Cumbrian bridge named after heroic PC

A new bridge built in a Cumbrian town devastated by recent flooding has been named after a police officer who died after being swept away in the flood waters.

Barker Crossing in Workington, which has been built by the army, has been named after PC Bill Barker who was directing traffic on the Northside Bridge when it collapsed on November 20th.

Workington was cut in half by the flood waters, but the two halves have now been reunited by the temporary footbridge across the River Derwent, with schoolchildren the first to make the walk across the new crossing. It is the first time since the floods that people in the area will be able to cross to the other side of the town without using a train.

The news came as a warning from the Met Office said as much as 15mm of rain could fall this morning, with the north-west of England on a severe weather warning of heavy rain.

Inspector Mark Wear, who heads up Workington neighbourhood policing team, said: 'This footbridge is a tangible symbol of how we are starting to rebuild the area and getting back to normal.

'I am pleased that its name commemorates my friend and colleague Bill, who died saving lives right here in Workington. He was committed to serving his community and for him to be remembered in this way is a tribute to his memory.'

The construction of Barker Crossing has been co-ordinated by 42 (North West) Brigade, the regional army brigade for north-west England, with input from Royal Engineers, Royal Logistic Corps, Royal Signals, and Royal Military Police. Armed forces minister Bill Rammell attended the opening of the new bridge alongside Brigadier Bill Aldridge, Commander 42 (North West) Brigade.

Brigadier Aldridge said: 'The army is delighted to have completed this small but significant part of a much larger and wider effort to help this part of Cumbria get back on its feet after the floods. Our soldiers have worked round-the-clock to get us to where we are today, opening this footbridge on time to meet the morning school run.'

The 52-metre steel bridge spans the river at a relatively narrow part of the river where the river banks are structurally sound around 300m upstream (east) of the now unusable Calva Bridge.

Councillor Jim Buchanan, leader of Cumbria county council, said: 'There has been a massive effort on all fronts to get to where we are today. There's clearly still a huge amount of work still to do and I appreciate that people are getting frustrated with the travel delays and are keen to be able to cross the river by road as soon as possible.

'We're pulling out all the stops to make that happen but the reality is that a temporary road bridge is a far bigger project than the temporary footbridge that the army has done such a magnificent job of constructing so quickly.'

In the immediate aftermath of the floods, 20 road bridges were closed, plus three which had collapsed completely.

Electricity bills to rise to pay for upgrades

Electricity bills will rise to fund upgrades to regional distribution networks, the energy watchdog has said today.

Ofgem, the UK energy regulator, has also warned energy companies that household gas bills must benefit from a fall in wholesale prices.

The regulator said electricity bills would rise by an extra £4.30 a year on average, to ensure 'householders will get better customer service, improved reliability and a greener electricity supply'. The average bill paid per household on electricity is £445 a year.

Ofgem also said that investment in the UK's electricity infrastructure would rise by 40 per cent, to £7.2 billion, compared to the last five years, with £500 million set aside for the low carbon energy fund. The investment figure is eight per cent lower than companies had expected.

Ofgem chairman Lord Mogg said: 'This fund breaks new ground in regulation. Its objective is to encourage companies to be more innovative with new technologies and commercial arrangements. This will allow companies to play a full part in combating climate change.'

Ofgem also decided to 'set a 4.7 per cent actual weighted average cost of capital (using a pre-tax cost of debt and a post-tax cost of equity)', which has been criticised for being 'significantly below all comparators'. Southern and Scottish Energy said: 'Moreover, these were all set before the reassessment of risk and the cost and availability of finance that has characterised global financial markets in the last 18 months.

'It is also significantly below the level of return proposed by Ofwat for the water and sewerage industry last month. Unlike that review, Ofgem's final proposals represent the first time that electricity distribution companies have had any firm indication of the allowed cost of capital.'

The regulator's chief executive Alistair Buchanan said: 'Our proposals are tough on inefficiency and poor service but are fair in allowing the companies to invest to replace ageing network assets and in improving the environment. The controls provide great opportunities for companies which are more efficient and excel at providing what their customers want - but they will penalise poor performers.

'We have listened to consumers' expectations of top quality service, reliability, fair prices and environmental improvement for today and for the future.'

Queen warns media over paparazzi intrusion

The Queen has issued a warning to newspapers not to publish paparazzi photographs of the Royal Family, it has been confirmed.

Buckingham Palace confirmed Her Majesty had sent a private letter reminding editors of their privacy responsibilities under the Press Complaints Commission code.

The letter, the contents of which have not been revealed, came 'in response to many years of the royal family being hounded by photographers on the Queen's private property', said the Palace press office.

According to the Sunday Telegraph, it is understood the Royal Family will consider legal action if they continued to be photographed in private situations.

Princess Caroline of Monaco won more than £9,000 damages from the European Court of Human Rights in 2005 and any royal legal action would likely see them pursuing the same lines of grievance.

Prince William had expressed concern after he and girlfriend Kate Middleton were 'aggressively' pursued by members of the paparazzi in 2007 and his father's communications secretary has gone on the record to acknowledge the Royal Family's new approach to media behaviour.

The Prince of Wales' spokesman Paddy Harverson said: 'Members of the Royal Family feel they have a right to privacy when they are going about everyday, private activities.

'They recognise there is a public interest in them and what they do, but they do not think this extends to photographing the private activities of them and their friends.'

Photographers will be permitted to take photos of the Royals as they attend church on Christmas Day but 'snatched' photographs at the Queen's Sandringham estate are unlikely to be tolerated.

Cameron: Afghan troop withdrawals unlikely

Conservative party leader David Cameron has said a reduction in British troop levels in Afghanistan is not likely in 2010.

Mr Cameron said he supported government plans to hand over certain districts in Helmand province to Afghan forces but said the strategy should be 'based on success' rather than 'artificial timelines'.

The Tory leader also said US president Barack Obama's announcement of a 30,000-strong surge for US forces in Afghanistan was the 'last big chance of success' for the coalition's operations.

Mr Cameron's comments follow the prime minister's confirmation that an extra 500 British troops would be posted to Afghanistan in January, with a 'clear timetable' scheduled for a handover of power to Afghan forces.

Gordon Brown's Conservative counterpart, however, commented: 'I don't want us to raise false hopes. I think it's pretty unlikely that you are going to see a reduction in British troop numbers next year.'

He told the BBC: 'But it should be based on success. The key here is, as soon as you can hand over lead responsibility to the Afghans in a district you should do, once it's safe.

'And once you're doing that you can bring down troop numbers in the future, but do it based on success, don't keep talking about artificial timelines.'

Cameron labels Brown 'petty' over Eton jibe

The Conservative leader has said prime minister Gordon Brown was 'petty' and 'spiteful' to refer to the Eton schooling of senior Tories.

Mr Brown had said in the House of Commons last week that Conservative policy on inheritance tax had been 'dreamed up on the playing fields of Eton', with Mr Cameron, London mayor Boris Johnson and prospective MP Zac Goldsmith all having been educated at the Berkshire private school.

Labour say Conservative plans for cuts in inheritance tax cuts would be beneficial to millionaires while having a costly impact on public services.

In response, Mr Cameron said a 'class war' strategy from Mr Brown and First Secretary Lord Mandelson would be a 'petty, spiteful, stupid' approach in the lead-up to the next election.

He told BBC1's The Politics Show: 'I never hide my background or where I'm from or anything about my life like that.

'My view is very simple... that what people are interested in is not where you come from but where you're going to, what you've got to offer, what you've got to offer the country.'

He stressed that several members of his shadow cabinet, including shadow defence secretary Liam Fox, shadow foreign secretary William Hague and party chairman Eric Pickles, had attended state schools and pledged to rectify a matter on the Conservative website that only reveals the schooling of personnel if they were educated in the state sector.

'Frankly I think the country is more interested in who are these people, are they any good, have they got the right ideas, will they take the country forward, have they got the energy and vigour and dynamism that we so badly need?' he added.

'And the answer to those questions I believe is yes. But the best way to test it, you know what? Have an election.'

Floods causing havoc in Scotland and Wales

Heavy rain has seen much of the UK put on flood alert, causing travel chaos and homes threatened by flooding.

Scotland has been the worst hit by the rain, as rivers burst their banks and dozens of elderly people had to be moved from a care home due to flooding.

Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire was under water as the rivers Cowie and Carron burst their banks. In Wales five adults and a baby were rescued in Carmarthenshire, while reports said some people had been stuck in their cars in Swansea and Newcastle Emlyn.

The Met Office had warned on Friday that there was a risk of 'some severe weather of the next few days'. Aberdeen witnessed about 39mm of rain from 06:00 GMT to 18:00 GMT yesterday, and about 32mm fell in Edinburgh.

Grampian police said 50 people had been evacuated from Cameron Street in Stonehaven due to the flooding and said last night they were advising people not to travel unless absolutely necessary.

Superintendent Innes Walker said: 'People should not take journeys unless absolutely necessary and they should listen to the radio for updates on road conditions.

'The advice we are getting from the Met Office is that conditions will improve overnight, but clearly there will be a knock on effect for commuters on Monday morning.

'Grampian police are working with the local authority, Scottish ambulance service, Grampian fire and rescue and the coastguard to alleviate the problems and minimise the effects of this flooding on affected people.'

British woman killed in Tenerife landslide

A British woman is among at least two people killed by a landslide at a beach on the Spanish island of Tenerife.

The Foreign Office has said Marion O'Hara, 57, was killed when rocks fell from the cliffs above the beach in the Los Gigantes resort.

Despite efforts by local rescue workers, Ms O'Hara and a local female were killed in the landslide at 16:00 local time. At least four others could still be trapped under the rocks.

A British holidaymaker told Sky News: 'Police were aware the cliff was dangerous for days, but the only thing they put in place was a bit of builder's tape.'

Good garden hygiene a must for healthy birds

Good garden hygiene is a must for birds to stay healthy in the winter, a charity has warned today.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has today urged good hygiene around feeders, tables and water baths to help garden birds stay healthy this winter.

The charity warns birds are more susceptible to diseases in the cold weather, and say extra care needs to be taken to help reduce the risk of infection spreading.

The RSPB's Kirsi Peck said: 'As the weather gets colder, and our birds come into our gardens in bigger numbers, it is no surprise they can become vulnerable to diseases.

'It can be very distressing to find sick or dead birds, but there are things you can do to avoid it happening.

'We all think good hygiene is important in our homes and it need be no great effort to do the same in our garden. We'd urge everyone to clean their baths and feeders regularly to help keep garden bird infections to a minimum.'

Wild birds are at risk from certain strains of salmonella in winter, and trichomoniasis in late summer and autumn, the RSPB says. As they come into garden in greater numbers to search for food diseases spread easier and spread especially quickly if droppings are allowed to mix with uneaten food.

Speech DeBelle wins 2009 Mercury Prize

By Lewis Bazley.

Speech DeBelle has become the 17th recipient of the prestigious Mercury Prize for Music.

The hip-hop artist claimed the award for her album Speech Therapy ahead of favourites Florence and the Machine and the Horrors.

The South London artist, real name Corynne Elliot, released her debut album in June and was a surprise winner of one of the most highly regarded awards in British music.

She had been an outside favourite, though whispers of a win had increased when her odds were slashed on Tuesday afternoon, and she is the first woman to win the Mercury since Ms Dynamite in 2002.

Held at the Grosvenor House hotel in Mayfair, London, the awards ceremony was presented by Jools Holland and included performances from the majority of nominees, including Friendly Fires and lesser-known nominees Led Bib, the Invisible and Sweet Billy Pilgrim.

Now in its 17th year, the prize and accompanying £20,000 cheque recognises the best British and Irish albums of the past 12 months.

Previous winners include Dizzee Rascal, Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons and Elbow.

Watch performances from the Mercury prize ceremony, courtesy of the BBC, below:

Florence and the Machine



La Roux

BNP leader Griffin could appear on Question Time

By Lewis Bazley.

Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National Party, could be invited to appear on Question Time, the BBC has confirmed.

A spokesman said the broadcaster was bound by rules to treat representatives of all political parties with 'due impartiality'.

No representatives of the far-right party - which was elected to the European parliament in June - have yet appeared on the political panel show.

The BBC said talks were being held with other parties about the possible extension of an invitation to Mr Griffin, as some have previously refused to share a platform with the BNP due to its views on race.

'We are in talks with the parties on Question Time which could feature Nick Griffin,' confirmed the BBC's chief political adviser Ric Bailey.

'It's worth noting that we often have discussions with people about who else is on the panel, but no parties can dictate who should or shouldn't be included.'

He added: 'Due impartiality is achieved both by ensuring appropriate scrutiny for each party and by the appearances of a range of politicians across a series of programmes.

'Our audiences - and the electorate - will make up their own minds about the different policies offered by elected politicians.'

The move has caused consternation among the BNP's political opponents, with one unnamed cabinet minister telling the Sunday Times he would refuse to appear alongside Mr Griffin or any other BNP representatives on BBC programming.

Gordon Brown 'did not pressure Libya over IRA victims'

By Lewis Bazley.

The prime minister opted not to press Libya for compensation for victims of IRA bombings, Downing St has confirmed.

The revelation comes after claims the Libyan government unduly influenced the doctors who ruled Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al Megrahi had only three months left to live.

According to the Sunday Telegraph, one of the doctors involved in the case, a Briton, was told by Libyan officials that a three-month figure would be 'helpful' in securing al Megrahi's release on compassionate grounds.

The Sunday Times, meanwhile, reports Gordon Brown did not consider it 'appropriate' to enter talks with Libya over compensation for the victims of IRA bombs.

Campaigners have sought a payout from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime as it supplied the IRA with the Semtex explosives used for the attacks.

But in a letter to the victims' lawyer Jason McCue last October, Mr Brown said the government did not 'consider it appropriate to enter into a bilateral discussion with Libya on this matter', and cited the need for continued relations with Libya on matters such as terrorism.

Democratic Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson said the prime minister had not shown the same determination to secure compensation for victims of terrorism as US leaders had.

'I want to know - and the victims are entitled to know - why Gordon Brown does not have the same desire to stand up for the victims of IRA terrorism as George Bush showed standing up for American victims,' he told the BBC.

'He got a multi-million dollar deal in terms of compensation from the Libyans.'

Northern Ireland finance minister Nigel Dodds, who is also expected to attend cross-party talks in Tripoli alongside Mr Donaldson, added: 'We believe it is important that the Libyan government hears first-hand why they have a moral obligation to the victims of the IRA.

'Many towns and cities across the UK were badly damaged by the Semtex they supplied and hundreds of lives lost.'

In Mr Brown's letter to Mr McCue, dated October 7th 2008, he wrote : 'The UK government does not consider it appropriate to enter into a bilateral discussion with Libya on this matter.

'While the UK-Libya relationship does indeed include trade, bilateral co-operation is now wide-ranging on many levels, particularly in the fight against terrorism.

'I believe it is in all our interests for this co-operation to continue.'

A Downing St spokesman rejected claims the prime minister's decision had been influenced by a desire to protect lucrative oil contracts involving British firms.

'As the prime minister makes absolutely clear in his letter to Mr McCue, trade considerations were not a factor in the government's decision that it would not be appropriate to enter into direct negotiations with Libya on this issue,' the spokesman explained.

'The prime minister is sympathetic to the case put forward by the families of victims of IRA atrocities and met with a group representing them in December to listen to their concerns.'

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.

Tributes to jockeys after Yorkshire arson attack

By inthenews.co.uk staff.

Police have bailed a man over a fire which killed two apprentice jockeys in North Yorkshire while tributes were paid to the two young victims.

The bodies of Jamie Kyne, 18, and Jan Wilson, 19, were recovered by police after an arson attack on an apartment block in Norton, near Malton on Saturday.

Mr Kyne's aunt said: 'The family are devastated and Jamie was a star.'

Born in County Galway, Ireland, was one of the most promising jockeys on the northern circuit and was in third place in the apprentice jockeys' championship, having raced to 29 victories in 2009.

He had been booked to ride at Haydock on Saturday while Ms Wilson had been due to ride Imperial Sword, owned by her mother Margaret, at Thirsk.

One apprentice jockey, Ian Brennan, jumped to safety from the third floor of the building while another man was taken to hospital following the fire and treated for minor burns and the effects of smoke inhalation, though his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

North Yorkshire police said the blaze is being treated as suspicious and have questioned and released on bail a local man in his 30s, over the fire.

Racecourses at Thirsk and Kempton observed a moment of silence in tribute to the victims while jockeys at Stratford wore black armbands in remembrance.

Speaking to the BBC, trainer Adrian McGuinness, from Lusk, County Dublin, said of Jamie Kyne: 'He was very good, one of the best young riders about and probably one of the top apprentices in England at the moment.

'They called him the jewel of the north.'

And Christine Barron, who had provided lodging for Jan Wilson in North Yorkshire, commented: 'She was just a very nice, very lovely girl.

'She had been with us for just over a year... It is a terrible thing.'

Govt rejects calls to sack one in ten NHS workers

By Sarah Garrod.

The government has rejected advice to cut 137,000 jobs, one in ten, from the NHS in England.

The Department of Health said it accepted efficiency savings were needed but not via the jobs cuts advocated by consultancy firm McKinsey and Company.

The confidential report was leaked to the Health Service Journal, prompting opposition parties to accuse the government of 'not being straight' with voters over the NHS.

But health minister Mike O'Brien said: 'Ministers have rejected the suggested proposals in the McKinsey report and there are no plans to adopt these proposals in the future.

'The government does not believe the right answer to improving the NHS now or in the future is to cut the NHS workforce.

'In core frontline services like maternity, nursing and primary care we need more staff rather than fewer.'

The HSJ said the report made it clear the staff cuts needed to be made as much among clinical staff as administrators. One of the recommendations in the report was to reduce medical school places, starting in October.

The cuts would be necessary, the report said, to meet planned £20 billion efficiency savings by 2014.

Responding to the story shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: 'Yet again Labour ministers are failing to be straight with the British people.

'Andy Burnham promised to protect the NHS, but now we find out that his department has been drawing up secret plans for swingeing cuts.

'Clearly we need to get better value for money from the NHS, so we applaud any drive for greater efficiency, but it is extraordinary that Labour plan to take an axe to the hospital budget rather than to the bloated health bureaucracy.

'Only a fifth of job cuts would be within the bureaucracy, meaning the vast majority to go would be frontline NHS staff.'

The HSJ said the report outlined a range of 'potential actions in the next six months', including a recruitment freeze starting in the next two years, a reduction in medical school places starting in October and an early retirement programme to encourage older GPs and community nurses to make way for 'new blood/talent'.

The HSJ claims the analysis was presented to the DoH in March this year, with the report bearing the department's logo and has been disseminated among senior NHS managers.

Asked whether the report concurred with the department's own analysis and policy, health minister Mike O'Brien said McKinsey's work was 'not in any sense an NHS plan of action' but the consultants' suggestions 'will be looked at', according to the HSJ.

Some of the ways the report outlined costs could be reduced included improving the productivity of some staff, reducing procedures with limited clinical benefits such as come hysterectomies and it also said nearly 40 per cent of patients in a typical hospital do not need to be there at any one time.

NHS 'advised to shed 137,000 jobs'

By Sarah Garrod.

The Department of Health (DoH) has been advised to shed 137,000 NHS jobs, ten per cent of its work force, in a confidential report.

The Health Service Journal (HSJ) said it had seen the report, from consultancy firm McKinsey and Company, which said the NHS must make the cuts, or stand facing a situation where planned efficiency savings are not met.

The HSJ said the report made it clear the staff cuts needed to be made as much among clinical staff as administrators. One of the recommendations in the report was to reduce medical school places, starting in October.

The cuts would be necessary, the report said, to meet planned £20 billion efficiency savings by 2014.

Responding to the story shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: 'Yet again Labour ministers are failing to be straight with the British people.

'Andy Burnham promised to protect the NHS, but now we find out that his department has been drawing up secret plans for swingeing cuts.

'Clearly we need to get better value for money from the NHS, so we applaud any drive for greater efficiency, but it is extraordinary that Labour plan to take an axe to the hospital budget rather than to the bloated health bureaucracy.

'Only a fifth of job cuts would be within the bureaucracy, meaning the vast majority to go would be frontline NHS staff.'

The HSJ said the report outlined a range of 'potential actions in the next six months', including a recruitment freeze starting in the next two years, a reduction in medical school places starting in October and an early retirement programme to encourage older GPs and community nurses to make way for 'new blood/talent'.

The HSJ claims the analysis was presented to the DoH in March this year, with the report bearing the department's logo and has been disseminated among senior NHS managers.

Asked whether the report concurred with the department's own analysis and policy, health minister Mike O'Brien said McKinsey's work was 'not in any sense an NHS plan of action' but the consultants' suggestions 'will be looked at', according to the HSJ.

Some of the ways the report outlined costs could be reduced included improving the productivity of some staff, reducing procedures with limited clinical benefits such as come hysterectomies and it also said nearly 40 per cent of patients in a typical hospital do not need to be there at any one time.

Radical approaches could cut teenage prisoners

The large number of teenagers in custody in the UK could be reduced with the use of 'radical approaches' being employed overseas, a report has found.

The Prison Reform Trust found the use of measures currently being practiced abroad to tackle youth crime could effectively reduce the number of British teenagers in custody.

Report authors Enver Solomon and Rob Allen, director of the International Centre for Prison Studies, found policymakers in Canada and New York responded to costly and damaging levels of youth custody by completely rethinking their approach to dealing with youth crime.

In New York the number of children in custody declined 27 per cent between 2000 and 2006, and in Canada the rate fell by a third when new laws were passed to use custody only as a last resort.

England and Wales has one of the highest child custody populations in the western world, with the number more than tripling between 1991 and 2006. The trust has today published research, entitled 'Reducing child imprisonment in England and Wales - lessons from abroad', and its authors say the radical action taken in other countries could well aid the situation if applied to the UK.

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: 'It is all too easy to give up on children in trouble or to believe that nothing works.

'Drawing on sound international evidence, this report shows that it is perfectly possible to cut youth crime and, at the same time, reduce the number of young people damaged by needless imprisonment.'

Today's report has been commissioned from the International Centre for Prison Studies as part of the Prison Reform Trust's Out of Trouble programme. The aim of this five year programme is to reduce the number of children and young people imprisoned in the UK. The programme is supported by the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.

Penelope Gibbs, director of the Out of Trouble programme, said: 'Child imprisonment is ineffective and frequently inhumane.

'Other countries like Canada have recognised this and taken radical action.

'This report shows our government that courage in taking on the doubters can pay dividends.'

UK teen girls among 'biggest drunkards' in world

Teenage girls in the UK are more likely to get drunk than their counterparts anywhere else in the developed world, a survey has found.

The report, entitled Doing Better for Children, from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) found 15-year-old girls were more likely to have been drunk than boys of the same age.

Despite underage drinking and teenage pregnancies being high, the report also said young people in the UK are materially well-off and have a good school life.

'The UK stands out as increasing early investment in recent years,' said co-author of the OECD report Mr Dominic Richardson. 'But reinforcement of this trend for disadvantaged older children is also needed.'

The report said high public spending on child welfare and education in the UK is failing to produce results in many key areas, saying spending on older children should be better targeted. It also found the UK spends more on children than most OECD countries, at just over £90,000 per child from birth up to the age of 18, compared to an OECD average of just under £80,000.

However, the report concluded children in the United Kingdom are materially fairly well-off. Average family income is higher and child poverty is lower than OECD averages.

Children in the United Kingdom also enjoy a high quality of school life. The United Kingdom ranks fourth out of 25 countries for children's school satisfaction and rates of bullying are also relatively low.

Notting Hill Carnival celebrates

Notting Hill Carnival has attracted hundreds of thousands of people today, who turned out for the 45th celebration of Europe’s biggest street party.

Arrests have been relatively low so far, with police saying 76 were made by this morning, compared with 108 for the same time last year.

It is estimated 220,000 turned out for the event yesterday, and more than treble that is expected today. Partygoer’s enjoyed 3.5 miles of celebrations in west London, which included music, food and dancing.

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on behalf of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said a surprise appearance by Miss Dynamite at the carnival had to be cancelled today because of crowd safety fears.

The statement read: 'The multiple award-winning performer was set to take the stage at Powis Square this afternoon. Unfortunately, event regulators only received notice of the appearance hours before the event.

'It's great that carnival can attract top talent,' said a council spokesman. 'But we need more time to make sure that such an event can pass off safely. Miss Dynamite has a huge following; her appearance would draw many spectators to an already highly congested part of the Carnival area.'

Police said there had been 25 arrests for possession of drugs and eight for assault since the beginning of the festival. A section 60 order is in place at the carnival to allow the police stop and search powers. Thousands of police are currently on duty at the carnival.

The London Ambulance Service said more than 380 medical staff were set to be on duty on both carnival days.

Worst UK prisons named and shamed

The worst and most overcrowded prisons in the UK have been revealed, with Shrewsbury topping the list as most overcrowded.

The Prison Reform Trust, which has published the 'top 20' list of prisons, warned prison overcrowding and high reoffending levels are in 'in danger of being regarded by ministers as a fact of life and too difficult to fix'.

The trust says the prison population has reached a record high of over 84,000 prisoners, with almost two thirds of the prisons in England and Wales officially overcrowded. They say there are now 8,865 more people in prison than the system is designed to hold.

But the Ministry of Justice said the government is in the process of building more prisons, and will always ensure places for serious and persistent offenders.

But the trust says there is 'sentence inflation' which must be tackled. From their list of the worst prisons, they say Shrewsbury currently holds 316 men, when it is designed to hold 177, and Swansea holds 395 men, when it should hold 230. Dorchester was in third place, holding 229 men, but designed for 137.

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust said: 'Pressure on public spending means that ministers can no longer afford to be complacent about prison overcrowding or the high reconviction rates it leads to.

'Simply building more prisons is an expensive dead end. The only way to reserve prison for serious and violent offenders is to cut out all unnecessary use of breach and remand and tackle sentence inflation and the growth of indeterminate punishments.

'Investment in prevention, treatment for addicts and mental healthcare would all pay dividends. After more than ten years of lurching from crisis to crisis it must be time for coordinated effort across departments and authoritative leadership.'

The trust added, 88 out of 140 jails were over the prison service's certified normal accommodation: 'the good, decent standard of accommodation that the service aspires to provide all prisoners', and nine prisons were so full they reached, and in one case went beyond, their 'safe overcrowding limit'.

But the Ministry of Justice has said it is doing all it can. A spokesperson for the MoJ said: 'We will always provide enough prison places for serious and persistent offenders.

'The government is pursuing an extensive building programme to expand the prison estate and expect to deliver an additional 1,750 places in 2009. Since 2007 a total of 4,929 places have been delivered as part of the capacity programme. The vast majority of these places, almost 4,700, have been provided in new accommodation.

'This is intended to provide us with sufficient space to modernise the estate and ensure prisons remain places of both punishment and reform.'

They added new prisons were being built in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, London, Merseyside, Staffordshire and Leicestershire.

Scottish ministers 'no regrets' over Megrahi decision

The Scottish justice secretary has remained defiant in his decision to release the convicted Lockerbie bomber on compassionate grounds.

In an emergency session of the Scottish parliament Kenny MacAskill said he had followed due process to arrive at his decision.

'It was my decision, I stand by it, and I live with the consequences,' he told MSPs in Holyrood.

Despite describing the 1988 bombing that killed 270 people as a 'heinous crime', Mr MacAskill said he was left with no choice, and in the name of justice was forced to release convicted bomber Abdelbaset Ali al Megrahi, 57, last week. He added he had to show 'mercy', and thought most in Scotland would agree with his decision.

MSPs were recalled for an emergency session today for only the third time in their parliament's history to discuss the issue.

In questions following a statement made by Mr MacAskill, opposition MSPs said the decision had damaged international relations, and asked why Megrahi was not kept under house arrest in Scotland.

Gordon Brown also came under attack for his failure to comment publicly on the Lockerbie controversy, and for his failure to 'intervene'.

Mr MacAskill did admit he regretted that assurances were not upheld by the Libyan government regarding Megrahi's hero's welcome. Megrahi was released on compassionate grounds because he is suffering terminal cancer, despite serving just eight years of a life sentence for the murder of 270 people on a Pan Am flight in 1988.

There has been outrage from many at the scenes witnessed in Libya when Megrahi returned to what has been dubbed a hero's welcome. Victims' families have expressed anger at his release to return home despite being convicted of the UK's worst terrorist atrocity. Megrahi is suffering from terminal prostate cancer and has been given just months to live.

He returned to Libya on Thursday to crowds waving Scottish flags. Despite criticism from the US in particular, Mr MacAskill has said he was 'duty-bound' to release Megrahi, who has always denied the crime.

A website called boycottscotland.com has been set up, which urges US citizens to boycott the UK and refrain from buying 'British or Scottish products'.