MPs 'back economy over climate concerns'

MPs have backed plans for the expansion of Heathrow airport, in report published today.

They have stressed the importance of the expansion to the UK's economy.

The Commons transport select committee has highlighted the economic value of aviation to the UK and has endorsed plans for a third runway at Heathrow.

The committee has also called on the government to ensure that all of the UK's major airports are connected by a high speed rail service.

The report of the committee's findings comes out in the same week that the UN summit on climate change is taking place in Copenhagen. The summit hopes to reach an agreement on global CO2 emissions.

Louise Ellman, chairman of the committee, said 'Aviation is important to the UK economy, both in the southeast of England and in the regions. Heathrow is a major European hub airport but only six UK cities have flights into it.

'Even with expansion, we need to improve direct access to Heathrow from the national rail network in order to maximise the economic benefits and to reduce the environmental impacts.'

The committee did though set out a series of principals it believes should be applied to future aviation in the UK to help curb its environmental impact. These include the ensuring the retirement of older and nosier planes.

Whilst backing plans for the third runway at Heathrow, MPs did question the need for a second runway at Stanstead Airport, and suggested Gatwick may prove a better location for expansion after 2019.

London Tube and bus fares rise dramatically

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has announced Tube fares will rise by 3.9 per cent and bus fares by 12.7 per cent from January.

The increases will see a weekly bus pass rise from £13.80 to £16.60, while a zone one Oyster pay-as-you-go Tube fare will go up from £1.60 to £1.80.

Mr Johnson blamed the previous administration in City Hall, the current economic climate and the collapse of Metronet for the price hike.

'Nobody wants to make an announcement like this, especially when Londoners are feeling the effects of the recession,' he said.

The new prices were required to ensure vital improvements to London's transport system continue to be delivered and front line services protected in the face of 'huge financial pressures' on Transport for London (TfL), the Mayor of London's office said.

Mr Johnson announced he would be protecting free and concessionary fares for London's elderly and young.

'The crucial thing is that we safeguard the investment in our city’s future and that’s why I’m asking Londoners to accept this difficult decision,' he said.

'With this package we can protect the elderly, the young, the poorest and disabled Londoners, and can go forward to deliver the vital improvements that Londoners deserve – including Crossrail, the upgrade of eight Tube lines, new trains, the cycling revolution, and a host of other improvements ahead of the 2012 Games.'

Tube and TfL union RMT, however, slammed today's 'dire' news.

The union's general secretary, Bob Crow, said: 'RMT firmly believes that any increase in fares above inflation will be damaging and will drive passengers away from the system deepening the financial crisis at TFL.

'The shocking increases confirmed today will have a dire impact on passenger numbers, will force more people back into their cars and make a mockery of the green agenda promoted by the Mayor of London.'

Airport trials 'naked x-ray machine'

Manchester airport has begun trialling an x-ray machine which can see through passengers' clothing.

The new device captures a 'naked' image of people standing in front of it, allowing staff to spot potential explosives and weapons being smuggled aboard flights.

During the year-long trial passengers will be given the opportunity to choose whether to go through the new x-ray machine or opt for a hand search.

In recent years, passengers have raised concern over similar trialled machines which can identify body piercings and breast enlargements.

'Our passengers tell us that they don't like being patted down by security staff,' Sarah Barrett of Manchester airport customer relations is quoted by Sky News as saying.

'This technology offers a potential alternative but we know that some people see it as controversial. That's why we are running a trial.'

The airport claims the crucial difference with this trial is that the operator of the x-ray machine can not see the individual actually being scanned.

Car sales bolstered by scrappage scheme

New car registrations were up 11.4 per cent in September, bolstered by the government's scrappage scheme.

The Society of Motor and Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the cash for bangers scheme had continued to provide stimulus for growth, with registrations for private buyers and of small cars rising strongly in September.

Scrappage accounted for 21 per cent of September's new car registrations, or 77,316 units.

Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive, said: 'New car registrations rose for the third month in a row in September. Market conditions remain challenging with demand being underpinned by the extremely successful scrappage incentive scheme.

'The extension of the scheme will help to sustain demand through the latter part of this year and into 2010. This will allow economic recovery to strengthen and safeguard valuable industrial capability.'

At the Labour party conference business secretary Peter Mandelson said the scheme would be extended into 2010, to fund an extra 100,000 cars and vans.

Today's figures have been welcomed, with the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF) saying scrappage has had a positive effect on the whole of the market.

Sue Robinson, director of RMIF, said: 'Car dealers are reporting that the scheme is continuing to provide a halo effect for overall car sales, and is helping increase footfall into showrooms by general buyers as well as scrappage buyers.

'The scheme has been highly successful, and with an extension in place, we expect demand to continue for the latter part of the year.'

Ms Robinson's words were echoed by Barclays, who warned the end of scrappage and the VAT increase next year could undo all the hard work to keep the motor industry buoyed.

Keith Parry, head of motor retail at Barclays Commercial Bank, warned: 'The ending of the scrappage scheme in February at the latest and the VAT increase at the start of the year could leave the sector without any support at a time when there are likely to be increasing pressures on consumer spending on big ticket items.'

Offensive number plates removed from auction

Two number plates have been removed from an auction after they were ruled to be 'offensive'.

The two plates were up for auction in Worcestershire, but were removed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) who said they did want them to cause upset or offence.

One of the plates was F4 GOT, and the other D1 KES. Each of the plates had a reserve price of £900.

The gay rights group Stonewall welcomed the removal of the number plates from the auction.

A spokesperson said: 'We're really pleased that the DVLA has recognised the potential offence these number plates could cause and totally support the responsible decision to remove them from auction.

'It's important that publicly-funded bodies act appropriately when cases like these slip through the net – and that proper processes are in place to reduce the likelihood of these cases occurring.'

A DVLA spokesperson added: 'DVLA has responsibility to ensure that the combinations used on registration marks do not cause general upset or offence.

'Having reviewed the appropriateness of the registration marks F4 GOT and D1 KES, we have withdrawn these marks from sale on the grounds of the clear potential offence they may cause.'

Motorists enjoy 40p petrol after pump fault

A Tesco petrol station in Cambridgeshire has become extremely popular with motorists after a faulty pump dispensed fuel for 40p a litre.

Queues built up around the forecourt as word spread in Milton, near Cambridge.

But staff only realised the error after six days when they heard about it on the local radio after a customer phoned in to alert listeners to the bargain price.

'This was a technical fault at the pump and an engineer has now rectified the problem,' a Tesco spokesman told the BBC.

'Although we always aim to keep prices down at the pumps, unfortunately, we could not maintain this price indefinitely.'

Customers will now have to pay the normal price of 107p per litre, which means the average 50-litre tank will cost £54 to fill, instead of £20.

No jobs for pilot who saved 152 passengers

An airline pilot who saved the lives of 152 passengers by avoiding a potential aviation disaster last year has been forced to apply for Jobseekers Allowance.

Captain Peter Burkill was named a 'hero' in January 2008 after all 136 passengers and 16 crew members survived the crash of a British Airways flight at Heathrow Airport.

The Boeing 777 aircraft crashed just beyond the perimeter fence of the London airport, with investigators later finding a build up of ice in the plane's engines may have played a role.

Senior first officer John Coward and Mr Burkill brought the plane in to land.

But despite the recognition generated by the incident Mr Burkill, from Worcester, is now claiming just over £60 from the government scheme having taken early redundancy from British Airways earlier this year.

Korean Airlines are one company to deny Mr Burkill employment – arguing their pilots must not have an 'accident or incident' on their CV.

'At the time it was disappointing, but they have got a protocol and that is what they are following,' explained Maria Burkill, Mr Burkill's wife, to the Press Association.

'It is frustrating because Pete is a pilot and loves flying, but we never expected him to be flying before the end of the year and we appreciate we are in a far more fortunate position than many other people.'

Boris wants to put Thames back on the map

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has declared on the microblogging website Twitter that he will reinstate the river Thames on the new London Underground map.

The iconic map has been redesigned by Transport for London with the river left out.

The decision was made apparently to make more space on the map.

The design, however, has not gone down well with London's commuters and Mr Johnson has promised to have the changes overturned.

Writing on Twitter following his recent trip to New York, the mayor of London said: 'Can't believe that the Thames disappeared off the tube map whilst I was out the country! It will be reinstated….'

The decision to remove the different travel zones has also been criticised, with cynical suggestions it could be used to discreetly raise fares.

The current London Underground map is based on the original design created by draftsman Harry Beck in the early 1930s.

Nation's worst drivers revealed

The nation's worst drivers have been revealed as 'boy and girl racers'; quite literally overtaking the 'white van man'.

In a joint Admiral and YouGov poll, drivers voted boy and girl racers as worst drivers overall, with 72 per cent of votes.

The survey asked 3,188 motorists to select as many types of motorist they wanted from a list, to discover which was the worst category of drivers overall. Boy and girl racers received 72 per cent of the vote, elderly motorists 56 per cent, white van men 48 per cent and taxi drivers 39 per cent.

Sue Longthorn, Admiral managing director, said: 'It's surprising to see that such a high number of people voted for boy and girl racers which shows they've obviously hit a nerve with the driving public. It looks like the white van man stereotype as the nation's most disliked driver isn't merited anymore and needs revisiting.

'Seeing elderly motorists irritate over half of motorists is really interesting, as you couldn't get two more different driver types when comparing them to boy and girl racers. However, white van drivers haven't fallen completely out of people's minds as nearly half of people still rate them badly.'

Those surveyed in the poll were also asked to detail what it was that irritated them most about other road users. Tailgating came out on top with 73 per cent of votes, followed by not paying attention and not indicating.

'It's important to remember that tailgating is not only an annoyance to drivers, but is also extremely dangerous. Not paying attention and not indicating can also prove dangerous for yourself and other drivers,' Ms Longthorn added.

Thousands to face rail chaos after Sunday services scrapped

By Lewis Bazley.

A rail firm may have left thousands of passengers facing a difficult journey home after all but one of its Sunday service routes were cancelled today.

Drivers for London Midland typically work on a voluntary basis on Sundays but after insufficient numbers put themselves forward for work this week, the company has scrapped the majority of its routes this weekend.

Only the Birmingham-Liverpool service was expected to still be running while replacement bus services will be provided on some routes.

Shaun Hope, a spokesman for the Northampton Rail Users' Group, told the BBC the situation was a 'shambles'.

'How can they run an essential service on a voluntary basis? It's an astonishing way to operate a train service,' he added.

But Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union (RMT), said the cancellations had arisen through staff exercising their contractual right not to work.

'Their contracts of employment say they haven't got to work on a Sunday. It's their choice,' he explained.

'If someone wanted to work a Sunday because they're short of money and said to the employer 'I'm coming in this Sunday because I want some extra overtime', then the employer hasn't got to give it to him. Quite rightly so.

'But in reverse if the employee hasn't got to work on a Sunday and doesn't want to come in, he hasn't got to come in.

'They're not breaking their contracts of employment so what is the big deal?'

London Midland has posted an apology for the situation on its website and advised passengers to avoid travel if possible.

AA: Clamping 'epidemic out of control'

The Automobile Association (AA) has called for wheel clamping to be made illegal.

The AA says the growing enforcement of clamping in private car parks is reaching 'epidemic' levels, saying the prevalence of clamping now 'shocking and unacceptable'.

Clamping now affects more than one in ten drivers a year says the AA, who added ten of thousands of people have had their car clamped or removed from private car parks.

Last month the RAC also took on clampers, saying they could well be breaking the law themselves.

At the time, director of the RAC Foundation, Professor Stephen Glaister, said: 'We recognise the right of a landowner to enjoy his property without unauthorised obstruction. However, for so many reasons clamping does not fit the bill as a method of enforcement.'

On Friday, the AA has said private enforcers follow no general regulations for parking control in private car parks. They have said the latest Home Office proposals, to license wheel clamping businesses in addition to the clampers themselves being licensed, will not work.

The AA claims: 'The proposed new system would see all wheel clampers' businesses forced to register with an 'approved trade association' (ATA) and be bound by a code of practice.

'They would then be granted a license to clamp and remove vehicles, providing the clampers themselves were also licensed in accordance with Security Industry Authority rules.

'However, in its response, the AA has told the Home Office that the only ATA, the British Parking Association (BPA - a parking industry trade body) cannot be truly independent and provide proper protection for the general public.

'The AA does not believe that the BPA can regulate a private parking enforcement industry which is out of control. Consequently, the AA believes that the only way forward would be to make wheel clamping illegal, as it is in Scotland.'

The automotive group claim much of the problem has stemmed from Do It Yourself (DIY) packs, where anyone can set themselves up as a parking enforcer and 'start to cash in'. The association has used a number of examples to show what they say is 'unjustified' clamping, including:

An elderly pensioner and her sick husband who were wrongly 'doubled charged' £370 by a clamper/tower (who belonged to the 'trade association' and breached its code despite having declared it would abide by its rules) – they have now recovered their cash after threats of legal action.

Also, a lady who apparently stopped, literally for seconds, heard a noise at the rear of her car. Someone said 'I won't be a moment' and clamped her car while she sat in it with the engine running - before 'double-charging' her £300

The AA's head of public affairs, Paul Watters says: 'Self-regulation is not working as there are too many firms and individuals operating in this often shady area. The trade body members making and enforcing the rules are trying to rein in something that is spiralling out of control.

'Private parking enforcement is big business generating millions of pounds and no-one notices and acts when the rules are broken. The public have absolutely no protection if a private parking firm acts unfairly - it is a civil matter and no-one is interested in helping. How on earth can people believe that if you appeal to an enforcer you are going to get a fair hearing – the BPA will not act as arbiter?

'It is time for regulation of private enforcement through local authorities who can licence the land where parking is to be controlled – and we need a completely independent appeal system, perhaps through the parking adjudication services which already exist.'

Rail passengers 'being taken for a ride'

Rail passengers are being taken for a ride by rail staff who give them poor advice on fares, a consumer watchdog has found.

Which? says its research found two thirds of station clerks and four in ten call centre staff failed to quote the cheapest fare.

The watchdog asked staff at station ticket offices and the National Rail Enquiries (NRE) call centre about the cheapest way to take a specific journey by train.

It claims to have been told the correct answer in only 93 out of 200 questions asked.

Martyn Hocking, editor of Which? magazine, said: 'If you just want to know the cheapest way to get from A to B, you'd expect staff at the station ticket office or on the end of the rail enquiries helpline to be able to tell you. It's not acceptable that passengers could be paying well over the odds because of poor advice. Rail firms must ensure that staff are properly trained and that fare information is clear.'

The same research in 2007 received similar results, Which? said. It said in the latest research, where there was a choice of train company, their staff were quoted the more expensive fare 27 out of 50 times, with 80 per cent of ticket offices ignoring the cheaper option. In some cases, the fare quoted was more than double the cheapest available option.

Which? also asked staff about making the same journey twice in one week. Two thirds of staff gave the price of two returns, when a season ticket, or rover ticket, would have saved money.

The news comes just hours after government ministers claimed train travellers would see a better deal, with prices expected to fall next year.

The watchdog added half of questions about breaking a journey were answered incorrectly, and when asked about journeys close to the end of a peak period, staff tended not to mention that delaying the time of departure - sometimes by just a few minutes - could result in savings.

Which? also checked how efficient lost property offices were, and found that five out of 16 train stations failed to contact owners when it handed in a coat and wallet clearly labelled with a name and phone number. At one station, the coat was returned to the owner, but not the wallet or the cash it contained.

Drug driving campaign launched

The government has today launched a drug driving campaign to tackle the issue on roads in England and Wales.

Today marks the first TV advertising campaign to address the issue, at a cost of £2.3 million.

The key to the campaign is 'it's all in the eyes'- meaning those under the influence of drugs will be obvious to police because of the involuntary effect drugs will have upon their eyes.

Transport secretary Lord Adonis launched the campaign, after research found one in ten young male drivers admit to driving after taking illegal drugs. The first television advert will be shown tonight before Coronation Street on ITV.

With the campaign, the government are hoping to highlight the fact that 'police can and will detect drug drivers - and that anyone convicted will face the same tough penalties as a drink driver'. They added one in five young drivers killed in a road accident may have an impairing drug in their system.

Lord Adonis said: 'Government campaigns over the past 40 years have succeeded in making drink driving socially unacceptable and cutting the number of people killed in drink drive accidents by nearly three quarters.

'But some drivers who would never get behind the wheel after drinking still believe they can drive after taking drugs. We are determined to get the message through to this reckless minority that their behaviour is putting lives in danger.

'The penalties for drug driving are just the same as for drink driving because drug driving is just as dangerous. Drivers should be in no doubt that if you get behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs then the police can spot you, they can test you and you will face punishment.'

Anyone convicted of driving while under the influence of illegal drugs will be banned from driving for a minimum of a year, as well as receiving a criminal record and large fine. The government added police would be particularly targeting drug drivers over the August music festival and holiday season.

But a leading road safety charity has said more still needs to be done. Mary Williams OBE, chief executive of Brake, the road safety charity, said: 'This is a long-overdue campaign to tackle one of the biggest killers on our roads. The government has been aware for years of the significant prevalence of drug driving and its devastating effects.

'Brake is calling on the government to stop dragging its heels and build upon this campaign by urgently approving roadside testing devices to catch drug drivers and implementing their use across all police forces in random tests of drivers at targeted times such as late at night near clubs.'

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), added drug driving is a growing problem in the UK. Kevin Clinton, RoSPA head of road safety, said: 'We know of at least 71 road deaths in 2007 in which impairment due to drugs (illicit or medicinal) was a contributory factor in the accident. But we believe the real number of people affected by drug-drive incidents is probably much higher.

'Those willing to endanger themselves and others by getting behind the wheel after taking drugs need to know that it is simply not true that they will evade detection or prosecution. The police can, and do, conduct roadside tests to help them assess whether a driver is impaired.

'We hope this sorely-needed campaign will give drug users, as well as the general public, pause for thought so that they consider their actions before needlessly putting other people's lives at risk. Passengers should also think carefully before getting into a car if they suspect its driver has taken drugs.'