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Heathrow 'fully operational and returning to normal'

Heathrow Airport is now "fully operational" and "returning to normal", a spokesperson has said.

Heathrow chief operating officer Normand Boivin said: " All passengers and crew were safely evacuated from the aircraft. BA is currently caring for its customers.

A British Airways plane surrounded by emergency vehicles after it had to make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport.
Heathrow Airport is now 'fully operational' and 'returning to normal' following the emergency landing of a BA flight. Credit: Steve Parsons/PA Wire

"The temporary closure will result in a number of cancelled flights throughout the day and passengers are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport”.

Mr Boivin paid tribute to the British Airways pilots and the airport's fire and airside teams, adding, "In particular, I’d like to thank this morning’s airport duty manager Mark Freeman and his team for their quick and professional response to today’s incident”.

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Passenger captures dramatic footage of touch down

A passenger on board the British Airways flight that was forced to make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport captured this dramatic footage of the touch down.

A large section of the casing around the left-side jet engine appears to be missing, although problems with the right-side engine reportedly caused the plane to land.

London

Eyewitness feared collision with plane

A caller to LBC 97.3 named Aiden, said he was driving to Heathrow this morning and had to "hit the brakes" as he was worried debris might fall from the plane.

He told presenter Nick Ferrari:

"I thought to myself it was just the swirl of the wingtips and then I thought it was just too much for one side and I realised it was smoke.

The plane's coming right over the top of my head and I've had to brake because when I saw the right-hand starboard engine, it's just all blackened ... I didn't know if anything was going to fall off it. I've had to hit the brakes to make sure we don't coincide."

BA launch 'full investigation' into emergency landing

Customers and crew onboard a British Airways aircraft that returned to Heathrow this morning are safe and well after being evacuated from the aircraft.

Flight BA762 departed Heathrow at 8.16am and returned to Heathrow at 8.43am due to an engine technical fault.

The Airbus A319 aircraft was carrying 75 customers and five crew.

The aircraft landed safely and cabin crew evacuated customers using emergency slides.

Airline colleagues are now caring for customers in the airport terminal.

There is likely to be disruption to other flights today into and out of Heathrow.

Customers are advised to check ba.com for information about their flights before departing for the airport.

The airline has begun a full investigation into the incident and is working with the Air Accident Investigation Bureau to establish the cause.

– british airways

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Wales

Mark Bridger denies account is 'fabrication' or 'fantasy'

Mark Bridger has denied that his account of accidentally running April over is a 'lie', 'fabrication' or 'fantasy'.

Elwen Evans QC, prosecuting: "Your actions that night were clearly directed actions."

Mark Bridger: "No."

Miss Evans: "Drinking or not, you knew what you were doing."

Mr Bridger: "No."

He denied abducting April, saying he had 'no reason' to do so.

Elwen Evans: "What did you say to get her in your car?"

Mr Bridger: "I didn't speak to April."

Miss Evans: "You have a sexual interest in children."

Mr Bridger: "No."

Miss Evans: "I will ask you for the last time. What did you do with April?"

Mr Bridger: "I crushed her under my car."

Miss Evans: "What did you do with April's body?"

Mr Bridger: "I don't know. I don't know."

Miss Evans: "Please take a moment to focus on that."

Mr Bridger: "I have for the last nine months."

When asked again what he had done with April, Mark Bridger replied: "I don't have an answer. I'm sorry."

Bercow: Tweet ruling 'should be seen as a warning'

Sally Bercow said the High Court's ruling that her tweet about Lord McAlpine was libellous "should be seen as a warning to all social media users".

Mrs Bercow said in a statement that she did not write the tweet "with malice" and "did not intend to libel" the Conservative peer.

I was being conversational and mischievous, as was so often my style on Twitter.

I very much regret my tweet, and I promptly apologised publicly and privately to Lord McAlpine for the distress I caused him. I also made two offers of compensation.

Lord McAlpine issued proceedings and the last few months have been a nightmare. I am sure he has found it as stressful as I have. Litigation is not a pleasant experience for anyone.

– A statement by Sally Bercow

EU Commission adopts pesticide ban to help bees

The EU Commission has adopted a controversial ban on the use of certain pesticides in an attempt to tackle the decline in bees, according to spokesman Koen Doens:

Watch: EU to introduce ban on pesticides linked to bee deaths

West Country (E)

Cheese rolling row: police statement

Gloucestershire police have issued a statement after cheesemaker Diana Smart was warned she could be liable for legal action if she continued to supply a wheel of cheese for the annual bank holiday event. They make clear that no-one has been banned from making or providing the cheese.

"Several months ago one police officer visited the son and mother who in the past have produced the cheese for both official and unofficial cheese rolling events.

The purpose of this visit was to advise them that, in the absence of a recognised organiser, anyone that facilitates the event could be deemed to be an organiser by default. In this case that person could then attract the legal liability issues that come with hosting the cheese rolling.

The same information was given to others who could be deemed as ‘organisers’. "

– Gloucestershire police
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