News

Scottish Parliament bosses have been urged to rethink spending £80,000 on using birds of prey to scare away pigeons after their effectiveness was called into question. Hawks and falcons are brought in regularly to fly over the Scottish Parliament building to deter pigeons from making it their home. But MSPs say that the unwanted birds have gotten wise to the scheme and simply wait for them to be taken away by their handler before settling back on the roofs and...

As the hosing crisis deepens with homelessness on the rise, especially in the capital, and other major cities, is has been revealed that over 11,000 dwellings in the UK have stood empty for over a decade. The research, carried out by the Lib Dems, used figures gather from 276 local councils also showed that over 216,000 homes have sat empty for over six months. There have been accusations that some of the wealthiest parts of the UK, in West London...

British workers have revealed the top 50 ways they secretly slack off - including 'tactical' toilet breaks, booking meeting rooms for a gossip, and taking compassionate leave for fictional funerals. As millions reluctantly return to their desks after the festive break, researchers have uncovered the many ways people cheat the system and get extra time off. Booking out the boardroom for a power nap, doodling under the pretence of serious note-taking and creating fictional meetings off-site are other ways Brits...

Trade Minister Greg Hands was unable to name a single country that had expressed interest in a post-Brexit trade deal in response to a parliamentary question. With the second set of negotiations set to accelerate in 2018, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox will be stepping up efforts to find trade deals the UK can sign after Brexit in 2019. But when challenged by Labour MP Stella Creasy over which foreign governments were queuing up to trade with the UK, his department...

A former Royal Marine and UKIP county councillor will appear in court this morning (mon) charged with the murder of his wife. Stephen Searle, 64, is accused of killing 62-year-old wife Anne who died at their £400,000 family home in Stowmarket, Suffolk, on Saturday night. Emergency services were called to the scene at around 10.20pm, but the grandmother was pronounced dead by paramedics shortly after they arrived. Anne Searle, 62 who was found dead at her home in Stowmarket, Suffolk....

West Mercia Police Superintendent Kevin Purcell said officers will try to avoid holding child suspects in custody and instead interview them at home. He said putting young offenders in police cells is "counter-productive", but admitted the new approach "may seem soft". He said: "Over the last few years a lot of work has been done nationally on the way we have treated children when they are in the criminal justice system. "This is really important because these children are often...

Stressed NHS staff are being offered free yoga and pilates classes in a bid to stop them taking days off sick. Ikea-style arrows will also be painted on the floor of a hospital to encourage staff to take regular walks instead of sitting down on their breaks. Medics will be offered exercise in a bid to lower stress levels - after each employee took an average of 15 sickies a year at one hospital trust. More than 220 employees have...

This evening’s fire that spread quickly across a 20-storey apartment block in central Manchester has been brought under control by Manchester firefighters who have been praised for their rapid response. The building was evacuated with a 23-year old taken to hospital for checks for smoke inhalation. https://twitter.com/manchesterfire/status/947222824795688960 Manchester fire brigade said that the blaze spread rapidly across three floors via wooden balconies. Twelve fire crews fought to control the blaze on the ninth floor of the high rise building in Joiner...

UPDATE: The fire us still being tackled by firefighters with one casualty taken to hospital for smoke inhalation. It appears to be under control. https://twitter.com/manchesterfire/status/947161047324078080 https://twitter.com/MotherLeopard92/status/947159526104584192 Breaking News: Reports are emerging of a rapidly spreading fire in an apartment block in the Northern Quarter of  Manchester city centre this evening. Images and video footage of the scene show flames pouring from a building. Church Street has been sealed off eastbound between High Street and Tib Street's junction with Dale Street....