Connect with us

Published

on

Police are continuing to investigate a fatal car crash in Cardiff which left three people dead as questions remain over why it took so long to find the victims.

Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, died after the Volkswagen Tiguan they were travelling in came off the A48(M) in the Welsh capital and crashed into trees in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32 – who were in the same vehicle and survived – remain in a critical condition, according to police.

Hundreds of people took part in searches but police did not issue a public appeal for help until Sunday evening – more than a day after the first missing person report was made.

Both Gwent and South Wales Police have come under heavy criticism over how long it took to find the wreckage.

Exclusive:
Sister of crash victim ‘disappointed’ with police

And now the forces have confirmed the timings of missing person reports it received – the earliest of which came in more than a day before a public appeal was launched, and the vehicle was eventually found.

Lewis Pace was a close friend of victim Rafel Jeanne. He and his father say they found tyre tracks leading to the wreckage just before the police did – and that officers “should have been looking” earlier than they did.

Here are the timings of everything we know so far.

Friday 3 March

The group had been to a social club in Maesglas, Newport, on Friday night and were thought to have then travelled 40 miles to the Trecco Bay area of Porthcawl.

A map showing the locations the group were know to have visited before the crash

Saturday 4 March

Police have confirmed they were last seen at 2am on Saturday 4 March in Pentwyn in Cardiff.

South Wales Police and Gwent Police said in a joint statement that the collision occurred “during the early hours” of Saturday morning, with the exact time yet to be confirmed by the investigation.

All five were registered missing by their families, having failed to return home.

The first missing person report was made to Gwent Police at 7.34pm on Saturday, with further missing person reports made at 7.43pm and 9.32pm.

cardiff map

Sunday 5 March

A further report was made to South Wales Police at 5.37pm on Sunday.

Police confirmed the timings of the missing reports in a statement on Tuesday.

Hundreds of people took part in searches but Gwent Police did not issue a public appeal for help until 11pm on Sunday.

Police say at 11.50pm a police helicopter was requested to search an area of Cardiff which resulted in a vehicle being located in a wooded area off of the A48(M).

Clockwise from top left: Darcy Ross, Shane Loughlin, Eve Smith, Sophie Russon, Rafel Jeanne
Image:
Clockwise from top left: Darcy Ross, Shane Loughlin, Eve Smith, Sophie Russon, Rafel Jeanne

Monday 6 March

The car the five were travelling in was discovered in the St Mellons area of the capital in the early hours of Monday.

Friends of the five claim they found the vehicle before officers – while police insist it was located by a helicopter.

A father and son – who was best friends with one of the victims killed in the crash – told Sky News they found the car in a wooded area along the A48 just after midnight.

People lay flowers near the scene
Image:
People lay flowers near the scene

Matthew Pace, 45, and his son Lewis, 26 said that police arrived “about a minute” after he and Lewis had pulled up by the side of the road after noticing “tyre marks” near the wooded area.

Gwent Police say officers in the area conducting inquiries discovered the Volkswagen Tiguan at 12.15am.

Officers believe the vehicle was involved in a road traffic collision, but it is not clear exactly when that happened. South Wales Police and Gwent Police think only one car was involved in the crash.

Both forces have referred the matter to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, “in line with normal procedure”.

Continue Reading

UK

‘It’s just nasty’: Birmingham residents ‘overwhelmed’ by foul stench and massive rats as bins strike rumbles on

Published

on

By

'It's just nasty': Birmingham residents 'overwhelmed' by foul stench and massive rats as bins strike rumbles on

In parts of Birmingham, the stench is overwhelming – enough to make you heave.

At a block of flats in Highgate, in Birmingham city centre, we find a mountain of bin liners full of rubbish spewing out of the cavernous bin store, which is normally locked.

Mickel comes out to speak to us, while all around bin liners lie open, with the contents for all to see, including used nappies and rotting food.

Birmingham
strike bin workers
Image:
Mickel says they’ve had ‘foxes and rats, literally the size of cats’

Outside Mickel's flat in Highgate, bin liners lie open, spewing out rubbish, including used nappies and rotting food
Image:
Outside Mickel’s flat in Highgate, bin liners lie open, spewing out rubbish

We both find it hard to keep talking amid the awful smell.

“We’ve had foxes and rats, literally the size of cats, flies, it’s just nasty, something needs to be done,” he says.

Birmingham
Birmingham
Image:
Chris says the situation is ‘overwhelming’ as she’s ‘terrified of rats’

Around the corner, I meet Chris, in her dressing gown, popping the bins into her bin store beneath her flat before work.

She unlocks it, and although it isn’t bursting out on to the street yet, it is getting full.

Get in touch

If you’ve been affected by the strikes and resulting pest infestation, we want to hear from you.

You can share your story, pictures or video with us using our app, private messaging or email.

Your Report on Sky News apps
WhatsApp
Email at news@skynews.com

By sending us your video footage/photographs/audio you agree we can broadcast, publish and edit the material and pass it on to others for similar use in any media worldwide, without any payment being due to you.

Please do not submit your contribution unless you accept this.

She says the situation is “overwhelming” as she’s “terrified of rats”. But, even so, she has sympathy for the striking bin workers.

“It’s not an easy job; they must have a heart of gold to do that job,” she says.

“Pay them whatever they need, they deserve it.”

Striking bin workers in Birmingham
Image:
Striking bin workers at Lifford Lane tip, south of the city centre

a mountain of bin liners full of rubbish spewing out of the cavernous bin store, which is normally locked.
Image:
There’s an awful smell coming from a mountain of bin liners outside Mickel’s flat in Highgate

At Lifford Lane tip, south of the city centre, Brigette has pulled up alongside picketing workers. The back seat of her car is full of rubbish.

She apologises for the terrible waft, mixed with air freshener.

Read more:
Pest controllers ‘feel like an emergency service’
Bin workers strike explained

“It’s very pungent, isn’t it? Not nice,” she admits.

“It’s unfortunate, I have some sympathies for all the parties, but, equally, we have a duty of care to stay clean and tidy.”

She says she has her rubbish and that of her elderly aunt and plans to make weekly trips to the tip until a resolution in this pay dispute between the council and the Unite union is found.

Continue Reading

UK

‘US is our closest ally’, Jonathan Reynolds says in reaction to Trump tariffs – but ‘nothing off the table’

Published

on

By

'US is our closest ally', Jonathan Reynolds says in reaction to Trump tariffs - but 'nothing off the table'

The US is “our closest ally” but “nothing is off the table” in response to Donald Trump’s 10% tariffs on imports from the UK, the business secretary has said.

In a statement following the US president’s nearly hour-long address to the world, Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “We will always act in the best interests of UK businesses and consumers.

“That’s why, throughout the last few weeks, the government has been fully focused on negotiating an economic deal with the United States that strengthens our existing fair and balanced trading relationship.”

Follow the latest following Trump’s tariffs announcement

Mr Reynolds reiterated the statements from the prime minister and his cabinet over the past few days, saying the US is “our closest ally”, and the government’s approach is to “remain calm and committed to doing this deal, which we hope will mitigate the impact of what has been announced today”.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds arrives in Downing Street, London, for a Cabinet meeting. Picture date: Tuesday January 28, 2025.
Image:
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds says “nothing is off the table” following the tariffs announcement. Pic: PA

But he continued: “We have a range of tools at our disposal, and we will not hesitate to act. We will continue to engage with UK businesses, including on their assessment of the impact of any further steps we take.

“Nobody wants a trade war, and our intention remains to secure a deal. But nothing is off the table, and the government will do everything necessary to defend the UK’s national interest.”

More on Donald Trump

‘Get back round the negotiating table’, say Tories

The Conservative Party’s shadow business and trade secretary described the US president’s announcement as “disappointing news which will worry working families across the country”.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Sky’s Ed Conway examines how economies across the world are impacted by tariffs

Andrew Griffith hit out at the government for having “failed to negotiate with President Trump’s team for too many months after the election, failed to keep our experienced top trade negotiator, and failed to get a deal to avoid the imposition of these tariffs by our closest trading partner”.

“The chancellor’s emergency budget of just a week ago with its inadequate headroom is now at risk, casting uncertainty about more taxes or spending cuts,” he continued. “Sadly, it is British businesses and workers who will pay the price for Labour’s failure.”

He called on ministers to “swallow their pride” and “get back round the negotiating table to agree a fair deal to protect jobs and consumers in both the UK and the US alike”.

Relief in Westminster – but concessions to Trump to come

It has been quite a rollercoaster for the government, where they went from the hope that they could avoid tariffs, that they could get that economic deal, to the realisation that was not going to happen, and then the anticipation of how hard would the UK be hit.

In Westminster tonight, there is actual relief because the UK is going to have a 10% baseline tariff – but that is the least onerous of all the tariffs we saw President Trump announce.

He held up a chart of the worst offenders, and the UK was well at the bottom of that list.

No 10 sources were telling me as President Trump was in the Rose Garden that while no tariffs are good, and it’s not what they want, the fact the UK has tariffs that are lower than others vindicates their approach.

They say it’s important because the difference between a 20% tariff and a 10% tariff is thousands of jobs.

Where to next? No 10 says it will “keep negotiating, keep cool and calm”, and reiterated Sir Keir Starmer’s desire to “negotiate a sustainable trade deal”.

“Of course want to get tariffs lowered. Tomorrow we will continue with that work,” a source added.

Another source said the 10% tariff shows that “the UK is in the friendlies club, as much as that is worth anything”.

Overnight, people will be number-crunching, trying to work out what it means for the UK. There is a 25% tariff on cars which could hit billions in UK exports, in addition to the blanket 10% tariff.

But despite this being lower than many other countries, GDP will take a hit, with forecasts being downgraded probably as we speak.

I think the government’s approach will be to not retaliate and try to speed up that economic deal in the hope that they can lower the tariffs even further.

There will be concessions. For example, the UK could lower the Digital Services Tax, which is imposed on the UK profits of tech giants. Will they loosen regulation on social media companies or agricultural products?

But for now, there is relief the UK has not been hit as hard as many others.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has reacted furiously to Mr Trump’s announcement of a “destructive trade war”, and called on the government to stand up against “Trump’s attempts to divide and rule”.

“The prime minister should bring our Commonwealth and European partners together in a coalition of the willing against Trump’s tariffs, using retaliatory tariffs where necessary and signing new trade deals with each other where possible.”

Speaking on Wednesday evening at a White House event entitled ‘Make America Wealthy Again’, the US president unleashed sweeping tariffs across the globe.

Mr Trump held up a chart detailing the worst offenders – which also showed the new tariffs the US would be imposing.

The UK’s rate of 10% was perhaps a shot across the bow over the 20% VAT rate, though the president’s suggested a 10% tariff imbalance between the two nations. Nonetheless, tariffs of 10% could directly reduce UK GDP by between 0.01% and 0.06%, according to Capital Economics.

A 25% duty on all car imports from around the world is also being imposed from midnight in the US – 5am on Thursday, UK time.

Read more:

World reacts to Trump’s tariff announcement
Tariffs will have consequences for globalisation, the US economy and geopolitics
Trump’s tariffs explained

The UK government had been hoping to negotiate an economic deal with the US in a bid to avoid the tariffs, but to no avail. The government says negotiations will continue.

The Confederation of British Industry said “negotiating stronger trading relationships with all like-minded partners will be foundational to any success”.

The business secretary is expected to make a statement in the House of Commons on Thursday, and we are also expecting to hear from the prime minister.

Continue Reading

UK

Man charged with 64 offences after investigation at Hull funeral home

Published

on

By

Man charged with 64 offences after investigation at Hull funeral home

A man has been charged with 64 offences in connection with an investigation into a Hull funeral directors, Humberside Police has said.

An investigation was launched into Legacy Independent Funeral Directors after officers received reports of concern for the care of the deceased in March 2024.

Following a 10-month investigation by Humberside Police, Robert Bush, 47, formerly of Kirk Ella, East Yorkshire, has been charged with 64 offences.

The force says the charges include 30 counts of prevention of a lawful and decent burial and 30 counts of fraud by false representation relating to the deceased recovered from the funeral premises.

Bush has also been charged with two counts of theft from charities and one count of fraudulent trading in relation to funeral plans – encompassing 172 victims – between 23 May 2012 and 6 March last year.

He also faces one count of fraud in relation to human ashes involving 50 victims between 1 August 2017 and March 2024.

The force said the charges related to 254 victims in total – comprising 252 people and two charities.

Police recovered 35 bodies during a raid on the funeral directors in March last year.

In April 2024, the force confirmed that it was impossible to identify any of the human ashes using DNA profiles.

Bush has been bailed with conditions and will appear at Hull Magistrates’ Court on 25 June.

In a statement, deputy chief constable Dave Marshall said the force had updated the families of 35 deceased with the development and has made initial contact with additional victims who may have been affected.

“My sincerest thanks go out to those affected for their patience and understanding,” he said.

“They have always been the priority and at the very heart of the entire investigation and this will remain, and we would please ask their privacy is continued to be respected.”

A 55-year-old woman arrested in July 2024 has today been released with no further action to be taken.

Continue Reading

Trending