Author: BBC

Getty ImagesHow can you prepare and protect your home before a storm hits?There are a number of steps you can take: secure any loose objects outside your property such as bins, ladders, trampolines and outdoor games, garden furniture and toolscheck fences and roof tiles are secureclear guttering of debris such as moss and leavesif possible, remove any loose or overhanging branchesclose and fasten external doors and windowssecure storm shutters, if they are fitted to your home or businesspark vehicles in a garage, if you have one; otherwise ensure they are as far away as possible from buildings, trees and fencesclose…

The cyber attack on Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will cost an estimated £1.9bn and be the most economically damaging cyber event in UK history, according to researchers.Experts at the Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC) have analysed the continuing fallout from the hack, which halted the car giant’s production on 1 September for five weeks and caused widespread delays across JLR’s supply chain.According to the CMC, 5,000 businesses have been affected in total and a full recovery will not be reached until January 2026.JLR declined to comment on the research but said it is bringing portions of manufacturing back online in a…

Andy GiddingsShropshire andVictoria ScheerLeedsGetty ImagesThe “rapid review” is now focusing on 12 English NHS trusts, with a report due by DecemberTwo NHS trusts have been removed from a review of maternity failings across England.Trusts in Shropshire and Leeds have been dropped from the government’s rapid reviews of “failures in the system”, after it was confirmed last month they were two of 14 trusts to be looked at.The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust (SaTH) was removed after “discussions with West Mercia Police about the detail and schedule of [an] ongoing investigation”. The decision has left families in the county shocked.The news…

The locations of the Pizza Hut restaurants and delivery sites to close across the UK has been revealed.Some 1,210 people will be made redundant as 68 restaurants in places including Brighton, Hull, Bristol, Leeds and Edinburgh shut their doors in the coming weeks.Eleven delivery outlets will also close as part of the administration.Administrators were appointed to DC London Pie Limited, which operates Pizza Hut’s UK restaurants on Monday, while the global brand owner Yum! Brands stepped in to save the remaining 64 pizza restaurants and 1,276 jobs.Pizza Hut is well-known for its family-friendly dining and salad bar, but its UK…

Amazon Web Services (AWS) had a bad day.That’s how the boss of another big US tech firm Cloudflare put it – probably feeling very relieved that Monday’s outage, hitting over 1,000 companies and affecting millions of internet users, had nothing to do with him.The places hit by the outage vary significantly. It took out major social media platforms like Snapchat and Reddit, banks like Lloyds and Halifax, and games like Roblox and Fortnite. AWS is a US giant with a large global footprint, having positioned itself as the backbone of the internet.It provides tools and computers which enable around a…

Alex PopeNorthamptonshireHigham Ferrers Riverside Angling AssociationA storage container of fishing and gardening equipment was destroyed in a fireThe director of an angling club has said he has been left “devastated” after a suspected arson attack destroyed about £6,000 worth of fishing and electrical equipment. Craig Parkins, 40, from Fishing for Minds, part of Higham Ferrers Riverside Angling Club, in Northamptonshire, said years of work collected inside a storage container had “just gone up in smoke”.Mr Parkins, from nearby Rushden, said the group was started in 2023 to help people with mental health issues, as he suffers from anxiety. Northamptonshire Police…

Rachel Reeves chose to stress the long-term damage done to the UK economy by the 2020 Brexit deal, in her remarks at a key international economic committee at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).In remarks published this weekend, the chancellor told the world’s leading finance ministers and central bankers: “The UK’s productivity challenge has been compounded by the way in which the UK left the European Union.”She quoted the Office for Budget Responsibility’s calculation of a 4% long-term hit relative to remaining in the EU, and said the UK “acknowledges this” in seeking stronger trade ties.Labour had been reluctant to stress…

Bereaved families are calling for a public inquiry into what they say are “repeated failures” by the UK government to protect vulnerable people from a website promoting suicide.A report by the Molly Rose Foundation says departments were warned 65 times about the online forum, which BBC News is not naming, and others like it but did not act.The suicide prevention charity says at least 133 people have died in the UK as a result of a toxic chemical promoted by the site and similar forums.The government has not said whether it will consider an inquiry but said sites must prevent…

Rugby professional Jonny Murphy was forced to retire early on medical grounds at just 30 years old – so he turned to his second love, baking.

All 1,287 Betfred shops could disappear from the UK High Street if Chancellor Rachel Reeves hikes taxes on gambling firms, the company’s co-founder and chairman has told the BBC.Fred Done, who set up Betfred in 1967 with his brother, said a closure of that size would put 7,500 jobs at risk.The billionaire businessman said tax rises were the “biggest threat” to the industry in his 57 years. It echoes similar warnings from other gambling brands.Increasing taxes on betting firms in the Budget has been suggested to the chancellor. She recently told ITV: “I do think there is a case for…