Category Archives: England

Covid cases in England are 26 times higher than a year ago

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Pressure grows to begin booster jabs for the vulnerable and extend vaccinations to younger teenagers

Coronavirus infections in England are now 26 times the levels that were experienced this time last year, according to the Office for National Statistics. Scientists described the figures as “sobering”.

They warned that the reopening of schools in England this week was likely to trigger further rises in Covid cases – with more to follow when students return to universities and colleges. A fresh wave of infections could, in turn, lead to new social restrictions being imposed as winter approaches.

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Tom Cruise’s car stolen while filming in Birmingham

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Mission: Impossible star’s belongings reportedly missing from his BMW X7 when recovered in Smethwick

The Hollywood actor Tom Cruise’s BMW was stolen while he was filming in Birmingham.

The BMW X7 had been used to ferry around the star, who has been in the city filming scenes for the seventh instalment in the Mission: Impossible series.

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Gareth Southgate: I got more abuse for vaccine video than managing England

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  • Manager was abused for encouraging young people to get jab
  • Southgate says some players have ‘really suffered’ with Covid

Gareth Southgate has revealed that he received more abuse for recording a video urging young people to have a Covid-19 vaccination than he did for his management of England during their run to the final of Euro 2020.

England’s manager, who handed Leeds United’s Patrick Bamford his first call-up when he named his squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Hungary, Poland and Andorra, admitted he is worried about misinformation on social media convincing some footballers not to have the jab.

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LED streetlights decimating moth numbers in England

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‘Eco-friendly’ lights found to be worse than sodium ones – but both contribute to insect decline, says study

“Eco-friendly” LED streetlights produce even worse light pollution for insects than the traditional sodium bulbs they are replacing, a study has found.

The abundance of moth caterpillars in hedgerows by rural roads in England was 52% lower under LED lights and 41% lower under sodium lights when compared with nearby unlit areas.

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Meat-rich diet of 14th-century monks caused digestive issues, research finds

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Change in papal law in 1336 to allow twice-weekly consumption caused problems at Muchelney Abbey

It may have seemed a good day for medieval monks when a papal decree allowed them to start eating meat including mutton, beef, pork and venison. It was not so good for their bowels.

Research by English Heritage sheds light on the day-to-day lives and digestive troubles of monks at Muchelney Abbey in Somerset – in particular the consequence of a change in papal law, in 1336, which permitted the twice-weekly consumption of meat from four-legged animals.

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Plymouth shooting: police urged to take misogyny more seriously

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Gunman who killed five regularly expressed hatred of women but had firearms licence reinstated in July

Police must start taking misogyny more seriously in order to prevent more tragedies such as that in Plymouth, a top prosecutor has said, after a man who had regularly expressed his hatred of women killed five people and wounded two more.

Nazir Afzal, who was previously chief crown prosecutor for north-west England, said Jake Davison should have been on a police watchlist.

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Banksy confirms he is behind British seaside ‘spraycation’ artworks

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Anonymous artist posts Instagram video charting his coastal tour in an ageing camper van

Banksy has confirmed that he is indeed the author of a number of works that have appeared recently in seaside towns on the UK east coast.

An Instagram video clip, just over three minutes long called “A Great British Spraycation”, shows the elusive artist taking a summer road trip in a beaten-up camper van with cans of spray paint stashed inside a cooler.

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Plymouth shooting: five killed named by police, including gunman’s mother Maxine Davison – latest updates

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Man suspected of killing five people, including a child, before turning a gun on himself named as Jake Davison

Jake Davison’s mother Maxine was in Plymouth and was from a large family.

Neighbours said Jake has a brother and a sister.

The prime minister, Boris Johnson, said the issue of how the Plymouth attacker, Jake Davison, came to legally own a gun should be “properly investigated”.

He described the shooting as an “absolutely appalling” incident.

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Plymouth shooting: six dead, including a child, after armed man opens fire

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Police confirm deaths and say gunman is believed to have shot himself during the serious firearms incident

Six people, including a child, have died after a gunman repeatedly opened fire in Plymouth, police have confirmed.

The atrocity is being classed as a domestic incident and is not thought to be related to terrorism. Police believe the suspect to have shot himself.

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Police helicopter finds missing six-year-old girl asleep in Devon field – video

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The National Police Air Service south-west team has released footage of the moment a six-year-old girl was spotted by a police helicopter using an infrared camera after she had gone missing from her remote farmhouse home in north Devon. The child was found curled up asleep in the corner of a field. She had wandered more than half a mile from her home. She was checked over in hospital and reunited with her parents

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Insanity the common verdict on suicides in 18th century England

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Official records contrast with witness evidence of loneliness and physical decline among older people in Georgian society

By the time he reached his 60s Isaac Hendley could look back proudly on his life as a shoemaker in 18th century London. But when he looked forward he could only see the shame of being “passed to his parish” since his “bodily infirmities” meant the end of his independence and self-reliance.

After a year of grappling with his physical deterioration and fears that “he should come to want”, Hendley took his own life in 1797. An inquest recorded the state of his mind according to the testimonies of friends and colleagues.

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UK competition watchdog to look into pricing of Covid tests for travel

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CMA to investigate PCR tests market after concerns about vastly different prices being charged

The competition watchdog is to look into fees for the Covid-19 tests required for international travel after concerns about the vastly different prices being charged for them.

The Competition and Markets Authority will provide advice and intelligence on the market in PCR tests to the health secretary, Sajid Javid, to enable the government to act.

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Streatham attacker’s mother instantly knew son was responsible, inquest told

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Haleema Khan told the inquest into Sudesh Amman’s death she had ‘no idea’ her son was going to strike

The mother of a terrorist killed by police after going on a stabbing rampage in south London described instantly “knowing” her son was responsible when she heard about the attack, shortly after they last spoke.

Haleema Khan said her son Sudesh Amman signed off their phone conversation with “Bye bye, I love you mummy” before going on to steal a kitchen knife from a shop and stabbing two unwitting members of the public on a Sunday afternoon in Streatham in February 2020.

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Fledgling success as hen harrier continues to recover in England

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This summer will have highest number of fledged chicks since 2002, according to Moorland Association

The endangered hen harrier is continuing its recovery from near extinction in England with this summer set to have the highest number of chicks fledging since 2002.

Of 24 successful nests producing at least 77 fledged chicks this summer, 19 were on moors managed for red grouse, according to the Moorland Association.

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Drug poisoning deaths in England and Wales reach record high

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Charities warn of a public health emergency after data shows 4,561 deaths in 2020 – up 3.8% on previous year

Deaths due to drug poisoning in England and Wales have reached a record high, with a growing number of people dying after using cocaine and opiates, data shows.

Charities warned the figures showed there was a public health emergency, with the pandemic negatively affecting those with addiction problems. In 2020, 4,561 died from drug poisoning– the equivalent of 79.5 deaths per million people. This is 3.8% higher than figures for 2019 and the highest number since records began in 1993.

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Johnson dumps ‘amber watchlist’ plan as it emerges top adviser has quit

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Proposals for tougher quarantine rules for some holidaymakers killed off after cabinet revolt

Boris Johnson has ditched plans for tougher quarantine restrictions for some holidaymakers after days of chaos, as it emerged the chief of the Joint Biosecurity Centre that advises on travel rules has departed the job leaving it “rudderless”.

After a revolt in the cabinet and a backlash from the travel industry, government sources said the prime minister would not be going ahead with proposals for a new “amber watchlist” to warn travellers which countries were at risk of turning red.

Cabinet sources said the plans were killed off by the Treasury and Department for Transport, as ministers grow in confidence about the drop in cases, which fell to 21,052 on Monday.

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Clubbers shun reopened venues in England amid confusion over Covid safety

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Owners blame ‘low consumer confidence’ and confused government messages for poor post-‘freedom day’ attendances

Nightclubs in England have seen low attendances and been forced to cancel events as the pandemic continues to disrupt the nightlife industry almost two weeks on from “freedom day”.

Many operators blamed “low consumer confidence” in the face of confusing government messages about whether it was safe to attend.

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UK weather: flood warnings as Storm Evert moves eastwards

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Unsettled weather forecast across England and Wales with ‘torrential thundery downpours’ in the east

The Met Office has issued weather and flood warnings as Storm Evert moved eastwards across Britain with thunderstorms forecast for the weekend.

Yellow wind warnings are in place for coastal areas in south-east England and East Anglia, and thunderstorm warnings for a swath of England from Nottingham to Norwich and north as far as Hull.

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Conditions that led to 2011 riots still exist today, experts warn

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Data analysis finds large-scale cuts to youth services and increase in racial disparity 10 years on

The conditions that led to riots across England 10 years ago still exist today, experts have warned, as data analysis showed significant cuts to youth services in affected areas and an increase in racial disparity in stop and search.

On 4 August 2011, police officers shot and killed Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old mixed-race man, in Tottenham, north London. His death sparked a wave of civil unrest that started the capital and spread to other cities, causing property damage to the value of £40m a day.

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Warning after spate of luxury watch thefts by women in southern England

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Female duo who approach older men including in golf club car parks are believed to have struck 14 times

People in the south of England have been warned to be vigilant if wearing high-value watches or jewellery after a spate of thefts by women who approach older men.

Several expensive watches have been stolen in the car parks of golf clubs and most victims have been lone men in their 70s.

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