BBC Local Live: Beds, Herts & Bucks

Rather cloudy but dry this evening with a few sunny spells possible. It'll stay dry and mainly cloudy overnight, but with some clear spells at times.

Winds will stay light and there'll be a minimum temperature of 12C (54F).

Tomorrow: It'll stay dry and mainly cloudy, though with some brighter spells at times, and it will feel quite warm with highs of 22C (72F).

Two brothers have been jailed for burgling 60 pubs and stealing almost £20,000 of cash.

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Warren (pictured left) and Westley Linnen (right) admitted conspiracy to burgle at Chelmsford Crown Court. The pair targeted pubs across southern England, including premises in Essex, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.

The pair, aged 35 and 38, from Beckton, London, were each jailed for five-and-a-half years.

We had 36 people arrested in two days in Bedfordshire last week and today we've seen for ourselves suspected illegal immigrants leaving Toddington service station.

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Chris Gadsden, who lives on neighbouring farmland, called for more to be done to stop people trespassing, and being here today, we've seen the fence has been trampled on, torn down and in some parts is completely missing.

Bedfordshire police says it's made seven arrests today.

More detail has been released this week about plans for the High Speed Two rail project, and a local MP isn't happy that the new instructions still don't include plans for a tunnel under the Chilterns.

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Cheryl Gillan, the Conservative MP for Chesham and Amersham, told me: "I hope we have not gone completely stark stirring mad and bonkers that we would sacrifice an area of outstanding natural beauty so that people can experience high speed shopping [on board].

"That to me would be absolutely disgraceful."

Hemel Hempstead's Katy Dunne has lost her Wimbledon qualifying second-round match today in two sets.

Harpenden's Ed Corrie, who represents Gosling Tennis Club in Welwyn, has also just lost his qualifier by two sets to love.

We've just found another great video of our weekend at Rhythms of the World festival in Hitchin.

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We were there for two days and had some fantastic local artists, including Coasts, whose track is used on the video, and solo acts including Natasha North.

There are delays of up to 16 minutes on Thameslink services between Bedford and Brighton.

On London Midland, there are still delays of about 30 minutes between Bletchley and Watford Junction due to an earlier signalling problem.

The roads in the three counties are looking fairly congested. Check here before you travel.

Latest news headlines for Beds, Herts and Bucks:

• Bedfordshire Police has arrested seven suspected illegal immigrants at Toddington Services on the M1 today
• A tractor has been stolen in Hertfordshire, just two weeks after another tractor was taken from a school farm in Bedfordshire

This afternoon I've spoken to a 22-year-old man who was arrested at Toddington Services on suspicion of entering the UK illegally. He told me he left Sudan about three weeks ago, and spent the past three days in Calais.

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He arrived in the UK by clinging on to the underside of a lorry because he wants to study here. Clearly he's taken some very desperate measures.

Bedfordshire Police said seven people had been arrested near the services today.

Stevenage swimmer Martyn Walton has won another medal at the European Games in Baku, claiming silver in the mixed 4x100 metres freestyle relay.

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Walton, who represents Hatfield Swimming Club, has also reached the final of the 200 metres individual medley, which is tomorrow.

It follows his other relay gold medal yesterday.

A politician has called for safety improvements after a fire broke out at a block of flats in Buckingham following a petrol tank explosion.

The fire in Whitehead Way, at about 16:00 yesterday afternoon, caused damage to the outside of the flats, which are owned by Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust. A van, car and three motorbikes were also involved.

Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire has made the top of our Local Live page today.

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You can see the church of St Peter and St Paul, along with the River Ouzel. Thank you to John O'Reilly for sharing this photograph with us.

Remember, you can share your images of the three counties to feature on the website here.

Berkhamsted and Tring Police tweets: Alcohol seized last night from 16-year-olds on Berkhamsted streets. Parents please be aware.

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The managing editor who launched BBC Radio Bedfordshire 30 years ago has been sharing some of his memories of the station on our Facebook page.

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Mike Gibbons writes: "A lot of now-national broadcasters started here (Jackie Long, Jamie Crick, Chris Burns and more).

"Brilliant OBs - Bedford River Festival on our boat and the Luton & Dunstable Carnivals with our float. All the community, language and music programmes - more live music than any other BBC local radio station. Really good team and good times."

This is a 22-year-old from Sudan. He's been arrested at Toddington Services this afternoon on suspicion of entering the UK illegally.

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He told me that he had been clinging to the bottom of a lorry.

Earlier this month, Watford FC announced they were to construct 1,100 extra seats at their Vicarage Road ground to increase capacity ahead of their return to the Premier League.

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Well, BBC Three Counties reporter Matt Lockwood passed the ground this morning and the work is certainly under way.

The latest news for the three counties:

• Bedfordshire Police has arrested seven suspected illegal immigrants at Toddington Services on the M1
• A letter sent by the Bletchley Park codebreaker Alan Turing has sold for £40,000 at auction today

Memories of BBC Three Counties Radio over the years are still being shared over on our Facebook page to celebrate 30 years on air.

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Mike sends in a photo of the Ford Cortina estate radio car at Luton Carnival, during the first few years of BBC Radio Bedfordshire broadcasting.

A tractor was stolen from a Hertfordshire farm overnight and driven straight through the farmer's wheat field.

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Police are searching for the red and black tractor that was stolen from a farm near the villages of Buckland and Sandon.

It is believed the vehicle may have been loaded onto a trailer when it reached the main road.

The M25 is slow clockwise, between J23-J24, because lane one of four is closed after a vehicle broke down.

The matrix signs are set to 40mph.

There are delays of 30 minutes on London Midland trains between Bletchley and Watford Junction.

A letter from Bletchley Park codebreaker Alan Turing, written less than a year before his death, has sold at auction for £40,000.

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The two-page letter was sent to an eight-year-old daughter of a colleague, detailing the moves required to play a successful game of solitaire.

Another person has been arrested in Bedfordshire, making a total of seven suspected illegal immigrants being held in custody at Luton police station.

Stevenage have signed former Fleetwood Town midfielder Steven Schumacher on an undisclosed-length deal.

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The 31-year-old made 33 appearances for the Cod Army last season, but was one of 15 players released by the League One side in May.

A postcard sent by Bletchley Park codebreaker Alan Turing has sold for £13,750.

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The postcard, sent in 1953 from Turing's holiday in Corfu, was expected to sell for £2,000-£3,000 at auction this lunchtime.

A dry and rather cloudy rest of the day, though some bright or sunny spells are likely.

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It will feel warm in the light winds despite the cloud, especially in urban areas, with a maximum temperature of 22C (72F).

The three men we filmed jumping over the fence into fields near Toddington Services this morning are amongst the six taken into custody by Bedfordshire Police.

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I've also been talking to lorry drivers at the services today who say illegal immigrants sneaking onto their vehicles is a real concern.

One Lithuanian lorry driver, who does runs all across Europe, said he would not stop anywhere within four hours of Calais as it is just too risky.

Here are the latest news headlines for the three counties:

• Bedfordshire Police has arrested six suspected illegal immigrants after being called to Toddington Services again this morning
• A post-mortem examination is due to take place today after a woman's body was found in a Buckinghamshire layby yesterday. A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder

Bedfordshire Police has told me that six suspected illegal immigrants have been arrested near Toddington Services.

A spokeswoman said: "We received several calls to our control room regarding suspected illegal immigrants seen near Toddington services today.

"We arrested and detained all six suspects described and all are currently being held in custody at Luton police station."

Attackers have broken a man's jaw in Stevenage, leaving him in need of surgery.

Police are appealing for witnesses and information following the incident in an underpass.

Olympic bronze medallist Phelan Hill says the current British rowing team is the best he has been part of.

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Bedford's Hill, 35, coxed the men's eight to third at London 2012 but missed out on selection for the World Cup in Italy, where Team GB topped the medal table with 10.

"I'm coming up to eight years in the team and certainly this is the strongest we've ever had," Hill told BBC Three Counties Radio. "It just spurs everyone on to maximise their potential, and you know that if you're not delivering the goods there's someone else trying to take your seat."

I've just seen three men, who are suspected illegal immigrants, leaving Toddington Services. Police have been called but the men have disappeared.

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They could be hiding in the crops or in the woods surrounding the fields.

We last saw them walking parallel to the motorway but they're nowhere to be seen. One was wearing green, one was wearing brown, so very difficult to spot.

Near Bishops Stortford, the M11 northbound exit slip road at J8 has one lane blocked due to a broken down vehicle.

In Buckinghamshire, there is still a lane closed on the A413 Amersham Road northbound in Gerrards Cross, for a police investigation.

Bedfordshire Police has been called to Toddington Services again this morning following sightings of more suspected illegal immigrants.

Farmers say that over recent weeks, hundreds of people have ended up in their fields, as they try to get away from the motorway.

Also up for auction today, along with a letter on how to win at solitaire, is a postcard sent from Bletchley Park codebreaker Alan Turing.

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The signed postcard was sent from Turing's holiday in Corfu and, like the solitaire letter, was written in 1953, a year before his death.

It goes under the hammer this lunchtime at Bonhams in London and is expected to sell for between £2,000-£3,000.

Today it's BBC Three Counties Radio's 30th birthday and listeners have been sharing their memories of the station over the years on Facebook.

Mike Hart writes: "I remember showing my racing Mini 7 at the Herts Showground on the Radio Bedforshire Stand."

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Nicolas Hamilton is the little brother of the current Formula One world champion, Lewis, but is determined to forge his own success in the world of motorsport.

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The 23-year-old from Stevenage has cerebral palsy and is about to become the first disabled driver to compete in the British Touring Car Championships this weekend.

The BBC's disability news correspondent Nikki Fox has been to meet him.

A letter from Bletchley Park codebreaker Alan Turing could fetch up to £60,000 at auction today.

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The two-page letter, written by Turing in 1953, a year before his death, was sent to an eight-year-old daughter of a colleague, and details moves required to successfully play a game of solitaire.

It goes under the hammer today at Bonhams in London.

Today marks the 30 year anniversary for BBC Three Counties Radio.

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The station started as BBC Radio Bedfordshire on 24 June 1985, serving the whole of Bedfordshire plus North Bucks and northern parts of Hertfordshire.

Share your memories of the station over the years on our Facebook page.

Good morning - I'll be bringing you the latest news, sport, weather and travel for the rest of the day, along with some celebrations of BBC Three Counties Radio's 30 year anniversary!

If you have any memories of the station from over the years, I'd love to hear them. You can get in touch here.

An MP says plans for a new Heathrow Express depot in Langley, Berkshire, part of the High Speed Two (HS2) rail scheme, must be used to save the Buckinghamshire village of Iver, where a heavy goods vehicle drives through every 58 seconds.

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Dominic Grieve, the Conservative MP for Beaconsfield, told the House of Commons Iver urgently needed a relief road, a "long-sought" project which could be "even more difficult to achieve because it is not factored into the construction of this depot".

"[This] might provide the ideal moment for its construction," he said. "If it doesn't take place when this depot is constructed it may be impossible thereafter for it to occur at all."

Long delays on the M25 anticlockwise remain between J19 and J16 because of an earlier van fire.

Travel time is about 60 minutes.

On London Midland there are delays of up to 50 minutes between Bletchley and Watford Junction because of a signalling problem.

A mother in Poland is appealing for help from people in the Bedford area to find her six-year-old son, who disappeared along with his father six months ago.

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Paulina Dad, whose son Mani (pictured) had been living with her in Kielce, Poland, wants any information about the whereabouts of him and his father, Zayn Dean, who has links to Bedford.

Katherine Pritchard, her solicitor, said: "We know that Zayn Dean has family living in the Bedford area."

Karl Robinson has called his MK Dons players back into training on Friday ahead of their debut season in the Championship.

Geograph / Peter BurrowCopyright: Geograph / Peter Burrow

The Dons won promotion to the second tier of English football after a dramatic final day in League 1 and will return for fitness work just over a month later.

Here are the news headlines for Beds, Herts and Bucks:

• A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman's body was found in a Buckinghamshire layby
• Eleven men will be sentenced next month after rival gangs fought running battles in Luton town centre. A man was stabbed during the clashes between rival gangs from Lewsey Farm and Marsh Farm in December

Eleven men will be sentenced next month after rival gangs fought running battles in Luton town centre.

A man was stabbed during the clashes between rival gangs from Lewsey Farm and Marsh Farm in December.

Yesterday at Luton Crown Court, two men were found guilty of several charges; three others had pleaded guilty. Last month, six more pleaded guilty to a revenge attack later that December day. Four men were found not guilty.

It will be another uncomfortable day for hay fever sufferers - the pollen count today is going to be very high.

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The van fire on the anticlockwise M25 between J16 and J15, the turn-offs for the M40 and M4, earlier this morning has also led to delays on the M40.

Queues are being reported back to J2 at Beaconsfield.

A robber who escaped from an open prison in Buckinghamshire has had his sentence increased by six months for "escaping from lawful custody".

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Ross Underwood, 30, went on the run from HMP Springhill at Grendon Underwood on 24 May and was recaptured in Northamptonshire on 1 June.

It was the second time he'd absconded from an open prison.

Luton's Muslim community held an emergency meeting last night at the Bury Park Commmunity Centre (pictured) to discuss plans for a march by the far right group, Britain First, on Saturday.

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Dr Fiaz Hussein, from the Luton Council of Mosques, says the group is not welcome: "Everybody is against it, they feel it paints the wrong picture of the town.

"Everybody is standing together on this, we work together, we play together and we live together and we really just want to be left alone and there is no need for anybody to come and disturb that peace."

Bedfordshire Police has imposed restrictions on the march and are looking to extend these with a High Court injunction on Friday.

We told you earlier about the lane closure on the anticlockwise M25 between J16 for the M40 and J15 for the M4 due to an earlier van fire.

Congestion is now back to J19 for the A41 at Watford and the estimated travel time through the whole section is two hours.

Get the latest updates from BBC Travel.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of a woman was found in a layby in Buckinghamshire yesterday.

Thames Valley PoliceCopyright: Thames Valley Police

The body, which has not yet been identified, was found by a passing motorist just after 08:30 in Amersham Road on the A413, at Gerrards Cross. A post-mortem examination is due to take place later.

Thames Valley Police has detained a 50-year-old man from Hayes in Middlesex.

Here are this morning's headlines:

• Police have launched a murder investigation after a woman's body was found in a layby in Gerrard's Cross
• Luton's Muslim community held an emergency meeting last night to discuss plans for a march by the far right group, Britain First, on Saturday
• A Polish mother is appealing for help to find her six-year-old son after her husband, who has links to Bedford, abducted him

Listen to all the latest news on the hour at BBC Three Counties Radio.

Today will see a mixture of cloud with some sunny spells, but will feel warmer.

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Maximum temperature: 22C (71F).

Watch the latest forecast with Kate Kinsella.

One lane is closed on the anticlockwise M25 between J16 for the M40 and J15 for the M4 due to an earlier van fire.

Traffic is queuing back to J17 for the A412 at Maple Cross.

Get the latest updates from BBC Travel.

Welcome to today's live page for Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire for another whirl around the latest news, sport, leisure, travel and weather across the three counties until 18:00.

I'll get you started and Dani Bailey will join at 10:00.

Get involved at any time by emailing your comments to bhblive@bbc.co.uk or contact us on Twitter @BBC3CR or Facebook.