Firefighters Poised For Bonfire Period Strike

Firefighters in England will start a four-day strike on Friday evening, as a bitter row over pensions intensifies.

Opponents to the walkout, orchestrated by the Fire Brigades Union, have branded the industrial action as "regrettable and unnecessary" - with emergency services already under strain as weekend bonfires and firework displays commence.

Even though the Government has a contingency plan, with hundreds of contract workers expected to cross picket lines, the public has been warned to remain vigilant and stay safe.

Fire stations in London have warned that they may be unable to attend to minor fires, or help people trapped in lifts.

London firefighters accused the Government of "pension theft" last November

Although the Government has insisted that firefighters enjoy one of the best pension packages in the public sector, the claims have been rubbished by the FBU's general-secretary.

Matt Wreck said: "We have a Government of millionaires who are wrecking the pensions of firefighters, while the real scandal is that their own pensions are by far the most generous anywhere in the public sector.

"How can it be remotely fair that the Prime Minister, already a millionaire, enjoys a far greater subsidy from his employer in absolute and proportional terms than a firefighter who is earning less than £30,000 a year? It is sickening hypocrisy."

The FBU's industrial action is due to begin at 6pm on Friday, but a strike in Wales has been averted after its assembly made a "significant" change of direction by offering an improved proposal.

Penny Mordaunt, Fire Minister, insists the planned pension reforms are fair

Westminster has been pushing to reform firefighters' pensions amid fears that a £600m black hole in the scheme's finances will emerge by 2019 - with a Government spokesman warning that "taxpayers cannot be expected to meet all of these costs".

Fire Minister Penny Mordaunt said: "The Government recognises the role that firefighters play in keeping the public safe, and has worked hard to give them one of the most generous pensions in the public sector.

"A firefighter who earns £29,000 will still be able to retire after a full career aged 60 and get a £19,000-a-year pension, rising to £26,000 with the state pension.

"An equivalent private pension pot would be worth over £500,000 and require firefighters to contribute twice as much."

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Man Held After Body Parts Found On Island

A man has been arrested after a 33-year-old woman's body parts were found by ramblers on an island in Essex.

Angela Millington's remains were discovered in a salt marsh area on Foulness Island on 21 June.

Hikers initially found a collection of bones. Police were called and more body parts were found.

An aerial view of the police murder inquiry

Police have arrested a 51-year-old man, from Westcliff-on-Sea, on suspicion of murder.

He has been taken to Southend Police Station for questioning.

Ramblers found Angela Millington's remains on Foulness Island

Ms Millington was identified after forensic and DNA tests and, while it is not known how long the bones had been there, police believe she was murdered.

She was last seen alive when she visited a housing officer in Westcliff on 21 November last year.

She took money out of her bank account that day and her mobile phone has not been used since the end of that month.

Essex Police said Ms Millington had no fixed address and was known to mix with street drinkers and homeless people.

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Man Arrested Over Fireworks Warehouse Blaze

A man has been arrested over a blaze at a fireworks warehouse in Staffordshire where two people remain unaccounted for.

An investigation has been launched into what caused the explosion at the SP Plastics building at an industrial unit in Stafford at around 5.15pm on Thursday.

Two men were taken to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, one in his 60s suffering from a back injury and another, in his 40s, with serious burns.

Two women, one in her 40s and the other in her 50s, were assessed for smoke inhalation but discharged at the scene, police said.

Police said a 53-year-old man had now been arrested as part of the investigation.

Video: Witness Tells Of Fireworks Blast

Police Superintendent Ian Coxhead said: "We have a great deal of sensitive and challenging work to complete in order to allow us to establish the cause of the explosion and the following fire."

A "significant volume of fireworks" was being stored on site, and the unit had been all but destroyed in the ensuing blaze, he added.

A search is due to get under way for the missing people, once the premises are considered safe.

Video: 'I Saw A Plume Of Black Smoke'

The blaze took three hours to bring under control - 50 firefighters, eight engines and four specialist appliances were on the scene at its height.

Thick plumes of smoke and bursts of fireworks could be seen exploding in all directions from the factory in a scene which an eyewitness described as "horrendous".

Resident Brian Little told Sky News: "It was horrendous. You would not be surprised if there was one or two injuries. The flames were sky-high."

Video: Stafford Fireworks Factory Ablaze

Video: Five Hurt In Fireworks Factory Fire

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UK Begins Paying Back First World War Debt

The Government has announced it will pay off part of the UK's First World War debt - the first such payment for 67 years.

The Treasury will repay £218m of the £2bn still owed from the 1914 to 1918 war, as part of a redemption of bonds stretching as far back as the 18th century.

The payment, to be made on 1 February next year, will be the first repayment of National War Bonds by a Chancellor since 1947.

The 4% consolidated loans were first issued by Chancellor Winston Churchill in 1927, partly to refinance National War Bonds from the Great War.

Britain has paid £1.26bn in interest on them since then, according to the Debt Management Office.

Chancellor George Osborne said he had decided to redeem some of them now because interest rates are lower than the 4% it is currently paying.

Leaders mark the centenary of the start of the First World War in August

He said he could save taxpayers money by refinancing the debts at a lower rate.

"We are only able to take this action today thanks to the difficult decisions that this Government has taken to get a grip on the public finances," he said.

Video: First World War Records Released

"The fact that we will no longer have to pay the high rate of interest on these gilts means that most important of all, today's decision represents great value for money for the taxpayer."

The Government first issued National War Bonds in 1917 to help finance the crippling cost of the First World War, which saw the deaths of more than 700,000 British soldiers.

They paid out an attractive rate of 5% interest, with huge publicity campaigns urging the public to make a patriotic investment.

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1. Gallery: Ghost Images Put WW1 Back In Focus

   Ahead of the centenary of the First World War, a series of digital composite images have been created by the picture agency Getty Images, comparing scenes from the time and how the locations look today. Here, Serbian soldiers march in the Lord Mayor's show in 1918 with the Royal Courts of Justice in the background

2. Wounded soldiers play football outside Blenheim Palace around 1916 in Woodstock, England, blended with a modern day photo of the area

3. Australian soldiers outside Egypt House in New Broad Street, London, where The Australian Bank is located, in June 1917, and how the street looks today

4. Injured Indian soldiers from the British Army at the Brighton Pavilion in 1915, which was converted into a military hospital, combined with an image of the building today

5. Wounded soldiers and cadets at the Albert Hall on Empire Day in May 1918, with a modern day shot of the London landmark seen behind them

6. German prisoners of war on their way to Southend Pier in 1914 accompanied by guards and watched by locals, combined with a picture of the seafront taken this month

7. A 'male' MKIV tank at the Lord Mayor's show in November 1917, blended with a modern day photo of the street outside the Bank of England

8. British soldiers inspecting a captured German plane in the Horseguards' Parade, the modern day skyline now includes the London Eye

The bonds are held by 11,200 registered holders, with 92% owning less than £10,000 each.

Some of the repayment relates to bonds dating back more than 300 years.

In 1853, the Government consolidated the capital stock of the South Sea Company, which collapsed in the South Sea Bubble financial crisis of 1720.

Video: First World War Anniversary Held

And in 1888, Chancellor George Goschen converted bonds first issued in 1752 to finance the Napoleonic and Crimean Wars, the Slavery Abolition Act (1835) and the Irish Distress Loan (1847).

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Father Of Murdered Schoolgirl Sarah Payne Dies

Tributes have been paid to Michael Payne, father of the murdered schoolgirl Sarah, after he died at the age of 45.

Mr Payne, who developed a drinking problem after his daughter was abducted and killed near her grandparents' home in West Sussex, was found dead at his home in Maidstone, Kent, on Monday.

His daughter, Charlotte, posted a picture of her father on Facebook alongside a message saying she was "heartbroken".

"No matter what happened and how many mistakes we all made. You will always be my daddy," she wrote.

She later added: "I'm sorry I couldn't save you dad. I hope you have finally found your peace and happiness."

Sarah Payne was eight when she was abducted and murdered

Her brother, Lee, wrote: "Dad, you had your demons and troubles but you had a good heart and was a decent man!

"I hope now you have found peace at last! RIP, you will be missed. We are all heartbroken."

A Kent Police spokesman said: "Police attended an address in Brishing Lane in Maidstone on the evening of 27 October and found the occupant, a 45 year-old man, had died at the property.

"The death is not being treated as suspicious. A report will be prepared for the coroner."

Mr Payne split from his wife Sara in 2003 after 18 years together, blaming the difficulties of coping with the loss of their daughter in 2000.

Roy Whiting was convicted of Sarah's murder

Speaking at the time, Mrs Payne told the News of the World: "We know we're not the same people we once were - and everyone knows the awful reason why."

Mr Payne told the newspaper he felt guilty for being unable to protect his daughter and this had put strain on his marriage.

Mrs Payne became a child protection campaigner after her daughter's death.

Sarah's Law, which allows parents to check whether people with access to their children are sex offenders, was introduced in 2011.

That same year Mr Payne was jailed after pleading guilty to glassing his brother Stephen following a heavy drinking session during which both men drank around three litres of cider each and a bottle of vodka.

Sentencing him, Judge Jeremy Carey said he had the "deepest sympathy" for his loss, but the offence warranted a jail sentence.

Convicted paedophile Roy Whiting is serving a life sentence for the eight-year-old's murder.

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Tough Drug Laws Have No Impact On Use - Report

By Tadhg Enright, Sky News Correspondent

Severe criminal penalties on drug taking makes no difference to the level of substance use in a country, a Government report has indicated.

The first Home Office study of the issue based on international evidence has caused a split within the coalition, with Lib Dems supporting its proposed reforms and the Conservatives opposing them.

It found "no apparent correlation between the 'toughness' of a country's approach and the prevalence of adult drugs use".

"There is evidence from Portugal of improved health prospects for users, though these cannot be attributed to decriminalisation alone," the report said.

"There are indications that decriminalisation can reduce the burden on criminal justice systems."

Video: 'Tory MPs Don't Like Drug Evidence'

It also found worse health outcomes in the Czech Republic after possession was criminalised, and no evidence of lower use.

Danny Kushlick, founder of Transform Drug Policy Foundation, called the report a "historic moment" in drugs policy.

"For the first time in over 40 years the Home Office has admitted that enforcing tough drug laws doesn't necessarily reduce levels of drug use," he said.

Although it was completed several months ago, the report has been kept under wraps to be released alongside another study which recommends so-called legal highs be criminalised.

Video: Inside A UK Cannabis Factory

The Lib Dems have long supported a review of Britain's drugs policy and the party's minister in the Home Office, Norman Baker MP, told Sky News he backs its findings.

"We're very clear that what we need to do is move towards a health based approach - to stop criminalising people unfairly and to make sure that we don't lock people up, but rather deal with it as a health issue," he said.

But a Home Office spokesperson said: "This Government has absolutely no intention of decriminalising drugs.

"Our drugs strategy is working and there is a long-term downward trend in drug misuse in the UK."

Video: Mourning Mum In Legalise Drugs Call

But the Home Office is giving strong consideration to the report backing the criminalisation of so-called legal highs, which are sold online and in high street "head" shops.

Both coalition parties back a blanket ban on their sale, which has been welcomed by campaigners including Maryon Stewart, whose daughter, Hester, died in 2009 after taking a lethal cocktail of alcohol and the legal substance GBL.

She told Sky News: "In that time, there've been as many crime prevention ministers as there have years, and it's been a really difficult journey.

"I think everyone agrees that there needs to be change, what's happening right now isn't working."

Video: 2012: Brand Speaks Out Over Drugs

An opinion poll in The Sun suggests for the first time, most Britons believe the war on drugs can never be won.

A total of 71% of those surveyed said the war had failed, while 51% said it will always be doomed. The survey found 65% supported a review of drugs policy.

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Child Grooming 'Normal' In Parts Of Manchester

By Nick Martin, North of England Correspondent

Child sexual exploitation is a "real and ongoing problem" that has become "normal" in some parts of Greater Manchester, according to a new report.

It suggests that youngsters are exposed to an increasing amount of explicit music and pornography which it is claimed is fuelling the problem. 

The independent report by Ann Coffey, Labour MP for Stockport, was commissioned by Tony Lloyd, the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner, in response to a number of high-profile child exploitation cases.

Home Secretary Theresa May described its findings as "shocking".

In 2012, nine Asian men were jailed for grooming girls with alcohol, drugs and gifts before forcing them to have sex with multiple men.

Video: 'I Was Scared And Terrified'

The case led to claims the authorities had ignored the problem for reasons of "political correctness".

Ms Coffey said: "My observations will make painful reading for those who hoped that Rochdale was an isolated case. This is a real and ongoing problem.

"I have been concerned about the number of people who have told me that in some neighbourhoods child sexual exploitation had become the new social norm.

"This social norm has perhaps been fuelled by the increased sexualisation of children and young people and an explosion of explicit music videos and the normalisation of quasi-pornographic images.

"Sexting, selfies, Instagram and the like have given rise to new social norms and changed expectations of sexual entitlement, and with it a confused understanding of what constitutes consent."

Video: 'We're Not Looked At To Be Objects'

Some schoolgirls told her they were regularly approached by older men in the street and urged to get into cars on their way home from school.

The problem will not be tackled unless there is a "sea change" in public attitudes away from a culture of blaming children and young people for bringing about their own sexual exploitation, the report claimed.

Nicola Pomfrey first became the victim of exploitation from the age of 14. She said the man she was with controlled every aspect of her life. 

She told Sky News: "It felt like we were friends at first, he kept buying me food and cigarettes. Then it turned into a relationship.

"But as time went on I felt like I was trapped, there was no-one I could turn to and I became isolated from friends and family.

Video: Dec 2013: MP Criticises Police

"I was vulnerable, I needed the attention and I got it from the wrong place.

"At the time I didn't feel like telling the police, or a social worker or a teacher would do any good. I suppose I didn't think they would believe that I was a victim."

Home Secretary Theresa May said a public consultation would be held on whether teachers, doctors and other officials should have a duty to report any suspicions - or face the law.

"This is yet another disturbing report which highlights unacceptable failings by authorities at a local level to ensure the protection of children," said Mrs May.

"The report's findings about the scale of child sexual exploitation and attitudes towards it are particularly alarming."

Video: Sep 2012: Handling Of Abuse Slammed

Hayley Harewood, chief executive of Oldham-based charity Keep Our Girls Safe, which helps around 200 young girls at risk of sexual exploitation, agreed with the report's findings.

"It is true that in some areas child sexual exploitation is normal. It is often the first experience many girls have in terms of a relationship," she said.

"On most occasions the girls don't realise what's happening to them until it is too late and they are trapped."

The 148-page report, titled Real Voices - Child Sexual Exploitation In Greater Manchester, recommends a radical new approach to tackling the problem led by young people, which recognises that the police, justice system and children's services alone cannot succeed in protecting children.

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Jean McConville Murder: Police Arrest Man

Detectives investigating the 1972 abduction and murder of mother-of-10 Jean McConville have arrested a 73-year-old man.

Detective Inspector Neil McGuiness said the man from the Dunmurray area had been taken to Antrim police station for questioning.

No one has ever been charged with the murder of the 37-year-old widow, who was dragged, screaming away from her children at their West Belfast home at gun point by up to 12 men and women.

Mrs McConville was abducted, interrogated and murdered by the IRA in 1972 after being falsely accused of passing information to the security forces.

She was shot in the back of the head and secretly buried in a shallow grave on a beach near Dundalk, County Louth, 50 miles from her home.

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1. Gallery: Northern Ireland's 'Disappeared'

   A list of Northern Ireland's "Disappeared", the 16 people abducted and killed by Republican paramilitaries during the Troubles. Here, Robert Nairac talks to some children

Her remains lay undiscovered until 2003 when they were found by a member of the public.

The abduction and killing of Mrs McConville is still one of the most notorious crimes from the time of the Northern Ireland Troubles.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams was questioned over the killing for four days by police in May.

Video: 'Disappeared' Victim's Son

He vehemently denied allegations made by former republican colleagues of involvement.

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'Devastating Impact' Of NHS Mistakes Revealed

NHS hospitals are making mistakes which cause patients to suffer needless harm or die prematurely, according to a damning report.

Dame Julie Mellor, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, has uncovered dozens of cases with several complaints regarding incorrect discharges and cancer being misdiagnosed.

Some of the worst cases included: 

:: A one-day-old baby suffered permanent brain damage after "serious mistakes" were made during a blood transfusion at Barts Health NHS Trust.

:: A man died following a liver biopsy that was performed without his consent. Further investigation revealed he was on the wrong medication, and that Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust had lost his clinical records.

:: Another patient who went to A&E complaining of prolonged constipation and vomiting was inappropriately discharged, even though he had suffered complete loss of blood supply to his small intestine. The mistake, at Bedford Hospital NHS Trust, was only discovered when he was re-admitted the following day for surgery.

:: Errors were also made with a woman who had been told she was suffering from stomach and bowel cancer. No tests were arranged, and a surgical consultant insisted she did not have the disease. Five weeks later, the same consultant at Wirral University Hospital NHS Trust broke the news that she did have cancer after all.

:: A man suffered a fatal heart attack and stroke while on holiday abroad. Before he travelled, he had visited Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to report chest pains, but staff failed to tell him that he was at risk of death if he flew. The Trust provides "specialist cardiac services" to patients in the North West.

Dame Julie Mellor said hospital re-admissions are costing the NHS

Dame Julie said: "We are increasingly concerned about patients being discharged unsafely from hospital.

"Unplanned admissions and re-admissions are a massive cost to the NHS."

She added that the investigations showed the "devastating impact" failures in the NHS could have on the lives of patients and their families.

The government body investigated 161 complaints between April and June - and is urging other Britons who have had poor service within the NHS to come forward.

Jamie Reed, shadow health minister, said: "This catalogue of poor care shows an NHS heading in the wrong direction.

"Hospitals are full to bursting - struggling to admit or discharge patients - and these reports make clear there isn't enough staff to cope."

But in a statement, the Department of Health said: "The NHS is the most transparent it has ever been, and we're focusing on confronting poor care like never before." 

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is the final step for complaints about unfair treatment or poor service for the NHS in England.

The service investigated 2,199 cases in 2013-2014, compared to 384 for the previous year.

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Tech And Staff Failures Behind Asylum Backlog

The failure of two major IT projects and "ill-judged" staffing decisions have led to the loss of more than 50,000 people who cannot be found in Britain, according to a report by MPs.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report reveals the Home Office is unable to track tens of thousands of people whose applications to remain in the UK have been rejected.

Some 175,000 people whose applications were unsuccessful have been placed in a "migration refusal pool" to await removal from Britain.

While some applicants may have left voluntarily, the department does not know how many remain because it lacks "a system to check departures from the UK".

In 2012, the department employed Capita to confirm the records and whereabouts of those refused permission to stay.

Video: We Need A 'Whole New System'

Capita was unable to find more than 50,000 people, with the department in some cases failing to retain even basic information such as addresses and postcodes.

The failure has been blamed in part upon a "botched" attempt by the now-defunct UK Border Agency to downgrade its caseworkers.

The report found the move led to 120 experienced caseworkers leaving the agency, adding that new staff with the "right skills" will be needed to clear the backlog.

Failures in large-scale IT projects have exacerbated the problem, leaving the department to operate with out-dated technology.

The Home Office has cancelled both the Immigration Case Work (ICW) IT programme and the ill-fated e-Borders system, which cost almost £1bn.

The report says: ""The Department had expected large-scale IT projects... to transform its processes and allow it to produce better information and substantial financial savings."

But the failure of the programmes left the department without a "comprehensive, system-wide IT strategy" to deal with asylum seekers.

"IT limitations mean the department cannot track people through the immigration system, or ensure people with no legal right to remain are removed from the UK," the report says.

Video: Asylum Seeker Has To Beg To Survive

"As a matter of priority, the department should identify the future IT capabilities it requires so it can develop a comprehensive, system-wide IT strategy that will deliver the required capabilities."

On Tuesday, the mayor of Calais said Britain's benefits system had become a magnet for asylum seekers making their way across the English Channel from France.

Skills Minister Nick Boles warned that Britain has lost control over immigration, and may not be able to stem movement from within the EU.

"We may never be able to control it entirely because it's a fundamental principle of the EU," Mr Boles told Total Politics.

"It will be very hard for the British people to accept that... we're going to be the net recipient of a very large amount of immigration every year," he added.

Labour's shadow immigration minister David Hanson said the Government's immigration policy is in "tatters".

He said: "The Skills Minister has admitted that the Government's grand promises have increased rather than decreased public concern.

"Yet they have still deterred the top skills and talent the economy needs. It is the worst of all worlds."

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