Yorkshire Post back issues from May 2008:
Coroner criticises first-aid training in schools
May 01, 2008 ... A coroner criticised "haphazard" first-aid training in schoolsafter an inquest heard how not all staff at a West Yorkshire infantschool where six-year-old Shannon Hennessey choked to death on apiece of sausage while eating dinner were fully trained in life-saving skills. A ...
Welsh soul singer Duffy tops
May 01, 2008 ... Newcomer Duffy has received three nominations in this year's MojoHonours List, more than any other artist. Alex Turner's band the Arctic Monkeys have two - and theSheffield musician's side project The Last Shadow Puppets havereceived another two nominations. Welsh soul ...
Outcry over stealthtax on 'gas guzzlers'
May 01, 2008 ... PLANS to hit drivers with an unexpected new tax increase forolder cars were last night branded yet another way to take cash frommotorists. The sting in the tail of last month's Budget is a retrospectivejab at owners of older cars, thought to have escaped new annual roadtax ...
No suspension over class stripper
May 01, 2008 ... A drama teacher who allowed a stripper dressed as a policewomanto parade in front of her class has avoided suspension. The mother of a 16-year-old boy at Arnold Hill School andTechnology College in Nottingham had booked a gorilla-suited man tosurprise her son on his birthday. The ...
Boldness pays off for Britain's
May 01, 2008 ... BESS Atkins feared she might be considered a "fast woman" whenshe asked a man she had just met to go on a date. But her boldness was rewarded three years later when the tall,grey stranger offered her his hand in marriage. Bess and retired police chief inspector Winston ...
Teenage terror suspect remanded
May 01, 2008 ... A teenager accused of possessing explosives and plottingterrorist attacks was yesterday remanded in custody. Andrew Ibrahim, 19, of Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, faces chargesof possessing explosives and terrorist articles as well as intendingto commit acts of terrorism. He was ...
Murder accused 'said it would be better if grandmother died'
May 01, 2008 ... A WOMAN accused of murdering her grandmother with a spade hadpreviously spoken with her mother about it being better if thepensioner died, a jury heard yesterday. Gary Purchon, a former boyfriend of Joanne Hussey, said he waspresent when she and her mother Maureen talked about ...
Lost wedding dress turns up with hour to spare
May 01, 2008 ... A BRIDE was left biting her nails when her wedding dress arrivedin Hawaii only an hour before the service was due to begin. Karen Bell's nerves were frayed as the baggage-handling crisisearlier this month at Heathrow's Terminal 5 resulted in a nightmare. She and bridegroom ...
Mistakes led to patient's death - lawyer
May 01, 2008 ... The death of a 53-year-old patient at a Yorkshire hospital mighthave been prevented had mistakes not been made following his cancersurgery, an inquest has heard. John Wynn, a pub landlord at the Hope and Anchor in Pontefractand ex-miner, died in Dewsbury & District Hospital in May ...
Hitmen hired from prison cell in 'honour killing', jury told
May 01, 2008 ... A HUSBAND was shot and killed by hitmen hired to carry out an"honour killing" by two of his wife's brothers, a jury has heard.Tahir Mahmood and Arza Khan disapproved of their sister Yasmin'srelationship with Mian Shahid Mehmood who was living alone in fearat a secret address in ...
Brush with fame: Wolds cottage that inspired Hockney up for sale
May 01, 2008 ... The painting covering an entire wall of the Tate gallery ispriceless, but the real-life version is far more affordable and it'sup for sale in Yorkshire. David Hockney's Bigger Trees Near Warter features a windbreak ofbeech trees, together with a cottage and garage belonging to ...
Daily aspirin could cut women's risk of breast cancer
May 01, 2008 ... A WOMAN'S risk of developing the most common kind of breastcancer could be reduced simply by taking an aspirin every day,researchers have found. The wonder drug has already been shown to combat pain, rheumatoidarthritis, heart disease, stroke and some cancers, notably those ofthe ...
RAF jets scrambled 21
May 01, 2008 ... RAF fighters have been scrambled to intercept Russian militaryplanes at least 21 times in the last year, it has emerged. The number of incidents increased in the wake of Vladimir Putin'sdecision to order a return to Cold War-style long range patrols byRussian bombers last ...
Tories hope tax anger will boost party vote
May 01, 2008 ... CONSERVATIVE campaigners hope anger at the Government over thescrapping of the 10p tax band will give the party a boost asthousands of Yorkshire voters have their say in today's localelections. The elections - affecting 13 authorities in the region - are thefirst chance for ...
Seizures fear over rate of wind-turbine rotation
May 01, 2008 ... Wind turbines which rotate quickly could cause seizures, sayresearchers. Blades should not spin more than 60 times a minute, theresearchers at the universities of Essex and Aston said yesterday. They said people who were photosensitive could be in danger ifthey were too ...
Iron Age swords could rewrite history of Roman occupation
May 01, 2008 ... AN internationally-important hoard of Iron Age weapons discoveredin East Yorkshire is going on show in Beverley. The condition of the five swords and bundle of 2ft-long socketedspearheads found by three metal detectorists in 2002 at South Cavestunned experts who believe they may ...
Life for killers of grandfather who stood his ground
May 01, 2008 ... Two muggers who beat a grandfather to death because he would nottell them his bank card Pin have been jailed for life. Father-of-two James Smith, 62, was on his way home from a nightout with his son when he was set upon by Keith Buckley, 22, andAdrian Hutchinson, 25. The ...
Project set to boost rare bird numbers in Dales
May 01, 2008 ... MOVES are afoot to expand the population of rare black grouse inareas including the Yorkshire Dales. The species - once common in the UK - has been under threat frompredators and loss of habitat. But thanks to a successful restoration drive, the North PenninesBlack Grouse ...
Hooligan jailed for
May 01, 2008 ... A football hooligan has been sentenced to four years imprisonmentfor his part in the theft of two lorries carrying Pounds 500,000 ofplasma TV screens. James Shayler, 42, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, wassentenced at Northampton Crown Court. Shayler was once dubbed ...
Airline grounds itself as cashflow gets 'critical'
May 01, 2008 ... AN airline has ceased flying, affecting the travel plans ofthousands of long-haul holiday passengers. South African carrier Nationwide, which operates four returnflights a week between Gatwick and Johannesburg, said it stoppedflights as its cashflow had become ...
Funeral for serviceman in security patrol explosion
May 01, 2008 ... The funeral of a British serviceman killed in Afghanistan washeld yesterday afternoon. Graham Livingstone, 23, of the Royal Air Force Regiment, waskilled in an explosion during a routine patrol near Kandaharairfield on Sunday April 13. Senior Aircraftsman Livingstone, ...
Prince flies back from Afghanistan with body of soldier killed by blast
May 01, 2008 ... Prince William flew back from his brief visit to Afghanistan withthe body of a soldier killed in action. Once back in the UK he privately met members of the family ofTrooper Robert Pearson, who died on April 21 when his vehicle hit amine. Royal watchers and British troops ...
Ministry reveals toughest places for drivers
May 01, 2008 ... The best and worst places in England and Wales for motorists tobe pulled over by the police were revealed in Government figuresyesterday. Ministry of Justice data showed how likely each police force wasto take drivers to court or impose on-the-spot fines. It also revealed ...
Backpackerattacked by knife gang
May 01, 2008 ... A BACKPACKER'S journey to the other side of the world nearlyended in tragedy when he fell victim to a savage knife attack. Geography graduate Freddie Wyatt travelled to Christchurch, NewZealand, with four friends on a four-month break that would alsotake in Fiji, Thailand, ...
CSA collections exceed Pounds 1bn for the first time
May 01, 2008 ... Child maintenance payments collected or arranged by the ChildSupport Agency (CSA) topped Pounds 1bn for the first time over thepast 12 months, according to statistics released yesterday. The figures were hailed as "really good news" by Work andPensions Secretary James Purnell, who ...
Dads get a helping hand...
May 01, 2008 ... An information service for new fathers is being launched today. Wallet-sized "Dad Cards", with tips on subjects from paternityleave to sex during pregnancy, will be available from hundreds ofmaternity units across the country. Employers including Lloyds TSB and BT, local ...
Bluetongue vaccine available to farmers
May 01, 2008 ... The first vaccines for bluetongue are ready for distribution tofarmers in the disease protection zone, says Environment SecretaryHilary Benn. Livestock owners in the protection zone, set up around the casesidentified in England, are being urged to vaccinate their animals ...
Enjoy it on video: Harrogate Antiques Fair
May 01, 2008 ... TWO "lost" watercolours by children's author Beatrix Potter whichwere sent as Christmas cards to young sisters in Leeds more than 100years ago are being offered for sale for a combined total of Pounds34,000. The pictures, which were discovered at the bottom of a trunk inan ...
Two held in raids over Pounds 18m VAT fraud claims
May 01, 2008 ... Two men in Yorkshire were being quizzed yesterday afternationwide raids by officers probing a suspected VAT racket worthover Pounds 18m.Investigators from HM Revenue & Customs simultaneously searched17 homes and businesses in Bradford, Bolton, Bury, Leicester,London, and ...
Supermarket competition inquiry 'failure'
May 01, 2008 ... BRITAIN'S biggest supermarkets have been given the green light tocontinue aggressive pricing and their march on the high street tochallenge small local stores - despite moves to force them to bemore competitive. A shake-up of the planning system will see proposed big ...
Insurers urge action over flooding risks
May 01, 2008 ... BRITAIN'S "Victorian" drainage system needs a major overhaul toprevent thousands of homes from flooding, say insurers. Trade body the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has calledon the Government to act after learning about 80,000 properties areat high risk from surface water ...
Labour MPs rebel in vote on energy pricing
May 01, 2008 ... Gordon Brown last night suffered the joint worst backbench revoltsince he became Prime Minister only 24 hours ahead of the localelections. Thirty five Labour MPs voted against the Government in an attemptto force it to introduce a feed-in tariff scheme within a year toboost ...
Homes lose value over year as market slackens
May 01, 2008 ... House prices have notched up their first annual fall for 12 yearsas the market continues to be hit by the fallout from the creditcrunch. The average cost of a home dropped for the sixth month in a rowduring April, losing 1.1 per cent of its value, Nationwide BuildingSociety said ...
Schools 'to monitor drugs and obesity'
May 01, 2008 ... Schools could be made to keep records of teenage pregnancies,drug use and obesity under Government proposals. The plan would see schools monitoring 18 different factorsrelated to students' well-being. Details have been revealed in a leaked discussion document fromthe ...
Livingstone brands Tory rival 'a joke'
May 01, 2008 ... London Mayor Ken Livingstone yesterday launched his most directattack so far on Boris Johnson. On the eve of polling, the Mayor branded his Tory challenger "ajoke" and warned voters they were not voting for the winner ofCelebrity Mayor. Unveiling a campaign poster in east ...
Petrol goes above Pounds 5 a gallon
May 01, 2008 ... The average price of petrol has now gone above Pounds 5 a gallonfor the first time. Petrol now costs 110.22p a litre, or Pounds 5.01 a gallon, the AAsaid yesterday. The average price of diesel now stands at 120.51p alitre (Pounds 5.48 a gallon). This ...
Shannon accused refused bail
May 01, 2008 ... THE man accused of kidnapping nine-year-old schoolgirl ShannonMatthews and holding her captive for 24 days has been refused bail. Michael Donovan, of Batley Carr, West Yorkshire, was arrestedafter the schoolgirl was discovered in the base of a bed at hisflat. The 39-year-old ...
Police name disabled man attacked in West Yorks street
May 01, 2008 ... A DISABLED man has been left fighting for his life after anunprovoked street attack by three men in West Yorkshire. Martin Damian Shepherd, who has cerebral palsy, suffered serioushead injuries when he was set upon as he was walking home inCornholme, near Todmorden, just before ...
Babysitter's murder conviction is quashed
May 01, 2008 ... A BABYSITTER given a life sentence for the murder of herneighbour's two-year-old son has had her conviction quashed and beenreleased from prison. The Court of Appeal in London has ordered a retrial for SuzanneHoldsworth who was found guilty of repeatedly banging the boy's ...
Voters give their verdict at the ballot box
May 01, 2008 ... VOTERS have been heading to the ballot box across Yorkshire todayin what is being viewed as the first major test of Gordon Brown'spremiership. Labour is braced for a backlash which could cost them up to 200council seats across England and Wales, amid anger at the abolitionof the ...
Prison staff walkout ends
May 01, 2008 ... MORE than 1,000 prison officers have returned to work followingan unofficial walkout from six Yorkshire prisons. The action began at Lindholme in Doncaster, Everthorpe in Broughand the closed site at Moorlands, also near Doncaster, after twoofficers were suspended at ...
Northern Rock in talks over 2,000 job losses
May 01, 2008 ... NATIONALISED mortgage lender Northern Rock has begunconsultations with unions and staff over plans to axe 2,000 jobs. The job losses - around a third of its 6,000 staff - are duemainly this year and form part of plans to shrink the Newcastle-based bank under public ...
Lib Dems take Hull: BNP unseats Rotherham mayor
May 01, 2008 ... The Lib Dems scored a major victory in Yorkshire as they tookoutright control of a former Labour stronghold this morning. Clickhere for ward by ward counts as they come in. They gained five seats in Hull, backyard of former Deputy PrimeMinister John Prescott and Health Secretary ...
Now the boom lenders are hindering recovery - Bank
May 01, 2008 ... The banks behind the lending boom which came to a spectacular endlast summer are now hindering the recovery of the financial systemby being too cautious, the Bank of England warned yesterday. Lenders are so fearful of further credit crunch losses that thereturn of confidence to ...
Bluetongue zone move pays off for farmers
May 01, 2008 ... THE decision by Skipton Auction Mart to take up the Defra optionof becoming part of the Bluetongue surveillance zone for tradingpurposes paid off handsomely for Bishop Thornton, near Harrogate,farmers M Baul and Partners when they landed a debut April CravenDairy Auction championship ...
21pc rise at PartyGaming
May 01, 2008 ... Online poker and betting firm PartyGaming said it was confidentabout prospects for the full year after 21 per cent revenue growthin the first quarter, but analysts saw April sales figures as weak. PartyGaming, which runs the PartyPoker and PartyBets websites,said yesterday that ...
Shed's expansion policy paying off
May 01, 2008 ... The expansion policy of the production company behind televisionshows Rock Rivals and Waterloo Road appeared to be bearing fruit. Shed Media said the Wall to Wall production house, which itbought for Pounds 20.4m in December, had been commissioned by theBBC for two new series of ...
Standard Life shows how to beat the slump
May 01, 2008 ... Life and pensions group Standard Life yesterday said firstquarter sales rose 8 per cent after it put in a "solid" performanceagainst tough market conditions. The firm said worldwide life and pensions new business rose toPounds 4.48bn in the first three months of the year, with UK ...
Bank warns on over-cautious lending
May 01, 2008 ... The banks behind the lending boom which came to a spectacular endlast summer are now hindering the recovery of the financial systemby being too cautious, the Bank of England warned today. Lenders are so fearful of further credit crunch losses that thereturn of confidence to markets ...
National Express reports strong start
May 01, 2008 ... Rail, bus and coach operator National Express today matched itsrivals by reporting a strong start to the year. The group, which since last December has run the East Coastmainline service from Yorkshire to London, said all its operationsin the UK were performing well, despite the ...
Sound Control in administration
May 01, 2008 ... More than 160 people have been made redundant after a musicalinstrument firm went into administration. Administrators have been appointed for Sound Control HoldingsLimited and certain of its subsidiaries. The group operates from 26 stores in the UK, under the brand names ...
Profits halved as slowdown hits Ciba
May 01, 2008 ... Swiss chemicals giant Ciba, which operates a large plant inYorkshire, has warned it faces a drop in profits in the face of theglobal economic slowdown. Ciba, which employs 800 people at its speciality chemicals sitein Bradford, makes chemicals used in papermaking, mining, ...
Toy story: Hornby strikes deal to buy Corgi
May 01, 2008 ... Model train firm Hornby today said it had struck a Pounds 7.5million deal to buy Corgi, one of the world's oldest makers of modeltrains, cars and buses. The Corgi brand dates back to 1956. Its toys - such as JamesBond's iconic Aston Martin DB5 - sold millions at their peak, ...
Organic bakery rising to the challenge of expansion
May 01, 2008 ... AN organic bakery is set to expand just three months after itopened. Westfields Farm Bakery - which was officially opened by MPWilliam Hague, at Leyburn business park - will open a new shop inMarket Place, Leyburn. The store will produce hand-made organic breads, cakes ...
Learning how to deal with climate change
May 01, 2008 ... CLIMATE change is the focus of a conference in Hull aimed athelping companies work sustainably. Law firm Andrew Jackson is holding the first East Yorkshire andHumber Climate Conference, on May 14. Speakers will talk aboutclimate change, the environment, health and safety and ...
Delivering aid by motorbike
May 01, 2008 ... A YORKSHIRE company which has developed a motorcycle ambulance todeliver health and education equipment to the developing world hasshowcased its vehicle to African embassy officials in Parliament. The event, opened by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Statefor International ...
Technology is key in law firms' merger
May 01, 2008 ... COMMERCIAL and technology practice Trevor Robinson & Co hasrevealed that it has merged with law firm Watson Burton, which has abase in Leeds. Weybridge-based Trevor Robinson & Co acts for large technologyclients and other international businesses, such as SAP, ...
More companies in trouble
May 01, 2008 ... THE number of UK firms facing critical problems this year hasincreased fourfold. Begbies Traynor, a business, rescue and recovery firm, found3,309 companies faced "critical" problems - serious actions andjudgments - in the first quarter of 2008, compared with the sameperiod last ...
Market garden reaps its rewards
May 01, 2008 ... A WORKER-owned market garden has picked up a top Soil Associationaward. Growing with Grace was named best small shop at the associationOrganic Awards, which celebrate high quality and innovative organicbusinesses. The social enterprise, run according to Quaker principles ...
Expansion in final phase
May 01, 2008 ... ONE of the UK's largest caravan manufacturers has appointed abuilding contractor to complete the final phase of its Pounds 3.5mfactory extension. Coachman Caravans has taken on John Thompson Developments to addan extra 9,000 sq ft of office and storage space to its factorysite, ...
Baby firm that's growing up fast
May 01, 2008 ... A LUXURY ante-natal firm has teamed up with a baby productsmanufacturer and a photography firm. Scarborough midwife Jacky Robson, who launched B4Baby less than ayear ago to offer ante-natal courses at weekends in country hotelsacross Yorkshire, has agreed deals with baby products ...
Sportswear firm on the move to new HQ
May 01, 2008 ... WAKEFIELD-based Prostar (Star Sportswear) has announced plans tomove from its existing premises, off Denby Dale Road, in Wakefield,to a 67,000 sq ft office and warehouse facility at Wakefield 41Industrial Estate. Property adviser GVA Grimley acted on behalf of the company ...
Restaurant unveiled
May 01, 2008 ... LOROC Architects has unveiled its design for a new restaurant,Primo, based in West Point, the Pounds 85m KW Linfoot city centredevelopment in Leeds. Supported by a 15-year lease deal secured by Fox Lloyd Jones, thejoint letting agents with King Sturge, a team of three ...
Brewers clinch Pounds 1.5m funding for hotel
May 01, 2008 ... THEAKSTONS has received funding from NatWest to convert an oldbrewery premises into a hotel. The White Bear, in Masham, owned by Theakstons, is to receive aPounds 1.5m makeover as part of a plan to create a hotel andconference centre. The hotel will feature 13 bedrooms, as ...
Eyesore makes way for housing scheme
May 01, 2008 ... WORK is under way on a new housing development that willtransform an eyesore in Hull. More than 60 residential apartments are being built on the 1.6-acre brownfield site in the Cottingham Road area, close to the city's university. The space was previously occupied by a ...