Oliver Whitfield-Miocic

Rail Minister Lord Hendy visited the site of a Southern train derailment near Lewes that injured 20 people, including two seriously. Lewes MP James MacCleary called for greater transport investment in the South East, saying the region had been overlooked, while Hendy rejected the suggestion that it was disadvantaged in national funding allocations. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is examining the track and derailment, with initial findings expected this week. Recovery crews have begun separating and removing the carriages, and the Lewes–Haywards Heath line is closed until at least 26 August, with further disruption possible.

Student Alvin Dybvik Payne is unable to return to his university in Oslo because his passport, house keys, laptop and other essentials remain inside a carriage that overturned during the Lewes train derailment. Rail officials say the carriages are still unsafe to access, and the railway line is expected to remain closed for at least 10 more days. Network Rail and Southern say they will prioritize returning passengers’ belongings once recovery work makes the site safe, while Payne’s family says the lack of information has caused significant frustration and disrupted their holiday plans.

An inquest concluded that 90-year-old Barbara Stevens died by unlawful killing after her partner, 75-year-old Robert Page, struck her repeatedly with a hammer at their home in Bexhill-on-Sea. Stevens, who had advancing dementia, died in hospital the following day from extensive skull fractures. Page then took his own life, and police said he would probably have faced a murder charge had he survived. Evidence indicated that the couple had struggled with Stevens's rapidly worsening condition and that the attack was likely a spontaneous loss of control.