Private pensions cold calling, including emails and text messages, is to be banned. The government has today (20 August 2017) confirmed new measures to protect private pension savers from the threat of unscrupulous pension scammers. The measures will include: a ban on cold calling in...

Healthwatch Lancashire has launched an online voice group to encourage people to have their say and help influence change to their health and social care services. The ‘Voice Box Online’ Facebook group is open to members of the public of all ages and backgrounds who are experts in their own...

Prime Minister Theresa May said: I am sickened by the senseless loss of life in Barcelona today. The Foreign Office is working to establish if any British nationals were involved in this appalling incident and we are in close contact with the authorities in Spain, who have our full support. ...

If youÂ’re planning on visiting one of the UKÂ’s hundreds of designated bathing water beaches this year you might be shocked to find a wet wipe buried in the sand next to your picnic spot. ItÂ’s unlikely that these wipes have been left here as litter; millions of wipes are wrongly flushed down...

An international analysis of the global climate for 2016 has been published in the report State of the Climate in 2016 released recently by the American Meteorological Society. It has been widely reported that globally 2016 was one of the two warmest years (along with 2015) in a temperature...

Consumer Minister Margot James launches proposals to better protect travellers booking package holidays online. Enhanced regulations will better protect an extra 10 million UK package holidays booked online, under proposals outlined today (14 August 2017) by Consumer Minister Margot James. ...

TV legends John Craven and Charlie Dimmock are to open the 2017 Southport Flower Show, partnered by Everest. The popular broadcasters will formally declare the start the four-day seaside event on Thursday 17th August. They join a line-up of celebrities at Southport which includes some of...

Learner drivers will be allowed to take motorway driving lessons with an approved driving instructor in a car with dual controls from 2018. Allowing learner drivers to have lessons on motorways will help to make sure more drivers know how to use motorways safely. At the moment, you can...

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has announced a series of measures to further strengthen animal welfare standards in England. CCTV will be mandatory in all slaughterhouses in England under new plans announced by Environment Secretary Michael Gove, as he outlined a series of measures to...

More than one million tax credit customers completed their renewal using the new online tools ahead of the 31 July deadline for the first time, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) revealed today. Proving increasingly popular with its handy tips and helpful advice, the departmentÂ’s online services...

We have released new CCTV footage of a 23-year-old man on the morning he went missing from Preston as part of a fresh appeal for information. Concern is growing for Connor Hegarty after he was last seen around 2.30am on Sunday (August 6) driving a silver Vauxhall Astra in the Tulketh Brow area....

Ormskirk and Burscough police discovered three large cannabis plants that had kindly been left out in the open for them. They went from 6ft tall to 6 bags of trimmings in no time at all! They have though realised the need for some sharper scissors... If anyone else has some 'dodgy' plants...

Lancashire County Council's Cabinet has today approved a report which sets out priorities for spending £47m on the county's school buildings over the next three years. The schools capital grant allocation comes from the Department for Education to enable the county council to provide the...

Police are growing increasingly concerned for the welfare of a 14-year-old boy who has gone missing from home in Appley Bridge, but may have travelled elsewhere in the UK. Damian Howes was last seen at around 7pm on August 4th in Wigan town centre. He has links to Croydon, Carlisle,...

New generation of smart cars will now be better protected from hackers. Manufacturers urged to combat threats from hackers as cars become more intelligent. A new generation of internet-connected cars will have to be better protected from hackers, under tough new government guidance issued...

Highways England ‘suited and bootedÂ’ for hazardous concrete repairs at Spaghetti Junction. Flying debris that travels faster than a bullet is just one of the hazards facing Highways England repair teams working on the Spaghetti Junction. As part of the £4.7m vital repairs to damaged...

While carrying out analysis work in a Sellafield site laboratory, a worker spilled approximately 1kg of depleted uranium trioxide powder while moving a container. The material is not harmful unless ingested or inhaled. The correct safety procedures were followed and the immediate area was...

The CMA is today joining international partners in a social media campaign to help stop fake and misleading online reviews and endorsements. Over the last year, consumer protection agencies around the globe have worked together to prevent false or misleading reviews and endorsements online,...

Police are appealing for help to find an 18-year-old man who is missing from Kirkham. Alexander Wesley was last seen at his home address on Wyre Avenue at 3.40pm yesterday (Sunday, July 30th). He is described as 6ft 3in tall, slim build with short dark brown hair and wears glasses. He...

Girls as young as 13 contacting Childline about forced marriage, NSPCC reveals Counselling sessions rise by 12 per cent in one year Figures released as school summer holidays begin, a time when some families can exploit the long breaks to take children abroad and force them to marry Young...

Tesco Stores Ltd has been ordered to pay over £8million in fines and costs after pleading guilty to a pollution incident. Tesco Stores Ltd has been ordered to pay over £8million in fines and costs after pleading guilty to a pollution incident. The incident, which occurred in July 2014,...

Large phones, laptops and tablets now allowed in the cabin on some flights to the UK from Turkey. Restrictions on carrying large phones, laptops and tablets in the cabin have been lifted on all UK bound flights from the following airport: Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Passengers on flights...

Detectives investigating the murder of grandfather from Thornton James Stanton, are appealing for information 11 years after he was killed in a bid to find those responsible. Police are offering a reward of £20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for...

Members of Frack Free Southport (FFS), Halsall Against Fracking, and Green Party members spent 4 afternoons during the Open, both soggy and sunny, gently raising awareness of the threat to EnglandÂ’s Golf Coast from fracking. Thanks to the co-operation of the police and security staff, they handed...

Art and Design students at Southport College have been working their creative magic once again, this time designing a large mural and giant flowerpot to feature at the upcoming Southport Flower Show. The largest independent flower show in the country, the Southport Flower Show will be held...

CT safety video viewed more than one million times. A hard-hitting safety video from Counter Terrorism police, which instructs holidaymakers what to do in the event of an attack, has been viewed more than one million times.

Official figures released today show the proportion of children living in a household with no working adults has fallen in every region of Great Britain since 2010. The figures, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), also show: around 9 in 10 children live in households...

Police are appealing for information after a 19-year-old man went missing from Leyland. Corey Brooks was last seen around 11pm on Sunday (July 23) in the Darwin Drive area. He is described as white, 5ft 7in tall, of medium build with short black hair. He was wearing a t-shirt, black shorts...