BBC Local Live: Cambridgeshire

More than a quarter of empty homes in Peterborough were brought back into use last year.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Of the 574 privately-owned properties in the city that have been empty for more than six months, 179 are now being lived in as part of the city council's Empty Homes strategy.

Councillor Peter Hiller, cabinet member for housing at Peterborough City Council, said: "Empty properties encourage vandalism, social issues and degradation, as well as providing an eyesore for surrounding residents, so by bringing them back into use we are actively enhancing communities.

"Government legislation allows us to take enforcement action if necessary, but our approach is to try to work with owners and support them."

Today's edition of The Newbury Weekly News is the first not to be printed in the town for 150 years.

The printing press in Faraday Road closed last week and the paper is now produced in Cambridge.

It's led to the loss of 28 jobs.

There's been a big increase in the amount of homes being burgled across Cambridgeshire.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics have revealed there were nearly 3,500 break-ins across the county between September 2016 and 2017 - compared to just over 2,000 for the year before.

Robberies in Cambridgeshire are also up - by a fifth over the same time.

Sexual offences have also gone up by a similar amount.

BCH PolicingCopyright: BCH Policing

There are still bad queues on the southbound A1 at Buckden after a car - suspected of being "involved in violent burglaries" - crashed into a petrol station sign.

Police described how the driver of a BMW failed to stop and overturned at the Shell garage on the Buckden roundabout in the early hours.

Three people were taken to hospital.

The road has now fully reopened but there are still long delays.

Peterborough has scored a below average result in new school league tables looking at secondary school performance released today. The new-look league tables sees schools ranked on ‘Progress 8’ - a measure which looks at how much improvement is made by pupils at the school.

All Hackney cabs and pre-booked taxis could soon have to install CCTV in a new licensing policy being recommended by South Cambridgeshire District Council.

The council currently licenses around 1,000 drivers and 900 vehicles - through 140 licensed operators.

The policy - which will go before a full council meeting next month - also calls for disabled and wheelchair access, and for drivers to complete an English test and a "knowledge test" of the local geography.

PACopyright: PA

Drivers and operators will have until April 2020 to get up to speed.

Councillor Alex Riley, of the council's licensing committee, said: "This new policy strengthens our guidelines by further improving standards within the trade and clearly setting even higher expectations of conduct."

Senior doctors from overseas hired by Addenbrooke's Hospital to fill key roles are being blocked by the Home Office because their NHS salaries are too low under immigration rules.

BBCCopyright: BBC

The high winds have been causing havoc in Huntingdon today, with part of the ring road shut for a number of hours.

The fire service confirmed that the road between the bus station and Sandford House had to be closed off because of debris hanging off buildings.

Bricks had fallen from the roof of Scott House on George Street, home to the Huntingdon Law Courts.

The road has reopened in the last few minutes.

BBCCopyright: BBC

A children's play barn that was devastated by fire last April will not reopen until the summer, with repairs likely to cost more than £1m.

Funky Funhouse, in Mercers Row, Cambridge was raided by burglars and then set alight, police said.