Twitter Mistake: Police Sorry For Immigrant Tweet

Police have apologised after they were branded "racist" for sending a tweet saying "Officers 1 Immigrants 0".

The offending message was sent out by an officer at Guildford Police via the Surrey force's official Twitter account during an operation against illegal immigrants.

It was accompanied by the hashtag 'We Will Catch Up With You' and followed the arrests of eight people at a mobile carwash in Sainsbury's in Burpham.

The post said: "re the last tweet. the PCSO was 13331 Mullard and the help of colleagues from the town team. Officers 1 Imigrants 0!!"

After the posting, on Thursday night, scores of people replied to the Guildford Beat police site, accusing them of racism.

One user called @TOCSmusic said "this is one of the single worst tweets ever sent".

Tanya Dale wrote: "DISGUSTING, racism alive and kicking and on display, no more police just government minions."

Another person, Bijou Banton, tweeted: "you are a disgrace and should be ashamed of yourselves. I hope this is some kind of joke."

Dozens of others also accused Surrey officers of racism and stupidity.

The tweet was later deleted as Guildford Police posted apologies to each tweeter with messages like: "The language used in that tweet was inappropriate and has been removed. Apologies for any offence caused."

A Surrey Police spokesman told Sky News the officer "has been given some words of advice" and no disciplinary action will be taken.

In a statement, the force said: "Following a UK Border Agency led operation, supported by Surrey Police, in Guildford, the @GuildfordBeat Twitter account gave an update about the incident to members of the public.

"The language used in a subsequent tweet was inappropriate, it was quickly removed and an apology issued."

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Weather: Met Office Warns Of Severe Storm

England and Wales will be hit by a "significant storm" on Sunday night with winds of up to 80mph in some areas, the Met Office has warned.

Forecasters say the storm is expected to bring "exceptionally strong winds" to parts of the UK when it strikes late on Sunday night.

There were hopes the huge storm brewing over the Atlantic Ocean would miss the UK, and sweep instead through the English Channel.

But meteorologists are now certain it will strike the south west of England and could leave a trail of destruction as it gusts north-east across the country, causing structural damage, and bringing down trees and power lines.

The Met Office said winds of between 60mph and 80mph are expected across the southern half of the UK.

In exposed coastal areas the winds may reach speeds in excess of 80mph.

An amber warning is in place across the southern half of England and Wales

Frank Saunders, Chief Forecaster at the Met Office, said: "We are confident that a severe storm will affect Britain on Sunday night and Monday.

"We are now looking at refining the details about which areas will see the strongest winds and the heaviest rain.

"This is a developing situation and we'd advise people to stay up to date with our forecasts and warnings over the weekend, and be prepared to change their plans if necessary.

"We'll continue to work closely with authorities and emergency services to ensure they are aware of the expected conditions."

Roads may also be hit by flash flooding, bringing rush hour traffic on Monday morning to a halt, and homes could be flooded.

Severe weather alerts are in place for England and Wales, with an amber warning, meaning "be prepared", for the southern half of England and Wales.

There is a lesser yellow warning, meaning "be aware", for the rest of Wales and England up to the border with Scotland.

The storm will intensify on Sunday and hit the UK on Monday morning

Sky News weather presenter Jo Wheeler said: "The storm is coming through at the worst possible time; from around midnight to midday on Monday - which takes in the rush hour when people are trying to get to work.

"Winds gusting at 80mph are quite capable of bringing down trees and power lines and causing structural damage.

"Trees are still full in leaf at this time of year and the ground is quite damp so there is more chance they can be ripped from the ground, and branches ripped from trees.

"There's also the possibility of flooding with torrential downpours and leaves blocking drains. South Wales and southern England are most at risk.

"There is likely to be flash flooding on roads and the AA will be out in force."

She said Atlantic storms of this type usually develop further west across the ocean, losing strength by the time they reach the UK and Ireland.

But the storm will develop on Saturday and intensify on Sunday fairly close to the coast before it strikes with full force.

A strong jet stream and warm air close to the UK are contributing to its development and strength.

Winds could top 80mph as they hit seaside towns and villages before slowly losing power as they gust across the UK and out to the North Sea.

Winds could top 80mph as the storm hits seaside towns and villages

Some have compared its potential to the Great Storm of 1987 and record-breaking gales in south Wales in 1989.

It will strike two weeks later than the Great Storm of 1987, which left a trail of destruction on October 15 and 16.

Veteran weatherman Michael Fish famously failed to predict its severity before it flattened trees, knocked out power and left 22 people dead in England and France.

This time he warned people to "batten down the hatches" and keep checking the forecasts as the powerful storm approaches.

Darron Burness, head of the AA's flood rescue team, said: "The timing couldn't really be worse, potentially causing significant travel disruption on Monday morning, which is one of the busiest times on the roads.

"If it's bad where you are, keep tuned to the weather and traffic reports - in case of road or bridge closures - and heed any local police advice about whether it's safe to travel.

"At a minimum, take a fully-charged mobile phone and warm, weatherproof clothing."

He said the AA's specialist flood rescue team, driving modified Land Rovers, have been working all week and are on stand-by.

The Metropolitan Police has urged people to avoid calling 999 during the storm unless there is a real emergency.

A spokesman said: "The Metropolitan Police Service is reminding Londoners to dial 101 when contacting police when it's not an emergency with expected increases in demand brought about by high winds in the next few days."

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Navy Officer Guilty Over Yacht-Tanker Crash

A Royal Navy officer in charge of a racing yacht which collided with an oil tanker during the Cowes Week regatta has been found guilty of three counts of contravening maritime regulations.

Roland Wilson, a lieutenant in the RN Reserves, was convicted of failing to keep a proper lookout and two counts of impeding the passage of a vessel, following a five-day trial at Southampton Magistrates' Court.

Footage of the incident, in which one crew member suffered minor head injuries and another abandoned ship, was posted on YouTube and has been viewed more than 900,000 times.

The Atalanta of Chester approaching the tanker. Picture: Tim Addison

Wilson was fined £2,000 for failing to keep a proper lookout and £500 for each of the two offences of impeding the passage of a vessel and ordered to pay a £15 surcharge. The maximum penalty was £5,000 on each charge.

He was ordered to pay the full costs of the prosecution - more than £100,000.

Charles Row, prosecuting, said to Judge Callaway in court: "As you made clear in your judgement, by the grace of God, there could have been an absolute catastrophe.

"It was a serious incident and it was carefully considered that it was a proper prosecution."

The court heard that the 32-year-old was in charge of the 33ft (19.8m) yacht Atalanta of Chester, which was in collision with the 869ft (265m) Hanne Knutsen on the first day of the sailing regatta in August 2011.

This was despite the married father-of-one, from Stanley, Perthshire, having seen the tanker from five miles (8km) away.

The two vessels collide. Picture: Tim Addison

During the trial, Mr Row claimed that Wilson, who owned and skippered the yacht, sailed his boat, which had seven other crew members on board, "perilously" into the path of the 138ft-wide (42m) Hanne Knutsen.

Mr Row said Wilson failed to comply with local shipping bylaws which required him to maintain a moving prohibited zone (MPZ) of 1,094 yards (1,000m) in front and 109 yards (100m) either side of a vessel greater than 492ft (150m) long.

Wilson told the court that the tanker had sounded its horn to indicate it was to turn to starboard but then did not carry out the manoeuvre, leaving him in a dangerous position in front of the vessel.

The trial heard that a motor vessel, the Joy C, had lost power and caused the Hanne Knutsen to change its intended course.

District Judge Anthony Callaway said he respected Wilson and his crew, which included highly-ranked former RN officers, but ruled that the skipper had made the wrong decision and placed his yacht and the tanker in danger.

The Atalanta with a torn mast after the crash. Picture: Tim Addison

Wilson, a physics graduate from Durham University, told the court he joined the Royal Navy in 2006 and left in February this year but still remains a reservist.

At the time of the collision it was the fifth time he had raced at Cowes and he had a flat in the town which overlooked The Solent.

He said he had a short-lived position at financial services company Credit Suisse after he left the Navy until the impending court case came to light.

He is now working on new designs for inflatable boats.

Judge Callaway said: "The skipper has the ultimate say and carries responsibility accordingly and that is the position for time immemorial."

He said the accident was not a reason to criticise the Cowes Week event and said any calls to cancel or change it were "unjustified".

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UK Economy: GDP Growth Accelerates To 0.8%

The Chancellor claims there is now "real momentum" in the UK's economic recovery after GDP growth of 0.8% was measured in the third quarter.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said it marked the strongest period of growth in more than three years - with services, construction and manufacturing all expanding.

It was also the third successive period of improving output, in line with the expectations of economists, though some had forecast growth to have reached 1%.

The ONS said construction - a sector bolstered by Government initiatives such as Help to Buy - surged by 2.5%.

George Osborne said: "This shows that Britain's hard work is paying off & the country is on the path to prosperity."

Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "Today's encouraging #GDP growth figures are another sign we are turning a corner."

Labour argued the growth was "long overdue".

Overall GDP was 1.5% ahead of the same period last year - a time when the economy was being boosted by the Olympics and Paralympics.

But the economy remains 2.5% off its pre-recession peak at the start of 2008.

During the third quarter, construction was boosted by new work on private housing and private commercial building as well as domestic home repair and maintenance but remained 12.5% off its 2008 high.

Housebuilders have been buoyed by the Government's Help to Buy scheme, which recently launched a new phase offering mortgage guarantees.

Production grew by 0.5%, though this remains 12.8% off its 2008 level, while within this manufacturing improved 0.9% in the third quarter.

The powerhouse services sector, which represents three-quarters of economic output, grew by 0.7% and is now 0.6% above its pre-crisis peak.

The largest contributions here came from business services and finance, followed by distribution, hotels and restaurants.

But the wider statistics highlighted one piece of bad news - in terms of UK growth.

The contribution from utilities - including gas and electricity - tumbled by 6.8% in the period, possibly a result of the warm summer compared to the same period last year which was largely a washout and cool.

The figure was seen as a potential factor behind the decision among energy suppliers to increase household bills - to make up for lower demand.

Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit, said: "Britain is booming again with the economy showing the most sustainable and robust-looking upturn since the financial crisis."

But Alan Clarke of Scotiabank said the figure was a "tad disappointing" - given survey data indicating growth nearer 1% - and "wasn't a home run".

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said: "After three damaging years of flatlining, it's both welcome and long overdue that our economy is growing again.

"But for millions of people across the country still seeing prices rising faster than their wages this is no recovery at all."

Dave Prentis, general secretary of the Unison union, said growth figures will "mean nothing to the vast majority of people in this country faced with mounting household bills and stagnant wages."

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Liam Sibbons Jailed Over Essex Acid Attack

A 16-year-old found guilty of throwing acid at a woman on her doorstep will serve six years in prison for the attack.

The teenager, who can now be named as Liam Robert Sibbons, was sentenced to eight years and three months but will serve six, with the remaining time served concurrently with a supervision order.

Sibbons' victim, Tara Quigley, 28, who did not know her attacker, suffered horrific injuries to her face and upper body when she was doused with acid at her home in Romford, Essex, on April 30.

Miss Quigley suffered burns to 7% of her body, including her right arm, forearm, shoulder, chest, neck and face and has been left permanently scarred.

She will need regular treatment over the next four years and is due to undergo another operation shortly.

Miss Quigley had been waiting for someone to deliver cannabis on the evening of the attack when she saw someone approaching the house, the court heard.

She opened the door to Sibbons, who asked to speak to "Michelle" at around 9pm.

The teen returned 10 minutes later and squirted an acidic substance into Miss Quigley's face, according to police.

Miss Quigley managed to shut the door after the assault and rinse her face with water while an ambulance was called.

Her pet dog - a long-haired Chihuahua - also required treatment but the animal is not thought to have suffered any long-term injuries.

In a victim impact statement, Miss Quigley, who was in court to see her attacker jailed and wept as details were read out, said: "The attack has left me feeling as though my life has been blown apart.

"I have been left both physically and emotional scarred, and am in constant pain and discomfort owing to burns on my face, chest and arms."

She said her life had been turned upside down and that she did not feel safe returning to her home.

"I have lost confidence in my physical appearance and feel that people will stare at me when they see the scars," she said in her statement, describing the aftermath of the attack as "crushingly stressful".

Sibbons received an acid burn to the left side of his chest in the attack, the court heard.

He has four previous convictions and was on bail at the time of the attack.

Judge David Radford said Sibbons was a drug user who was already known to the police before the events of April 30.

He said a large amount of money had been found after the teenager was arrested, adding: "Another view could be that he was paid to undertake this."

Sibbons, wearing a white shirt and dark tie, remained impassive and stared straight ahead as he was sentenced.

Prosecutor Martin Whitehouse told Snaresbrook Crown Court: "This was an horrific attack, involving a degree of brutality and callousness rarely encountered.

"Almost, one might say, beyond comprehension."

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Pavlo Lapshyn: Mosque Bomber Jailed For Life

A white supremacist who murdered a grandfather and bombed three mosques in the Midlands has been jailed for life.

Pavlo Lapshyn, a student from Ukraine, was told he would spend at least 40 years behind bars despite his guilty plea, after a judge described his crimes as "abhorrent".

The family of 82-year-old Mohammed Saleem, who was stabbed to death by Lapshyn in Small Heath, Birmingham, said the sentence could "never be enough", adding: "He took away the life of a beloved person."

Lapshyn, 25, began his racist campaign just five days after arriving in the UK in April this year.

Granddad Mohammed Saleem, who was murdered by racist Lapshyn

After killing Mr Saleem, he then went on to launch three attacks on mosques in the Black Country, bringing terror to Muslim communities.

During their investigation, police found dozens of videos and hundreds of images of chemicals, firearms and bomb parts inside his office.

One clip showed him practising for the attacks by blowing up a tree in a forest in Ukraine.

Passing sentence at the Old Bailey, judge Mr Justice Sweeney told Lapshyn he had been motivated by "religious and racial hatred".

Nails were used in the bomb Lapshyn planted near a mosque in Tipton

"You were clearly planning to plant and detonate more devices in the hope that you would ignite racial conflict and cause Muslims to leave the area where you were living," he said.

"Such views, hatred and motivation are abhorrent to all right thinking people and have no place whatsoever in our multi-faith and multi-cultural society."

Lapshyn had won a work placement contest and was employed at a software firm in Birmingham, but he used the months after his arrival to orchestrate a hate campaign.

He put together a home-made bomb that he hid in a child's lunchbox and left outside Walsall's Aisha mosque on June 21.

Lapshyn carries a home-made bomb towards a mosque in Walsall

Seven days later he detonated a device close to Wolverhampton Central Mosque.

On July 12 he used a deadly nail bomb next to the Kanzul Iman Masjid mosque in Tipton, near Wolverhampton.

Police said he failed in his attempt to injure worshippers as they arrived for prayers because the service had been put back by an hour.

Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale, head of counter-terrorism for the West Midlands, said: "Lapshyn will be spending a very long time in prison and rightly so.

After planting the Walsall bomb, Lapshyn stopped to buy a bottle of wine

"He clearly would have continued with his evil bombing campaign had he not been caught."

Lapshyn was caught after he was recognised by a member of the public from CCTV pictures that were distributed in the media.

When he was interviewed by police, Lapshyn said he was acting alone and was not part of any wider group.

During the sentencing, which was delayed after a suspicious package was discovered in the courtroom, Lapshyn showed no emotion, even while the judge read out a harrowing victim impact statement from Mr Saleem's family.

Speaking outside court, the pensioner's son Shaid said: "The sentence Lapshyn received reflects the seriousness of his crimes of terror.

"His crimes were religiously and racially motivated and we hope this case serves as a deterrent to other people plotting such horrific acts of violence for the purpose of creating fear in our communities."

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Recruitment Drive For 11,000 New Army Reserves

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

One of the largest military recruitment events of its kind will be held in London today to help the Ministry of Defence increase the number of Reserve forces.

Hundreds of soldiers, sailors and airmen from London-based Reserve regiments will take part in the day at Horse Guards Parade. It will include a parachute jump from a Lynx helicopter by four Reservists.

As part of plans for 'Future Force 2020', the government is hoping to increase the number of the Army Reserve from its current size of 19,000 to 30,000.

The Air Force Auxiliary is to expand to 1,800 personnel and the Navy's Maritime Reserve to 3,100. These recruits will offset large redundancies for regular servicemen and women in all three services. The Army will shrink to 82,000 soldiers from 110,000.

It is a plan that has been widely criticised from a number of corners, and there is considerable doubt over the ability of the military to hit the recruitment targets.

A gunner from the Royal Artillery prepares to fire his light artillery gun

The most up-to-date figures will be released next month, but it's generally thought that only a few hundred new recruits have signed up this year, well short of the numbers needed.

As part of the plans, the name of the Territorial Army is changing to Reserve Force in keeping with the new image.

£1.8bn has been committed over 10 years to supplement training and equipment for Reserve soldiers in order that will receive the same level of kit as their regular counterparts.

The number of overseas training exercises will increase to 22 per year from seven last year. But this, and any operational deployments, would put increased strain on small businesses.

To compensate for that, the Ministry of Defence is offering a financial package to any companies losing staff to Reservist duty. This would allow them to recruit temporary replacement workers.

A gunner from the Royal Artillery carries a high explosive shell

Speaking ahead of the recruitment event, the Defence Secretary Philip Hammond defended the controversial plans for the Reserve force.

"We are completely revitalising our Reserve Forces, growing their trained strength with fresh incentives, better pay and more opportunities for working and training alongside Regulars," he said.

"This exhibition highlights just how many fantastic opportunities there are for anyone looking for a rewarding, challenging and exciting second career."

Reservists will be expected to operate alongside their regular colleagues and perform the same role regardless of their part-time nature.

In an interview last month, Andrew Cameron, the Chief Executive of Combat Stress, warned that reservists are twice as likely to suffer mental health problems and predicted a growth in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases if the Reserve Force was expanded.

The Ministry of Defence references other countries, such as the United States, which has a large and successful Reserve element to its military.

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Fat-Fighting Strategy To Slim Down Nation

By David Bowden, Senior Correspondent

A dozen of the biggest food manufacturers and retailers have pledged to cut the amount of saturated fat in their products.

The Department of Health says the move will cut enough fat to fill one-and-a-half swimming pools from our diets and save thousands of people from heart disease.

Supermarket giants Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons are among those who have signed up to the Government's Public Health Responsibility Deal to help improve the nation's health.

Sainsbury's director of corporate affairs, Alex Cole, says what is good for our waistline is also good for the company's bottom-line.

"There's absolutely a business case for doing this. We know our customers want products that are healthier. If we can provide them with those options, an easy way for them to make a healthy choice, we do sell more."

With one in four adults obese and one in three children obese or overweight by primary school leaving age, Britain is regularly mocked as a nation of fatties.

But the Government is clear this is not diet by diktat, and health minister Jane Ellison insists this is not about the 'nanny state'.

"We're not trying to tell people, from Whitehall, exactly what they should be eating or manufacturing, this is about us working together with industry to actually try and give people more options to lead a healthier life," she said.

Sainsbury's 'traffic light' system has proved effective

According to NHS Choices, the maximum recommended daily amount of saturated fat for a man is 30g and for a woman it is 20g, yet most Britons eat 20% more than that.

A survey done by Sainsbury's to coincide with the latest phase of the Public Health Responsibility Deal says that most people are confused by which are good fats and which aren't and that one in five believes all fats are bad.

The trouble is saturated fat is the kind of fat found in some of our tastiest treats - pies, cakes, biscuits, sausages, bacon, cheese and chocolate.

But even chocolate firms are getting in on the low-fat act.

Nestle has signed up to cut down on saturates and come up with a new formula for the wafer inside KitKats, though the chocolate itself is unchanged.

But the unfortunate truth is that most of us not only eat too much, we eat too much of the wrong things and unless we start to change our eating habits we're still going to stay fat and probably die before our time.

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Miller Redpath: Body Found In Back Garden

Police searching for a missing teenager have found a body in his overgrown back garden.

Public schoolboy Miller Redpath, 18, went missing from his family home in Wenhaston in Suffolk in August.

Suffolk Police said an officer went to the house on Thursday as part of their inquiries and found the body during a search of the garden.

A post-mortem examination has been carried out, however the cause of death remains unknown, police said in a statement.

"At this stage the death is still being treated as unexplained," the statement said.

"Officers have not yet been able to identify the deceased and further tests are required, however early indications suggest that it is the body of 18-year-old Miller Redpath.

"Further searches are taking place at the property and specialist trained officers continue to support Miller's mother at this difficult time."

The discovery comes after Mr Redpath's mother made an emotional appeal for information about her son's disappearance.

"I think he went out purposefully to do something, in order to return shortly, and something went horribly wrong," Anastasia Miller said earlier this month.

"Everything was on track for him as he was doing well at school, he was thinking of London University, had lots of friends and I just don't understand what happened," she added.

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Man U Apologise For Swastika In Fan Email

Manchester United have apologised for a swastika-style logo published in their weekly email to fans, alongside the headline "New Order".

The controversial graphic appeared on the 'United Uncovered' email and was immediately met with outrage from fans.

New Order is closely associated with Nazism after Adolf Hitler's call during World War II for a European New Order.

The club's head of media, David Sternberg, apologised on Twitter and said an internal investigation was underway into how the email was cleared for publication.

"The creative is completely inappropriate; we apologise unreservedly and are taking appropriate internal action," he tweeted.

Senior members of the club are understood to have been shocked by the email.

Action has been taken to prevent the email being distributed any further, the club said.

The incident comes three days after Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure was subjected to monkey noises from a section of the crowd during a match in Russia.

Elsewhere, other players of African descent have had bananas thrown at them from the stands.

Tottenham Hotspur, a club with a large Jewish fanbase, has also moved to stop fans chanting the term "Yid" – a derogatory reference – during games this season.

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