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The Beeches Primary School closed after overnight fire, expected to reopen tomorrow

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The Beeches Community Primary School in Ipswich has closed today following a fire that broke out on Tuesday night.

The fire is believed to have involved solar panels on the school's roof.

The big picture: Fire crews from three stations responded to the blaze, highlighting the seriousness of the incident and the coordinated emergency response in Ipswich.

Why it matters: The closure affects all pupils and comes at the start of the new school term, disrupting education and potentially causing childcare challenges for parents.

The Beeches Primary School
No damage was visible from the entrance of the schoolOliver Rouane-WilliamsIpswich.co.uk

Key details:

  • Fire reported at 21:45 on Tuesday

  • 3 fire crews responded from Ipswich East, Princes Street and Needham Market

  • Fire officially extinguished by 23:03

  • School closed today but expected to reopen tomorrow pending safety assessments

What they're saying: The school's website states:

"Thank you to all families for your understanding following the fire at The Beeches last night. We are pleased to report that there is no internal damage to the school at all.

"We are currently conducting safety checks to ensure that the building is completely safe and at this stage we expect to be able to open the school to all pupils tomorrow, Thursday 5th September, as normal. Confirmation will be posted here later today."

What's next: School officials hope to reopen as soon as possible, pending the safety assessment results. Parents and guardians will receive further information.

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Farage more trusted than Starmer in East of England, latest poll finds

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Ipswich.co.uk Logomark in a circle

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We publish the stories that matter and champion everything that's good about our town – without the ads, popups or tracking

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is more trusted to represent the UK internationally than PM Keir Starmer among East of England voters, new polling reveals.

Why it matters: The findings highlight a significant decline in trust for the main party leaders in the region less than a year after the general election.

The poll, conducted by communications agency PLMR and Electoral Calculus, shows Farage ranked highest among named leaders at 19% in the East of England, ahead of Sir Keir Starmer (13%), Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch (6%) and Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey (5%).

Nigel Farage
Nigel FarageAlamy

The bigger picture: One in three voters (33%) in the region responded "none of the above" when asked which political figure they would trust most, suggesting a broader decline in overall trust in UK political leaders.

By the numbers: The same poll indicates Reform UK would become the largest party in the region if an election were held tomorrow:

  • Reform: 21 seats

  • Conservatives: 10 seats

  • Labour: 4 seats

  • Liberal Democrats: 2 seats

  • Greens: 1 seat

In contrast: Nationally, Farage and Starmer are tied at 16% among those who named a preference, highlighting a more polarised national picture, with the Reform UK leader building more trust with voters in the East of England specifically.

What they're saying: "This polling highlights a significant decline in trust for the two main party leaders among East of England voters when it comes to representing the UK on the international stage," said Tim Miller , Managing Director of PLMR Genesis , the East of England branch of PLMR.

Reform and Nigel Farage have seemingly been able to capitalise on this and it's now translating into voting intentions, with the Party set to overtake Labour and the Conservatives in the region with the largest number of seats – a seismic political shift.

Between the lines: The poll suggests Reform would make strong gains across the region, potentially taking seats from both major parties:

  • Suffolk: Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket from Labour

  • Essex: Braintree from the Conservatives and Thurrock from Labour

  • Cambridgeshire: North East from the Conservatives and North West from Labour

  • Norfolk: North West from the Conservatives and South West from Labour

Tim Miller on a backdrop of Ipswich from above and political party colour overlays
Tim Miller of PLMR GenesisOliver Rouane-WilliamsIpswich.co.uk

The national outlook: The survey of 5,180 adults showed Reform securing 25% of the vote share nationally, compared to 23% each for Labour and the Conservatives. This would translate to 227 seats for Reform, 180 for Labour and 130 for the Conservatives.

The bottom line: "If Labour wants to keep Reform at bay, hold onto the gains they made in the East of England and remain in government in four year's time, the Party needs to focus on getting their message across more clearly to voters and instil confidence in their domestic agenda," Miller concluded.

Oliver Rouane-Williams speaking with an elderly couple in the town centre

We can't do this without you!

If you value strong, free, independent local media that fights tirelessly for our town, please consider contributing just £24 per year

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