Weekly round-up: Five stories you may have missed

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News image — Kemi Badenoch joked about the Isle of Wight when taking questions from journalists

BBC Kemi Badenoch sitting in a red chair looking at the camera and wearing a white blouse and black suit jacket. — Kemi Badenoch joked about the Isle of Wight when taking questions from journalists

This week's most popular reads included a look behind the scenes of The Traitors, a man who put out a car fire with a jet wash, and the Isle of Wight getting a surprise mention from the leader of the Conservatives.

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.

'PM will probably give Isle of Wight away', jokes Badenoch

Kemi Badenoch walking along the Isle of Wight seafront on a sunny day with Donna Jones, Joe Robertson MP and shadow chancellor Mel Stride. — Badenoch visited the Isle of Wight in August 2025

The leader of the Conservatives, Kemi Badenoch, joked that the prime minister would probably give away the Isle of Wight to China during his three-day visit there.

Badenoch was taking questions from journalists and said she would not be going to China if she was the prime minister.

She said: "He looks like he gives way every time things get difficult and that is the difference between Keir Starmer and myself. He's probably going to give away the Isle of Wight before he comes back."

Richard Quigley, Labour MP for the Isle of Wight West, said Badenoch had been using the island for one of her "usual failed jokes".

Free test for driver candidate after photo refusal

BBC/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 photo is very similar to his face. — Yin Cheong William Shen was told he did not match the photo on his provisional driving licence

A learner driver, who was refused a driving test because the examiner said his face did not match the photo on his provisional licence, has been offered a free retest.

Yin Cheong William Shen, from Basingstoke, raised concerns about unconscious bias in identity checks following the examiner's decision in November.

His case was supported by his driving instructor and by Basingstoke MP Luke Murphy.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, which has not acknowledged any error, said it would offer Shen a free retest this week.

Jet wash hero saves the day in M25 fire drama

Jack McDermott Jack McDermott, a man with a shaved head and short beard, smiles into the camera. He's wearing a black jacket with a high collar. — Jack McDermott saw Hannah James's car on fire on the hard shoulder

A jet wash operator has been called a "hero" after he came to the rescue of a woman whose car burst into flames on a motorway.

Hannah James was on the M25 when her Audi lost power and a fire broke out in its engine.

Jack McDermott, who runs a jet wash business in Weymouth, pulled over within seconds to help and extinguished the blaze.

James said: "I was like: 'Are you from the fire brigade? Has it happened that quickly?' And he was like: "No, I'm just a man with a jet wash'."

Controversial bridge construction takes step forward

Knight Architects/Oxford City Council An architect's computed-generated image of a proposed walking and cycling bridge over Grandpont Nature Park in Oxford. The sleek bridge stretches across a field with footpaths, and Oxford Ice Rink can be seen in the background. Trees are also visible near the river which the bridge goes over. — Construction of the Oxpens River Bridge is due to begin in the spring

Work on long-standing plans for a controversial river bridge in Oxford is expected to start in the spring, after a new contractor was appointed to deliver the scheme.

Oxpens River Bridge was first granted planning permission in 2024, and would provide a walking and cycling route between Oxpens Meadow to Grandpont Nature Park.

There have been a number of delays to building the bridge, including a judicial review brought by campaigners which was dismissed in March last year.

The man in charge of filming The Traitors' missions

Mark Drake A picture of Mark Drake, who has a green jumper and dark hair, is pictured on the Traitors set, with people working on the set behind him. — Mark Drake, the missions director for The Traitors, said he enjoyed the variety of challenges

The mission director of hit show The Traitors has been talking about how he captured action scenes seen by millions on TV.

Ahead of its hotly-anticipated finale, Mark Drake let his wife, BBC Radio Berkshire's Kirsten O'Brien, in on some of the secrets of the show.

"[I] try to make them as big and spectacular and interesting as possible," he told her.