Nine Hundred Pigs Killed In Dorset Farm Fire

Up to 900 pigs have died in a major fire which ripped through a piggery at a farm.

Firefighters fought a blaze for up to three hours after being called to Seaborough Manor, near Beaminster, Dorset.

A total of 50 firefighters were on the scene at the height of the fire which swept through the 330ft long piggery, destroying it.

An investigation into the cause is under way.

A spokeswoman for Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze in the roof of the piggery was reported at 6.30am on Friday.

She said: "There was an asbestos roof involved in the fire with no affect to any other properties.

"Crews were at work protecting adjacent piggeries and property."

She added: "There was 100% severe damage to the piggery and sadly approximately 900 pigs lost their lives in the fire."

The blaze is the second in less than a year to hit a Dorset farm piggery and kill large numbers of livestock.

A total of 180 piglets and 18 sows died at Corton Farm in Friar Waddon, Weymouth, when fire engulfed a farming unit in May last year.

The large farrowing unit suffered severe fire damage and none of the pigs survived.

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NHS Drug Plea For Child With Blood Disorder

By Frazer Maude, Sky News Correspondent

The parents of a two-year-old girl with a rare blood disorder fear she faces a "lifetime of hospital visits and dialysis" unless the NHS funds an expensive new drug.

One day in every fortnight, Indie Smith is treated at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for atypical Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (aHUS), a condition shared by only 140 others in the UK.

It causes abnormalities in the immune system that can lead to the development of blood clots in the filters of the kidney. It is incurable and can lead to fatal kidney failure.

She is treated with a drug called eculizumab, which has been given the brand name Soliris by its developers, US based Alexion Pharmaceuticals, and this allows her to live a relatively normal life.

Indie currently has her treatment provided by Alexion as part of a trial that ends in October.

Her problem is that the NHS will not continue to fund her treatment, at a cost of £250,000 a year, despite a Government advisory body recommending the drug be commissioned nationally.

The study by the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services (AGNSS), took two years, and concluded that: "Eculizumab would help save lives and improve the quality of life for children and adults with aHUS."

But the Department of Health has now referred consideration of the use of eculizumab to the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

Indie would need plasma therapy without the drug

Those with the condition, and their families, now fear another long wait for NICE to complete their research, with no guarantee that they will agree with AGNSS about the drugs benefits.

Without the drug, Indie, who has three older brothers, would need plasma therapy for four or five hours a day, five or six days a week.

"It's not right," said Indie's father Gavin. "It shouldn't be about the money. This Government can find money. It can't be about the money, you've got to give her a future."

Indie's mother Clare said: "It's horrible. We shouldn't have to be doing this. We shouldn't be worrying that my daughter is going to be confined to a hospital bed because we can't afford to give her the drug that allows her to be a normal little girl.

"Without it, it'll mean a lifetime of hospital visits and dialysis."

The Department of Health told Sky News: "We understand this news will be disappointing for patients who suffer from atypical Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome, but we need to make sure NHS resources are being used wisely.

"We have asked NICE to further explore eculizumab's suitability for national commissioning and provide guidance to the NHS."

The Smiths are already planning for the worst - and end of the trial treatment, with no NHS funding to continue it - by fundraising and campaigning.

They have a website and have already visited Downing Street to ask for the Prime Minister to intervene and overturn the Department of Health's decision.

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Injured Teachers Receiving Millions In Payouts

Teachers have been awarded record compensation payouts totalling tens of millions of pounds over workplace injuries, new figures show.

One secondary school teacher was awarded more than £382,000 after his arm was slammed in a filing cabinet, while another won £240,000 after working in a poorly ventilated workshop for a decade, according to information published by teaching unions.

The payouts last year included settlements paid to teachers who tripped or slipped at school.

The NASUWT teaching union said it secured a record £15.6m for its members last year, almost 24% more than in 2011.

Its largest work-related criminal assault payout was for a 45-year-old school worker in the North East who intervened to help a colleague who was being attacked by a pupil.

He was kicked by the youngster and attacked by another student from behind. He was later awarded £268,787 including damages.

A 39-year-old technology teacher from the east of England received a settlement worth £240,000 after working in a poorly ventilated workshop left him with allergies and sinus problems.

A third teacher, from Northern Ireland, slipped on a patch of moss, breaking her leg in two places and dislocating her ankle. She was awarded £66,291.

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: "Behind every one of these cases is a person who has been damaged physically or mentally, either because of injury or unfair dismissal."

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) does not release an overall figure for the amount of compensation won on behalf of its members.

One of its members, a secondary school teacher in the South West, was awarded £382,930 in a Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) case after a pupil slammed his arm in a filing cabinet while trying to grab a confiscated football.

The teacher was unable to carry on working.

In another CICA case, a teacher from the same region had their arms and legs pinned together by a pupil in a minibus. The minibus door opened and the teacher fell out, leaving them with a back injury and psychological trauma.

The teacher was awarded £279,381.

There were also settlements for teachers who suffered personal injuries.

One teacher from the London area was given a payout worth £13,500 after tripping on loose carpet and fracturing her elbow, while another from the Yorkshire area got £9,000 for fracturing her elbow when she slipped on an "unusually shiny" classroom floor, the NUT said.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) said it had secured more than £4.3m for members last year in work settlements plus around £1.2m for injured members and their families.

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Girl Found Abandoned In Pram: Hunt For Parents

Police are appealing for help in tracing the parents of a young child who was found abandoned in a pram in Carlisle.

The little girl was discovered after police were called to a disturbance in Warwick Road at around 11pm on Thursday.

They were contacted by the anxious inhabitants of a house who told them someone had rang their doorbell repeatedly.

When officers arrived they found the pram with the girl, believed to around three years old, inside.

There was no trace of her parents, who are being urged to contact detectives immediately.

The child, who has been taken into temporary care, is said to be well.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Cumbria Police on 101.

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Snow: Fed Up Brits Head For Sunnier Climes

Some 1.7 million British holidaymakers are expected to head overseas for the Easter weekend, with Spain, Egypt and Tunisia being the most popular destinations.

As the UK suffers one of the coldest Easters on record, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) says there have been substantial year-on-year increases in last minute bookings to warm destinations.

Meanwhile, as many in the UK are looking to escape the snow, skiers are delighting in one of the best European snowfalls in years.

Many ski resorts have extended their seasons and tens of thousands are expected to head for the slopes, with resorts in France and Austria being the most popular.

Some 600,000 passengers are expected to fly out of Heathrow this Easter

Foreign city breaks are also traditionally popular at Easter with Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, Rome and New York the top five choices. 

Bookings for UK breaks are reportedly healthy as many customers booked months in advance and city breaks are not so dependent on the weather.

But last minute bookings for camping holidays will have been adversely affected by the snow.

Neil Evans, who runs a kiosk in Weston-super-Mare, said: "Unfortunately, without the sun we would expect our sales to be right down on last year when it was that much hotter.

Regional airports and ferry terminals are expected to be busier than usual

"It's the start of our season so this is the time when we really need it basically. This is when we get our surge and need to bring our stocks in - and without the customers down here unfortunately that's going to be delayed a little bit longer."

Airports are expecting significant passenger numbers to pass through their terminals with some 600,000 anticipated to leave from Heathrow, 214,000 from Gatwick, 110,000 from Stansted and 55,000 from Luton. 

Other regional airports, ferry terminals and the channel tunnel will also be extremely busy over the weekend. Eurostar expects tens of thousands of travellers to leave the UK on its trains.

Heavy snow in parts of the UK has encouraged many to book holidays abroad

ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer said: "After two wet summers and no end in sight to the winter many Brits are desperate for some sunshine.

"We've seen a surge in last minute bookings to warm destinations and ski lovers are also in for a treat with some of the best snow conditions seen for years.

"Bookings for city breaks have been strong for domestic holidaymakers. We expect it to be a particularly busy Easter for travel and advice travellers to allow plenty of time for their journeys."

The freezing weather in the UK is expected to last until after the Easter weekend.

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Parents Of Suicide Teen Call For Law Reform

By Becky Johnson, North of England Correspondent

The parents of a 17-year-old who were unaware he had been arrested for drink driving before he killed himself are calling for a change in the law.

Nick and Jane Lawton were not told their son, Joseph, had been held by police or that he had spent a night in a cell.

They say it is an anomaly in the law that 17-year-olds are treated as adults when arrested but as children if they are charged.

Joseph shot himself after he was arrested for drink driving

Being treated as adults means police do not have to tell parents of 17-year-olds they have been arrested or offer them the opportunity to have an adult present during interviews.

Joseph Lawton had just passed his driving test when he went to a party near his home in Disley, near Stockport.

He had taken the train but decided to drive back from the station. His parents thought he was staying the night with friends.

His father, Nick, told Sky News: "He made a bad decision and he chose to drive and he was stopped and breathalysed. He failed the breathalyser and he was arrested."

His parents said when he returned home he did not mention what had happened and he had told his friends he had got away with it.

Three nights later, when he was alone at home, he shot himself with a gun from the family farm. His father found him in the lounge. He was the couple's only child.

His mother, Jane, said: "The charge sheet was in front of him telling us that was why he'd done what he did; and that was the first thing that we knew."

Joseph had left notes for his parents, best friend and girlfriend. His father said: "When we read his letters eventually they confirmed it. He just thought that he'd closed the door to his future.

His parents believe he could be alive today if the law had been different

"But when you think that if we'd had a phone call from the police while he was in the police station - one phone call - I'd have been straight down there.

"I would have spoken to him - I would have told him, supported him, told him that it's not the end of everything - 'you're still going to university, you'll still get a job. 'Things might be a little bit more difficult but at the end of the day we'll be able to get through it'.

"But we weren't given that opportunity."

Joseph's mother added: "We firmly believe that if Joe had contacted us, if we'd have been able to speak to him, he'd still be alive today."

The Lawtons are being supported by the parents of Edward Thornber who killed himself aged 17 after he was summoned to court for possessing cannabis worth 50p.

Today the families will hand a 52,000-signature petition in to Downing Street. A judicial review into the issue is ongoing.

Lawyer Shauneene Lambe, who works for the charity Just For Kids Law, told Sky News: "As it stands, at the moment, 17-year-olds are treated as if they are adults when they go to the police station.

"If they are sent to court, if they were charged for example, they would go back to being treated like children in the court system.

"So there's an anomaly within the police station, that we believe should be changed."

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Energy Bill Hikes 'Cut By Efficiency Schemes'

A new report claims government policies helping to insulate homes and promoting the installation of more energy efficient boilers are reducing the rise in gas and electricity bills.

Savings generated from energy efficiency policies are already having an impact and will increase over the next decade, the report from the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has said.

Household dual fuel bills are estimated to be on average 5%, or £64, lower now than they would be without these policies, it adds.

By 2020, average household energy bills will have risen by 6% in real terms but will be 11% or £166 lower than without the policies.

Nearly half of the average household dual fuel energy bill, £598, is made up of fossil fuel prices, with the second largest cost attributed to networks costs or transport or distribution of energy.

The report showed 85% of the rise in household bills between 2010 and 2012 was from wholesale energy costs and network costs.

Household energy consumption has been on a downward trend since 2005 partly because of the energy efficiency measures.

The freezing weather has raised concerns about gas supplies

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said: "Global gas price hikes are squeezing households. They are beyond any Government's control and, by all serious predictions, are likely to continue rising.

"We are doing all we can to offset these global energy price rises, and while we have more to do, this new study shows our policies are putting a cushion between global prices and the bills we all pay."

Steve Radley, policy director at EEF, the manufacturers' organisation, said: "This is a  wake-up call. Policies are already adding 30% to business electricity prices, and this will rise to 50% by 2020 and 70% by 2030.

"Measures to shield the most energy-intensive industries from a portion of the costs will make a difference but, unless we get a grip on spiralling policy costs, steeply rising electricity prices for the rest of the sector risk making the UK an increasingly unattractive location for industrial investment and undermining efforts to rebalance the economy."

Caroline Flint, shadow energy and climate change secretary, said: "The Government's underhand attempt to mask the real impact of its policies on families' energy bills is shameful. At a time when hard-pressed families and pensioners are seeing their incomes squeezed, only this out-of-touch Government could expect people to fork out thousands of pounds on new TVs, fridge freezers and washing machines.

"Instead of cooking the books to trick people into thinking their energy bills will be lower, ministers should get behind Labour's plans to overhaul the energy market and deliver fair prices for the public."

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Dog Attack: Tributes To Jade Lomas-Anderson

Tributes have been paid to a 14-year-old girl who is thought to have been killed by a pack of "aggressive and out-of-control" dogs.

Jade Lomas-Anderson's body was discovered with wounds consistent with a dog attack at a house shortly after 2pm on Tuesday, following reports she was unconscious.

It is thought the teenager was visiting the property in Chaucer Grove, Atherton, near Wigan, and was alone with the four dogs - two bull mastiffs and two Staffordshire bull terriers.

Jade was described as "shy" by friends (Pic: Facebook tribute page)

The animals were later shot by police marksmen and a fifth was contained.

A post-mortem examination was due to take place on Tuesday night. The dogs' remains will also be examined as part of the investigation, police said.

A Greater Manchester Police (GMP) spokesman said: "Officers attended and found the body of a 14-year-old girl.

Two of the dogs were Staffordshire bull terriers similar to this one

"They were confronted by a number of dogs that were aggressive and out-of-control."

Superintendent Mark Kenny said: "First and foremost, our thoughts are with the family of the girl who has tragically lost her life. Specialist officers are offering them every support.

"While our inquiries to find out what happened are ongoing, this girl's injuries are consistent with her having been attacked by dogs.

"I understand this is an extremely distressing incident for all concerned, including the community, and we will work hard to establish the full circumstances that led to this tragedy."

Friends paid tribute to the "quiet" and "timid" teenager, who is thought to have returned to the property from the shops with a meat pie when she was attacked.

Locals said Jade was visiting the property to see a friend, Kimberley Concannon, 16, who lives there with her twin Catrina and mother Beverley Concannon.

A policeman stands guard outside the house in Atherton, near Wigan

Youngsters who knew Jade said they had spoken to Kimberley's twin sister, Catrina, who was not at the property when the dog attack happened.

One 15-year-old said of Jade: "She goes to my school in the year below.

"She's shy, quite timid, if you didn't know her you wouldn't recognise her around and about. It's horrible what's happened.

It is believed Jade was attacked by four dogs (Pic: Facebook tribute page)

"She picks her little sister up Sienna from school, every day and walks past my house.

"She had a pie in her hand and has gone to bite it, she moved the pie and the dog's gone for her throat and then they have all gone for her."

Another friend said the dogs at the house were large and aggressive animals.

Jade had reportedly gone to visit a friend (Pic: Facebook tribute page)

"Every time you walk past the house they would be barking and barking and going mad," she said. "You would jump out of your skin."

Jade was a pupil at Fred Longworth High School in Tyldesley, which closed for the Easter break last Friday.

A message on the school's Twitter feed said: "This afternoon we sadly lost one of our students, Jade Anderson. Our thoughts are with her parents and family."

More than 4,500 people joined a Facebook group created to pay tribute to Jade, including the aunt of a four-year-old boy who was killed by a banned breed of dog.

John-Paul Massey died at his grandmother's house in Liverpool after suffering "massive injuries" inflicted by a pitbull.

Tricia Massey wrote on Jade's page: "Such a tragic thing to happen. I know what your poor family must be going through and how they are feeling, I lost my four-year-old nephew three years ago.

"He was killed by a dangerous dog in Liverpool. Something needs to be done about these aggressive animals.

"Sleep tight Jade, I'm sure my John-Paul will look after you."

Natasha Hunt posted: "RIP my beautiful baby girl! Don't know what I'm going do without you!

"Love you loads, you will never be forgotten, you will always be in my heart."

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Snow: Fifth Day Without Power For Thousands

Costs Rise As Lambs Brought Indoors

Updated: 11:46pm UK, Monday 25 March 2013

By Frazer Maude, North of England Correspondent

The Dean family have been farming in the Yorkshire Dales village of Threshfield since 1236.

Toft House Farm will have seen some harsh winters through the centuries, but weather like this in late March won't have happened too often.

Angus Dean runs the farm with his brother, and during lambing season his day starts at around 5.30am. It doesn't end until past midnight.

With almost 1,000 sheep to care for, this is one of the toughest, but most rewarding, times of year.

The rewards are plain to see. He's gentle with his animals, and still can't hide the smile on his face as he delivers triplets to one sheep in its straw lined barn.

Ordinarily though, these lambs would enter the world in a field, not a barn. Their mother would be eating fresh grass, not expensive feed (called cake).

Drifting snow, biting winds, and sub-zero temperatures, mean the three new arrivals would struggle to last even a few hours outside.

"Even in the fields which aren't totally covered in snow aren't usable at the moment," explains Mr Dean.

"Because the sheep need the shelter provided by the dry stone walls. Only there isn't any shelter, because the walls are where the drifts have collected."

That means all but 70 of the flock have been brought indoors to lamb. Those that are still outside are ewes that are only going to have a single lamb, and so won't be giving birth for another couple of weeks.

If the weather doesn't break before then, they'll be brought inside too.

"Having the sheep inside might seem easier," said Mr Dean.

"But it can lead to confusion between the sheep over whose lambs are whose. So we have to move them around into different pens to keep them separated. And of course the feed costs are massively increased."

But even though his sheep are costing much more to feed than if they were eating grass (the cake costs around £250 per tonne), at least Toft House Farm is accessible at the moment to have the feed brought in.

Others aren't so lucky. Rachael Gillbanks from the NFU says: "I've spoken to some farmers in the Dales who are worried that their feed stocks are running dangerously low, and they can't get any more delivered because the farm roads aren't accessible for the delivery trucks. Several are almost running out of cake and hay."

The good news for Angus is that this has been a good year for the lambs. The quantity and quality of the offspring from his mixed flock of Texels, Mules, Swaledales and Leicester Blues has been high, and prices at the moment are reasonably good.

But with hundreds of sheep yet to give birth, and with space in the sheep sheds at a premium, for Angus, and his neighbours, the thaw can't come soon enough.

But like all Dalesfolk, Mr Dean and his brother are nothing if not resilient. And tough though it is at the moment, a farm that could bounce back after losing the entire flock to the devastation of foot and mouth, will surely survive this

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Mobile Phone 'Steaming' Thieves Are Jailed

A gang of youths who stole mobile phones and tablets worth £150,000 by "steaming" high street stores in broad daylight have been jailed.

The group of males, aged 15 to 22-years-old, raided 42 Carphone Warehouse stores in London and surrounding areas over a six-month period.

Jahreau Shepherd, Perry Hedges (top) and Emmanuel Kakala and Ugo Wilson

CCTV footage showed shoppers and members of staff being caught in the violence as gang members wrenched stock from display stands.

In one clip a frightened mother is shown rushing to pick up her son before he is caught up in the gang's dash for the exit.

The youths caused over £50,000 worth of damage between July and December last year.

They typically operated in a large group, travelling together to the shop they planned to steal from.

They were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court after admitting conspiracy to commit burglary.

Detective Inspector Mark Loving, from the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit (NMPCU), said: "This case should act as a warning to anyone involved in this type of activity that the Met and NMPCU will robustly and swiftly deal with those who use intimidation to fulfil their greed."

The gang smashing up one shop

Jahreau Shepherd, 22, of Orsett Street, Lambeth and 21-year-old Ugo Wilson, of Aviation Drive, Barnet, were jailed for four years and 27 months respectively.

Perry Hedges, 18, of Howard Road, Kingston, was sentenced to 26 months' detention in a young offenders' institution.

Emmanuel Kakala, 18, of Cargreen Road, Croydon was given a suspended 18-month prison sentence and ordered to do 80 hours of community service, while 20-year-old Samuel Warnes, of Egleston Road, Merton, received a suspended 12-month prison sentence and one year's supervision.

Three boys, aged 15, 16 and 17, were all sentenced to detention and training for 10, 18 and 12 months respectively.

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