Reserves are falling into ruin,
says Natural England chief
Nature reserves are
overgrown and unloved
because of a lack of funding,
the head of Natural England
has said.
Tony Juniper posted
photographs from his visits
to reserves, showing ivy
climbing over signs which
had not been updated in
more than a decade.
He wrote on Twitter: “A
quick visit to Bedford
Purlieus National Nature
Reserve. What a treasure.
“We need to invest more
into such places and come
up with more ambitious
plans for reconnecting
ancient woodland
fragments, as could be done
in this landscape.”
Another Twitter user
pointed out that two bodies
cited as being responsiblefor the reserve on the sign
had not existed for more
than 13 years.
Mr Juniper added: “We
need to invest more as a
nation into our NNRs, the
jewel in the crown of
England’s nature.
“I and Natural England
colleagues will be making
the case for more resources
to undertake that and other
vital basic functions.”
A Defra spokesman said:
“Our ground-breaking
25-year environment plan
sets ambitious goals for
nature and biodiversity in
England to improve our
precious environment
exemplified by our National
Nature Reserves.
“The NNR Strategy seeks
to put our reserves at the
heart of nature recovery.”Plea for vaccine as Scotland’s
red squirrels face extinction
Scotland’s red squirrels
could be wiped out in a year,
campaigners have said,
unless the Government
funds a squirrel pox vaccine.
A vaccine has existed for
10 years for the highly
contagious disease, brought
to Britain by grey squirrels,
but lack of funds means it
has remained on the shelf.
The Wildlife Ark Trust
has been trying to raise
£115,000 to enable the
vaccine to be used. The
disease was introduced
when grey squirrels arrived
in the country in the 1870s,
and it decimated the red
squirrel population.
Squirrel pox causes
lesions and the animals
eventually starve to death.
Vicki Mead, who monitors
a colony of red squirrels inDumfries and Galloway, said
Defra had ignored her plea
to roll out the vaccine.
She said: “The last red
squirrel was sighted in the
Borders in 2017. That used
to be red squirrel territory.
“We are the last entrance
to Scotland left – and we are
losing our squirrels due to
squirrel pox. The sheer
numbers of grey squirrels
have meant the virus is
spreading fast. Now it’s
going from red to red they
stand no chance.
“We have found 50 dead
squirrels, but most go
underground to die, so the
real number could be in the
hundreds. We would be
lucky if we had a year left at
the rate it’s picking up now.
We need the vaccine. It’s a
horrendous, horrific illness.”Pc stabbed as
taser fails to
fire, court told
An undercover policeman
was stabbed during a stop
and search when a taser
failed, a court heard.
Michael Enzanga was able
to flee after allegedly plung-
ing a six-inch kitchen knife
repeatedly into Pc Russell
Turner as another officer’s
taser “failed to trigger”.
The 56-year-old officer
was taken to hospital with
a punctured lung following
the attack in Portsmouth
and survived his injuries.
Enzanga, 20, denies caus-
ing grievous bodily harm,
four charges of possession
of a class A drug with intent
to supply, and possession
of a bladed article. The trial
continues at Portsmouth
Crown Court.Judge queries
translator for
sex offender
A judge has questioned
why a child sex offender
who had lived in the UK for
52 years needed to have a
court translator.
Jose Vazquez-Vigo, 76,
who was born in Spain,
touched an eight-year-old
girl inappropriately on three
occasions between October
2017 and January last year.
When he appeared for
sentence at Reading Crown
Court, a translator was
sworn in to sit beside him.
Judge Heather Norton,
who jailed Vazquez-Vigo,
from Slough, Berks, for
three and a half years, asked
why a translator was
necessary, saying: “It is
money which the system
simply does not have.”News
Jihadi Jack
could avoid
prosecution
as a Canadian
By Charles Hymas
Home AffAirs editor
THE Muslim convert nicknamed Jihadi
Jack has appealed to Canada to take
him after being stripped of his British
citizenship – as it emerged that he will
escape prosecution there.
Reacting to the decision to revoke
his citizenship, Jack Letts, 23, who left
Britain to join Isil in 2014 and is being
held by the Kurds in northern Syria,
said: “I was expecting something like
this, to be honest.
“I’ve been here for two and a half
years and the British Government has
not helped me at all. These things have
very little meaning to me, to be honest.
I don’t think British citizenship is a big
deal.”
Letts, who has previously admitted
he was an enemy of Britain and said he
would have loved to become an Isil
martyr, has dual nationality through
his Canadian father, John, 58, and has
held a Canadian passport.
He told ITV News: “I’ve always felt I
am Canadian, my Dad is Canadian, and
I never grew up being accepted as a
British person anyway.”
“But, in the same way Britain hasn’t
helped me ... Canada has done nothing.
I always thought Canada was a better
country, I had this illusion.
“I hope Canada does take me from
here. I could go there, to prison of
course. If I’m really a Canadian citizen,
why haven’t they taken me by now?”
The decision to revoke Letts’s citi-
zenship has placed him at the centre of
a diplomatic row. Canada accuses Brit-
ain of “offloading” its responsibilities.
John McKay, chairman of Canada’s
committee on public safety and na-
tional security, said yesterday that if
Letts came to Canada, he would escape
prosecution for joining Isil through a
loophole in Canadian law.
He said: “We are between a rock and
a hard place. Our legislation works on
the assumption – actually stated in leg-
islation – that you have to leave from
Canada in order to be prosecuted for a
terrorist offence. We are unable to ini-
tiate any prosecution.”
He described Britain’s decision to re-
voke Letts’ citizenship as “gutless”.
“This young man, however mis-
guided he is, is entirely a British sub-
ject,” said Mr McKay.
“He is raised in Britain, he was edu-
cated in Britain. Everything about him
is British.
“The only formal connection he has
with Canada is through his father.
Frankly, I don’t think it’s the way two
allies should be treating each other.”
A spokesman for Ralph Goodale, the
Canadian public safety minister, said:
“Canada is disappointed that the UK
has taken this unilateral action to
offload its responsibilities.”
Although he said Canada was aware
of some of its citizens who were being
held in northern Syria, the spokesman
added: “There is no legal obligation tofacilitate their return. We will not ex-
pose consular officials to undue risk in
this dangerous part of the world.”
It is expected Justin Trudeau, the
prime minister of Canada, will raise
Letts’s case with Boris Johnson at the
G7 summit in Biarritz this weekend.
In his interview, Letts maintained he
had never killed or enslaved anyone. “I
only ever fought the Syrian regime
which killed one million people.
“I’m not a murderer. I’ve never tor-
tured anyone. I’m just a person who
made a stupid mistake.”
He added that he had given up hope
of seeing his father and mother Sally,
who were given suspended jail sen-
tences in June for funding his activi-
ties, face to face. “Speaking to them on
the phone would be great,” he said. “I
have absolutely no rights. I can’t even
speak to my mum so how can I speak to
a lawyer?”Soldiers and
police escape
injury in Irish
border blast
By Dominic Nicholls
defence & security correspondent
and Tony DiverA BOMB exploded on the Irish border
yesterday after police were “lured to
the scene” with a hoax call from
dissident Republicans, a senior officer
has claimed.
The device detonated in County Fer-
managh as police and Army bomb dis-
posal officers were searching the area.
No one was injured in the blast at
Wattle Bridge close to Newtownbutler,
which came as a security operation was
under way following a report of a sus-
picious package on Saturday evening.
The area was secured by police and a
full clearance operation began on
Sunday morning. The original item
was ultimately declared a hoax but an-
other device exploded nearby at
10.35am when an Army bomb disposal
team known as Ammunition Technical
Officers (ATO) and police were nearby.
Police Service of Northern Ireland
(PSNI) Deputy Chief Constable,
Stephen Martin, said: “I am of the firm
belief this was a deliberate attempt to
lure police and ATO colleagues into the
area to murder them.
“Although this device was intended
to kill police and Army personnel the
fact that it was placed on a main road
the result could well have been devas-
tating for anyone in the vicinity. There
is no doubt in my mind that police re-
sponding to this call were the target.”
Dissident extremists continue to
target members of the security forces
in Northern Ireland and police say they
are focusing their investigations on the
Continuity IRA and the New IRA.
Mr Martin said: “The Continuity IRA
have been present for a long time but I
think it is fair to say their level of(^) activity has increased this year.”
Michelle Gildernew, Sinn Fein MP
for Fermanagh and South Tyrone,
condemned those responsible.
“This morning’s bomb attack in Wat-
tle Bridge was totally wrong,” she said.
“Those responsible for this incident
have nothing to offer society and need
to end these actions immediately.”
Last month, a booby trap bomb was
found in Craigavon, Co Armagh, as
police attended another bogus call-out.
It comes as a man – believed to be a
loyalist – was shot dead in Co. Down
last night. The Police Service of North-
ern Ireland (PSNI) tweeted: “Police are
at the scene of a shooting incident in
the Main Street area of Waringstown.”
Dolores Kelly, SDLP Upper Bann
Assembly member, said Waringstown
is “a quiet and settled village”, adding:
“The local community is in shock this
evening.”
UK-raised Isil recruit
may benefit from legal
loophole as he seeks new
nationality through father
‘The British Government
has not helped me at all. I
don’t think British
citizenship is a big deal’
Unholy alliance Harry Anton as the title character in a scene with the three witches in
Antic Disposition theatre company’s production of Macbeth in the 12th-century Temple
Church, which was founded by the Knights Templar, in the City of London.
ALAMY LIVE NEWS
Click-and-collect ‘a hassle’ as one in seven parcels is never picked up
By Greg Wilford and Laura Onita
CLICK-and-collect shopping is becom-
ing too much trouble for consumers,
according to a study that found one in
seven items are never collected.
Consumers have left items worth
about £228 million over the past year,
the Barclaycard survey found.
Many cited frustration over poorly
staffed collection points and long wait-
ing times. But despite the complaints,
the service is increasingly popular, and
seen by retailers as a way to capitalise
on the online shopping boom.
More than 70 per cent of British con-
sumers order goods through click-and-
collect an average of twice a month.
But a third of the 2,000 respondents
to the survey described the process as a
“hassle”, saying it was easier to ask for a
refund and wait for a home delivery.
Among those who decided to leave
items, a quarter were put off by long
waits and 15 per cent were annoyed at
having to pay a fee for the service.
Nearly two in five shoppers said they
would visit shops more often if click-
and-collect was improved.
Experts said that could provide a vi-
tal boost to high street shops that are
struggling to cope with rising taxes,
the economic downturn and the con-
tinued growth of online-only rivals
such as Amazon.
Kirsty Morris, director at Barclay-
card Payment Solutions, said: “Brands
have the opportunity to not only in-
crease the number of shoppers through
their doors but also to reduce costs and
returns, while generating revenue
from click-and-collectors purchasing
additional items in-store.
“Enhancing the experience is a po-
tentially lucrative way for retailers to
ward off the unprecedented challenges
of the high street and bridge the gap
between online and in-store shopping.”
Next is among the retailers to ex-
pand its click-and-collect service with
a deal that will allow customers to pick
up Amazon orders from its 500 shops.
The deal will allow Amazon to in-
crease its physical footprint across the
country, as around 90 per cent of the
UK population lives in proximity to a
Next store
The majority of Next shoppers al-
ready choose to collect online orders
bought through its Directory service
from its shops.
According to official figures, click-
and-collect has been growing in popu-
larity among pensioners, who are
increasingly using it to do their clothes
shopping.
Birmingham man, 29, charged
with Home Office stabbing
A 29-year-old man has been charged
with grievous bodily harm and
possession of a knife after a civil
servant in his 60s was stabbed on
Marsham Street, outside the Home
Office, on Thursday.
Dominic Hornberger, 29, who is
from Birmingham, was charged on
Friday and appeared at Westminster
magistrates’ court on Saturday,
Scotland Yard said. He was remanded
in custody to appear at Southwark
Crown Court on Friday Sept 13.
Photographs from the scene showed
the alleged victim, who has not been
named and works for the Ministry of
Housing, Communities and Local
Government, shirtless with blood
pouring from his face.
He was taken away in an ambulance.
While his injuries were first treated as
life-threatening by paramedics, police
later said they were less serious than
first thought.
Witnesses reported seeing bloody
tissues in the entrance hall, where staff
had tried to administer first aid on the
injured man.
There were reports the attacker was
seen carrying “an albino ferret” in a
pet cage and asking staff outside the
building whether they worked there.
Police recovered the ferret inside its
cage, a rucksack containing coins and
a rail ticket and a knife holder, close to
where the man was arrested.
Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, said
her thoughts were with the victim and
his family. It is understood that
Whitehall security is being tightened.
Ex-employee’s crime spree costs
hospital £129,000 for new locks
A hospital has been forced to spend
almost £129,000 on changing all of its
1,500 locks after a thief with “inside
knowledge” stole a master key to
commit break-ins.
Gareth Parkin knew the Royal
Derby Hospital “like the back of his
hand” after working there as a
gardener and maintenance worker for
four years. He then “abused his
knowledge” to carry out his spate of
offending, Joey Kwong, Derby Crown
Court prosecutor, said.
After stealing the key during the
first burglary he then used it to access
the building and break into staff
offices to steal handbags which
belonged to doctors.
Parkin, 36, of Chaddesden, Derby,
used the bank cards he stole from
them to buy goods to sell to fund his
drug addiction. In separate offences
Parkin broke into a convenience store
in Derby five times and used a bank
card stolen from a pensioner aged 94.
Mr Kwong said Parkin stopped
working at the hospital three years
before the offending there happened.
He said that during February and
March this year, the defendant
committed seven burglaries at the site,
using the master key to gain access.
Parkin pleaded guilty to burglary
and fraud and was jailed for two years
and three months.
A spokesman for the University
Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS
Foundation Trust said: “This incident
incurred costs that the NHS really
can’t afford to waste.”
It’s a wrap Visitors admire a 42ft-long mural depicting
landmarks of South Queensferry, West Lothian, created
from sea glass and broken plates. Made by residents over 10
years, it was unveiled yesterday by the Greenferry Trust.
KATIELEE ARROWSMITH/SWNS
10 **^ Tuesday 20 August 2019 The Daily Telegraph
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