The Lower Thames Crossing will become the largest road tunnel in the UK and is described by National Highways as “the most significant road project in a generation”. But what about the people whose lives it will disrupt?

Surrounded by rolling fields and a close-knit network of neighbours, Jackie Thatcher’s home in Orsett, Essex, provided the serene location she dreamt of enjoying retirement in.

Yet one by one, those neighbours have packed their bags and left, never to return to the homes they once loved.

The 75-year-old now faces a stark choice: sell up or live next to a major road.

The government is pressing ahead with plans for the Lower Thames Crossing, a 14.5-mile (23km) road linking Essex and Kent via two tunnels underneath the river.

It is due to be built by 2032 at a cost of up to £10bn.

But for those living on the route, confirmed by the government on Tuesday, that ambition holds less attraction.

“It’s been like a noose around our neck, ever since the route was chosen,” says Ms Thacker, who has lived in her house for 38 years.

Ms Thacker, a grandmother, has spent most of the past four decades enjoying village life: walking to the pub, playing petanque and visiting the local cricket club.

She becomes tearful while explaining how everything she loves about her life could soon be flattened, sold off or turned into a building site.

“Ever since we’ve been here, we’ve had wonderful neighbours,” Ms Thacker says.

“But now the ones we’ve known for a long time have had to move out due to the pressures brought on by knowing the road was going through.

“It scared the life out of them, so they’ve moved on now.”

It is not the happy end she envisaged for her twilight years.

“It’s breaking my heart,” she admits. “I’m stressed beyond belief.

“I could see myself being here until life’s end and having a peaceful life’s end, but it’s not going to be peaceful anymore.”

For more than 60 years, the Dartford Crossing has been the only Thames road crossing east of London.

Yet it is now used by more traffic than it was ever designed for, instead creating a bottleneck that frequently blocks up the M25.

By providing an alternative route, linking the A2 and M2 in Kent with the A13 and M25 in Thurrock, it is hoped the Lower Thames Crossing will cut traffic there by 20%.

About 2.6 miles (4.2km) of the route will be underground, with northbound and southbound tunnels running next to each other beneath the Thames.

They are expected to be dug east of Gravesend in Kent and to the west of East Tilbury in Essex.

But National Highways has been accused of hoovering up everything in its wake to clear the path for the new road.

So far, it has spent more than £1.2bn in planning and land costs.

The authority says 76 residential properties are on land it needs for the route, 58 of which have already been purchased through a voluntary scheme.

A total of 35 will be demolished, with the rest affected by construction. It insists each purchase has been “robustly scrutinised”.

Alan Rouse, who has lived in the same five-bedroom house in Orsett for 25 years, was among those urged to sell up.

“The whole thing is a complete mess from start to finish,” he sighs.

The 76-year-old was in the middle of building a property for his son in the garden when he got a knock on the door.

“They said ‘Don’t carry on building it – we’re going to knock your house down,'” he explains.

That was in 2018. Five years later, Mr Rouse took another call.

He was told his house was no longer needed.

But Mr Rouse had already accepted a £1.2m deal from National Highways, of which £1m has landed in his bank account.

He has now been given an ultimatum: keep the money and leave his home by November, or buy the property back from National Highways and stay.

“They should’ve thought of this. They’ve jumped in too early and bought properties they don’t need,” Mr Rouse says.

“But if this new road is going to go across the top of my house, we don’t want to be here. It’s upsetting for the whole family.

“I’ve sat in this mess for seven years now. Who makes that seven years up?”

Concerns have also been raised by campaigners, who fear ancient woodland will be destroyed when works begin in 2026.

For Tony and Leigh Hughes, who have lived in South Ockendon for 34 years, the potential damage to wildlife has only worsened their grief.

National Highways has promised that 80% of the crossing will run through either a tunnel, cutting or embankment to blend it into the landscape.

It also wants to make seven “green bridges” to provide safer crossing points for people and wildlife.

One of those bridges falls 75m (250ft) from Mr and Mrs Hughes’s home.

Mrs Hughes fears both residents and wildlife will be disrupted while it is constructed.

“There will be times where the traffic is 24/7. We will not be able to get to our property and the road will be closed at weekends,” she says.

“It’s very, very sketchy on what our life is going to be like.

“It will affect people coming to our house. Who would want to visit us? It’s a horrible, daunting thought that I could go out shopping and not be able to get home.”

The couple have been offered a deal for their house, but they believe it is 20% under its market value.

They says they feel trapped as their property is no longer an attractive proposition for any buyer.

Mrs Hughes continues: “It is a very inhumane situation to be in as we can’t sell, other than to National Highways at a knocked-down price.”

Her husband, 56, adds: “It’s beautiful here and we never intended on leaving.

“Even though we own our property, we have no control over the situation at all.

“We have to find a cash buyer that’s willing to buy a lovely cottage next to a motorway and I’m sorry, but those buyers are very, very few and far between.”

In a statement to the BBC, National Highways insists its landmark project will “improve journeys and bring significant benefits” to the region.

However, a spokesman admits there will be an impact on properties along the route.

“Through a comprehensive programme of consultation we have been able to significantly reduce the number affected by almost 70%, and reached voluntary agreements with many,” he says.

“Following confirmation of our planning consent this week we will be speaking again to impacted property owners about next steps.”

But what is next for those set to have their lives uprooted?

“We don’t know where we’ll be in five years,” says Mr Hughes. “I do know this area won’t be as beautiful as it is now.”

A tearful Ms Thacker adds: “I just can’t visualise moving. I love the place so much and I think moving would be too stressful.”

As for Mr Rouse, he concludes: “I’ve got nowhere to go, but I don’t want to live here with this big road going over my house.

“Highways don’t care though, do they? They’re not worried; they just want their road in.”

After a four-year long civil war, a severe food crisis and an economy on the decline, Myanmar now finds itself devastated by a powerful earthquake.

On Friday, the 7.7 magnitude quake hit the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar, and was followed by reports of destruction coming from nearby Mandalay – the country’s second largest city – as well as the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, which is more than 150 miles (241km) away.

Getting information out of Myanmar is difficult. Mobile lines in the affected areas have been patchy since the quake struck, but tens of thousands of people also live without electricity and there is limited access to the internet. Foreign journalists are also rarely allowed to enter officially due to a lack of press freedom.

So, how did Myanmar get here?

The country has seen decades of unrest and military rule since its independence from Britain in 1948.

In 2011, it appeared to move away from this and free elections were held four years later, which Aung San Suu Kyi won.

Democratic hopes were dashed in 2021, when she and her government were overthrown by a coup led by General Min Aung Hlaing.

He detained and charged Ms Suu Kyi and other members of her government, making allegations of widespread fraud in a vote held months earlier, when her National League for Democracy party won more than 80% of the ballot.

The coup triggered huge protests, with thousands taking to the streets daily, demanding the restoration of civilian rule. Violence quickly escalated between civilians and the military, with the army responding with brutal force, using tear gas and rubber bullets against crowds.

Rights groups believe hundreds of people died and thousands were injured in the crackdown.

What initially began as a civil disobedience campaign soon evolved into a widespread insurgency involving pro-democracy and ethnic rebel groups – which eventually sparked an all-out civil war.

Four years on, violent fighting has continued between the military on the one hand, and ethnic armies and armed resistance groups on the other.

The military has suffered huge losses and is no longer in control of large parts of the country. Discontent with General Min Aung Hlaing, too, has risen among the army’s ranks as more and more soldiers defect.

The fighting has left millions living in constant fear and insecurity – with little access to basic needs, including medical care and food, say rights groups.

More than 3.5 million people have been displaced by the fighting, according to the UN, which also said that this number will only grow as the conflict continues.

Food insecurity has reached “unprecedented levels”, the organisation’s world food program says, adding that rapid inflation has made food unaffordable for many.

Earlier this week, the UN announced it would cut aid to more than one million people in Myanmar from next month, citing global funding shortfalls.

This comes months after more than 200 people died in the wake of Typhoon Yagi, which triggered severe floods and mudslides in Myanmar and left hundreds of thousands of acres of crops destroyed.

Friday’s earthquake will no doubt add to the suffering of the country’s 50 million people.

It struck near the city of Sagaing – a rebel stronghold. Just months ago, it was the site of heavy fighting between rebels and the military, with local reports saying that air strikes were launched, causing thousands to flee.

The second-largest city, Mandalay, has also been hit by the earthquake, and is home to 1.5 million people. The Mandalay region has seen intense fighting between resistance troops and the army.

A very slow limited stream of information coming out of the country suggests that a hospital in the capital Naypyidaw, where the military government sits, has been turned into a “mass casualty site” – the few visuals we can see paint a picture of destruction, showing cracked roads and collapsed buildings.

“Hundreds of injured people are arriving… but the emergency building here also collapsed,” security officials at the hospital told AFP.

The country’s junta has now declared a state of emergency in multiple regions and made a rare request for international aid.

But it is unclear how they will respond to the earthquake as they fight a war under the leadership of an embattled general.

UK car firms are seeking support from the government as hopes fade a deal can be reached with US President Donald Trump over US tariffs.

Companies met with industry minister Sarah Jones on Friday morning to discuss their response to plans for 25% tariffs on US car imports from next week, the BBC understands.

The UK government is trying to negotiate exemptions from a wide range of US import levies due to come into force at midnight on 3 April.

But some car companies believe it is now too late to delay the measure, and instead want to discuss support options.

Insiders with knowledge of the “well-attended” online meeting, said car firms outlined the challenges they faced, saying tariffs came on top of other pressures such as the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate.

The BBC understands that there was a consensus the government should make every effort to reach a deal. But the government was “in listening mode” and did not put forward any responses.

There was also no indication that an agreement could be reached with the US on tariffs before the introduction next week, one source said.

US tariffs could have a huge impact on the UK economy, with the government’s official forecaster estimating that in a worst case scenario taxes could reduce economic growth by 1% and wipe out Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s £9.9bn headroom against her debt rules.

Government sources said there is “still all to play for” in negotiations over 25% tariffs placed on car imports into the US ahead of next week.

The UK has said it will “not be jumping into a trade war” with the US. Treasury minister Darren Jones said the UK has to take a “different approach” to other countries when it comes to negotiating tariffs with the US.

Jones said “there is no easy answer” and there are “complicated issues” to be discussed.

While the government said it was “disappointed” by the decision to impose tariffs on cars, it said the US was “an indispensable ally” and Britain was taking a “pragmatic” approach to import taxes.

The UK response is in contrast with other nations such as Germany which has said it “will not give in” and urged Europe to “respond firmly” to the taxes.

France and Canada have vowed trade retaliation against the US, with Canada’s new prime minister Mark Carney – the former governor of the Bank of England – saying his country would “fight”, adding that the longstanding Canada-US relationship is “over”.

Car firms across a range of countries saw their share prices fall sharply following Trump’s tariffs announcement.

This included US automotive-makers such as General Motors, Ford and even Tesla, which is owned by major Trump ally Elon Musk.

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said the tariffs come at “a very difficult time for the industry” with UK car production falling 12% in February compared to the year before.

“Consumer confidence is on edge, we know it’s a highly competitive market, and even electric vehicles aren’t perhaps quite selling as quickly as hoped,” he said.”

Ineos Automotive, a start-up carmaker, told the BBC the tariffs are a “significant threat” since the US is its biggest market and its manufacturing is based in the European Union (EU).

Ineos chief executive Lynn Calder said she was “hugely frustrated” that EU politicians had “sat on their hands” and “not come to the negotiating table” with Trump.

“Mr Trump was talking very early in the year about reciprocal and fair tariffs,” she said. “There was a deal to be done here, there was a win-win solution.”

“I think we’re at a situation right now where the EU decides whether it wants an automotive industry or not,” she added.

Trump has used powers designed to avert national security threats to levy the tax.

An initial wave of tariffs on cars are due to come into force on 3 April, with import taxes on auto parts following a month later.

Vehicles are the UK’s biggest export to the US, totalling 101,000 last year worth £9bn.

The industry is likely to ask for a support package from the UK government to manage the disruption.

The government is already consulting on changing the mandate for zero electric vehicles, which could end up costing UK manufacturers and subsidising importers such as Tesla, which is controlled by key Trump ally Elon Musk.

The mandate sets out the percentage of new zero emission cars and vans that manufacturers will be required to sell each year up to 2030.

Reeves has told the BBC that Tesla gets some money from the ZEV mandate.

Any tweak to it could help UK exporters but disadvantage Tesla, which specifically wrote to the new government last July to ask them not to change it.

Only a handful of ministers and officials know the content of the UK’s talks with the US administration, which are believed to be about the whole package of tariffs, not just the car sector.

While progress has been made, one negotiator said it will all come down to Trump.

Earlier this week he insisted there would be no carve-outs for car imports, but deals are being done across the globe over wider so-called “reciprocal tariffs” expected next week.

The BBC has “decided to rule out” placing adverts on some of its podcasts for UK listeners on sites such as Apple and Spotify.

Last year, the corporation revealed it planned to put ads in some of its podcasts on commercial platforms to “generate more revenue to support the BBC”.

But some of Britain’s biggest media companies objected – including ITV, Sky, commercial radio giants Bauer and Global, and Gary Lineker’s production company Goalhanger – with a joint letter to the government warning that the move would be “disastrous” for the UK podcast market.

The BBC said: “We have listened to feedback and having considered the options carefully, we have decided to rule out placing adverts around BBC licence-fee funded programmes on third party podcast platforms in the UK.”

A spokesperson added: “We will continue to support the audio sector and the wider market, investing in the best ideas and developing production capabilities across the UK.”

Under the plan, adverts would not have been placed in shows on the corporation’s own audio platform, BBC Sounds.

The letter sent by the media companies to the government last May said: “Forcing users to migrate to BBC Sounds if they want to hear content ad-free also has the impact of putting BBC Sounds at a distinct advantage as a platform, having an unfair competitive advantage when it comes to competition between listening platforms.”

It added: “These changes are highly likely to have a significant adverse impact on fair and effective competition in the UK podcast market.”

Podcast advertising was worth £76m in 2022, it said, compared with the BBC’s income of £5.7bn.

The BBC’s plan for adverts on podcasts, listed in the 2024/2025 annual plan, had said it would “assess this proposal for compliance with our regulatory obligations”.

The corporation currently gets most of its income from the licence fee, which costs £169.50 a year.

BBC Studios sells ads on BBC podcasts outside the UK.

When the plan to do the same in the UK was announced a year ago, the BBC said it would “generate more revenue to support the BBC, licence-fee payers our suppliers and rights holders”.

Last year, director general Tim Davie said the broadcaster’s annual savings target would rise to £700m a year by 2028.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has started negotiations with the BBC about the corporation’s funding after its current royal charter expires in 2027.

The charter, drawn up by the government, sets out the terms and purposes of the BBC’s existence and normally lasts for about a decade.

In January, Nandy ruled out funding the BBC from taxes if the licence fee was to be abolished.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport declined to comment on the BBC’s podcast decision.

A huge earthquake has hit central Myanmar.

The magnitude-7.7 tremor was felt elsewhere, including in Thailand and south-west China.

Hundreds are feared dead, although it is difficult to obtain accurate information.

Here is what we know so far.

The earthquake’s epicentre was located 16km (10 miles) north-west of Myanmar’s city Sagaing, at a depth of 10km (16 miles), the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

This is near the city of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city with a population of about 1.5 million people, and about 100km north of the capital Nay Pyi Taw.

In Myanmar, there are reports of roads buckling in the capital in addition to damage to buildings across the country.

Strong tremors were also felt elsewhere, including in Thailand and south-west China.

Eighty-one construction workers are missing after an unfinished high-rise building collapsed hundreds of miles away from the epicentre, in the Thai capital Bangkok.

A video also showed a rooftop pool in Bangkok spilling over the sides of a swaying building.

It may be a while before official casualty figures become known, but a member of a rescue team based in Mandalay has told the BBC that the number of deaths there “is at least in the hundreds”.

“That’s all we can say right now because the rescue efforts are ongoing,” they added.

Getting information out of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is difficult.

Myanmar has been ruled by a military junta since a coup in 2021, making access to information problematic.

The state controls almost all local radio, television, print and online media. Internet use is also restricted.

Mobile lines in the affected areas have been patchy since the quake struck, but tens of thousands of people also live without electricity, making it tough for the BBC to communicate with individuals on the ground.

Foreign journalists are also rarely allowed to enter officially due to a lack of press freedom.

The Earth’s crust is made up of separate bits, called plates, that nestle alongside each other.

These plates often try to move but are prevented by the friction of rubbing up against an adjoining one.

But sometimes the pressure builds until one plate suddenly jerks across, causing the surface to move.

They are measured on a scale called the Moment Magnitude Scale (Mw). This has replaced the better known Richter scale, now considered outdated and less accurate.

The number attributed to an earthquake represents a combination of the distance the fault line has moved and the force that moved it.

A tremor of 2.5 or less usually cannot be felt, but can be detected by instruments. Quakes of up to five are felt and cause minor damage. The Myanmar earthquake at 7.7 is classified as major and usually causes serious damage, as it has in this instance.

Anything above 8.0 causes catastrophic damage and can totally destroy communities at its centre.