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The £1million culvert repair project is due to start on Monday 23 July and is expected to take 13 weeks to complete.

Environment Agency contractors, JBA Bentley, will be on site to carry out the work in the Lancashire town to make Victoria Clough culvert structurally sound.

Culverts are structures which carry water underground. They were often built to allow development to take place around them such as roads, homes and businesses. Many people live and work near culverts and may not even know they are there.

A new culvert will be installed beneath the disused railway embankment to replace the existing one which has collapsed. The team will also re-line or replace a number of sections along the length of the culvert at locations under Victoria Road and the A56 Skipton Road.

A new and improved trash screen will also be fixed at the inlet of the culvert, to help reduce the risk of it becoming blocked with debris and making it easier and safer to clear when water levels are high.

During the period of work there will be disruption to traffic using the A56 and Victoria Road. There will need to be road closures on Valley Road and New Road with local diversions and temporary traffic lights put in place, and some parking restrictions on Victoria Road.

Paul Swales flood risk advisor at the Environment Agency said:

Earby has suffered devastating flooding over recent years, most notably the Boxing Day 2015 flood. We’re pleased to be starting this repair work which will bring significant flood risk benefits to homes and businesses.

We understand that this traffic management could cause some inconvenience so we will do all we can to minimise this disruption as much as possible. We’d like to thank residents and businesses for their patience and understanding while we carry out this essential work to reduce flood risk.

Funding for the project comes from £813k of Grant in Aid and £200k of Yorkshire Local Levy.

Since the floods of Boxing Day 2015, the Environment Agency has worked in partnership with Pendle Borough Council, Lancashire County Council and Yorkshire Water to develop schemes to reduce flood risk in Earby.

Options explored

The Environment Agency continues to explore other options to reduce flood risk from all sources in and around Earby. Over the next 12 months, the team will investigate the options in more detail, which include flood storage areas on Earby Beck, the New Cut and Victoria Clough and installing a flood defence wall at Boot Street.

The Environment Agency is looking for volunteer flood wardens to play a key part in keeping Earby prepared and informed before, during and after a flood. Anyone interested in becoming a flood warden can email heather.cottrill@environment-agency.gov.uk to find out more.

By signing up to the Environment Agency’s free Flood Warning service residents and businesses can receive flood alerts and flood warnings for Earby Beck and/or Earby New Cut directly to their phone and emails, 24/7. Find out if you’re at risk and register for free flood warnings.

A man who sexually abused a severely autistic person has today had his sentence increased after the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, referred his sentence to the Court of Appeal for being too low.

Alex Jordan Waddoups, now aged 24, anally raped a severely autistic person on multiple occasions. He made threats against the victim and their family if they were to tell anyone what had happened.

Waddoups was originally sentenced at Warwick Crown Court in April, where he was given 7 years’ imprisonment, ordered to sign the sexual offenders register for life, and had to pay a £120 victim surcharge. Today, after the Solicitor General’s referral, the Court of Appeal increased his sentence to 10 years’ imprisonment.

Commenting on the sentence increase, the Solicitor General said:

“Waddoups targeted a vulnerable individual he knew he could dominate both physically and mentally. While it is important to recognise the mental health of the offender, we cannot let this distort our judgement when it comes to protecting members of the public, and as such I am pleased that the Court of Appeal has agreed with my referral.”

Developed by the Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), the new technology produces higher resolution images while simplifying product design.

The first product to take advantage of the new technology will be the Axi-Tek CSI-100 which will make the inspection of aircraft components quicker and easier due to its reduced size and weight. Future products will cater for applications as wide-ranging as factory in-line and in-field industrial inspection, to security and bomb disposal.

The new technology improves the mechanism used to control an x-ray beam. Called a collimator, just as a lens focuses light, a collimator directs and filters x-rays to ensure objects are correctly illuminated. This novel design of collimator is much lighter, provides a more consistent beam, and is mechanically simpler to implement.

The CSI-100 will use the advanced technique of detecting reflected x-rays (backscatter) to image objects. This has the advantage that access to only one side of an object is required, allowing operators to inspect, identify and verify the internal structure and contents without needing access to all sides or needing to move it.

Nick Fox, Managing Director of Axi-Tek commented:

We are excited to have secured this novel technology as it now paves the way for a new line of portable backscatter x-ray imaging products. We expect to see the first CSI-100 available to the aviation industry in quarter 4 next year, with specialist security variants coming online early the following year.

Ploughshare’s CEO, James Kirby, added:

This licence deal with Aki-Tek further demonstrates how Ploughshare maximises the investments Dstl has made in Science & Technology by taking defence innovations and finding commercial uses for them. Aki-Tek’s unique products will benefit their operators, assist with the public’s safety and security, and also create jobs and prosperity.

The technology will be suitable for the inspection of carbon fibre aircraft wings where it can detect impact damage hidden deep in a wing structure. The CSI-100 will initially be tailored for this non-destructive inspection application for both reinforced carbon and glass fibre components in aircraft structures.

It could also be used in the security industry and will allow operators to quickly investigate the contents of objects and suspicious packages.

Initially funded by a grant from Innovate UK, the CSI-100 is based on more than three years of collaborative research with a team from Axi-Tek, University College London, QinetiQ and Rolls-Royce.

About Axi-Tek Limited

Axi-Tek is a UK based specialist SME working in the field of the development of hi-tech x-ray solutions for the industrial and security sectors. Since its formation in 2013, the highly experienced team at Axi-Tek have work in close collaboration with both industrial and academic partners to identify and commercialise emerging technologies taking them from the laboratory to the market place. Exploitation of the resultant products is either through Axi-Tek’s sister company, Metrix NDT Limited, or where direct 3rd party commercial sponsorship has been provided, exploited by Axi-Tek’s clients.

Email: n.fox@axi-tek.com or n.fox@metrixndt.com

About Ploughshare Innovations

Ploughshare Innovations is the technology transfer organisation for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). It turns ‘swords into ploughshares’ by enabling businesses to gain access to defence and security technology developed by leading government laboratories. Ploughshare ensures Government technology is put to good use and benefits the UK, society as a whole, and humanity by applying innovative technology to improve people’s lives. Since its creation in 2005, the company has licensed 125 technologies and attracted £140 million of investment.

Email info@ploughshareinnovations.com

Chartwell Trustee Pension Solutions Ltd (Chartwell), was the sole trustee of the Pinnacle Pension Scheme and was incorporated on 14 December 2007. Its registered office was Kingfisher House, Bromley, Kent.

The Insolvency Service launched an investigation into the company’s activities following complaints received by it and Action Fraud.

The investigation found:

• the company was entrusted with in excess of £4.8m of members’ pension funds following an apparent cold-calling telesales operation. Members were told that they could expect a guaranteed 8% return into their pension for the first two years and that further returns may follow
• members were told their pensions would be invested in ‘storage products’. However, records provided by the company to the Insolvency Service investigators were incomplete, and it did not provide the investigators with an adequate explanation for the application of the funds it received
• customers experienced enormous difficulties in contacting the company, received very little information from the company and do not appear to have been issued with any Annual Returns, which are supposed to provide them with details of their invested funds, since October 2015

Investigators were unable to obtain any clear view of how the company operated and records the company did provide were incomplete, inconsistent, and contradicted information the company had itself provided to The Pensions Regulator.

The company was wound up by the court on Wednesday 6 June 2018, on the petition of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, following an investigation by the Insolvency Service.

The Court said that it was appropriate, desirable, and in the interest of investors to make an order to place the company into insolvent liquidation.

Judge Prentis found that the company operated with a lack of commercial probity, a lack of transparency, and without any presence at its Registered Office address. Investigators were unable to obtain any clear view of how the company operated.

Nobody appeared on behalf of the company to oppose the petition.

Investigation Supervisor Irshard Mohammed, of the Insolvency Service, said:

Those behind companies such as Chartwell should be aware that the Insolvency Service will not tolerate such abuses of the corporate regime. It is telling that this situation appears to have arisen from telephone cold-calling.

Members of the public should be most wary when approached with investment proposals or proposals of how to manage their pension, through unsolicited telephone calls.

Notes to editors

A winding-up order was made against Chartwell Trustee Pension Solutions Ltd on 6 June 2018 in the High Court of Justice.

The petition to wind up the company was presented in the High Court of Justice Business and Property Courts of England and Wales, on 9 April 2018, under the provisions of section 124A of the Insolvency Act 1986 following confidential enquiries by Company Investigations under section 447 of the Companies Act 1985, as amended.

Chartwell Trustee Pension Solutions Ltd was incorporated on 14 December 2007 with the Company Registration Number 06453607. Its Registered Office on 6 June 2018 was Kingfisher House, 21-23 Elmfield Road, Bromley, Kent, England, BR1 1LT.

The company’s sole director at the time of winding up is Christopher William Payne.

Mr Payne and another former director of Chartwell, Karen Carol Burton, were previously directors of Imperial Trustee Services Ltd, which was also wound up by the Insolvency Service on a Public Interest petition. The press release for Imperial Trustee Services Ltd is available here.

All enquiries concerning the affairs of the companies should be made to: The Official Receiver, Public Interest Unit, 4 Abbey Orchard Street, London, SW1P 2HT. Telephone: 0207 637 1110, Email: piu.or@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk.

Company Investigations, part of the Insolvency Service, uses powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Further information about live company investigations is available here.

The Insolvency Service administers the insolvency regime, investigating all compulsory liquidations and individual insolvencies (bankruptcies) through the Official Receiver to establish why they became insolvent. It may also use powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK. In addition, the agency deals with disqualification of directors in corporate failures, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

Contact Press Office

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7674 6910 or 020 7596 6187

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

• Twitter
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• YouTube

The UK Space Agency has today announced at the Farnborough International Airshow that Wales will play host to the 2019 UK Space Conference, with the new International Convention Centre (ICC) near Newport confirmed as the event venue. Dr Graham Turnock, CEO of the UK Space Agency announced that the conference will take place on 9 to 11 July 2019.

The UK Space Conference is considered the most influential event for the space community, bringing together government, industry and academia, to build links, share opportunities and address mutual concerns at a crucial time of unprecedented change and growth for the sector.

The position of Programme Committee Chair is now open for nominations; this committee is responsible for defining the theme, shaping the content and selecting the speakers. Nominations for members of the committee are also welcome. We are looking to ensure wide engagement in the conference and so encourage people from across the community to put themselves forward.

The 2019 conference is set to be the biggest and most significant event to date with over 1,200 delegates anticipated. The ICC Wales, an £84 million investment development, is due to open shortly before the 2019 event. This biennial conference has been held previously in Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester, with the first held in 2011 in Warwick.

CEO of the UK Space Agency, Dr Graham Turnock said:

We are working with the space sector to build on our significant capability and maximise the benefits of space to life on Earth, creating jobs and opportunities across the country.

The UK Space Conference is a fantastic event for sparking the kind of collaborations and partnerships that will help our sector grow. I am delighted that Wales will be hosting the 2019 conference and I’m sure it will build on the huge success of the 2017 conference in Manchester.

Sir Martin Sweeting, Executive Chairman, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd and founder of the Surrey Space Centre said:

The UK Space Conference provides a vital forum for the UK space sector, academia and policy makers to network, debate, form new collaborations, and do business. It’s a key event for SSTL, and a fixture in my calendar.

This 2017 programme included 5 plenary and 28 parallel sessions which were carefully designed to inspire, enable and connect the space community. 180 speakers delivered a total of 43 hours’ worth of content and discussion to 1,200 delegates. Speakers included British ESA Astronaut Tim Peake, one of the most inspirational figures in the UK space sector, who spoke in the closing plenary entitled ‘Inspiring the future through exploration’.

Other influential speakers included; Professor Jan Wörner, Director General of the European Space Agency, and Andy Green, President of UKspace and chair of the Space Sector Council.

Fun Kids radio, with the support of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) created a radio series aimed at under 12s. It tells the story of pop pup Nancy and her backing band the Meerkats. Trying to make it big in the music they have to overcome a surprisingly diverse range of IP related issues.

Mark Skeggs from the IPO said:

We were very pleased to have the opportunity to support this competition that encouraged children to respect IP in a fun, creative and engaging manner. A number of very good entries were received from throughout the UK and we would like to congratulate Katie Howells from Usk Primary School as a worthy winner.

To support the new Nancy and the Meerkats series of radio shows, cartoons and videos the national competition was run to create a new tour poster for Nancy. In the new series Nancy is helping struggling artist Ed Shearling to succeed in the music industry by helping him understand about IP. For the competition schools were encouraged to use some of the messages in the new series to help produce a suitable tour poster.

Gregory Watson, MD of Fun Kids radio said:

Nancy and the Meerkats is a great resource that Fun Kids created to help the IPO engage children. The audio podcasts and animated videos, which remain available through Funkids, have engaged tens of thousands of children since Nancy hit the music scene in 2015.

Fun and engaging audio and animated videos remain a great way to engage children and their parents, helping them discover new things through content they can access where and when they want to, and through devices they are comfortable to use.

The prize is a bespoke music experience for Katie and her class mates, arranged by the UK Music; an umbrella organisation which represents the collective interests of the UK’s commercial music industry.
Oliver Morris, from UK Music said:

The IPO do really important work with a range of ages on the importance of IP for creators. If you’re an aspiring songwriter or have dreams of getting into music business then learning about this in school through the IPO’s fun and interactive online resources is a great first step. The app Music Inc.- developed in partnership with the IPO, UK Music and Aardman – is an example of an innovative and educational way for young people to understand this important issue. We’re really pleased to have supported the Nancy and the Meerkats competition and are happy to be able to bring producer Llion Robertson, artist HANA2K and UK Music member the Music Publishers Association to Usk.

Notes to editors

1. Crackingideas is the single hub for IP Education materials from the UK Intellectual Property Office.
2. Fun Kids is a national children’s digital radio station in the United Kingdom with associated websites, YouTube and podcast channels.
3. ukmusic.org is the umbrella organisation which represents the collective interests of the UK’s commercial music industry.