L/Cpl James Ashworth Awarded Victoria Cross

A soldier killed protecting his comrades in Afghanistan is to be awarded the Victoria Cross - the UK's top bravery medal, according to Sky Sources.

Lance Corporal James Ashworth's courage was hailed as "beyond words" by friends who served with him until his death last June.

The 23-year-old died in a grenade attack during a fierce battle with the Taliban in Helmand's Nahr-e Saraj district.

He was on foot patrol and battling his way through compounds against enemy fighters when he was fatally wounded.

It is expected that the rare VC award to the soldier from Kettering, Northamptonshire, will be officially announced later this month.

The VC has been awarded 10 times to British soldiers since World War Two and only once for bravery in Afghanistan.

At the time of L/Cpl Ashworth's death, his family said: "We are devastated by the loss of our son, brother, uncle and boyfriend. He meant the world to everyone and has left an irreplaceable hole in our hearts."

The cross was first bestowed during the Crimean War

His father Duane was also a Grenadier Guard, while his younger brother Coran is also a soldier.

He also left behind his mother Kerryann, sisters Lauren and Paige, brother Karl and four-year-old niece Darcy, as well as his girlfriend, Emily.

His company commander, Captain Mike Dobbin, praised the soldier's actions.

He said: "Lance Corporal Ashworth was killed while fighting his way through compounds, leading his fire team from the front, whilst trying to protect his men and he showed extraordinary courage to close on a determined enemy.

"His professionalism under pressure and ability to remain calm in what was a chaotic situation is testament to his character."

Johnson Beharry is the last living recipient of a medal

Guardsman Jordan Loftus also paid tribute to his friend's bravery.

He said: "Selfless, brave, courageous ... words like these don't come close to what Ash demonstrated that day. He will be missed by all as a commander, but most of all a good mate."

L/Cpl Ashworth's Commanding Officer in the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, Lieutenant Colonel James Bowder said: "Lance Corporal Ashworth was an outstanding soldier whose loss has moved us all. A real self-starter, he excelled in everything that he undertook.

"Fit, strong and brilliant at his job, he set the bar very high. Indeed, such was his calmness under pressure, his charisma, and his selflessness that he made an exemplary junior leader."

The previous recipient of the VC in Afghanistan was 29-year-old Corporal Bryan Budd of 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, who died when he single-handedly stormed a Taliban position in Sangin in 2006.

The last living recipient was L/Cpl Johnson Beharry of 1st Battalion the Prince of Wales's Royal Regiment, who twice saved the lives of colleagues under enemy fire in Iraq in 2004.

The medal is the British military's highest bravery award and was first bestowed on troops during the Crimean War in 1854-55.

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'Mumpreneurs' Could Be Lifeline To Recovery

By Poppy Trowbridge, Business and Economics Correspondent

It has been five years since the depths of the financial crash and still the key to kick-starting growth eludes the coalition Government.

The British economy started 2013 with zero momentum, but could more measures to help mums open businesses help get Britain growing again?

According to StartUp Britain, a group that supports entrepreneurs, 60% of small businesses are started from home.

And a growing number of those are being started by women who've left the workforce to have, or care for, their children.

Julia Hunter is a former City bond trader, and mum. Starting a family prompted her to start a business.

"I was looking to start my own business rather than work for somebody else purely because of the family side of things. It is important to me to just be around."

Mum-run companies are contributing a significant amount to the economy already.

According to Mumpreneur UK, there are 300,000 mum-run companies in the UK today.

As a group, they add about £7.4bn a year to the economy. Yet the average startup cash they require is only £500.

That's a low-risk, high-reward ratio that the Chancellor would admire.

Ms Hunter says British business needs more support from the Chancellor. She believes cutting VAT would be one way to encourage enterprise in the upcoming Budget.

Becky Jones from StartUp Britain says big banks and established companies should be encouraged more to support smaller startups.

She told Sky News: "Giving them support at the early stage can be a complete game changer for the life of a small business."

After all, these are the firms that will hire, produce, sell and export - at each stage contributing to the tax that the Government so desperately needs to slowly pay down debt.

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Soldiers More Likely To Commit Violent Crime

By Richard Suchet, Sky News reporter

Young British servicemen - past and present - are three times more likely to commit violent crime than their civilian counterparts.

Using official criminal records, researchers have found that violent offending is particularly common among men under 30-years-old from the lower ranks of the Army.

Of nearly 3,000 men under 30 who have served in the armed forces, nearly 20.6% have a conviction for violence, according to the study published in The Lancet today.

That compares to 6.7% of the same age group in the civilian world.

The report also shows that men who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan are 53% more likely to commit a violent offence than their colleagues in non-combat roles.

"We are suggesting there is a problem that needs to be looked at, but just as with post-traumatic stress disorder this is not a common outcome in military populations.

"Overall, you must remember that of those who serve in combat, 94% of those who come back will not offend," said report co-author Sir Simon Wessely from King's College, London.

According to the figures, those with multiple experiences of combat have a 70% to 80% greater risk of committing acts of violence.

The report acknowledges that those who choose to become a soldier are likely to have a more aggressive disposition than the average person.

Pre-military history of violence, younger age, and lower rank appear to be the strongest risk factors for violent offending.

But alcohol misuse and post-traumatic stress disorder on return from deployment were also found to be strong predictors of violence.

Former Royal Engineer Lewis Mackay returned from Afghanistan in 2010 - he saw his commander lose both legs on the battlefield after stepping on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

He said: "When I came back I got very angry and felt very angry towards my wife.

"In my head she didn't exist whatsoever. If she did something that I didn't think was right I'd feel the urge to lash out and it got to the point where I had to physically sit on my hands to stop myself doing that."

Mr Mackay has now received the help he needed but former SAS serviceman Bob Craft says it's never easy to ask for help.

"The older you are, the better you deal with it. I asked for help and I found help.

"But younger lads who come out refuse to ask for help because it's seen as a weakness, therefore they bottle it up and then they make mistakes," he said.

The study is the biggest of its kind and is released just days before the 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War.

In a statement the Ministry of Defence said: "We are committed to supporting members of our Armed Forces and their families as they return to civilian life post deployment.

"That is why we funded this research and have comprehensive mental health support available before, during and after operations. We also ensure that all personnel go through a thorough period of decompression to help make this adjustment.

"Any violent offence is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by our Armed Forces. If a member of our Armed Forces or their family experiences violence there is a wide range of support and help available to them."

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School Places: Call For 250,000 Extra Spaces

By Gamal Fahnbulleh, Sky News reporter

More than 250,000 extra school places will be needed by next year to meet a continuing surge in demand, the spending watchdog has warned.

The rise in the number of children born in England between 2001 and 2011 was the largest 10-year increase since the 1950s.

This has led to an increase in demand for primary school places.

The Department for Education has increased the funding it provides to local authorities with a net increase of almost 81,500 primary school places in the last two years. More than £5bn has been invested into new school places since 2010.

It is expected more school places will be needed beyond next year

However, there are still indications of a real shortage, the National Audit Office has found.

In May last year just over 20% of schools were full or over capacity despite the more than 80,000 extra places created between 2010 and 2012.

In the next two years 240,000 of the new places needed are in primary schools - 37% in London.

Julian Wood, Study Director at the National Audit Office said: "I think it's important to say that of the 256,000 (places) there has been a year's further work that hasn't been reflected in these numbers.

"The level of funding has increased to something like that which was originally expected to be needed and local authorities are working hard to deliver these places.

"Nonetheless, we think there's an awful lot more that needs to be done to help that money work as efficiently as it can if those 256,000 places are to be delivered."

The report authors say it's important the right amount of money gets to the areas that need it most to prevent part of a younger generation missing out on the first few crucial years of education.

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Ageing Britain: Govt 'Woefully Underprepared'

The UK is woefully underprepared to deal with an ageing population according to a report that has demanded changes to health and social care.

A House of Lords cross-party committee cited figures from the Office for National Statistics which predict a 50% rise in the number of over-65s and a doubling in over-85s between 2010 and 2030.

While agreeing that longer life is a "gift" to be welcomed, the committee said that unless the Government acts swiftly, it can be expected to cause "a series of crises" in society and public services.

The report called on the Government to publish a white paper before the 2015 General Election setting out how England needs to prepare for an older population.

Lord Filkin, chairman of the Lords Committee on Public Service and Demographic Change, said: "The amazing gift of longer life is to be welcomed.

"But our society and politicians need to address the implications, and the changes needed to attitudes, policies and services so people are best able to benefit from it.

"This is not a distant issue; our population is older now and will get more so over the next decade. The public are entitled to an honest conversation about the implications."

The committee called for two cross-party commissions to be set up to report by 2016 on action to be taken to get ready for an older society.

One commission should work with employers and financial services providers to improve pensions, savings and equity release schemes.

The other should look at organisational and funding changes needed in the health and social care system.

The committee said that the current NHS and care system is already "failing" older people and is "inappropriate" to deal with the expected large increase in elderly people, a sizeable proportion of whom will have long-term health conditions.

A Government spokesman said: "We already have an ambitious programme in place across Government to understand and better meet the needs of an ageing population.

"We are making radical changes to our pension system to encourage more people to save for their retirement."

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Potholes: 'Crumbling Road Crisis' Warning

By Becky Johnson, North of England Correspondent

England and Wales are facing a "crumbling road crisis" according to a report that says the cost of repairing all the countries' potholes would be £10.5bn.

The road survey carried out by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) has found one in five local roads is in "poor condition", which is defined as having five years or less life remaining.

Lack of funding for road repair work is blamed by the group, with local authorities in England reporting a shortfall in their annual budgets of £829m.

Rosemarie Dutton broke her leg after tripping up on a pothole while crossing the road in Middlewich, Cheshire, last month.

She told Sky News: "I was checking on the lights that they weren't going to change on me and before I knew it I was down on the floor due to one of the large potholes on the pedestrian crossing.

"Obviously I was in excruciating pain and no-one came to help me - I was amazed."

Mark Morris' son wrote off his car after he hit a pothole and lost control of the vehicle.

He told Sky News: "He hit a pothole which appears to have disconnected the steering of the car.

"As he came down the hill and turned into the bend his steering just hasn't been engaged with the wheel - and the wheel's turned left straight into a lamp post."

Four million potholes have been fixed over the last two years, the LGA says

The Local Government Association (LGA) is calling on Whitehall to free up money and invest it in resurfacing roads.

Councillor Peter Box, the chairman of the LGA, said: "Keeping roads safe is one of the most important jobs councils do and over the past two years they have fixed almost four million potholes - one every 16 seconds.

"Almost half a billion pounds is being taken away from us and our general fund is being reduced by some 30%.

"Now something has to give. It's no good anyone saying 'well, actually, you should be doing this despite the fact that your budget's being cut'."

But the AIA report says there is a mounting cost to councils of not repairing roads. Last year £32m was paid out in road user compensation claims.

It is estimated that poorly maintained roads are costing small and medium-sized businesses £5bn a year in reduced productivity, increased fuel consumption, damage to vehicles and delayed deliveries.

Andy Jennings runs a taxi firm in Sandbach and has recently had to spend £400 repairing the suspension on two of his vehicles

He told Sky News: "Obviously we can't afford to do this at the moment. In times of recession every penny counts."

Local Transport Minister Norman Baker said: "We are providing councils with more than £3bn between 2011 and 2015 to maintain their roads and pavements.

"In December 2012 we announced an extra £215m to help councils get the best out of their road network.  This is on top of the additional £200m we gave to councils in March 2011 to repair local roads damaged by the severe winter weather in 2010.

"It is ultimately up to local highway authorities to determine how they prioritise their funding, but we want to help them get the best value for money.

"That is why we are funding the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme, which helps councils work together to deliver a first-class service to their residents, at the same time as saving money."

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No Smoking Day: Charity Launches 'Hijacking' App

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has pledged to hijack cigarette packs from today - No Smoking Day - by virtually transforming them in smokers' hands into items they could afford if they quit.

The charity is encouraging smokers to "swap fags for swag" by thinking about how much money they could save if they quit.

Someone who smokes 20 cigarettes a day could save £7 a day, £49 a week, £210 a month and £2,555 a year if they kicked the habit, the BHF said.

The charity has developed a new smartphone app, Blippar, which virtually transforms a cigarette pack into a puff of smoke, before revealing items they could afford with a week, month, or year's worth of smoking savings.

This year's BHF No Smokiing Day campaign

Betty McBride, director of policy and communications at the BHF, said: "The tobacco giants are notoriously protective about their slick cigarette packaging - here's a bit of slick that does some good for once.

"We need to up our game if we are going to help people beat their addiction to tobacco by finding new ways to reach out to them."

The new app comes on BHF's 30th annual No Smoking Day. A survey conducted for the 2013 campaign found that 11% of smokers are desperate to kick the habit.

And 82% of 2,000 UK smokers surveyed had tried and failed to quit.

Around one in five people smoke, according to the charity, and the latest data from the World Health Organisation shows that smoking prevalence in Europe is higher than the rest of the world.

A separate poll, conducted on 2,000 ex and current smokers by Pru Health, found that the average smoker spends 11% of income on tobacco.

:: Smokers who want help in quitting are encouraged to visit wequit.co.uk or call 0800 434 6677

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Danny Nightingale: SAS Sniper Awaits Ruling

By David Bowden, Senior Correspondent

An SAS sniper jailed for having an illegal weapon and ammunition he claimed to have "forgotten about" is due to learn whether his conviction will be quashed.

Sergeant Danny Nightingale, who has spent 11 years in the Special Forces and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, was sentenced to 18 months in military custody after pleading guilty to illegally keeping a pistol.

He had been given the weapon as a present by Iraqi forces he had been training, but had no recollection of owning it after suffering a brain injury.

His sentence was cut to 12 months and suspended by the appeal court last November after a campaign by his wife Sally which gathered huge public support for a man described by the appeal court judge as an "exemplary soldier".

Sergeant Nightingale pleaded guilty to the original offence in a military hearing because he says the judge there told him he would get a lesser punishment.

He and his legal team wrongly believed this meant he would receive a non-custodial sentence.

Since his release the highly trained elite soldier has been at home in Cheshire, unable to re-join his regiment whilst awaiting the outcome of his appeal.

Sergeant Nightingale and his wife, Sally, upon his release

"It's very frustrating wanting to do something (but having) no routine," he said.

"And yes, being paid to do not what I'm supposed to do.

"You're trained up to do stuff, and you want to do stuff. You can't stand the futility of not doing it. To be told 'that's it, go and do nothing, you can't do anything'. That's hard."

The situation has meant he has spent a lot of time with his two young daughters, Mara, five, and Alys, two.

"I've probably had more time with my family in the last 18 months than regiment (SAS) guys will have in seven years," he said.

Nightingale is desperate to get back to work and said: "I still love it. It was the proudest day of my life when I passed (the notoriously tough SAS selection course)."

Mrs Nightingale is more circumspect about the possibility of her husband rejoining the SAS as a frontline soldier after his brain injury, which she believes still affects him.

For the time being though, her main concern is winning the court appeal.

"I feel quite nervous, our life is in their hands," she said - while adding that the lawyers are "quite confident" about their chances of success.

Mrs Nightingale feels her husband has been made a scapegoat by the Army and wants to know why, but acknowledges she will probably never get the answers to the questions she wants.

If he does win his appeal and returns to work then it will be more upheaval for his young girls according to Sally

"At some point in the near future he will be going back to work," she said.

"So they've got to get used to that again because they have had dad to take them to school, to pick them up from school, do clubs with them, take them swimming," she said.

"You know, he does all those extra bits while I'm working and doing other things. So they've had a really good time with dad."

All that will stop if the appeal is successful.

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Savile Report: Police Failed Abuse Victims

Police forces across Britain have been criticised for ignoring Jimmy Savile's abuse victims, as it emerged the disgraced presenter's offences dated as far back as 1955.

The earliest record uncovered by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) naming Savile in connection with a sexual abuse investigation is dated 1964, but officers failed to act on the intelligence received.

But a damning report by the Metropolitan Police and the NSPCC said Savile's offending spanned from 1955 to 2009, meaning his reign of abuse could have been cut short by 45 years.

Policing inspectors warned there was a "distinct possibility" that officers could fail to prevent another Savile-like scandal from happening.

Just five allegations and two pieces of intelligence were recorded against Savile during his lifetime, HMIC found.

This is in stark contrast to the 450 claims made against the former Top Of The Pops presenter after Operation Yewtree was launched by the Metropolitan Police in October.

Alan Collins, a solicitor from law firm Pannone who is representing more than 40 of Savile's victims, said many opportunities to investigate Savile had been lost.

"Consequently, Savile was able to carry on regardless, duping the country in the process, and the price was paid by his many victims," he said.

"There is a definite risk that unless policies and attitudes change, Savile will happen again."

As well as the 1964 Metropolitan Police ledger, a record of an anonymous letter was found that was received by the Met in 1998, alleging that Savile was a paedophile.

Savile's offending is believed to have spanned from 1955 to 2009

In addition, five victims made complaints against the presenter - one to the Met in 2003, three to Surrey in 2007 and one to Sussex in 2008.

HMIC expressed concern that other police forces did not deal with complaints properly with eight victims claiming that they tried, unsuccessfully, to report crimes.

These include four who approached the Met and one each who went to police in Cheshire, Merseyside, West Yorkshire and the then Royal Ulster Constabulary.

One man who came forward in 1963 in Cheshire to make an allegation of rape against Savile was told to "forget about it" and "move on", HMIC said.

HM Inspector of Constabulary Drusilla Sharpling said: "The findings in this report are of deep concern, and clearly there were mistakes in how the police handled the allegations made against Savile during his lifetime."

The letter received by the Metropolitan Police Service in 1998 claiming the DJ was a paedophile was classed as "sensitive", meaning other investigators could not find it.

"The 1998 MPS anonymous letter was marked as 'sensitive' because of Savile's celebrity status and because there were allegations of blackmail and paedophilia," the inspectors said.

"This categorisation meant that the intelligence was not readily available to be searched by later investigating officers."

The Met sent the letter to West Yorkshire Police, the area where Savile lived, but other investigators could not access the information until 2011.

Considering whether such abuse on a similar scale could happen again, Ms Sharpling said it was neither "enough nor correct to say this couldn't happen now".

The HMIC report warned that "the inconsistencies in approach that the forces have taken mean that there is a distinct possibility that such failures could be repeated".

Home Secretary Theresa May said: "The public rightly want answers to how victims' voices were ignored for so long. This report brings into sharp focus police failings that allowed Savile to act with impunity over five decades.

A Met Police spokesman said: "All of this needs to be seen in the context of how much we have achieved through our approach to the public response to Operation Yewtree.

"We have seen a step change in the reporting of abuse, with a significant rise in the numbers of people coming forward."

The HMIC report recommended that recently formed professional body the College of Policing should issue guidelines to all police forces about how to deal with investigations of child abuse following the death of the alleged perpetrator.

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Falkland Islanders Vote To Remain British

By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent, in Stanley

The people of the Falkland Islands have voted overwhlemingly to remain British - with only three chosing "No" in a referendum.

The two-day ballot saw 1,513 people answer "Yes" to staying as a British Overseas Territory -  99.8% of those who took part. Just as pleasing for the organisers was a turnout of 92% of eligible voters.

Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the result on Arch Green in the capital Stanley, singing Land Of Hope And Glory and Rule Britannia.

One woman told Sky News: "It sends such a strong message to the world that we've been here for a long time.

"We have the right to determine our own future. How long do you have to live in a country before you're allowed to call it your own?"

The referendum had been organised after a deterioration in relations with Argentina, which claims the Falklands and in 1982 invaded the islands it calls Las Malvinas.

During the war to take back the islands, 255 British serviceman died as well as 655 Argentinians and three locals.

After a period when relations appeared to be warming, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner restated her country's claims of sovereignty and tried to raise the issue both with David Cameron and the UN.

Falkland Islanders during a 'Proud To Be British' march

Even though the government in Buenos Aires dismissed the referendum as illegitimate and refuses to talk to local politicians, the people of the Falklands hope that other countries in South and Central America will be more sympathetic.

Independent monitors from some of those nations confirmed that the poll was free and fair, and without intimidation or interference.

As the counting took place in Stanley Town Hall it quickly became clear the piles of "Yes" votes were growing steadily, while "No" votes could not be seen.

But there was a delay in announcing the result because during counting one vote had gone missing, or had not been counted.

After discussions between the returning officer and election monitors, it was decided it was not worth recounting the votes for a singe missing ballot.

It means the Falklands will continue to run its own affairs, but shelter under the wing of the motherland when it comes to defence and foreign policy.

Falklands' legislators know the referendum will be dismissed by the Argentine government, but one of them, Dick Sawle had this message for President Kirchner.

"Listen, this is what we've said and it's time you respected our human rights," he said.

"It's time you stopped harassing us; it's time you stopped your very aggressive stance towards us.

"We'll be taking that message to various governments and saying 'look, self determination is a fundamental human right, you can't ignore it'. This is what the people of the Falklands have said. Do you have a problem with that?"

Following the referendum result, Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "All countries should accept the results of this referendum and support the Falkland Islanders as they continue to develop their home and their economy. I wish them every success in doing so."

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Antibiotic Resistance 'A Ticking Time-Bomb'

By Richard Suchet, Sky News Reporter

The Government's Chief Medical Officer is warning of "a dreadful future for our children and grandchildren" unless global action is taken to prevent diseases from becoming resistant to antibiotics.

Professor Dame Sally Davies said diseases are evolving faster than the drugs we have to treat them.

In the second volume of her annual report, she described the problem as a "ticking time-bomb" and calls for it to be put on the Government's National Security Risk Assessment register, alongside terrorism and severe weather.

She said routine operations such as hip replacements or organ donations could pose deadly risks in just 20 years' time if we lose the ability to fight infection.

Dame Sally has made 17 recommendations to politicians and policy makers including better hygiene in schools, hospitals, care homes and public places.

Professor Dame Sally Davies

She also called for better protection of our current stock of antibiotics and is urging GPs to prescribe antibiotics only when absolutely necessary.

"We all have a role to play. And as a public we need to accept that many infections that take us to GPs or keep us at home, don't need antibiotics," she said.

"So if a GP says 'no you don't need an antibiotic', please don't demand an antibiotic and put ridiculous pressure on GPs.

"All it's doing is building antimicrobial resistance and we're giving a dreadful future to our children and grandchildren."

A new infectious disease has been discovered every year for the last 30 years but there have been almost no new classes of antibiotics discovered since 1987.

The plan is to "incentivise" pharmaceutical companies to plough resources into research but no decision has been taken on how to do that.

"We have been waiting for the next new antibiotic to come along and treat those resistant cases but the pipeline is drying up," Prof Davies added.

"There are no new classes of antibiotics in the pipelines across the world and there are very few in development.

"That's because we have not, as a global society, incentivised producing antibiotics. We have market failure and we really need to do something about this."

The Chief Medical Officer said the issue should also be considered by the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs because around 50% of antibiotics used in the UK are given to animals.

The Department of Health said it will soon publish the UK Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy setting out a five-year action plan aiming to address the issue.

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Weather: Heavy Snow To Cause Travel Problems

Heavy snowfall across parts of Britain is likely to cause travel disruption, as the possibility of a white Easter looms.

The southern counties of England are expected to take the brunt of heavy, repeated snow showers moving in from the South West.

That will be followed by a second band of wintry weather which will hit eastern and central parts of Scotland and England.

A dusting of snow is expected in all other areas, bringing with it a risk of travel problems for the morning and evening rush hours.

Up to 10cm (4in) will settle in the worst-affected areas, including Kent, Sussex and southern Hampshire, as well as over higher ground in areas like the Pennines, while large areas could see around up to 4cm (1.6in) accumulate.

The snow is expected to fall on Monday and Tuesday, and temperatures will remain below freezing in many areas for the next few days, with minimum temperatures as low as -7C.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning of snow in the South West and yellow warnings across east Scotland and England and in the southern regions, urging the public to be prepared for disruption.

Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: "As well as the snow picture it's going to be a bitterly cold day thanks to those brisk northeasterly winds that will be gusting up to 60mph (96kph) added to the wind chill."

Ladbrokes said they have been forced to slash the odds of snow reappearing across Easter weekend, March 29 to April 1.

On Sunday evening it was even money for snow to fall in any major city, and there is a 4/1 chance it is the coldest Easter on record, the bookmaker said.

Spokeswoman Jessica Bridge said: "The odds of snow falling over Easter are dropping as quick as the temperatures.

"Only a week ago the UK was basking in the sunshine but there's no chance that this month will be the warmest March on record now."

The bookmaker said snow could also play havoc with Cheltenham Festival next week.

Motoring services firm RAC said it expects potential breakdowns to increase by 20% over the next few days and has an increased number of patrols planned.

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Archbishop Warns Benefit Cuts Will Hit Children

The Archbishop of Canterbury has warned the Government that "children and families will pay the price" for cuts to the benefits system.

In his first significant criticism of Government policy, The Most Rev Justin Welby has said that the measures will have a "deeply disproportionate" effect on children.

The Most Rev Welby is among 43 bishops who have written an open letter to the Government condemning its plans.

The comments made in the letter indicate that the archbishop, who will be formally enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral on March 21, will be willing to enter political debate.

His predecessor, Dr Rowan Williams, was strongly criticised for expressing his views about Government policy.

The Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill will cap benefit rises at 1% a year until 2016.

The archbishop said the legislation would remove the protection given to families against the rising cost of living and could push 200,000 children into poverty.

He said: "As a civilised society, we have a duty to support those among us who are vulnerable and in need. When times are hard, that duty should be felt more than ever, not disappear or diminish.

"It is essential that we have a welfare system that responds to need and recognises the rising costs of food, fuel and housing.

Iain Duncan Smith is driving through the benefit reforms

"The current benefits system does that, by ensuring that the support struggling families receive rises with inflation.

"These changes will mean it is children and families who will pay the price for high inflation, rather than the Government."

He added: "Politicians have a clear choice. By protecting children from the effects of this Bill, they can help fulfil their commitment to end child poverty."

Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, is attempting to steer the reforms through.

The Government says the changes are needed to help get spending back under control and create a fairer deal for taxpayers.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: "In difficult economic times we've protected the incomes of pensioners and disabled people, and most working age benefits will continue to increase 1%.

"This was a tough decision but it's one that will help keep the welfare bill sustainable in the longer term.

"By raising the personal allowance threshold, we've lifted two million people out of tax altogether, clearly benefiting people on a low income."

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Sex Trafficking Victims 'Failed' By Authorities

Full Interview With Sophie Hayes

Updated: 1:53am UK, Sunday 10 March 2013

Sophie Hayes speaks to Sky's Richard Suchet about her life as a sexual and domestic slave at the hands of the man she thought was her boyfriend.

SOPHIE: "I'd known my trafficker for five years before I was actually trafficked, from the UK to Italy. We'd become friends. Very good friends. Then I went on holiday ... and ... just that it would be a holiday ... until three days in, he told me that he hadn't waited five years for me to just leave and that actually I was there to work for him as a prostitute, and if I didn't there would be severe consequences."

SUCHET: "So you did?"

SOPHIE: "Yeah I did. The first night I thought 'this isn't real, this can't happen' and really believed that maybe the next day I could say 'actually, I just want to go home now' until ... I saw that he just wasn't the person that I thought he was. Everything that he was, everything that I knew had completely changed.

"He'd become aggressive, violent. Threats against me, threats against my family. My younger brother was only thirteen at the time and he was the one that had all of the death threats ... and ... the night that he told me, he strangled me, pinned me up against the wall, and told me that if I didn't do as I was told, I would be punished."

SUCHET: "Mentally, how do you cope with that? What goes through your head the first day, the second day, the third day? Where does your mind take you?"

SOPHIE: "Total disbelief. So ... going from a world where I had a good job, a relatively happy life, to another world with someone who had pretended to be something that he wasn't ... it just didn't feel like that was possible or that that could really happen. There's no way I could have done what he expected me to do.

"But as the days went on, I knew that actually there was no way out because he told me that he had friends in the police, that if I tried to run then someone would be there to catch me and ... the more .... the more time past ... I knew. I knew I would never escape him, I couldn't run anywhere ... until a few weeks later I just ... I just switched off.

"There was nothing left anymore. I wasn't me anymore and ... the best thing to do was ... just ... pretend it wasn't happening, that it was happening to someone else and ... just accept it."

SUCHET: "So you just switch off inside, do you?"

SOPHIE: "Completely. To begin with, I tried to hold on. I would look in the mirror and just ... want to scream. And I'd see bruises which I'd never had before.

"Until one night everything changed, with one of the men that came. After that night, I just let go. To the point that I stopped caring. Because nothing I could do or say, no matter how many tears, how many screams, nothing would change the situation ... because I was too afraid to run.

"Many people have asked me: 'Why? Why would you not run away? Why would you not ask for help?' ... but he was the person who kept me from asking anybody to help me, knowing that my family were at risk - my younger brother could be taken.

"He'd already taken me to a lake to show me that if I did something wrong, that's where he would take me. He would put a knife to my neck, a gun in my mouth, a gun inside of me. I knew there was no boundary for him. All I was to him was money. Other than that he didn't care."

SUCHET: "Was it always sexual? Or were there other things you had to do, like chores round the house, or looking after him in some other way? Or was it purely a sexual thing?"

SOPHIE: "It's always more than just sexual when someone holds you in that way. I was only allowed to speak when he said that was ok. When I cleaned, it had to be cleaned in a certain way. If I didn't do it properly, he would ... hurt me again. 

"If I cooked in the wrong way, there would be consequences. For example, I tried to make pasta one night and he told me there was too much sauce. So he smashed the plate ahead of me, and cleaned the floor up with my hair and then told me he was going to shave my hair off in punishment because I couldn't clean properly, I couldn't cook properly and what kind of a person was I that couldn't even do the most basic things?"

SUCHET: "I don't think people can really imagine how you end up in a situation like that. I mean, people might think you would see it coming?"

SOPHIE: "The general perception is that this happens to girls from a different country, from poor backgrounds, and that they perhaps should see it coming, when actually it's the opposite.

"The traffickers are professional businessmen. They have been doing this for years. How to groom a girl. How to make somebody feel completely isolated so that you don't see it coming. And then you're at the point that you're so frightened of them that you can't think about anything anymore, you can't do anything anymore and ... there's no other choice. No way of escape. They have you as a total prisoner."

SUCHET: "So how did you get out?"

SOPHIE: "During the time, I'd lost quite a lot of weight, so I'd gone down to about six stone. I was only allowed to eat once a day. I'd had pneumonia twice, a broken shoulder blade, and at the point I came out I'd been really ill.

"I couldn't have sex anymore. Because some nights I would have sex with up to 35 different men and it was just so painful. So I managed to go to a hospital. The hospital kept me there for a week. But they told me I had no passport, no ID, and that I would have to pay 10,000 euros.

"I managed to steal a moment to call my mum and they drove over to come and collect me, and drove me back from Italy, back to the UK."

SUCHET: "So, effectively, you became useless to him? That's how you managed to get out of his sight?"

SOPHIE: "I was still with a client when I managed to go to the hospital. I didn't tell him where I'd gone. He told me after three days of being in hospital that he was taking me out because he'd actually met some Russians, and he was going to take some girls. And ... I don't know whether or not I would have been sold to the Russians.

"And when I did come back to the UK, he took my credit card off me, and booked me a ticket to go back to Italy, and that I had to go back to work. He was never willing to just let me go. He would have just carried on. To him, he said I was a gold mine, and that because I was British I was actually the perfect person because I could stay freely in [Italy], and people paid more for me, so I was the perfect person for him."

SUCHET: "What was the reaction from the authorities when you got back to the UK?"

SOPHIE: "I had quite a challenging time with the authorities when I came back because at that time no one really knew - or understood - actually what is human trafficking and, because they'd never dealt with cases of somebody being British being taken out of the country and then back in, there wasn't really anywhere for me to go, or any real understanding.

"One policeman actually told me: "Well, you won't do that again," which ... just .... again made me lose all faith ... and ... I had no one. I was on my own. I had my mum, and my mum helped me through it. And I just .... had to pick myself up and carry on and try to live a normal life again."

SUCHET: "How did you finally extricate yourself from him?"

SOPHIE: "It turns out he was wanted in this country for an attempted shooting, years back. The police had him under surveillance and had an arrest warrant out for him. In 2008, when he returned to the UK, they performed a stop and search on him - but made it look completely random.

"They obviously knew he'd have fake documents and that they could arrest him on those grounds. And they knew that his fingerprint would then link him to other crimes. They sent me abroad for a week while all that happened so it would look as if I had nothing to do with his arrest. Anyway, he went to prison and was eventually deported back to Albania."

SUCHET: "You seem to me like the most stoic and normal person, if I may say. No one would ever be able to tell what you've been through. But is there a part of you that feels a little bit damaged? Do you ever get over something like that?"

SOPHIE: "This is something that I will never get over. But can I manage it? Yes, it has become more manageable. Although many people still don't know who I really am.

"I still have a lot of physical problems. After he broke my shoulder blade, I still have therapy and I need a lot of treatment on my back. And also ... mentally I have to stay really strong ... because ... something like that can't happen for no reason.

"And this is why I feel I have to try and help other women and other girls who are in the same situation, or could be at risk of that situation. I tell myself a lot that I can't let my past steal my future. And no matter what happened, I am still alive. And regardless of how painful it is, how many memories I have, how many times I cry ... actually it's the future, and the hope, and the hope I bring to others, that keeps me strong."

SUCHET: "Do you still cry about it?"

SOPHIE: "Yeah, if I see things or hear things and generally when I can see another women being abused or beaten - that brings it all back to me. Every day I can still picture how much he hurt me and how much he frightened me. What he made me do, hurts me. What he did to me and what he said to me is the memory that stays with me and the echoes that I can still hear."

SUCHET: "Do you trust men? Do you have problems trusting men anymore?"

SOPHIE: "I ... I would like to believe that I can still have trust in people because I can't allow one person to take over how I feel and how I behave in the future, and dictate how I have relationships. So I really try and make sure it doesn't, again, take over me, and absorb, and change my perception on men."

SUCHET: Where is the man who trafficked you? And do you now feel safe?

SOPHIE: "I don't know where he is. We've tried to locate him and police have markers on him so to speak. Potentially he's in prison (abroad). But no, I will never feel 100% free and safe. He will always be on my shoulder.

"So on a mental level, there's always a part of me that won't be free, that can't escape. But setting up the Sophie Hayes foundation has made me feel like he can't dictate my future. I can take a grip of my future, and, in that sense, I'm now free."

'Sophie Hayes' is not her real name. There are only a handful of people who know both her real name and her dreadful story and she says it's important that she remains anonymous: "Who is Sophie? Almost nobody knows. She could be anybody.

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