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A colony of grey seals has established itself at a former Cold War weapons testing site on the Suffolk coast.

The animals have used Orford Ness as a breeding ground every year since 2021, according to rangers, and this season alone 130 pups have been born.

The group have become Suffolk’s first breeding grey seal colony, having likely spilled over from well-populated colonies in Norfolk.

In the wild, it is common for seals to return to the same place each year to give birth.

EMBAROED TO 0001 MONDAY FEBRUARY 12 Undated handout photo issued by the National Trust of a grey seal pup at Orford Ness, Suffolk. More than 130 grey seal pups have been born at Orford Ness, a remote shingle spit, this breeding season. Issue date: Monday February 12, 2024.
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Seals tend to return to the same place for breeding. Pic: National Trust

Matt Wilson, countryside manager for the National Trust’s Suffolk and Essex Coast portfolio, said rangers had conducted weekly seal counts at the former military site since the start of October, averaging more than 250 adult seals per week, and sometimes up to 500.

He said he thought part of the reason the colony had remained there was due to the remote nature of the site and lack of disturbance.

Orford Ness was used as a military test site during both world wars and into the nuclear age, before the Ministry of Defence sold it to the National Trust in 1993.

EMBAROED TO 0001 MONDAY FEBRUARY 12 Undated handout photo issued by the National Trust of a grey seal pup at Orford Ness, Suffolk. More than 130 grey seal pups have been born at Orford Ness, a remote shingle spit, this breeding season. Issue date: Monday February 12, 2024.
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Visitors have been warned not to disturb the colony. Pic: National Trust

During the COVID pandemic the site was closed for an extended period, meaning visitor access was significantly reduced.

The site is also closed between October to March, which coincides with the grey seals breeding season.

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“We understand that people will want to see the colony now they know it’s here, but it’s important we continue to limit disturbance, to give the pups the best chance of survival,” Mr Wilson said, adding that guided tours may be offered next winter.

EMBAROED TO 0001 MONDAY FEBRUARY 12 Undated handout photo issued by the National Trust of a grey seal pup at Orford Ness, Suffolk. More than 130 grey seal pups have been born at Orford Ness, a remote shingle spit, this breeding season. Issue date: Monday February 12, 2024.
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Pic: National Trust

Glen Pearce, Orford Ness’s property operations manager, added: “Since the seals’ arrival in 2021, our team of volunteers and staff have monitored the seals from a distance, keeping the growing seal colony a secret.

“However, the colony has now grown to a size where we want people to share this amazing wildlife success story with our supporters, but also to advise visitors how they can help us protect the colony.

“Unauthorised access, by foot, boat or drone, is illegal and also dangerous because of the unique and remote nature of the former military site.”

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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Boy dies after ‘getting into difficulty’ in lake in southeast London

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Boy dies after 'getting into difficulty' in lake in southeast London

A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.

Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.

The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.

“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.

The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.

The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.

In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.

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google street view inside Beckenham Place park, Lewisham where a 16 y/o boy is missing after getting into difficulty in a lake
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Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon

Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.

The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.

It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.

“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”

Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.

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