The joint project is working to identify all car parks in Tyne & Wear at risk of flooding. The first two areas to be identified are the Quayside in Newcastle, near the Swing Bridge, and low lights car park at North Shields Fish Quay.

Signs have now gone up in both car parks advising people to check tide timetables, sign up to the Flood Warning Service and information on alternative parking locations. In Newcastle, the council will advise when the car park is going to be closed.

The Environment Agency’s Taryn Al-mashgari, Flood Community Engagement Officer for Tyne & Wear, said:

The signs are not to deter people from parking there as the vast majority of the time there are no issues. But we want people to be more informed about flooding – it’s absolutely vital people understand how they can find out what the current flood risk is and what to do to keep themselves safe. These car parks are in flood risk areas and during particularly high tide they are liable to flooding.

It’s particularly important for visitors where people might not be aware of the flood risk. This way that they can be more informed about the current and upcoming flood risk and ensure it’s safe to park there.

The same signage will be used at flood risk car parks across Tyne & Wear. Taryn is also working with local authorities to identify car parks also at risk of surface water flooding. Councillor Nick Kemp, Newcastle City Council cabinet member for Environment, added:

Extreme weather events are an unfortunate challenge we all face from time to time so anything we can do to get one step ahead is a positive move. Flooding can strike in an instant and warning drivers of the potential of it occurring by leaving their cars in at-risk locations provides another layer of preparation to go with the defences which have already been invested in.

The work carried out with our partners like the Environment Agency is not intended to deter people from using these car parks, we simply aim to raise awareness of the risks.

Councillor Carole Burdis, North Tyneside Council’s whose portfolio includes Community Safety, said:

It’s great that, alongside our partners, we’re taking vital steps to ensure the safety of our residents by giving them early warning of flood risks. We are committed to protecting the public and keeping everyone informed as much as possible of current flood risks and how to keep safe.

The project is part of the Environment Agency’s ongoing work with local authorities to raise awareness of flood risk in our communities and ensure people know how to prepare.

Driving through flood water risks lives – just 30cm of water is enough to float your car. Those travelling over Christmas and through winter are urged to check their route for flood warnings. If you find your way blocked by flood water always turn around and find another way – never take the risk.

For more information on what to do in a flood visit the gov.uk website

Support from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) is available for people affected by international parental child abduction.

In the run up to the Christmas holidays, the FCO is reminding British people of the support available to them in cases of international parental child abduction.

International parental child abduction is when one parent removes or keeps a child from the country they normally live in, without the consent of the other parent or in breach of a court order preventing their removal. Parents don’t always realise that their actions could be classified as abduction or that abduction is a criminal offence.

This year*, the FCO provided assistance in 228 international parental child abduction cases.

The FCO can help in child abduction and custody cases where the child is under 16 and where there is a British link within the family, including in cases where the child is a dual national. Help we can provide includes:

• Telling parents whether the country which your child has been taken to is operating the 1980 Hague Convention – a treaty that includes a process for returning children under 16 who have been abducted internationally by a parent. If the country your child is in is a signatory to the Hague Convention, the FCO can put parents in touch with the relevant authorities in the UK so they can submit the relevant applications.
• Providing a list of English speaking lawyers in a particular country, if parents need to apply for custody and permission to bring their child back to the UK through overseas courts.
• Trying to verify whether a child has arrived in a particular country if parents do not know where they are.
• Contacting the relevant authorities to check what progress has been made in finding children reported missing with the police overseas.

The FCO is contactable on 020 7008 1500 seven days a week and 24 hours a day.

Harriett Baldwin MP, Minister for Consular Policy, said:

Christmas is traditionally a time when families gather together, and many people go abroad to visit relatives and loved ones.

Sadly, it is also a time when child abduction cases surge. Child abduction can be a devastating ordeal and we deal with hundreds of instances of it every year. Should the worst happen, you are not on your own. Contact our partners at reunite or our consular staff, who will do everything they can to help you.

The charity reunite offers advice to parents and families whose children have been abducted overseas and anyone can call their hotline at any time on 01162 556 234.

Alison Shalaby, CEO of reunite, said:

When a child is taken to or kept in another country the impact is felt by the whole family, and particularly by the child themselves. Although the time after an abduction can be distressing and even traumatic, such situations can have a positive outcome, and there are options and help available to all parties to find a constrictive resolution to the situation.

During the past year reunite has been pleased to support many parents caught up in the stressful issues regarding child abduction, by offering ongoing advice and support through our advice line, and undertaking many successful mediations through our specialist mediation service. The most important thing to remember is that this is not a situation you have to handle alone, and reunite are here to help.

*Figures are from 1 January – 20 December 2018

Highways England introduced a 60mph speed limit on an eight-mile stretch of the motorway between Holmes Chapel and Knutsford (junctions 18 to 19) last night as it works to complete a major upgrade to add extra lanes and new technology to the M6 by spring 2019.

The speed limit increase from 50mph to 60mph is expected to cut journey times between the junctions by almost a fifth as tens of thousands of drivers use the route on their way home for Christmas.

It’s the first time a 60mph limit has been used for motorway roadworks in the North West following successful trials in other parts of the country.

Across England, more than 200 miles of roadworks are being lifted in time for the festive getaway to help journeys flow more smoothly and to keep disruption to a minimum.

Highways England will also be keeping motorways closure-free for 12 days over the festive season, so drivers travelling at night on the M6 won’t be faced with diversions due to roadworks.

Highways England’s project manager Arun Sahni said:

The M6 through Cheshire is used by around 120,000 drivers every day so we’re keen to do everything we can to minimise disruption while the major upgrade takes place to improve journeys.

We’ve been able to increase the speed limit to 60mph on almost half the scheme in time for the Christmas getaway as wider lanes have now been reinstated along this part of the motorway.

We’re also on schedule to complete the project by the spring so drivers travelling along the M6 in Cheshire will experience quicker and more reliable journeys in 2019.

Highways England expects to be able to open the first stretch of the M6 smart motorway upgrade between junctions 18 and 19 early next year, and has been able to increase the speed limit to 60mph while testing takes place of the new technology.

A 50mph speed limit will remain in place for safety reasons between junctions 16 and 18 due to construction work taking place along that part of the M6.

When the upgrade is complete, drivers will be able to use an extra lane in each direction – increasing capacity by a third. More than 250 electronic signs will also alert drivers to changes in the speed limit, lane closures and incidents ahead.

A total of 70 CCTV cameras will provide 100% coverage of the route and allow Highways England’s traffic officers and the emergency services to respond quickly to incidents. And 18 emergency areas will be created alongside the motorway to provide drivers with a safe place to stop if they break down.

A similar smart motorway scheme on a stretch of the M62 in West Yorkshire has resulted in commuters saving an average 30 minutes each week, despite an increase in the number of vehicles using the route.

More details on the Cheshire scheme are available on the M6 junctions 16 to 19 smart motorway scheme web page.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Drivers travelling through the M6 roadworks in Cheshire will be able to get home quicker from today as the speed limit has been increased in time for Christmas.