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Firefighters are beginning a third day of tackling a fire in the New Forest which they say they are “managing to contain” after working “tirelessly” through the night. Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, assisted by neighbouring services, initially scrambled 26 fire engines and four water carriers to the eastbound A31 after receiving 160 emergency calls reporting a van had caught fire on Sunday evening. The fire service said the blaze […]

Pc Andrew Harper’s killers will not walk free early after Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged the Justice Secretary to “work through further options” to stop their release, a minister has suggested. It comes amid increasing pressure from Pc Harper’s family and the police not to allow Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, who were sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter, to be freed in January under existing plans. On Monday, Downing […]

August is the worst month of the year for drink-drive crashes as summer events create “more opportunities” to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol, according to new research. RAC analysis found an average of 721 people were injured or killed in drink-drive crashes in August between 2014 and 2024. That was ahead of July, which had an average of 704 casualties over the 11-year period. By contrast, December, which […]

Andy Burnham has pledged to give councils more powers to block new bookmakers and vape shops in a bid to save Britain’s “hollowed-out high streets”. The Prime Minister intends to scrap the so-called “aim to permit” rule, which limits the ability of local authorities to prevent betting shops and 24-hour slot machine venues opening in their area. Planning permission will also be required for outlets selling e-cigarettes as part of […]

Heat health alerts are to come into force as the UK braces for the fifth heatwave of the year, with almost three-quarters of England in drought. On Tuesday, highs of 29C in Cardiff, 28C in Manchester and 25C in London are forecast before temperatures soar to the mid-30s in some areas on Thursday, according to the Met Office. From 9am on Tuesday, heat health alerts issued by the UK Health […]

Almost three-quarters of England is in “flash drought” as a dry start to August follows the country’s driest July on record, the Environment Agency (EA) has said. The East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and East Sussex, and Solent and the South Downs have become the latest areas to move into drought. The announcement came after a meeting of officials, water companies and farming leaders under the National Drought Group, which warned that […]

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, shaking the South American nation and neighbouring Ecuador and prompting people to evacuate homes and buildings. A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, shaking the South American nation and neighbouring Ecuador and prompting people to evacuate homes and buildings. The epicentre was in San Jose Del Palmar, a municipality in the Choco region about 250 miles (400 kilometres) west of Colombia’s […]

The Government has condemned the “reckless and dangerous” tactics used by people smugglers after a record 230 migrants arrived after crossing the Channel to the UK in a single boat. The number breaks the previous record from July when 165 people successfully made the crossing. The boat left France overnight, arriving in Dover in the early hours of Monday. A large deflated dinghy was pictured by the Press Association on […]

Half of learner drivers are being forced to wait more than four months between booking and taking a test at dozens of locations across Britain. Test centres in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and London are among those where the backlog has reached that level, according to Press Association analysis of official figures. Motoring research charity the RAC Foundation said this waiting time would be “frustrating” for affected learners. The median average […]