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Berkshire weekly round-up: 8 January - 13 January 2024

Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II in green with her antler walking stickGetty Images
Queen Elizabeth II was pictured with the distinctive walking stick alongside Prince George on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Platinum Pageant in June 2022

A fraudster who tried to sell a walking stick he claimed belonged to the late Queen was among our most read stories this week in Berkshire.

A variety of local issues featured on the BBC News website, BBC Radio Berkshire and South Today.

We have picked five stories to keep you up to date.

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Oscar Wilde jail sold to educational charity

Getty Images/Morley von Sternberg Oscar Wilde (1881) and his cell at Reading PrisonGetty Images/Morley von Sternberg
A campaign to turn the Grade II listed building into an arts and community centre was supported by celebrities including Stephen Fry, Kate Winslet and Dame Judi Dench

A prison where celebrated Irish writer Oscar Wilde was once an inmate has been sold to an educational charity, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said.

Reading Jail formally closed in January 2014 and has been empty ever since.

The government said the jail had been sold to the Ziran Education Foundation.

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Man 'ecstatic' to catch near-record fish

Spencer Lunn Spencer Lunn holding the fishSpencer Lunn
Spencer Lunn said the fish was so big it was "like lifting a five-year-old child"

A man has said he is "ecstatic" after catching a carp just 3lb (1.4kg) off the British record.

Spencer Lunn, 52, caught the 64lb 8oz (29.3kg) specimen at Dinton Pastures Country Park in Wokingham, Berkshire, in December.

He said it was a "testament" to the quality of the water in the fishing lake, and how well the park was run.

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Thames Valley flood waters remain after heavy rain

The River Thames at Reading reached its highest level in 20 years

Aerial video showed the extent of flooding still affecting the Thames Valley, almost a week after heavy rain hit the region.

People living across Berkshire were hit by flood water and disruption in the wake of Storm Henk.

The recent flooding in the county is "right up there with some of the most significant flooding that we've seen", according to Tim Readings from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

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Fine for 'Queen's walking stick' eBay fraud

CPS Ebay listingCPS
Bids reached £540 before the sale was hastily closed

A fraudster who tricked eBay users into bidding for a walking stick, purporting to belong to the late Queen, has been fined.

Dru Marshall, 26, of Romsey, Hampshire, claimed to be a senior footman at Windsor Castle when he listed an "antler walking stick" for auction.

He was found guilty of fraud by false representation, fined £613 and handed a community order.

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Villagers win battle as 81 homes plan refused

Croudace Homes Aerial artists impression of developmentCroudace Homes
Eight councillors voted against the plans with one abstaining

Plans to build 81 homes on the edge of a village have been refused despite being recommended for approval.

Residents of Swallowfield in Wokingham, Berkshire, said the plans by Croudace Homes would "irreversibly damage the village" and increase its size by 42%.

Officers agreed but said the scheme was recommended for approval because the borough did not have a five-year housing land supply.

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