Luton Airport car park to be demolished after fire damaged hundreds of vehicles

Published

1 year ago

November 4, 2023

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A Luton Airport car park is to be demolished following a devastating fire that damaged hundreds of vehicles.

The multi-storey Terminal Car Park 2, which collapsed after the massive blaze, will need to be “fully demolished” and any vehicles parked on the ground floor and floors one, two and three are “not recoverable”, said the airport.

Work is ongoing to remove around 100 vehicles from the top deck “to stabilise the structure”, it added.

“This has been a painstaking task and has taken longer than expected, not least because we have been hampered by periods of bad weather and strong winds.”

The fire was started accidentally last month due to a vehicle fault, Sky News understands.

A man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage in connection with the incident.

It is believed the man, who has been released on bail, was arrested as a precaution.

Andrew Hopkinson, chief fire officer with Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said as many as 1,500 vehicles were in the car park at the time – with up to 1,200 believed to be damaged.

The service said it received a report of a car fire on level three at 8.47pm on 10 October.

Fifteen fire appliances and more than 100 firefighters were deployed.

Three firefighters and a member of airport staff were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation, and another firefighter was treated at the scene.

The airport also said most insurance claims have been settled.

“On behalf of everyone at London Luton Airport… would like to thank you for your patience and understanding as we have worked through this unprecedented situation,” the airport concluded.

The fire caused the cancellation and delays of dozens of flights at Luton airport, affecting tens of thousands of passengers.

One witness told Sky News: “You could hear cars exploding.”

Another witness said his vehicle was one of those inside the car park.

He said he was inside the airport when the fire broke out, but knows his car has been affected as “all Car Park 2 is completely finished”.

UK

Starmer to be first UK PM to mark Armistice Day in France since Churchill

Published

2 hours ago

November 11, 2024

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Starmer to be first UK PM to mark Armistice Day in France since Churchill

Sir Keir Starmer will attend Armistice Day commemorations in France on Monday – the first UK leader to do so since Winston Churchill in the Second World War.

Towns and cities across France will mark the 106th anniversary of the Armistice agreement in 1918 that brought fighting in the First World War to an end.

Sir Keir will attend the events at the personal invitation of President Emmanuel Macron and the pair will join British and French veterans and the public in paying tribute to the fallen.

It comes as the prime minister announces more than £10m to mark the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day in the UK next year.

Sir Keir is expected to lay a wreath at Paris war memorials close to the Champ-Elysees, and also at the Arc de Triomphe’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a national symbol for all those who have died for France in war.

The prime minister said: “I am honoured to be in Paris to stand united with President Macron in tribute to the fallen of the First World War who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy today.

“These events are vital in ensuring the memory of millions of young soldiers, sailors, and aviators live on for generations to come.”

Sir Keir and President Macron will also have talks ahead of the commemorations to discuss issues like the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

On Sunday, Remembrance events were held across the UK as the nation paid tribute to those who have served in the armed forces past and present.

King Charles, who is still receiving cancer treatment, paid his respects without the Queen, who did not attend events in central London due to a chest infection.

He appeared alongside his son Prince William and daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, who carried out two consecutive public engagements for the first time this year after her cancer treatment ended.

UK

Remembrance Sunday commemorations in pictures – as King leads event at Cenotaph in Whitehall

Published

16 hours ago

November 10, 2024

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Remembrance Sunday commemorations in pictures - as King leads event at Cenotaph in Whitehall

The King led the nation’s Remembrance Sunday commemorations as he laid a wreath at the Cenotaph during a two-minute silence.

Charles, who is still receiving cancer treatment, paid his respects without the Queen, who did not attend events in central London due to a chest infection.

He appeared alongside his son Prince William and daughter-in-law, Kate, Princess of Wales, who carried out two consecutive public engagements for the first time this year after her cancer treatment ended.

Sunday was the King’s third Remembrance service as monarch.

The Royal British Legion’s veteran parade along Whitehall featured 10,000 veterans from 326 different armed forces and civil organisations.

Similar memorial events took place in Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast, as well as smaller towns and cities.

Politicians from the four nations laid wreaths in capital cities, while veterans and their families also gathered for events in Portsmouth, the home of this year’s D-Day anniversary commemorations, and the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Thousand of people, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and eight of his predecessors, watched as the nation fell silent at 11am.

Among the former leaders were Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Theresa May, Lord David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Sir Tony Blair, and Sir John Major.

Kemi Badenoch, the new Conservative Party leader, also laid a wreath alongside the prime minister.

On Saturday evening, the Prince and Princess of Wales attended the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, along with the King.

Hours beforehand, Buckingham Palace announced Queen Camilla would not be attending either of the Remembrance events. It is understood there is no cause for concern but that doctors did not want to hinder her recovery or put anyone else at risk.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings of the Second World War and the 25th anniversary of the end of the war in Kosovo.

It also marks the 75th anniversary of NATO and the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale between the UK and France.

UK

UK is ready to fight a war but will need to be stronger in future, head of armed forces warns

Published

17 hours ago

November 10, 2024

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UK is ready to fight a war but will need to be stronger in future, head of armed forces warns

The UK is ready to fight a war, the head of the armed forces has insisted, after the defence secretary recently suggested the military is not prepared for a conflict.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin also stressed the importance of continuing to back Ukraine when asked about the potential impact of the re-election of Donald Trump on Russia’s war.

He said more than 1,500 Russian troops had been killed or injured in the warzone every day during October. That equates to more than 46,000 people – equivalent to more than half of the British Army.

The Chief of the Defence Staff used the Russian casualty figure to underline the cost to Vladimir Putin of his invasion, but analysts say the Kremlin has proven itself more than capable of absorbing high attrition rates without changing its war aims.

Admiral Radakin was speaking in an interview on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips to mark Remembrance Sunday.

Asked if the UK could fight a war at scale, he said: “Absolutely. So our servicemen and women will always be ready to serve their nation and to do as the government of the day directs us to do.”

Last month, however, John Healey, the new Labour defence secretary, told a Politico podcast that the armed forces were not ready to fight after being hollowed out and under-funded during 14 years of Conservative rule.

In reality, the hollowing out and under-funding also took place under the previous Labour government.

Pressed by Trevor Phillips on whether the army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force had the capabilities to fight a war, Admiral Radakin said: “We do have the capabilities. And then the reassurance is that we do that alongside our allies.

“And for those biggest fights, then we will always do them with our allies.”

He conceded, though, that the UK needs to be “even stronger in the future”.

Admiral Radakin added: “Some of that is about having deeper stockpiles. Some of that is being better at bringing technology and learning the lessons from Ukraine… And some of that is also recognising that you need to have a defence industry that can better support those demands.

“We’re in a more dangerous world.”

The top commander repeatedly stressed the importance of being part of NATO to be able to counter the biggest threats faced by the UK.

But the re-election of Donald Trump to the White House has raised new concerns about US support for the transatlantic alliance. The United States is by far its most powerful member.

The president-elect threatened to quit NATO when he was US commander-in-chief the first time around, and he has repeatedly berated member states that do not meet a minimum spending commitment of 2% of national income.

Mr Trump is also expected to take a different approach to the war in Ukraine to Joe Biden, saying he will end the fighting – but without yet explaining how.

Trevor Phillips asked Admiral Radakin how confident he was that the United States would continue to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine.

The defence chief declined to speculate on potential US policy so soon after the election.

Instead, he said: “What you’re seeing is a Russia that is making tactical gains and is seizing more territory, but is doing that at enormous cost, enormous cost in terms of its soldiers – over 1,500 people a day are either killed or wounded in October.”