Preston

Rail services through Preston are facing long delays after a power surge damaged overhead electric wires.

Northern said the line between Preston and Bolton had been closed and customers should expect delays of up to an hour, while Virgin Trains reported that some services between Wigan North Western and Preston had been cancelled.

Virgin also said disruption could continue on the line until about 18:15.

BBC North West Tonight's Steve Saul, who is at Preston station, tweeted pictures of the choas passengers are facing.

A dry, warm and sunny afternoon, with some patchy cloud. One or two showers may also form, although these will be isolated. Highs of 16C.

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The rugby league posts are up at Liverpool's Anfield stadium as the annual Super League festival - the Magic Weekend - heads for Merseyside with six matches over two days.

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If you are wondering what to expect, wonder no more.

Here are five great reasons to get involved at the Magic Weekend.

There will be a good deal of dry, warm and sunny weather today, with some patchy cloud and highs of 16C. But there's a risk of one or two showers later.

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It will remain dry tonight, with mostly clear skies and light winds. One or two mist patches could also develop.

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A man who admitted battering his girlfriend to death with a crowbar has been jailed for life.

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Benjamin Topping, 25, beat Rosie Darbyshire, 27, "beyond recognition" with 50 blows in Pope Lane, Preston, in February, police said.

They said it was seen by two witnesses who were then chased by Topping as he wielded the crowbar, before he threw the weapon at a third person.

Topping, of Preston, was ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years.

A dry, fine and rather warm afternoon, with sunny spells. Some cloud and light winds with highs of 18C.

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Prison officers "routinely ignore" rules on when to use body-worn video cameras and fail to record use of force against inmates, charities have warned.

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Separate concerns have been raised over the under-use of cameras at nine jails this year, BBC research has found.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) raised concerns about the way cameras were used to record the use of among the use of force at a number of prisons nationwide including HMP Garth in Lancashire.

The Prison Reform Trust said it was "very worrying" officers were disregarding "completely clear" instructions on when to use cameras.

The Prison Service said it was taking measures to address the problem.

A man accused of 21 offences including eight rapes across England has refused to attend a plea hearing at the Old Bailey.

Met Police

Joseph McCann, 34, was arrested near Congleton, Cheshire, and was due to appear via video-link from Belmarsh Prison.

But he did not appear on the screen and a dock officer confirmed he had refused to leave his cell.

Mr Justice Edis set a provisional six-week trial at the Old Bailey to start on 11 November.

He indicated that Mr McCann should be informed that, if he chose not to attend his trial, it would happen in his absence.

Mr McCann is charged with 21 offences against eight people, aged between 11 and 71, over a two-week period between 21 April and 5 May.

A string of alleged offences is said to have happened in Lancashire and Greater Manchester.

A dry and fine day with a mix of sunshine and cloud. Feeling warm with highs of 17C.

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Any daytime showers will slowly fade in the evening, to leave the night dry with clear periods and just the odd mist patch.

Thursday will remain largely dry with sunny spells, although there is once again a chance of an isolated shower or two developing.

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Hundreds of mentally ill patients in Lancashire were treated many miles away from home due to a shortage of beds, a report has revealed.

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The report into Lancashire Foundation Care NHS Trust also found patients left for days in A&Es waiting for a bed with others kept in holding rooms.

Dr Amanda Doyle, chief of the health body that commissioned the report, said they had been "letting people down".

The care trust said it was "sorry" its services had "fallen short".

Partly cloudy this afternoon, with hazy, sunny spells. There will be a few light showers around, but most places will stay dry with highs of 16C.

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A chance of a couple of showers this morning but expect a largely dry day with sunshine and highs of 16C.

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It will dry for much of the night and there will be some clear periods.

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It will become cloudier later in the night and there may be some light rain or drizzle at the end of the night. Lows of 9°.

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This afternoon will be dry and sunny, and it will feel pleasantly warm too with highs of 17C.

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A batsman has been suspended over claims he headbutted a bowler who got him out during a heated cricket match.

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Eccleston Cricket Club tweeted that there were "shocking scenes" after the opposition batsman was given out caught behind on Sunday.

The Lancashire cup game was abandoned and Merseyside's Rainhill Cricket Club have suspended their player.

The police are not thought to have been called but an investigation has been launched by the local cricket board.

A dry morning and more sunshine on the way. It will feel warm too with highs of 17C.

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A driver has been called the "luckiest person in the world" after a tyre came off a lorry and crashed into his car on the M6 motorway.

Lancashire Police

The tyre detached from an HGV, crossed the central barrier and smashed through the window of the oncoming Peugeot at junction 28, the Leyland interchange.

Lancashire Road Police tweeted that the driver's son had wanted to join him in the car but "thankfully was unable to".

The tyre had crushed the car seat where he would have been sitting.

A ban on bunting being strung across roads during a festival has been branded "health and safety gone mad".

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Lancashire County Council (LCC) told Lytham Club Day organisers they could not use bunting in certain places for safety reasons.

The policy has apparently been in place for 40 years, but never enforced.

A post on the event's Facebook page, entitled "Bunting Balderdash!", bemoaned the risk of the "iconic" sight of bunting being absent this year.

Lytham is preparing to celebrate its 125th year and club day organiser Cath Powell said the bunting had always been a traditional feature.

A bright and sunny afternoon and it will feel reasonably warm too.

It should stay dry, with only a slight chance of showers and highs of 17C.

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Royal Mail has announced plans for the UK's first-ever parcel postboxes - including in Manchester, Chester, Preston and Warrington.

Royal Mail

The company said 1,400 of the new postboxes would be installed across the country in more than 30 locations over a six-month period, starting in August.

Customers will be able to post parcels in the same way that they currently post a letter, provided that postage has been pre-paid using Royal Mail's own online labelling service.

Existing letter postboxes were introduced in the 1850s and Royal Mail said the new move represented the first major change in the system since then.

About 13,000 people have been affected by delays at Manchester Airport caused by problems with the fuel supply.

Sheree Hogg

Flights to Tenerife, Belfast and Milan were among 87 cancelled on Sunday, while others were delayed by hours.

The airport has apologised, saying the issues were resolved by 03:00 and flights are operating as planned apart from four cancelled Flybe flights.

Sheree Hogg, from Preston, said she was "gutted" to miss out on a trip to Rome for her 30th birthday.

The surprise holiday was a present from her fiancé Shaun Waring, who had been planning the trip for months.

A 12-year-old girl, who died after being struck by a van in Lancashire, was "bright, fun-loving, talented and caring" her family said.

Lancashire Police

Charlotte Edwards, known as Lottie was a year seven pupil at Lancaster Girls' Grammar School.

The crash happened on Bay Horse Road in Ellel, just south of Lancaster, at about 16:00 on Friday. The driver of the transit van was not injured, police said.

Police are appealing for witnesses to contact them.

The new National Rail summer timetable has come into effect, with 1,000 new train services being introduced across Great Britain.

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Last year, an extensive shake-up led to weeks of chaos on the Northern network after the operator tried to introduce 1,700 extra services.

That led to huge delays and cancellations with more than 15,000 services cancelled over the past twelve months due to the failed implementation of the timetable.

This year, Northern says it intends to bring in just 210 extra services including brand new trains on long distance routes connecting larger towns in the North.

The operator says it will monitor the latest changes carefully and respond quickly to any problems.

A bright and sunny Monday. Staying dry and feeling warm with highs of 15C.

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There will be some bright or sunny intervals this afternoon, but there is a chance of a few showers too. A fairly cool-feeling afternoon with some winds and highs of 19C.

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A neo-Nazi who planned to murder Labour MP Rosie Cooper in a terrorist attack has been jailed for life.

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Jack Renshaw, 23, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, must serve at least 20 years in prison.

A judge at the Old Bailey told Renshaw, who earlier admitted preparing an act of terror, he wanted to "replicate" the 2016 murder of Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox.

Renshaw appeared to make a Nazi salute towards supporters as he was led to the cells from the dock.

One hundred people have been fatally stabbed in the UK so far this year.

Fifteen have happened in the North West, including 17-year-old Yousef Makki, a Manchester Grammar School student from Burnage, who died after being stabbed in the street in Hale Barns in March.

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Knife crime in England and Wales rose to record levels in 2017-18 with the number of fatal stabbings the highest since Home Office records began in 1946.

The police have made arrests in nearly all of the cases and have charged suspects in 85.

It is set to be a dry day, however areas of cloud will tend to linger. Cooler than Thursday.

Generally gentle to moderate winds. Maximum temperature 16 to 19C.

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It should remain largely dry through tonight. There will be some clear periods at times but with rather a lot of cloud heading west too.

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HS2 will not offer value for money and risks "short changing" the North of England, a group of peers has warned.

HS2

A report from the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee also said it was "far from convinced" the new high-speed railway will be built within the £55.7bn budget.

It said the project should not go ahead without a new assessment of its costs and benefits.

The government said it "fundamentally disagreed" with the report.

The sunshine is back again for another dry day, although it will feeler cooler. Make the most of it before the rain returns tomorrow. Highs of 18C.

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