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Weekly round-up: Five stories you may have missed

News imageGetty Images A row of brightly coloured beach huts stand on a sandy beach next to some small dunes. There are picnic benches outside the huts. The sky is blue and it is a sunny day.Getty Images
Beach huts on Mudeford Spit have sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds

Plans to make beach hut owners pay full council tax and a learner driver being refused his driving test were among this week's most popular reads.

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

Beach hut owners' anger at council tax change

News imageGetty Images A row of brightly coloured beach huts stand on a sandy beach next to some small dunes. There are picnic benches outside the huts. The sky is blue and it is a sunny day. There is a body of water in front of the beach with some plant life on the near shore. There are several small boats in front of the huts and two in the water.Getty Images
BCP Council said the change could raise £211,000

Beach hut owners on part of the Dorset coast have reacted angrily to council plans that would mean they pay full council tax, with their huts reclassified as "second homes".

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council announced beach huts would no longer be eligible for a council tax reduction from April.

The authority hopes to raise more than £211,000 as it attempts to set a balanced budget.

The new charge would affect more than 300 properties at Mudeford Spit and Hengitsbury Head. Beach hut owners said they were looking into the legal basis of plans.

Driving test candidate 'confused' by photo refusal

News imageBBC/DVLA A composite image shows Yin Cheong William Shen holding up his provisional driving licence in the left picture, while the right picture shows the photo on his licence. The images are similar but not identical.BBC/DVLA
Yin Cheong William Shen was told he did not match the photo on his provisional driving licence (right)

A learner driver has described feeling "confused" at being turned away on the day of his test, because the examiner said his face did not match the photo on his provisional licence.

Yin Cheong William Shen, who was born in Hong Kong, waited eight months for a driving test near his home in Basingstoke, Hampshire, before being prevented from taking it.

His instructor Stephen Lambert said the examiner's decision in November was an "insult".

However, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has upheld the decision and refused to give a refund.

Wolf Moon lights up skies

News imageSOLEIL/ WEATHER WATCHERS Close-up of the moon in black and white in the night skySOLEIL/ WEATHER WATCHERS
The Wolf Moon in Fernhurst, West Sussex

The first full moon of 2026 lit up skies across the south of England.

The fourth supermoon in a row, following October's Harvest Moon, November's Beaver Moon and the Cold Moon in December.

The January moon is known in the Northern Hemisphere as the Wolf Moon, coming at a time of the year when it was believed wolves howled more due to there being less food around.

It is also sometimes called the Old Moon or Ice Moon and is referred to as a supermoon because it looks larger. This caused by its elliptical orbit bringing it closer to the Earth.

Water firm shareholder payouts unfair, PM says

News imageReuters Sir Keir Starmer is wearing a navy shirt and has grey hair and place rimmed glasses. He is explaining something to a group of people who are out of focus on the edge of the image. Reuters
Sir Keir Starmer was speaking to the public about the cost of living during a visit to Emmer Green Community Centre

Sir Keir Starmer said payouts to Thames Water shareholders are unfair amid rising bills.

The prime minister made the comments after meeting members of the public at Emmer Green Community Centre in Reading to discuss cost of living.

In November, Thames Water was one of six water companies blocked from paying bonuses to bosses over serious pollution incidents and other performance issues.

In response to the PM's comments, Thames Water said it was investing £20bn between 2025 and 2030 to upgrade its network and that it had paid no dividends or performance-related payments to executive directors last year.

Video shows drink-driver hitting motorcyclist

The victim, who was happy for Thames Valley Police to share the video, is still recovering from his injuries

Video footage of a motorcyclist being knocked down by a drink-driver was released by police.

The victim, who was happy for Thames Valley Police to share the video, is still recovering from his injuries following the incident in Slough in December 2024.

Craig Churches, 33, of Berners Close, Slough, received a 20-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and was required to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work.

It comes as Thames Valley Police and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary revealed their joint anti-drink and drug-driving campaign saw 800 people arrested throughout December 2025.

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