Innovation

A woman who was infected with hepatitis C during the NHS contaminated blood scandal said she doubts she will live to see her compensation.

Sue Wathen, 70, from Raunds, Northamptonshire, contracted the virus from a blood transfusion and her infection went undiagnosed for more than 30 years.

An estimated 30,000 people were infected with HIV or hepatitis through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s, with more than 3,000 deaths recorded.

Ms Wathen said: "It's far from over – just because the inquiry finished its final report doesn't mean it's over. All of us are frustrated and I'm not convinced I will get any compensation in my lifetime."

The Infected Blood Inquiry, which concluded last May, recommended immediate compensation.

The government established the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) to oversee payments, with nearly £12bn allocated.​

However, by mid-March, only 40 compensation offers had been accepted, totalling more than £44m, according to government figures.

Ms Wathen added: "At the moment, I'm at the stage where I'm waiting to be invited to apply for compensation. The government are telling us it's random choices, a lottery whether you're chosen.​

"The people who are much more seriously ill have no priority over those who aren't seriously ill or much younger. It's all very random and I don't think it's what Sir Brian [Langstaff] intended."​

The IBCA said it would prioritise the claims of people who have been told by a medical professional that they have less than 12 months to live.

Matthew Harris, from Brixworth, Northamptonshire, was also infected with Hepatitis C and echoed the frustration: "I thought by 2025 it would all be done and dusted. I'm OK health-wise, but I get depressed now and again but what can you do?"

The IBCA said it planned to scale up claims processing in 2025 and would prioritise those already registered with support schemes.

It aimed to process the majority of infected individuals' claims by the end of 2027, and affected individuals' claims by the end of 2029, it added.

The infected blood inquiry is holding two more days of hearings amid concerns about the government's response on compensation.

The hearings are scheduled for 7 and 8 May, with minister for the Cabinet Office Nick Thomas-Symonds and senior IBCA officials expected to give evidence.

The government said it was "fully-committed" to cooperating with the inquiry.

A government spokesperson said it was continuing to act on the inquiry's recommendations, adding: "The victims of this scandal have suffered unspeakably."

Israel's military has admitted killing a UN worker with tank fire in an incident in the Gaza Strip last month, having previously denied responsibility.

After Marin Valev Marinov, a Bulgarian employee of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), was killed when a UN compound in Deir al-Balah was damaged on 19 March, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had not struck the site.

But the IDF said on Thursday that the initial findings of its investigation indicated its troops had in fact killed Marinov after wrongly identifying the building as containing an "enemy presence".

"The building was struck due to assessed enemy presence and was not identified by the forces as a UN facility," it added.

These preliminary findings have been shared with the UN and the full conclusion will also be provided, it said.

It added: "The IDF regrets this serious incident and continues to conduct thorough review processes to draw operational lessons and evaluate additional measures to prevent such events in the future.

"We express our deep sorrow for the loss and send our condolences to the family."

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev said in a statement: "The Israeli side has apologised to Bulgaria."

He added: "Along with this, we will insist on fair compensation for Captain Marinov's relatives. In addition, we firmly call for such incidents not to be repeated."

Georgiev also stressed that the protection of the humanitarian workers was "of paramount importance".

The incident, which also seriously injured five other UN personnel, came a day after Israel renewed its offensive against Hamas after a two-month ceasefire collapsed.

At the time, UN Secretary General António Guterres called for a full investigation into the incident, while a spokesperson said: "The locations of all UN premises are known to the parties to the conflict, who are bound by international law to protect them and maintain their absolute inviolability."

Following the attack, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) said that "explosive ordnance was dropped or fired" at a guesthouse, which was in an "isolated" location. Its executive director, Jorge Moreira da Silva, said it was "not an accident".

The IDF said in a statement on the day of the attack: "Contrary to reports, the IDF did not strike a UN compound in Deir al-Balah. The IDF calls on media outlets to act with caution regarding unverified reports."

Footage verified by the BBC showed injured people – two wearing blue UN flak jackets – arriving at a hospital in an ambulance and a UN car.

A teacher who walked into a door after drinking cider in his classroom from cans and a school-branded water bottle has been banned from the profession.

Jon Downs admitted consuming alcohol at Westhoughton High School in Bolton, Greater Manchester, and that it was unacceptable professional conduct.

A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel hearing on 25 April considered that Downs had "put pupils at risk of harm by consuming alcohol on the school site and being under the influence whilst having pupils in his care".

He was banned from teaching indefinitely, subject to a review after two years, after the panel noted the 36-year-old had acknowledged wrongdoing and shown "some insight and remorse".

'Cans in the bin'

In a written statement, a worker at the school said she "could smell alcohol" coming from Downs on 3 July 2023.

The employee, referred to as Individual B, said she "discreetly removed his wastepaper bin [from his classroom] to review the contents and she saw three cider cans at the bottom".

The witness also said Downs "admitted that he had three cans of cider in his classroom when no students were there, and he put the cans in the bin".

Individual B said another member of staff came to her the following day to raise concerns about alcohol being found in a school-branded plastic bottle.

She said it had been found in Downs' classroom, at the far edge of his desk.

Upon review, she said it contained "around 3cm of cider at the bottom".

'Maintaining public confidence'

Another school employee, Individual A, noted that Downs was not speaking in his usual manner on 3 July 2023, adding that the teacher had "walked into the main building door".

On behalf of the Education Secretary, TRA decision-maker Marc Cavey said: "I have considered whether a two-year review period reflects the seriousness of the findings and is a proportionate period to achieve the aim of maintaining public confidence in the profession.

"In this case, factors mean that allowing such a review period is sufficient."

He said Downs needed "necessary time to develop full insight into his behaviour and, in doing so, demonstrate that he does not pose a risk to the wellbeing of pupils in the future".

Liverpool City Council has formally taken over the keys to a popular North Wales outdoor education site, after its tenant collapsed.

It was confirmed at the start of this year, after seven decades providing educational away days for young people, Colomendy would close with immediate effect.

Tenant Kingswood Colomendy Ltd and its parent company, Inspiring Learning Ltd, both ceased trading and administrators were appointed.

The council will now begin the process of securing the long-term future of the site in Loggerheads, near Mold, where generations of children stayed.

Prior to entering administration, Kingswood – which is expected to be dissolved later this year – undertook a period of marketing aiming to sell the site but a buyer was not found.

The council purchased the 130 acre (0.5km) location in 1957, which includes a Grade II listed manor house, from which the site takes its name, and was used as staff accommodation but fell into dilapidation.

The main building is Glyn Alyn, which opened as a boarding school in 1969 with five tower blocks providing dormitories.

All buildings require comprehensive refurbishment, according to the council, which also said a series of single storey timber dorms have "exceeded their life expectancy and require repair/modernisation or demolition".

Preferred option

Councillor Nick Small, cabinet member for growth and economy, said Colomendy "means a lot to many people in the city".

"People who have grown up in the city will have spent some time there," he said.

However, he said it was important the authority now did the right thing for the taxpayer.

The council has no money to cover any costs associated with Colomendy.

It is estimated the city will use its corporate contingency budget to cover £600,000 including business rates liability, security along with utilities and management costs.

If the city council retains the site, valued at about £220,000, beyond this financial year, capital investment would be needed.

The council will no longer receive the annual rent of £81,307 until it has another tenant.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the council's preferred option is for an outdoor education firm to take on the lease.

It is expected the full appraisal and handing over of terms to a preferred bidder could take up to 12 months

The coach of a community rowing club has said raising enough funds for a new boat would make a "massive difference" for its young members.

Wallingford Rowing Club has mostly state school rowers and is largely run by volunteers, with independent school Radley College among its regular opponents.

Sport England have offered a grant of £8,000 towards the cost of a new boat, worth £16,000.

But to access the funding, the club must raise the remaining £8,000 themselves and have until 10 July to do so.

The club was formed in 1947 and runs a junior section, as well as senior men's and women's squads.

Its clubhouse is a Grade II-listed former brewery in Wallingford, on the banks of the River Thames.

More than 90% of its 147 junior members attend state schools, most of them at local secondary Wallingford School.

Speaking to BBC Radio Oxford's Adam Ball, Katie Greves, a director and Olympic silver medallist, said the club frequently had to borrow boats and equipment from other clubs and schools.

"Hinksey Sculling School is lending us a boat this weekend… and Radley College lent us a couple of riggers for a boat.

"That's the difference between a state school club and a private school club. We don't have the resources, we don't have the number of coaches.

"[But] we've given [the children] purpose and independence. As a parent and coach, I think that's the most important thing we can give our young people".

'Community atmosphere'

Junior rower Daisy Coleman, 17, said the club was a tight-knit community.

"Everyone plays a big role and everyone is constantly trying to fundraise. I've met some of my best friends here… it's a great community atmosphere".

The club have until 10 July to reach their fundraising target.

"Above and beyond anything else, [rowing] teaches you be persistent," said Ms Greves.

That quality could serve the club well in their pursuit of their new boat.

At least 80 people have been killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza, hospitals and first responders say.

The Indonesian hospital said 22 children and 15 women were among 50 people who died when several homes in the northern Jabalia area were hit overnight. Nearby al-Awda hospital said it had received the bodies of another nine people, seven of them children.

The Israeli military said it struck Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters in the north. It had warned residents of Jabalia and neighbouring areas to evacuate on Tuesday after rockets were launched into Israel.

It came as the UN's humanitarian chief urged members of the UN Security Council to take action to "prevent genocide" in Gaza.

Speaking at a meeting in New York on Tuesday, Tom Fletcher accused Israel of "deliberately and unashamedly imposing inhumane conditions on civilians".

He also called on Israel to lift its 10-week blockade on Gaza and criticised the Israeli-US plan to take over the distribution of humanitarian aid by using private companies, saying it was a "fig leaf for further violence and displacement" of Palestinians.

Israel's envoy to the UN, Danny Danon, said the accusations were "baseless and outrageous".

He insisted the existing system for aid was "broken" because it was being used to help Hamas's war effort – an allegation both the UN and the armed group have denied.

A teacher who admitted making indecent photographs of a child has been banned from the profession indefinitely.

Simon Wood, 45, from Mirfield, West Yorkshire, was a teacher at Wetherby High School when he was arrested in November 2022 and his devices were seized.

He admitted two counts of making indecent photographs of a child and was given a community order at Leeds Crown Court in June 2024. The offences were not connected to the school, a spokesperson for Wetherby High School said.

The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) ruled last month that he cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, youth accommodation or children's home in England.

Wood was not present at the virtual meeting of the professional conduct panel, which took place on 27 March, the TRA said.

The panel concluded that although the offences took place outside the school, his actions were clearly relevant to his teaching role.

Wood was sentenced on 3 June 2024 to a community order for 18 months, the panel heard, with rehabilitation activity requirements, forfeiture of seized devices and payment of a victim surcharge of £114.

He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

A spokesperson for Wetherby High School said Wood was suspended at the time of his arrest and was no longer employed by the school.

"All appropriate safeguarding processes and procedures have been followed," they said.

A report from the TRA said that while Wood's actions did not lead to a prison sentence, his conviction "would be likely to significantly affect the public confidence in the teaching profession if the teacher were allowed to continue teaching".

The energy firm EDF has revealed it has spent £5.3bn using South West companies to build the new Hinkley Point C power station in Somerset.

This is one of a number of benefits outlined in the company's annual socio-economic report.

Hinkley Point C Head of Social Impact, Andrew Cockcroft said Hinkley was "providing really significant benefits, long-term opportunities for people and businesses here in Somerset, and across the South West region as a whole".

But as construction reaches its peak, with up to 15,000 workers expected on site, concerns have also been raised that more needs to be done to mitigate the impact of living near the biggest building site in Europe.

The billions spent in the area range from local firms providing food to advanced engineering companies.

But concerns have centred around the difficulty of other firms finding apprentices, parts for construction and problems on the roads in that part of Somerset.

One councillor has also described the local rental market as "broken".

But at Hinkley Point C (HPC), the new report shows some 5,000 people, a third of the people working on site, are from Somerset or the wider region.

That is also the case for 70% of the 1,500 apprentices that are working at there.

Grants totalling £17m have been awarded to local community projects like Bridgwater Carnival and Burnham BMX club.

Marine Scotland is investigating reports of a potential pollution incident at a scenic loch in the west Highlands.

Prawn fishermen at Loch Hourn have reported creels full of dead shellfish which smell strongly of bleach.

A trawler has also reported pulling up a net of dead marine life from the sea loch which looks out towards the Isle of Skye.

A Scottish government spokesperson said the Marine Directorate was investigating potential offences under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.

Situated between the remote Knoydart Peninsula and Glenelg, Loch Hourn stretches for approximately 14 miles (20km).

The pollution concerns were raised on 22 April when campaign group Friends of Loch Hourn were contacted by a local prawn fisherman.

He said his catch had comprised only small prawns not normally found in the creels, along with worms and the entire catch was dead and smelling of bleach.

Two days later a similar incident was reported by the skipper of a trawler.

A spokesman for group said: "For us, the first, largest, and most important is the tragic damage done to a huge swathe of the loch.

"And make no mistake, this is not some minor incident but in reality, something closer to an oil spill.

"Just because it is all on the seabed, maybe 100 metres down, with nothing to actually see from the surface does not alter the fact that this is an ecological catastrophe."

Ongoing investigation

Friends of Loch Hourn is a community group which initially came together in 2020 in response to the planned expansion of a large open-pen salmon farm.

It now claims to have over 100 members made up of residents, regular visitors, landowners, fishermen and others who are concerned about the long-term future of the loch.

A Scottish government spokesperson said: "We have been made aware of reports of a potential environmental incident at Loch Hourn.

"This is an ongoing investigation, and we are liaising with partners

"Given this is still a live investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment."

A growing population of peacocks are "creating serious problems" for residents in a village, says the council.

Tutbury Parish Council in Staffordshire is asking everyone in the village to stop feeding the birds after residents have complained that they are becoming an "invasion of privacy".

The council said feeding the peacocks leads to them roosting and making loud, early-morning calls near homes; droppings left on driveways and vehicles; and some have even been spotted on residents' roofs.

Council chair Francis Crossley said: "We want to encourage the peacocks to find their food elsewhere, instead of coming to people's homes."

'Number is the problem'

He believed there were 26 peacocks during the council's last count but said there could now be up to 40.

The council said the peacocks were becoming more confident and "harder to deter", especially around homes where food is being provided for them.

"Residents are becoming distressed by the number of peacocks and the noises they are making; there are definitely more peacocks than there used to be," said Mr Crossley.

"They aren't aggressive to residents or attacking anybody; the number of them is the problem."

He added that he would "hate" to see anybody get rid of any of the peacocks.

"They don't belong to anybody; they just roam around the village, so there is nobody to deal with them," said Mr Crossley.

"They are beautiful animals, so I can see why people like to have them around. We would just like them to find their food elsewhere and not around people's homes."

In a statement, the parish council said they would be "exploring responsible and humane solutions, including working with local wildlife organisations".