Brakes Slammed On 'Over-Zealous Spy Cars'

Councils in England will be banned from using CCTV "spy cars" to impose fines on drivers breaking traffic rules, the Government has said.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the move "reins-in over-zealous parking enforcement practices" that have been used as a "cash cow" by local authorities.

The ban will now become law through the Deregulation Bill, following a three-month consultation.

Tickets will have to be fixed to the windscreen by parking wardens, making it illegal for councils to issue penalty charge notices to drivers using just the CCTV spy cars.

But councils will still be allowed to use cameras along "critical routes", such as schools, bus lanes, bus stops, and red routes, where traffic must be kept moving for safety reasons.

Traffic wardens will have to fix penalty notices to windscreens

Mr Pickles, who has long-called for the ban, told Sky News: "We don't want them used to raise money. The priority if for them to be used for public safety and to cut congestion."

He added: "CCTV spy cars can be seen lurking on every street raking in cash for greedy councils and breaking the rules that clearly state that fines should not be used to generate profit for town halls.

"Over-zealous parking enforcement and unreasonable stealth fines by post undermine the high street, push up the cost of living and cost local authorities more in the long term.

"Today the Government is taking urgently needed action to ban this clear abuse of CCTV, which should be used to catch criminals, and not as a cash cow."

The Government says nine million parking fines are issued every year by local authorities in England. 

Local authority revenue from parking in England rose from £608m in 1997 to £1.3bn by 2010, it adds.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "These measures will deliver a fairer deal for motorists, ensuring that parking enforcement is proportionate, that school children are protected and buses can move freely, and that key routes are kept clear."

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Colchester Student Murder: Suspect Released

Detectives investigating the brutal murder of a Saudi Arabian student in Colchester have released a 19-year-old man they were questioning.

Nahid Almanea was stabbed 16 times while walking along a path in Colchester, Essex, on Tuesday morning.

The 31-year-old had been taking an English language course at the University of Essex as part of her studies for a life sciences PhD.

Police have increased the number of patrols in the city since the attack

Police released a CCTV picture of Ms Almanea taken moments before her death and a map of her likely route from the home she shared with her brother to the spot on the Salary Brook trail where her body was found.

Police said the man was arrested on Friday in connection with a separate assault after a female jogger claimed a man had approached her and tried to grab her near Peache Road on June 19.

Officers said the man has now been released from police custody, no further action against him is planned, and he has been eliminated from their inquiries.

Ms Almanea was captured on CCTV moments before she was killed

Earlier, investigators promised to "unrelentingly" pursue all lines of inquiry in the hunt for the foreign student's killer.

Chief Inspector Richard Phillibrown, the town's area commander, said: "I see this murder as an attack on the entire community of Colchester and I believe we will all pull together to respond to it.

"I am confident that the vast majority of people in this town will pay no attention to those trying to stir up trouble."

Police were investigating whether Ms Almanea's clothing - an abaya robe and hijab headscarf - was a factor in the stabbing, but stressed they did not know for sure.

Officers have warned local people not to go out alone and to be vigilant

Officers warned that jumping to such conclusions would be "deeply unhelpful, wrong and dangerous" and that there were likely other possible motives.

Officers called for calm, warned local people not to go out alone and to be vigilant, as they confirmed they were investigating threats of revenge attacks on social media.

They said the fact that Ms Almanea was stabbed multiple times bore "obvious similarities" to the murder of James Attfield, a vulnerable man with brain damage who was stabbed more than 100 times in a park in Colchester in March.

But police have stressed the cases remain separate investigations.

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Benefit Claims 'Fiasco' For Sick And Disabled

By Becky Johnson, Sky News Reporter

A Government welfare scheme has been branded a "fiasco" for leaving thousands of disabled people waiting months for payments.

An influential group of MPs said the new Personal Independence Payment (PIP) had left vulnerable people unnecessarily distressed.

They said the scheme, which replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for working age people last year, had been rushed through, with a "shocking" impact on the lives of claimants.

PIP was introduced by the Government to help simplify the welfare system.

Claimants can receive between £21 and £138 a week but must attend an assessment to calculate the level of support they are entitled to.

However, Margaret Hodge, who chairs the cross-party Public Accounts Committee, said: "The implementation of PIP has been nothing short of a fiasco.

"The Department for Work and Pensions has let down some of the most vulnerable people in our society, many of whom have had to wait more than six months for their claims to be decided.

"The personal stories we heard were shocking. We heard evidence of a claimant requiring hospital intervention as a result of the stress caused by the delays suffered."

Stephanie Kendrick, 43, from Buckley, Flintshire, developed a condition last year that makes it difficult for her to walk.

She had to give up work and applied for PIP in August last year.

She was told it would take between eight and 10 weeks but a series of delays meant it took eight months for the payments to be agreed.

She told Sky News it put such a strain on her finances she and her husband had to put their house up for sale.

"I've had to live off food parcels from my family ... we've relied on relatives and friends who have bought milk and bread, just ... to make sure we can pay the gas and the electric," she said.

The Government denied it had let vulnerable people down.

Mike Penning, the minister for disabled people, said: "New PIP includes a face-to-face assessment and regular reviews to ensure support goes to those who need it most.

"The PAC report is based on old statistics. I've introduced a faster process for people with terminal illnesses, with clearance times reducing to our target of 10 days.

"A higher proportion of people are getting the highest rate of financial support for daily living under PIP than DLA."

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Ian Wright's MBE Taken By Armed Burglars

Former England international Ian Wright's MBE was among prized possessions taken from his home by an armed gang.

The ex-Arsenal striker's wife was held at knifepoint during the attack at their home in St John's Wood, northwest London, while he was working as a World Cup pundit for ITV in Brazil.

He is now back at home after arriving at Heathrow Airport on Thursday.

Wright described his family's ordeal, saying it left him "really upset and angry".

He told The Sun: "There was a knock on the door - it was around 9.15pm, not even dark outside, so Nancy felt safe answering.

"As soon as she opened the door, they barged in, four of them wearing masks and holding Stanley knives.

"Next thing they were holding a knife to her throat and yelling at her to show them where our safe is."

The couple's two children were asleep in a separate room while all this was happening, Wright said.

Ian Wright's home in northwest London

He told the newspaper that the men threatened to cut off his wife's fingers and then do the same to his children as the gang became "louder and more desperate".

"She was even physically dragged upstairs as they thought the safe was up there," he said.

"Then they dragged her back down and forced her to hand over the key.

"She was begging them to stop shouting - she was saying 'I'll open the safe so long as you stop pushing me around and yelling'.

"They were out of control and hysterical - Nancy was calm."

Other items taken in the burglary included cash and a number of rare watches owned by Wright.

Police are carrying out house-to-house inquiries and are reviewing CCTV.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Gornall, of the Metropolitan Police, said yesterday: "We are trying to trace these four men, and I'd ask anyone who may know anything to get in touch with my team and help us.

"Fortunately no one was injured during the burglary, but it is still very frightening to have people force their way into your home and threaten you."

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Flood Defence Funding Is At 'Bare Minimum'

Funding for clearing rivers, routine dredging and maintaining existing flood defences is at a "bare minimum", MPs have warned.

A report on the winter floods, which saw 7,000 homes hit after repeated storms and the wettest winter on record, has called for maintaining flood defences over cost-cutting.

The Parliamentary Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) committee said the funding for maintenance work needed to keep up with an increased risk caused by more frequent extreme weather events.

MPs urged the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to draw up fully-funded plans to address a backlog of maintenance work and maintain flood defences.

A submerged car after winter storms caused flooding on the Somerset Levels

Committee chairwoman Anne McIntosh said: "We have repeatedly called on the Government to increase revenue funding so that necessary dredging and watercourse maintenance can be carried out to minimise flood risk, yet funding for maintenance remains at a bare minimum.

"Ministers must take action now to avoid a repeat of the devastation caused by the winter floods.

"The Government needs to recognise the importance of regular maintenance work and put it on an equal footing with building new defences."

The Environment Agency was criticised for failing to carry out dredging on rivers when the Somerset Levels flooded during the winter.

Dredging operations began on the River Parrett in Somerset in March with extra funding from the Government.

The report added: "The avoidance of flood events that devastate communities should, as far as is possible, take priority over cost-cutting."

It welcomed £270m of additional funding for tackling flooding, but said £130m of that had been reallocated from elsewhere in the Defra budget.

Shadow environment secretary Maria Eagle said: "In February David Cameron said 'money was no object' when it came to flood defence funding, yet today the select committee says that the funding the Government describe as additional is actually only reallocated."

An Environment Agency spokesman added: "We review our maintenance programme to make sure we spend taxpayers' money where it is most effective and are working with Defra on several pilot projects aimed at making it easier for farmers and landowners to undertake watercourse maintenance."

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'True Brits' Must Speak English, Survey Finds

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

People in the UK have tougher attitudes towards immigration and welfare and have set a higher requirement for what it takes to make a person British, according to a new survey.

The British Social Attitudes survey found 95% of people thought to be "truly British" you must speak English - up from 86% in 2003.

It also found more than three quarters of people - 77% - say you must have lived in Britain for most of your life, while 51% said "true Brits" must have British ancestry.

Some 74% also said it is important to be born in Britain.

Under that definition Boris Johnson, a potential future Prime Minister, Prince Philip - the husband of the Queen - and iconic stars Joanna Lumley and Cliff Richard would all be counted as non-Brits.

74% of people say Brits should be born in the UK, ruling out Joanna Lumley

The study also reveals that 61% of people believe EU immigrants should have to wait three years for access to welfare benefits.

That flies in the face of David Cameron's attempt to be tough on immigration by setting the limit at three months.

And it will raise concerns about the possibility that UKIP could continue with the electoral success it experienced in May when it topped the polls in the European elections.

The 31st NatCen Social Research British Social Attitudes survey also found that almost a quarter of Britons think the main reason immigrants come to this country is to claim benefits.

And only 27% think legal immigrants who are not British citizens should have the same rights as the rest of the country - down from 40%.

Penny Young, chief executive of NatCen Social Research, said: "In an increasingly diverse, multi-cultural country, we might expect people to be more relaxed about what it means to be British, yet the trend is going in the opposite direction.

"It is now harder to be considered British than in the past and one message comes through loud and clear, if you want to be British, you must speak English.

"And as we debate whether UKIP's vote will hold up in the General Election, British Social Attitudes shows that the public is yet to be convinced that politicians have got a grip on immigration.

"They want tougher rules on benefits and many are unaware of the policies that are in place to control immigration."

The study suggests Mr Cameron's hope to teach British values in schools might not be successful, as many people believe Britishness is something people need to be born with - and cannot go on to acquire.

The Prime Minister wants to mark the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta next year with a new drive on British values in schools.

It follows a scandal in Birmingham with allegations of a co-ordinated plot to push Islamic teaching into British state schools.

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Forced Marriage Becomes Criminal Act In UK

A new law criminalising forced marriages which comes into effect today could protect thousands of potential victims.

Forcing someone into marriage in England and Wales will carry a maximum seven-year jail sentence under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

The change also criminalises forcing a British national into marriage outside the UK.

Home Secretary Theresa May said: "Forced marriage is a tragedy for each and every victim, and its very nature means that many cases go unreported.

"I am proud to say that the UK is already a world-leader in the fight to stamp out this harmful practice with the Government's Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) working hard to tackle this terrible practice in the UK and overseas."

Mrs May has joined anti-child marriage charity Freedom, police, the Crown Prosecution Service and a victim of forced marriage in a Freedom2Choose campaign video.

A forced marriage is where one or both spouses do not consent and are coerced into it through physical, psychological, financial, sexual or emotional pressure.

The Home Office has said the FMU gave advice or support in a possible forced marriage to more than 1,300 people in 2013.

Freedom founder Aneeta Prem said: "In the most tragic cases, people forced into marriage become domestic slaves by day and sexual slaves by night.

"Today's announcement sends out a powerful message that this indefensible abuse of human rights will not be tolerated."

Last week, the NSPCC said children as young as 12 were calling ChildLine about forced marriage, with numbers up two-thirds in the last year.

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McCanns In Portugal To Speak At Libel Trial

The parents of missing Madeleine McCann have been granted permission to appear at the trial of a former police chief, who they are suing for libel over claims he made in a book.

Kate and Gerry McCann will appear at Lisbon's Palace of Justice, where they are expected to deliver emotional statements in the trial of Goncalo Amaral.

They were originally told they could not make statements to the trial, but the decision was overturned at appeal.

Their appearance will mark the end of the trial against Mr Amaral, but a final ruling is not expected until later in the year.

The McCanns claim Mr Amaral's 2008 book The Truth Of The Lie included allegations they had hidden Madeleine's body after she died in an accident and faked an abduction which damaged the search for the missing girl and added to their anguish.

Scotland Yard officers carried out searches around Praia da Luz last week

Madeleine disappeared from her parent's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007, as Kate and Gerry dined at a nearby restaurant with friends.

In October, Mr McCann's sister Trish Cameron told the libel trial the couple's pain was "multiplied 100 times" by the book.

If the court rules against Mr Amaral, the McCanns could receive around £1m in damages.

Last week, they said the failure of police officers to find evidence relating to their missing daughter during recent searches in Praia da Luz "reinforced" their belief that she could still be alive.

They said: "As parents of a missing child, we have always wanted all reasonable lines of inquiry to be followed and it is gratifying to know that a substantial amount of work will take place over the coming months with the close co-operation of the British and Portuguese authorities.

"We would like to thank all those involved for their efforts and the members of the public who have come forward with information."

Scotland Yard officers, working alongside Portuguese police, carried out searches in areas around the Algarve resort town.

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