Roads

TOURISTS and holidaymakers have been warned to stay away from the world’s most famous Bonfire Night this year amid safety fears.

The advice has been issued by a multi-agency group, including police, ahead of the popular annual celebration.

The group behind the Lewes Bonfire have called for the public not to attend unless they live locally, with trains axed and roads shut.

Dubbed the bonfire capital of the world, the town of Lewes holds the world-famous event each year.

As part of the torch-lit procession, the societies also push a giant effigy of a controversial figure through the town’s streets.

Last year, a depiction of Nigel Farage, holding a pint and a cigarette, was paraded through the streets.

CASHING IN

I’m a money saving mum – I’ve found the best free Halloween & bonfire nights

PYRO RAMPAGE

Bonfire Night carnage caught on police chopper video as gangs clash with cops

The procession attracts thousands of visitors with transport, accommodation and even drinks difficult to come by on the big night. 

The event begins with a torch-led procession, before bonfires are held across the town.

Firework displays are also conducted towards the end of the evening.

Ahead of the event on November 5, a multi-agency group has issued a series of advice for the public.

Transport restrictions

Transport restrictions are also being put in place to prevent visitors from attending the event.

In a statement, the group, which includes Sussex Police and the British Transport Police, said: “We ask that you do not attend Lewes Bonfire unless you are local because the crowds and narrow streets can present unique safety challenges.

“The decision to bring in travel restrictions has been made in the best interests of safety, by limiting the number of people attending.

“It is hoped that those who are inconvenienced will understand that and have time to make alternative arrangements where possible.

“It is recognised this will impact motorists and train passengers who are not planning to attend the event.”

Locals have been reacting to the news on Facebook.

One said: “Lewes is in lockdown for the bonfire, so you can’t get there.”

Another posted: “The more you tell someone not to do it the more they do.”

For the last several hundred years, Lewes Bonfire has taken place in the small Sussex town.

The event marks both Guy Fawkes Night and the memory of 17 martyrs from the town who were burnt at the stake for their religious beliefs.

There are thought to be more than 3,000 bonfire society members who take part in the procession each year, while up to 80,000 people have been known to watch the town’s parade.

The population of Lewes town is just more than 17,000.

A series of road closures will also be in place from 4.45pm on November 5, with residents advised to get any vehicles to their homes before 4pm to avoid disruption.

From 5pm that day, no trains will stop at Lewes, Falmer, Cooksbridge, Glynde and Southease. 

CRASH TRAGEDY

England icon Stuart Pearce’s son, 21, killed in tractor crash

‘GUT-WRENCHING’

My little girl is slowly fading before my eyes and will die before she’s 10

The last trains back from London Victoria to these stations will leave at 3.24pm and 3.54pm.

These station closures will remain in place until the start of service on November 6.

COPS have launched a murder inquiry after a teenager was stabbed and “dumped” in the street.

Multiple police cordons were in place last night after the victim, believed to be 19 years old, was found by officers with serious injuries in the Harehills area of Leeds around 12pm yesterday.

He was pronounced dead shortly after.

The man is thought to have been attacked in another part of the city before being left in St Wilfried’s Crescent.

As investigations continue, three crime scenes were erected.

In a statement, West Yorkshire Police said: “Detectives have launched a murder investigation following the death of a man in Leeds.

“At around 12pm today (8 October), a report was received that a man was found on St Wilfrid’s Crescent, Harehills, with serious injuries. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

“He has not yet been formally identified. A number of scenes are in place whilst extensive enquiries are carried out, including Parkside View, St Wilfrid’s Crescent and Amberton Crescent.

“Officers from the Homicide and Major Enquiry team are appealing to anyone who was in any of these areas around 12pm who may have witnessed anything to come forward with information.

“Local neighbourhood policing patrols have been stepped up in the area to provide reassurance.”

Anyone with information that may help the police with their enquiries can call 101 using log number 650 of October 8.

1

Army says military doctors are treating survivors and engineers are repairing damaged infrastructure.

Pakistan has restored 70 percent of electricity service and reopened damaged roads in the north and northwest after flash floods killed more than 300 people, officials say.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Tuesday that engineers were working to fully restore the electricity system that was knocked out by flooding last week.

Monsoon rains triggered floods that have killed more than 700 people nationwide since June 26, the National Disaster Management Authority reported, while Tarar said more than 25,000 people have been evacuated.

The information minister said most roads have been cleared, facilitating the supply of food and other essentials to flood-affected areas.

Army spokesman Ahmed Sharif said military doctors are treating survivors and engineers are repairing damaged infrastructure. Soldiers using helicopters have also delivered food and supplies to remote villages cut off by floods and landslides.

Monsoon rains continued to lash the country on Tuesday, including the southern port city of Karachi, flooding streets and disrupting everyday activities, officials said. Despite the government’s claims of preparedness, people could be seen wading through chest-high water along many roads.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered authorities to accelerate recovery efforts in Buner, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where torrential rains and a cloudburst on Friday killed at least 280 people, Tarar said. It was among the worst flooding since the rains began,

Twenty bodies were found on Tuesday there, the local district commissioner said.

Rescue teams are still searching for about 150 missing people, rescue official Mohammad Suhail said.

Angry villagers said there was no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, as is often the case, and government relief has been slow. The government said the deluge struck before residents could be informed.

Sharif chaired a high-level meeting on Monday to review relief efforts in flood-hit areas.

Every year, many cities in Pakistan struggle to cope with the annual monsoon deluge, drawing criticism about poor planning. The monsoon season runs from July through September.

Authorities have warned of a possible repeat of Pakistan’s catastrophic 2022 floods, which killed more than 1,700 people and were blamed on climate change.

Among the missing are at least eight soldiers from a nearby army base.

Rescue workers are battling heavy rain and blocked roads after at least four people were killed and dozens reported missing after flash floods and landslides swept through parts of India’s northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

The flood struck Dharali, a village in Uttarkashi district and a popular stop on the way to the Hindu pilgrimage town of Gangotri, after a sudden surge of muddy water mixed with debris engulfed the valley on Tuesday.

The flooding was triggered by intense monsoon rains, which continued to lash the region into Wednesday, complicating rescue efforts.

Al Jazeera understands that among the missing are at least eight soldiers from a nearby army base, while more than 190 people have been rescued.

Telephone lines remain damaged, and communication with the affected area is limited. Roads leading to the village have either collapsed or been blocked by large boulders, according to local official Prashant Arya.

“A large part of the village is engulfed in mud,” he told the news agency Reuters. “Some areas are covered up to 15 metres deep – enough to bury entire buildings.”

The Indian army said it is leading efforts to find approximately 50 people still unaccounted for. Mohsen Shahedi of the National Disaster Response Force said “the search for the missing is continuing”.

The army’s central command confirmed that “additional military columns” have been deployed, along with tracker dogs, drones and heavy earthmoving equipment. Military helicopters are delivering supplies, including medical aid, and evacuating those stranded.

Mobile and electricity towers were swept away by the floodwaters, forcing authorities to issue satellite phones to rescue teams.

Television footage showed torrents of dark, debris-filled water crashing through Dharali, sweeping away buildings and roads as residents fled for their lives. A video shared by the office of Uttarakhand’s chief minister showed parts of the village buried under mud.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami confirmed that about 130 people had been rescued by Tuesday night, and that helicopters were ready to deliver relief supplies to remote areas cut off by the flooding.

“People didn’t understand what was happening. The floodwaters hit them in 15 seconds,” Suman Semwal told The Indian Express, recounting how her father, watching from a neighbouring village upstream, saw the flood hit with a “thud” and “unimaginable magnitude”.

The Indian Meteorological Department said that water levels in all major rivers in Uttarakhand had risen above the danger mark. “Residents have been relocated to higher ground due to rising water levels caused by the incessant rains,” the Indian Army said in a statement.

Hydrologist Manish Shrestha said 270mm of rainfall recorded in 24 hours qualifies as an “extreme event”, particularly dangerous in mountainous regions where such rainfall has a “more concentrated” impact.

Shrestha, from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Nepal, added that such intense rainfall events are becoming more frequent and could be linked to the climate crisis.

Motorists are expected to make 13.9 million trips over the coming days as we start the school summer holidays and here is a list of the roads which are likely to have most congestion

Brits are being warned of the roads to avoid as the UK is expected to see the biggest number of car trips over the coming days since records began.

Drivers are planning 13.9 million midweek journeys from today until Thursday according to new data from INRIX. School holidays are beginning this week with many pupils breaking up for the summer tomorrow and it means many families will be hitting the roads for tourist hotspots. The new data estimates that 2.3 million trips will be made on UK roads today, while a further 2 million are expected on the next three days. And unusually this year many people are trying to get away before waiting until the weekend.

“This year, a larger number of drivers than ever expect to head off on holiday at some point this week, rather than wait until the weekend to get away – with an additional 5.6m journeys likely at some point between Monday and Thursday,” states the RAC, which has released the INRIX data.

And the midweek travel chaos is only the beginning as there is also likely to be plenty more mayhem on the roads come the weekend and further into the holiday period.

According to INRIX the M40 northbound between J12 for Gaydon and the M42 exit at J3A in the West Midlands could see mid-morning delays of up to 40 minutes on Tuesday.

Later on, queues of up to 50 minutes are likely from 4pm on the M1 northbound from J12 to J16 through Northamptonshire and on the M4 westbound from J22 for the Pilning Interchange near Severn Beach across the Prince of Wales Bridge to J26 for Newport.

The queues are set to continue through Wednesday afternoon as people attempt to get away before the weekend. The M1 northbound from J22 near Leicester to J26 for Nottingham, near the Peak District, may face 40-minute delays as early as 3pm.

INRIX is predicting early-evening queues of 50 minutes along the M25 anticlockwise from J4 for Sevenoaks to the Dartford Crossing, as holiday traffic clashes with rush-hour commuters.

Then for the weekend the RAC is recommending that people start as early or as late as possible to avoid the worst of the traffic. This means either before 10am or after 7pm.

RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader Nick Mullender said: “Normally the weekend bears the brunt of getaway traffic but this year we’re expecting ‘midweek mayhem’ as schools finish for summer.

“We typically see a peak on ‘Frantic Friday’ when holidaymakers share the roads with commuters heading home, but our figures indicate these trips will now be spread across several days with millions more weekday journeys planned. To avoid the worst of the traffic, travel outside peak times and steer well clear of morning and evening rush hours.

“Saturday is expected be the single busiest day for summer traffic with many drivers travelling long distances to get to their holiday destination. If a getaway journey involves hours in the car, it’s essential to be well rested and fresh for the trip. If possible, share the driving with another passenger to ensure concentration levels stay high, while those travelling with children should pack plenty of entertainment to keep them occupied and minimise questions of “are we there yet?”. Water, snacks and phone chargers are essential!

“Before setting off, drivers should do whatever they can to avoid their vehicles letting them down, like checking oil and coolant levels as well as the condition and tread on all tyres. There’s also still time to book an RAC Mobile Mechanic who can carry out a wide range of repairs at home or work, as well conducting a full or interim service.”