The Daily Telegraph - 27.08.2019

‘Tunnel’s £2.46m repair bill could

have been saved by £50 payment’

By Alex Shipman

A DISUSED Victorian tunnel

earmarked to become Eng-

land’s longest underground

cycle route flooded because

of a Highways England blun-

der and taxpayers have been

left to foot a £2.46 million re-

pair bill, campaigners have

claimed.

The abandoned passage-

way, connecting Bradford

and Halifax in West York-

shire, is situated 400ft be-

neath the Pennines and the

village of Queensbury.

Cycle campaigners want

the route brought back into

public use so riders can

avoid pedalling up hills and

believe it could prove to be a

tourist attraction

But problems arose when

the tunnel, which was cre-

ated as part of a Victorian

railway and was shut in 1956,

became flooded.

Campaigners claim High-

ways England is to blame for

failing to pay an annual £

rent fee on a neighbouring

pumping station.

Graeme Bickerdike, of the

Queensbury Tunnel Society,

alleged the situation led to

the pumping station being

switched off, flooding the

tunnel with 8.2 million gal-

lons of water.

Highways England said it

never received the rent de-

mands, and claims they were

sent to the Department for

Transport, which owns the

tunnel. However, according

to the terms of the lease, the

£50 should have been paid

“whether formally de-

manded or not”.

Mr Bickerdike said:

“Highways England de-

scribed it as a ‘simple but un-

fortunate administrative

error’. But there’s now 37ft of

water at that end.”

Campaigners claim the

operation to drain the tunnel

will cost at least £2.46 mil-

lion – but would have been

£560,000 had the pumping

station still been working.

News

Climate warning as more summer records

By Victoria Ward

THE UK yesterday sweltered its way
through the hottest ever August bank
holiday Monday as yet another weather
record was set.
Highs of 33.2C (91.8F) at Heathrow
surpassed a previous high of 28.2C
(82.8F) set at Holbeach, Lincs, in 2017.
The weather followed a record-
breaking bank holiday Sunday that saw
temperatures reach 33.3C (92F) at

Heathrow, making it the hottest Au-

gust bank holiday weekend ever de-

clared by the Met Office.

The records are just the latest of

many broken this year, prompting in-

creasing warnings about climate

change.

The 10 hottest years on record have

all occurred since 2002, according to

analysis by the Met Office. The most re-

cent year to make the top 10 coldest

years on record was 1963.

The Government’s advisory commit-

tee on climate change has warned that

the UK is not prepared for the increas-

ing extremes in temperatures that are

expected with global warming.

It recently called for more action to

ensure homes and other buildings such

as hospitals and care facilities could be

comfortable and safe in higher temper-

atures.

Those attending events such as the

Notting Hill Carnival or making their

way home from the Leeds and Reading

festivals were yesterday urged to drink

plenty of water, use sun cream and re-

main in the shade where possible.

Holidaymakers flocked to beach re-

sorts to make the most of the late sum-

mer sun, providing a boost to the

tourist trade.

VisitEngland said 8.6 million people

were expected to take UK breaks this

weekend, bringing an estimated

£2.1 billion boost to the economy.

The figures are the highest since it

launched its trip-tracker survey in

2012. Patricia Yates, the VisitEngland
      director, said it was proving to be a
      “strong summer with late bookings
      also on the rise”.
      Supermarkets were braced for a BBQ
      rush. The weather also prompted vets
      to warn dog owners about over-exer-
      cising their pets in high temperatures.
      One man drowned while swimming
      in the River Trent yesterday in Notting-
      ham, police confirmed. Crews rushed
      to the scene at 1.15pm when he got into
      difficulty shortly after entering the wa-
      ter. His body was recovered at 3.30pm.
      Matthew Box, a Met Office fore-
      caster, said the eastern corridor, from
      Lincolnshire and north Norfolk down
      to Kent, could see temperatures reach-
      ing up to 33C (91.4F) today. “After Tues-

Hottest ever August bank

holiday Monday prompts

alert over Britain’s inability

to deal with extreme heat

u February: the

warmest on

record, with an

average

temperature of

10C (50F)

u Feb 26: the

hottest February

day on record in

Britain with

21.2C at Kew

Gardens

u February: first

time a 20C (70F)

temperature was

recorded in a

winter month

(Dec-Jan-Feb)

u March 20:

coldest daytime

temperature for

a spring equinox

in England -0.6C

(31F) in Buxton,

Derbyshire and

Bingley, West

Yorks

u Easter Sunday:

sunniest day for

Easter weekend

with 14.1 hours

uEaster

Monday: hottest

on record in all

four nations of

the UK

uJuly 25:

hottest UK day

on record

with 38.7C

(102F) at

Cambridge

University

Botanic Garden

uAug 25: hottest

August bank

holiday Sunday

with high of

33.3C (92F) at

Heathrow

u Aug 26:

hottest August

bank holiday

Monday with

33.2C (91.8F) at

Heathrow

Extreme weather This year’s historic temperatures

Bogged down A police car driven on to a beach at Weston-super-

Mare to keep an eye on youngsters walking on soft mud flats needed

rescuing after it got stuck. A beach warden had to tow the car clear.

PETER HANCOX / SWNS

8.2m

The number of gallons of water

estimated to have poured into

the Queensbury tunnel

6 ***^ Tuesday 27 August 2019 The Daily Telegraph
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