that it takes action like this to force change, but as long as we don't see change, activists will stand up and force change."

When asked whether this is the right time for action like this disrupting fuel supply in the midst of a cost of living crisis, Ronan said he feels he cannot wait any longer.

The protester continued: "Unless we act today, the questions we will have in the future will be, can we feed ourselves? That's the choice we now have.

"Do we go through mild disruption now, to transition away from fossil fuels rapidly - or do we plough on and end up in a situation where we have massive flooding, potentially mass starvation, as crops fail? This isn't hyperbole."

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Hertfordshire Police and ambulances have been on site since the early hours and have arrested 27 people. Officers flew drones above the site and an extensive exclusion zone remains in place.

Buncefield's terminal was one of seven sites targeted by Just Stop Oil over the past three days and more than 200 people have been arrested since Friday.

At the Kingsbury Oil Terminal in Warwickshire, police arrested 54 people for offences including criminal damage, obstructing the highway and public order.

Assistant Chief Constable Ben Smith, who is leading the operation, said: "We fully acknowledge every person's right to engage in lawful protest, however, when that protest becomes unlawful and disproportionate in nature, we will act to protect the rights of others."

Tunnellers who have disrupted the entrances to Navigator and Grays terminals in Thurrock, Essex, since Friday remain in place, with 35 more people arrested on Sunday.

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2022-04-03 14:06:19Z
1366062447

Shrewsbury maternity scandal: Calls for independent oversight of services - BBC

Donna Ockenden, chair of the Independent Review into Maternity Services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, with families affected by incidents at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust,

An MP has called for an independent organisation to be brought in to oversee improvements at Shropshire's under-fire maternity services.

A report found catastrophic failings at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Hospitals Trust (SaTH) contributed to hundreds of babies' deaths over 20 years.

Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, said an independent body would help "restore trust".

SaTH said improvements had already been made to its services.

Ms Morgan said the report, published on Wednesday by senior midwife Donna Ockenden, "was devastating reading".

The review was first launched in 2017 to examine a cluster of 23 cases, but was expanded to look at almost 1,600 and became the largest of its kind in NHS history.

Among its key findings were that there was an undue focus on so-called "natural births"; a culture where mistakes were not investigated; parents were not listened to and that the trust failed to learn from its mistakes.

"A lot of women have experience of being made to feel inadequate for having a C-section, I know I was," Ms Morgan said, detailing how a midwife - not at SaTH - had asked her if she "felt like a failure".

While she said that had been a national issue, she said the report showed "that culture went further at SaTH than anywhere else".

Speaking to the BBC's Politics Midlands programme, Conservative MP for Ludlow, Philip Dunne, agreed. He said the trust was "praised for having the lowest rate of C-sections in the country... it wasn't just them, everyone was saying this was a good thing."

This culture meant the trust "was not focussed on mother and baby outcomes," he added.

Although Ms Morgan said she had faith that management at SaTH would implement Ms Ockenden's recommendations, she still backed calls for an independent body.

"I think it would help to restore trust and confidence that there was somebody else looking over their shoulder saying, 'yes we're happy'," she said.

"I think the maternity services stand a fighting chance," she added. "The comments about the [SaTH] culture are very concerning but I think [chief executive] Louise Barnett also acknowledges the scale of the task."

Shaun Davies, the Labour leader of Telford and Wrekin Borough Council, said: "I am being reassured by the current leadership, but it's clearly showing that things still aren't right.

"People in Shropshire deserve better than what we've got at the moment."

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk

Sabtu, 02 April 2022

Dover queues due to shortage of cross-Channel ferries - BBC

Motorists have reported delays of more than six hours approaching Dover with long queues caused by disruption to cross-Channel ferry services.

Bad weather and a shortage of ferries are being blamed.

Capacity at the Port of Dover was already reduced due to the suspension of P&O services.

Lorry driver Stuart Orme, who has been stuck for several hours, told the BBC people were being "treated like animals" with little or no help.

A section of the M20 is being used to park lorries, leading to long tailbacks and under Operation Brock, the motorway remains closed to anything other than freight between junctions eight and nine.

The Department for Transport says efforts are being made to minimise disruption.

Operation Brock's concrete barrier, found between Ashford and Maidstone on the M20, was originally introduced to keep traffic moving amid fears that a no-deal Brexit plan would lead to delays at the border.

Lorry driver Stuart Orme told BBC South East on Saturday he had been stuck between junctions eight and nine of the M20 for more than six hours and had moved less than 0.6 miles (1km) in that time.

"We're being treated like animals. No welfare, no toilet facilities and no information. We're just left here", Mr Orme said.

"We're trying to get to the Ashford truck stop because we won't get over [to their destination] today. They won't let us go down the middle of the queue to get to Ashford to use facilities."

Another freight firm Logistics UK told the BBC it had built in plans for a 15-hour wait at Dover to cross the channel, and again at Calais on the way back.

NHS nurse Matthias Mueller left his home in London with his family at 05:00 BST to try and be among the first to swap his P&O ticket for a DFDS one at the port.

"We are going to Germany to see my parents for the first time in two years. We thought this would be an early start to the Easter holidays, it's come to a standstill." Mr Mueller said.

Nick Gale, a teacher from Kent travelling to Amsterdam with family, criticised the "awful" communication around Dover after missing the ferry they were booked on.

"We've got no food and an eight-year-old in the back moaning", Mr Gale said.

"Around Dover it's awful, there is no communication for what non-freight customers [are] to do. We're local to the area so knew a couple of ways to beat the huge queues but it's literally not moving."

Dover MP Natalie Elphicke said: "The traffic disruption caused by P&O's actions is very serious", adding that the adverse weather and Easter break had made the situation "severe" and likely to continue for days.

"The problems have caused an unacceptable impact on our community, particularly at Whitfield, Aycliffe, Capel-Le-Ferne and in Dover town itself."

Bus operator Stagecoach also tweeted it was experiencing significant disruption to local services in Dover due to gridlock in the town centre.

Some schools have already broken up for Easter and an increase in traffic was expected as many families made the most of the easing of travel restrictions.

P&O services have been reduced after the company sacked 800 workers last month. It has yet to be given permission to resume sailings to France using cheaper agency staff.

The shortage of cross-Channel services was made worse after a DFDS ferry hit a berth in Dunkirk in strong winds, leading to that being taken out of service for repairs.

It will not be available until Monday at the earliest.

Travel journalist Simon Calder described it as a "perfect storm" for Easter travellers.

With P&O's three vessels at berth in Dover, he said DFDS services had been coping well with the extra passengers until Saturday.

A "surge in demand" had been coupled with difficult weather conditions in the Channel overnight, he said.

Disruption at airports

"It's very difficult to see how that will be relieved," he added, with bookings also high at the Eurotunnel terminal at nearby Folkestone.

Eurotunnel Le Shuttle is reporting hour-long delays ahead of check in. The firm says it is "currently experiencing issues with our system at check-in" and apologised to passengers.

Mr Calder said disruption was affecting airports as well with Easyjet cancelling flights to Mykonos, Copenhagen and Corfu at Manchester Airport.

Meanwhile, British Airways has denied widespread flight cancellations at Gatwick, contrary to earlier reports.

The airline said that while it was a very busy weekend, the majority of flights were operating as planned.

However, it said it had "slightly reduced" its schedule until the end of May as it built up the business after the pandemic, which saw large-scale job cuts.

BA has previously announced it had cancelled a substantial number of flights in recent weeks to give it operational resilience.

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk.

Are you stuck in a traffic queue in Dover? Tell us your story by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

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2022-04-02 13:24:51Z
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Dover queues due to shortage of cross-Channel ferries - BBC

Motorists have reported delays of more than six hours approaching Dover with long queues caused by disruption to cross-Channel ferry services.

Bad weather and a shortage of ferries are being blamed.

Capacity at the Port of Dover was already reduced, due to the suspension of P&O services.

While drivers have been forced to wait to board ferries, a section of the M20 is being used to park lorries, leading to long tailbacks.

Under Operation Brock, the motorway remains closed to anything other than freight between junctions eight and nine, with Kent Police and National Highways on the scene.

The Department for Transport says efforts are being made to minimise disruption.

NHS nurse Matthias Mueller left his home in London with his family at 05:00 BST to try and be among the first to swap his P&O ticket for a DFDS one at the port.

"We are going to Germany to see my parents for the first time in two years," he said.

"We thought this would be an early start to the Easter holidays, it's come to a standstill. I've told my parents we won't be there until the evening."

"The problems have caused an unacceptable impact on our community, particularly at Whitfield, Aycliffe, Capel-Le-Ferne and in Dover town itself."

Bus operator Stagecoach also tweeted it was experiencing significant disruption to local services in Dover due to gridlock in the town centre.

Some schools have already broken up for Easter and an increase in traffic was expected as many families made the most of the easing of travel restrictions.

P&O services have been reduced after the company sacked 800 workers last month. It has yet to be given permission to resume sailings to France using cheaper agency staff.

The shortage of cross-Channel services was made worse after a DFDS ferry hit a berth in Dunkirk in strong winds, leading to that being taken out of service for repairs.

'Perfect storm'