A local councillor who started a petition to save a Waitrose store from closure has been responding to news that his attempt was in vain.
Bosses of the Huntingdon branch on St Benedict's Court confirmed this morning that the store would shut in September, stating that improvements needed on the 40-year-old store outweighed its ability to make a profit.
Stephen Greenall, Lib Dem deputy leader of Huntingdonshire District Council, said: "It's really disappointing news, especially after over 2,700 people supported
the petition.
"I have written to Waitrose to ask if they will consider a
profitable option, which will keep what is
clearly a well-loved brand in the town."
A spokesman for Waitrose said the suggestion would be passed on to senior management.
Here are some of the best taken today in the spring sunshine...
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To all you mums out there
#GetInspired
With
Mother's Day
coming up on Sunday, let Ironman athlete Jon Alexander tell you the story of his mum, Sue, and how she has always been his inspiration....
The courage of train driver Stuart Connell on a Greater Anglia service between Cambridge and Norwich which hit a tractor has earned him the title of Abellio Employee of the Year.
Both train and tractor drivers were seriously hurt at the level crossing after the vehicle was given insufficient time by a signaller to cross the line,
a report found
.
Alex YoungCopyright: Alex Young
The crash happened at Roudham, near Thetford, in Norfolk, last April. Investigators said the signaller might have had a lapse in concentration.
At the awards ceremony, Greater Anglia managing director said: "Driver Stuart Connell is a professional through and through and understands his responsibility as a driver is to ensure the safety of his passengers.
"His dedication to his role really shone through and he prides himself on doing his job to the best of his ability.
"His professionalism and dedication to the role was further demonstrated when he returned to work at the earliest opportunity, despite his injuries preventing him from driving."
A10 swan had broken foot and 'arthritis in his hips'
Helen Burchell
BBC News
You might remember earlier this week we told you about a
swan sitting beside the busy A10
near Waterbeach, startling passing motorists.
BBCCopyright: BBC
Well, it turned out the poor old chap had injured himself and couldn't go anywhere, so he was just sitting and watching the traffic go by.
Volunteers from
Fenland Animal Rescue
turned up to check him out and discovered he had a broken bone in his foot.
Crash train driver award for putting life on line to save passengers
Patrick Byrne
BBC News
A train driver who put the safety of his passengers above his own after a collision with a tractor at a level crossing has been named Employee of the Year by rail operator
Abellio
.
Stuart Connell was driving the Greater Anglia service from Cambridge to Norwich when the train
hit the tractor
at Hockham Road near Thetford on Sunday, 10 April, 2016.
Abellio GroupCopyright: Abellio Group
Travelling at 87mph, Mr Connell (pictured) saw a tractor pull out on the level crossing ahead of him and he had seconds to act.
Despite being in imminent danger himself, Stuart put the safety of his passengers and the tractor driver above his own, ducked down and pulled the emergency brake, before warning passengers.
He was named Employee of the Year at the Abellio Achievement Awards
Greater Anglia managing director Jamie Burles said: "Stuart demonstrated a unique ability to put others' safety before his own."
BBCCopyright: BBC
HSE to work alongside police in Corrie investigation
Police say the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will be working alongside officers searching through a landfill as part of the investigation into
Corrie Mckeague's disappearance
.
Paperpix UKCopyright: Paperpix UK
A
team of officers from Suffolk and Norfolk police forces are continuing work at the site at Milton near Cambridge, and they've now been through more than 845 tonnes
of material in the search.
Det Supt Katie Elliott said: "Officers have been liaising with the
HSE as part of the investigation into the circumstances around what happened to
Corrie.
"If there is a find on the site then
the HSE will have a role to play in looking into the procedures that were in
place and we have been speaking with them to ensure they are aware of our
investigation to date.
"Officers
have completed thousands of hours of inquiries to find Corrie and, through the
work that has been completed over the past few months, we have gathered a
substantial amount of information which will inform both our own and any
potential HSE investigation as we move forward."
Search team doubles in size since Corrie disappearance
The chairman of
Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue
(Sulsar) has described as "amazing" news that a planned charity concert in Corrie Mckeague's name is to raise funds for the organisation.
Corrie's mum Nicola Urquhart announced the idea earlier this month.
Suffolk PoliceCopyright: Suffolk Police
Andy King, from Sulsar, said people in the county used not to know anything about what his organisation did: "Now we've got fund-raising events and concerts in aid of us, it's almost been overwhelming for the team.
"It's also meant a huge amount to us to have [our] efforts recognised - [it's] been tremendous and not something we've ever been used to.
"The effect it's had on the team, both in morale and numbers has just been incredible.
"The team is over twice the size now that it was before Corrie went missing."
BreakingHuntingdon Road crash: Driver dies in hospital
Adam Jinkerson
BBC Local Live
Today we've been covering a serious crash on Huntingdon Road in Cambridge that caused the road to be shut for most of the morning.
We've now found out the driver has since died in hospital.
Police have updated us to say the man, who was driving a blue
Volkswagen Golf GTE, struck a lamp post near the junction with Thornton Road at about 03:45.
No-one else was involved in the crash.
The FA People's Cup is back!
#PeoplesCup
It's the semi-finals stage of the
FA People's Cup
this weekend and you'll be able to keep up with all the action on our live text pages from 10:00-18:00 on
Saturday
and
Sunday.
There'll be loads more cracking goals like these ones, analysed by the Football Focus team after the first round.
Search and rescue team spend 6,000 hours looking for Corrie
Andy King continued: "Even while the public searches were being planned and then being undertaken, the team was still out looking at other areas based on information that came from the phone lines.
"Every potential place that Corrie could have been, where somebody suggested, has been searched."
The focus of the search for Mr Mckeague is now a landfill site in Cambridgeshire.
Six months since Corrie Mckeague was last seen
It's six months since
missing RAF Honington serviceman
Corrie Mckeague was captured on CCTV cameras in Bury St Edmunds for the final time in the early hours of Saturday, 24 September.
He'd been on a night out with friends on the Friday, and hasn't been seen since.
Suffolk PoliceCopyright: Suffolk Police
Police have been
searching a landfill site
at Milton near Cambridge for Mr Mckeague's body for nearly three weeks, after a re-examination of information from a refuse company led them to believe he could have been taken in a waste lorry to the site.
They say the search could take up to 10 weeks. So far they've sifted through about 800 tonnes of waste.
Ely North Junction: The long wait
There's been a long and high profile political campaign to improve the Ely North Junction.
It lies on one of the main arteries of the eastern region. Trains from Norwich, King's Lynn, Peterborough, Ipswich and Cambridge all converge on the station along with freight services connecting Felixstowe to the Midlands.
Campaigners say that if it were improved it would be possible to run longer and more frequent services.
But the promised work, which had been due to start this year, was indefinitely delayed after Network Rail realised it had over-committed on projects and run out of money.
With its new budget not starting until 2019, no preparatory work could start until then.
The fact that the private sector has stumped up the cash for a feasibilty study shows how much this project means to the region's business community.
There is still no start date despite today's announcement and there won't be one for some time.
But you get a sense that things are at last slowly moving forwards.
Rail junction project finally moves forward
MPs, business leaders and rail operators were at Ely railway station this morning to celebrate a small, but potentially significant, step forward in the long campaign to improve the Ely North Junction.
The main business organisations for Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire (including the
Greater Cambridge/Greater Peterborough LEP
and the
New Anglia LEP
) along with rail freight operators, have put up a total of £8.8m to fund a technical and feasibility study.
Their hope is that the privately-funded initiative will speed up the project and make it more likely to go ahead when Network Rail draws up its new budget for 2019.
Live Reporting
Adam Jinkerson
All times stated are UK
Get involved
- More on a crash in Cambridge that left a man dead
- A Waitrose store confirming it will close
-
A swan found on the A10 with a broken foot and "arthritis in his hips"
- And much more...
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Latest PostOur live coverage for the week
Adam Jinkerson
BBC Local Live
That's it from us today. Thanks for your company this week.
We'll be back on Monday from 08:00.
Keep an eye on BBC Cambridgeshire over the weekend, including match reports from both Peterborough United and Cambridge United.
Scroll back through today's feed for anything you may have missed, including...
Have a great weekend.
Weather: Chance of frost tonight, but sunshine tomorrow
Julie Reinger
BBC Look East weather
It will be a dry night with mainly clear skies and possibly a few fog patches.
There could be a touch of frost in sheltered spots, with a low of 2C (36F).
After a chilly start, Saturday should be fine and dry with long spells of sunshine.
There'll be a light to moderate north-easterly wind and inland temperatures could reach about 14C (57F).
There's more at BBC Weather .
Councillor 'disappointed' at supermarket closure
Adam Jinkerson
BBC Local Live
A local councillor who started a petition to save a Waitrose store from closure has been responding to news that his attempt was in vain.
Bosses of the Huntingdon branch on St Benedict's Court confirmed this morning that the store would shut in September, stating that improvements needed on the 40-year-old store outweighed its ability to make a profit.
Stephen Greenall, Lib Dem deputy leader of Huntingdonshire District Council, said: "It's really disappointing news, especially after over 2,700 people supported the petition.
"I have written to Waitrose to ask if they will consider a profitable option, which will keep what is clearly a well-loved brand in the town."
A spokesman for Waitrose said the suggestion would be passed on to senior management.
Corrie searchers sift 800 tonnes of waste
The search for missing Corrie Mckeague at a landfill site has so far taken three weeks.
Read moreYour pictures: Rivers in the sun
BBC Weather Watchers
You want pictures of rivers in the sunshine, I hear you say?
Then you shall get pictures of rivers (and a reservoir) in the sunshine!
Luckily our BBC Weather Watchers are on the case.
Here are some of the best taken today in the spring sunshine...
To all you mums out there
#GetInspired
With Mother's Day coming up on Sunday, let Ironman athlete Jon Alexander tell you the story of his mum, Sue, and how she has always been his inspiration....
You can find out how to get into triathlon with our Get Inspired guide.
Courage of crash train driver recognised by award
Patrick Byrne
BBC News
The courage of train driver Stuart Connell on a Greater Anglia service between Cambridge and Norwich which hit a tractor has earned him the title of Abellio Employee of the Year.
Both train and tractor drivers were seriously hurt at the level crossing after the vehicle was given insufficient time by a signaller to cross the line, a report found .
The crash happened at Roudham, near Thetford, in Norfolk, last April. Investigators said the signaller might have had a lapse in concentration.
At the awards ceremony, Greater Anglia managing director said: "Driver Stuart Connell is a professional through and through and understands his responsibility as a driver is to ensure the safety of his passengers.
"His dedication to his role really shone through and he prides himself on doing his job to the best of his ability.
"His professionalism and dedication to the role was further demonstrated when he returned to work at the earliest opportunity, despite his injuries preventing him from driving."
A10 swan had broken foot and 'arthritis in his hips'
Helen Burchell
BBC News
You might remember earlier this week we told you about a swan sitting beside the busy A10 near Waterbeach, startling passing motorists.
Well, it turned out the poor old chap had injured himself and couldn't go anywhere, so he was just sitting and watching the traffic go by.
Volunteers from Fenland Animal Rescue turned up to check him out and discovered he had a broken bone in his foot.
"X-rays showed the swan had arthritis in his hips as well," the charity's founder Josh Flanagan told us.
"He's quite an old boy - probably about eight years old - so we will look after him until he's better and then we will semi-retire him.
"He'll go to a private lake where he'll be safe and comfortable," he added.
Helicopter given Red Nose Day makeover
Adam Jinkerson
BBC Local Live
Also in the Comic Relief spirit is the team over at the East Anglian Air Ambulance, with helicopter Anglia One sporting a rather fetching red nose.
Oh, and yours are great too lads!
BBC One coverage for Red Nose Day kicks-off at 19:00 .
Stephen Hawking searches for new voice (sort of)
Adam Jinkerson
BBC Local Live
Ok, it may not be the exact story you were expecting, but if you're looking for LOLs*, then you've come to the right place.
Today is Red Nose Day , culminating with the regular marathon show on BBC One tonight.
But if you can't wait until then, we've got some brilliant banter*, from none other than Cambridge's Stephen Hawking.
A warning though - as well the chance you might find yourself ROFLing*, it's also a tad rude in places...
*Guide to comedy speak
LOL - Laugh out loud
Banter - A term used to describe something funny
ROFL - Rolling on the floor laughing
Crash train driver award for putting life on line to save passengers
Patrick Byrne
BBC News
A train driver who put the safety of his passengers above his own after a collision with a tractor at a level crossing has been named Employee of the Year by rail operator Abellio .
Stuart Connell was driving the Greater Anglia service from Cambridge to Norwich when the train hit the tractor at Hockham Road near Thetford on Sunday, 10 April, 2016.
Travelling at 87mph, Mr Connell (pictured) saw a tractor pull out on the level crossing ahead of him and he had seconds to act.
Despite being in imminent danger himself, Stuart put the safety of his passengers and the tractor driver above his own, ducked down and pulled the emergency brake, before warning passengers.
He was named Employee of the Year at the Abellio Achievement Awards
Greater Anglia managing director Jamie Burles said: "Stuart demonstrated a unique ability to put others' safety before his own."
HSE to work alongside police in Corrie investigation
Police say the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will be working alongside officers searching through a landfill as part of the investigation into Corrie Mckeague's disappearance .
A team of officers from Suffolk and Norfolk police forces are continuing work at the site at Milton near Cambridge, and they've now been through more than 845 tonnes of material in the search.
Det Supt Katie Elliott said: "Officers have been liaising with the HSE as part of the investigation into the circumstances around what happened to Corrie.
"If there is a find on the site then the HSE will have a role to play in looking into the procedures that were in place and we have been speaking with them to ensure they are aware of our investigation to date.
"Officers have completed thousands of hours of inquiries to find Corrie and, through the work that has been completed over the past few months, we have gathered a substantial amount of information which will inform both our own and any potential HSE investigation as we move forward."
Follow developments in the Corrie Mckeague case here .
Search team doubles in size since Corrie disappearance
The chairman of Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue (Sulsar) has described as "amazing" news that a planned charity concert in Corrie Mckeague's name is to raise funds for the organisation.
Corrie's mum Nicola Urquhart announced the idea earlier this month.
Andy King, from Sulsar, said people in the county used not to know anything about what his organisation did: "Now we've got fund-raising events and concerts in aid of us, it's almost been overwhelming for the team.
"It's also meant a huge amount to us to have [our] efforts recognised - [it's] been tremendous and not something we've ever been used to.
"The effect it's had on the team, both in morale and numbers has just been incredible.
"The team is over twice the size now that it was before Corrie went missing."
BreakingHuntingdon Road crash: Driver dies in hospital
Adam Jinkerson
BBC Local Live
Today we've been covering a serious crash on Huntingdon Road in Cambridge that caused the road to be shut for most of the morning.
We've now found out the driver has since died in hospital.
Police have updated us to say the man, who was driving a blue Volkswagen Golf GTE, struck a lamp post near the junction with Thornton Road at about 03:45.
No-one else was involved in the crash.
The FA People's Cup is back!
#PeoplesCup
It's the semi-finals stage of the FA People's Cup this weekend and you'll be able to keep up with all the action on our live text pages from 10:00-18:00 on Saturday and Sunday.
There'll be loads more cracking goals like these ones, analysed by the Football Focus team after the first round.
Search and rescue team spend 6,000 hours looking for Corrie
Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue has spent more than 6,000 hours looking for RAF Honington gunner Corrie Mckeague, who disappeared six months ago , says its chairman.
Andy King continued: "Even while the public searches were being planned and then being undertaken, the team was still out looking at other areas based on information that came from the phone lines.
"Every potential place that Corrie could have been, where somebody suggested, has been searched."
The focus of the search for Mr Mckeague is now a landfill site in Cambridgeshire.
Six months since Corrie Mckeague was last seen
It's six months since missing RAF Honington serviceman Corrie Mckeague was captured on CCTV cameras in Bury St Edmunds for the final time in the early hours of Saturday, 24 September.
He'd been on a night out with friends on the Friday, and hasn't been seen since.
Police have been searching a landfill site at Milton near Cambridge for Mr Mckeague's body for nearly three weeks, after a re-examination of information from a refuse company led them to believe he could have been taken in a waste lorry to the site.
They say the search could take up to 10 weeks. So far they've sifted through about 800 tonnes of waste.
Ely North Junction: The long wait
There's been a long and high profile political campaign to improve the Ely North Junction.
It lies on one of the main arteries of the eastern region. Trains from Norwich, King's Lynn, Peterborough, Ipswich and Cambridge all converge on the station along with freight services connecting Felixstowe to the Midlands.
Campaigners say that if it were improved it would be possible to run longer and more frequent services.
But the promised work, which had been due to start this year, was indefinitely delayed after Network Rail realised it had over-committed on projects and run out of money.
With its new budget not starting until 2019, no preparatory work could start until then.
The fact that the private sector has stumped up the cash for a feasibilty study shows how much this project means to the region's business community.
There is still no start date despite today's announcement and there won't be one for some time.
But you get a sense that things are at last slowly moving forwards.
Rail junction project finally moves forward
MPs, business leaders and rail operators were at Ely railway station this morning to celebrate a small, but potentially significant, step forward in the long campaign to improve the Ely North Junction.
The main business organisations for Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire (including the Greater Cambridge/Greater Peterborough LEP and the New Anglia LEP ) along with rail freight operators, have put up a total of £8.8m to fund a technical and feasibility study.
Their hope is that the privately-funded initiative will speed up the project and make it more likely to go ahead when Network Rail draws up its new budget for 2019.