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Berkshire weekly round-up: 15 January - 20 January 2024

HIS MAJESTY KING CHARLES III 2024/PA The dolls houseHIS MAJESTY KING CHARLES III 2024/PA
Items from a dolls' house are on display in the royal residence's grand Waterloo Chamber

A story about Queen Mary's Dolls' House was among our most read this week in Berkshire.

A variety of local issues were 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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Lifts to be installed at Tilehurst railway station

Google The stationGoogle
Wheelchair-users currently cannot access some of the platforms at Tilehurst Railway Station

Lifts are set to be installed at a railway station after years of campaigning by local residents.

The lifts at Tilehurst Railway Station near Reading, Berkshire will allow better access to passengers with wheelchairs, pushchairs or heavy luggage.

Currently platforms 2, 3 and 4 are only accessible using steps.

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Refugees move into new homes thanks to £9m housing project

Getty Images Aerial view of homesGetty Images
Seven homes have been purchased so far in Calcot, Thatcham, Newbury and Hungerford

Displaced families from Ukraine and Afghanistan will begin moving into new homes this week thanks to a £9m housing project.

West Berkshire Council aims to provide 27 new homes for refugees who arrived under government resettlement schemes but do not have suitable accommodation.

Seven houses and flats have been purchased across the county so far.

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Queen Mary's Dolls' House treasures on show at Windsor Castle

HIS MAJESTY KING CHARLES III 2024/PA A tiny crownHIS MAJESTY KING CHARLES III 2024/PA
The tiny facsimile of the Crown Jewels is made with real gems

A collection of tiny treasures from Queen Mary's Dolls' House has been put on show to mark the 100th anniversary of its creation.

Featuring a miniature grand piano, the Crown Jewels and a vacuum cleaner, the exhibition is on display at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.

The scale replica of an Edwardian residence was built for King George V's consort as a gift from the nation after World War One.

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Date set for 1960s decaying car park demolition

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The 734-space multi-storey in Maidenhead will be taken down over 12 weeks

A date to knock down a 1960s multi-storey concrete car park in a town centre has been set.

The 734-space Broadway Car Park in Maidenhead, Berkshire, shut over safety concerns in December 2022.

Water was found to be eroding the reinforced steel and cracks had caused concrete to fall from the ceiling.

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Tankers draw groundwater from flood-hit areas

EA Aerial view of the floodsEA
With the floodwater continuing to recede a clean-up process is underway across Windsor and Maidenhead

A fleet of tankers was brought in to draw groundwater from flood-hit areas of Berkshire.

The tankers were being used in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead area, including Wraysbury where floods forced vulnerable residents from their homes.

The council said the tankers were sucking water up where the water table remains very high, "restricting the ability for groundwater to recede".

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