Campers dump tent, rubbish and uncooked sausages

7 hours ago

Campers have left a trail of rubbish including a tent, camping equipment and a mattress by a beauty spot in the Lake District.

Russell Millner said his dog found the mess south of Red Nab car park, on the western side of Windermere, on Sunday.

He found socks discarded on trees, food and remnants of a fire which had been lit next to a tree, while his dog ate one of the uncooked sausages on the barbeque.

Mr Millner said the littering was part of a “wider problem of respect for the landscape and for others”.

He said a volunteer came to clear the area after he posted photos of the abandoned camp on Facebook.

The National Trust and the Lake District National Park Authority have been approached for comment.

Wild camping is not permitted in the Lake District without the landowners permission, but the Lake District National Park Authority has said it is normally tolerated if people abide by a number of rules.

These include camping above the highest fell wall and leaving no trace after moving on.

Image source, Russell Millner Image caption, Russell Millner said his dog found the mess and ate one of the uncooked sausages on the barbeque

Mr Millner, who lives in Bowness, said he often finds litter from abandoned campsites and barbeques, particularly after spells of hot weather.

He said: “I have in the past found an abandoned campsite in the area complete with still wrapped camping chairs and copious amounts of used babies nappies.”

From April, Cumberland Council started using Public Space Protection Orders to tackle anti-social behaviour by so-called fly campers in the Lake District.

The National Trust previously said it spent about £1,000 repairing a single site that was damaged by campers last year.

Meanwhile, Andrew Wright, a woodland officer with United Utilities which owns land around Thirlmere and Haweswater, said he often saw “entire campsites abandoned”.

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Pedestrian hit by tram in Sheffield, police say

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Emergency services are at the scene in Sheffield following the collision earlier

22 June 2025 Updated 5 hours ago

A pedestrian has been hit by a tram in Sheffield, police have said.

Emergency services were called to Woodbourn Road shortly after 16:00 BST on Sunday.

South Yorkshire Police has not provided any details about the condition of the pedestrian.

At 20:30 BST, South Yorkshire Future Trams Ltd said services were back running again.

A spokesperson for the operator said: “Emergency services were quick to attend the scene, and we are working closely with South Yorkshire Police on what is now an ongoing investigation.”

The BBC has contacted South Yorkshire Police for further information, including the condition of the pedestrian.

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Lower energy costs part of government’s 10-year plan for industry

Conservative acting shadow energy secretary Andrew Bowie criticised the plans, saying the UK needed “a serious approach to energy policy” that “tackles the root cause of our high energy prices”.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the industrial strategy “a turning point for Britain’s economy” by supporting key industries where there is potential for growth.

The plan, which may slash energy bills by up to 25% for more than 7,000 UK businesses, is set to be unveiled on Monday alongside other measures hoped to boost growth.

Lowering energy costs for thousands of businesses by scrapping green levies will form a central part of the government’s new 10-year industrial strategy.

He said it was “astonishing” Labour was “finally admitting that the costs of net zero are so high that they’re having to spend billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money subsidising businesses’ energy bills to stop them going bust”.

Manufacturers in the UK currently pay some of the highest electricity prices in the developed world.

A new British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will cut costs by up to £40 per megawatt-hour from 2027 for more than 7,000 manufacturing firms by exempting them from levies on bills including the renewables obligation, feed-in tariffs and the capacity market.

About 500 of the most energy-intensive firms, including the steel industry, chemicals and glassmaking, will also have their network charges cut.

Those firms currently get a 60% discount through the British Industry Supercharger scheme, which will increase to 90% from 2026.

Monday’s announcement will also contain measures to speed up the time it can take to connect new factories and projects to the energy grid.

The prime minister said the industrial strategy gave businesses “the long-term certainty and direction” they need to “invest, innovate and create good jobs that put more money in people’s pockets”.

It also aims to support the creation of more than one million new “well-paid jobs” over the next decade.

Other plans within the industrial strategy include:

upskilling Britons and reducing reliance on foreign workers by spending an extra £1.2bn each year for skills by 2028-29

attracting “elite global talent” to come and work in the UK with visa and migration reforms

hiring more planners and streamlining application processes to reduce planning timelines and cut costs for developers

boosting research and development spending to £22.6bn per year by 2029-30 to drive innovation – including £2bn for AI

The government said it will be focusing on eight specific sectors where the UK is already strong and therefore should have the potential for faster growth.

These sectors are advanced manufacturing, clean energy industries, creative industries, defence, digital and technologies, financial services, life sciences, and professional and business services.

A bespoke 10-year plan for five of the sectors will be published on Monday, but the defence, financial services and life sciences strategies will come later.

The announcement will come after latest figures showed the UK economy shrank by 0.3% in April – its worst contraction for a year-and-a-half.

Meanwhile, in April business groups raised concerns that the government’s Employment Rights Bill could hit growth at an uncertain time for the UK economy.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the industrial strategy will “see billions of pounds for investment and cutting-edge tech, ease energy costs, and upskill the nation”.

Manufacturer’s organisation Make UK’s chief executive Stephen Phipson said the government strategy set out plans to address “all three” major challenges facing industry – “a skills crisis, crippling energy costs and an inability to access capital for new British innovators”.

Trades Union Congress (TUC) general secretary Paul Nowak welcomed action “to reduce sky-high energy costs for manufacturers”.

He said: “For too long, UK industry has been hamstrung by energy prices far above those in France and Germany. It’s made it harder to compete, invest, and grow.”

Liberal Democrat business spokesperson Sarah Olney said government plans “must contain real solutions to bring down businesses’ sky-high energy costs and upskill workers around the country” and ministers must ensure small businesses “are right at the heart” of measures.

Diplomatic tightrope on Iran just got more precarious for Starmer

8 hours ago Share Save Joe Pike Political Correspondent Share Save

PA Media Sir Keir Starmer seemed confident Donald Trump would not intervene, after sitting next to him at a G7 dinner in Canada

Sir Keir Starmer has been treading a delicate diplomatic tightrope all week on the issue of Iran. Last night’s airstrikes by the US mean the challenges facing the prime minister could now continue for months. Sir Keir’s repeated calls for de-escalation have clearly not been heeded by the White House. Yet he has avoided direct UK involvement in military action and has sought to maintain what British diplomats claim is a solid and valuable relationship with US president Donald Trump.

The response from ministers appears to be it was not the means they wanted, but they supported the outcome. The UK has not explicitly endorsed the method, but the result – a delay in Iran getting nuclear weapons – is, they argue, in the UK’s national interest. Sir Keir’s position has shifted since Tuesday, when he seemed confident Trump would not intervene, after sitting next to him at a G7 dinner in Canada. “I was sitting right next to President Trump, so I’ve no doubt, in my mind, the level of agreement there was,” he said. Just four days later the president intervened. Did the prime minister misread Trump? Or did the president – whose unpredictability is central to his foreign policy approach – just change his mind?

No 10 has told us it was given advanced warning of the US action, but the UK was not asked to take part. We do not know why. There had been speculation that US B-2 stealth bombers could have used the UK’s Diego Garcia airbase in the Indian Ocean as a waypoint en route to Iran. Instead, “Operation Midnight Hammer” involved B-2s flying non-stop for 18 hours from Missouri to reach their targets, according to the Pentagon. Follow latest on US strikes on Iran

Iran’s secretive nuclear site that only a US bomb could hit

What we know about US strikes on Iran It is possible the UK was not asked for assistance because it would have been a difficult request to grant. There have been debates at the top of government in recent days about the legality of any UK involvement, with the attorney general, Lord Hermer, providing advice on a range of scenarios. With the next steps in the conflict unclear, the US could end up requesting military support from the UK in the coming weeks – prompting further difficult decisions for the prime minister.

So, what next?

Crews tackle fire at two ‘fully alight’ houses

Image source, Essex Fire and Rescue Service Image caption, Crews from six fire stations were called to the scene

22 June 2025 Updated 4 hours ago

A blaze that engulfed two houses had been brought under control, a fire service said.

Crews from six stations in Essex were called to Katonia Avenue in Mayland at about 16:20 BST.

An update at 20:00 advised people living nearby to keep their windows and doors closed because there was still so much smoke in the area.

Incident commander Dan Wastell said: “Crews have worked hard and the fire is now under control. It is two semi-detached houses, which are fully alight.”

Essex Fire and Rescue said an investigation into the cause would take place on Monday morning.

Crews from Burnham, Maldon, South Woodham Ferrers, Witham, Tollesbury and Rochford attended the scene, with an aerial platform from Chelmsford.

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