Five Peterborough stories you might have missed

The return of the Straw Bear Festival, a stolen village bench and the future of a religious temple are among the stories the BBC has covered in Peterborough this week.

A long-term fish conservation project combining restocking with habitat improvement is under way along the River Nene in Peterborough.

It aims to help transform the local ecosystems after thousands of fish were killed due to a combination of pollution incidents and increased predation, including seals entering inland waterways.

The Environment Agency, working with the Peterborough & District Angling Association, released about 5,000 skimmer bream into Gunwade Lake in Ferry Meadows on Tuesday.

The fishing club's chairman, Rob Harris, said restocking "must go hand in hand with environmental work and habitat improvement".

A 17-year-old boy from the city and a 16-year-old boy from Huntingdon have been charged with attempted murder after a 16-year-old was stabbed.

Cambridgeshire Police was called to reports of violence outside Peterborough's Queensgate shopping centre on Thursday, 8 January.

The victim was taken to hospital. His injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.

Both the boys have also been charged with possession of a knife, with the older one also charged with affray and attempted robbery.

An eccentric English festival where a man dressed as a straw animal is paraded through a market town has returned for its 46th year.

The Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival is a tradition that dates back to the mid-1800s, but has attracted thousands of people since its revival in the 1980s.

The main event - a procession led by the bear - will go through Whittlesey (to give it its alternative spelling) on Saturday, accompanied by musicians, plough boys and dancers.

People can watch the three-day festival which runs until Sunday.

People have been left "shocked" and "stunned" after a beloved wooden bench that has animals carved into it was stolen.

Sue Welch, from Marholm, said the one-of-a-kind piece of furniture that "weighed a tonne" was taken between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

Chainsaw carver Kimberly Hone, originally from the US, said she donated it to the village "as a piece of my heart, as they gave me theirs", after she relocated in 2019 and stayed for a few years. She said the theft had left her "heartbroken".

Cambridgeshire Police said it was investigating and asked anyone with information to get in touch.

The construction of a new swimming pool in Peterborough could take a step forward if the city council approves a pre-build contract.

Plans to build a 25m (82ft) eight-lane pool were approved in October, subject to funding. In November, the government said it would contribute £20m.

Planning officers have recommended that Alliance Leisure receive a £1.8m contract to commission pre-construction phases, including designs.

The recommendation will go before the Labour-led council's cabinet at a meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

Peterborough councillors were not given enough information when they decided to sell the Hindu temple site, the city council's scrutiny committee heard.

At the meeting on Tuesday, the decision to sell the New England Complex, which houses the temple and a soup kitchen, was referred back to the cabinet over concerns it "did not have the full material information to make the decision".

In other politics news, a government offer to postpone May's local elections has been unanimously backed by the cabinet.

Ministers asked the town hall for views on delaying the elections until 2027 in light of its plans to overhaul local government in England.

On Tuesday, cabinet members voted to postpone the elections to "release essential capacity to deliver local government reorganisation".

Peterborough United got back to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers at London Road. Posh are up to 10th place in League One, just four points off the play-off places.

Luke Williams was nominated for the League One manager of the month for December, with striker Harry Leonard also up for the player of the month award.

Posh have sold striker Gustav Lindgren to Sweden's BK Haken. The 24-year-old was from Degerfors a year ago and scored six goals in 43 appearances in all competitions.

In ice hockey, the Peterborough Phantoms and Sheffield Steeldogs played out a 4-4 draw in the first leg of the National Cup semi final at the Bretton Rink. The second leg takes place in Sheffield on Wednesday.

Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.