The Daily Echo takes a look at the big stories to hit our pages in January 2014

So the Daily Echo is taking a look back across the year to remember the big stories to make our pages over the past 12 months.

And we start with January where there major changes at Saints, plenty of traffic chaos and a tragic death in the New Forest.

Here are the major stories from January:

• A SOUTHAMPTON man was charged with the murder of his twin brother.

Robert Cerqua, 31, was held by detectives after being quizzed about the death of his brother Chris on New Year’s Eve.

Robert was arrested days after Chris was found with stab wounds at their family home in Langdown Road, Hythe.

He was later found guilty of murder and sentenced to a minimum of 13 years in prison.

Robert Cerqua

•  CIVIC chiefs in Southampton threatened to launch a legal challenge to a controversial scheme to put fluoride into drinking water.

Proposals to put fluoride into the tap water of 200,000 homes in parts of Southampton, Eastleigh, Totton, Netley and Rownhams were given the go-ahead in 2009.

But both Southampton City and Hampshire County councils prepared to challenge the South Central Strategic Health Authority (SHA) initiated scheme in the High Court.

Later in the year the fluoridation scheme was scrapped for good.

•  THE Government revealed it would launch a formal sale process for Marchwood Military Port.

Commons leader Andrew Lansley announced the sale of the military base would get under way within the next few months and said 25 bidders were already showing interest.

Associated British Ports wanted to use it as a car storage facility, providing 400 jobs, but residents and local politicians feared it could spark traffic problems in Marchwood.

Marchwood Military Port

•  TRANSPORT chiefs launched an urgent action plan after thousands of drivers and cruise passengers were caught in traffic chaos in Southampton.

People were trapped in their vehicles for three hours in West Quay Road as major roadworks combined with multiple cruise ships in port.

City council leader Simon Letts drew up a plan which featured removing bus lanes, launching widespread information campaigns before multiple cruise ships are due and encouraging cruise passengers to come a day earlier to avoid major jams.

•  THE future of a £10.5m community centre in Southampton hung in the balance.

The Eastpoint Centre on the Thornhill estate was intended to epitomise the neighbour-hood’s changing fortunes.

But its future came under threat after those in charge filed for administration.

It was funded by using £6m of taxpayers’ money.

The Eastpoint Centre

• SAINTS executive chairman Nicola Cortese sensationally quit the club after a day of drama at St Mary’s.

The 45-year-old banker was immediately replaced as non-executive chairman by Katharina Liebherr, daughter of the late billionaire businessman Markus, who took over the club in 2009.

Cortese’s departure threw a question mark over the future of Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Nicola Cortese

• SPECTACULAR celebrations marked the arrival of the world’s most colourful cruise ships to Southampton.

The Norwegian Getaway was welcomed by a barrage of celebrities, dignitaries and press when it docked in the city.

They included Saints star Jos Hooiveld, actress and former Brookside character Jennifer Ellison and former Great British Bake-Off winner and cookery writer Jo Wheatley, who met Hampshire youngsters supported by CLIC Sargent.

The Norwegian Getaway

•  SHOCKING plans to feature the sinking of Titanic as a highlight at a Chinese theme park were met by anger by the Southampton community.

A simulation of the 1912 disaster, which claimed the lives of 1,500 people, was being proposed at a huge complex in Sichuan province.

Plans by the Seven Star Energy Investment Group included visitors being able to feel the “shake and tumble” of the shipwreck and the experience of water pouring down on them through light and sound effects.

But victims’ relatives and city leaders branded it “insensitive”.

• HUNDREDS of theatre-goers queued outside Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre as tickets for one of the biggest shows ever staged in the city went on sale.

More than 200 people gathered as early as 4.30am to get their hands on tickets for
The Lion King.

The queue snaked its way from the venue in Commercial Road down beyond the Encore
bar as the 140,000 tickets went on general sale at 8am.

•  THE world’s media descended on Winchester in anticipation of solving the mystery of the final resting place of King Alfred.

Scientists believed they have discovered the ancient king’s burial ground after discovering a pelvic bone at the site of a former city church.

The find was made where Hyde Abbey once stood, dating back to the ninth and tenth centuries, so could belong to Alfred or his son Edward – the first major discovery there.

It was expected that University of Winchester researchers and project partners Hyde900 would return to the site for future excavation.

• THE new year started as the old one ended, with Hampshire taking a battering from the elements.

Torrential rain and winds of up to 100mph lashed the county, causing severe flooding and widespread destruction.

Thousands of homes were left without power and dozens of trees were blown down in some of the worst winter storms in a generation.

Worst-hit areas included Romsey, where the River Test burst its banks and raw sewage spilled into the town centre.

Homes in Winchester, Hamble and the New Forest were flooded while areas of Bitterne, St Denys and Riverside Park in Southampton were swamped by the River Itchen.

It caused misery for thousands of families forced to leave their homes and face a multi-million-pound clean-up bill.

•  TRIBUTES were paid to a popular Southampton politician among 21 people killed in a terror attack in Afghanistan.

Del Singh was to stand as a candidate in this year’s Euro Parliament elections and had been working in Kabul when the attack happened.

Labour leader Ed Miliband joined city politicians to pay tribute to the human rights campaigner.

Del Singh

•  MOTORCYLIST Daniel Robins was killed when he collided with a runaway horse on a Hampshire dual carriageway.

The 31-year-old was one of two riders in collision with the animal on the A31 at Picket Post near Ringwood.

Police investigating the tragedy closed the westbound carriageway, trapping hundreds of rush-hour motorists on a stretch of road with no exits for seven hours.

Officers were criticised for their handling of the crash, with the incident referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Hayes saying more needed to be done to assess the welfare of people stuck in traffic jams.

Daniel Robins

•  OWNERS of a rogue car sales company operating in Hampshire were exposed by the Daily Echo.

Woolston Car Supermarket in Southampton shut down suddenly, leaving scores of people out of pocket.

But the Daily Echo helped victims trace one of the operators, Stan Rudgley, to Fort Wallington Car sales, where they demanded their money back.

Meanwhile the hunt was on to trace dealer Richard Burbadge, who was in charge of the operation.

Stan Rudgley is confronted by the Daily Echo

•  EXCITEMENT built as Southampton prepared to celebrate another historic sporting landmark.

The city was one of a handful of locations chosen to host the Queen’s Baton Relay in the build-up to the Commonwealth Games.

Retired sprinter Iwan Thomas was among bearers selected to carry the baton when it arrived in the town in June for a nationwide tour ahead of the Games in July.

It was set to add to a spectacular year of celebrations being planned to mark 50 years since Southampton was officially granted a Royal Charter to become a city by the Queen.