Ash Dieback Threat May Be Worse Than Feared

A deadly fungal disease that threatens to devastate the UK's native ash trees has been discovered in six new counties.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the chalara fraxinea fungus, which causes leaf loss and crown dieback and can lead to tree death, has now been found in 115 sites.

New cases of ash dieback have been confirmed in Sussex, Berkshire, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Bedfordshire and Northumberland - in addition to Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent and Essex where it had already been identified in the countryside.

These include 61 cases in the wider countryside, 39 planting areas and 15 tree nurseries.

Officials asserted that the fresh discoveries did not mean the disease was spreading rapidly, but that it was likely to have been present in these areas for a number of years, originally caused by spores blown in from mainland Europe.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson

The results of the urgent survey of 1,000 sites by the Forestry Commission over the weekend come as tree experts prepare to sit down to discuss the problem with government and industry officials at a summit hosted by Environment Secretary Owen Paterson.

A huge public response to mobile phone app AshTag, which has been collating pictures of possible sightings of the tree disease, could push the number of confirmed cases even higher.

AshTag has told Sky News that around 400 images have been posted on the app so far, but the number is "increasing all of the time".

Photographs have been submitted from across the UK, and its experts have identified "likely areas" - sightings which appear to show symptoms indicative of the disease - in Shropshire, Leicestershire, East Sussex, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Surrey.

Some 27 images have been referred to the Forestry Commission for further investigation to verify whether they are confirmed cases of ash dieback or not.

The Chalara fraxinea fungus has already wiped out 90% of ash trees in Denmark in seven years and is becoming widespread throughout central Europe.

The Government has been accused of dragging its feet over the issue after the alarm was first raised back in March, and the first confirmed British cases of ash dieback last month in East Anglia.

There are growing concerns the problem may be worse than previously thought and that the country's ash trees are facing a similar fate to its elms, which were destroyed by Dutch elm disease in the 1970s.

Ministers insist they are taking the problem seriously and have brought in a ban on imports of ash trees and set up a task force to tackle the issue.

Mr Paterson, who convened a Cobra crisis committee last Friday to examine the latest developments and co-ordinate action, has also been holding meetings twice daily to discuss the problem with experts.

He told Sky News: "I really want to get the very best ideas to decide how we do handle this disease because the ash tree is a key part of our rural environment."

Ash trees make up around 30% of the UK's wooded landscape.

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Legal Highs: 43 Deaths Linked To Drugs

More than 40 deaths have been linked to a group of now-banned legal highs in 2010 - eight times as many as in the previous year.

The biggest increase related to meow meow, which caused five deaths in 2009 and 29 the following year, the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths report says.

Methcathinones, which have since been made class B drugs, "tightened their grip on the recreational drug scene in western Europe but especially the British Isles", the report said.

Deaths from use of methcathinones - which include mephedrone, commonly known as meow meow - rose to 43 in 2010 from five in 2009, the figures based on information from coroners showed.

Controls on previous legal highs, such as ketamine, piperazines and so-called date-rape drugs GHB and GBL helped reduce their popularity, the report said.

It said: "The rapidity with which these new substances have emerged appears to be at an increasing rate.

"In the past, the market for new psychoactive substances to explore evolved steadily over much longer periods of time.

"It is now difficult to gauge with any certainty what will be the next 'big thing' that will capture the attention of the experimenter or regular recreational drug user."

Overall, drug-related deaths in the UK fell by almost 14% to 1,883 in 2010 from 2,182 the previous year.

Controls on legal highs did reduce their popularity, the reports says

The number of drug-related deaths in England fell to 1,358 from 1,524 in 2009, while in Scotland it fell to 365 from 479, and in Wales they were down to 81 from 102.

In Northern Ireland, the number of drug-related deaths rose to 72 from 65, the figures showed.

In the UK, around three-quarters of deaths were of men (1,386) and three in five were aged 25-44 (1,135).

The highest rate of drug-related deaths per 100,000 population aged 16 and over in 2010 was in Brighton and Hove (14.8), followed by Manchester (13.4), Blackpool and The Fylde (11.8), Fife (10.3) and Lothian and Borders (10).

Professor Hamid Ghodse, director of the International Centre for Drug Policy (ICDP) at St George's Hospital, London, which released the report, warned against complacency.

"There are indications that there is still a general upward trend in fatalities involving emerging drugs such as mephedrone and prescription drugs such as methadone," he said.

"This is a great concern and it is clear that much work is still required in improving access to effective treatment and rehabilitation services, and, most importantly, finding prevention strategies to stop people being at risk in the first place."

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "Any death related to misuse of drugs is a tragedy for the victim, their families and their friends.

"So-called legal highs are not a safer alternative to illegal drugs."

She added: "Our drugs strategy aims to get people off drugs and stay off drugs and from next year, local authorities will be given a ring-fenced public health budget to tackle local public health issues.

"This will offer real opportunities to integrate drug treatment and other local services."

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White Cliffs Of Dover Safe For The Nation

An appeal to safeguard one of England's most treasured natural landmarks has reached its target almost two months earlier than expected.

The purchase of the 0.8 miles of land between Dover and South Foreland Lighthouse will fill in the missing link in a stretch of coastline almost five miles long owned by The National Trust on behalf of the nation.

The trust launched its £1.2m appeal in June. A host of celebrities, including Dame Judi Dench, singer Joss Stone and chef Rick Stein, offered their support to the campaign, which reached its target in just 133 days, with the average donation being around £40.

"This appeal has tapped into something unique, the emotional connection that people have with special places such as the White Cliffs of Dover," said the National Trust's outgoing director general, Fiona Reynolds.

"The trust will now look to enhance the quality of access to this new land and build on some of the fantastic nature conservation work that has been carried out by the team on the ground."

The chalk cliffs stretching east from Dover have stood over dramatic moments in English history, including the first arrival of the Romans and the return of British forces rescued from Dunkirk in the Second World War.

National Trust workers hold up placards of thanks to fund raisers

And they have featured in songs and poetry, most famously the wartime classic (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover - sung by Dame Vera Lynn - and Matthew Arnold's poem Dover Beach.

Alison Burnett, a volunteer on the White Cliffs of Dover team, said: "This chalky stretch of coastline symbolises so much for so many people and it's wonderful to think that we've managed to raise the money so that future generations can enjoy all that this unique place has to offer."

The trust manages the cliffs as chalk grassland, parts of which are grazed by Exmoor ponies to preserve the natural flora and support wildlife such as butterflies.

Although people are already able to walk the cliffs from the visitor centre to the lighthouse, part of the stretch is privately owned and in places arable fields come to the edge of cliffs, leaving just a sliver of land for the coastal path.

By buying the 0.8-mile piece of the coastal jigsaw, the trust will be able to restore the natural habitat, providing more space for species to retreat as the cliffs naturally erode, and connect the trust's existing areas of land.

The trust, which acquired its first stretch of the White Cliffs in 1968, looks after more than 720 miles of coastline around England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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Sellafield Nuclear Waste Storage Warning

Hazardous waste being stored in run-down buildings at Sellafield nuclear plant is posing "intolerable risks to people and the environment", a watchdog has warned.

For more than 50 years, the owners of the Cumbrian nuclear power station have failed to plan how to dispose of radioactive waste, according to a report by the National Audit Office (NAO).

The public spending watchdog said some of the older facilities have "deteriorated so much that their contents pose significant risks to people and the environment".

Operators of the nuclear power station do not know how long it will take to build storage and treatment centres for the hazardous material or how much the final bill is likely to be, the report says.

Sellafield, the UK's largest and most hazardous nuclear site, stores enough high and intermediate level radioactive waste to fill 27 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Sellafield's radioactive waste could fill 27 Olympic swiimming pools

The highest risks are posed by the ponds and silos built during the 1950s and 1960s to store fuel for early reprocessing operations and radioactive waste, according to the report.

A long-term plan to clean up the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority-owned site, which is managed by Sellafield Limited, was agreed last year after an earlier one stalled because it was "unrealistic".

Progress in 12 of the 14 major buildings and equipment projects considered "critical" for reducing risk, which range in cost from £21m to £1.3bn, failed to achieve what they were supposed to and had not provided good value for money, the NAO said.

The report found there "is still considerable uncertainty in the schedules and costs" of the projects.

Margaret Hodge, who chairs the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said: "Projects of this length and ambition are ripe for dithering and delay.

"I am dismayed to discover the clean-up of Sellafield is no different. The authority's revised plan sees critical milestones shunted back by up to seven years.

"After only 10 months of operating under the new plan, performance in 12 out of 14 major projects has been dire.

"Between May 2011 and March 2012, the seven major projects in construction accumulated delays of between two and 19 months.

"My concern is that unless the authority holds Sellafield Limited to a clear and rigorously benchmarked plan, timetables will continue to slip and costs spiral.

"It is totally unacceptable to allow today's poor management to shift the burden and expense of Sellafield to future generations of taxpayers and their families."

Around 240 of Sellafield's 1,400 buildings are nuclear facilities and so far 55 buildings on the site have been decommissioned.

Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, said: "Owing to historic neglect, the authority faces a considerable challenge in taking forward decommissioning at Sellafield.

"It is good that the authority now has a more robust lifetime plan in place but it cannot say with certainty how long it will take to deal with hazardous radioactive waste at Sellafield or how much it will cost.

"Securing future value for money will depend on the authority's ability to act as an intelligent client, to benchmark proposed levels of performance and to provide better contractual incentives for making faster progress towards risk and hazard reduction."

In a statement on its website, Sellafield Ltd welcomed the report and said it was making improvements and "progress"..

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Man Arrested Over David Black Murder

Police investigating the murder of prison officer David Black have arrested a 46-year-old man.

The married father-of-two was gunned down in a high-speed motorway ambush as he drove to work at Maghaberry prison in Co Antrim.

A Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesman said: "Detectives investigating the murder of David Black on the M1 motorway on Thursday November 1 have arrested a 46-year-old man in the Lurgan area."

He was taken to Antrim police station for questioning.

Three men, two in Northern Ireland and one in the Republic of Ireland, have previously been questioned and released by police.

The scene of the motorway ambush that killed David Black

Police believe Mr Black, 52, was killed by dissident republicans.

He is the first prison officer to be murdered by paramilitaries in Northern Ireland in 20 years.

Gunmen travelling in a stolen car fired on the victim's Audi near a junction leading to Portadown, Co Armagh, as he was on his way to Maghaberry.

The vehicle careered off the road and into a ditch.

At Mr Black's funeral at Molesworth Presbyterian Church in Cookstown his daughter Kyra, 17, paid tribute to her "special hero".

Thousands of people paid their respects at Mr Black's funeral

The funeral attracted thousands of people and uniformed prison officers carried the coffin to the church behind a Scottish bagpiper who played a lament.

A prison service hat, gloves and a single cream flower were carried on the Union flag-draped coffin as officers formed a guard of honour.

Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson, Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable Matt Baggott and justice ministers north and south of the Irish border attended.

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Bus And Tube Fares To Rise Above Inflation

London mayor Boris Johnson was today accused of trying to bury bad news as he confirmed above-inflation increases in tube and bus fares.

He announced a 4.2% average increase from January 2 2013 - and said the figure would have been higher had he not managed to secure additional funding of £96m.

The rise is 1% above the rate of RPI inflation when it was measured in July and used as a benchmark for the planned increase and matches the average rises facing national mainline season ticketholders.

Oyster card tube payments were to be frozen but that did not prevent a furious attack from Manuel Cortes, the leader of the TSSA rail union, who said: "Boris deserves a gold medal in cynicism. Not only does he try to bury bad news on the back of Obama's victory, he also jacks up fares at twice the rate of inflation.

"He also manages to break two election pledges into the bargain, by hiking charges for bikes as well as inflation-busting fare increases. He is the Pinocchio of British politics."

The mayor had also confirmed that charges for his "Boris bike" Barclays Cycle Hire scheme would double.

Such a move would see daily hire going up from £1 to £2, weekly access rising from £5 to £10 and yearly membership going up from £45 to £90.

The bike project has suffered financially as the majority of trips are made within the free 30-minute usage charge period but it was confirmed there would be no additional penalties for late return, non-return and bicycle damage.

Mr Johnson said: "Before the end of the year I will spell out further investment on the transport network that will help us to provide faster, more frequent and reliable journeys for Londoners, which is crucial to the economic development and growth that is so vital to our great city.

"This fares package is hugely important to our millions of passengers and I am very pleased to have secured nearly £100m that will help to keep fares as low as possible, and protect the important concessions that we offer the most vulnerable Londoners."

But Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT transport union, said the mayor should have announced a fare freeze.

He explained: "This increase shows that we are still paying off a heavy price for the expensive failure of the PPP (public-private partnership) privatisation disaster.

"It also means that the mayor has no excuse for cutting staff and closing ticket offices as he's lumping on above-inflation fare rises.

"We believe there should be a policy of freezing fares to recognise the tough times people are facing, to increase the use of public transport and to help boost the economy."

His words were backed by Richard Hebditch, campaigns director at Campaign for Better Transport.

He said: "Earlier this week, Boris Johnson rightly received plaudits for his support for a living wage in the capital. His position on public transport is in stark contrast.

"By putting fares up above inflation, he is hitting hard-pressed families in the pocket simply for travelling to work."

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EU Budget: PM Defiant Over Planned Increase

David Cameron has attacked a "ludicrous" rise in the European Union budget ahead of showdown talks with Angela Merkel.

The Prime Minister will meet the German Chancellor at Downing Street - less than three weeks before a crunch summit to determine the next long-term spending plans for Brussels, and after suffering a backbench rebellion in the Commons over Europe.

Mr Cameron, who wants to stay in the EU, backs a real-terms budget freeze - a view shared by Mrs Merkel.

She was among European leaders to sign a letter in 2010 backing a real-terms freeze.

The PM said the arguments were now "even more powerful" for greater EU spending controls.

The Prime Minister is due to head to Brussels for EU budget negotiations

He vowed to demand "with vigour" that Mrs Merkel "stick to" her promise to freeze the budget and said British taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for the problems of the eurozone.

Speaking ahead of the talks during a Middle East trade tour, Mr Cameron said he was looking forward to "frank" discussions with Mrs Merkel.

"I understand the difficulties of the euro but the European Union budget is for all 27 members of the EU and we shouldn't be using the European Union budget to make up for difficulties and problems in the eurozone," he said.

"If the eurozone wants to have its own budget, it should have its own budget. And if they want to have fiscal transfers they can have fiscal transfers, if they want to channel more money to euro members that have difficulties, they can channel more money to euro members that have difficulties. But they shouldn't be using the European Union budget as a proxy for that."

MPs await the EU budget vote result in the House of Commons

On the pending EU summit, the PM said he would make "very robust and strong arguments" for a deal in Britain's interests, but added it was unrealistic to expect to get agreement.

He said: "They are proposing a completely ludicrous 100bn euro (£80bn)increase in the European budget.

"I'll be arguing for a very tough outcome. I never had very high hopes for a November agreement because you have got 27 different people round the table with 27 different opinions."

He continued: "I have always wanted at best a cut, at worst a freeze.

"I feel I am in there fighting for Europe's taxpayers, particularly British taxpayers.

"We have a rebate, we are keeping that rebate. But over and above that rebate I also want to see a good budget outcome for the UK."

Last week Mr Cameron suffered a humiliating Commons defeat when Tory eurosceptic rebels joined forces with Labour to back a non-binding motion demanding a cut to the EU budget.

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April Jones: Man Sentenced For Facebook Posts

An 18-year-old man has been given a six-week suspended sentence for making offensive comments on Facebook about missing girl April Jones.

Sam Busby, a sales adviser from Worcester, was arrested by police after posting grossly offensive sexual remarks on the social networking site.

The teenager pleaded guilty to sending an indecent and offensive message brought under the 2003 Communications Act.

"He told the police that he was an immature teenager and it was an attempt to get some attention," prosecutor Kerry Lovegrove told magistrates in Worcester.

Solicitor Belinda Arris, defending, said Busby felt extremely sorry and ashamed, and was now likely to lose his job.

"He's so, so sorry, he has closed down his Facebook account and no longer engages in any social networking," she said.

Murder suspect Mark Bridger

Magistrates said they had taken into account Busby's early guilty plea and remorse, as they handed him six-week jail term suspended for 18 months.

In a separate case, another Facebook user was recently given a 12-week jail term for a similar offence where comments were made about the five-year-old.

Police are continuing their search for April more than a month after she disappeared in the Welsh town of Machynlleth. She was last seen on October 1.

Mark Bridger, 46, has been charged with abduction and murder.

Ms Lovegrove told the court that Busby's initial post on Facebook was a "joke" about April obtained from another website.

Although other Facebook users urged Busby to stop, he went on to write more offensive comments, prompting a woman to contact police.

After his arrest, Busby said he had been responsible for the comments, and told officers he thought they could only be seen by his friends on Facebook.

Magistrates also ordered Busby to pay an £80 victim surcharge and keep to a 7pm to 7am curfew for eight weeks.

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DC Adele Cashman Death: Two Charged With Theft

Two teenagers have been charged with theft after a female detective chasing suspects collapsed and died.

The 17-year-old boys will appear at Highbury Corner Youth Court on November 14 accused of snatching a mobile phone from a 59-year-old woman in Haverstock Hill, north London.

They allegedly grabbed the handset and ran off. Officers joined the victim in chasing two suspects.

Detective Constable Adele Cashman went to help but she collapsed in Belsize Park Gardens. The 30-year-old was taken to the Royal Free Hospital but died later.

A post-mortem has failed to find a cause of death and the results of further tests are awaited, a Met spokesman said.

Britain's most senior police officer, Met Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe, paid tribute on Tuesday to her bravery.

Flowers were left at the spot where the officer collapsed

He said: "It's a terrible tragedy for Adele's family, it's a terrible tragedy for her colleagues.

"Adele was an eager officer, she was in a crime squad, she was out there chasing criminals, which is I'm sure the reason she joined.

"She was out there being brave, getting stuck in, and then this great tragedy has happened. It is a terrible loss to everybody who knew her."

DC Cashman, who had just returned from holiday, was a response team officer based at Kentish Town police station.

She joined the force in 2006 and was stationed at Wandsworth Borough, where she worked as a police constable, and transferred to Camden in 2010 as a detective.

Acting borough commander for Camden Richard Tucker said: "Adele was a much-loved and wholly dedicated officer.

"We at Camden are completely devastated at her sudden passing and our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends at this tragically sad time."

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Family In Favour Of Savile Exhumation

A nephew of Jimmy Savile has told Sky News that he supports calls to have his uncle's body exhumed from Scarborough cemetery.

Guy Marsden, son of Jimmy's sister Marjorie, says he believes other members of the family would agree that he should be moved and cremated to spare the anguish of other families.

Several families of people buried in the council-owned cemetery say they don't want his body to remain in its prime position above all the other graves at the top of the hill.

Retired nurse June Thornton told Sky that she wants the former television star to be dug up and dumped at sea. Her parents are buried in the cemetery.

Ms Thornton says she witnessed Savile abusing a young female patient at Leeds General Infirmary in the 1970s.

Scarborough Borough councillor Colin Haddington said he hopes the body will be moved and had been asked to take action by the family of a baby buried near Savile.

More follows...

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