Laura Fidler

Regular swimmers at Peterborough Lido who purchase 20- or 40-swim passes will receive permits for free parking at the Regional Pool car park on Bishops Road throughout the 2026 lido season, ending September 30. A separate scheme will also provide free parking after 3 p.m. from August 3 at four council car parks, funded by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

A sinkhole on Milton Road in Cambridge, first reported on June 22, has been repaired after delays caused by an unidentified water source and failures in an Anglian Water sewer network. Surfacing and road markings are complete, but the road remains closed temporarily while the new surface cools, cures and is monitored for safety. The affected stretch between the Elizabeth Way roundabout and Hurst Park Avenue was expected to reopen on August 5.

Essex Police have renewed an appeal for information about 32-year-old Adam Cohen, who has been wanted for nearly seven months over an alleged breach of bail conditions. Detectives believe he may be in Haverhill or elsewhere along the Cambridgeshire-Suffolk border; he also has links to Southend and Cavendish in Suffolk. Police provided a physical description and asked the public to report information through Essex Police or anonymously via Crimestoppers.

A fault affecting overhead wires has completely suspended train services between Ely and King's Lynn for the rest of August 1. National Rail advises passengers to use alternative routes and allow an additional 30 minutes, while a limited rail-replacement bus service operates between the two stations. An hourly shuttle continues between London King's Cross and Ely, and Network Rail engineers are inspecting the lines and investigating the cause of the fault.

Rail lines between Stevenage and London King's Cross, Moorgate and London St Pancras International were closed after a person was hit by a train. Emergency services were at the scene, with passengers warned of long delays and cancellations until at least midday. Services operated by Grand Central, Great Northern, Hull Trains, LNER, Lumo and Thameslink were affected, with some diversions via Hertford North and limited replacement buses between Peterborough and London King's Cross.

Daniel Wilson, 38, of Cambridge, was jailed for one year and four months after repeatedly breaching non-molestation and restraining orders protecting his former partner. His conduct included threatening her and her new partner at a pub, sending unwanted emails and flowers, and attempting to persuade a relative to encourage her to drop the case. Wilson pleaded guilty to harassment by breach of a restraining order, breach of a non-molestation order and common assault. A stalking charge and a charge relating to attempting to pervert the course of public justice were left on file, and he received a further ten-year restraining order.

A car crash near Stibbington alerted police to Joshua Munton, Harvey Webb and Miles Starbuck, leading officers to a Louis Vuitton bag containing £10,730, a balaclava, keys and a bank card. Financial checks, phone evidence and DNA linked the three men to drug dealing and criminal property offences. Munton was sentenced to five years in prison, while Starbuck and Webb received suspended sentences with unpaid-work requirements; Webb was also banned from driving. The case included a separate stabbing matter involving Munton.

A man in his 40s was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in stable condition after allegedly being struck on the head with a branch by one of a group of young males on a footpath in Haverhill. Police are treating the assault as racially aggravated grievous bodily harm. Shortly afterward, officers received reports of a man carrying a large machete-style knife and shouting near a Tesco supermarket, although no direct threats were made and nobody was injured. Suffolk Police are investigating whether the incidents are linked and are seeking CCTV, doorbell-camera and dashcam footage.

Two pedestrians were struck by a vehicle that mounted the pavement on Cotterstock Road in Oundle shortly before midnight on April 6, 2026. Northamptonshire Police are investigating and asking witnesses or anyone with information to contact them, quoting incident number 26000196747; information can also be provided anonymously through Crimestoppers.

Police recovered the body of a teenage girl from the River Nene near Wisbech after a car carrying five people entered the water on March 17. A teenage boy remains missing, while two girls and a boy escaped and were taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn with non-life-threatening injuries. Specialist dive teams continued searching, North Brink remained closed, and police appealed for witnesses and dashcam footage.

Lewis Howden and Charlotte Ritchie admitted stealing nearly £500 of goods from a BP filling station in Bretton during four visits in February 2026. After being arrested and released on bail, Howden committed three further thefts from Waitrose, Home Bargains and Next in Peterborough. He was sentenced to ten months in prison and ordered to pay £207.99 compensation, while Ritchie received a two-year conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £234.

Hamdard Khan, 18, was jailed for 26 months after admitting supplying crack cocaine, heroin and cocaine, as well as affray. Police linked him to an altercation in Peterborough’s Central Park where a firearm was discharged and spent casings were found; a search of his home uncovered drugs, cash, blank-firing rounds, a machete and a baton. While on bail, Khan was involved in another violent altercation on Geneva Street with Rihaem Khan, 23, in which weapons were seen and two people suffered minor injuries. Rihaem Khan was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work after admitting affray.

Nigel Hensby, 27, set fire to Christmas decorations in the foyer of Cambridge Youth Foyer on December 5, shortly after being released from prison. He had threatened to smash the door and petrol bomb the building after staff refused him entry to retrieve a mobile phone from a former partner. No one was injured, but police said the fire endangered vulnerable residents and staff. Hensby pleaded guilty to arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered and was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court to two years in prison.

Gregory Coulson, 31, was unanimously found guilty of murdering his 67-year-old mother, Carmen Coulson, at their home in Longthorpe, Peterborough. She suffered multiple stab wounds, including a fatal injury to the heart. Coulson initially claimed intruders were responsible but later admitted to police that he had killed her with a steak knife. Police cited evidence of heavy cocaine and alcohol use before the attack. He is due to be sentenced on April 17, with the court venue yet to be confirmed.

Cambridgeshire Police shut down an illegal rave attended by more than 400 people at an industrial unit on Burrel Road in St Ives. Officers imposed a dispersal order, seized music equipment, cut the unit’s power and boarded it up. Three men were arrested on suspicion of offences including organising an unlicensed musical event, burglary, breaching the dispersal order, violent disorder and drug possession. All were bailed with conditions restricting their access to St Ives or Cambridgeshire, while police warned that illegal raves can cause drug-related harms, community disruption and property damage.

A body was recovered from a river at Sutton Gault during the search for 64-year-old Carol Hillier, who had been missing since February 15 after last being seen near The Old Anchor pub. Cambridgeshire Police said Hillier’s family had been informed, but formal identification had not yet taken place.

Samuel Potter, 43, of Cambridge, was banned from driving for 36 months and given a 12-month community order after admitting to driving with excess alcohol. Police stopped him in Exning, Suffolk, where he recorded 145 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath—more than four times the legal limit of 35 microgrammes. He was also ordered to complete alcohol treatment and rehabilitation activities and pay £344 in fines and costs.

A crash involving three cars on the M11 northbound between junctions 8 and 9, near the Cambridgeshire border between Bishop’s Stortford and Saffron Walden, brought traffic to a standstill and caused severe delays. National Highways expected journey times to increase by around 45 minutes.

At least seven Greater Anglia services between Cambridge and Norwich were cancelled on Sunday, February 22, after more trains than usual required urgent repairs and were taken out of service. Passengers travelling between the two stations were advised to check their journeys before departure, with cancellations affecting services throughout the afternoon and evening.

An incident on the northbound A1 before junction 14 near Alconbury caused delays on Sunday, February 22, after one lane of the entry slip road was closed. The incident remained ongoing for about an hour before all lanes reopened at 10:54 GMT.

Older state pensioners with complete National Insurance records could receive an extra £440 annually from a 4.8% state pension increase from April 2026. Eligible recipients may also receive up to £566 more through Pension Credit, producing a combined potential increase of £1,006 per year. Pension Credit eligibility depends on income and savings, with payments reduced for savings above £10,000.

The State Pension is projected to increase by up to £2,100 over the current Parliament under the triple lock, although the final total is not guaranteed. From 6 April 2026, the new State Pension will rise 4.8% to £241.30 per week, while the basic State Pension will increase to £184.90. The government says annual State Pension spending will be more than £30 billion higher by the end of the Parliament, alongside expanded Pension Credit and Cold Weather Payment support.

A driver crashed into a tree on Knights End Road in March after reportedly drinking the previous night. A roadside breath test recorded 100 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, nearly three times the legal limit of 35 micrograms. The driver was arrested and taken to Peterborough City Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Police warned that alcohol consumed the night before can still result in being over the legal limit the following day, and said inquiries remain ongoing.

Train services to and from Cambridge and Cambridge North toward London Liverpool Street were delayed or cancelled after a passenger fell ill at Tottenham Hale. Greater Anglia said the passenger was receiving care and that trains could run normally through the station, but delays and cancellations would continue while services returned to schedule. A 7:36am service to Cambridge North was delayed, while the 7:44am service from Cambridge to London Liverpool Street was cancelled.

A serious collision involving several vehicles, including a heavy goods vehicle that struck the central reservation, closed the A14 eastbound between Brampton and Swavesey in Cambridgeshire for around four hours on January 19, 2026. The crash caused severe delays and prompted traffic diversions through local routes. National Highways later confirmed that the main carriageway had reopened and traffic was easing, although the J23 exit slip road remained closed for recovery work. Police, fire crews and ambulance services attended the scene.

Cambridgeshire’s roads have been rated amber by the Department for Transport, indicating that they do not consistently meet good maintenance standards or follow best-practice methods, despite the county authority receiving a green rating for its spending. The assessment raises concerns about road safety, including risks to cyclists. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the government has provided £7.3 billion in additional long-term highway funding and expects councils to use it effectively to improve road conditions and reduce repair costs for drivers.