The chambers are divided into “rooms” with concrete slabs.The locations of the holts are being kept secret to protect the otters’ privacy, but all are along the river Kennet in Wiltshire. The initiative follows a similar scheme along the upper Thames last year.The sites were selected by Mark Satinet, the Kennet Otter Habitat Project Officer with the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. “Otters were once found throughout England,” he said, “but pollution and habitat loss have caused their numbers to decline rapidly These new apartments are ideal … Railtrack will also have to prepare a maintenance plan to cover the future upkeep and monitoring of the bridge’s condition.Mr Robertson said that the HSE had given Railtrack formal notice of its intention to issue improvement notices in respect of these items.The report said some secondary sections, steel angle straps, were so rusted they were broken through and had to be replaced. The existing maintenance regime needed improvement if deterioration was to be stopped and potential structural problems in the future were to be avoided, the study said.Sam Robertson, chief inspecting officer of railways, said he was not alarmed by the survey, but added: “We were dissatisfied, disappointed, concerned to find that parts of the bridge had been allowed to deteriorate with no apparent maintenance over long periods and this was confirmed because of a complete lack of records.”He explained that when Railtrack took responsibility for the bridge two years ago they found big gaps in maintenance records.”Clearly it indicates a lack of care on the part of people responsible at the time.”Railtrack now has to meet several requirements including completing an overall survey of the bridge’s condition, and establishing a full understanding of how the bridge and in particular its bearings – which allow contraction and expansion – were designed to work.It will also have to complete a structural assessment of the bridge and prepare an action plan for restoration and repairs.

However, the assessment has indicated that over many years the maintenance system has not been robust enough to prevent significant deterioration in certain areas of the bridge.”Engineers from HM Railway Inspectorate carried out a survey of the condition of the bridge – a hazard analysis and structural study. In their judgement the bridge was safe in its current condition to carry Railtrack’s present loading.Although the bridge has been allowed to deteriorate, its structural integrity was not compromised. Its carrying capacity in its present condition complied with modern standards of safe design for bridges. The Health and Safety Executive said the mile-long bridge – which carries 1,000 trains a week over the river Forth – was still safe, but Railtrack needed to repair existing damage and step up maintenance procedures.
The assessment by the HSE was prompted by public concern about the condition of the bridge which has recently been shedding large flakes of red paint.The report said: “The bridge is over 100 years old and some deterioration in its condition is to be expected. Rail chiefs were yesterday ordered to improve maintenance of the 100-year-old Forth Bridge, near Edinburgh. Jason Bryant, the third programme director of the station since it began in February last year, said: “I want to put a line-up of presenters together which appeals to the public It sounds easy to do, but it isn’t.”.

Surprisingly perhaps, research showed that listeners did not like his most famous contribution, Our Tune, which had won a lucrative sponsorship deal with Kleenex.”It was just not popular People who listened to Bates did not want to know. Audience figures fell by 8 per cent when it came on,” a Talk Radio insider said. The DJ is now consulting his lawyers.Trevor cDonald, who anchors News at Ten, only managed to pull in 100,000 listeners for his flagship Sunday morning political show.The axing of the big-name presenters represents yet another U-turn for the national commercial station, which hired them last year after its launch concept of “shock-jock” radio proved a flop.Now struggling to maintain audiences of under 2 million – compared to 4.6 million for Classic F and 4.2 million for Virgin Radio, its only two national rivals – it is now on to its third attempt at a fresh start under the management of Travis Baxter, managing director of CLT, which runs the station. M

Talk Radio UK plunged into further turmoil yesterday after revelations that its political presenter, Trevor cDonald, has decided to quit and Simon Bates, the former Radio 1 disc jockey, had been axed.
Jonathan King, who hosted the mid-morning show, has also been told that his contract at the national radio station will not be renewed as it struggles to contain losses of up to pounds 1m a month.The decision to sack r Bates – who was hired at a salary of pounds 120,000 a year – followed a 10 per cent drop in audience figures to just over 300,000 for his breakfast show which began last October. Keep the scrums high’.”He said he was told that Mr Smoldon was hooking the ball in the scrum with his left hand rather than his feet.

Because of that, he held Mr Smoldon’s hand during a few scrums, but did not do so in the one in which he was injured. All he could remember of that scrum – which collapsed almost at once – was himself, the rest of his front row and Mr Smoldon on the floor.Immediately before its collapse he maintained his normal scrummage position. He dismissed as “untrue” suggestions put by his counsel, Christopher Symons QC, that he had deliberately collapsed or lowered the scrums, head-butted or punched an opponent or dropped his left shoulder and “bored in” towards Mr Smoldon.Mr Symons: “During this collapse, or immediately after, or after the match and in the weeks that followed, did anyone point a finger of blame at you?”Mr Whitworth: “No sir.”The hearing continues today.. He alleges that Mr Nolan did not take proper control of the match, and that Mr Whitworth was aggressive and contributed to the collapse of the scrums by taking the players’ shoulders below hip height.

He believes his injury was caused by Mr Whitworth moving out of position.Mr Whitworth, 22, of Lower Leigh, Staffordshire, told Mr Justice Curtis that Mr Smoldon came into the scrums with a “forceful” attitude.He said that Mr Nolan offered advice during the match on how to maintain a stable scrummage: “He told us `Be careful Use common sense Crouch, touch, pause, engage Use due care while engaging. Ben Smoldon, 21, is claiming pounds 1m damages for the 1991 accident during a game between Sutton Coldfield and Burton on Trent under-19 Colts, which left him confined to a wheelchair.
Mr Smoldon, of Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, a hooker, claims the referee, Michael Nolan, and Burton’s tight head prop, Thomas Whitworth, were to blame. A young rugby player alleged to have collapsed the scrum which resulted in the paralysis of an opponent yesterday denied any responsibility for his injury. If they do give up their baby, it can stay with them for the rest of their lives.