The trio were "left to face the music" by "more sophisticated people" in the smuggling chain, says judge.

Family members attend the service after a care home's search for distant relatives.

Eight long-tailed tit fledglings are fighting for their lives after their habitat was accidentally destroyed in a garden tidy-up, the RSPCA said.

The charity said the little birds are being cared for at the RSPCA’s East Winch wildlife centre in Norfolk.

It said a householder near Martlesham, Suffolk, cut back the tree where the fledglings were nesting.

Alison Charles, manager at East Winch, external, said: "When they first arrived, some of them were so poorly we had to give them fluids to rehydrate them.

"Sadly, we lost one early on, and it’s touch and go for the remaining eight."

Police had to drag the car out of the water after the driver got stuck in the sand during a late-night beach visit.

Elderflower and eggs give Harry and Meghan's cake an East of England flavour.

The cancer diagnosis for Cliff Jordan - who is stepping down as Norfolk County Council leader - has prompted councillors and MPs from across the political divide to express their sadness and sympathy.

His fellow Conservative, the Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman, described Mr Jordan as an "iconoclastic legend of local government", and revealed his secretary Margaret Jordan was also seriously ill.

Steve Morphew, leader of the council's Labour group, wished him well, and added: "Whatever our differences we share a passion for Norfolk and I respect his commitment to what he believes in.... it will take a while to get used to him not being around."

Brian Watkins, a former leader of the Lib Dems at Norwich City Council and a county councillor for the city, said he was "genuinely sad".

"My thoughts are with Cliff and his family as he fights his biggest ever battle," he said.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Three visitors who shared their recollections of getting married in an Ipswich church has inspired an idea that has boosted a fund aimed at turning the building into an arts venue.

The Heritage Lottery Fund, external has awarded £9,900 to the team behind the restoration of St Clement's Church in Star Lane/Fore Street, which is being transformed into the Ipswich Arts Centre.

Image source, Jason Noble

The church ceased being used in the 1970s, and, as part of a celebration of the facility's history, people are being urged to share their memories which will be documented.

The idea was inspired by people who visited the church for last year's Heritage Open Days.

Olumide Adisa, Ipswich Arts Centre volunteer on the project, said: "Thanks to National Lottery players, it will help us capture the rich and diverse stories of women and men who attended St Clement's Church and the lived experiences of what it meant to have a church in that particular area of town," she said.

The deep-fried treat has been cooked up by a chip shop in Norwich.

Andrew Sinclair
BBC Look East political correspondent

Cliff Jordan - who has stood down as Norfolk County Council leader following a cancer diagnosis - took over a very divided local Conservative Party.

It was still getting over the controversy of the King's Lynn incinerator and had got through three leaders in two years.

He restored internal discipline and the Tories were able to take control of the council when the rainbow coalition fell apart in 2016.

Under his leadership, the council continued to to make budget cuts, some of them controversial, but Mr Jordan always boasted that he had preserved all frontline services.

By his own admission he was a straight-talking no-nonsense Norfolk boy, and his blunt way of speaking sometimes upset people.

His recent criticsm of Norfolk's MPs angered many in the party.

If he hadn't stood down today, his departure would probably have only been a matter of time.

Image source, Norfolk County Council

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A scheme to recruit school governors has been relaunched in Suffolk in a bid to reduce the high number of vacancies.

The latest report has revealed 378 unfilled posts across Suffolk County Council's 149 maintained schools.

Image source, Suffolk County Council

A meeting last week approved the relaunch of the Govern Suffolk Schools, external campaign to highlight what governors do.

Joanna Howell, senior governance adviser at the council, said: "[Governors] are the unsung heroes of education locally.

"They make up a huge amount of the volunteer workforce, but people don't know they can do it too."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Events staged by the borough council, external brought hundreds of thousands of people into Ipswich last year but cost £260,000, new figures reveal.

The council spent about £467,000 on events like Ipswich Music Day, external and the Maritime Festival, external.

Image source, Ipswich Borough Council

Sponsorship, concessions and hires recovered £207,000 leaving a cost to the borough of £260,000.

More than a quarter of a million people visited all events and Visit Britain figures suggest the average spend for a day trip in a large town in the UK is £33.88, meaning Ipswich's visitors generated around £9.2m for the town's economy.

Norfolk County Council leader Cliff Jordan is putting all civic duties aside after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

Conservative Mr Jordan - who has been outspoken during his two-year tenure as council leader - said he would leave with immediate effect after receiving the "devastating news" on Thursday.

He has served as a councillor since 1991.

Deputy leader Alison Thomas will serve as acting leader until a full council meeting is held to elect his successor.

In March, Mr Jordan said he had a "30% chance" of remaining in post after launching into a tirade of criticism against Norfolk's MPs.

Image source, Norfolk County Council

Fabian Kacica died from a single stab wound to the heart after a "disturbance" in Southend.

Everyone's jumping on the Royal Wedding bandwagon, finding different ways of celebrating the marriage on Saturday of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

So, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire set some Lego fans a challenge - create something wedding themed live on air during Friday's Breakfast Show.

And look what happened...

Engineering students James Gard and Jamill Jami - both members of Cambridge University's Bloc-Soc (which stands for Building Lego On Campus Society) - came in, and after emptying thousands of bricks and Lego paraphernalia all over our floor, decided to create little brick likenesses of the bride and groom as well as St George's Chapel in Windsor, where they will tie the knot.

It's pretty impressive, isn't it?

Tidying the place up took almost as long though, and we're pretty sure we'll be treading on the odd rogue piece for weeks to come.

Hedgehog lovers are worried that a rat trap, licensed by the government in England, could harm their spiky friends.

Peter Walker
BBC Essex

Discarded cigarettes caused a fire in which a 77-year-old woman, external died, the fire service has said.

Essex Coroners' Court heard that Eva De Coverley died at home in Kelvedon on 22 March.

Image source, Google

A family living nearby were "woken by a smoke alarm", coroners' officer Kirsty Roberts told the inquest in Chelmsford.

"They found her in bed on fire" and she died at the scene, she added.

The fire service said in a statement an investigation led them to believe the blaze was caused by discarded cigarettes.

Investigators had ruled out suspicious circumstances.

The cause of death was given as asphyxia.

A chimney sweep, the fire service and the RSPCA were all involved in rescuing two kittens from a drain.

Shane 'Shakey' Byrne suffered head and neck injuries while testing at Snetterton

Scientists describe fragment of glove as 'interesting but incidental' to animal's death

The city's skyline is changing with new developments, which include a £200m science park complex.