Each week, Ben Hopkinson looks back at a serious, crazy, and happy news story from the past week.
Serious News
Tuesday saw the government approve the Lower Thames Crossing, which will link Tilbury in Essex and Gravesend in Kent, reducing the traffic at the Dartford Crossing by 20%.
Costing £9billion for the 14.5mile road, which features two tunnels (northbound and southbound) for 2.6miles, the A2 and M2 will meet the A13 and M25.
Set to open in 2031, it will be longest road tunnel in the United Kingdom and has been 16 years in the making after first being discussed in 2009.
National Highways say that the project is “the most significant road project in a generation” as it will “unlock growth with quicker, safer, and more reliable journeys”.
Construction is set to begin next year with the funding model still not made yet.
Crazy News
A man attempted to steal diamond earrings from a store in Florida worth £600,000 – by swallowing the jewellery.
He told the staff at a Tiffany & Co store he was asked to buy earrings and a diamond ring for an Orlando Magic basketball player last month, but he jumped out of his chair and forced his way out the door.
He was tracked and then found 340miles away in Washington County after he was driving without rear lights.
He was then watched over at a hospital when the earrings passed through and matched the serial numbers which were missing from the store.
He is awaiting charges of robbery with a mask and first-degree grand theft.
Happy News
An ASDA delivery driver has been praised for his quick-thinking which ultimately helped save a customer’s life.
Leandro Pinto Dantas, from Poole in Dorset, says he could “sense something was wrong” as he arrived at the address and she was not answering her door.
He explains: “The light was on, and the TV was on. I knocked on the door but didn't get an answer, so I called the contact phone number we had for the delivery but got no reply”. Upon peering through the window he saw her unconscious on the floor and called 999.
He believes that it was fate that day: “I wasn't down to work, but I swapped shifts. I'm just happy that I was there and saved her”.
Leandro even put the shopping away for her while she was being seen to by paramedics and brought her some flowers a few days later.
Since the incident, Mrs Thorne has thanked the ASDA team member in the local paper – while Mr Pinto Dantas has been nominated for an ASDA Service Superstar Award.
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