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Nearly 3,000 NHS patients a day receiving corridor care in England, figures show

Published for the first time, the data recorded 2,241 daily cases of A&E corridor care, with 699 patients also treated in other inappropriate settings

Almost 3,000 patients a day in England are receiving care in hospital corridors due to an unavailability of beds in A&E units across the country, according to official figures.

Corridor care occurs when a patient receives treatment in a setting that is clinically inappropriate and is deemed to be undignified and unsafe.

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© Photograph: Lankowsky/Alamy

© Photograph: Lankowsky/Alamy

© Photograph: Lankowsky/Alamy

Northumbria police officer, 19, dies after being struck by car

PC Jess Turnbull was responding to separate crash when she was hit by Mercedes

A 19-year-old police officer has died after being struck by a car while responding to another crash.

PC Jess Turnbull, a Northumbria police officer since September last year, was described by her chief constable, Vanessa Jardine, as “dedicated and committed” with so much to look forward to.

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© Photograph: Northumbria Police/PA

© Photograph: Northumbria Police/PA

© Photograph: Northumbria Police/PA

Two children die from measles as England data shows 100 new infections

London, the east of England and the West Midlands have highest number of cases, as UKHSA urges families to get children vaccinated

Two children in England have died from measles, health officials say, as data shows more than 100 new reported cases in the last fortnight.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Thursday that two children had died this year, one from “acute measles” and the other from the “late effects of measles”.

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© Photograph: Lourdes Balduque/Getty Images

© Photograph: Lourdes Balduque/Getty Images

© Photograph: Lourdes Balduque/Getty Images

Brunel’s SS Great Britain site drops historical name in ‘cool’ rebrand

11 June 2026 at 00:01

New name, Bristol Dockyards, and museum revamp aimed at becoming more rooted in community, says chief executive

One of the UK’s maritime landmarks is being renamed as part of a drive to make it “cooler” and more inclusive.

For a decade, the dockland site in Bristol that houses the ocean liner SS Great Britain, which was designed by the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, has been promoted as Brunel’s SS Great Britain.

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© Photograph: Tony Smith/Alamy

© Photograph: Tony Smith/Alamy

© Photograph: Tony Smith/Alamy

A&E patients with non-urgent ailments may be told to come back later under NHS plans

NHS bosses urge all hospitals in England to use ‘digital triage’ process to combat overcrowding in emergency services

Patients who turn up at A&E with non-urgent ailments could be told to come back another time under NHS plans to stop hospitals becoming overcrowded and avoid the service’s usual winter crisis.

Eighteen hospitals in England are already using “digital triage assessment” to help A&E staff decide which patients need to be seen right away or be dealt with in another way. If patients do need urgent care they are treated at once in the usual way. But if they have more minor ailments and can wait, they are told to come back later that day or the next day, or are referred to a community-based service, such as a GP or pharmacy.

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© Photograph: Islandstock/Alamy

© Photograph: Islandstock/Alamy

© Photograph: Islandstock/Alamy

Most Makerfield voters say offensive posts would put them off candidate, poll finds

Survey in run-up to byelection also finds support for water renationalisation, wealth tax and cap on political donations

A majority of voters in Makerfield say they would be less likely to vote for an election candidate if they have posted offensive content on social media, polling shows.

The polling for the campaign group 38 Degrees, undertaken by Survation, asked 518 voters in the Makerfield constituency for their views on a range of issues, with 55% saying they would be less likely to vote for a politician who has posted offensive material online.

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© Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters

© Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters

© Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters

Lammy’s cuts to jury trials could have ‘far-reaching’ effect on race relations, say MPs

Justice secretary’s plans likely to increase black people’s suspicion of court system, committee suggests

David Lammy’s planned changes to the criminal courts in England and Wales could have a “far-reaching” impact on race relations, a cross-party committee of MPs has concluded.

The deputy prime minister’s plan to remove the right to elect for a crown court trial “has the potential to increase mistrust in the criminal justice system among the black community”, the justice select committee said, because black defendants are more likely to elect for trial.

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© Photograph: Ian West/PA

© Photograph: Ian West/PA

© Photograph: Ian West/PA

Grim reality of prison conditions laid bare in damning report

Inmates in England and Wales live among vermin while gangs control entire wings, monitors warn, with failures ‘at risk of becoming normalised’

The independent monitoring board’s annual report of conditions across the prison estate of England and Wales is stark and unflinching.

Men and women are held for long periods in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, often living alongside vermin.

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© Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

© Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

© Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Cattle in England to get tuberculosis vaccine from 2030 as badger cull to end

Targeted vaccination and improved testing planned as part of drive to eradicate disease by 2038

Cattle will be vaccinated against tuberculosis from 2030 as a “gamechanging” part of a new strategy to drive eradication of the disease in England by 2038. In parallel, the last badger culls are expected to end by 2029, with vaccination of badgers expanded.

More than 20,000 infected cattle are slaughtered each year, costing taxpayers £100m and inflicting a heavy toll on affected farmers’ livelihoods and mental health. Mass culling of badgers began in 2013 and has killed about 250,000 animals, at a cost of about £60m.

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© Photograph: Artur Widak/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Artur Widak/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Artur Widak/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock

Two men jailed for violence at protest over police treatment of Henry Nowak

9 June 2026 at 19:53

Leon O’Leary threw a smoke grenade and Connor Bishop a traffic cone at officers during disturbance in Southampton

Two men who threw a smoke grenade and traffic cone at police during the violence in Southampton that followed the sentencing of Henry Nowak’s killer have been jailed.

Leon O’Leary, 41, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, was sentenced to three years and one month after throwing a smoke grenade at officers.

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© Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters

© Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters

© Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters

Family pay tribute to ‘altruistic’ London woman as her killer is jailed for life

Father and mother of Annabel Rook praised her dedication to helping others and want to focus on her legacy

A retired Old Bailey judge has paid tribute to his daughter after her killer was jailed for life.

Today at Snaresbrook crown court, Clifton George, 45, was sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of the murder of Annabel Rook, 46, whom he stabbed in the living room of her own home in Stoke Newington, north London.

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© Photograph: family Handout/PA

© Photograph: family Handout/PA

© Photograph: family Handout/PA

Girl arrested after two students and staff member stabbed at Manchester school

9 June 2026 at 13:44

Co-op academy in Blackley to close for day after students were locked down in classrooms during attack

A schoolgirl has been arrested after two students and a staff member were stabbed at a school in Manchester.

Students were put into lockdown and told not to leave their classrooms after emergency services were called to the Co-op academy in Blackley on Tuesday morning.

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© Photograph: Story Picture Agency

© Photograph: Story Picture Agency

© Photograph: Story Picture Agency

Ministers could ban London councils ‘dumping’ homeless families miles away

Measures being considered to crack down on practice that has grown as a result of Britain’s housing crisis

London councils could be banned from “dumping” homeless families hundreds of miles across England under measures being considered by ministers, the Guardian has learned.

MPs said vulnerable people, including women fleeing abuse, were being “coerced” into choosing between rough sleeping or moving to cheap, sparsely furnished properties in some of the poorest parts of the country.

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© Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

© Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

© Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

Pilot ‘hyperlocal’ job support scheme in England shows promising signs of effectiveness

Government-funded JobsPlus trial in 10 neighbourhoods could be scalable nationwide, evaluation shows

A government-funded pilot of “hyperlocal” job support in 10 neighbourhoods across England has shown “promising early signs of effectiveness”, including for young people, and could be scalable nationwide, a new evaluation has shown.

The JobsPlus scheme, backed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Youth Futures Foundation, an independent non-profit organisation, focuses intensive support in a small area of predominantly social housing. Echoing a similar, long-established scheme in the US, “community champions” at each site help to engage hard-to-reach people in the local area.

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© Photograph: Gary Calton/The Guardian

© Photograph: Gary Calton/The Guardian

© Photograph: Gary Calton/The Guardian

Plan for AI legal assistants in England and Wales ‘cannot replace funding and staff’, lawyers say

David Lammy to announce trial of AI assistants in crown courts in effort to cut backlog of cases

A plan to roll out virtual legal assistants powered by artificial intelligence to crown courts has prompted warnings that the technology should not be used to “replace vital funding and additional court staff”.

David Lammy, the deputy prime minister, will announce on Tuesday that AI assistants will be trialled in an effort to cut the backlog of court cases in England and Wales.

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© Photograph: Salivanchuk Semyon/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Salivanchuk Semyon/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Salivanchuk Semyon/Shutterstock

Family courts show ‘widespread’ gender bias and victim-blaming, report finds

Exclusive: Analysis shows 72.5% of 91 judgments in England and Wales contained judicial victim-blaming, with mothers scrutinised more intensely

A report has found “widespread and concerning evidence” of bias and victim-blaming in the family courts – primarily disadvantaging women.

The report, Scratching the Surface: Victim-Blaming and Bias in Family Court Judgments, by the nonprofit organisation Right to Equality, will be shared with MPs on Tuesday at an event in parliament.

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© Photograph: kieferpix/Getty Images/iStockphoto

© Photograph: kieferpix/Getty Images/iStockphoto

© Photograph: kieferpix/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Child sexual abuse victims in England and Wales to get help to remove online images

Echo project will help erase images as part of package of support to end ‘prolonged suffering of survivors’

Victims of child sexual abuse in England and Wales will be given help to remove online images of their abuse as part of a wider package of support to end the “prolonged suffering of survivors”.

The Echo project will help those who have reported their abuse to the police to identify and remove images of abuse online. They will also be given trauma support, the possibility of having a victim impact statement read in court against their perpetrators and the opportunity of criminal or civil compensation.

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© Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

© Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

© Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

England’s Cerne Abbas Giant Fades Under Changing Weather Conditions

8 June 2026 at 22:32
Cerne Abbas giant
Cerne Abbas giant. Credit: richie rocket. CC BY-2.0.

For more than 1,000 years, the Cerne Abbas Giant has stood on a hillside in Dorset, England, surviving wars, epidemics, and centuries of social change. Now, conservationists say increasingly unpredictable weather is threatening the famous chalk figure and forcing an earlier-than-usual restoration effort.

The 55-meter-tall (180-foot) giant, carved into a hillside above the village of Cerne Abbas, is one of Britain’s most recognizable landmarks. The figure depicts a naked man carrying a large club. For generations, residents helped maintain its bright white appearance by filling its outline with fresh chalk.

Today, the site is managed by the National Trust, which has traditionally re-chalked the giant about once every decade. However, conservation teams say changing weather conditions are making that increasingly difficult.

Weather speeds up restoration work

Around 300 staff members and volunteers are taking part in the latest restoration project. The effort involves carrying nearly 17 tons of fresh chalk up the steep hillside and packing it into the giant’s trenches by hand.

Workers first remove old and discolored material before mixing fresh chalk with water to create a paste. The new chalk is then pressed into the outline, helping restore the figure’s distinctive appearance.

The need for faster restoration became clear in 2019 when heavy autumn rainfall washed away much of the newly applied chalk shortly after conservation work had been completed.

England's famous Cerne Abbas Giant has survived for more than 1,000 years. Now, heavier rainfall, algae growth and erosion are forcing conservationists to restore the massive chalk figure earlier than planned. pic.twitter.com/0ShiLZzOYt

— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) June 8, 2026

Conservationists also have concerns about algae growth. Mild, damp winters and warmer summers can create conditions that allow algae to spread across the chalk surface, causing the giant’s bright white outline to appear green and faded.

“In recent years, we’ve noticed algae growth starting to dull the giant’s bright white outline,” National Trust ranger Luke Dawson said.

Dawson cautioned against directly linking the changes to climate trends at a single site. “It’s one of these things we cannot really prove,” he told BBC News. “It is more just observation of what we are seeing up there.”

Researchers continue to debate the Giant’s origins

The Giant’s origins remain one of England’s enduring archaeological mysteries. Over the years, researchers suggested it could represent a prehistoric fertility symbol, the Roman hero Hercules, or even a satirical image of Oliver Cromwell.

Scientific dating has narrowed the timeline considerably. Researchers believe the figure was likely created between 700 and 1100 CE during the late Saxon period.

The Saxon dating has renewed interest in the Hercules theory. In a 2021 study published in the journal Speculum, researchers from the University of Oxford argued that the giant was originally carved as an image of Hercules.

They suggested it may have served as a landmark and gathering point for West Saxon forces during Viking attacks in southern England.

Conservation efforts expand beyond the hillside

The National Trust is also working to protect the landscape surrounding the Giant. A recent fundraising campaign helped secure 130 hectares of nearby grassland containing rare wildlife and important archaeological remains.

“The Giant was never meant to exist in isolation,” National Trust archaeologist Steve Timms said in a press release. He said protecting the surrounding landscape will help researchers better understand how people used and understood the area over thousands of years.

More than 1,300 deaths a month in England due to long A&E waits, figures suggest

Senior medical staff call for solutions to tackle root causes of excess deaths amid tenfold increase in a decade

More than 1,300 patients a month in England are dying needlessly due to long A&E waits, a tenfold rise in a decade, figures suggest.

There were more than 300 deaths linked to long waits every week in 2025, up from 30 a week in 2015, according to analysis by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.

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© Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

© Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

© Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

Record number of people waiting for NHS diagnostic tests in England

One in five of the 1.92m patients on list wait longer than six weeks for tests such as CT and MRI scans, analysis shows

A record number of people are waiting for a diagnostic test on the NHS, triggering fears that delays in accessing CT and MRI scans could endanger patients’ health.

A total of 1.92 million patients in England are waiting to have a test to diagnose their illness such as by an ultrasound scan, assessment of their hearing, bone scan or various tests for cancer.

The diagnostic waiting list has grown by 500,000 since 2022.

It is 83% higher than before the Covid pandemic.

On current trends the waiting list will hit 2 million in March 2027.

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© Photograph: skynesher/Getty Images

© Photograph: skynesher/Getty Images

© Photograph: skynesher/Getty Images

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