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Shock after fire rips through Underfall Boatyard

There is widespread shock after a fire ripped through the Underfall Boatyard in Bristol, UK, home to a number of traditional wooden boatbuilders and businesses.

Shocking photos were published by the Bristol Evening Post showing the blaze on Friday night, 9 May.

The flames could be seen from miles around and on Saturday police arrested a man in connection with the incident.

A statement from Avon and Somerset police said: “A man has been charged in connection with a fire at a boat yard in Bristol.

“We were called to the site, near Cumberland Road, at about 12.05am on Saturday 6 May to support Avon Fire and Rescue Service.

“The man has been charged overnight with arson with intent to endanger life and arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered, in relation to this incident. He has also been charged with a stalking offence.”

The 45-year-old was remanded ahead of appearing before Bristol Magistrates Court on Monday 8 May.

The much-loved conglomerate of Underfall marine businesses, in the heart of Bristol Docks, includes mainstream and commercial companies, as well as the wooden boat-builder Star Yachts , the pilot cutter veteran designer and builder RB Boatbuilding , Shipshape Boatbuilding & Woodwork run by Anthony Mace,   and Traditional Rigging .

A statement on social media by Traditional Rigging said: “The Rigging shop is unaffected (being across the yard, on the far side of the slipway).”

It is not immediately clear to what extent each business is affected by the fire.

The Underfall Yard Trust posted the comment above as the news spread around the traditional boatbuilding and wider marine community.

(c) Star YachtsOwner of Star Yachts, Win Cnooops, posted on Facebook: “Disaster has befallen our beloved Underfall Yard, an historic monument, and home to us, and several other small scale businesses who pride themselves on craftsmanship of the highest order.

“The visual centre point of Underfall, the big shed, has been gutted by fire, as are the back workshop space, and the adjoining lean-to and forge.

The yard has put out a plea for support for its boatbuilders, with Win saying: “To help our boatbuilders get up on their feet again, we’ve set up a Justgiving page . This is for their private tool collections – some tools that are very specialised – which are not covered by the company’s insurance.

“If you have good tools that are surplus, especially boat building tools and power tools, than they are gratefully received as well.”

More than £3,000 had been received by Tuesday morning, via the page, here . Star Yachts can be contacted on UK mobile 07866-705181 or [email protected]

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LIVE Bristol harbour fire: residents evacuated as huge blaze rips thought Underfall boat yard

Multiple fire engines are at the scene

• Updated 19:36, 7 MAY 2023

A huge fire broke out on Bristol's historic harbourside and waterfront in the early hours of this morning (Saturday, May 6).

Around 20 local residents and their pets have been evacuated from houses and boats. Police, firefighters and Bristol City Council remain at the scene.

Videos and photographs shared on social media showed a roaring blaze - and explosions - in the Cumberland Basin area of Hotwells.

The fire is understood to involve the Underfall boat yard.

At 12.42am, Avon Fire and Rescue Service Control said on Twitter: "Red Watch are currently dealing with a large fire in Hotwells, Bristol. Multiple appliances are in attendance. Please avoid the area and stay safe."

Scroll down for more updates, photos and videos as we get them.

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• BREAKING: Man arrested on suspicion of arson 19:36
• "We will rebuild" 19:10
• "We are devastated" - statement from Underfall Yard 14:52
• Council statement after police evacuate around 20 residents 06:38
• 'Huge inferno' at Bristol Underfall Yard 01:33

BREAKING: Man arrested on suspicion of arson

Police have confirmed that they have arrested a man on suspicion of arson in relation to the fire late on Friday night.

You can read the full story on that here.

"We will rebuild"

The full story on how thoughts are already turning to how to bring the Underfall Yard back to its best, read here .

"We are devastated" - statement from Underfall Yard

Underfall Yard, the trust set up to restore and run the site as a working shipyard, has issued a statement:

We are devastated by the fire at the Underfall Yard. The fire has destroyed the heart of the Yard where most of the boatbuilding activity takes place. Tenants' businesses and boats have been ruined. We are supporting our tenants as best we can.

Thankfully no one was killed and no one was injured, but a lot of people in the Underfall Yard community have been impacted: Our staff, our tenants, our volunteers and our neighbours on Avon Crescent and Nova Scotia Place, and our hearts are with them.

We are grateful for everyone's cooperation, particularly those who were evacuated as the fire service fought the fire. We are so grateful to the fire service who stopped this being a greater disaster and for the support of the Harbour Master Team.

The Underfall Yard Trust was formed in the 1990s to bring the Underfall Yard out of dereliction, to look after the historic buildings, to shine a light on Bristol's engineering harbour heritage and to promote traditional marine skills. In light of the devastation at the Yard, those aims remain as relevant now as they were then. We are absolutely committed to rebuilding the Underfall Yard and continuing the charity's work.

Image from a distance showing the billowing smoke from Bristol Harbourside last night

The aftermath of the fire this morning

Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees has tweeted to say 'We continue to make every effort to support those affected'

Locals told to remain inside and events cancelled.

For those catching up with the overnight news, locals around the Bristol harbourside area have been told to remain indoors this morning and events cancelled after the huge fire that took hold at Underfall Yard in the early hours of this morning.

Full story here .

Fire crews from Bath are also at the scene

Fire crews from Bath have been assisting with putting out the blaze in the harbour.

In a tweet posted by Bath Fire Station @AFRSBath at 7am this morning, it has been said the fire is under control but crews remain at the scene.

Council statement after police evacuate around 20 residents

In a statement issued earlier this morning, Bristol City Council said: "A fire started at Underfall Yard in the early hours of Saturday (6 May) morning. @AvonFireRescue & @ASPolice is currently onsite, and Avon and Somerset Police have evacuated around 20 nearby residents and their pets (in houses and boats) to a place of safety.

"We will do all we can to support the ongoing incident. We remain at the scene and are working with our partners in the emergency services to assess the full extent of the situation and investigate the cause of the fire.

"In the meantime, please avoid the area. The open water swimming pilot in Baltic Wharf that is due to take place at 8am today is cancelled. This is because the fire has led to debris in the harbour water & excess water being used to tackle the fire is entering the harbour.

"Once the fire has been extinguished, further water quality assessments will be carried out by the Harbour and the @EnvAgency . To keep updated with the latest information, please follow Avon Fire & Rescue Service Control ( @AFRSControl ) on Twitter. "

'Please avoid this area and keep windows closed'

Another image of the blaze.

Many thanks to Ben Smith for this photo

Photo shows intensity of blaze

'there’s still smoke and fire but apparently it’s under control', 'huge inferno' at bristol underfall yard, video shows firefighters battling blaze, 'underfall yard is on fire', 'awful scenes of a large fire on bristol’s historic underfall yard', 'please avoid the area', 'lots of sirens and blue lights, sounds of popping, fire and smoke'.

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Arson suspected in ‘devastating’ fire at historic Bristol shipyard

Tuesday, May 9th, 2023

Written by: Marine Industry News

A 45-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson, following a devastating blaze that has severely damaged a historic boat yard in Bristol, destroying numerous boats and business premises.

The fire took hold at Underfall Yard on Spike Island in Bristol Harbour during the early hours of Saturday (6th May 2023). Eyewitnesses have described a plume of smoke visible throughout the city as fire crews battled to prevent the blaze spreading.

More than 20 people residing in flats close to the boat yard, near Cumberland Road, were evacuated by Avon Fire and Rescue while the fire was being contained. Firefighters eventually managed to halt the spread of the fire by relocating a burning boat away from other vessels.

Underfall Yard Disaster pic.twitter.com/6ekFtzLt6l — Martin Rands (@martr101) May 6, 2023

Fire crews handed over the scene to the Harbourmaster and the charity that runs Underfall Yard, the Underfall Yard Trust, after lunchtime on Saturday, after dampening down smouldering remains. Pollution control has been put into place around some of the boats that sunk.

In a statement , the Underfall Yard Trust says its community of boatbuilders, engineers, craftspeople and residents are ‘devastated’ by the fire — but have already said they are committed to rebuilding the area back to its former glory. The Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, has confirmed support of the trust’s pledge to rebuild.

The yard’s original construction was completed in 1809 and substantially improved by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the 1830s. It had fallen into disrepair when the trust was formed in the 1990s to bring Underfall Yard out of dereliction and turn it back into a working shipyard. Many of the buildings at Underfall Yard have Grade II Listed Building status.

This is so very sad….Underfall Yard this morning after last night’s fire 😞… @BBCBristol @BBCRB @BristolLive pic.twitter.com/yhQItobvSh — 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫 (@BrisVADAR) May 6, 2023

Avon and Somerset Police, alongside specialist fire investigators, are treating the occurrence as a “suspicious incident”. Police have named the man arrested as Robert Boyd-Stevenson, of Headford Road in Knowle. He has been charged with arson with intent to endanger life, and arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered. He has also been charged with a stalking offence. He remains in custody.

“The fire has destroyed the heart of the yard where most of the boatbuilding activity takes place,” say the Underfall Yard Trust in a statement. “Tenants’ businesses and boats have been ruined. We are supporting our tenants as best we can. Thankfully no one was killed and no one was injured, but a lot of people in the Underfall Yard community have been impacted: Our staff, our tenants, our volunteers and our neighbours on Avon Crescent and Nova Scotia Place, and our hearts are with them.

“We are grateful for everyone’s cooperation, particularly those who were evacuated as the fire service fought the fire. We are so grateful to the fire service who stopped this being a greater disaster and for the support of the Harbour Master Team.”

Posting on Facebook, Star Yachts — which is based at Underfall Yard — spoke of the ‘disaster’ that has befallen the firm.

“The visual centre point of Underfall, the big shed, has been gutted by fire, as are the back workshop space, and the adjoining lean-to and forge,” the boat builder writes. “Five wooden boats were destroyed, and one practically so; the fanciest a varnished 33 ft pre-war motor cruiser, the biggest a 48 ft smack yacht, the newest a clinker sailing fishing boat, and everything in between. It could have been worse if a 52 ft gaffer hadn’t been put on the slip that morning … Lastly a venerable Nicholson 32 didnt survive close proximity to the inferno.

“Our other shed survived better with a partially burned roof but drenched chaos inside, and, hopefully, a mostly intact new-build, a few weeks before completion. We can certainly be grateful that a lived-on dutch barge and other boats afloat survived.”

The boatbuilder says the way forward is ‘daunting’ but has thanked well wishers for their ‘heartwarming’ messages of support so far.

Greenwich-based National Historic Ships UK is urging any owners of historic boats impact by the fire at Underfall Yard to get in touch. “Will do everything we can to help,” the organisation says in a Tweet.

If any owners of historic boats have been affected by the awful fire at Underfall Yard last night, please get in touch and we will do everything we can to help. https://t.co/OeXZSsMiie — National Historic Ships UK (@NatHistShips) May 6, 2023

The Bristol Post reported on Monday (8 May 2023) that the trust had received a ‘deluge’ of donations and support after the fire. A JustGiving fundraising page has been launched for anyone wishing to contribute to the rebuild effort.

One donation comes from RichieS, who says: “The Underfall Yard is a fantastic, picturesque and historical part of the beautiful harbourside, I visited it a lot of times, and I would like to visit it in the future too.”

Another donor who remains anonymous adds: “The Underfall Yard means so much to local people and those who are visiting Bristol. My thoughts are with the craftspeople who have lost everything.”

Underfall Yard has played an essential role in Bristol’s Floating Harbour’s maintenance and operation , which dates back to the early 1800s. The yard houses several maritime businesses involved in boatbuilding, marine engineering, metalworking, and training.

• Marine fire news ,
• Underfall Yard

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Dive into MIN’s print edition which is now online for your convenience. More stories, more in-depth features, more product news and more exclusive interviews. Enjoy thoughtful analysis of the marine trade sector from across the world and get onboard with new trends.

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Combines experience with youthful enthusiasm

"the first order for the Bristol 22 was the moment to set up Star Yachts"

Member of Wooden Boatbuilders Trade Association

Welcome to the website of Star Yachts Ltd, the company that works together with you to get the best results for you, for the boat, and as a result, for us.

We are a young company that combines experience with youthful enthusiasm. After working for years at the Underfall Yard (inset picture), repairing and restoring wooden boats, with an occasional new build, Director Win Cnoops (main picture), decided that the first order for the Bristol 22 was the moment to set up Star Yachts, a new name, a new direction, and a step-up in quality and aspiration.

When repairing or restoring a boat, it's the boats needs that dictates the work to be done, when building new, it's the customer’s needs that must be assessed.

Florida airboat flips sending 9 passengers into gator-infested waters, operator arrested

An airboat tour in the Florida Everglades capsized sending passengers overboard on Friday, officials say. This happened when the airboat's driver took a sharp turn to try to see an alligator in the water, according to multiple reports.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said three units responded to a waterway near Coopertown The Original Airboat Tour in the Everglades Friday afternoon. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, nine people and the operator all fell into the water when the boat took a quick turn.

By time MDFR arrived, everyone had climbed out of the water, and only one patient was treated for injuries on the scene.

But the boat's operator was arrested after FWC said he did not have the proper documentation necessary to operate the boat. His employer, Coopertown, did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment Monday morning.

Miami tour accidents: More than a dozen injured after tour boat and charter boat crash in Miami waters

Boat passengers say they were afraid of alligators in water, reports state

Passengers told Local 10 the boat operator was trying to get a closer look at a nearby alligator when the airboat flipped.

“My first thought was panic, I was afraid for my wife and family members, and then I thought about the alligator,” passenger Jose Maldonado told Local 10.

NBC Miami said the boat was partially submerged in the water and some passengers were standing on top waiting for help.

Alligator mating season runs from early April until the end of June, when the Sunshine State sees more activity and they become more aggressive.

Contributing: Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

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Rescuers still searching for mother and daughter swept away by water surge

Monday, 01 Apr 2024

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PETALING JAYA: Search and rescue operations to locate the still missing Indonesian mother and daughter that had fallen into a monsoon drain in Kota Perdana have resumed.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Wan Md Razali Wan Ismail, when contacted Monday (April 1), said that teams have been dispatched to the scene.

ALSO READ: Cops identify family of five swept away by water surge in Seri Kembangan

"Team one and team two will perform searches within a 3km radius of the area where the victims were believed to have been swept away," he said.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (Operations) Ahmad Mukhlis Mokhtar added that two tracker dogs, named Lady and Cross, have also been deployed to the scene.

ALSO READ: Family of five caught in water surge while fishing, mother and daughter feared drowned

Serdang OCPD Asst Comm AA Anbalagan had previously said that a family of five had been fishing in a monsoon drain near a stream in Jalan KP 4/9 Kota Perdana on Sunday (March 31).

The 40-year-old father and nine-year-old son survived while a 10-year-old child was found dead. The 38-year-old mother and four-year-old daughter are still currently missing.

Related stories:

Tags / Keywords: Search and Rescue , Water Surge , Seri Kembangan , Fire and Rescue Department

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Fire crews battle boat blaze in Bristol harbour

• Published 10 March 2023

Four fire stations were mobilised after a boat moored in a city dock caught fire.

Crews went to the docks near Lower Guinea Street in Bristol just after 19:00 GMT on Thursday.

Avon Fire and Rescue said they found the boat "well alight" when they arrived.

Breathing apparatus and a high-pressure hose were used by firefighters, who were supported by a unit on a boat, to extinguish the flames.

Nobody was injured by the blaze, the fire service confirmed.

"Crews from Temple, Bedminster, Kingswood and Southmead were mobilised to the scene," an Avon Fire and Rescue statement said.

"I can confirm that the fire investigation has been completed and the cause has been determined as accidental," it added.

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‘Total Disgrace’: Anger, Frustration as Mass Heating Failures Across Russia Leave Thousands in the Cold

P ODOLSK, Moscow region – Residents throughout Russia affected by unprecedented winter heating outages in recent days have expressed their frustration and urged local authorities to restore heating in their homes.

In Podolsk, a town some 30 kilometers south of the capital Moscow, at least 149,000 residents — nearly half of its population — were left without heating when a heating main burst at a nearby private ammunition plant.

“It’s a total disgrace. There is no heating and no hot water. We have to sleep in sleeping bags,” Yuri, a local resident, told The Moscow Times.

“I have no words to describe how bad the situation is," said Yuri, who declined to provide his surname. "We have had no heating for almost six days."

Heating issues have affected residents in the Moscow region, where temperatures have plunged to as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius in the past week, as well as people in the Far East Primorye region , the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg , Penza , the southern Voronezh and Volgograd regions and more.

In the Tver region, a group of residents filmed an appeal to President Vladimir Putin, saying that they “are freezing from the cold” in the village of Novozavidovsky.

“We're literally being killed by the cold,” a woman in the video said, adding that they have been sending requests to local authorities since September after their houses were connected to a boiler room whose power was reportedly insufficient.

“This is some kind of torture and extermination of the population 100 kilometers from Moscow,” she added.

Residents of the Moscow region town of Elektrostal lit a fire in the street to draw the authorities’ attention to the heating problem.

“It’s impossible to stay in our houses. We're freezing!” a group of women in the video said.

Suffering from subzero temperatures, residents are placing the blame on local authorities and utility services for failing to take necessary precautions and not taking action to resolve the situation.

“We are sending complaints everywhere but no one listens to us. We have portable heaters working in every room, but the temperature inside is still 10 degrees Celsius,” Yelena from Podolsk said.

“There is a clinic and a hospital, as well as kindergartens, where there is no heating. And we have no answers, no assistance, no explanation,” Yelena added.

Podolsk authorities opened temporary heating centers and declared a state of emergency.

Local authorities linked the heating problems to the fact that the town is heated by a boiler plant owned by the Klimovsk Specialized Ammunition Plant, a private ammunition factory and one of the largest weapon cartridge production enterprises in the country.

“The facility is under tight security conditions, which limits our ability to oversee winter preparations,” the Moscow region’s Vice Governor Yevgeny Khromushin said last week. “We were unaware of the problem for nearly a day.”

An unidentified Moscow region official and two senior executives at the plant were arrested on suspicion of providing unsafe services, Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said in a statement Tuesday.

Investigators said that Podolsk’s deputy mayor was accused of misusing authority by issuing a readiness certificate for the boiler house at the plant.

In the neighboring Tver region, the authorities opened a criminal case over the laundering of over 84 million rubles ($938,993) in heating bills paid by residents, the Astra Telegram channel reported this week, citing unidentified sources. According to investigators, the heads of the local water intake and boiler house misappropriated the heating payments for personal use.

Reacting to the heating failures, Putin on Tuesday asked Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov to provide heat and electricity to the affected residents.

The outages appear to be the latest effect of several decades of crumbling infrastructure in Russia which have been linked to endemic corruption and mismanagement.

The overall decay of Russia's municipal infrastructure surpassed 70% in 2022, the pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia reported .

According to Sergei Pakhomov, head of the State Duma’s Construction, Housing and Utilities Committee, water pipes that were 90 years old or even older were still in use as recently as two years ago in some cases.

Housing, utilities and communal services are a common source of problems for Russians during the winter.

In St. Petersburg, residents regularly complain about extensive ice coverage on city streets and sidewalks, with many people ending up in the hospital over the years due to slipping and falling accidents.

In the Siberian republic of Khakassia, two villages were left without electricity last month due to apparent issues with outdated communication systems.

In the winter of 2020, five people in the Perm region were killed after a pipe burst.

When asked about the latest heating outages, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the problems and linked them to poor municipal infrastructure, saying that people “had to endure a lot of inconvenience in the cold and without electricity.”

"Despite all the titanic efforts to update all housing and communal services systems, there's still a certain part that remains considerably deteriorated. These programs will continue, but it is impossible to update all pipes and all housing and communal services systems in 10-15 years,” Peskov said.

As for now, residents affected by heating issues appear to lack optimism that the problems will be solved efficiently.

"It's been a week since we've had heating, and the temperature in my apartment is around 11 degrees Celsius,” Podolsk resident Lidiya told The Moscow Times.

“Unfortunately, no one knows when it will be repaired,” she added.

What we know about Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed early Tuesday after being hit by a cargo ship, with large parts of the bridge falling into the Patapsco River.

At least eight people fell into the water, members of a construction crew working on the bridge at the time, officials said. Two were rescued, one uninjured and one in serious condition, and two bodies were recovered on Wednesday. The remaining four are presumed dead. The workers are believed to be the only victims in the disaster.

Here’s what we know so far.

Baltimore bridge collapse

How it happened: Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being hit by a cargo ship . The container ship lost power shortly before hitting the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said. Video shows the bridge collapse in under 40 seconds.

Victims: Divers have recovered the bodies of two construction workers , officials said. They were fathers, husbands and hard workers . A mayday call from the ship prompted first responders to shut down traffic on the four-lane bridge, saving lives.

Economic impact: The collapse of the bridge severed ocean links to the Port of Baltimore, which provides about 20,000 jobs to the area . See how the collapse will disrupt the supply of cars, coal and other goods .

Rebuilding: The bridge, built in the 1970s , will probably take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild , experts said.

• Baltimore bridge collapse: Crane arrives at crash site to aid cleanup March 29, 2024 Baltimore bridge collapse: Crane arrives at crash site to aid cleanup March 29, 2024
• Wes Moore envisioned economic revival. Then the Key Bridge collapsed. April 1, 2024 Wes Moore envisioned economic revival. Then the Key Bridge collapsed. April 1, 2024
• Officials studied Baltimore bridge risks but didn’t prepare for ship strike March 29, 2024 Officials studied Baltimore bridge risks but didn’t prepare for ship strike March 29, 2024

Underfall Yard fire: Bristol ferry company's maintenance shed destroyed

• West Country
• Monday 8 May 2023 at 8:17pm

A ferry company has revealed that its boat maintenance shed was destroyed in a fire that broke out on Bristol Harbour.

The blaze started at midnight and burned into the early hours of Saturday 6 May at Underfall Yard in the Hotwells area of the city.

Nobody was injured by the fire, but a number of boats and businesses were severely damaged.

A 45-year-old man was charged with arson on the morning of Monday 8 May.

Bristol Ferry Boats has revealed that although its maintenance shed was destroyed in the fire, its ferries were safely moored and it will continue to operate.

In a statement, it said: "We are devastated to confirm that a serious fire at Underfall Yard has destroyed our boat maintenance shed.

"We are relieved to say that no staff or members of the public were hurt and that our fleet of four ferries were safely moored at our Muddock pontoon.

"We continue to operate boat parties and our waterbus service this weekend however we have had to make small adjustments to our route at the Hotwells end of the harbour - for now no longer stopping at The Cottage but from Baltic Wharf Marina instead.

"We thank Avon Fire and Rescue Service for their tremendous efforts last night and their ongoing work.

"We will work closely with them and do everything we can to help over the coming days.

"As you can imagine we are all heartbroken at the loss of this significant historical piece of Bristol’s maritime history and the loss of our essential maintenance equipment and supplies which keep our fleet running.

"Our thoughts are with the many businesses and our neighbours who have also been affected.

"We are committed to continue to operate all of our services through this difficult time and thank everyone for the well wishes and offers of support received.

"We will provide further updates as and when we are able to."