Baby Boy Death: Three Arrested Over Murder

Two men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a seven-week-old baby boy.

The infant was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital with serious head injuries early last Saturday, Greater Manchester Police said.

The child, who lived in the Clarksfield area of Oldham, was later transferred to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, where he died of his injuries.

A 23-year-old woman and 35-year-old man were originally arrested on suspicion of assault.

But they have now been arrested on suspicion of murder and conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

A 26-year-old man has also been arrested on suspicion of murder and conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

All three suspects are in custody and will be interviewed by detectives.

The infant died at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital

Detective Inspector Andy Cunliffe from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: "This is a tragic case in which a very young baby has lost his life.

"We are determined to find out exactly what the circumstances were that led to him suffering such injuries.

"News of the death of such a little boy will no doubt come as a great shock to people.

"And I would like to try to reassure the community as much as I can that we have a team of detectives dedicated to working on this investigation, and they will today be interviewing the three people in our custody.

"If anyone has any information at all that they believe may assist us with our enquiries, then please get in touch and tell us what you know."

Anyone with information is asked to contact GMP's Major Incident Team on 0161 856 1722 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Reception Children Face Compulsory Tests

Four-year-old children will have to sit tests when they start primary school under new Government plans.

The compulsory tests, designed to measure each child's level of development at the start of their formal schooling, will come into force by 2016 under the new proposals.

It comes after a Department for Education (DfE) consultation last year which proposed a "baseline assessment" in primary schools in order to measure how children have progressed by age 11.

The tests are to be carefully crafted to estimate a child's academic abilities in very basic literacy, reasoning and cognition, rather than testing their knowledge as in a traditional exam.

As a result, it is believed the current key stage one tests that take place at the end of year two, when most pupils are aged seven, will be scrapped.

The Government is soon expected to shortly announce the results of the consultation and reveal the new reception class test, which was first reported in The Times newspaper.

A DfE spokesperson said: "We have consulted on our proposed primary school assessment and accountability measures and we are considering our response."

Some educational campaigners fear the tests for the younger age group will place children under undue stress.

Deborah Lawson, general secretary of Voice The Union - a union representing education professionals, told Sky News: "I want to know what is the purpose? Why should we be putting children at a younger and younger age through a testing regime.

"I think also we have to remember that developmentally is this the right thing for young children?"

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Flooding: Military In Somerset To Help Residents

Military officials have been on the ground in Somerset drawing up contingency plans to provide practical help amid fears of further flooding.

With more heavy rain, high winds and high tides expected to hit the county later this week, service personnel are on alert to assist flood-hit residents.

The fire brigade has been helping people cut off by severe flooding on the Somerset Levels, visiting around 200 properties in recent weeks to see what their needs were.

But now military planners have gone to the area to help the authorities as the relief effort is ramped up. Around 40 homes in the county are still flooded.

Troops accompany a local authority official to survey flood-hit areas

The Met Office issued an amber warning for heavy rain in southwest England between 12pm on Friday and 3am on Saturday, and the public should be prepared for significant disruption from flooding across the Levels.

Pat Flaherty, deputy chief executive of Somerset County Council, said: "With potential for high winds and high tides and more rain...falling on an already soaked catchment we have potential for further flooding over the weekend.

"And with that, ongoing flooding for a number of weeks to come.

"We're still working very closely with the military who remain in Somerset, planning with us and we also have the resilience of knowing that their equipment and personnel are ready to be mobilised should we require them."

The Government's emergency Cobra committee has been meeting again to discuss the flooding situation.

Parts of the Somerset Levels have been flooded since Christmas

Speaking about the military operation in Somerset, Major Al Robinson of the Royal Engineers told Sky News: "We are currently on reconnaissance, working in support of Somerset County Council.

"We are looking at the key areas under threat, and specifically at routes in and out the area, particularly at what we might be able to do in terms of assisting the local authority, particularly in the removal of waste and rubbish, and support current planning."

A local authority official accompanying the troops said: "It's a general reconnaissance, showing them the flooding situation."

The Ministry of Defence has tweeted that personnel involved in helping with Somerset floods are drawn from all three services, with the majority from Taunton-based 40 Commando Royal Marines.

In addition to vehicle crews, up to 100 military personnel are on stand-by for duties likely to include sandbag filling and loading.

The British Red Cross has sent a Unimog supply vehicle to the affected area

The Red Cross has also sent the 7.5-tonne Unimog, an emergency supply vehicle capable of driving through deep floodwater, which has also been used to help people stranded on the Somerset Levels after nearly a month of flooding.

On Wednesday, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said specialist Army vehicles could be drafted in to help tackle the flooding, delivering food and sandbags and transporting people.

His intervention came after David Cameron said rapid action is needed to deal with floodwaters in the Somerset Levels and promised the dredging of rivers would begin as soon as water levels were reduced to a safe level.

Speaking about the floods, the Prime Minister said on Thursday: "People want to know we are doing everything possible to protect dwellings from flooding and we want a forward investment programme.

"I think people understand that there are severe weather events that can affect your country, you do everything you can to mitigate, but in the end you can't mitigate against every single thing."

Sky's Kay Burley tweeted this picture of the road to Muchelney in Somerset

The Government said the first time Somerset County Council had requested assistance was on Wednesday, but the deputy leader of the authority David Hall told Sky News they had been asking for help "for weeks".

Drainage experts blame two decades of under-investment in flood defence work for turning the Levels into a "disaster area" and said it was "very, very urgent" that rivers are dredged to prevent more damage to homes, livelihoods and wildlife.

Despite coming under fire from MPs and local councils, the Environment Agency (EA) insists that increased dredging of the rivers would not have prevented the recent flooding and was "often not the best long-term or economic solution".

But Bryony Sadler of the Flooding on the Levels Action Group argued it would have made a "massive difference", and said there would be no let up in the demand for action.

She said: "The land is just flooded beyond belief."

Speaking about flood risk, the EA's director of operations, David Jordan, told Sky News: "People are trying to present this as the agency's problem. It goes well beyond that and it's absolutely essential to recognise this is a shared problem.

"We need to work in partnership to do what we possibly can to reduce flood risk."

Flood warnings in place across the UK

The arrival of the military came as farmers, politicians and church leaders demanded immediate action to alleviate what furious residents describe as "Third World" conditions.

Microbiologist Nathaniel Storey, who took samples from the flood water, said it was "absolutely teeming with bacteria and viruses".

He said it posed a risk to health and advised parents to take particular care with young children, whose toys may become contaminated.

Many parts of the Levels have been flooded since Christmas and there are fears it could be months before the water is completely pumped away.

Teams from the EA have been running dozens of pumps around the clock to drain away an estimated 1.5 million tonnes of water - the equivalent of 600 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The EA has issued 43 flood warnings - where flooding is expected and immediate action required - mostly in the South West, the South East and Midlands. Another 162 flood alerts are also in place.

Labour's shadow environment secretary Maria Eagle said: "Almost a week after Somerset County Council declared the flooding a major incident, the Government has finally decided to respond."

She accused Mr Paterson of "dithering" and failing to take flooding seriously.

Meanwhile, hundreds of university students in Aberystwyth, Wales, are being told to leave the seaside resort over fears of powerful winds and possible nine-metre high tides this weekend.

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Madeleine McCann Cops Hunt Resort Workers

British police investigating Madeleine McCann's disappearance have asked their Portuguese counterparts to search the homes and bank accounts of three suspects.

A Scotland Yard team led by Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood made the request during meetings about new leads in the case with senior members of Portugal's Policia Judiciaria earlier this week.

Investigators believe the trio were workers at the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz, where the McCann family were staying in 2007 and were behind a string of burglaries in the weeks before Madeleine, then three, went missing.

Former Ocean Club worker Nelson Rodrigues, told Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt that employees at the complex would have had the perfect opportunity to snatch a child.

Nelson Rodrigues speaks to Sky's Martin Brunt

He said: "Yes, you could suspect (them). The workers there know the shifts and the hours when people are at home or not at home.

"It's waiters, barmen, people from maintenance, reception, the cleaners - it's a lot of staff."

In May 2007, when the McCanns were holidaying in the Algarve, there were some 160 people working at the family resort.

One expat apartment owner told Sky News that he had property stolen about a month before Madeleine disappeared and that others had been targeted.

There were around 160 workers at the Ocean Club when Madeleine vanished

He said there was no sign of forced entry at his property and he suspected that the thieves might have had access to a key.

The man spoke to British police 18 months ago - suggesting that their renewed probe has been focused on Ocean Club employees almost since it began.

Paul Luckman, editor of the expat Portugal News, has been following the latest developments in  the case.

British Police visited Faro, near Praia da Luz where the McCanns stayed

He told Sky News: "It's alleged that they could be employees of Ocean Club, which puts a whole new light on it and that they're not, as we've supposed until now, a little group of opportunist burglars going round stealing passports and wallets whenever there was a window open.

"There are suggestions that this is slightly different."

Earlier this month, Sky News reported that police were hunting the three men whose phones were "red hot" after Madeleine vanished.

Kate and Gerry McCann have been 'buoyed' by progress in the investigation

Mobile phone records show that the men made numerous calls to each other in the hours after Kate and Gerry McCann discovered their daughter had disappeared from her room.

Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry are said to be "buoyed" by signs of progress in the effort to find out what happened to their daughter.

But it is unclear whether Portuguese authorities will respond positively to the latest request for help from the British investigation team.

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Corrie's William Roache Was 'Perfect Gent'

By Mike McCarthy, North Of England Correspondent, Preston Crown Court

Coronation Street's William Roache always behaved impeccably in the company of young women, his co-star Anne Kirkbride has told a court.

The actress, who plays Roache's on-screen wife Deirdre Barlow, said she had known him since joining the soap's cast in 1972.

Roache, of Wilmslow in Cheshire, who has played the role of Ken Barlow since 1960, denies four charges of indecent assault and two of rape and has told the jury he is not sexually attracted to underage girls.

All the offences are alleged to have happened between 1965 and 1971 and all are said to be against girls aged 16 or under.

Kirkbride started giving evidence for the defence by recalling the time when she joined Coronation Street as a "terrified and very nervous" young actress and met Roache for the first time.

"He was friendly...we had a really nice chat and he offered me a cigarette," she said.

"We shared a lot of the same interests in spiritual things. I just found him very easy to talk to."

Asked to describe the defendant in one word she replied: "Lovely."

Roache arrives at court with his son Linus and daughter Verity

With Roache smiling from the dock, Kirkbride, 59, went on to say that he behaved "impeccably" towards her.

"He was always the perfect gentleman," she said.

Defence barrister Louise Blackwell QC asked: "Was there anything about his behaviour towards young women which would worry you?"

The actress replied:  "Not at all...never. We have obviously had several young actresses playing our daughter.

"He has never been anything other than helpful, supportive. Never a suggestion of anything else in all of the years I have known him."

In a brief appearance in the witness box, Chris Gascoyne, who plays Roache's fictional son Peter Barlow in the soap opera, said the defendant was "kind, warm and open" with a great sense of humour.

He told the jury: "Bill kind of sets the precedent for everybody. Decent, time for everybody, not a 'star'."

He went on to say that Roache was a calm and relaxed man.

"He takes every day as a new day which is inspiring to me,"  Gascoyne said.

Helen Worth, who plays the character of Gail Platt, is also at court and is expected to give evidence in support of Roache.

Granada location manager John Newman told the jury that security at the Coronation Street studios in Manchester was very tight.

He said that strangers found in the corridors would be challenged.

Mr Newman said he had once had Manchester's Lord Mayor removed because he had not recognised him.

Under cross-examination, Mr Newman said he had had no connection with the Granada studios in the 1960s and that the security level had intensified in recent years.

The trial continues.

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Rachael Slack Murder 'Could Not Be Predicted'

By Lisa Dowd, Sky News Correspondent

A serious case review has found that the murders of a mother and her young son could not have been "reasonably predicted", even though she told police about threats to kill them days before they were stabbed to death.

Rachael Slack, 38, and her 23-month-old son Auden were found with 48 stab wounds at their home in the picturesque village of Holbrook, Derbyshire, on June 2, 2010.

They were killed by Ms Slack's former partner and Auden's father, 44-year-old Andrew Cairns, who had a history of mental illness, and was angry that she was in a new relationship, and pregnant.

He then took his own life.

Police deemed Ms Slack to be at "high risk" of being murdered - but did not tell her.

Ms Slack's partner at the time said she was frightened - but was not convinced Cairns would hurt her.

"Both Rachael and I were very alert, very wary in the evening," Robert Barlow told Sky News.

"We made sure everything was locked, we had plenty of communication in the day - texts, phone calls, but it still comes down to, if some professional body had told myself or Rachael that she was at high risk of homicide, we would definitely have done things differently."

The report makes no mention of an inquest finding that officers failed Ms Slack and Auden.

Derbyshire Constabulary say they now deal with domestic abuse differently.

"What we've now done is to ensure that every victim assessed by us as high risk, we're absolutely explicit, so they understand exactly where our risk assessment takes us," said ACC Karl Smethem.

"Then we can talk through written down protective measures we might suggest and they might be able to agree to in order to protect them better."

Other recommendations have featured in serious case reviews both locally and nationally for years.

The review found that agencies had focussed on the needs of Cairns, who had depression and possibly a personality disorder, rather than the needs of Auden and Ms Slack.

Christine Cassell, independent chair of the Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Board, said: "A strong priority for DSCB is making sure that agencies understand that they must think about the entire family, that regardless of the person they're working with primarily they must think about the implications for other vulnerable people in the family, whether it's a vulnerable adult or a child or children."

It also found that police and health professionals had been acting in isolation, not recording events properly, and not sharing information.

While agencies say they have already put their learning from this case into action, Ms Slack's family say they will pursue a civil claim.

Domestic violence charity Refuge released a statement responding to the Serious Case Review.

Chief executive Sandra Horley, CBE, said: "I am concerned that the review describes incidents of murder/suicide involving a family with a child as 'incredibly rare'.

"The truth is that domestic homicide is alarmingly common. Every week two women are killed by current or former partners in England and Wales.

"Analysis of serious case reviews has also found that domestic violence was a factor in the lives of 63% children who were seriously harmed or killed between 2009-2011.

"All too often, victims of domestic violence do not get the support and protection they deserve.

"That's why Refuge is calling on the Government to open a public inquiry into the police and state response to victims of domestic violence.

"We need the Government to take a coordinated approach to understand why so many women and children experiencing domestic violence continue to be badly let down."

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Madeleine McCann: UK Police Fly To Portugal

British police have travelled to Portugal to liaise with local officers investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

A Scotland Yard team flew to the Algarve days after a letter was sent to Portuguese police requesting help with tracking down and interviewing three burglars who were in the area when Madeleine vanished.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the investigation for the Metropolitan Police, was pictured arriving in Faro with three colleagues.

They held meetings with senior members of Portugal's Policia Judiciaria and are believed to have discussed leads recently identified by the Operation Grange investigation team in the UK.

UK police are in Faro, not far from Praia da Luz, where Madeleine vanished

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said the letter requesting help from the Portuguese authorities is understood to have arrived in Portugal "in the last 24 hours or so".

He said: "Four detectives from Scotland Yard arrived yesterday to meet their Portuguese colleagues - there's a small team of Portuguese police working in the Algarve on behalf of Scotland Yard.

"We know that among those detectives from London is Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who's the officer in charge of the British end of the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance.

Det Chief Insp Andy Redwood is leading the Met Police team in the Algarve

"It's certainly not the first time Scotland Yard detectives have visited Portugal - more than a dozen times in the last two years since Scotland Yard have been reviewing and then investigating Madeleine's disappearance has such a team gone to liaise.

"But it could be of some big significance because we know that earlier this month the UK authorities sent what's known as an international letter of request to the Portuguese authorities seeking, we think, help in interviewing three potential suspects."

Earlier this month, Sky News reported that Det Chief Insp Redwood's team were hunting three men whose phones were "red hot" after Madeleine went missing from her family's Praia da Luz apartment in May 2007.

Kate and Gerry have campaigned to keep the investigation going

Mobile phone records show that the men made numerous calls to each other in the hours after Kate and Gerry McCann discovered their daughter - three years old at the time - had disappeared from her room.

No arrests have been made since the Met set up Operation Grange in 2011 to review the case.

Portuguese police reopened their investigation last year, more than three years after it had been shelved.

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Smoking In Cars With Children Ban Bid

By Ashish Joshi, Sky Correspondent

Smoking in cars when children are present could soon become illegal.

Peers are set to vote on the issue and Labour wants to see the creation of a specific offence claiming the move will help save to lives.

A ban is already in place in parts of the world including some states in America, Australia, Canada and a few countries in Europe.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham says it is time Britain followed suit.

He said: "When it comes to improving the health of children, we are duty bound to consider any measure that might make a difference.

"Adults are free to make their own choices but that often does not apply to children and that's why society has an obligation to protect them from preventable harm.

"Evidence from other countries shows that stopping smoking in the confined space of a car carrying children can prevent damage to their health and has strong public support."

But pro-smoking groups think a ban is disproportionate.

They insist most adult smokers choose not to smoke when they are in a car with children.

Labour's Andy Burnham says society has an obligation to protect children

They are also angry at what they see as a stealth ban, after smoking in enclosed public spaces was made illegal.

They fear the prohibition will eventually be extended into people's homes.

Simon Clark, director of Forest, said: "I think this legislation is very heavy-handed, totally unnecessary and according to surveys 84% of adults wouldn't dream of lighting a cigarette in a car, in a small enclosed space with a child present.

"So adults already know how to behave, they don't need the state interfering in their lives like this. If there are still some people who smoke in a car with children, then lets educate them, but lets not legislate.

"It's almost going to be impossible to enforce anyway and the danger is that the police will have to ban smoking in all cars.

"We could have a situation were a lone driver, in his own car will be committing an offence by lighting a cigarette and what's the next logical step after that? Are we going to ban smoking in the home as well if children are present."

According to supporters of the ban there is overwhelming public support.

Labour cites a YouGov poll from 2011 that found 78% of adults in Great Britain agreeing that smoking should be banned in cars carrying children younger than 18 years of age, while 44% agreed that smoking should be banned in all cars.

And to support its case further it quotes a Mumnsnet survey that found 86% of respondents supported a ban (including 83% of smokers).

Some smokers think leaving a window open will protect their younger passengers from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, but that argument has been dismissed by experts.

Professor Robert West , from UCL, has extensively studied the potential dangers of second hand tobacco smoke: "We know that the smoke is toxic, we know that the smoke has carcinogens in it.

"If you imagine someone lighting up a cigarette in a club lets say, you would know about it within seconds the other side of the room. In a car it is a much more confined space.

"If you can smell smoke you are being exposed to carcinogens, so you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that even if you are trying to smoke out the window the child in the back is going to be exposed to carcinogens."

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Missing York Student Triggers Police Appeal

Police have said they are very concerned for the safety of a young female university student who has not been seen since a night out in York more than four days ago.

The mother of 20-year-old Megan Roberts reported her daughter's disappearance after a friend raised the alarm when she failed to hear from her.

Megan's mother contacted the police after a friend raised the alarm

Megan, who is originally from Wetherby and is studying at York St John University, was last seen in Popworld nightclub, on George Hudson Street, at around 2am on Thursday, January 23.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire police said: "Nobody has heard from Megan since, which is very out of character and officers are very concerned for her safety."

Megan is described as around 5ft 6in tall, of medium build with long dark brown hair.

When she was last seen she was wearing a cream knee-length dress which had large brown and orange flowers on it and black plimsoll-type shoes.

Police are appealing for anyone who has seen Megan since the early hours of Thursday or knows where she is to contact them urgently.

They are also appealing to Megan herself to contact her friends, family or the police to let them know she is safe.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101.

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Royal Estate: Overspend Leaves £500m Repair Bill

By Rachel Younger, Sky News Correspondent

Financial mismanagement within the Royal household is putting the future of some of our finest buildings at risk, according to the parliamentary watchdog responsible for scrutinising the Royal finances.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) believes over a third of the Royal estate, which includes both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, is in disrepair and has put the cost of fixing it at around £500m.

Margaret Hodge MP, who chairs the committee, told Sky News: "Forty per cent  of it needs something doing to it.

"The boilers at Buckingham Palace haven't been replaced for 60 years. Windsor Castle has problems with the bedrooms and the Royal Picture Gallery has buckets to catch the water coming through."

It is the first time that Parliament has scrutinised the Sovereign Grant given to the Queen to support her public duties.

Since the Civil List was abolished in 2013, the Royal household has been given a percentage of revenue from the Crown Estate and is meant to be more accountable to the taxpayer.

But the committee has criticised the household for spending over its means.

In 2012/13 it received £31m from the taxpayer, but spent £33.3m, raiding its reserves.

That has left a contingency of only £1m - a historic low - with no plan drawn up to pay for the backlog of repairs.

Windsor Castle needs repairs to its bedrooms

The report demands that the household "must get a much firmer grip on how it plans to address its maintenance backlog", adding "it has not even costed the repair work".

It also calls on the Palace to do more with less.

In a financial climate where many public institutions have had to make dramatic cuts the Royal household has only managed to reduce its expenditure by 5% in the last six years.

The committee believes there is scope to generate more income and reduce costs - possibly by opening Buckingham Palace to the public for more than just one month a year.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: "The Royal household was charged by the PAC in 2009 to generate more income to supplement the funding it receives from Government.

"This has been done successfully. In 2012-13 the household generated £11.6m in comparison with £6.7m in 2007-8. Work on income generation continues.

"A significant financial priority for the Royal household is to reduce the backlog in essential maintenance across the occupied Royal palaces.

"Recent examples of work include the renewal of a lead roof over the royal library at Windsor and the removal of asbestos from the basement of Buckingham Palace."

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UK Set To Freeze Amid Fears Of More Floods

Motorists and flood-hit communities have been warned of ice, sleet and snow as well as further downpours, as temperatures are expected to plummet.

A Met Office severe weather warning for icy conditions is in place across most of the UK, while some parts of the country have been told to brace for snow.

The Met Office's weather warning for UK

The chief forecaster said on its website: "A colder, westerly, air stream will follow Sunday's frontal band bringing heavy wintry showers and wet surfaces to many areas during Sunday evening and night.

"Clear skies between showers are expected to allow temperatures to fall to or just below freezing at times resulting in a risk of icy stretches forming on untreated surfaces.

"Some areas of the United Kingdom will also see a covering of snow. Snow amounts will generally be small, mostly accumulating on vegetation, however more persistent and heavy show is expected over the higher ground of western and central Highland and the southern Grampians."

The warning was issued for Sunday evening up until 10am today.

Fourteen serious flood warnings are in place for parts of the South East and South West, with the Environment Agency telling people in affected areas to take immediate action.

The Environment Agency's flood alerts

The Somerset Levels, which run south from the Mendip Hills to the Blackdown Hills, are particularly vulnerable, as further heavy rain falls on already saturated ground.

There is also potential for further river flooding across the South West and southern counties including parts of Wiltshire, Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex, West Berkshire and Surrey into next week.

The Environment Agency is running more than 60 pumps around the clock to drain an estimated 65 million cubic metres of floodwater from the Levels.

Police pass a submerged car, as a local resident uses the temporary pontoon

A temporary pontoon has been erected near the village of Langport to allow residents to get to their homes and a boat service is ferrying people to and from work and school.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson is expected to visit Somerset today to speak to the communities affected.

As well as the flood alerts, parts of Scotland have been told to brace for strong winds gusting up to 80mph.

Snow fell over the Northern Pennines

On Sunday, light snow flurries affected parts of northern England, including in Cumbria, where snow ploughs were used to clear sections of the A66.

A "mini tornado" was reported in parts of the Midlands and southern Britain, where trees were brought down, power supplies knocked out and outbuildings damaged.

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Lloyds And TSB Hit By Card And ATM Problems

Lloyds Banking Group has apologised after customers were unable to withdraw money from cashpoints or pay for goods with their debit cards.

The group - made up of Lloyds, Halifax, Bank of Scotland and TSB - has 30 million UK account holders, and became aware of the difficulties on Sunday afternoon.

It later said the problems - which lasted for several hours - had been fixed.

A spokeswoman said: "We apologise that earlier today, between 3pm and 6pm, some customers were unable to complete their debit card transactions.

"Although the majority of transactions were unaffected, we are very sorry for the inconvenience that this will have caused.

"At the same time, some customers encountered problems at approximately half of our 7,000 ATMs. This was resolved by 7.30pm, and all of our ATMs are now working."

Online and telephone banking were unaffected by these issues, and customers were still able to withdraw cash from other ATMs.

Customers earlier took to Twitter and other social media to vent their anger at the systems failure, which has left many stranded without cash.

TSB admits problems with its ATMs

TSB customer Nicky Kate said: "Really embarrassed to get my card declined while out shopping, never had any problems with lloyds then they changed my account."

Hannah Smith tweeted: "I am a TSB customer with a Lloyds card still (like everyone else). And I've been embarrassed three times today re: card declined."

Another customer, Julia Abbott, ‏said: "Lloyds bank atm and card service down. 20 mins on hold to be told this. Nothing even on website. Shoddy lloyds. ... shoddy."

Another Twitter user wrote: "This problem is also affecting Halifax debit cards as I found out trying to pay for lunch with my wife!"

And Jane Lucy Jones tweeted Halifax, saying: "Why can't I get any money out of any cashpoints, what is going on?

TSB - which has more than 630 branches across England, Scotland and Wales - said it "unreservedly apologised" for the problem.

Its chief executive Paul Pester had said in a tweet: "My apologies to TSB customers having problems with their cards. I'm working hard with my team now to try to fix the problems."

Lloyds customer services said the problem affected debit cards and not credit cards.

The glitch is the latest technology meltdown for the UK's high street banks.

Last month, all of RBS and NatWest's systems went down for three hours on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

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E-Cigarettes To Be Banned For Under-18s

Under-18s will be banned from buying electronic cigarettes under new Government plans aimed at cracking down on teenage smoking.

The announcement comes as e-cigarettes are enjoying a boom in sales, with an estimated 1.3 million people in the UK thought to use them.

The law, which will be introduced next week as an amendment to the Children and Families Bill, will also make it illegal for adults to buy cigarettes on behalf of someone under 18.

Adults caught flouting the law could be given a £50 a fixed penalty notice or fined up to £2,500.

The move comes as Department of Health figures reveal that 41% of 15-year-olds who smoke say they usually buy their cigarettes from other people rather than buying them from a shop.

And 95% of 11- to 15-year-olds who smoke have managed to get someone else to buy cigarettes for them in a shop at least once in the past year.

Public Health Minister and Conservative MP Jane Ellison said: "Two thirds of smokers say they smoked regularly before they were 18, showing that this is an addiction largely taken up in childhood.

"We must do all we can to help children lead a healthy life. That's why this measure is designed to help protect children from the dangers of being bought cigarettes by irresponsible adults - something that I hope concerned parents and responsible retailers will welcome."

While many people view the tobacco-free devices as a better alternative to traditional cigarettes, health experts remain concerned about the long-term effects they could have on users' health.

The long-term effects of e-cigarettes on people's health are unknown

E-cigarettes provide a hit of nicotine and some fear they reinforce the behaviour of smoking, making it harder to give up in the long term.

England's chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, said: "We do not yet know the harm that e-cigarettes can cause to adults let alone to children, but we do know they are not risk free.

"E-cigarettes can produce toxic chemicals and the amount of nicotine and other chemical constituents and contaminants, including vaporised flavourings, varies between products meaning they could be extremely damaging to young people's health."

Currently there is no restriction on people under the age of 18 buying e-cigarettes, and they are hugely popular among teenagers in Britain.

But it is feared that children are turning to the smokeless devices - designed to help users quit - before moving on to traditional cigarettes.

Many secondary schools across the UK have resorted to banning e-cigarettes over fears they are encouraging pupils to take up smoking.

Smoking rates have fallen to their lowest ever, in the wake of the ban on smoking in public and a series of shocking public health campaigns highlighting the dangers of cigarettes.

But more than 1,000 people end up in hospital every day as a result of smoking, and experts have warned that the growth in e-cigarettes could reverse some of the good work that has been done in tackling the habit.

Ministers hopes the new legislation will come into force by the autumn.

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Weather: Heavy Rain Could Add To Flood Misery

Communities across southern England have been told to prepare for possible flooding as further heavy rain is forecast for today through to Tuesday.

The Environment Agency (EA) has eight flood warnings in place for the south west, which mean flooding is expected and immediate action is required.

It highlighted the Somerset Levels, which run south from the Mendip Hills to the Blackdown Hills, as an area which should be prepared for further flooding.

An EA spokeswoman said: "With the ground already saturated, rivers and groundwater levels remain very responsive to rainfall, particularly on the Somerset Levels.

"Environment Agency teams continue to operate up to 62 pumps 24 hours a day to drain an estimated 65 million cubic metres of floodwater off an area of the Levels spanning 65 square kilometres."

There is also potential for further river flooding across the southwest and southern counties including parts of Wiltshire, Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex, West Berkshire and Surrey into next week.

Somerset flood warnings (red) and alerts (orange). Pic: Environment Agency

The Met Office has issued an amber warning of severe weather for the South West from 6am to 2pm today.

It said rain across the UK would be accompanied by strong winds, and up to 20mm of rainfall is expected.

Many communities are still coming to terms with the flooding that hit Somerset at the beginning of January.

Somerset County Council has declared a "major incident" for all areas affected by flooding in the county.

The leader of the council, John Osman, told Sky News: "There's no let up in the rain coming down. The water levels on the moorlands are rising. We are getting towards breaking point."

A vital boat service operated by Somerset County Council, which is ferrying people to work and school, as well as taking in supplies, is continuing as the access roads are still flooded.

The Somerset village of Muchelney has been cut-off by floodwaters

Sedgemoor District Council has also declared a "major incident" on the Somerset Levels.

Strong winds on Saturday blew bricks and tiles off the roofs of houses and forced residents to be evacuated in a street in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

Several people dialled 999 as the storm swept through the town but nobody was hurt, Warwickshire Police said.

Elsewhere in the county the emergency services and the highways agency have been working with local councils to deal with a number of other storm related incidents including trees which had been brought down by the strong winds, and flooded roads as a result of the heavy rain.

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