Retailers Geared Up For 'Busiest Day'

By Tadhg Enright, Business Correspondent

As the last full shopping day before Christmas Eve, today is expected to be the busiest day of the year on high streets and in shopping centres.

The British Retail Consortium expects between £4bn and £5bn to be spent throughout this weekend.

Researchers at the credit card company, Visa, have forecast sales to peak this afternoon between 2pm and 3pm.

At Brent Cross Shopping Centre in north London, management think today could be their busiest on record and extra security and traffic staff have been deployed to help customers.

Centre manager Tom Nathan told Sky News: "Everything shows us that when Christmas is on a Tuesday and the schools only broke up yesterday that today is going to be enormous because people haven't had the chance to go and do their full Christmas shop.

"So combine that with buying the turkey - and today is the start of the big turkey run - and today is going to be a huge one I think."

But the Local Government Association said confidence on the high street remained low.

Its annual Christmas survey found that 84% of town centre managers said confidence among shoppers had either not improved or worsened compared with this time last year.

It also suggested that the particularly cold and wet start to the winter could also be taking its toll on the number of shoppers visiting town centres.

Sales at Brent Cross Shopping Centre could be the busiest yet

Normally the busiest day of the year is December 23 - the last day before Christmas Eve - but this year that falls on a Sunday when trading hours for bigger shops are restricted by law to just six hours.

Big name retailers including John Lewis, Morrisons and Marks & Spencer failed in a bid to convince the Government to relax the restrictions on Sunday trading tomorrow.

M&S has responded by opening more than 100 of its stores at 12.01am on Christmas Eve morning to help shoppers get their Christmas essentials in time.

M&S director of retail said: "We know that the days leading up to Christmas are some of the most hectic for our customers.

"Due to Sunday trading rules, we can only open for six hours on one of the busiest days of the year.

"We hope that these early bird hours on Monday will ease the pressure and give busy shoppers a bit more time to pick up Christmas food orders or last minute presents."

Waitrose will also extend Christmas Eve trading hours in two thirds of its supermarkets by opening an hour earlier at 7am and closing an hour later at 6pm.

Sky News visited one of its four regional distribution centres in Bracknell near Reading and saw staff working to deliver twice the normal volume of food to its stores.

They will be working 24 hours a day between now and 6am on Christmas Eve to ensure Waitrose shelves remain stocked.

But management are disappointed for them and their customers that trading will be curtailed on December 23 which is usually their most important shopping day.

Waitrose supply chain director David Jones told Sky News:  "If you can imagine what you'd normally take in trading over 14 hours and shrinking that into 6 hours, it's quite challenging as you walk around the supermarket.

"You're trying to get people through checkouts and we would have loved to have had the opportunity to trade for a longer time."

Mr Jones himself will be taking time out of his executive duties to man the tills in his local branch on Christmas.

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School Shooting: Tributes To British Victim

The family of a six-year-old British boy killed in the Sandy Hook shootings have paid tribute to their "joyous" son at his funeral.

Dylan Hockley was one of 20 children shot dead by gunman Adam Lanza at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, last Friday.

The little boy died in the arms of his favourite teacher Anne Marie Murphy, who was also killed in the shooting.

Mother Nicole Hockley told the congregation at Walnut Hill Community Church in Bethel, Connecticut, that Dylan - who had a form of autism that hindered his language development - would flap his arms when he got excited.

When she asked him why, he replied: "Because I am a beautiful butterfly."

Hundreds of family and friends filled the church to commemorate Dylan's life.

Purple and white balloons were released at the end of the funeral to symbolise the 20 children and six adults killed at Sandy Hook school. Purple was Dylan's favourite colour.

He was born in Hampshire to a British father and American mother - Ian and Nicole Hockley - and the family moved to Newtown two years ago.

They praised staff at the school including headteacher Dawn Hochsprung and teacher Vicki Soto, who have been hailed as heroes as they tried to protect pupils from the gunman.

A statement from the family after his death read: "Everyone who met Dylan fell in love with him. His beaming smile would light up any room and his laugh was the sweetest music.

"There are no words that can express our feeling of loss. We will always be a family of four, as though Dylan is no longer physically with us, he is forever in our hearts and minds.

"We love you Mister D, our special gorgeous angel."

It comes after America's leading gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, called for armed guards to be placed in schools to prevent shootings.

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Women Drivers Face Insurance Premium Rise

By Darren McCaffrey, Sky Reporter

Women drivers could see insurance premiums increase by around 25% as new laws come into force that ban setting prices according to gender.

Researchers believe it could force nearly a quarter of women drivers to give up driving altogether.

The European Court of Justice ruling follows a 10-year legal battle against the proposals by insurers.

It is not confined to car insurance but also covers pensions and life insurance.

Car insurance premiums could increase for young female drivers by an average of around £300 a year.

Those aged between 31 and 35 are also likely to be hit with a rise of around 10%, or £53 a year, according to research from comparison website Confused.com.

Michael Ossei, personal finance expert at price comparison website uSwitch, told Sky News: "What we have found is young women between 18 to 25 years old will be heavily affected by the change.

"What that means from our research (is that) 24% will be taken off the road, not able to drive, while a further 11% say they will have to sell their cars."

Men reaching retirement could also be hard-hit with annuities possibly decreasing by up to 13% a year, while women may see their life insurance policies increase by 16%.

Currently, men usually get a higher pension income than women because, on average, they die younger.

The Government is strongly opposed to the change.

Transport Minister Stephen Hammond told Sky News it was unnecessary and that they were working to manage the impact.

"One of the reasons we are against it (is that) the basic principles of insurance previously has been insurance based on risked rather than just gender-based."

The court ruling is an attempt to end discrimination and to bring about equality between men and women - but it is a decision that will come at a price for many.

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CRB Check Rules To Be Relaxed By Home Office

Millions of employees and volunteers will no longer have to apply for a new criminal records check every time they apply for a job, the Home Office announced today.

Individuals will only need to apply once to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a certificate and then organisations will be able to use a new online service for an instant check to find out whether the document is still valid.

Unpaid workers will be able to use the online service for free when they apply for different opportunities, while paid employees will have to pay an annual subscription fee.

Individuals who require a DBS check, which can take up to 28 days to complete, currently have to re-apply for a certificate every time they change jobs or move workplace.

The move is part of an overhaul of the criminal checks process by the Government.

The service will be managed by the DBS, which launched at the start of the month when the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) were merged.

It is part of a first wave of public services to be moved online by the Government by 2015, which will also include the National Apprenticeship Service, tax self-assessment and registering intellectual property.

Moving services online will save taxpayers up to £1.2bn by 2015 and around £1.7bn a year thereafter, the Cabinet Office said.

Volunteering England (VE), which led a campaign against charging unpaid workers to use the new online criminal checks system, said making the service free for volunteers would give them a "hugely important boost".

VE chief executive Dr Justin Davis Smith said: "This is particularly significant when charities and public services are looking to sustain the enthusiasm for volunteering created by the Olympics and Paralympics."

Junior and locum doctors who need a new check every time they move hospital, agency workers registered with a multiple agencies and volunteers working with more than one organisation are among those who could use the service when it launches next spring.

Criminal information minister Lord Taylor of Holbeach said: "It is a 21st century service that will deliver real benefits to employers and volunteers without compromising on public safety."

However, Nick Pickles, director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch, said the need for reform goes "far beyond" making services available online.

He said: "Safety by database still seems to be the popular mindset across Whitehall and far more needs to be done to restore the system to a common sense balance.

"Until there are legal protections against the over-zealous use of CRB checks and proper reform so cautions and information not tested in court does not ruin people's careers, the CRB system will continue to undermine civil liberties."

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Energy Bill Breakdown Demanded By MPs

Energy firms should be forced to inform every customer what proportion of their bills will contribute to the supplier's profits, MPs are demanding.

The cross-party Energy and Climate Change Committee called for householders to be given a breakdown of their gas and electricity bills.

Their proposal would see annual statements provided by energy companies, featuring details of their operating costs, wholesale prices and profits.

It would also show firms' contributions to environmental levies, the costs of smart meters and investments.

Members of the committee say the shake-up would ensure customers are better informed and help improve competition in the widely-criticised energy market.

Conservative MP and committee chairman Tim Yeo said recent reports of wholesale price-fixing had reinforced the need for greater transparency.

"Trust in energy companies is at rock bottom and consumers don't have the right information to hand to make informed choices about where they get their energy," he said.

"Most consumers simply don't know how to interpret their energy bills and this puts them off attempting to switch suppliers.

"The Government should be doing all it can to increase competition in the energy market and must make it easier for new entrants to join the market."

There are concerns that many energy customers are paying more than they need to because of the bewildering array of tariffs available.

The Government recently announced plans to simplify the options and force energy companies to give their customers the cheapest deal available to them.

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Man Charged With NI Prison Officer Murder

A 36-year-old man has been charged in connection with the murder of prison officer David Black.

Mr Black, 52, was shot as he drove to work on a motorway in Co Armagh on November 1.

Dissident republicans claimed responsibility.

A spokeswoman for the PSNI said the suspect, who was detained in the Co Tyrone area, had been charged with terrorism offences.

He is expected to appear at Lisburn Magistrates Court later.

Mr Black, a father of two, worked at the high-security Maghaberry jail in Co Antrim.

He was the first prison officer murdered in Northern Ireland for 20 years.

More follows...

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Newsnight Savile Report: Inquiry Findings Due

The findings of an inquiry into Newsnight's shelving of a report into sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile are due to be published.

Top BBC executives and journalists on the flagship current affairs show have given evidence, some under questioning from a QC, into why a planned news report on the DJ did not go ahead.

It has been claimed the show was axed because it clashed with planned tributes to Savile - who died in 2011 - an allegation the BBC has repeatedly denied.

Witnesses including director of news Helen Boaden, Newsnight editor Peter Rippon and former director-general Mark Thompson are reported to have been questioned for the review, which is overseen by ex-Sky News executive Nick Pollard.

Mr Rippon stepped aside from his role after the BBC said his explanation as to why the show dropped its investigation into the late DJ and TV presenter was "inaccurate or incomplete in some respects" and corrected his statement.

George Entwistle stepped down as director general in November

The publication of the review - accompanied by a separate report by Ken MacQuarrie into how Newsnight reported an incorrect story implicating Lord McAlpine in child abuse allegations - caps a bad end to a year for the BBC.

The corporation managed to shake off criticism over how it covered the Diamond Jubilee and was widely praised for its coverage of the Olympics and Paralympics.

But it has paid out £185,000 in damages to Lord McAlpine this week and lost two director generals in the space of less than two months.

George Entwistle, who was head of BBC television at the time the investigation was dropped, took the top job in September only to resign after just over 50 days in charge as the Savile scandal developed.

Another review led by Dame Janet Smith, looking at the culture and practices of the BBC during the years in which Savile worked there, is expected next year.

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Hillsborough Inquests Set To Be Quashed

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent

An application to quash the original Hillsborough inquest verdicts is due to be heard at the High Court today.

Attorney General Dominic Grieve, who will put forward the application, said the main basis for the move was new medical evidence, made public in the Hillsborough Independent Panel report published in September.

Ninety-six Liverpool supporters died in the crush at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium on April 15, 1989, when their team met Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final.

The report revealed a widespread cover-up by police who altered witness statements to put officers in a favourable light and deflect blame for the disaster on to Liverpool fans.

Mr Grieve is expected to rely on new medical evidence from the report that revealed 41 of the 96 fans had the "potential to survive" if the police response been more effective.

Margaret Aspinall, whose 18 year-old son James died in the disaster, was hopeful that new inquests would be ordered.

The Hillsborough Independent Panel revealed a widespread police cover-up

She said: "This is the time now for the 96 to get the justice they deserve and, most importantly, for those families who are left behind.

"So many have died (and) they've been absolutely tortured because they knew the truth but they didn't hear it.

"We have never believed their deaths were an accident, we have never accepted the death certificates and I will hope the judges quash the inquests so we can press ahead with new ones."

Three High Court judges will be asked to make a decision based on the Attorney General's application.

The Hillsborough Family Support Group has organised a coach to take more than 30 families, while the Hillsborough Justice Campaign has arranged train travel for about a dozen people.

Liverpool and Walton MP Steve Rotherham said: "The families have been campaigning for two things; for truth and justice.

"The truth came out with the Hillsborough Independent Panel Report and now they want justice.

"Part of justice (is) that they get the correct verdict recorded on the death certificate of their loves ones ... They have never believed that to be the case."

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Hospital Surgery At Weekends Under NHS Plans

By Becky Johnson, Sky Correspondent

Routine operations, scans and consultations could be set to take place on weekends under new proposed changes to the NHS.

The plans are part of a raft of measures being discussed by the new NHS Commissioning Board which will take over day-to-day control of the health service from April 2013.

A spokeswoman said: "We are looking at options to provide a greater seven-days-a-week service."

The plans are designed with convenience for patients in mind.

Quality of care and patient safety are also factors behind the proposals after research carried out by University College London earlier this year found patients admitted on a Sunday are 16% more likely to die than those admitted mid-week.

The Alexandra Avenue Clinic in London is already open seven days a week.

Dr David Lloyd told Sky News: "It means patients don't have to go two days without seeing a doctor and it means acutely ill patients can be seen in a setting that isn't a hospital and hopefully we can prevent a log-jam in A&E.

"It's one of the adages of the world in hospitals is that you admit for seven days a week, and yet everything grinds to a halt at the weekends.

"In fact if you work a seven day week it means that you can get all the tests done much more quickly, it means that patients have to spend less time in hospital, so in fact you might be able to save some resources."

Patients at the clinic told Sky News it would be more convenient if they could also book hospital appointments on Saturdays and Sundays too.

One said: "I don't want the doctors to work too long hours because that would mean our care is in jeopardy.

"Maybe they could hire more people, in that way it could be good."

Sir Richard Thompson, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: "For some years we have known, particularly with evidence from North America, that the care of patients at weekends seems to lead to a greater death rate.

"They need all the services, there's some quite good evidence that for insistence X-rays and other procedures are not done as frequently at the weekends as in weekdays.

"It may well be the lack or delay to those screening procedures at the weekend is the thing that causes the slight increase in the mortality of patients admitted at the weekend."

NHS bosses are in discussion with doctors about how the changes would affect the way they work.

It is thought no doctor would be forced to work at weekends so incentives may need to be agreed to make weekend working attractive.

The NHS Commissioning Board will oversee expenditure of England's £95.6bn NHS budget from April next year.

It has also allocated £64.7bn for 211 local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), which are led by GPs and will take responsibility for local secondary, community and mental healthcare services.

The NHS Commissioning Board will monitor standards. It has said any referral to treatment wait of more than 52 weeks should attract financial penalties and indicated there should be zero tolerance of MRSA.

Sir David Nicholson, the NHS Commissioning Board's chief executive, said: "The NHS can be justly proud of its achievements. 

"People wait less, they are diagnosed and referred quicker and our hospitals have fewer infections. But everyone in the NHS knows we must continue to improve. 

"We want to make the NHS the best customer service in the world by doing more to put patients in the driving seat."

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HMIP Care Report: 'Distressing' Findings

Up to 3,000 vulnerable children are being failed by a care system that has seen sex attackers placed with abuse victims and a third of children moved 100 miles from home, inspectors say.

A report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) has found that children are "shipped" out of their home areas, leaving them to face "extremely poor" futures.

Basic checks are not being made by children's services when placing these "vulnerable and potentially dangerous" children into homes, HMIP warns.

Around a third of children in the study were placed more than 100 miles from home and nearly two thirds more than 50 miles away.

In one example, a 16-year-old boy was moved 31 times since being taken into care at the age of three - including one placement that lasted less than 24 hours.

Liz Calderbank says the report's findings are "distressing"

In another, a 13-year-old girl, a victim of sexual exploitation, was found having sex with a 15-year-old boy in the children's home.

Sexual videos of her were later found on his mobile.

The findings come at a time of intense focus on the treatment of vulnerable children following the Jimmy Savile scandal and revelations about horrific sex abuse in North Wales children's homes like Bryn Estyn.

Chief inspector of probation Liz Calderbank said she is shocked by the "distressing" findings, saying that "shipping" children over 50 miles away makes offending "inevitable" in some cases.

Revelations about the Bryn Estyn home in Wales highlighted abuse issues

"The system is failing in terms of how it is trying to look after them," she said.

The inspectorate, along with education watchdogs Ofsted and Estyn, looked at 60 children in six regions in a joint inspection into the work of youth offending teams (YOTs) with children placed away from home.

A fifth of the children had themselves been a victim of crime while under supervision of the YOT and just over half the children inspected had offended within the care environment.

In one area a host YOT was unaware a 13-year-old girl, who previously set fire to a children's home, was in its care until two weeks after she arrived. It then took three weeks to obtain assessments.

Paedophile ex-BBC star Jimmy Savile preyed on vulnerable youngsters

The HMIP report makes several recommendations, including for the Department for Education (DfE) to strengthen regulations and local agencies to work together more effectively.

A Department for Education spokesperson said three expert groups are developing proposals to improve the care provided by children's homes.

They said: "It is completely unacceptable that some local authorities and homes are letting down children by failing to act as a proper 'parent'.

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Bradley Wiggins Is Sports Personality Of Year

Tour de France champion and Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins has won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

The 32-year-old cyclist was presented with the trophy by the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, who was making her first public appearance since being treated in hospital for severe morning sickness.

Wiggins picked up the most public votes after becoming the first Briton to win the Tour - known as cycling's ultimate prize - in July.

Then he followed up his victory days later by taking the Olympic Time Trial on the streets of Surrey.

Team GB Heptathlon gold medal-winner Jessica Ennis was second at the ExCel ceremony in London, with US Open tennis winner and Olympic gold medallist Andy Murray third.

Wiggins said: "I'm not going to swear tonight so I am just going to say 'thank you' to everyone that picked the phone up and voted.

The Duchess of Cambridge presented the award to Bradley Wiggins

"We have had all that jungle stuff (I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!) and X Factor the last couple of weeks, so for people in half an hour to pick up and pay £1.50 to vote, thank you very much.

"And my nan: the cheque is in the post because you pressed redial God-knows how many times."

He also paid tribute to fellow riders plus the performance director and coach who have guided British cycling to a new high.

He said: "I'd like to thank my team-mates, Dave Brailsford and Shane Sutton. I'd like to thank British Cycling and Sky for paying me."

Speaking about Wiggins' latest triumph, Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "Congratulations to Bradley Wiggins -a truly inspirational winner, after an incredible year for British sport."

Dave Brailsford was named Coach of the Year

Cycling chief Brailsford, who helped deliver a large chunk of Team GB's success this year, was named coach of the year at the awards.

Under his leadership, Britain won 15 cycling medals in London and he also headed the Team Sky outfit which guided Wiggins to victory in the Tour de France.

Brailsford, who beat Ennis' coach Toni Minichiello and rowing coach Paul Thompson to the award, said: "It's a huge privilege to win this because it was a fantastic summer of sport. There is a great team behind me at British Cycling and Team Sky.

"They did a brilliant job. I would like to thank head coach Shane Sutton and all the team for the work they have done. They did such a good job. Our opponents thought our wheels were rounder than theirs.

"It's great because everyone sniggered when we said we would win the Tour de France in five years with a clean British rider."

Lord Coe received the lifetime achievement award

Team Sky tweeted: "Bradley Wiggins has won Sports Personality of the Year!!! Thank you SO MUCH to all of you who voted!!! It really is appreciated."

The Team of the Year award went to Team GB and Paralympics GB for their successes in the Games during the summer.

The lifetime achievement award, also presented by the Duchess of Cambridge, went to London 2012 chairman Lord Sebastian Coe.

He was given his prize for his athletics career and in recognition of his role in bringing the Olympics and Paralympics to London and their success.

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Kate In First Public Engagement Since Hospital

Wiggins Sports Personality Of Year

Updated: 11:40pm UK, Sunday 16 December 2012

Tour de France champion and Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins has won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

The 32-year-old cyclist was presented with the trophy by the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, who was making her first public appearance since being treated in hospital for severe morning sickness.

Wiggins picked up the most public votes after becoming the first Briton to win the Tour - known as cycling's ultimate prize - in July.

Then he followed up his victory days later by taking the Olympic Time Trial on the streets of Surrey.

Team GB Heptathlon gold medal-winner Jessica Ennis was second at the ExCel ceremony in London, with US Open tennis winner and Olympic gold medallist Andy Murray third.

Wiggins said: "I'm not going to swear tonight so I am just going to say 'thank you' to everyone that picked the phone up and voted.

"We have had all that jungle stuff (I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!) and X Factor the last couple of weeks, so for people in half an hour to pick up and pay £1.50 to vote, thank you very much.

"And my nan: the cheque is in the post because you pressed redial God-knows how many times."

He also paid tribute to fellow riders plus the performance director and coach who have guided British cycling to a new high.

He said: "I'd like to thank my team-mates, Dave Brailsford and Shane Sutton. I'd like to thank British Cycling and Sky for paying me."

Speaking about Wiggins' latest triumph, Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "Congratulations to Bradley Wiggins -a truly inspirational winner, after an incredible year for British sport."

Cycling chief Brailsford, who helped deliver a large chunk of Team GB's success this year, was named coach of the year at the awards.

Under his leadership, Britain won 15 cycling medals in London and he also headed the Team Sky outfit which guided Wiggins to victory in the Tour de France.

Brailsford, who beat Ennis' coach Toni Minichiello and rowing coach Paul Thompson to the award, said: "It's a huge privilege to win this because it was a fantastic summer of sport. There is a great team behind me at British Cycling and Team Sky.

"They did a brilliant job. I would like to thank head coach Shane Sutton and all the team for the work they have done. They did such a good job. Our opponents thought our wheels were rounder than theirs.

"It's great because everyone sniggered when we said we would win the Tour de France in five years with a clean British rider."

Team Sky tweeted: "Bradley Wiggins has won Sports Personality of the Year!!! Thank you SO MUCH to all of you who voted!!! It really is appreciated."

The Team of the Year award went to Team GB and Paralympics GB for their successes in the Games during the summer.

The lifetime achievement award, also presented by the Duchess of Cambridge, went to London 2012 chairman Lord Sebastian Coe.

He was given his prize for his athletics career and in recognition of his role in bringing the Olympics and Paralympics to London and their success.

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Norovirus: Hospitals Shut Doors To Visitors

Hospitals across the country are closing their doors to visitors because of outbreaks of the winter vomiting bug norovirus.

Birmingham City Hospital has asked visitors to stay away after closing four wards while at Maidstone Hospital in Kent three wards have closed to new admissions and visitors have been banned from all wards.

The George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton has shut one ward, partially closed three and is turning away visitors. Five hospitals in Wales are also closed to visitors.

The number of cases of the winter vomiting bug is up 72% on this time last year, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

This season 2,630 cases have been recorded - at the same time last year, just 1,533 had been noted.

However, the HPA admits that for every confirmed case there are likely to be a further 288 unreported sufferers, which means some 750,000 people could have been struck down by the bug across the country.

Norovirus is a highly contagious bug and spreads quickly in close environments such as hospitals and schools.

The symptoms include sudden vomiting and diarrhoea, which usually last for around two days.

Good hygiene is key to stopping the spread of norovirus

Professor John Oxford, a biologist at Queen Mary's College and Chairman of the International Hygiene Council, said the best way to avoid the virus is to keep away from people who have it.

He told Sky News: "We don't really know why norovirus pops up its head at this time of year. All we know is that it does with some regularity more or less at the same time as influenza.

"It could be that the winter conditions drive us indoors, we are more close together and a virus like noro depends on closeness and also lack of hygiene.

"And I must say in the United Kingdom and around Europe there is a lack of hygiene that gives the virus an opportunity to start jumping from person to person."

John Harris, an expert in norovirus at the HPA, said: "People should be vigilant in their hygiene and we would like to remind anyone who has typical symptoms suggestive of norovirus infection to avoid visiting friends or relatives in hospital or care homes."

It comes as the P&O cruise ship Azura docked in Southampton carrying 3,059 passengers after an outbreak of the virus on board.

The ship had been on an 11-night cruise of the Iberian Peninsular. P&O confirmed there had been 10 cases and those passengers had been confined to their cabins to prevent its spread.

Some 300 people on one of the company's other ships, Oriana, were hit by the virus during a cruise earlier in the week.

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Royal Prank Call Nurse's Family 'Shattered'

The children of the nurse found dead days after taking a prank call say they are "shattered" by their loss.

Jacintha Saldanha was discovered in a nurses' accommodation block close to King Edward VII's Hospital, London, where the Duchess of Cambridge was treated for severe morning sickness.

The 46-year-old answered a phone call from Australian radio presenters Michael Christian and Mel Greig, who pretended to be Prince Charles and the Queen and asked for an update on the duchess's health.

Jacintha Saldanha worked at the hospital where Kate was treated

A service for Ms Saldanha, a mother-of-two, was held at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday.

Outside, her daughter Lisha said: "We will miss your laughter, the loving memories and the good times we had together.

"We are shattered and there is an unfillable void in our lives.

"We love you mum. Sleep in peace and please watch over us until we meet again in heaven."

Benedict Barboza read a tribute to his wife, Jacintha Saldanha

Ms Saldanha's husband Benedict Barboza said his wife was "the light of my darkness who always showed me the way forward".

"From the day we met, you always stood by me, in times of hardship and happiness," he said.

"Nineteen years of togetherness, with a strong bond of affection and understanding, will be cherished forever in my life."

Mr Barboza's son Junal added: "In times of difficulty, you showed us the way forward to happiness and success."

On Friday, John Lofthouse, chief executive of King Edward VII's Hospital, said staff had stood by Ms Saldanha and insisted the nurse was the "victim of a cruel trick".

Writing in reply to a letter sent by Keith Vaz MP, Mr Lofthouse said: "Jacintha believed that the call was genuine, and she felt it appropriate to put the call through. We stand by her judgement.

Australian DJs Michael Christian and Mel Greig made the prank phone call

"Jacintha was reassured on a number of occasions by senior management that no blame was attached to her actions and that there were no disciplinary issues involved, because she had been the victim of a cruel trick."

Ms Saldanha's funeral will be held at a church in India on Monday.

An inquest into her death, which opened on Thursday, heard Ms Saldanha had hanged herself. She left two notes in her room and another among her personal possessions.

A provisional date of March 26 has been set for the next inquest hearing.

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