Wednesday 17th March 2010 Kestrels on duty in Rhyl
Seabirds are a growing nuisance in the Welsh seaside resort of Rhyl.
The problem has got so bad that two residents have decided to take the
matter into hand and plan to train up three apprentice falconers. Mike
Espley and Rob Davis say seagulls are a serious problem and the cheeky
gulls will even grab food out of your hand!

Mike is a councillor and Rob a falconer and together they hope to
train three unemployed youngsters in the art of falconry. Their
efforts to train the youths and to control the seagulls will be
documented by BBC Wales. North Wales

Wednesday 17th March 2010 Rampaging pike to go
Fishermen have got so fed up with the aggressive pike in the waters at
Par pond they’ve persuaded the Environment Agency to remove the fish
and transfer them elsewhere. The pike, which are not native to
Cornwall, are said to be terrorising the other fish in the pond.
Anglers have reported their catches being ripped from the line by the
pike, which have been reported to weigh up to 15lbs.

The pike are efficient killers that swim fast and have razor sharp
teeth. The anglers say that their presence is threatening the stock of
coarse fish in the pond. Fishery officers are worried the pike numbers
could get out of hand and spread to other waters. The pike will be
removed and, as long as they prove healthy, will be moved to more
suitable waters. Cornwall

Tuesday 16th March 2010 Tweet if you see a daffodil in bloom
Tourism chiefs in Cumbria have taken the unprecedented step of asking
people to send a tweet on Twitter if they find a daffodil in bloom.
The cold winter has put the spring flowering plants like the daffodil
back a month. The ‘Daffs Watch’ appeal hopes people will post
sightings of the flowers on social networking sites when the pretty
yellow blooms finally show.

Eric Robson, Chairman of Cumbria Tourism, said: "It's virtually
unheard of not to have seen a single daffodil in the Lake District by
the middle of March. It's an industry of its own with visitors coming
here just to see them by the lakesides. The upside is that because
they are late, it means they should be out and looking their best for
the Easter holidays." Cumbria

Tuesday 16th March 2010 Sea power award imminent
The Crown Estate, owners of the seabed around the UK, is poised to
announce the successful companies who have bid to develop sea power
off the coast of Scotland. The plans to generate electricity from wave
and tidal energy from the Pentland Firth and the sea around Orkney
have been submitted by rival firms. First Minister Alex Salmond
described Scotland as the Saudi Arabia of marine power claiming it had
huge potential for renewable power generation.

Complex legal paperwork and negotiations were said to be on schedule
at Crown Estates. Leases will soon be granted to companies to start
installing the necessary equipment to harness marine power off the
coast of Scotland. Orkneys

Monday 15th March 2010 Wembley Way built by Germans
German POWs were responsible for the building of Wembley Way, this is
the shocking truth of one of England’s most iconic thoroughfares
according to investigations by the BBC. Over three years after the end
of World War Two German Prisoners of War were still held in camps
inside England. The combination of this free source of labour and the
great need to redevelop Britain’s shattered infrastructure proved
irresistible to the Ministry of Labour and the POWs were put to work
in a variety of ways.

One of the tasks completed by the squads of captured German soldiers
was the construction of the approach road to London’s new flagship
stadium at Wembley. Despite the efforts of these Germans, their nation
itself wasn’t invited to the Olympic Games held at the newly built
Wembley Stadium in 1948. London

Monday 15th March 2010 High speed rail link for Scotland vital
The UK government has been setting out proposals for a high speed
railway to carry trains at 250mph across Britain. The plans must
include a line to Scotland, according to UK Transport Secretary Lord
Adonis. The first section of the line will connect London to
Birmingham but the plan is to extend the line further north to reach
Edinburgh and Glasgow. The journey time between London and the two
Scottish cities would be cut to under three hours.

Scottish Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said "I am very clear
that the business case for a high-speed rail link is greatly enhanced
by bringing it all the way to Scotland and the transport secretary is
very much of that mind too. The Scottish government has developed a
compelling case for high-speed rail to Scotland, and it is vital that
it happens. Scotland's transport future must include high-speed rail,
and we will work with the UK government to help deliver it."

Friday 12th March 2010 10,000 bikers ride out for ‘Heroes’
10,000 bikers are expected to turn out to rally in support of the
armed forces serving in Afghanistan on Sunday. The motorcyclists plan
to gather at Hullavington Airfield before riding out to Wootton
Basset. Riders will congregate from 0800 GMT and the ride will start
on the runway at Hullavington Airfield (A429) before proceeding to the
A429 (north west to Burton Hill), B4042 (Priory Roundabout to Callows
Cross), Callow Hill to White Hill Lane and the A3102 to Wootton
Bassett. The ride has been coordinated via Facebook. Wiltshire police
have warned motorists that they face delays and suggested the seek
alternative routes. Wiltshire

Friday 12th March 2010 Viking skeletons in Dorset pit
Fifty-one skeletons laying in a Dorset burial pit have been identified
as Scandinavian Vikings according to scientists. The bones, which all
once belonged to young men who died in violent circumstances, were
discovered last June at Ridgeway Hill, near Weymouth.

Oxford Archaeology excavated 51 skulls to examine the remains in an
attempt to link the find to historical events. Project manager David
Score said: "To find out that the young men executed were Vikings is a
thrilling development. Any mass grave is a relatively rare find, but
to find one on this scale, from this period of history, is extremely
unusual." Dorset

Thursday 11th March 2010 Cornish Pasty seeks protection
The Cornish pasty is a favourite treat for anyone visiting England’s
most south-westerly county. The pasty, with its trademark side-crimp
and chunky filling, is famous the world over and now moves are being
taken to protect the term ‘Cornish pasty’. The bid hopes to move the
Cornish pasty into the same exclusive club of protected foods as
Cornish clotted cream and the Cornish sardine. It would give the
humble pasty the identical status as French Champagne, Jersey royal
potatoes, Newcastle brown ale and Roquefort cheese.

The move would protect the distinctive ‘D’ shape of the pasty and
ensure they were only crimped on the side, never on the top. The side
crimp is said to have allowed Cornish tin miners to eat the pie and
discard the crimp as it would have been soiled by their ore-covered
hands. Protected status would also mean that only pasties actually
made in Cornwall could carry the name ‘Cornish’. Cornwall

Thursday 11th March 2010 M6 speed camera may be Britain’s most lucrative
A camera installed in roadworks on the M6 in Cumbria has netted a
pocket filling £168,000 for the Cumbria Road Safety Partnership. The
busy little yellow box nabbed no less than 5,569 motorists in just
five weeks to earn this unprecedented haul. Safety bosses said they
had no idea why the camera had done so well. Kevin Tea, manager of
Cumbria Safety Cameras, even admitted: "In seven years working on the
safety partnership in Cumbria never have I seen a camera generate so
many tickets.”

However, an alternative safety group which represents drivers rather
than the police and paid bureaucrats, take a different view. Claire
Armstrong, co-founder of driver education champions Safe Speed said:
"We're pretty disgusted. It's obviously got nothing to do with road
safety. The fact it's raising so much revenue will add to the
police/public divide and continue to make people believe it's just
about making money. You don't measure safe driving in miles per hour." Cumbria