Weekly round-up: Five stories you may have missed

2 days ago

Sally Taylor presented her final BBC South Today after a 37-year-long career that included reporting from Bosnia in the 1990s

BBC A younger Sally Taylor standing in front of a bombed-looking part of Bosnia. — Sally Taylor presented her final BBC South Today after a 37-year-long career that included reporting from Bosnia in the 1990s

As the south of England said farewell to a local news legend, stories about a golden toilet and an explosion outside a shopping centre were among our most read this week.

We have picked five articles from the past seven days in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire and Oxfordshire to keep you up to date.

Gang guilty over £4.8m gold toilet heist

The functional toilet was an artwork called America that was valued at £4.8m

Getty Images The gold toilet - a basin, seat and pipes - sitting in a corner of a room panelled with dark wood. There is a white toilet roll on a silver toilet roll holder. — The functional toilet was an artwork called America that was valued at £4.8m

A gang was convicted over the theft of a £4.8m gold toilet from an art exhibition at Blenheim Palace.

Thieves smashed their way in and ripped out the functional toilet, hours after a glamorous launch party at the Oxfordshire stately home in September 2019.

Michael Jones was found guilty of planning the burglary. Fred Doe was convicted of conspiring to sell the gold, while Bora Guccuk was cleared of the same charge.

Ringleader James Sheen previously pled guilty to the theft.

'TV legend' presents South Today for final time

Sally Taylor sent a special goodbye message to viewers ahead of her final show

BBC presenter and journalist Sally Taylor presented the regional news programme she hosted for almost four decades for the final time.

She joined South Today in 1987 having previously worked at Spotlight, the regional news programme for the south west of England.

Talking to former South Today presenter Roger Finn, she said it was the "right time" to leave the programme.

It is believed she had been the longest-serving female presenter of a flagship regional television news programme before her retirement.

Cliff collapse caught on camera

Ali Ferris of Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre filmed the collapse at Stonebarrow Beach

A cliff fall on Dorset's Jurassic Coast was caught on camera by a fossil expert.

Ali Ferris, of Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, filmed the collapse at Stonebarrow Beach.

Ms Ferris, who is an interpretation manager at the fossil centre, said she witnessed the cliff fall while walking on the beach.

She said: "It is quite a small slip in terms of the landslips we have here but should still be avoided by members of the public as a few very large blocks did come down."

Fireball erupts outside Southampton shopping centre

The fire service confirmed there were cylinders on the truck which exploded

A shopping centre was closed after a fireball erupted from a truck which caught fire outside its car park.

The West Quay centre in Southampton was evacuated and Harbour Parade closed while firefighters tackled the blaze on Wednesday.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service has since confirmed the vehicle contained cylinders that exploded and the fire was accidental. No-one was injured.

Farmers fear criminal hare coursing gangs 'could kill someone'

Out on patrol as farmer tries to keep hare coursers "moving on"

Hare coursing, originally used for hunting and later sport, sees dogs chasing hares across rural fields.

But it has increasingly become the "sport of choice" for criminal gangs, with speeding vehicles driven by men in balaclavas sweeping through the countryside.

While police say the problem is being taken more seriously than ever before, some farmers told the BBC it is only a matter of time before someone is killed.

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