Weekly round-up: Five stories you may have missed

Passengers praised by police for getting out of a broken-down van before it was hit by a lorry and work starting to remove a giant illegal waste tip were among our most read stories in the south of England this week.

We have picked five articles from the past seven days across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire and Oxfordshire to keep you up to date.

A diving operation is under way to find out the identity of a ship that sank 100 years ago.

Led by Riley Conway, a member of the Nautical Archaeology Society's Sub-Aqua Club, the archaeology project is taking place in Portsmouth's Langstone Harbour.

The wreck is believed to be the dredging vessel Withern, which sank in 1926, but its identity has never been confirmed.

Conway said: "This project is about more than just a wreck. It's about uncovering a piece of Portsmouth's history that's been lost for 100 years and sharing it with the community."

The driver and passengers of a broken-down van have been praised by police for their "life-saving" decision to exit their vehicle before a lorry ploughed into it.

Thames Valley Police said they had stopped their Citroen van on the M4 eastbound between junctions 15 for the Plough Hill Interchange and 14 for the Hungerford Interchange after an electrical failure early on Saturday.

The occupants took themselves to a safe location behind the barrier before the vehicle was hit by the lorry that had strayed into the hard shoulder.

A police spokesperson said no arrests have been made and an investigation is ongoing.

An Afghan Special Forces veteran who served alongside the British Army has suffered a serious brain injury following an alleged assault at a railway station.

Noor Aziz Ahmadzai, 39, was airlifted to hospital after collapsing following an incident while working as a security guard at Weymouth station last month.

Scans revealed he had sustained a bleed on the brain. He has since regained consciousness, but faces a lengthy road to recovery.

British Transport Police said two teenage girls arrested in connection with the incident had been released while inquiries continued.

A £7.3m operation began to remove waste from a giant illegal tip in Oxfordshire.

About 21,000 tonnes of mixed domestic and commercial rubbish was dumped in 2025 between the River Cherwell and the A34 near Kidlington.

The work, carried out by an Environment Agency (EA) contractor, will involve the removal of 15-30 lorry loads of the waste each day. It is expected to take about six months to complete.

A "brave and dependable" former police horse that used to patrol numerous major sporting events has died aged 23.

Trojan, a striking 17hh (1.7m) skewbald, was part of Thames Valley Police (TVP) for five-and-a-half years. He was deployed to everything from Royal Ascot to busy football matches.

He retired from the force in 2019 due to ongoing lameness and went into the care of The Horse Trust. The charity said he was put to sleep after his condition "worsened significantly" in recent weeks to prevent further suffering.

TVP Mounted Section said he was a "much-loved character" for those who had the pleasure of working with him, adding: "Thank you Trojan for everything, rest easy buddy."