The Week UK - 04.04.2020

NEWS 7

Cardiff
Shamed:PoliceinCardiffhaverebukedStephenKinnock,MPfor
Aberav on,forvisitinghisfather,ex-LabourleaderNeilKinnock,
onhis78thbirthday.KinnockJrhadtweetedaphotoofhimself
sittingatasafedistancefromhisparents,outsidetheirhousein
London.SouthWalesPolicerepliedtothepost,sayinghistrip
hadnotbeen“essential”.Elsewhere,policeofficershavebeen
accused of over-zealousnessfor threateningtofine aLondon
bakerfor“criminal damage” after she sprayed social-distancing
markers in chalkoutsidehershop; andfor addingblack dyeto
Derbyshire’s “BlueLagoon”to make it lessappealing. There
havealso been reportsofofficialswronglytelli ng corner shops
that they shouldn’t beselling“non-essentials”likeEaster Eggs.

Alton, Hampshire
Celebrationscancelled:The world’s
oldest man wasforc ed to call off his
112t hbirthdayparty last Sunday
becauseofthe coronavirus
outbreak.Inste ad, BobWeigh ton –
who took up histitl einFebruary
–stayedbyhimself at hishomein
Alton, Hampshire, andspoketo
some of his threechildren,ten
grandchildren and 25great-grand-
children onthephone. He admittedtofeeling “a bit frustrated”
–but added thathaving lived throughtwoWorldWars, “having
yourplans interrupted... is not reallynew to me”.

The UK at aglance

4April 2020 THE WEEK

PenistoneHill,West Yorkshire
Toadssaved:Largenumbersofmigrating
toadsmayhavehadtheirlivessaved,as
aresultofthecancellationofaseriesof
cross-countryrunningracesonPenistone
Hill,nearBradford.Accordingtothe
headoftheRiddlesdenToadPatrol
conservationgroup,“literallyhundreds”
ofamphibianshavebeentrampledin
previousyearsbyfellrunnerscompeting
intheevening“bunnyruns”,whichtake
placearoundEaster,closetoapondwhere
thetoadsmate.WharfedaleHarriers,
whichorganisestheruns,saiditwasn’tawareoftramplings,and
hadinanycaseplannedtoreroutetheruns.

Birmingham
Criticalcare:Birmingham’svastNationalExhibitionCentre
isbeinghastilyconvertedintotheUK’slargesthospital,with
5,000beds.Asmallerfacility,with 1 ,000beds,isbeingbuiltat
theManchesterCentralConventionComplex.Meanwhile,the
NightingalefieldhospitalatLondon’sExCelCentrewasclose
tocompletionthisweek.AnunnamedcontractworkertoldThe
Timesthatworkingontheconstructionprojecthadmadehim
“emotional”attimes.“I’veneverbeeninvolvedinanythinglike
thisbefore,notevenclose,”hesaid.“You’vegoteveryonefrom
electricians,builders,soldiers,firefightersandpoliceallgetting
involved. It’shardworkand longhours,butyou’vegetasense
ofpurpose,likeit isn’tjust ajob butsomethingimportant.”

Belfast
Extraordinarymeasures:The Northern
Ireland Executivehasbroughtinsweeping
newpowerstocombatthe spread of
Covid-19. Under regulationswhichcame
intoforcelast weekend,those whobreak
social distancinglawscouldbehitbyfines
of upto£5,000.Themaximum penalty
will bereserved forbusinesses thatfailto
comply withthe lockdownregulations–butindividualscould
facefinesof £9 60 forleavingtheirhomeswithoutagoodexcuse.
“Theseare extraordinary powersfor anygovernmentto haveto
introduce, butwearelivinginextraordinarytimes,” saidFirst
MinisterArleneFoster.

Hull,EastYorkshire

Railserviceshalted:HullTrainshasbecomethefirstUKrail

operatortosuspendallservicesinresponsetoCovid-19.The

company,partofFirstGroup,saidithadbeenforcedtocancelits

trainsbetweenHull/BeverleyandLondonKing’sCrossindefin-

itelyafterpassengernumbersdwindledfollowingtheintroduction

ofrestrictionsonnon-essentialtravel.Withrailroutesaroundthe

countrybeingstrippedback,theDepartmentforTransportlast

weekeffectivelynationalisedrailfranchisesinEnglandtoprevent

themfromcollapsing:itallowedthemtotransfer“allrevenueand

costrisk”totheGovernmentandbepaidasmallfeeinreturn,to

keepservicesrunning.However,HullTrains,whichemploys

around 130 staff,isnotafranchiseowner,butoneofthree“open

access”operators–whichmeansittakesthefullcommercialrisk

ofitsbusinessanddoesnotqualifyforadditionalsupport.

Kent

Slim pickings:Millions ofspears of asparagusmay be lefttor ot in

fields asaresult of the lockdown, farmershave warned. Harvested

from April toJune,asparaguswill be oneof thefirst of thisyear’s

cropstoneedpicking.But most of the 5,000 or so pickerswho

normallydo this jobcome from Bulgaria andRomania,and

cannot nowreach theUK. “Peoplejust don’tunder standhow

dependentwe areoncasualoverseas labour forproducin gfresh

food,” said Jack Ward, of theBritis hGrowersAsso ciation.

“About 90% are from overseas andmostfromeasternEurope.”

The nextbig problemwill be strawberries,raspberries, blueberries

andblackberries.Allwillneedharvesting from May,aseasonal

industrythatbring satl east 27,000foreign workers to the UK.