Wild swimmers horrified by stream polluted by antibiotics
BBC Jo Broughton says she no longer swims in local rivers Thousands of people will march on London on Sunday at a family-friendly rally to highlight the importance of clean water in their lives. The BBC spoke to residents near one rural waterway, which scientists found had the second highest levels of active pharmaceutical pollution […]
FTC says AI scanner “deceived” users after BBC revelations
US weapons scanning company Evolv Technology will be banned from making unsupported claims about its products in a proposed settlement with the US government. The company had claimed its AI scanner, used in the entrances of thousands of US schools, hospitals and stadiums, could detect all weapons. However BBC investigations showed these claims to be […]
Blackpool gets £2.3m to fix its potholes
Blackpool is set to receive £2.3m of government funding to fix potholes around the Lancashire seaside town. The funding is part of a £1.6bn cash-injection by the government which pledged to fix potholes in its election manifesto. Labour said it was increasing funding for road maintenance nationally by almost 50 per cent compared to last […]
Bringing back wild brown trout to ‘damaged’ Darent Valley
Chris Conroy It is hoped wild brown trout will spawn again along the River Darent Conservationists are calling on business and industry to help fund an ambitious project to restore the landscape of the Darent Valley in Kent. They hope it will help protect current wildlife species, as well as bring back others that have […]
Leeds Utd poppy shirt auctioned by blind veteran
A blind veteran is hoping to raise funds for two military charities by auctioning off a Remembrance Day football shirt worn by Leeds United player Ao Tanaka. Chris Fella, 61, from Otley, was presented with the shirt, which features a special poppy design, after taking the salute before the club’s match against QPR at Elland […]
Gary Oldman voices Christmas poem for MI5
MI5 has released a special version of the festive poem The night before Christmas, read by actor Gary Oldman. In the voice over, Oldman reprises the role of his Slow Horses character Jackson Lamb – a spy in charge of a group of failed MI5 agents – beginning with the poem’s famous words “‘Twas the […]
Southern Water reviews ‘shocking’ microplastic research
University of Manchester Microplastics are particles which measure less than 5mm, and cause pollution by entering natural ecosystems A water company has said it is reviewing research by an undergraduate that found high levels of microplastics in an Isle of Wight estuary. Liberty Turrell, a student from Manchester University, received first-class honors for her dissertation […]
‘This catastrophic Budget will push up the price of a pint’
BBC Anthony Pender runs two pubs and a restaurant in London The Budget is “catastrophic” for the pub industry and will see the price of a pint rise by as much as 40p, a pub boss has warned. A combination of hiking the amount employers pay in National Insurance and increases to the minimum wage […]
Cyber-attack cost ‘hundreds of thousands’
Hackney Council is to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds more than planned as part of work to recover from a cyber attack in 2020. Councillor Robert Chapman said the borough’s “financial predicament remains serious”, with the overall total overspend for the accounting year at about £37m. The council’s accounts show that £344,000 has gone […]
Low paid jobs hits record low but still highest in UK
Getty Images Typical weekly earnings in Northern Ireland increased by £8 over the year to £666 in April 2024 The number of low paid jobs in Northern Ireland has hit a record low of 4.7% – but that is still the highest proportion of the 12 UK regions. This definition of low pay means someone […]