CARELESS driving under the influence of drink and cannabis, which cost a father-of-four his life, landed a 23-year-old man in jail for two-and-a-half years on Friday.

But the sentence was condemned as too short by both the grieving family of victim Abdul Haque and passenger Richard Barton whose life has been turned upside down by the injuries he suffered.

Zack Turner, from Shurdington Road, Brockworth, drove at 27mph across a Cheltenham junction where he should have given way. It caused a taxi driven by Mr Haque to crash into him and overturn, Gloucester Crown Court heard. The collision killed Mr Haque.

At the time of the crash, Turner was on bail for a drink-drive offence committed two months earlier.

Jailing Turner and banning him from driving for five years, Recorder James Tindal described his behaviour on August 10 last year as 'cavalier'.

After the hearing Mr Haque's widow and family condemned the sentence and disqualification and said it had not given them closure. They wanted a long term sentence to deter other people from driving the same way.

Prosecutor Julian Kesner told the court the collision happened at 3.30am as Turner drove with two passengers in his Audi car after a night clubbing. He should have given way to traffic in Park Place but did not, leaving Mr Haque unable to avoid colliding with him.

Mr Haque died and his passenger, heating engineer Richard Barton from Coventry, suffered serious injuries which put him in hospital for nine days and have left him with continuing problems including seizures which could be lifelong.

Two passengers in Turner's car were also injured – as was Turner himself. He was breathalysed at the scene and gave a reading of 41mcgs – six over the limit of 35. A later blood test at hospital, which showed he had been using cannabis, confirmed the alcohol level.

Mr Haque was not wearing a seatbelt – as was his right as a Hackney Carriage driver, said Mr Kesner. But Mr Haque had insisted his passenger did put his seatbelt on – possibly saving his life.

Mr Kesner told the court: "You can see that many lives have been turned upside down by this collision."

In a victim impact statement Mr Haque's widow, Rubi Khatun, said the tragedy happened on the Muslim holy day of Eid.

"Our Eid turned into a nightmare that I could never have imagined," she said.

Mr Kesner said Mr Haque had been the only earner in the family and his wife and children have now moved to live with a relative in Leeds.

Nadeem Aullybocus, for Turner, handed the court several references and said his remorse was plain to see.

Turner, who had a job in vehicle recovery, had used cannabis, but at 2pm the previous day, he said.

Jailing Turner, the Recorder said he accepted he was remorseful but added: "In the summer of last year – not just on this occasion but two months earlier as well – you showed a cavalier attitude with your own life and the lives of others and as result you have left children without a father, a wife without a husband and another person seriously injured and in a condition which could be permanent. You have had a truly catastrophic effect on the Haque family."

After the hearing a family spokesman said: "We are very disappointed with the sentence. It is not what we expected. We thought there would be a long term sentence and driving ban which would deter people from drinking and driving in this way."

Mr Barton, who was running the heating and plumbing at a massive housing development in Greenwich at the time of the collision, said he had been unable to work since that night and also believed the sentence should have been longer. 

Prince Harry and his cousin Zara Phillips from the Invictus team have taken part in a wheelchair rugby exhibition match at the Copper Box Arena at Queen Elizabeth park in London.

The match is part of the inaugural Invictus Games, championed by Harry, which sees 400 competitors from 13 nations go head-to-head in nine different adaptive sports over four days.

Olympic silver medallist Phillips said before playing: "I have seen wheelchair rugby being played before but I haven't played. I can't imagine I'm going to be very good at it, but obviously we'll bring our A-game!

"I'm looking forward to being part of an amazing Games. Having servicemen and women from all over the globe come together and compete in sport is going to be fantastic."

Olympians Dame Kelly Holmes and Denise Lewis, as well as Zara's husband Mike Tindall, were among other stars to line up alongside  wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women.

A myriad of aliases, hidden bank accounts and documents stored in lofts of their victim's families were just some of the lengths gone to by the Connors to dodge detection by police.

Five members of the Staverton-based family of Irish travellers were found guilty in December 2012 of forcing people to work for them and made to live in squalid caravans.

They were paid just a few pounds a day for their back-breaking work.

Many were alcoholics or homeless, but the Connors were deemed to have benefited by more than £5,000,000 from their crimes.

Gloucestershire Police has since secured the largest confiscation order in its history as a result of a lengthy proceeds of crime investigation led by DI Dave Sellwood.

The Connors will now be forced to repay a total of £2,272,435.26 in six months.

All but the head of the family, Billy Connors, 53, have served their time and returned to society. His wife Brida, 50, their sons, John, 31, and James, 22, and son-in-law Miles Connors, 25, will each face lengthy prison terms if they fail to pay up.

A fire sale of property and land across Gloucestershire is now expected over the coming months.

Police have seized £576,514.20 from bank accounts while 12 of the 37 victims are in line for a share of £149,824.90 as compensation.

But only victims found working for the Connors after new forced labour laws came into play in April, 2010 will benefit from the payouts.

Special financial investigators working alongside Gloucestershire Police untangled a web of deceit that helped cover up the family's crimes for years.

Although the Connors were quick to portray themselves as simple hard working labourers, the reality was a complex cartel earning millions of pounds in cash, distributed amongst solicitors, hidden accounts and friends.

Their wealth afforded them a luxury lifestyle of designer clothes, flash cars and expensive holidays.

DI Sellwood said the investigation grew more complex following a raid to free workers on a caravan site at Beggar's Roost, near Churchdown.

"We knew the family owned quite a lot of land and bank accounts," he said.

"We didn't find out too much from the searches, but the victims gave us information.

"They had been with them for many years and gave us details on key things."

Police discovered a bungalow in Staines where they had lived for many years. Other property was at Beggar's Roost, Willowdene and the surrounding land. 

They also had a small plot in Staverton, a bungalow in Hayden Laurels and a bungalow in Tewkesbury Road. There was also a place in Liverpool bought for £60,000.

DI Sellwood added: "It was challenging to assess the true worth of the family as there was very little in Billy's name.

"He owned Beggar's Roost and Willowdean, but they were trying to hide ownership at every turn. Some were registered in the names of a victim, Alex Gourlay or Barbara, Johnny's wife.

"As much as people think criminals don't deal with bank accounts, the Connors were dealing with such vast amounts of money, they had no choice.

"They couldn't keep it under their beds. The accounts gave us a paper trail of the money.

"We found places we hadn't heard of in Bristol and Liverpool that they also owned."

The family tried to evade detection or arouse suspicion with financiers by using bankers drafts for large transactions. They were eventually traced to solicitor's firms where conveyancing documents relating to the Connors were uncovered.

Brida claimed she was illiterate to police, but was often seen during the 12-week trial reading the paper.

And it was the discovery of the body of former worker Christopher Nicholls in a disused shed that helped trigger the investigation.

Christopher was struck by a car, and when he was no longer fit to work, Brida attempted to claim damages on his behalf through a solicitor.

"That is hard to do if you are illiterate," said DI Sellwood.

"They are intelligent people. To do what they have done for so long, to manage a workforce was clever.

"They would revisit households in Gloucester they had done work for years before. They retained a wealth of information so they are clearly very bright people.

"Identifying the land and bank accounts increased the level of benefit hugely.

"We worked out the absolute minimum amount that Billy earned in that first year after the law changed in 2010 was £175,000. That equates to a driveway at £3,500 every week for 50 weeks.

"A lot of the cash was banked and we could trace the deposits. We also saw when they were buying land or property, monies were lodged with solicitors, rather than a mortgage.

"They always produced the money. They were reasonably savvy."

There are strict financial rules among solicitors and financial institutions to report suspicious activity to police.

But that threshold is £5,000. Anything banked over that amount is reported to police by banks. Police would see two deposits in the same day by two people for just less than £5,000.

DI Sellwood said: "Somebody knew the law well.

"We also saw money being paid to solicitors from car retailers. Billy would be selling cars and instead of the money going to him, it was going to solicitors. It was not a cash transaction, so not reported.

"There were lots of different names used for land registry purposes. That should have raised suspicion.

"The trail was well and truly covered up."

Tears will be shed over the humble onion today when Newent hosts one of the most exciting events on the Gloucestershire calendar.

Around 15,000 people are hoped to descend on the town where some unusual allium-inspired shenanigans will be witnessed.

Dozens of men and women will go head to head in a race against time to eat seven ounces of onion in an eye-watering race at around 1pm. Previous winners have devoured an onion in a little over a minute.

Charlotte Offord, from the event organising team, said: "The fayre is getting bigger and better every year and we have between 10,000 to 15,000 people, that's our estimate.

"I think it has got something for everybody. It is just unique as we have the onion-eating and that is the thing hooks people in."

Entry to the fair is free with parking £4. 

For more information visit www.newentonionfayre.org

WHEN nine-year-old Zainudeen Takolia wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to ensure Scotland doesn't break away from the UK, the last thing he was expecting was a response.

His illustrated letter, which also covered the Palestinian and Israeli conflict and why Mayor of London Boris Johnson should take the top job at Number 10, was sent to David Cameron early last month.

But having received a reply on behalf of the Prime Minister several weeks later, the Calton Primary School year five pupil, whose birthday falls on the same day as the referendum on Thursday, said he was both "pleased and disappointed" by the response.

The letter from a Downing Street official thanked Zainudeen, from Linden, for getting in touch however it failed to respond to his concerns he raised regarding a redesign of the Union Flag or a meeting between Middle Eastern officials over Gaza.

"It would be quite depressing if Scotland were to leave the United Kingdom on my birthday," he said.

"You can't have an un-United Kingdom. I think we would be better as a united country.

"If Scotland became independent they would be like a foreign country.

"I was pleased to get a response but was disappointed that they didn't tell me what they thought."

Also included in his letter were pictures to the Prime Minister of what he thought the UK flag would look like if Scotland were to leave.

His ideas included having the Welsh dragon or the crest of Northern Ireland in the middle of the flag.

Museji Takolia, Zainudeen's father, said his son has had a fascination with geography and world affairs since watching the 2012 Olympics.

He said: "Zainudeen is only nine but he's showing a certain maturity and interest in the world. I will try and nurture that.

"If a nine-year-old boy was touched emotionally about the Scottish referendum it encapsulates what many other people feel.

"David Cameron should be shown his letter to see how the younger generation feels about this.

"I'm proud of him, and so should the school be, for showing such initiative.

"We should be encouraging the younger generation to take more of an interest in the affairs of the world.

Zainudeen said he did not know if he would be allowed to stay up to watch the referendum results come in on Thursday night, despite it being his birthday.

He said: "My dad said I could grow up to become the secretary-general of the United Nations."

See Page 19 for Mercia's bid for independence

Treasure seekers will descend on Cheltenham today to take part in a hunt for precious diamonds that have been planted in secret locations around the town.

Ten diamonds are up for grabs, each worth £1,000, with the hunt raising money for Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre in Cheltenham.

They have been fashioned in New York and are now hidden at secret locations around Cheltenham with the hunt starting at 9.30am.

The diamonds have been on display at Beards jewellery store in town since arriving from the Big Apple last month.

Clue Makers branded in Maggie's uniforms will also be at strategic points across the town during the event.

They will offer additional clues to hunters who make an extra £5 donation.

Whoever finds the location of a diamond will then have to visit Beards to reclaim their diamond prize.

There, they will then be able to have their stone crafted into a beautiful, unique piece of jewellery, including pendants and rings. People are also inquiring about creating a pair of earrings if they manage to find two.

Hundreds of people watched as a £20m flagship science building at the University of Nottingham was destroyed in the early hours of the morning.

At its peak 60 firefighters were on the scene to tackle the flames.

A helicopter tracked the fire from above.

The blaze is understood to have broke out at about 8.45pm on Friday September 12.

The building, empty and still under construction, was part-funded by a £12m donation from pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, which has a factory in Coleford in the Forest of Dean.

Neighbouring buildings were doused with water to prevent the fire from spreading.

A police cordon was also put in place, stretching from Derby Road to Ilkeston Road.

Earlier this morning, the Fire and Rescue Service posted an interview with Incident Commander, Group Manager Joanne Wooler-Ward, explaining what had happened.

She said: "My priority was containment to ensure the fire doesn't spread to surrounding buildings.

"We aren't in a position to say what started it we wont be aware of that but police and our specialist fire investigation officers will be looking at the building when it's safe to enter.

She added: "We will then look more into the investigation phase and work with the police to deal with that element and focus on getting the road open and getting businesses back to normal.

"There is a lot of damage to the building and it won't be in use in the very near future.

"As a service, there were 60 firefighters in attendance who all worked incredibly hard.

"It was a fully developed fire and just credit to those that really did pull out all the stops to stop this fire spreading to any other areas."

Dr Paul Greatrix, registrar at The University of Nottingham said: "Firefighters are currently on site dealing with a major fire at our GSK sustainable chemistry building.

"Thankfully, there have been no casualties as this is building was still under construction. We are grateful to the fire teams on site who have worked extremely hard to contain the blaze."

A university Open Day, due to take place today, will continue as intended.

Readers have submitted videos taken from the scene.

THE Government must outlaw the sale of potentially lethal legal highs which are becoming 'endemic' on the country's highs streets, councils have said.

Research by the Local Government Association (LGA) of 18 councils across the country most affected by legal highs reveals every authority was aware of them being sold, often over the counter in 'head shops'.

Deaths from legal highs have more than doubled in the past four years from 26 in 2009 to 60 last year. They killed far more people than ecstasy, latest figures reveal.

The synthetic 'psychoactive' drugs, which usually have lurid names like 'Clockwork Orange', 'Bliss' and 'Mary Jane', have been directly linked to poisoning, emergency hospital admissions including in mental health services and, in some cases, deaths.

They dodge drugs laws by being sold as 'not fit for human consumption', bypassing chemical compositions which are already banned. They are often advertised as plant food or research chemicals.

Now the LGA, which represents almost 400 councils in England and Wales – who last year took over responsibility for public health - is calling for a complete ban on the sale of all legal highs.

The LGA, which stresses this is about targeting sellers, wants the UK to follow legislation introduced in Ireland four years ago.

This bans the sale of all 'psychoactive' (brain altering) drugs and then exempts some, such as alcohol and tobacco. Currently, the system here works the other way round. The Irish legislation has effectively eliminated all 'head shops' that sell legal highs.

Councils spend about 30 per cent of their entire public health budget on drug and alcohol misuse – more than any other service.

They argue this clamp-down would help reduce this staggering sum – so funds could be freed up for other health priorities.

Councillor Ann Lucas, chair of the LGA's Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: "These are not legal highs – they are lethal highs and they are deceptively dangerous. As they are unregulated, no one knows what is really in them or what effect they will have. Young people are playing Russian roulette with their health and sometimes their lives.

"The effects of some of these lethal highs can be truly terrifying – delirium, stupor, hallucinations, coma and even death.

"This is all about tackling the sellers. Legal high shops are becoming endemic to our high streets, which is why we are calling on the Government to introduce robust and vigorous new laws to tackle them. The sooner we put these so-called 'head shops' out of business for good the better.

"As soon as one legal high is outlawed another one, with a slightly different chemical composition, will spring up. Trading Standards officers are doing a magnificent job trying to tackle this spiralling issue but, because the legislation is so inadequate, they are effectively fighting a war with one hand behind their back.

"A key priority is educating and informing younger people about the dangers and risks of these drugs and councils play a pivotal role in this."

First there was Brooklyn Beckham and now it appears as if the Hollie Gazzard Trust may have gained another celebrity admirer.

A picture posted on the Hollie Gazzard Trust Facebook page appears to show Hollywood A-Lister Jack Nicholson - or perhaps a lookalike - with a band promoting the charity set up in the young hairdresser's name.

Hollie, from Churchdown, was tragically killed earlier this year while working at Fringe Benefits in Gloucester. She was just 20 years old. 

The initiative was set up in May to support young hairdressers in their educational needs as well as other local causes such as Increase the Peace and the Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Service.

Earlier this week, Courtney Shaw, 18, from Cheltenham and Laura Tibbetts, 18 from Gloucester, were named as being amongst the first of six young apprentices to be selected to receive the hairdressing fund.

For more information visit holliegazzard.org

THE Last Night of the Proms will open with music composed by a man who grew up in the Forest of Dean.

Velocity, by Gavin Higgins, 31, from Whitecroft, will be performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall, in London, at 7.30pm tonight.

His aunt Sharon Thomas said: "The first piece of music at the Proms tonight will be his. Ever since he was a small child, Gavin has been into music and drama."

Mr Higgins began playing the tenor horn with the Parkend Band and he later studied composition and the French horn at Chetham's School of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal College of Music with Gary Carpenter and Ken Hesketh.

The Gloucester born composer comes from a long lineage of brand band musicians, dating back to 1895. Mrs Thomas said: "From about seven he started with Parkend Band where the whole family was playing, so he just followed on."

Mr Higgins has now gone on to high-profile commissions and performances of daring brass band pieces including Freaks (2007), Tango (2008) and Fanfares and Love Songs (2009) for the National Children's Band of Great Britain, according to gavinhiggins.com.

Next year will also see Higgins' premier of an "innovative and ambitious" new ballet – the first to feature a brass band – which has been inspired by the miners' strike of 1984/85.

It might not be quite the same as the band visiting the city but Gloucester One Direction fans may be able to get an edge on their rivals by watching an early screening of an exclusive new film.

'One Direction: Where We Are - The Concert Film' contains exclusive live footage and backstage interviews with the band.

It is being released in 70 countries and is available to watch on one weekend only.

On October 11 and 12 there will be 10,000 showings on over 3,000 screens during a very special weekend for the band's legion of fans.

And Gloucester Guildhall is joining the party by screening the film four times on Saturday 11.

With the majority of cinemas around the UK scheduling afternoon shows, local fans could be among the first in the country to watch the film if they attend the 10.45am screening.

There will also be afternoon and evening screenings available for those not so keen on early starts.

Leader of Gloucester City Council Paul James said: "Gloucester is thrilled to be part of this event.

"As a small independent cinema it's not often the Guildhall has the chance to get involved in something on such a global scale so we're really making the most of it.

"We know there are a lot of One Direction fans in Gloucester and it's great that they can experience what the band's world tour was like, right on their own doorstep.

"It promises to be a special day and hopefully we will give local One Direction fans plenty of nice memories to take away."

The Guildhall has also been inundated with One Direction artwork that fans have sent in for an exhibition that will run during October in the building's gallery and concourse.

For more information email film@gloucester.gov.uk

Hundreds of people descended on Cheltenham in search of diamonds.

The town's first Great Diamond Rush, organised by Beards Jewellers, has raised approximately £6500 for charity.

The quest also led to a marriage proposal, with one of the diamonds set to become an engagement ring!

Scott Thompson, 27, proposed to girlfriend Lucienne Simpson, 26, after they found one of the diamonds at Crazy Eights at 131 The Promenade this morning.

Alex Rose, managing director of Beards, has offered to make their engagement ring himself from their diamond.

Ten diamonds were up for grabs, each worth £1,000, and the hunt will raise money for Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre in Cheltenham.

They have been fashioned in New York and were hidden at secret locations around Cheltenham.

The first diamond was found at The Daffodil restaurant in The Suffolks, a second has also been found in Royal Crescent, with a third found on Leckhampton Hill and another found in Montpellier Gardens. The fifth was found in Waitrose and the sixth at Ellis and Kilpatrick in The Regent Arcade. The seventh was found at the lido and the eighth at Crazy Eights in the Promenade.The ninth was snapped up in Pittville Park and number ten was found in the Montpellier Chapter Hotel.

The diamonds have been on display at Beards jewellery store in town since arriving from the Big Apple last month.

Clue Makers branded in Maggie's uniforms were at strategic points across the town during the event.

They offered additional clues to hunters for an extra £5 donation.

The lucky hunters had to visit Beards to claim their prize.

There, they will then be able to have their stone crafted into a beautiful, unique piece of jewellery, including pendants and rings.

1 Be suspicious of all 'too good to be true' offers and deals. There are no guaranteed get-rich-quick schemes.

2 Do not agree to offers or deals immediately. Insist on time to obtain independent or legal advice before making a decision.

3 Do not hand over money or sign anything until you have checked the credentials of the company or individual.

4 Never send money to anyone you do not know or trust, whether in the UK or abroad, or use payment methods that you are not comfortable with.

5 Never give banking or personal details to anyone you do not know or trust. This information is valuable, so make sure you protect it.

6 Always log on to a website directly, rather than clicking on links provided in an email.

7 Do not rely solely on glowing testimonials: find solid independent evidence of a company's success.

8 Always get independent/legal advice if an offer involves money, time or commitment.

9 If you spot a scam or have been scammed, report it and get help. Call ActionFraud on 0300 123 2040 or go to actionfraud.org.uk. Call the police of the suspect is known or still in the area.

10 Don't be embarrassed to report a scam. Scammers are cunning so there is no shame in being deceived, but by reporting it you will make it harder for them to con others.

Julien Vermote won solo on the longest stage of the Tour of Britain to Brighton, while Garmin Sharp's Dylan Van Baarle rode into the overall race lead.

Van Baarle is the sixth holder of the yellow jersey this tour, taking the race lead from Movistar rider Alex Dowsett who lost two minutes, 34 seconds today and fell to 10th.

A trio of King of the Mountain climbs in the final 60km in the 220km race from Camberley to Brightontook their toll on the peloton.

But Vermote had the legs today to make a break on Ditchling Beacon and ride solo to victory on Madeira Drive.

Ignatas Konovalovas finished second with Van Baarle holding on from the break to take third and lead former leader Michal Kwiatkowski by 19 seconds.

Team Sky leader and defending champion Sir Bradley Wiggins was in the 22-man breakaway led by Kwaitkowski but remains seventh overall 47s adrift.

Kwiatkowski is wearing the points jersey, Mark McNally sealed the king of the mountains contest and Sebastian Lander is holding the sprints title.

The race leader will be decided tomorrow in a thrilling finale in London.

The split stage includes an 8.8km individual time trial before the traditional 10-lap circuit race finishing in Westminster. This will be a sprinter's dream, so expect Marcel Kittel (Giant Shimano) and Mark Cavendish (OmegaPharma-Quick-Step) to be fighting it out. 

MOST toddlers learn to walk first but little Erin Bradley took on swimming before her feet could even touch the ground.

Just before her second birthday Erin, who is now four- years-old, was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, a condition which meant her hip socket was not developed.

Little Erin underwent surgery to correct the socket, however had to spend 24 weeks in a Spica body cast after the operation.

The cast covered both her legs from toe-to-hip keeping them straight and separated, bust also meaning she was unable to walk or move.

But after a number of intense operations to help correct the problem, including a bone graft to develop and build up her hip socket, Erin is now walking.

Before her diagnosis, Erin had begun swimming at just four-weeks-old at her local Water Babies class in Gloucester.

When walking was difficult, swimming gave her the freedom that her legs didn't have on land.

Mum Emma from Abbeymead said: "The water was extremely good for her. It was hard as parent because you would see other children walking to the pool but I had to carry Erin. When she got into the pool she would let go of me straight away. The power of the water helped Erin with her movement which was very important. The consultants and physiotherapists noticed a massive difference."

Although Erin may suffer some hip problems in the future, she has regular check-ups with the doctors.

"She is just awesome and always very positive," she added."Erin is like any four-year-old running around. "She started at Abbeymead Primary School last week, which she is enjoying."

To crown her progress, last week, Erin, who has a sister called Chloe and a brother called Dylan, was named Water Babies Little Hero following a nationwide search for Britain's most inspiring young swimmers.

Emma added: "We are delighted that Erin has been recognised as one of Water Babies Little Heroes. "Everyone was surprised at how she could swim so well, yet not able to walk. Erin limped and struggled to walk more than a few steps before falling over.

"Her time in Spica body cast was challenging and heart-breaking to us as a family. Every six weeks she was back in theatre.

"As soon as the casts were off, we again started swimming and she amazed us all by swimming long before she could weight bear."

Two years on, the swimming has helped strengthen her hip and she is in a swim class with children a school-year older than her.

Paul Thompson, co-founder of Water Babies, said: "Erin's story is an inspiration to us all and we are delighted to crown her a Water Babies Little Hero. "We're thrilled that our Water Babies classes enabled her the freedom to roam the water and develop a love for it that is continuing to grow week-on-week."

Doctor Who stopped off in Gloucestershire to visit a creepy children's home as Peter Capaldi's Doctor continues his travels through time and space .

The fourth episode, Listen, of the eighth series of the re-booted sci-fi show saw The Doctor take companion Clara Oswold back in time to a children's home in Gloucester.

It was supposed to be a time in Clara's past, but as she told the Doctor, she had never been to Gloucester.

What they found took the Doctor in the future of the universe and took viewers into The Time Lord's own past.

The Doctor has travelled to the Gloucester area before. In the first episode of the fifth series, which was the debut of Matt Smith as the Time Lord, they went to a place called Leadworth, which was described as being near Gloucester.

Filming for the 2009 Christmas special, The Next Doctor, took place at Gloucester Cathedral.

And scenes for episode nine of the current series were filmed at the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Steam Railway near Winchcombe.

A video showing the beheading of British hostage David Haines by the Islamic State has been released.

The footage comes just hours after his family issued a public plea for his captors to contact them.

It was reported this morning that the was working urgently to verify the video while also offering Mr Haines's family support

David Cameron, the Prime Minister, said: "The murder of David Haines is an act of pure evil. My heart goes out to his family who have shown extraordinary courage and fortitude."

He added: "We will do everything in our power to hunt down these murderers and ensure they face justice, however long it takes."

Mr Haines, 44, was kidnapped last year as he delivered humanitarian aid in Syria.

But his whereabouts were only revealed this month when he was shown kneeling in the sand, wearing an orange jumpsuit.

The video begins with a clip from David Cameron, then a man believed to be Mr Haines llooks into the camera and says: "My name is Daivd Cawthorne Haines. I would like to delcare that I hold you David Cameron entirely responsible for my execution.

"You entered voluntarily into a coalition with the United States against the Islamic State just as your predecessor Tony Blair did, following a trend against our British prime ministers who can't find the courage to say no to the Americans.

"Unfortunately it is we the British public that in the end will pay the price for our Parliament's selfish decisions."

Rachel Brace says she may never have survived the stroke she suffered at the age of 32 had it not been for her quick-thinking husband.

The mother-of-two from Kingsway is now set to celebrate both recovery and her tenth wedding anniversary with "hero" Phill by scaling one of Britain's most iconic buildings.

The couple, with the full support of their family, will abseil down Spinnaker Tower, which stands at 170 metres overlooking Portsmouth Harbour.

Rachel is determined not only to boost funding for the Stroke Association, but also to raise awareness of the symptoms of the condition which says can strike anybody, regardless of their age.

"My husband was going to work and as he was heading out of the door he remembered he had not kissed our daughter Katie goodbye," said Rachel, who lives at Goose Bay Drive.

"He called out but I didn't respond and he found me collapsed on the floor. He looked at me and could tell I had a stroke as the left side of my face had dropped and I couldn't use my left arm or leg.

"If he had not come back, he would have been gone for around eight or nine hours. So I would say my husband is my hero because he found me and saved my life. The problem is, many people do not know the signs and symptoms of a stroke."

As a result of the stroke last November, she suffers short-term memory loss and anxiety but says the side-effects would have been much worse had medical assistance not arrived so promptly.

Rachel received thrombolysis treatment in hospital, a procedure that breaks down blood clots in the brain which cause strokes, and was discharged within a week. Occupational therapy and jewellery-making helped her to regain her strength and dexterity but she has only been out of a wheelchair for six months.

However, that will not stop her from taking on the Spinnaker Tower in less than a fortnight.

"We always wanted to something to remember our tenth wedding anniversary as it is quite an important occasion," added Rachel, who now takes blood-thinning tablets every day. And if she forgets, she can rely on Katie, five, and Dylan, four, to remind her.

"My daughter, Katie, knows mummy has had a stroke so we have taught her to ring 999 and what she is supposed to say, so she is all clued up," Rachel said.

"It is a horrible thing to teach them but it is a necessary evil, unfortunately. I am 32 with two young children and I don't want to give in to it."

Rachel and Phill, who have raised £1,750 for charity by selling handmade wine glass charms and by running the Great North Run, respectively, will abseil the tower on Saturday, September 27 – two days after their anniversary.

CINDERFORD 10

HARTPURY 23

DESPITE a derby-day victory against rivals Cinderford, boss Alan Martinovic believes Hartpury have much more to give in National One this season.

A scrappy first half gave Hartpury a 6-5 lead at the break but they dominated the next 40 minutes, rarely stepping out Cinderford's half as they unleashed waves of attack.

Tries for Craig Jackson, Steve Leonard and Lloyd Evans, plus two conversions and two penalties for fly-half Gareth Thompson sealed the win for Hartpury.

But director of rugby Martinovic was disappointed with the quality of rugby in the first half and believes his squad have not shown their potential yet.

"We are delighted with the result but not how we played in the first half," he said.

"It was an error-strewn, first half for both teams. We couldn't keep the ball for any period of time, we would run the ball and they would turn it over and we thought perhaps it was going to be last week's defeat to Wharfedale all over again.

"But we are pretty pleased with the second-half performance really. We took most of our opportunities but we didn't take all of them.

"I said to the guys afterwards, at the moment we at about 25 per cent of our best - so a good start but we need to get better.

"This league is a tough challenge. Teams don't normally win here at Cinderford.

"To get something on the road is an exceptional achievement but I still feel there are lots of areas for us to improve on."

This was the first time the two sides have faced each other in a competitive league game after Hartpury's promotion last season.
And it was Cinderford who had the brighter start as a Hartpury error led to their first try.

Davies' high kick was spilled and Wilcox capitalised, pouncing upon the loose ball and passing it to Wilkes charging on the left flank.

The hooker fed Jack Adams and the centre teased his way in past two defenders.
The tempo settled slightly as Thompson kicked a penalty to get Hartpury off the mark, before adding another just before the break to give the visitors the narrowest of leads.

But Cinderford got their noses in front in the 42nd minute.

They were inching closer to the Hartpury try-line before the ball found wing Henry Bird, waiting patiently in the corner to crash over.

But Hartpury struck back instantly. A break from Thompson gave centre Steve Leonard acres of space to run it in under the posts and give Hartpury a 13-10 lead.

They capitalised on mounting pressure in the 72nd minute as Cinderford's replacement hooker Luke Cole saw his pass intercepted by Lloyd Evans five metres from the line.

The full-back darted over and Thompson converted again to give Hartpury an 18-10 lead.

And in the dying seconds, Craig Jackson crashed over in the corner from a driving effort to make the score 23-10.

Frustrated Cinderford professional rugby manager Andy Deacon admitted this result would knock his side's confidence ahead of next week's long trip to Darlington.

He said: "They are good players and our composure sometimes didn't stand up to it.

"In these tight games, you have opportunities and they scored more of theirs than we did. it is disappointing, it's a derby and we've lost.

"We've lost against a side we had targeted as a win and that makes going to Darlington Mowden Park that more difficult than perhaps it already is."

CINDERFORD: M Wilcox (c), H Bird, J Adams (C Norman, 51), S Hanks, S Baker, M Davies (S Hawley, 69), A Uren, C Bundy (J Smart, 69), S Wilkes (L Cole, 51), E Booley, L Randall, M Lane, M Uren (R Luckwell, 66), C McNeil, G Evans

HARTPURY COLLEGE: L Evans, S Reynolds, S Leonard, C Jackson, J Carter, G Thompson, B Ellis, M Irish (W Thompson, 66), C Fortey (c) (W Tanner, 40), W Thompson (T Brockett, 40), J Batley (D Thomas, 66), R Fuller (J Batley, 71), J Dancer, D Thomas (S Negri 53), W Safe

REPLACEMENTS: L Stratford, A O'Meara

REFEREE: Marcus Caton

ATTENDANCE: 560

STAR MAN: Steve Leonard