A health and safety investigation is now underway after a 13-year-old boy was injured in a collision on the Busway. The incident happened on the afternoon of 4 March near Orchard Park.
The boy, a pedestrian, was struck by a single decker bus travelling in the direction of Cambridge. He was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital by ambulance in a “serious condition”. An update from Cambridgeshire Police today (13 March) explained he “remains in a serious but stable condition in hospital” and his injuries are “not life-threatening”.
‘Aware and investigating‘
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Meanwhile, the Health and Safety Executive has confirmed the collision is on its radar. “We are aware of the incident and are investigating,” its spokesperson said.
Stagecoach East previously acknowledged one of its vehicles was involved but a spokesperson explained it would not be appropriate to say anything further at this stage.
Cambridgeshire County Council, which is responsible for the Busway infrastructure, said it is working with the emergency services and other partners as “a full investigation is underway”.
Parish council discussion
Ros Hathorn, H&I’s councillor for Cambridgeshire County Council, has included Busway safety in her update for the Parish Council meeting on Monday (17 March).
In it, she said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends involved in the tragic incident on the Busway in early March.
She said: “I am pushing for local safety issues to be listened to and have heard rumours about new safety measures including fencing off ‘break throughs’ which will reduce the connectivity between the two sides of the Busway.
“So far I haven’t been able to get a clear response on what is planned.”
A 13-year-old boy was taken to hospital with serious injuries following a collision with a bus on the Busway at Orchard Park. The incident happened on Tuesday afternoon (4 March) at around 3.45pm north of King’s Hedges Road.
A Cambridgeshire Police spokesperson explained the collision was between the boy, a pedestrian, and a single decker bus travelling towards Cambridge. While the East Anglian Air Ambulance was called as part of the emergency response, the boy was transported by road to Addenbrookes hospital in a “serious condition”.
“There were no other injuries and no arrests,” the police spokesperson confirmed.
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Cambridgeshire County Council explained the Busway, and the path that runs alongside it, were closed in both directions with diversions in place throughout the evening. The Busway reopened yesterday morning (Wednesday).
A County Council spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with the pedestrian and their family. We’re working with the emergency services, and a full investigation has commenced.”
Stagecoach East confirmed the incident involved one of its vehicles and that its “first thoughts are for [the injured boy’s] welfare”.
A spokesperson for the bus company added: “Safety is our absolute priority. We will carry out a thorough investigation into the cause of this incident, working with the appropriate authorities.”
Everyone should be free to enjoy a night out safely and without fear. Lucy Callington discovers how three little words can help to protect us, right here in our village.
With a choice of six active pubs on our doorstep, we’re lucky to have no shortage of places to relax, get together with friends or meet new people.
While a typical night out in H&I can be fun, and we all do our best to make safe choices, sometimes we may need a little extra help. That’s where the safety scheme ‘Ask for Angela’ comes in.
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Aimed primarily at women, the ‘Ask for Angela’ initiative was started in 2016 by National Pubwatch and was quickly rolled out to bars, clubs and other licensed businesses. It means that people who feel unsafe, vulnerable or threatened can discreetly approach venue staff and ask them for ‘Angela’.
This phrase indicates to staff that the customer may need help with a difficult situation and a trained member of staff will then look to support and assist them – either through reuniting them with a friend, seeing them to a taxi or, in more serious cases, by contacting the police.
For participating venues, training is available on the ‘Ask For Angela’ website to help educate staff on how they can help. There are posters to download which are intended to be displayed in all public areas including female and male toilets promoting that the scheme is active. Should an incident occur, staff are then obliged to complete an incident report form to monitor the scheme’s effectiveness.
Safety spotlight
Following a recent BBC report checking the impact of the scheme in London, Cambridgeshire Police visited six popular venues in Cambridge to check whether frontline staff knew about the scheme. Officers were impressed with what they saw and found that two bars gave an “outstanding” response.
On the city centre pubs, Superintendent Adam Gallop comments: “We work closely with the night-time economy businesses to make our cities and towns as safe as possible. It’s important people know, that if they have any concerns they can ask for ‘Angela’”.
Safety starts close to home
All of which got us, here at HI HUB, thinking about our own local venues and what help they offer to those who may find themselves in a situation where they feel unsafe. We checked in with our local pubs and, while none of them are officially members of the scheme, here’s what they had to say:
Steve at the Rose and Crown says customers can be assured that staff are here to help. Photo: Penny Reeves
Steve Snudden at the Rose and Crown: “As a small, family-friendly pub we are not officially in the ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme. However, myself and my staff take customer safety very seriously and are well aware of the importance of such schemes. If we were asked for ‘Angela’ at the bar we would know that there may be a problem.
“We would then bring the customer to our back room as a safe space and find out what or who is the problem. Depending on the customer’s wishes we would get them a taxi home, remove the offending person from the property or in a more serious situation call 999.
“Having worked in the hospitality trade for many years now I know how important it is to be aware of your customers at all times and treat any concerns with a quick response. It’s a shame that schemes like Ask Angela have to exist, but it offers a great way to ensure that everyone can have a great night out knowing they have the option to discreetly ask for help if needed.
“Thankfully, I’ve never been ‘asked for Angela’ but would always be ready and willing to assist any customer that did. So, while we are not officially part of Ask Angela, you can be assured that we will always be here to help if needed!”
Susannah Kate Lee at the King Bill: “I think it’s a fantastic scheme to protect and help everyone, both male and female. I always thought of it being a city thing, but you never know who may need the protection, help and support, and we are here to help.”
Raimonda Aleksiejute at the Railway Vue:“As new tenants we are happy to look into training for us and staff members in the future.”
Andy at the Red Lion: “I’ll certainly have a further look at possibly implementing it in the future.”
Next time you see an “Ask for Angela” poster on an evening out – you can feel assured that bar staff can support and assist you through uncomfortable situations, without fuss, and you have absolutely no need to feel worried about causing a scene.
And, if you don’t see a poster – feel free to approach the management and encourage them to sign up. Their support will help everyone feel safer on a night out.
Police have been made aware of windows being broken at two nearby homes in Histon this week. The residents of both properties in St Audrey’s Close say they have reported the incidents to officers.
The first resident said she noticed the window of her spare bedroom was broken on Friday of last week (21 February). She was not concerned initially but further suspicious activity on Tuesday (25 February) prompted her to contact police and raise awareness of the issue on social media.
The crime reference number is 35/1404/25. Contributors commenting on her post suggested the window may have been hit with a catapult, although this has not been confirmed.
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Second report
Meanwhile, the other resident of St Audrey’s Close said she was in her living room when her window was hit on Tuesday afternoon (25 February) at around 4.30pm. An investigation for criminal damage has now been launched. The crime reference number is CC-25022025-0356.
A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “Officers attended and found a broken window at the address. A crime has been raised for criminal damage and an investigation is ongoing.”
A burglar who broke who into a house in Clay Street, Histon, has been jailed for two years thanks to evidence provided by a local witness.
In September 2024, Patrick Wall, of no fixed address, smashed a window and searched a bedroom at the property but in doing so triggered the house alarm.
As he left empty-handed, a passer-by who heard the alarm and saw the intruder walking along the driveway, took photos of him, followed him along Winders Lane and called the police.
Wall got into a car and drove off, and an unidentified man, seen by the car with him, walked off towards Cottenham Road.
But the passer-by had noted down the number plate, and the vehicle was found and seized in Harrow, London, two days later. A black jacket, similar to one Wall was wearing in the passer-by’s photos, was also found in the car.
Arrest and conviction
Patrick Wall
Soon after, Wall was arrested at a house in Arbury. It was discovered he had also broken into a house in Carisbrooke Road, Arbury, in June, and had attempted a burglary in Camberley, Surrey, in August.
At Cambridge Crown Court, Wall was jailed for two years and four months, having been found guilty of burglary.
PC Andy Smith, from Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s acquisitive crime team, said: “I’d like to commend and thank the passer-by of the Histon burglary as his photo and the information he passed onto us played a big part in getting Wall convicted.
“It was also very brave of him to follow a potentially dangerous criminal who had just burgled a property.
“Burglary is a despicable crime that leaves people feeling incredibly vulnerable in their own homes so it’s great Wall is now behind bars.”
Police believe an online threat that caused panic across Cambridgeshire schools, including Impington Village College was a hoax. It has since emerged that Peterborough City Council contacted headteachers about a message reaching schools in another part of the country on Tuesday afternoon, and this attracted a lot of attention overnight.
An e-cops email from Cambridgeshire Police explained: “There was no evidence to suggest that Cambridgeshire schools might be at risk, but the message was shared for awareness and to remind them of the need for good safeguarding procedures to ensure the safety of pupils.
“Understandably, overnight this has attracted a lot of interest and concern from parents as a result of the message to schools being shared wider. However, we would like to reassure the public that this message is believed to be a hoax. At this time, there is no specific identified threat to schools within Cambridgeshire and we are not aware of any of our schools having received the email in question.”
‘Security Awareness‘
Parents of pupils at IVC were sent an email update on Wednesday in which a spokesperson for the Eastern Learning Alliance, the Trust that runs the school, sought to reassure parents and pupils, saying: “Please be reassured that we have robust lockdown procedures in place across all our schools, and this morning, we have worked closely with our Heads of School to ensure that all necessary preparations are in place should they be required”.
They continued: “While there is no immediate cause for concern, we ask for your support in remaining alert. If you receive any similar communication directly, please report it to the police immediately by calling 999 before informing your Head of School.
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority, and we will continue to work closely with the police and relevant authorities”.
Two female pedestrians in Impington were assaulted by a man on a bike on Monday.
In separate incidents at around 1pm near the Railway Vue pub, and then on the guided busway, a male cyclist shouted at two women and then struck them both on the head as he cycled past.
The first incident took place on New Road, Impington and the victim ran after the man as far as the guided busway, where she was able to take a photo as he cycled in the direction of Oakington.
The victim described feeling shocked and said: “I felt something coming up behind me so I looked behind and saw a man on a bike racing towards me really fast. As he cycled past, he punched me in the side of the head and shouted ‘watch the road’.
“He turned back and saw me running after him with my phone out so he quickly turned away from me and cycled off. I managed to get a few pics of him and have sent these to the police. I was really shaken up and sobbing. It was the shock and violation that upset me the most”.
In addition to contacting the police, the victim also shared her photo on a local Facebook page, where a second victim replied to the post, stating that she had also been assaulted while walking her dog at around the same time, by a man fitting the same description.
Identification
Since the initial report of the crime on social media, a contact of the cyclist has reached out to the assault victim and identified the man in her photo as a vulnerable adult in the care of a professional service. HI HUB is not identifying the service at this time to protect the individuals in its care.
However a spokesperson for the service confirmed that they have been in contact with the police both on Tuesday and Wednesday this week concerning a vulnerable person in their care and the alleged assaults, and said they are “putting a plan in place to make everyone feel safe.”
They continued: “This is being dealt with seriously alongside the police, and I am dealing with the safeguarding team and the police around what we can put in place”.
Ongoing investigation
Cambridgeshire Constabulary confirmed that they are looking into Monday’s incident, and said: “A crime has been raised for common assault and is pending further investigative opportunities”.
Witnesses with further information can contact the police and use the crime reference number 35/6158/25 .
According to Trading Standards, almost £100m is forecast to be stolen from thousands of victims this Christmas, so it’s important that shoppers be on their guard over the festive period. Here are the next six of 12 frauds that are common this holiday season – and how you can avoid falling prey to them.
The crime: Money transfer fraud
Fraudsters take full advantage of the chaos and rush around Christmas time. It’s easy to be so set on buying all your presents that you might not think twice when asked to pay for something via bank transfer, rather than inputting your card details. However tempted you may be because something is the last one in stock, never transfer money directly into a seller’s bank account. There are plenty of genuine sellers out there, but be aware fraudsters are also looking to cash-in by persuading people to transfer money for products and services that don’t exist.
The prevention:
Never send a money transfer for online purchases
Never provide your banking information to people or businesses you don’t know
The Crime: Christmas e-card scams
With more and more people looking to cut costs and save the environment, Christmas e-cards (cards you can send digitally via email) are becoming ever more popular. While most are genuine, be aware that cyber criminals are creating their own festive e-card, which, once opened, can install malware on your device enabling the scammers to collect your personal, sensitive data.
The prevention:
If you receive an e-card from an unknown email address or someone you don’t know, play it safe and delete it
If you believe your electronic device has been infected, report any money lost or suspicious activity on your account to your bank and Action Fraud
The crime: Quishing scams
Quishing, also known as QR code phishing, involves tricking someone into scanning a phony QR code with their phone or device. The QR code then takes the user to a fraudulent website that might download malware or ask for sensitive information. QR codes are often found on things like parking machines, charging points, emails and even restaurant menus.
The prevention:
If the QR is on a poster in a public area, always check whether it appears to have been stuck over the poster, window or billboard. If the sign or notice is laminated and the QR code is under the lamination or part of the original print, chances are it’s more likely to be genuine. If in doubt… download the app from the official Google or Apple store or search the website on your phone’s internet browser, rather than scanning a QR code to take you there. It may take longer, but it’s more secure. Trust your instincts, if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
The Crime: Social media scams
Beware fraudsters on social media platforms advertising festive giveaways and offers. While many will be genuine, some are designed to encourage you to click on phony adverts, which take you to bogus sites and ask for personal or financial details.
The prevention:
Carefully consider the amount of personal information displayed and posted on your social media accounts as fraudsters can use this to their advantage
If you click on a social media advert, do the necessary checks before buying anything from the website you land on
The Crime: Malware fraud
Mobile phones, tablets and anything tech are the gifts of choice for many at Christmas, but these are a cyber-criminal’s dream! Fraudsters are constantly developing new ways to infect our devices through malicious apps or infected website URLs.
The prevention:
Make sure you have the latest version of software installed for increased protection
Only download apps from official app stores like Google Play and Apple Store
Avoid clicking on links in emails from unknown sources
The crime: Auction fraud
Auction sites such as eBay and Vinted are a great way to buy Christmas gifts – items are often cheaper and you get a great feeling from giving new life to something unwanted. However, while most items and sellers on auction sites are genuine, some are looking to make a quick buck at your expense.
The prevention:
Always use recommended methods of payment rather than transferring money direct to a seller
Research the seller before you bid. Check their feedback but be mindful this can also be falsified
Be cautious when buying from sellers abroad or private individuals. If in doubt, back out of the sale
