Section:GDN 1N PaGe:14 Edition Date:190730 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 29/7/2019 19:44 cYanmaGentaYellowb
- The Guardian Tuesday 30 July 2019
(^14) National
In brief
Crime
Anti-terror police called
in after grenades seized
Police
Former soap actor
found dead aged 38
Education
Universities increase
unconditional off ers
Mental health
Two Priory hospitals
put in special measures
A man has been arrested on
suspicion of a terrorism off ence
after two military grenades, a gun
and chemicals were found at a
house in Suff olk.
Suff olk constabulary offi cers
made the discovery on Sunday while
executing an arrest warrant at a
property in Lowestoft. A 59-year-
old man was initially arrested on
suspicion of a fi rearms off ence
before being arrested yesterday on
The former Coronation Street and
Emmerdale actor Paula Williamson,
who married Charles Bronson, one
of Britain’s most violent prisoners,
has died aged 38. Williamson,
pictured right, was found at an
address in Sneyd Green, Stoke-
on-Trent, yesterday morning.
Staff ordshire police said her death
is not being treated as suspicious.
The actor married Bronson at HMP
Wakefi eld in 2017, fi ve months after
she began visiting him. Amy Walker
Two -fi fths of 18-year-olds in
England, Wales and Northern
Ireland who applied to university
received an unconditional off er this
year, according to the Universities
and Colleges Admissions Service.
In total, 97,045 applicants,
or 38%, receiv ed an off er with
an unconditional component ,
compared with 87,540, or 34%,
last year. A pplicants from the
most disadvantaged areas were
50% more likely to receive an
unconditional off er than those from
the most advantaged. A quarter of
applicants received a “conditional
unconditional” off er, up from a fi fth
a year ago. This is where a place is
off ered on condition that a student
achieves predicted grades, but it
becomes an unconditional off er if
the student makes that university
their fi rm choice. Amy Walker
Two hospitals run by the Priory
Group have been placed in special
measures in a fresh controversy over
the treatment of people with mental
illness or learning disabilities by
state-funded private contractors.
At one hospital , some patients
wore trainers in bed in an eff ort to
stop nursing staff jabbing their feet
with keys to wake them up. Both
the Priory Hospital Blandford, in
Dorset, and Kneesworth House in
Hertfordshire, which is operated by
a Priory subsidiary , were declared
“inadequate” by the Care Quality
Commission after being found
unsafe and uncaring. They have
six months to show improvement
or face closure.
The Priory said major investment
was under way at Kneesworth and
immediate changes were being
made at Blandford. David Brindle
suspicion of being concerned in
the commission, preparation and
instigation of acts of terrorism.
The Metropolitan police’s counter-
terrorism command has assumed
leadership of the investigation.
More than 60 properties
were evacuated after the items
were discovered. Police set up a
100-metre cordon around the house
while an army bomb disposal team,
supported by Suff olk fi re and rescue
crews, made the site safe.
The 59-year-old is being
questioned at a Suff olk police
station. The Met said the grenades
were found to be inert and the gun is
believed to be an imitation fi rearm.
DCS Alexis Boon , of the counter -
terrorism command, said: “ We have
found nothing to suggest an ongoing
threat to the public.” Haroon
Siddique and Nadeem Badshah
North Sea cod at critically
low levels, study warns
Fiona Harvey
Environment correspondent
North Sea cod could soon be off the
menu for environmentally conscious
diners as stocks have plummeted to
“critical” levels, a study warns.
A decision is due by the end of this
month on whether numbers are too
low to support sustainable fi shing.
Cod from the North Sea is desig-
nated as sustainable by the Marine
Stewardship Council (MSC), which
examines fi sh stocks and certifi es
those that can support more fi shing
without signifi cant harm.
But that designation is now in
serious doubt after the world’s lead-
ing body on the health of fi sh stocks
warned that North Sea populations of
cod have fallen to critical levels.
Big retailers and many consum-
ers rely on the MSC to certify that the
fi sh they sell or eat is from sustaina-
ble stocks. Some campaigners said the
sharp decline in the population of cod
showed up “worrisome” issues with
the MSC certifi cation system.
Phil Taylor, head of policy at the
charity Open Seas, told the Guard-
ian: “The MSC needs to urgently
review and reassess the certifi cation
to provide clarity to seafood consum-
ers who are currently being kept in the
dark.” At present, stocks are certifi ed
based on last year’s catch, which was
judged to be low enough not to harm
the future of the species.
However, a report by I ces – the
International Council for Exploration
of the Sea – has warned that cod num-
bers are so low that catches should be
reduced by nearly two-thirds.
The MSC will respond to the I ces
fi ndings by the end of this month,
and if concerns are raised by its inde-
pendent scientists, a two-month, more
detailed examination will be carried
out, which could result in the certi-
fi cation being rescinded. That would
mean North Sea cod would no longer
be available from retailers who abide
by the MSC’s certifi cation system.
Erin Priddle, programme director
for the UK and Ireland at the MSC,
said: “The MSC is committed to rec-
ognising and rewarding sustainable
fi sheries through our rigorous certifi -
cation programme.”
She added: “Protecting North Sea
cod for this and future generations
must be a key priority for all involved.”
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