Chessington Fire: Blaze At Surrey Theme Park

The Chessington World of Adventures Resort in Surrey has been closed for the day after a fire at a restaurant near a zoo.

The theme park was not open to the public when emergency crews were alerted at 9am and no people or animals were injured, London Fire Brigade said.

It had been due to open at 10am for a "festive zoo day" according to its website, but a decision was made to shut the site.

Eight fire engines were called to the scene of the blaze at the Creaky Cafe and firefighters later managed to bring it under control.

Fire station manager Craig Carter said the blaze "affected a large part" of the restaurant.

Flames are pictured rising from the site. Pic: Kingston Police

He added: "There were a lot of flames and the area was quite smoky when we arrived."

All animals in the zoo were evacuated to a safe place, said the fire service.

The park posted a message on Twitter saying: "Due to unforeseen circumstances Chessington will be closed today.

"If you had tickets booked for today, they will be valid for another day in the future."

A company statement said: "This morning, prior to the park opening, a fire broke out in Chessington World of Adventures.

"Well-practised emergency procedures were immediately put into operation and the emergency services were called and several fire engines were on site within minutes.

Npbody was hurt in the blaze: Pic: London Fire Brigade

"The theme park and zoo were closed at the time of this incident and, therefore, no guests were involved. All staff areas were immediately evacuated and all staff and animals are safe and well."

An investigation will be carried out to discover the cause of the fire.

Surrey Police had said people should avoid the area around the park as the A243 was closed - but it was later fully re-opened to traffic.

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Lockerbie 25th Anniversary: Victims Remembered

Relatives of those killed in the Lockerbie bombing have gathered in the Scottish town for a special memorial service to mark the 25th anniversary of the atrocity.

Pan Am flight 103 was on its way from London to New York when it exploded above Lockerbie, in southern Scotland, on the evening of December 21 1988, killing 270 people - everyone on board and 11 on the ground.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond and Lord Wallace, Advocate General for Scotland, are attending a service at Dryfesdale Cemetery, to be followed by a 30-minute wreath-laying ceremony.

Families and friends attend a memorial service at Dryfesdale Cemetery

Mr Salmond said: "As the community of Lockerbie marks the milestone, memorial events will be held in Westminster Abbey, Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and at Syracuse University which lost 35 students in the bombing.

"But, inevitably, a focus of the day will be on the memorial in Lockerbie and it is there that I will pay my respects and condolences on behalf of the people of Scotland."

Later, simultaneous remembrance services in Lockerbie and Arlington National Cemetery in the US - where most of the victims were from - will get under way from 6.30pm (1.30pm EST in the US).

Relatives will read the names of the victims and hold a minute's silence at 7.03pm (2.03pm EST in the US) marking exactly a quarter of a century since the tragedy.

Westminster Abbey in London will also hold a service for the victims, from 21 countries, which will begin at 6.45pm and will include readings and a moment of silence.

British Prime Minister David Cameron described the bombing as "one of the worst aviation disasters in history and the deadliest act of terrorism" ever committed in the UK.

Eleven people were killed on the ground in Lockerbie

He said: "Though 25 years have passed, memories of the 243 passengers, 16 crew and 11 Lockerbie residents who lost their lives on that terrible night have not dimmed.

"Over the last quarter of a century much attention has been focused on the perpetrators of the atrocity. Today our thoughts turn to its victims and to those whose lives have been touched and changed by what happened at Lockerbie that night.

"To families, friends, neighbours, loved ones, and all those caught up in the painful process of recovery, let us say to them: our admiration for you is unconditional. For the fortitude and resilience you have shown. For your determination never to give up. You have shown that terrorist acts cannot crush the human spirit. That is why terrorism will never prevail.

"And even in the darkest moments of grief, it is possible to glimpse the flickering flame of hope."

Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died in the disaster, told Sky News: "Anniversaries aren't in a sense that big a deal for the families of victims because we have to live with the lovely memories of those that we lost all that time ago, every day of every year. Bereavement in itself is sometimes a life sentence."

Graham Herbert, former rector at Lockerbie Academy which lost three students in the atrocity, said the market town "has always tried to move forward".

Abdelbaset al Megrahi was the only person to be convicted of the bombing

He told Sky News: "I know today there will be a lot of closed doors. A lot of people will not go out of their houses. The memories are just too bitter, there are still open wounds there.

"There are quite a lot of American families in the town today. Each year it just comes back to them, they are not allowed to heal. They want to commemorate, they want to be here where their loved ones fell, but it's hard, it's tough."

Libyan Abdelbaset al Megrahi was found guilty of the bombing in January 2001 and given a life sentence.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008, leading to a decision to free him under compassionate release rules.

Scotland's Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill took that decision on August 20 the following year, sparking a row among politicians on both sides of the Atlantic.

Megrahi died in Tripoli, Libya in May last year. His family is considering lodging a fresh appeal to clear his name.

British relatives of victims who believe he was wrongfully convicted of the bombing are also planning another appeal against the conviction when they meet with lawyers in the new year.

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Formula One Technology Used In Drug Trials

By Thomas Moore, Health Correspondent

Doctors are using Formula 1 technology to test the effectiveness of experimental medicines.

Smart sensors used by McLaren to track the performance of their cars on the track are being used for the first time in clinical trials of new drugs.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) hopes that by precisely tracking the movements of patients they will get earlier feedback on whether a drug helps to get them back on their feet.

Currently doctors try to estimate a patient's response to a drug by asking how far and how often they walk.

But sensors that are taped to the neck can monitor patients day and night, providing a far more objective - and accurate - measure of activity.

The accelerometer gives detailed data on a patient's physical activity

Dr Caroline Hargrove, technical director at McLaren Applied Technologies, is adapting the sensors and the software used to analyse the data for human use.

"Rather than how fast you have gone round a lap, it's how many minutes of walking you have done," she said.

"A simple, small sensor gives you so much context to go on. It captures something quite subjective - the level of activity you do.

"It's something difficult to get out of people."

Sky News was allowed to test one of the sensors over several days.

McLaren's Dr Hargrove is adapting the F1 technology for a new purpose

The 3D accelerometer is so accurate that scientists were able to differentiate periods of relative inactivity while working, from general movements around a home or office.

They can even tell how often people move while in bed to give an indication of their sleep quality.

GSK is using the sensors to in drug trials on patients who have rheumatoid arthritis or have suffered a stroke.

The data can even give an idea of the quality of someone's sleep

Dr Ravi Rao, a consultant rheumatologist and medicines development leader at the company, said the data can be analysed to determine the duration of an arthritis patient's stiffness in the morning.

"These quality of life measures, in terms of how a patient is functioning with a disease, are incredibly important - more important sometimes than a blood test or a physical examination."

The pharmaceutical company hopes the technology will speed up drug development.

Currently, it takes 10 years and hundreds of millions of pounds for a medicine to go from lab bench to clinic.

The sensors can help people who have arthiritis, says GSK's Dr Rao

Dr Steve Mayhew, leading GSK's partnership with McLaren, said: "By getting an early understanding of whether our medicine is behaving as we expect, it allows us to make a decision on whether to continue to develop it.

"Crucially we won't recruit patients to an experimental study where we don't think there will be any benefit to them."

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Food Banks 'Will Help One Million In 2014'

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent

The number of people predicted to turn to food banks in Britain next year rather than starve could reach a million, a charity has told Sky News.

Since April this year more than half a million people living on the bread-line had to be referred for food aid by social workers or a doctor in order to feed themselves or their families.

And the rise in the number of people sinking deeper into poverty will mean more food banks will have to open across the country in 2014, according to the Chairman of the Trussell Trust Chris Mould.

Speaking exclusively to Sky News he said: "With earnings rising at less than 1% and social security support capped at 1% whilst the cost of living is rising three times as fast, the reality for millions of people in the UK will be an even tougher year than the one they've just been through.

Half a million people used a food bank in 2013

"Sadly that means many more people will be referred to food banks in 2014 than in 2013. In fact by this time next year we could well be talking about how Trussell Trust food banks have helped a million people in just one year alone."

The stark warning comes as new figures from the think-tank the New Economics Foundation reveal living standards in Britain have seen the biggest drop since the Victorian age.

Low and middle earners are suffering an unprecedented squeeze on their incomes as austerity measures continue to bite, with women and part-time workers disproportionately affected.

And food banks are seeing a three-fold increase in demand, according to Mr Mould.

"We've launched over 400 food banks since 2004. I expect the Trussell Trust network to grow by a further 100 food banks during 2014. There are still areas of the country where people in financial crisis are unable to get help easily from a local Trussell Trust food bank and we are working hard towards a goal where no one in the UK needs to go hungry."

Gayle Needham wil be relying on handouts to make it through Christmas

Mother-of-five Gayle Needham, 34, from Barnsely, south Yorkshire, is going hungry. She has had to visit her local food bank three times in just under a month. Her partner recently lost his job and they are facing a delay in benefits payments.

"I think we are basically what you call scraping the barrel. We are right at the bottom. We have faced a day where we probably have two tins of beans and a loaf of bread and that's it.

"It's either food bank or nothing. It makes me feel that I've failed as a mum. I'm not bothered about me or my partner, but if you can't provide for your kids, what kind of parent are you?"

Gayle is one of 13 million people in Britain today who are living in poverty as classified by the Government. Her five children will receive presents their parents collected from an online giveaway site. There will be no Turkey because they cannot afford the electricity to cook it.

"I'm not looking forward to Christmas - I'm really not. I know it's going to be devastating. I know they (the children) haven't got half as much as they want.

"We pray for a miracle but we all know we're not going to get one."

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Christmas Shoppers To Spend £12bn In Four Days

By Emma Birchley, Sky News Reporter

Shoppers are expected to spend £12bn in just four days as they make the most of slashed prices and promotions, according to retail forecasters.

The deals are being offered as a fierce battle for sales rages both on the high street and online.

Alan Dadswell relies on Christmas to keep his shop Toys 'N' Tuck in Southend-on-Sea going and he says discounts are crucial.

He said: "To get people to spend the money they have got to feel they are getting a bargain and we have got to give them a bargain. We have to hunt with our suppliers to do good deals to get people in to the store."

A sluggish autumn has put added pressure on retailers.

But with 74% of shops offering deals, 13 million people are expected to shop on the high street on the last Saturday before Christmas.

It will help that many people finished work for Christmas on Friday.

Offering discounts at Toys 'N' Tuck in Southend-on-Sea is crucial

But Diane Wehrle, from the shop footfall monitors Springboard, says shoppers are getting increasingly canny.

She said: "Tactics definitely come into it. Shoppers are becoming much more savvy than they used to be. They understand that retailers are slashing prices. They understand they are doing one-off specials and they wait for them.

"So they perhaps go window shopping before the Christmas trading period starts, look out for what they want to buy and then buy them when they are on offer."

Lizzy Clarke, armed with bags of gifts in Southend, has made the most of the offers.

"They've got some great deals ... 75% off in some stores and I've just bought some jumpers that cost me £30 last week and this week have cost me £7," she said.

But Rob Antoniazz, who is unconvinced, said: "The decent items in good shops are never up for sale because the demand is there to buy them."

Tesco's distribution centre in Erith, Kent, has gone into overdrive

Half of the money being spent in the four days to the end of Monday will be on food, with £900m going towards online groceries.

Tesco has sold twice as many turkeys over the internet than last year. At its distribution centre in Erith, Kent, staff are working around the clock preparing orders.

Simon Belsham, the managing director of Online Grocery for the chain, said: "This is a really busy time of year for us. It really reflects that customers are looking for more and more convenient ways to shop for their Christmas presents and Christmas food."

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Search For Woman Swept Out To Sea Called Off

A major search for a woman believed to have been swept out to sea has been called off due to appalling weather.

Coastguard rescue officers, lifeboat crews, police and a helicopter looked for the 36 year old in the Brighton beach area through the night and during first light.

But they were unable to locate her amid "very difficult and dangerous weather", said police.

Sussex officers called Solent maritime rescue centre at 2.24am saying a woman had gone into the water opposite the Digital nightclub, just west of the town's Palace Pier.

After leaving the seafront club she had walked along the beach with a man she knew and then she ran into the sea and was almost immediately swept off by a large wave, officers said.

The coastguard said both people were believed to have gone into the water and one managed to get back out while the other was taken out to sea.

The woman had been at a nightclub before she went in the water

A police spokesman said: "The man tried to grab her but was unable to drag her to safety.

"Police officers arrived within minutes and, together with club staff and her friend, approached the sea edge.

"But the woman was being washed further away and was inaccessible due to the very heavy sea conditions.

"Coastguards swiftly assisted the search by land and sea but the body has not, so far, been recovered and the immediate search has been discontinued at this time."

Solent Coastguard said: "We conducted a thorough search of the area and nothing was found. The conditions down there are appalling. It's force eight with severe gale warnings."

Police do not know why the woman, believed to be from Brighton, ran into the water and the incident was not being treated as suspicious.

Her next of kin have been contacted by family liaison officers.

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Syria: British Doctor's Body Released To Family

By Joe Tidy, Sky News Reporter

The body of the British doctor who died in custody in Syria has been returned to his family.

Dr Abbas Khan's family received the body at the British Embassy in neighbouring Lebanon.

It comes a day after the 32-year-old father of two was due to be released from prison and allowed home for Christmas.

Mr Khan was an orthopaedic surgeon from south London who entered Syria to help civilians caught up in the civil war.

Mr Khan was a father of two

He was arrested 13 months ago and died last week in what the Syrian authorities say was suicide.

His family and the Foreign Office have questioned this as Dr Khan was days from being released and was said to be looking forward to coming home.

His brother, Dr Shahnawaz Khan, said: "We are pleased the Syrian authorities have stopped dragging their feet and are handing my brother's body over. We want to get him back to Britain as soon as possible to bury him in the right way.

"My brother is out in Beirut with my mother and the next step is to arrange a flight back home but the horrible thing for us as a family is that another post-mortem is likely to be carried out, further disturbing my brother's body.

Mr Khan worked in Stanmore, northwest London

"Yes we want to know what happened to him as we don't believe for a second that he committed suicide whilst in custody, but our priority is to give him a proper funeral."

The family has criticised the lack of support given to them by the Foreign Office during Dr Khan's incarceration. They believe he was abused while in custody.

Dr Khan added: "First we need to get my brother buried, then we want to get some answers."

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Row Over NHS 'Too Powerful To Criticise' Claim

The chairman of the NHS watchdog has sparked a political row after saying the health service has become "too powerful to criticise".

Care Quality Commission (CQC) boss David Prior says people have become scared of complaining about poor care.

He warned the service's perceived status as a "national religion" fuelled the problem and some areas of care were "out of control" because honesty about failings was not tolerated.

Even the most senior staff were afraid of speaking out despite millions of patients receiving a "wholly unsatisfactory" service from GPs and hospitals, Mr Prior added.

NHS watchdog boss David Prior

But Labour, which created the CQC when in government, denied the NHS is 'too powerful' to be criticised.

It is precisely the watchdog's role to identify problems and failures and ensure criticism was used to improve patient care, according to the opposition.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph Mr Prior said of the NHS: "It became too powerful to criticise. When things were going wrong people didn't say anything. If you criticised the NHS - the attitude was how dare you?

"No organisation should be put on such a high pedestal that it is beyond criticism. Now it is getting more honest about our failings - which I think makes it more likely that we will address them."

Mr Prior said he has found a "chillingly defensive" culture where even the most "alpha male surgeons" felt frightened to speak out for fear of ending their careers.

"I had not realised that the culture in some of our hospitals was so damaged," he said. "That was an awakening."

He called for the "out of control" system of emergency care to be made a priority for reform and said it was "wholly unsatisfactory" that so many patients struggled to get an appointment with their GP.

And Mr Prior branded Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt "crazy" for telephoning round hospital chief executives who had missed A&E targets.

He said: "Of course he's doing it, because he's held accountable but what it all leads to is more money being put into A&E departments when that money should probably be put into primary and community care to stop people falling ill."

Shadow health minister Jamie Reed said: "The focus now needs to be on the winter crisis engulfing A&E. When Labour left office 98% of patients were seen within 4 hours, but the Government continues to miss its own lowered A&E target."

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Apollo Theatre Collapse: Venue 'Neglected'

The owner of the Apollo Theatre in London's West End claimed last year that the venue had "suffered years of benign neglect".

Nica Burns, co-owner and chief executive of Nimax Theatres, which runs the building in Shaftesbury Avenue, said in an interview last year that it had a budget of just £2.45m to restore its five West End playhouses.

That was funded by a £1 restoration levy on tickets at the theatres, which the company said was spent entirely on upkeep and maintenance work once VAT was paid.

Speaking to Theatres Magazine, Ms Burns said: "Before we could start on the improvements, we had to address the damp. Water attacks the building from above and below."

A police officer on duty outside the Apollo Theatre in the West End

The restoration work carried out included new £120,000 customer toilets and a makeover for four carved stone muses on the rooftop, she told the magazine.

An investigation is under way after nearly 80 people were injured, nine seriously, when part of the theatre ceiling collapsed during a packed show.

One line of inquiry being considered is that excess water during a torrential downpour may have caused the collapse.

In 2000, previous owner Andrew Lloyd-Webber, who sold the Apollo to Nimax in 2005, told the Times newspaper: "The Apollo in particular is a shocking place.

Emergency services on the roof of the theatre

"I suggested that both it and the Lyric should be knocked down and replaced by top-quality modern theatres."

The composer and musical theatre impresario complained that his plans for a black-box auditorium inside the existing plasterwork had been opposed by English Heritage.

More than 700 people were inside the Apollo when members of the audience started screaming as it appeared parts of the ceiling caved in.

Most of the injured were discharged shortly afterwards, having been mainly treated for cuts and bruises.

Police and ambulance officers at the scene following the collapse

Although performances at the Apollo have been cancelled until January 4, London mayor Boris Johnson said the West End was "open for business"

Mr Johnson also praised the response from emergency services as "exemplary".

"Westminster City Council and the Society of London Theatre have assured me that all safety checks for the West End's historic theatres are up to date but, as a precaution, further checks have already started and will continue throughout the day."

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David Coleman: Veteran Sports Broadcaster Dies

David Coleman, the veteran sports commentator and long-time Question Of Sport presenter, has died at the age of 87.

The Grandstand and Sportsnight presenter, who retired in 2000, died peacefully with his family at his bedside after a short illness.

The BBC's director general Tony Hall said: "David Coleman was one of this country's greatest and most respected broadcasters.

David Coleman - "a giant of sports broadcasting"

"Generations grew up listening to his distinctive and knowledgeable commentary. Whether presenting, commentating or offering analysis, he set the standard for all of today's sports broadcasters.

"Our thoughts are with his family and many friends."

The renowned athletics commentator worked for the corporation for almost 50 years, covering 11 summer Olympic Games, his final one in Sydney in 2000.

He also covered six football World Cups as a commentator or presenter and was the host of the Question Of Sport for 18 years.

He was awarded an OBE in 1992.

Sky News Sports Editor Nick Powell described Mr Coleman as a "giant" of sports broadcasting.

He said: "A lot of sports broadcasting has been shaped by what David Coleman did all those years ago."

Barbara Slater, BBC director of sport, described him as "the master of his craft". She said: "In a BBC career that spanned over 40 years he set the standard that so many others have tried to emulate.

"His was one of broadcasting's most authoritative and identifiable voices that graced so many pinnacle sporting moments."

Olympic athlete Linford Christie said: "My deepest condolences go out to David's family at this sad time. 

"David was a no nonsense, straight talking true gentleman and an iconic voice of sport, but at the heart of it all was a massive sports fan and supporter of good performances.

"I am very proud that we shared some amazing times in and out of the stadium".

David Coleman, Frank Bough and Tony Gubba mark 21 years of BBC Grandstand

Former Home Secretary David Blunkett described the commentator as "a thoroughly decent guy", having been quizzed by Mr Coleman 45 years ago on BBC1's Feedback show.

"David Coleman had to deal with a man who couldn't see talking about a film which David Dimbleby had produced and which had caused enormous controversy by displaying dead and naked bodies.

"Why I ever wrote in I shall never know, but it was certainly a way of being blooded in terms of future interviews over the past 45 years.

"I know that as well as his family and friends, many of us will mourn him as someone who represented the best in broadcasting and of decency in public life."

Former England striker and Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker was among those remembering Mr Coleman - whose brevity at the microphone, including his signature "one-nil" catchphrase, earned him many fans.

Mr Lineker wrote on Twitter: "Sad to hear, David Coleman has died. A giant of sports broadcasting. Brilliant, gifted, precise and concise. Much more than 'one-nil' #RIP"

The father-of-six, who lived in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, was awarded the Olympic Order in 2000. The award is the highest honour of the Olympic movement.

Mr Coleman also found himself the subject of a regular column in satirical magazine Private Eye, with its Colemanballs feature documenting commentators' gaffes to this day.

One of his comments the magazine immortalised was: "That's the fastest time ever run, but it's not as fast as the world record."

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