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Dozens of military personnel have been forced to evacuate their accommodation at a Royal Air Force helicopter base after a power outage left them without hot water and functioning fire alarms.

The electrical fault also impacted other facilities at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, home to the Chinook squadron, Sky News has learnt.

Commanders this week ordered around 80 personnel to leave their accommodation blocks and relocate temporarily to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where they are being put up in what one source described as “a former military hotel which is worse than the Bates Motel”.

He was referring to a motel in the 1960 psychological horror thriller Psycho, by Alfred Hitchcock, which inspired a television series called the Bates Motel.

Describing the mood among those affected at RAF Odiham, the source said that “standard military bravado” was kicking in.

“Whilst everyone involved knows it is a rubbish situation and has a moan and a gripe, it’s being laughed at too,” the source said.

But they added: “Simple questions are being asked as to why the station doesn’t have any redundancy, why is it taking 36 hours to get a generator in?”

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As part of Joint Helicopter Command, the upkeep of the base is the responsibility of the army rather than the RAF, despite it being an air force base.

This “middle ground” meant neither service has funded necessary investments in infrastructure such as the accommodation blocks and hangars used to house Chinook helicopters, according to the source.

“Money that the RAF received over the years hasn’t made it to Odiham because it was under the army, but because Odiham is an RAF base, the army didn’t invest in it either,” the source said.

The promise of subsidised accommodation is one of the perks of joining the armed forces.

However, the Ministry of Defence has failed to ensure the upkeep of its housing, which it outsourced to a number of private contractors.

Complaints by personnel and military families about their homes – including no hot water, power cuts and even rats – are one of the biggest factors driving down morale and prompting many individuals to quit the armed forces.

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April: Coronation flypast rehearsal

In another debacle, a defence minister on Tuesday revealed that almost 800 homes occupied by military families are overdue inspections of their gas and electricity supplies – a statutory certification requirement to ensure the properties are safe to live in.

“The expiry of a certificate does not immediately render a house unsafe, but, clearly, the longer a home is left with expired certificates, the greater the risk that it could become so,” James Cartlidge, the defence procurement minister said in a written statement to parliament.

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“During checks to date, no issues have been identified that would represent a serious safety concern for the families involved. That said, the safety of our personnel is paramount and it is unacceptable for any family to be living in a home without the necessary checks.”

Asked about the situation at RAF Odiham, an army spokesperson said: “We can confirm an electrical fault in accommodation at RAF Odiham has resulted in approximately 80 service personnel being relocated to transit accommodation at RAF Brize Norton.

“Transit accommodation provides basic facilities for personnel on a very short term basis and we are working to return personnel as soon as possible.”

It is expected that the fault will be fixed within 48 hours.

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Two men arrested and a number taken to hospital after multiple people stabbed on train

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Two men arrested and a number taken to hospital after multiple people stabbed on train

Two men have been arrested by armed officers after multiple people were stabbed on a train.

The train was stopped at Huntingdon station, in Cambridgeshire, after police were called at around 7.40pm on Saturday.

Cambridgeshire Police said a number of people have been taken to hospital, while a “large-scale response” was deployed by the East of England Ambulance Service.

Video shared online which appears to have been filmed from a railway bridge shows a huge police response with armed officers running along the platform towards the train carriages.

Gavin saw injured passengers
Image:
Gavin saw injured passengers

Witnesses told Sky News the stabbings started around 10 minutes after the 6.25 train from Doncaster to London King’s Cross left Peterborough and passengers sounded the emergency alarm.

One man who was on the train told Sky News he saw someone coming though his carriage saying: “They’ve got a knife, I’ve been stabbed.”

“They were making their way through the carriage to get away from the suspects. They were extremely bloodied,” said the man who gave his name as Gavin.

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He said by the time the train pulled up “they were basically on the floor”.

“That person ended up collapsing on the floor. They were taken to an ambulance pretty much straight away,” he said.

Gavin said passengers were ushered out into the station and “there were multiple people who had been stabbed making their way down”.

But he said one of the suspects had also come off the train and was “running rampant as well”, and was “waving a large knife” before he was taken down by armed officers with a taser.

Pic: Police at Huntingdon train station
Image:
Pic: Police at Huntingdon train station

London North Eastern Railway, which operates East Coast Mainline services in the UK, said all lines are blocked around Huntingdon station, with major disruption expected until the end of the day.

Police said the A1307 has been closed on the approach to the town centre and the incident remains ongoing.

Cambridgeshire Police said in a statement: “We were called at 7.39pm with reports that multiple people had been stabbed on a train.

“Armed officers attended and the train was stopped at Huntingdon, where two men were arrested.

“A number of people have been taken to hospital.

“The incident remains ongoing and the A1307 has been closed as you approach the town centre.”

Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty said in a post on X he was “aware of the incident” and “trying to establish further information”.

“My thoughts are with the victims and those involved,” he wrote.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the “appalling incident” was “deeply concerning”.

“My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response,” he wrote on X.

“Anyone in the area should follow the advice of the police.”

The Home Secretary said she was “deeply saddened” by the incident in Huntingdon and urged the public to “avoid comment and speculation at this early stage”.

In a statement on X, Shabana Mahmood said: “Two suspects have been immediately arrested and taken into custody.

“I am receiving regular updates on the investigation.”

Speaking to Sky News at the scene, Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty said: “When I first arrived here, I’ve simply never seen as big a response to an emergency incident as there were in terms of police, fire and ambulance.”

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said on X: “Horrific scenes in Huntingdon, in what seems to be a brutal mass attack by two perpetrators.

“My thoughts are with all those injured or affected and the emergency services responding The police and government should provide an update on what happened and who has been arrested as soon as possible

Tory party chairman Kevin Hollinrake also described the scenes as “horrifying”.

“My thoughts are with the victims and the emergency services responding to this incident,” he wrote on X.

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Car spotted leaving Royal Lodge as Andrew faces growing pressure over Epstein links

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Car spotted leaving Royal Lodge as Andrew faces growing pressure over Epstein links

A Land Rover was spotted leaving Royal Lodge – the home of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – on Saturday morning, as more US politicians call for him to testify before a congressional committee.

Emails released on Friday in unsealed court documents shed new light on Andrew’s correspondence with Epstein.

Months after the paedophile financier was released from prison in 2009 for prostituting minors, Andrew wrote that it would be “good to catch up in person”.

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Will Andrew have to give evidence on Epstein?

The pair were pictured together in New York’s Central Park in December 2010, in a meeting Andrew later claimed was to end their friendship.

In Congress, the House Oversight Committee is investigating the Epstein affair, and several of its members have invited Andrew to come and give evidence, presenting it as an opportunity to clear his name.

Meanwhile, Virginia Giuffre’s family have called for Andrew to be “investigated” over her claims that – as a teenager – she had sex with Andrew on three occasions after being trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell.

Andrew has always denied the claims. Ms Giuffre sued in 2021 and the case was settled outside of court for a sum believed to have been around £12m.

In an interview with Gareth Barlow on Sky News, Ms Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts praised the King for stripping his brother of his remaining titles and ousting him from Royal Lodge.

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Virginia Guiffre’s family sends message to King

Andrew set for six-figure sum

Andrew could be in line for a six-figure payout and an annual payment as part of his “relocation settlement” after being forced out of the Royal Lodge, the Guardian reported.

One option includes an initial six-figure sum followed by an annual payment, which would be paid from the King’s private funds, and is thought to be several times his £20k-a-year navy pension, sources told the newspaper.

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He will move from Windsor to private accommodation in Sandringham, Norfolk. But on Saturday, people in Sandringham had mixed views about the move.

One man told Sky News he would be unwelcome: “This is a lovely, peaceful area. His reputation now is tarnished, and, I don’t think it’s right.

“This is where the royals come for Christmas… and come throughout the year. And, I don’t think people local really want to see him here.”

But another man was more sympathetic: “He hasn’t been found guilty of anything in my view. So and people forget that he was a war hero in the Falklands. That’s all gone now, isn’t it? Nobody’s thinking that he’s done any good.”

Public supports Charles, poll shows

A poll has revealed the public supports the King’s decision to strip Andrew of his titles and remove him from the Royal Lodge.

Of the 4,739 people surveyed by YouGov, 79% said it was “the right decision” to “strip Andrew Mountbatten Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew) of his prince title”.

But when asked about the speed of King’s response to the Andrew-Epstein revelations, 58% of respondents said the monarch moved “too slowly”.

Police provide update

The Metropolitan Police has given Sky News an update on allegations that Andrew asked a royal close protection officer to “dig up dirt” on Virginia Giuffre in 2011.

When reports first emerged two weeks ago, the force said it was “actively looking into the claims”.

On Saturday, the Met said: “Following recent media reporting on the actions of officers in relation to this matter, we are considering whether any further assessment or review is necessary.”

Meanwhile, the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), issued a statement regarding allegations that Andrew’s royal close protection officers had obstructed lawyers serving a lawsuit from Virginia Giuffre in 2021.

The IOPC said: “We have not received any referrals in relation to this matter at this time.”

Read more from Sky News:
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Graham Smith, from the anti-monarchy group Republic, told Sky News: “The problem that the royals have is that there’s going to be more information coming out, more scandals, more accusations and more emails.

“The idea that essentially… he’s [Andrew] told to live in a very large house, given a half million pound stipend, and told to use his own name, is any kind of punishment, is absurd in most people’s eyes.”

In the next few days, the King is expected to submit the royal warrant, affecting the dukedom, and letters patent, which will formally remove Andrew’s entitlement to use the title prince and HRH style.

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Should Prince Andrew Drive be renamed? Here’s what residents think

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Should Prince Andrew Drive be renamed? Here's what residents think

“I hate it,” Shirley told us.

Every time she has to give her address, it leads to a snide remark or joke at her expense.

She’s lived on Prince Andrew Drive in Telford, Shropshire, for 35 years.

As the national scandal around Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – as he is now called – has deepened, it has become increasingly embarrassing for her.

Andrew latest: Virginia Giuffre’s brother calls for investigation

A few years ago, another resident started a petition to change the name of the road, and somebody covered up part of the street sign.

“I think we should change it,” Shirley told us, “but don’t ask me what to.”

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Shirley is one of the residents calling for the street to be renamed
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Shirley is one of the residents calling for the street to be renamed

After a few minutes weighing up the options, she settled on Prince George Drive.

“At least that looks to the future,” she added.

Linda Boden has lived on the road even longer – she and husband Phil moved here after getting married 45 years ago.

“We have actually had the conversation this morning, that the name of this road will get changed,” Linda said.

Phil told us he wasn’t bothered about the name. “It’s just a name, it’s not the man… I can’t tell you what I think [about him] without swearing you know.”

A bird's eye view of Prince Andrew Drive
Image:
A bird’s eye view of Prince Andrew Drive

Cheryl, who lives nearby, told us what really mattered to her were the victims of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal – particularly the late Virginia Giuffre.

“That poor girl needs justice,” she said. “It is ridiculous it has gone on this long to be perfectly honest. That poor family are still living with it.”

Read More:
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Cheryl's focus is on Virginia Giuffre
Image:
Cheryl’s focus is on Virginia Giuffre

Julie Harper lives on the adjacent road, called Queen Elizabeth Way, and is more than happy with her road name.

She told Sky News that the King had made the “best decision ever” by removing his brother’s titles.

I asked where her sympathies lay within this long-running royal scandal and Julie was unequivocal.

“With anybody who has been sexually exploited,” she said bluntly.

Julie believes Princess Anne Drive would be a better name for her neighbours’ road.

“She’s one of the better ones,” she added.

Julie lives on the nearby Queen Elizabeth Way and suggests a renaming that would stick to the royal theme
Image:
Julie lives on the nearby Queen Elizabeth Way and suggests a renaming that would stick to the royal theme

Changing the road name would be a logistical headache for local authorities and residents, with some telling us it did not bother them and they would not fancy the extra paperwork to amend things such as household bills and driving licences.

But Postman Gary told us every time he’s making deliveries on Prince Andrew Drive, he feels for the residents.

“We have a little giggle because we know they don’t want it named that anymore and I wouldn’t either if I lived here. It’s probably time it changed.”

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‘Huge’ part of royal statement you might have missed

We did not find anyone on Prince Andrew Drive who disagreed with the King’s decision to remove his titles and oust him from his home in Windsor.

The monarchy needs to retain the support of the public across the UK – that’s one of the reasons the King has taken such decisive action at this point in the scandal.

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