United Kingdom News

Crushed to death: Scott Williams was killed when the commercial wheelie bin he was in was transferred to the dump by a dustcart A coroner warned of the dangers of climbing into commercial wheelie bins today after a teacher was found dead among rubbish at a waste transfer site after a night out drinking in a seaside city.

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Blue comic Roy 'Chubby' Brown hit a 21-year-old woman in the face during a foul-mouthed dispute in a supermarket car park, a court has been told.

Northern Ireland lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Tuesday in favor of taking the next key step in making their Catholic-Protestant government work, creating a Justice Department to oversee law and order.

The British National Party has been accused of "indirectly" discriminating against black and Asian people even though the party no longer bars them from joining.

Kent Police have traced and interviewed the man recently named as the alleged killer of a schoolgirl murdered 17 years ago. Claire was on her way to see a friend when she was stabbed 40 times and left for dead in an alleyway close to her home in Woodward Terrace. Several suspects have been linked with the teenager's death but no-one has yet been prosecuted.

A prisoner detained under mental health laws for slitting the throat of a butcher is being hunted by police after escaping from hospital.

The experienced broadcaster Libby Purves, who presents Midweek on Radio 4, said there had been failures of "nerve and taste" and an "obsession" to avoid offending anyone. The licence fee makes the BBC "more emotionally insecure about ratings than its rivals", which means it "sometimes scrabbles for audience before excellence", she said, arguing for it to define its function as a national resource.

She added: "The word 'quality' gets twisted to mean elitism, snobbery, worthy droning for posh gits and stroppy minorities. Yet it just means doing everything brilliantly. Not just news and documentaries."

A tiny Japanese insect called Aphalara itadori could help Europeans fight against an aggressive Asian weed and has been cleared for trials in England. This is the first time that biocontrol has been used in the EU to fight a spreading weed that damages ecosystems.

Wildlife Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said: "These tiny insects, which naturally prey on Japanese Knotweed, will help free local authorities and industry from the huge cost of treating and killing this devastating plant."

One family in Wales is convinced they can see the face of Jesus on the lid of a jar of Marmite. Claire Allen, 36, said she was the first to notice the image on the underside of the lid as she spread some sticky Marmite on to her son's toast.

"I like to think it's Jesus looking out for us. We've had a tough couple of months; my mum's been really ill and it's comforting to think that if he is there, he's watching over us."

The British National Party is due to find out if the decision to scrap its whites-only membership policy was enough to meet race relations laws.

A group of neighbours are expected to stage a demonstration to remember three asylum seekers who died after they fell from a high-rise block of flats.

Former Welsh rugby star JPR Williams put coins in his mouth to try to trick a breath test when he was arrested for drink-driving, a court heard today.

Early in March the Devon & Cornwall Police took delivery of a new Eurocopter EC145 helicopter which replaces their old Bolkow 117. This quiet and modern type has already proved its worth across Greater London.

The Managing Director of Eurocopter UK, said "Our products and services have become the backbone of the UK air support for many decades and will be ready to accompany the evolutions of our customers' needs."

British Airways is re-launching a direct flight to Barcelona from London City Airport in May 2010 in addition to its new Majorca and Ibiza routes. The Spanish capital is also served from the one-runway docklands' airport, which was initially intended to focus on business travel needs.

Drugs having a street value of many thousands of pounds have been discovered in raids by police in Wrexham, Wales. Police have hailed the raids that took place following intelligence received from the public as a success in combating drugs. A Vietnamese man was arrested inside premises at Newbridge. Two more people, arrested in connection with the discovery in Edward Street, were also questioned.

Published by Hannah Wooderson for 24dash.com in Communities Monday 8th March 2010 - 11:52am Convicted sex offender admits teenager's murder Sex offender Peter Chapman today admitted kidnapping, raping and murdering a teenager who he ensnared using an internet social networking site.

Eon today became the third British energy provider to cut gas prices, reducing household tariffs by 6 per cent.

The average dual fuel bill will fall from £1,232 to £1,185, but the reduction will only affect 1.9 million of Eon's 5.5 million British customers. Electricity-only customers or those on fixed-rate deals will not benefit from the cut.

Last week, Scottish & Southern Energy announced a 4 per cent cut to gas bills following a 7 per cent reduction by British Gas. EDF, Scottish Power and RWE Npower have yet to adjust their rates.

However, despite today's reduction, the average gas bill for Eon customers is £272, or 30 per cent higher, than in January 2008.

Harriet Harman is threatening to force companies to do more in appointing female directors, in an attempt to end the "old boy network" in boardrooms.

Her move, which is backed by Gordon Brown, comes on top of provisions in the controversial Equality Bill that allow employers to give jobs to women in favour of men with the same qualifications.

Miss Harman said on Monday, the 99th anniverstary of International Women's Day: "Too many British boardrooms are still no-go areas for women. Women are important consumers and employees. We'll never get a proper meritocracy or truly family-friendly workplaces from male dominated boards.

Council tax will rise in some areas to help pay a huge repair bill for fixing potholes caused by the recent freezing weather, authorities warn.

The Asphalt Industry Alliance, the trade body for road menders, estimates that with the average cost of repairing potholes was £70 and with a pothole every 120 yards, it would take more than 15 years to fix them all, costing authorities about £10 billion.