Peterborough stories you may have missed this week

A Peterborough litter picker bemoans an "epidemic" of road signs being chucked into ditches, fire crews from Stanground rush to a towering inferno and the city's Traitors star Freddie says he hopes his experience on the show will help with a career in politics.

Elsewhere, the city council continue to grapple with a budget shortfall, and Posh have to take the rough with the smooth on the football pitch.

A litter picker said the volume of discarded traffic signage, bollards and sandbags he found by the roadside had reached "epidemic" levels.

Mark Fishpool, 68, set up the Pride in Peterborough Community Association two years ago in a bid to tidy up areas of the city where he grew up.

He said traffic management contractors were not collecting equipment routinely after roadworks and highway maintenance.

Fire crews from Stanground joined efforts to put out a wind turbine fire at a Fenland farm.

The blaze broke out at about 10:00 GMT on Sunday at the Coldham Wind Farm.

Bobbi-Leigh Taylor-Arthur is one of 56 people who attend a community meal made from surplus food organised by Peterborough FoodCycle.

She described it as "a lifeline".

FoodCycle served 3,112 community meals in the city last year, an increase of 49% on the previous year, according to organisers.

A man was arrested in Peterborough by police investigating disorder at a hare coursing event after dozens of 4x4s swept through fields and villages in the Cambridgeshire Fens.

The force has been investigating multiple complaints of hare coursing, criminal damage and dangerous driving after incidents took place in nine areas of Cambridgeshire on 25 January.

A Traitors contestant told BBC Politics East he would use the skills he learned on the programme if he decided to have a career in politics,

Freddie Fraser, 20, a politics student from Peterborough, said being on the show "really taught me skills and I can take them out to the political world, like debating, communicating, articulating your point, defending yourself and being strategic".

He said if he did go into politics, he would want to be the "top of that food chain".

Money struggles are a running theme when it comes to Peterborough politics. The city's council has set out a range of measures to help it break even this year, but still faces a budget gap of more than £20m next year.

Its tight purse strings mean that an unsafe bridge at Cuckoo's Hollow in Werrington will no longer be replaced, at least in the short term. Two others, at Baron Court and Lakeside in the nature reserve, will still be upgraded.

We also learnt this week that users of the Fengate Household Recycling Centre will now have to apply for e-permits as part of a scheme aimed at reducing costs. It will mean fewer visits from people from outside the city, including from the rest of Cambridgeshire.

A regeneration scheme aimed at revitalising Peterborough's Lincoln Road is also facing a budget shortfall, of £440,000 to £642,000. The council still plans to widen the bustling road's pavements, install a new pedestrian crossing and add electric vehicle charging points but must sign off on a £3.5m contract before the work begins.

Peterborough United booked their place in the semi-finals of the EFL Trophy with a 3-2 win over Cheltenham Town.

However, the Posh also slipped closer to the League One relegation zone on Sunday after losing to Bristol Rovers 3-1.

They are next in action against Charlton on Tuesday.

Peterborough Sports got back to winning ways in the National League North with a 2-0 victory over Farsley Celtic.

Two goals from Max Booth were enough to secure all three points and take the Turbines to 11th in the table.

In ice hockey, Peterborough Phantoms bounced back from two straight defeats with a 6-0 thrashing of the Berkshire Bees.

They are now just two points behind fourth-place Hull, who they face on Sunday.

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