PM pledges help for flood victims
THE Prime Minister promised the Government would “ensure everything is being done to help” after winds and torrential rain left one person dead and forced hundreds from their homes.
David Cameron’s comments came as the Environment Agency revealed that more than 800 homes have been flooded, with thousands of motorists across the country being rescued from water-logged roads.
Forecasters have warned there may be worse to come and after residents in the South West suffered from the floods over the weekend, people in the Midlands are now braced for the worst as bad weather moves northwards.
Foster parents want children back
A COUPLE whose three foster children were removed because of their membership of Ukip want the youngsters back and a public apology.
The pair, who have not been identified to protect the trio of EU-migrant children, lost them when Rotherham Council social workers discovered their political allegiance, which they deemed incompatible with caring for the youngsters.
The decision caused a storm of criticism and the Labour-run local authority announced it would investigate the procedures that led to the decision.
Miliband: Embrace press reforms
LABOUR leader Ed Miliband insisted today that Lord Justice Leveson’s proposals for the reform of press regulation must be swiftly implemented by Parliament as long as they are “reasonable and proportionate”.
He warned that if the Government rejected the Leveson report, victims of newspaper harassment and intrusion would see it as a “breach of the promise” made to them by politicians in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.
His comments come ahead of the report’s publication on Thursday and as more than 40 Conservative MPs are preparing to issue an appeal to Prime Minister David Cameron to avoid statutory regulation.
Stalking victims get new protection
NEW laws designed to give extra protection to victims of stalking have come into force.
The Government is also providing new support aimed at reducing domestic and sexual violence and female genital mutilation (FGM).
Two specific criminal offences of stalking have come into force in England and Wales for the first time.
Addict treatment ‘better than jail’
CRIME rates among women suffering from poor mental health or substance misuse would be cut by offering medical support rather than handing out jail sentences, a poll suggests.
Around seven in 10 people (69%) believe treatment for drug addiction would be the most effective measure to reduce reoffending among women who commit non-violent crimes.
The poll of around 1,550 people finds that 68% think support to tackle alcohol abuse would be most beneficial, while 62% think providing mental healthcare would reduce reoffending.
