Eleven arrested after holding placards outside court that judge said could be interpreted as influencing a jury

A group of 11 activists have been arrested on suspicion of contempt of court after they held up placards outside a crown court.

Police officers began detaining the protesters, who were standing on the pavement at English Grounds outside Southwark crown court in central London, on Tuesday morning after being given directions by a judge.

Jury sent out three times during address by Roger Hallam, who is on trial for alleged role in organising M25 blockade

A climate protester ignored a judge’s instructions and refused to leave the witness box, instead delivering an hours-long speech telling jurors that his alleged role in a conspiracy to block the M25 was justified by the risk of human extinction.

Roger Hallam, 58, spoke for more than two hours on why a judge was wrong to rule that he and co-defendants could not bring evidence in their defence on the impacts of climate breakdown, and why such evidence justified the sort of acts of which they are accused.

Thirty-five bodies recovered in March from company’s premises, along with ashes of unknown number of people

Police in Humberside have met with more than 160 families whose loved ones’ remains could be among human ashes found at the Legacy funeral home in Hull that will never be identified.

A total of 35 bodies were recovered in March from the company’s premises on Hessle Road, along with the ashes of an unknown number of people, after reports of “concern for care of the deceased”.