Daily Express - 02.09.2019

6 Daily Express Monday, September 2, 2019

DX1ST

By News Reporter

Shoppers

face hike

in veg cost

ONION lovers will be

crying even more over

their favourite veg after

new data reveals prices

have soared in the past

year.

Figures show higher

prices for many

British-grown vegetables

over fears of shortages

due to extreme weather

including both rocketing

temperatures and heavy

rain over the summer.

Onions in

supermarkets have gone

up by an average of

seven per cent across all

varieties and sizes of

packs.

But own-label brown

onions have shot up by

24 per cent, or 18p, to

now sell at 93p a kilo in

the chains.

A pack of three onions

in a net is, on average,

10p higher at 86p, said

the figures by analysts

Edge by Ascential for

The Grocer magazine.

Other veg have been

hit, the data shows.

The Grocer said:

“Supermarkets are

hiking prices on some

British grown veg in the

wake of warnngs over

shortages.”

By Mark Branagan

Handouts

cheat who

had 3 jobs

A SERIAL benefits cheat

fleeced taxpayers of

nearly £63,000, while

holding down three jobs.

Mother-of-eight

Andrea Blackburn, 40,

fooled benefits bosses

for years, claiming she

could barely walk and

was so agoraphobic she

could not even answer

her front door.

Teesside Crown Court

heard she raked in five

types of benefits for five

years and worked at

Tesco, Sainsbury’s and

Greggs from 2015.

Her web of lies was

exposed when she was

seen at the wheel of her

car, after claiming she

could not drive.

Blackburn, of

Thornaby, who admitted

six fraud offences, was

given a 10-month

suspended jail term,

150 hours of unpaid

work, rehabilitation

activity and made to pay

£600 costs.

Damian Sabino,

mitigating, said she had

been targeted by loan

sharks over the years.

Surge in membership at National Trust

NATIONAL Trust
membership has topped
5.5 million in a record year
for conservation spending,
the charity says.
Its ranks swelled by more
than 300,000 to 5,600,
and funds for projects hit
£148million in 2018/19,
according to today’s annual
report.
Its work included

restoration of England’s

highest war memorial on

Scafell Pike and the

reintroduction of water voles

on Exmoor.

Some £10million more was

spent than the previous year,

with £104.5million put

towards buildings and

collections, £35.7million on

coast and countryside and

£8.2million on the Trust’s

gardens.

Visits to the 780 miles of

coastline, 248,000 hectares of

land and more than 500

historic houses, gardens and

parks the National Trust looks

after around the UK totalled

26.9 million last year.

As well as members, the

organisation also relies on the

support of its 65,

volunteers, who gave more

than 4.8 million hours of

their time.

The Trust’s director of

support and revenue Sharon

Pickford said: “These latest

figures are not only great

news for the National Trust as

a charity, but also for the

hundreds of special places

that we look after. Our work

to care for these places is only

possible through the

generosity of our members,

visitors, volunteers, funders

and donors.

“Without them, we simply

wouldn’t be able to spend

record levels on conservation

and access work to ensure

more people have a great

experience when they come

to our places.”

By Caitlin Doherty

restraints and handcuffs as

protection equipment.

Taser issue varies across the

country but in England and

Wales, just 17,000 of the

123,000 officers are trained to

use the weapon.

The emergency meeting

was called after PC Andrew

Harper, a 28-year-old serving

with Thames Valley Police,

was killed while responding

to a reported burglary in

Berkshire on August 15.

Dozens more officers have

been seriously injured in

recent months following an

escalation of violence.

Mr Apter has called on the

Government to buy more

Tasers and fund training.

He said: “I hear all the time

from leaders within policing

that officers and staff are their

most valuable asset but now

they need to prove it. It is par-

amount that officers receive

the right tools to do their

jobs.” National Police

Chiefs’ Council chairman

Martin Hewitt said:

“The recent attacks on

officers remind us that,

even with the

right training

and equipment, police officers

can be vulnerable to

the most violent

aggressors.

“Chief consta-

bles will meet to

discuss officer

safety and what

we can do to make

sure our people

are as protected

as they

can be.”

absolutely devastated at

what has happened to Luke.

“We would urge anyone

who has any information

about what happened to

contact the police or

Crimestoppers.”

A 19-year-old man from

Watford was arrested on

suspicion of murder and

remains in police custody.

Mr O’Connell was taken

to hospital where he was

pronounced dead.

A second man was found

nearby with a serious stab

wound to his arm.

Three cars – a grey

Volkswagen Golf, blue

Vauxhall Corsa and a black

Vauxhall Astra – were all

badly damaged.

Det Chief Insp Justine

Jenkins said: “Our thoughts

are with the victim’s family

at this awful time and they

are being supported by

specially trained officers.”

Two men are fighting for

their lives after a triple

stabbing in east London.

Police were called to

Ilford shortly before

midnight on Saturday and

found two men in their

20s with serious injuries.

They remain in a critical

condition.

A third teenage victim

has been discharged.

By Giles Sheldrick

Knifed to death after car crash

THE family of a man

stabbed to death following

a car crash begged the

public for information to

capture their son’s killers.

Luke O’Connell, 27, died

in a brawl that erupted after

a three-car crash in Watford,

Herts, in the early hours of

Saturday.

In a statement issued

through Hertfordshire

Police his family said: “As

you can imagine we are

Luke

O’Connell,

inset,

suffered

fatal

wounds in

a fight

that

followed a

three-car

crash in

Watford

Apter, chairman of the Police
Federation of England and
Wales, said he would be
“pushing chiefs to commit to
rolling out Tasers to all”.
He added: “Officers are tell-
ing me daily they are feeling
vulnerable due to the lack of
this vital, life-saving protec-
tive equipment.
“Assaults on officers show
no signs of abating, having
risen from 26,000 last year to
30,000 this year.
“Action must be taken now.
This summit must be more
than just talk.”
Currently, every police
officer is issued with a baton,
CS spray, leg and arm

Lies

‘Give us action not hot

air from Taser talks’

AN emergency meeting of
police chiefs to discuss rising
levels of violence must be
about “action and not words”,
the organisation representing
rank and file officers said.
The National Police Chiefs’
Council called today’s crisis
summit after a sickening spate
of attacks that have seen
scores of officers injured and
one killed.
All police chiefs in England,
Wales and Scotland have
been summoned to the talks
to discuss how to stop the ris-
ing violence on British streets.
Key to the discussion will
be whether Tasers should be
given to all frontline officers.
The weapon works by firing
two razor-sharp needle-like
probes into the body, deliver-
ing a 50,000-volt charge that
incapacitates the subject for
around five seconds. John

Vital... police taser training

Killed...

PC Andrew

Harper

By Giles Sheldrick
Chief Reporter