Govt Failing On Its Key Environmental Pledges

The Government is failing on its key environmental targets, including action on flooding, according to a report by leading charities.

Ministers are failing to improve flood defences and prevent unnecessary building in areas at high risk of flooding, it found.

The Nature Check report comes amid a spate of bad weather across the country, with a week of torrential rain resulting in widespread flooding in the South West, the Midlands, Wales and Northern England.

Experts warned not enough money is being spent on flood defences and called for a greater alignment between flood management and other policies such as protecting nature.

They also called for a halt to building on flood plains, unless vital and approved by the Environment Agency.

The traffic light assessment by Wildlife and Countryside Link, which includes 38 groups, also gave the Government a "red" for failing to introduce a carefully managed and science-led badger control policy to tackle TB in cattle and to bring in a ban on wild animals in circuses.

Two badger cull pilots have been delayed until next summer because of costs

The Government was also judged to have failed on its pledge to ensure marine conservation measures were brought in.

The report found the Government was only fully delivering on two international-focused commitments: to oppose the resumption of commercial whaling and pressing for a ban on ivory sales.

The remaining pledges scored an amber grade, including action to protect wildlife and promote green spaces, to reform the water industry to improve competition and conservation and maintain the green belt.

Progress on reviewing the direction of forestry and woodland policy, creating a presumption in favour of sustainable development in planning and reforming the planning system to give more control to communities were commended.

But environmental and wildlife groups warned that without renewed political will and action, the Government was in danger of slipping backwards again.

A sell-off of state-owned woodland was abandoned last year

Only 17% of people polled for the organisations said they thought the Coalition was the "greenest government ever", as pledged by Prime Minister David Cameron when he came to power in 2010.

Dr Elaine King, director of Link, said: "The Government lags behind public opinion on the environment, as the attempt to sell off our forests demonstrated. It needs to catch up.

"A healthy environment - and the public benefits it brings - is a critical part of everyone's quality of life, not an optional add-on.

"The Government's continued use of rhetoric that promotes growth over the environment is a worrying sign that the fragile progress made so far may not last.

"We want to see the Government recognise the value of nature and ensure that all departments recognise that the natural environment underpins sustainable growth."

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Second Man Held After Girl, 11, Raped In Park

Detectives have arrested a second man on suspicion of raping an 11-year-old girl in a north London park.

The man, aged 18, was arrested in Edmonton and remains in custody at a northeast London police station, the Metropolitan Police said.

A 26-year-old Who was arrested earlier on Monday has been bailed pending further inquiries to a date in late December.

The youngster is being treated in hospital after she was grabbed by a man on her way home from school on Friday afternoon.

She was dragged into Jubilee Park, in Enfield, before being raped near a pitch and putt course.

The girl, who had caught a bus from Enfield town to Bury Street, was snatched as she was walking along Galliards Road at around 4.15pm.

She eventually returned home after the attack at 7.45pm.

Detective Inspector Simon Ellershaw, who is leading the investigation, said: "This was a horrific and unusual attack of a defenceless school girl making her way home via her usual route, along one of Enfield's busiest shortcuts, at the beginning of Friday afternoon rush hour.

"She says the attack happened for some considerable time - possibly in the region of two to three hours.

"At present an extensive search of the park is underway and local officers are conducting house-to-house enquiries, and we have already been receiving helpful information from members of the public.

"Given the significant and unaccounted amount of time between the incident and the victim's arrival home, we are particularly keen to speak to anyone who may have seen her possibly appearing confused or dishevelled following her ordeal. All calls will be treated in the utmost confidence."

Chief Inspector Taylor Wilson said: "Over the course of the weekend police have been working using every resource available to support the victim, identify the suspect and provide a police response to increase confidence and provide reassurance to residents.

"Although this is an isolated and extremely rare incident, we are treating this with the utmost seriousness."

Witnesses or anyone with information that could help police is asked to call the incident room on 0208 345 4326 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Appeal for witnesses after girl raped in park

Detectives have made a fresh appeal for witnesses after a "brutal" sex attack on an 11-year-old girl.

The youngster is being treated in hospital after being grabbed by a man on her way home from school on Friday afternoon.

She was dragged in to Jubilee Park, in Enfield, north London, before being raped near a pitch and putt course.

The girl, who had caught a bus from Enfield town to Bury Street. was snatched as she was walking along Galliards Road at around 4.15pm.

She eventually returned home after the attack at 7.45pm.

The suspect is described as a black male with afro hair. He was wearing a dark grey top and black baggy jeans.

Detective Inspector Simon Ellershaw, who is leading the investigation, said:  "This was a brutal attack on an 11-year-old girl on her way home from school.

"I am appealing for the public's help in catching the person responsible.

"We are interested in speaking to anyone who was in the Jubilee Park area between 4.15pm and 7.45pm on Friday evening, and may have seen anyone acting suspiciously or anyone following a girl in school uniform."

Witnesses or anyone with information that could help police is asked to call the incident room on 0208 345 4326 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Police Baffled By Scene Of Pensioner's Death

Mystery surrounds the death of an elderly woman found dead in the same house as a man who was taken to hospital with multiple injuries.

Thames Valley Police said it was treating the death of the woman, who was found at the home in Berkeley Road in Newbury, Berkshire, as unexplained.

The woman, who was in her 80s, was declared dead at the scene by paramedics.

The man, who is in his 90s, had suffered injuries to his head, ribs and shoulder. He was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where he is being treated.

Detective Chief Inspector Gill Wootton said "early indications suggest there were no signs of a forced entry".

He added: "We are still investigating this incident, and are yet to determine the circumstances of the woman's death and the man's injuries."

Officers are maintaining a watch on the property as the investigation continues.

A post-mortem into the woman's death is expected to take place later.

Anyone with information that might help officers with their investigation is asked to contact the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 101.

Those not wanting to speak directly to the police can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

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New Law To Tackle Stalkers Comes Into Effect

By Jane Chilton, Scotland Correspondent

Campaigners are celebrating today after new anti-stalking legislation finally becomes law in England and Wales.

It is already illegal to stalk a person in Scotland, with the Scottish legal system changing in 2010, but it has taken until now for the laws to be introduced in England and Wales.

Campaigners claim the laws are now "harmonious" throughout the UK.

In England and Wales, it is estimated that 120,000 victims, mostly women, are stalked each year but only 53,000 are recorded as crimes by police and only one in 50 of those actually lead to an offender being jailed.

As there have been no anti-stalking laws in England and Wales until today, abusers were often charged with the less serious offence of harassment. This resulted in more lenient sentences of 12 months or less in prison, and many being granted community orders.

Since the law changed in Scotland the effect of tougher anti-stalking legislation is clear. Before the changes only 70 offenders were prosecuted over 10 years, but since 2010 the figure has soared to 443.

Ann Moulds, from Ayr, was stalked for almost three years by a man she thought was her friend.

When he heard about her stalker, he even offered her support and even offered to stay in her home to help protect her and make her feel safe in her home. All the time he was her stalker, bombarding her with sexually explicit texts, messages and phone calls.

Ann Moulds was stalked by 'a friend'

Ann told Sky News: "I ended up where my home became a prison. I was terrified to go out, I kept the curtains closed, I even stopped putting on the television or playing music so I could listen if there were any sounds outside.

"I just couldn't see a future, I couldn't see an end to it all. I lost my friends, I lost lots of weight and I lost my hair."

"So when I discovered that my supportive friend was this crazy man who was stalking me it was total shock, disbelief, absolute betrayal and it took me a long, long time to understand how that kind of mind can work."

Ann's stalker was eventually prosecuted and Ann decided to campaign for a change in the law in Scotland. She founded Action Scotland Against Stalking and was instrumental in bringing in the anti-stalking legislation.

Now she is extending her campaign to the European Parliament, which is now looking at making anti-stalking laws compulsory throughout all European states.

While praising the changes coming in today in England and Wales, Ann said: " It's about harmonising stalking laws so abusers can't commit offences in one country then hide behind a lack of legislation in other countries.

"The campaign has lifted the lid off stalking and that helps the police, judges and the courts in dealing with abusers seriously. One in five men and women will become a victim of stalking in some form or another. We are not looking at a small problem."

Stalking is a growing problem, especially through social networking sites. Cyber stalkers falsely believe they have greater anonymity - but protection rights are tightening up.

Digital stalking expert Jennifer Perry told Sky News: "The more prosecutions we hand out, the more people that are harassing individuals will hopefully think twice about it."

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Wild Weather: Falling Tree Kills One In Devon

A woman has been killed by a falling tree in Exeter, Devon, after authorities warned of "serious threats to life and property" from flooding in southwest England.

The 21-year-old woman was trapped by the fallen tree about 11:50pm on Saturday night near the junction of Western Way and Barnfield Road in Exeter.

Police said the tree fell across a wall and onto the roadway, injuring three people.

Two injured men were treated at the scene, while the woman was taken to hospital, where she later died.

Inspector Andrea Webber of Devon and Cornwall Police told Sky News that the deceased woman had been living in a small tent sheltered against a wall at the roadside.

"It was a very large oak tree that had been there for ... many years. Obviously we've had lots of heavy weather, it's been raining an awful lot, and the tree for whatever reason came down," she said.

"It's taken a wall with it when it came down, and then on top of that the tent was underneath and the tree has fallen on to the tent.

"There are two males involved with minor injuries and obviously a poor lady of 21 who received fatal injuries at the time."

Rising floodwaters in Millbrook, Cornwall (Pic: Matt Skinner)

The Environment Agency had earlier warned of "serious threats to life and property" across regions of southwest England.

Severe flood warnings have been issued for Helston, Polperro, and Perranporth, and for the River Fowey from Trekeivesteps to Lostwithiel.

At Polperro, south Cornwall, the level of the River Pol has been recorded at 0.26 metres. The typical level is between 0.00 metres and 0.25 metres.

Special "rest centres" have been set up in the worst-hit villages, allowing families to shelter overnight as floodwater surges through the rural West Country.

Emergency services and rescue crews have met council bosses in an effort to spread the message about the danger to life and property, following nearly four days of rainfall.

Across the region, roads were closed for safety reasons and others were impassable as rain saturated highways, and debris blocked lanes.

Devon and Cornwall Police have warned people not to go to flood affected areas, adding that the worst of the rain appeared to be moving away from Cornwall towards Devon.

Sergeant Gary Watts tweeted: "Severe means risk to life. Please pay heed!"

Floodwaters surge through Penzance, Cornwall

"Flash flooding can take you by surprise and kill. If you have to be out don't take risks."

Cornwall Council announced on Twitter that the river had burst its banks at Ladock, and warned local residents to take precautions.

Severe warnings are also in place at Bolingey Stream from Bolingey to Perranporth, and at the River Cober, in Helston.

Emergency teams have been working to shore up defences, deploy temporary barriers, monitor river levels, clear blockages from watercourses and pump-out flood water from towns.

The rest of Britain is also bracing itself for more flooding and travel disruption, with forecasters predicting further heavy downpours.

A deep area of low pressure has moved in, bringing more heavy rain to areas already badly hit by Thursday's downpours.

Sky weather producer Joanna Robinson said: "England and Wales could see 15 to 25mm quite widely, with up to 60mm possible in some spots.

"Between 6am and 6pm today 47mm of rain had already fallen at St Mary's (Isles of Scilly), 28mm at Culdrose and Plymouth and 17mm at Exeter and Bournemouth.

Flooding in Newlyn, Cornwall (Pic: Adam Gibbard)

"We can expect 30 to 40mm of rain quite widely across south Wales and the West Country by tomorrow morning, with up to 60mm locally, particularly across Devon and Cornwall. 

"Elsewhere across England and Wales there will be up to 25mm of rain, with lower amounts across Scotland, but local flooding remains a risk there after such a wet week.

"Gusts up to 70mph are expected for coastal areas of south-east England overnight, with inland gusts of 60mph. There is also the potential for some damage, particularly as the ground is saturated.

"It will be very windy across other southern areas, but the south-east is likely to see the strongest winds."

Network Rail said trains were likely to be suspended between Exeter and Bristol until Monday.

The latest downpours came after the majority of the UK was battered by storms on Thursday, leaving hundreds of drivers stranded and thousands of homes without power.

More than 100 people had to be evacuated as winds reached more than 86mph.

An elderly man also died after becoming trapped in his 4x4 in floods in Chew Stoke in Somerset.

Three other people had a lucky escape after their car was swept down a swollen river in Warwickshire.

The vehicle was carried more than 500 metres before a farmer managed to pull it to the water's edge.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "Two elderly females and one male were treated for shock and hypothermia by ambulance crews."

In Torquay, Devon, several homes were evacuated after a landslide. Part of a cliff face was hit by a landslip after netting was washed away.

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Movember: Call For Men's Cancer Support Groups

Campaigners have told Sky News they hope the record number of people supporting an annual cancer awareness appeal will help get more men starting their own support networks.

More than 160,000 men are diagnosed with cancer every year, including 40,000 who are told they have prostate cancer - and although there are hundreds of support groups for women, there are relatively few for men.

According to Movember, the campaign that encourages men to grow moustaches while raising funds, men are also less willing to talk openly with their friends.

Around 355,000 people have signed up to the appeal this year, with men growing and grooming a moustache throughout November to raise vital funds - more than £10.4m so far this year - for men's health.

Hywell Mills, Movember's sponsorship manager, said: "We've had a fantastic year so far, with 100,000 more moustaches being grown than last year, and the amount of awareness that generates, even before a penny is raised, cannot be underestimated. 

"We find it's a great conversation starter, especially as men aren't as comfortable as women in having these types of conversations.

"We work very closely with our men's health partners - Prostate Cancer UK, for example, runs peer-to-peer support networks and helplines for men to speak to dedicated cancer support nurses.

DJ Neil Fox, whose dad, Roy, died from cancer, is backing Movember

"But people need to be more aware of these services and they need to talk to their mates and their GPs as well. Creating these communities is something we're encouraging."

Neil Fox's father died of prostate cancer. The Magic FM DJ also wants to see more groups set up and said: "My dad was 76. He found out two years before. He had all the classic symptoms but he still didn't go to his GP. When he did go even the GP didn't recognise the signs."

In central London, a group of people, all of whom have been affected by prostate or testicular cancer, have already gathered to share their experiences with each other.

Stuart McGuire, 36, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in May this year. He is now in remission after undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

He said: "I remember being in the waiting room, waiting for the results. My wife came in with our baby and the doctor said: 'Stuart, you've got testicular cancer and it's spread up the the lymph nodes to your abdomen.'

"I thought, 'this can't be happening to me, this is happening to somebody else.'

"My wife was amazing and asked lots of intelligent questions but I just went into zombie mode."

Waldo de Vleeschauewer, who was also told he had the disease last October, said: "I was ignorant about cancer. I'm very active - I play squash and rugby and I thought it may have just been a sports injury.

"As guys you 'man up' and you get on with it. If something's bothering you, you just ignore it."

Movember originated in Australia but has now spread to at least a dozen countries worldwide.

Last year, 854,000 worldwide supporters raised £79.3m. In the UK, much of the money is donated to Prostate Cancer UK and the Institute of Cancer Research.

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PM Faces Tory Rebellion Over Gay Marriage

By Darren McCaffrey, Sky Reporter

David Cameron could be facing the biggest Conservative rebellion of his premiership over plans to introduce gay marriage.

Some 118 Tory MPs - more than a third of the party's representatives- have indicated to their constituents that they are uneasy about the highly controversial move, according to The Daily Mail.

The reported figure is a sign of how divided the Conservative Party is over gay marriage, despite both the Prime Minister and Chancellor George Osborne being personally committed to legislating for it.

Ministers have promised to introduce a Bill before 2015, although it has been claimed this week that Mr Cameron actually wants to fast-track legislation and bring it before Parliament early next year.

The Government has indicated that there will be a free vote, meaning that MPs will be able to vote against the Prime Minister's position without facing disciplinary action.

However it is far from clear if all 118 MPs would vote against the legislation.

Sky News have spoken to several MPs quoted in the article who have ruled out voting against the Government.

Openly gay MP for Bournemouth West, Conor Burns, said he hasn't decided whether to abstain or vote in favour but says he doesn't understand why it's being brought forward now.

Other MPs have expressed concerns over whether enough safeguards are in place to protect religious institutions but refuse to indicate whether they oppose the principle of gay marriage.

The Chancellor however believes a large Tory vote against gay marriage will not help the party appeal to centre ground voters.

Mr Osborne warned last week that ditching the policy would be toxic electorally.

He said that polls indicate a "clear majority" in favour of the change, particularly among the young and women.

A significant vote in opposition to the Government's proposals from within Conservative ranks would certainly be an embarrassment for the Prime Minister and a further blow to his credibility.

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Thousands Lose Power As Rain Batters Britain

Thousands of people have been left without power and scores evacuated from their homes after heavy rain battered Britain for a second day.

Up to 60mm (5ins) of rain fell in some areas as winds gusted up to 70mph, leaving vast swathes of the country under water.

People trying to escape the rising waters were forced to abandon their cars and the AA reported that 900 incidents were being reported every hour. 

Around 2,000 homes in the South West and 500 in Wales were without power, as Western Power said it was looking to restore electricity.

There is more bad weather to come with forecasters predicting storms over the weekend, although Friday will bring a brief respite with calm and sunny weather.

Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson said: "The threat of flooding looks to remain into the weekend, with potentially stormy conditions across England, Wales and Ireland on Saturday night.

"The threat of yet more heavy rain falling on already saturated ground is not good news and will only increase the risk of flooding."

The South West, Midlands and west of England again bore the brunt of the bad weather.

Commuters were faced with widespread delays and some cancellations, including at London Paddington where some trains to south west stations were scrapped. Minor delays were reported on cross-Channel ferry journeys from the Port of Dover in Kent.

The Environment Agency has scores of flood warnings - where flooding is expected - in place, most of them in the South West and the Midlands, and nearly 200 less serious flood alerts have also been issued.

John Curtin, head of incident management at the Environment Agency, said they had sent out teams to check on flood defences and monitor river levels.

Darron Burness, the AA's head of special operations, said: "Drivers really need to be careful and be prepared for sudden road closures."

He said that some drivers ploughed into flood waters "oblivious to the risks" and warned that this could wreck a car's engine.

The motoring organisation was expecting to attend as many as 13,000 call-outs by the end of the day - 3,500 more than they normally would.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals criticised a decision to allow a ship carrying hundreds of sheep to set sail across the English Channel in such bad weather conditions.

RSPCA chief executive Gavin Grant said the crossing amounted to torture and added: "It is barbaric that animals are at sea on open decks in these appalling weather conditions."

People were evacuated from Billing Aquadrome campsite in Northamptonshire following flood warnings from the nearby River Nene.

Coastguards issued a warning after a man narrowly avoided being swept out to sea in his canoe off the south Devon coast.

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Electricity Bills: Green Power Adds Extra £75

Green power could add £75 a year to electricity bills by 2020 under new government plans.

The coalition's long-awaited green energy strategy will treble the costs levied on bills from £2.35bn a year to £7.6bn.

And the drive for clean energy could add an estimated £178 a year to bills by 2030, before adjusting for inflation, experts believe.

An estimated £110bn is needed in the next decade to renew the UK's ageing electricity infrastructure.

Much of that is set to go into low-carbon power sources such as wind farms to cut emissions and keep the lights on.

The forthcoming Energy Bill, which aims to drive the investment, has been the subject of political wrangling within the coalition.

There have been mixed messages about how committed the Government is to supporting a greener economy or backing new gas power.

But agreement has now been reached on contentious areas.

Significantly, the Bill will not include a limit for the amount of carbon dioxide that can be emitted per megawatt hour of power from the electricity sector by 2030.

The Government believes the spending level agreed for low-carbon power subsidies will allow the UK to meet goals to supply 30% of electricity from renewables by 2020.

Officials believe that while consumers will pay more money towards green energy strategies they will also save money because of increased energy efficiency at home.

Environmental campaigners have reacted angrily to the news that carbon will not be capped.

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace, said: "By failing to agree to any carbon target for the power sector until after the next election, David Cameron has allowed a militant tendency within his own ranks to derail the Energy Bill.

"It's a blatant assault on the greening of the UK economy that leaves consumers vulnerable to rising gas prices, and sends billions of pounds of clean-tech investment to our economic rivals."

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