Nuisance Phone Calls: Which? Demands Action

Campaigners have demanded "tougher regulation" to clamp down on companies who plague people with unwanted phone calls and nuisance text messages.

Consumer group Which? found seven out of 10 consumers had been cold-called in the last three months, while two-fifths had received unsolicited texts.

The majority of calls and messages came from claims management companies (CMCs) offering to take up payment protection insurance (PPI) and personal injury cases.

Which? urged regulators including Ofcom and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to set up a joint taskforce to pull the plug on "intrusive and distressing" calls and texts.

It said offenders should receive fines and be put out of business.

"Unwanted calls or texts are not just a nuisance, they can be intrusive and distressing," executive director Richard Lloyd said.

"Many of us have been bombarded with spurious claims of PPI or injury compensation. People are telling us they are totally fed up with this nuisance and want to see action.

"Our research once again shows the behaviour of unscrupulous claims management companies must be tackled to stop them exploiting consumers who could claim compensation for free themselves.

"We want to see tougher regulation from the Government to clean up the CMC industry."

Which? said that a quarter of its members who made a claim on their car insurance were contacted by a CMC within three months.

Many of them were then bombarded by repeated messages. More than a fifth said they were sent at least 10 texts and one in eight received 10 or more phone calls.

The Transport Committee is currently investigating the extent to which bogus and exaggerated whiplash claims push up the cost of car insurance. False claims are estimated to add around £90 to the cost of every premium.

From next month, insurers will be banned from receiving money in exchange for the details of customers who make personal injury claims.

However, Which? said the rules will not cover non-injury claims such as car repairs.

It urged people to register their details with the Telephone Preference Service and to avoid opting into third party marketing when taking out an insurance policy.

It also said consumers should not respond to spam texts, even to text "stop", as this alerts the sender to the phone number being active and in use.

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Roache: Abuse Victims 'Punished For Past Sins'

The actor who plays Coronation Street's Ken Barlow has seemingly claimed victims of sexual abuse are being punished for their behaviour in "previous lives".

Bill Roache made the comments in a television interview, during which he said famous men can be "caught in this trap" by young female fans who follow their movements.

Speaking to New Zealand's TVNZ, he said of the victims: "If you accept that you are pure love ... and therefore live that pure love, these things won't happen to you."

He was then pressed by reporter Garth Bray, who asked: "To some people that sounds perhaps like you're saying victims bring things on themselves. Is that what you're saying?"

Michael Le Vell arrives at court

The 80-year-old replied: "No, not quite, but then yes I am. Everything that happens to us is the result of what we have been in previous lives."

Roache's co-star of 30 years, Michael Le Vell, has been suspended from the ITV soap after he was charged with 19 child sex offences.

Le Vell, whose real name is Michael Turner, appeared in court last month and was bailed until his next appearance in the dock at Manchester Crown Court.

During his interview with TVNZ, Roache insisted: "Everyone's innocent until they're proven guilty."

He described paedophilia as "absolutely horrendous" but added: "There's a fringe here ... particularly pop stars who have these groupies, these girls, who are sexually active and sexually mature.

"They don't ask for their birth certificate and they don't know what age they may be.

"They're certainly not grooming them and exploiting them but they can be caught in this trap."

He added: "These people are instantly stigmatised. Some will be innocent and some will not, but until such time as (any offence) is proven, there should be anonymity for both.

"If someone has done something wrong, the law should take its course. But whether they're proven guilty or not, we should never be judgemental about anyone.

"We shouldn't go round condemning. We should be forgiving about everything."

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Boris Admits: 'I'd Love A Crack At PM'

Boris Johnson has admitted that he would like to be prime minister but insisted "it's not going to happen".

The Mayor of London, considered a future rival to David Cameron, said he would love to "have a crack" at the job.

But he likened the idea to the prospect of him being a renowned painter or composer - or the lead singer of a top band.

He was asked whether he harboured ambitions for the top job in British politics in a forthcoming documentary.

Michael Cockerell, who made the programme for BBC2, told the Radio Times Mr Johnson said: "I would like to be the lead singer of an international rock group. That was my aim, or a good guitarist.

"I would love to have been a world-famous painter or a composer. There are many things that I would like to have been able to do."

When the documentary-maker pressed him again, he replied: "I think it's a very tough job being prime minister.

"Obviously, if the ball came loose from the back of a scrum - which it won't - it would be a great, great thing to have a crack at. But it's not going to happen."

Boris Johnson with David Cameron at the Olympics

Mr Johnson, 48, is seen by some Tories as the party's best hope for the future if Mr Cameron loses the next general election in 2015.

He enjoys huge popular support and veteran MP Sir Peter Tapsell, 83, is said to have offered to vacate his seat for him.

But the flamboyant politician has pledged to stay on as Mayor of London until 2016 and last week urged Tories to "put a sock in it and back the Prime Minister".

Mr Johnson and Mr Cameron, who is two years younger, both studied together at Eton and then Oxford University.

According to Cockerell, Mr Johnson painted a self-portrait when he was 12 which saw him resemble a Grecian demi-God.

His sister Rachel confirms that he always set his sights high as a child. "As Boris was growing up whenever anyone asked him what he wanted to be, he would answer: 'World King'," she said.

She added that he and Mr Cameron are "rather sweet" together because the Prime Minister "even though he's taller looks at Boris as if he's still head boy at Eton.

"Remember, Cameron was two years younger - the young pup."

Boris has pledged to stay as London Mayor until 2016

Asked whether Mr Johnson was now resentful as Mr Cameron had become Prime Minister, she said: "No, it gives Boris a sense of continuing superiority because he was Captain of the School."

Mr Johnson said that he vaguely remembered Mr Cameron at Eton, where the younger pupil was known as "Cameron minor" because his older brother was also at the exclusive school.

"I do remember Dave," he said. "Someone said to me once, 'That's Cameron mi' and there was this tiny chap, I dimly remember."

He also revealed his embarrassment about being a member of the notorious Bullingdon Club, a dining group for ex-public schoolboys at Oxford, whose members also included Mr Cameron.

"This is a truly shameful vignette of almost superhuman undergraduate arrogance, toffishness and twittishness," he said.

"But at the time you felt it was wonderful to be going round swanking it up. Or was it? Actually I remember the dinners being incredibly drunken."

Asked about the club's reputation for smashing up restaurants, he admitted: "Yes. And the abiding memory is of deep, deep self-loathing."

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Father And Son Killed In Alps Hiking Trip Named

A British father and his 12-year-old son who died while hiking in the Alps have been named by the Foreign Office.

Peter and Charlie Saunders were killed on a walking trip in the Chamonix valley in France after flying there for a short weekend adventure, the FCO said in a statement issued on behalf of their family.

Mr Saunders tumbled to his death as he tried to search for his son who had fallen 300 metres, French police believe.

"Charlie was always full of life, had a really happy temperament and loved spending time with his father. Peter was fantastic at making things happen, resourceful, with a positive approach to life. They will both be sorely missed by friends and family alike," it said.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank the French rescue services for all their efforts."

Rescue services in Chamonix were called by 48-year-old Mr Saunders at 2pm local time on Saturday.

He apparently said his son had fallen into a crevasse near Mont Blanc and that they were lost.

Captain Patrice Ribes, a French police officer, told Sky News that emergency services tried to trace the mobile phone call and launched a rescue mission.

But the rescuers lost contact and had to launch their search with little information about the pair's location.

The Saunders were said to be exploring a 'dangerous' mountain trail

A helicopter eventually spotted their bodies on Sunday morning at an altitude of 1,600m.

Capt Ribes said: "We think the father tried to find his son after he called us and asked for rescue. We believe he fell as he tried to find his son. Their bodies were found together this morning at 7.40am."

The father and son, reportedly from Buckinghamshire, had ventured into the Glacier des Bossons area of the Mont Blanc mountain range.

Capt Ribes said they had inadequate equipment and were exploring a "dangerous, deep, snowy" mountain trail.

Richard Mansfield, a mountain guide who has worked in the area for 20 years and lives near the Bossons glacier, said: "I don't know exactly where the accident happened but all the trails on the north side of the valley are covered in snow at the moment.

"The footpaths usually don't get that many people out at this time of year because they are much more difficult to navigate, although yesterday was a beautiful sunny day."

Mr Mansfield described a "number of footpaths which weave in and out of indentures in the mountainside" and this "is where they may have slipped off".

The valley, which boasts five ski resorts, receives a lot of British tourists throughout the year, with many owning holiday homes in the area.

According to reports, no less than 10 off-piste skiers and mountaineers had already been killed in the area this month.

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Child Porn Is Top Web Concern, Says Watchdog

Child porn is the number one concern among adults when considering a range of harmful content online, a watchdog has revealed.

A survey by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), which was set up in 1996 as a UK hotline to report criminal content online, discovered that four percent of men and two percent of women have come into contact with images of child abuse.

However, the survey showed around 40% of Britons would not know how to report child porn if they were to encounter it.

IWF chief executive Susie Hargreaves said: "There is clear public concern over the availability of images and videos of children being sexually abused over the internet.

"What is concerning for us is that not enough people know how to report this or would rather ignore it, especially considering the survey tells us that around 1.5 million British adults have seen this sort of content online.

"Although we've seen record removal times in the UK, during 2012 we saw a higher proportion of images of children under 10 years old being sexually abused."

Around 77% of those surveyed were most concerned by child porn, while 73% were worried about terrorist websites and 68% were concerned by extreme and violent porn.

Just under two-thirds were concerned with hate sites, which display racist or homophobic material, 61% were worried about suicide content and around half of those surveyed were concerned by eating disorder sites.

In the whole of 2012, the IWF logged just 73 UK sites hosting child sexual abuse images or videos, compared with 9,477 hosted in other countries around the world.

Of the 73 UK web pages, 41 of them - 56% - were then removed within 60 minutes of the IWF notifying the host company or internet service provider.

But Ms Hargreaves added: "We are also very aware that there are internet hosting companies in the UK which could do more, and faster, who are not members of IWF.

"We have a responsibility to do all we can to help protect children - and adults who were abused as children - from having their abuse viewed time and time again.

"We need to prevent people from stumbling upon this content and assist other countries in creating a hostile environment for hosting it."

The ComRes poll surveyed a sample of 2,058 British adults.

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Snow Warning: New Cold Snap Brings More Misery

Another cold snap is on its way, with parts of the country facing more snow and freezing temperatures, forecasters say.

Scotland and the north of England are expected to see up to 20cm (eight inches) of snow build up from today into Wednesday morning, with temperatures dropping as low as minus 15C (5F) overnight.

The Met Office has issued a yellow severe weather warning for today and tomorrow, urging those in the regions likely to be affected by snow to be aware.

The Grampians, eastern parts of the Southern Uplands, the Lake District and the Pennines are expected to be hit hard.

Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia and parts of the South East may also wake to a covering of up to one inch of snow on Wednesday morning and overnight frost is expected throughout the country.

The Met Office's yellow warning for the UK

Flights in and out of Leeds-Bradford Airport were halted for a short time on Monday morning after about 3cm of snow fell. Passengers were asked to check with their airline or tour operator before heading to the airport.

The A66 across the Pennines between Bowes, County Durham, and Stainmore, Cumbria, was also closed because of heavy snow.

A Durham Police spokeswoman said: "There are currently tailbacks of traffic while this process is under way."

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said the wintry weather would continue even as the spring equinox takes place.

"Snow and strong, cold east winds will cause disruption across eastern Scotland later on Monday and into Tuesday," she said.

"Over 10cm to 20cm (4in to 8in) of snow is forecast, with the highest accumulations over hills. It will feel freezing cold.

"Snow is likely in other areas too, for example across the Cumbrian Fells and Pennines today, and perhaps across eastern England later on Tuesday too.

"Drier, clearer weather midweek will lead to some widespread sharp frosts with lows of minus five to minus 10 Celsius."

Lang said the current conditions are in marked contrast to those last year when high pressure brought a settled and sunny period to much of the UK.

She explained: "Temperatures popped up to 22.8C at St James' Park at the end of the month, and broke Scottish records for March when Aboyne in Aberdeenshire hit 23.6C on March 27."

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Uncovered: The Public Bodies Snooping On You

The Department for Transport is among a range of public organisations that have paid private firms to spy on their behalf, while it has been claimed some 14 bodies, including 10 councils, may have commissioned potentially illegal surveillance.

The findings, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by civil liberties and privacy campaigners Big Brother Watch (BBW), showed that £3.9m has been spent by public bodies in the last two years on paying private investigators for surveillance work  - including snooping on their own staff.

A total of  29 organisations - 27 councils, one public authority and one government department, the DfT - paid private firms to undertake surveillance using powers under Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) in the years 2010/11 and 2011/12.

But some 14 organisations - 10 councils and four public authorities - paid private firms to undertake surveillance that was not covered by Ripa - meaning they commissioned potentially illegal activity.

Two public authorities and two councils paid other public bodies to spy on their behalf at a cost of £7,600, while four councils - Caerphilly, Dudley, Leicestershire and York - used private investigators to monitor their own staff.

BBW director Nick Pickles said: "This research has uncovered cases where it looks like the law has not been followed and it's essential they are urgently investigated.

"Unlike the US, British law isn't strong enough to stop evidence obtained by illegal surveillance being used in court and the punishments for people deliberately flouting the law are trivial.

Eric Pickles says councils which have flouted the law should face justice

"We need a proper licensing system for private investigators, reformed laws to stop unauthorised surveillance being used in court and most importantly to replace the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act with legislation that is fit for purpose."

BBW has recommended urgent reform of Ripa to protect against unauthorised surveillance by third parties.

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 should be strengthened to stop unauthorised surveillance by raising the bar about what evidence can be used in legal proceedings, BBW recommended.

The group also wants private investigator licensing to be strengthened and a duty to regulate contracted investigators to be introduced.

Communities secretary Eric Pickles said: "This Government has clamped down on the overuse and abuse of surveillance powers by town halls.

"Such powers can only be used for serious crimes, and require a magistrates' warrant. It is totally unacceptable if councils are trying to sidestep these important new checks and they should be held to account for acting outside the law."

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Police Arrest 60 Ahead Of Football Match

Police have arrested more than 60 people for alleged violent disorder in Nuneaton in the hours leading up to a football match against Lincoln City.

The disorder broke out in a number of pubs in the town centre ahead of the non-league fixture on Saturday.

Officers from Warwickshire Police, West Mercia Police, West Midlands Police and British Transport Police were deployed in the town shortly before 10.30am in response to reports of disorder at a number of licensed premises.

Police began arresting dozens of people on suspicion of violent disorder at The Granby pub from 3.20pm.

The suspects were transported by coach to Nuneaton police station and held in custody for questioning.

Chief Inspector Adrian Knight, who was in charge of the response, said officers from all police units involved were "successful in containing the disorder and protecting the safety and well-being of the general public".

"This operation was a true collaboration utilising resources from across the region.

"I am extremely grateful to our regional colleagues from West Mercia, West Midlands and British Transport Police for their support in this operation. It has been a particularly challenging day.

"Warwickshire Police is committed to protecting people from harm, whether they live in the county or are visiting, and we will not tolerate any behaviour which puts them at risk.

"Anyone intent on causing trouble in Warwickshire should be aware that we will deal with them robustly."

He added: "The fact that 62 people have been arrested is testament to our commitment to tackle violence and disorder within the county."

Nuneaton Town chief executive Ian Neale said the trouble was nothing to do with the football club or its supporters.

He said police went to The Granby pub to organise an escort to town for Nuneaton fans, but only three people said they were interested in going to the match.

"They were allowed to leave the pub to take a taxi to the ground, which is two miles away from where the arrests were made," said Mr Neale.

"The Boro is a family club and people who are looking for trouble are not welcome at our ground. Anyone found guilty of any offences today will be banned from the ground for life."

He added:  "The club works tremendously hard on community programmes to give young people locally aspiration and opportunities in a working class town and we see ourselves very much part of making positive things happen for the town."

Nuneaton went on to win the Blue Square Bet Premier League fixture 1-0.

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Giant Easter Egg Poached From City Centre

Police have joined the hunt for a giant decorated Easter egg that has been stolen while on display in Glasgow city centre.

Organisers of a charity egg hunt are appealing for the eye-catching 2ft-high fibreglass egg to be returned.

Action for Children have placed 101 giant eggs, many of which feature designs from leading artists, around Glasgow's streets and shops as part of its Big Egg Hunt.

Strathclyde Police are now searching for an egg called A Thousand Forests, which is painted with red and yellow trees by graphic designer Matthew Dent.

It was taken from Buchanan Street and is reported to be worth up to £10,000.

Andrew Harris, Director of Fundraising at Action for Children, said: "The hunt is a really fun way for families, locals and tourists alike to enjoy the age-old Easter egg hunt tradition - on a huge scale and as a giant exhibition of modern art - whilst raising vital funds for some of the most vulnerable children across Scotland and the UK.

"We appeal to whoever poached our egg to return it to us soon."

The eggs, which feature popular characters such as Humpty Dumpty and Peter Rabbit, are touring the country as the charity aims to raise urgent funds by putting them up for auction.

They were displayed in London in February and were then taken to Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.

They will be back in London for the Easter weekend.

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'Mumpreneurs' Could Be Lifeline To Recovery

By Poppy Trowbridge, Business and Economics Correspondent

Companies run by mothers contribute around £7bn a year to the economy but there are calls for the Chancellor to introduce measures to make it easier to start a business from home.

It has been five years since the depths of the financial crash and still the key to kick-starting growth eludes the coalition Government.

The British economy started 2013 with zero momentum, but could helping mums open businesses help get Britain growing again?

According to StartUp Britain, a group that supports entrepreneurs, 60% of small businesses are started from home.

And a growing number of those are being started by women who have left the workforce to have, or care for, their children.

Julia Hunter is a former City bond trader, and mum. Starting a family prompted her to start a business.

"I was looking to start my own business rather than work for somebody else purely because of the family side of things. It is important to me to just be around."

Mum-run companies are contributing a significant amount to the economy already.

According to Mumpreneur UK, there are 300,000 mum-run companies in the UK today.

As a group, they add about £7.4bn a year to the economy. Yet the average startup cash they require is only £500.

That's a low-risk, high-reward ratio that the Chancellor would admire.

Ms Hunter says British business needs more support from the Chancellor. She believes cutting VAT would be one way to encourage enterprise in the upcoming Budget.

Becky Jones from StartUp Britain says big banks and established companies should be encouraged more to support smaller startups.

She told Sky News: "Giving them support at the early stage can be a complete game changer for the life of a small business."

After all, these are the firms that will hire, produce, sell and export - at each stage contributing to the tax that the Government so desperately needs to slowly pay down debt.

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