Broken Britain

A vibrant cafe in Teddington is under threat of closure because of a local council law designed to protect vitality and vibrancy in the area. The highly rated Fallow Deer was granted a two year license when it opened to be able to run as a cafe and restaurant and were led to believe by a Planning Officer that at the end of those two years it would be highly probable that an extension would be agreed. But the cafe owners say...

The father of a victim of the devastating school shooting in Dunblane has hit out at plans for a shooting range which will use automatic weapons. The mass-shooting at Dunblane Primary School, Stirling, killed 16 children and one teacher in 1996 and led to a ban on handguns across much of the UK. Doctor Mick North lost his five-year-old daughter Sophie in shooting and has been left devastated by plans for a shooting range to open in Falkirk - only...

Homeless people across the country are risking their lives by sleeping in bins, according to a refuse firm. The warning has come after refuse collectors reported finding an increasing amount of people seeking refuge in bins who could accidentally be harmed or killed if the commercial waste disposal units get picked up. Talking to the Big Issue, Mark Hall of Business Waste said: “It’s terrifying for our staff to find somebody lurking inside on their early morning rounds, and they constantly worry...

Runaway mum Samantha Baldwin DRUGGED her sons with sedatives and falsely claimed her husband sexually abused them, a court heard today. Baldwin, 40, forced her sons Dylan Madge, six, and Louis Madge, nine, to ingest sedative Zolpidem as well as benzodiazepines, which are taken to tackle anxiety. Baldwin was found with her sons at a holiday complex 15 miles from her home in Newark, last Thursday following a ten-day Europe-wide police hunt. At a hearing at Nottingham Family Court today...

A paedophile who groomed a 14-year-old on Facebook before luring her to his house and having sex with her has been jailed for two years and eight months. Robert Oliver, 23, told the teen he was a teenager on social media before encouraging her to send him explicit photos of herself. The pervert then sent his victim photos of his privates before pressing her into meeting him for unprotected sex at his home. When the schoolgirl’s friend told a teacher...

A giant dog which was so badly neglected vets couldn’t tell what breed it was is ready to be rehomed following a miraculous four-month transformation. Kenny was close to death when he was found cruelly dumped on a residential street, with people thinking he might be a wrinkly Shar-Pei. The then 18-month old mutt was starving to death, had an appalling skin condition, serious issues with his eyes and could hardly stand. Pennine Pen Animal Rescue in Oldham, Gtr Manchester,...

An angry mum claims her teenage son has been taken out classes after having his hair PERMED to copy his rapper idol. Haman Harim, 13, had his head shaved at the sides and an 80s-style perm on top so he could look like teen rapper Little T. But mum Sharon Coxall says he was then excluded from normal classes because teachers claimed his retro hairstyle was affecting his education. Sharon, 51, hit out at the decision by teachers to put...

Two bank workers were caught illegally using blue badges to park in spaces reserved for the disabled during a crackdown. They were among eight motorists taken to court and fined in south London after being caught misusing the permits which actually belonged to friends or relatives. The permits can only be used legally if the disabled person is either driving the vehicle or a passenger being dropped-off or picked-up in that location. But the fraudsters were caught parking their own...

Risk-averse Brits are increasingly playing if safe, with nine out of ten admitting to living within their comfort zones. According to new research seven in ten say they typically try to avoid change or trying new things, preferring the tried and tested. Reasons for people staying put include worrying about what will happen after trying something different, with one in five admitting they’re not very adventurous. How depressing. Nearly a third of Brits will avoid changing their hairstyle to stay within...