West Country (E) Gloucestershire News

Due to large increases in food, transport and staff costs, the price of a school meal is going up by 10p from June 3rd.

We recognise that parents are also being affected by the increased cost of living and we endeavour to keep school meals as affordable as possible. We are confident that school meals continue to offer excellent value for money.

Our school meals are healthier and better quality than ever before, freshly cooked with as many local ingredients as possible, and pupils are telling us the taste has improved too.

That shows in their increased popularity, with a 7.4% increase in the number of pupils choosing hot school meals in the last year.

• UK
• Gloucestershire
• school meals

The price of school meals in Gloucestershire is due to go up by 10p to £2.20 next month.

There's criticism that the rise is coming when money is already tight.

However, Edwards and Wards, which supplies primary and special schools in the county, says it's necessary due to large increases in food, transport and staff costs.

• UK
• Gloucestershire
• school meals

• Borealis co-owns the UK's biggest ports operator Associated British Ports and the London to Paris High Speed 1 rail line, and invests on behalf of thousands of Canadian workers and pensioners in the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System

• The Kuwait Investment Authority invests the emirate's vast oil wealth

• Universities Superannuation Scheme invests the pensions of UK higher education workers

• UK
• Severn Trent Water
• Gloucestershire

In a statement, Severn said it met representatives of the consortium for the first time on Monday to consider the approach:

The board of Severn Trent has reviewed the proposal with its advisers and concluded that it completely fails to recognise the existing and potential value of Severn Trent.

Accordingly the board has informed the consortium that it has rejected the proposal."

• UK
• Severn Trent Water
• Gloucestershire

Severn Trent Water has rejected a takeover approach from an overseas consortium.

The company provides water to homes in parts of Gloucestershire.

The firm said the proposal 'completely fails' to recognise the water company's value and was tabled at 'only a modest premium' to its share price prior to bid interest becoming known.

The consortium consisted of the Canadian investment group Borealis, the Kuwait Investment Office and the Universities Superannuation Scheme.

The proposed bid valued the business at around £5.3 billion.

• UK
• Severn Trent Water
• Gloucestershire

Severn Trent Water said the consortium is considering buying its entire share capital.

This approach is at a very early stage, no proposal has been made and there can be no certainty that an offer will be made or as to the terms of any such offer, should one be forthcoming."

• UK
• Severn Trent Water
• Gloucestershire

Severn Trent Water, which provides services to homes in Gloucestershire, said it was considering a takeover by a consortium consisting of Borealis (Canadian investment group), the Kuwait Investment Office and Universities Superannuation Scheme.

The sale could value the company at more than £5b.

Borealis already co-owns the UK's biggest ports operator Associated British Ports and the London to Paris High Speed 1 rail line.

The Kuwait Investment Authority invests the emirate's vast oil wealth.

The Universities Superannuation Scheme invests the pensions of UK higher education workers.

• UK
• Severn Trent Water
• Gloucestershire

A scientist from Gloucestershire says migratory waterbirds have shifted their wintering patterns in response to changes in the world's climate.

Richard Hearn, head of species monitoring at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in Slimbridge, says more birds than ever are being forced to migrate in an increasingly north-easterly direction.

A report published in the journal Global Change Biology found a strong link between changes in the numbers of goldeneyes, tufted ducks and goosanders wintering across northern Europe and changes in temperature in early winter.

Mid-winter numbers in Finland and Sweden are now more than 130,000 higher than three decades ago. While on the southern edge of the distribution in France, Ireland and Switzerland, numbers have dropped by nearly 120,000.

Mr Hearn warned conservation tools need to be flexible to adapt;

"Our world is changing rapidly. This means more monitoring...it also means maintaining a coherent network of protected areas throughout Europe, and altering their management in response to the changing mix of wildlife that uses them."

• UK
• Gloucestershire

Hundreds of thousands of baby eels have been released today as part of a conservation project.

The sustainable eel group and the Rivers Trust are introducing the elvers upstream from weirs in Tewkesbury, which act as barriers preventing the eels from getting any further up the Severn and Avon.

This year has seen record number of elvers - or glass eels as they are also known - arriving in european rivers from their spawning grounds in the Sargasso sea.

Licensed elver fishermen, who use special hand held net baskets, are giving up some their catches to help the project.

• UK
• Gloucestershire
• Rivers Trust

NHS departments in the West Country claim they have seen a big increase in 999 calls since the NHS 111 service was introduced.

They say a high number of inappropriate calls were passed on from the new computerised helpline, which is run by a private provider.

They say number were particularly high in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

• UK
• NHS 111
• Gloucestershire