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The worst packaging polluters in the UK have been revealed by a campaign group.

An annual waste audit by Surfers Against Sewage saw 4,000 citizen scientists collect over 30,700 pieces of rubbish along coastlines, canal paths and city streets.

Just 12 companies were responsible for 70% of the items that carried branding.

Coca-Cola topped the list for the fourth year running, despite the company launching initiatives to slash plastic pollution.

McDonald’s was in second place with PepsiCo third – and altogether, the three brands were responsible for 37% of the branded pollution collected.

Tesco, Haribo, Nestle, Heineken, Mars, Carlsberg and Red Bull were also named in what Surfers Against Sewage called “the dirty dozen”.

Izzy Ross, the group’s campaigns manager, described the results as “shocking, but sadly not surprising” – and called on big businesses to clean up their act.

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“Year on year we’re seeing the same culprits responsible for disgusting amounts of plastic pollution on our beaches, and in our cities and countryside,” she warned.

Surfers Against Sewage is calling on these companies to be held accountable – and take further steps to slash their plastic use and carbon footprint.

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Campaigners also want the government to enforce an “all-in” deposit return scheme for drinks containers of all sizes and materials.

While plans for a deposit return scheme have been announced in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it won’t include glass – and its launch has been delayed until 2025.

Ms Ross accused the government of “stalling”, and added: “In doing so, it is condemning our ocean, beaches and rivers to a further eight billion extra pieces of plastic a year, as plastic gradually chokes these fragile ecosystems to death.”

A Coca-Cola spokesperson said it is clear the world is facing a packaging waste problem, and the drinks giant has a responsibility to help solve it.

“Here in the UK, all of our bottles are already recyclable, and all of our smaller packs are made with 100% recycled plastic, excluding cap and label,” they added.

McDonald’s said 90% of its packaging comes from recycled or renewable sources – and plastic McFlurry lids, straws, salad boxes, cutlery and Happy Meal toys have all been scrapped.

PepsiCo acknowledged litter on British beaches is a “huge problem” – and it must play a “significant role” in addressing it.

The business has vowed to reduce plastic used across all of its products, and phase out virgin fossil-based plastics in all crisp packets by the end of the decade.

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Nestle explained that plastic is used “in the interests of safety, freshness and affordability” – but it is “unacceptable for that packaging to end up as litter in the natural environment”.

The company says it’s aiming for close to 100% of its packaging to be designed for recycling within two years.

And Heineken said: “We understand the immediate impact of litter on the environment and we have taken some important steps to address this issue.”

Tesco, Haribo, Mars, Carlsberg, Red Bull – as well as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – have been contacted by the PA news agency for comment.

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Bank worker and brother who murdered drug dealer in ‘ferocious’ knife attack are jailed

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Bank worker and brother who murdered drug dealer in 'ferocious' knife attack are jailed

A brother and sister have been jailed for the murder of a drug dealer in a “ferocious” knife attack.

Isaiah Marsh, 21, and his 23-year-old sibling Mya Marsh were sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison for killing Minister Enfrence, 21, in a row over a £200 cannabis debt.

Bank worker Mya was trying to buy drugs from Mr Enfrence in Kings Norton, Birmingham, when she met him armed with a kitchen knife at about 10am on 5 November, the city’s crown court heard.

Judge Simon Drew KC said that Mya was the aggressor in an initial confrontation with Mr Enfrence over the debt as he sentenced the siblings on Thursday.

Mya called her brother Isaiah to the scene, who “launched a ferocious attack on Minister as he lay defenceless on his back on the floor” and had intended to kill, the judge said.

Mr Enfrence suffered at least 12 stab wounds to his body, arms, hands and head in the “unprovoked” attack.

He did not die instantly and managed to escape before collapsing nearby.

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Judge Drew said footage of the attack, which was caught on CCTV, was “truly sickening” to watch as Mr Enfrence died a “traumatic and painful death”.

Minister Enfrence. Pic: West Midlands Police
Image:
Minister Enfrence was killed on 5 November. Pic: West Midlands Police

Siblings unanimously convicted of murder

The footage shows Mya passing a knife to her brother during the stabbing.

The judge told them: “This was an attack by two people on one. That attack was unprovoked. Members of the public, including a child in a pushchair, passed very close by while the attack was taking place.”

After the killing, Mya went to work “as if nothing had happened” after taking the morning off work, citing mental health problems, the court was told.

Isaiah later handed himself in to the police.

A jury unanimously convicted the siblings of murder on Monday following a three-week trial.

Both had denied murder and alternative charges of manslaughter.

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Isaiah claimed he acted in self-defence, while Mya claimed she did not believe her brother would use the knife to stab Mr Enfrence.

Rachel Brand KC, representing Mya, said the attack was “utterly out of character” for her client and that Mya had shouted “stop it” and “break it up” during her brother and Mr Enfrence’s struggle.

Isaiah, meanwhile, would find it “almost impossible to reconcile what he saw on the CCTV with who he is”, his barrister Michael Ivers KC told the court.

“He has told everyone who will listen when they have spoken to him that he is full of remorse about what happened,” Mr Ivers said.

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Woman’s testimony from beyond the grave helps to convict rapist Steven Connery

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Woman's testimony from beyond the grave helps to convict rapist Steven Connery

A “despicable” rapist has been brought to justice and jailed for 10 years in part thanks to a woman’s testimony from beyond the grave.

Steven Connery, 41, repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted two women in the Forth Valley and Tayside areas.

Judge Douglas Brown said Connery’s first victim was left “so shocked that she couldn’t speak” following a painful attack in a bathroom while she was getting ready for a night out.

A court heard how the second woman was also left in “agony” after a sex assault.

Connery was arrested in 2022 after his past crimes were brought to the attention of Police Scotland.

His second victim died before a trial was held at the High Court in Glasgow, but her evidence was read out in the form of a statement by one of the investigating officers.

Connery denied any wrongdoing but was in March found guilty of four charges.

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He returned to the dock on Wednesday and was handed a 13-year extended sentence, with 10 years in jail and three years on licence once released back into the community.

Judge Brown said: “It is almost inevitable that offences of this nature will cause substantial harm and in relation to the second complainer, who has since died, it is clear from a victim impact statement submitted by her sister that your behaviour had a massive impact not only on her but also on her family.”

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It was noted that Connery was “still reasonably young” at the time of some of his offending, but the judge added: “Though there is little to indicate that a lack of maturity was a significant factor.”

Connery was additionally placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and banned from contacting the woman who is still alive.

Detective Sergeant Khalid Abdulrahman said: “Although one of Connery’s victims passed away, it was right that her evidence was heard in court through the reading of statements.

“I hope this sentencing brings some comfort to both her family and the other victim in this case.

“Our thoughts remain with them, as without their information Connery wouldn’t have been held accountable for his despicable actions.”

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Police hunt for teenagers seen ‘carrying dismembered kittens in duffel bag’

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Police hunt for teenagers seen 'carrying dismembered kittens in duffel bag'

Police investigating the torture and killing of a pair of kittens in west London have published CCTV pictures of two teenagers they want to speak to.

Warning: This article contains details some readers may find distressing

The Metropolitan Police were tipped off on 3 May that two teenagers had allegedly dismembered the animals at Ickenham Road, Ruislip.

No arrests have been made.

Officers released footage of a boy and a girl on Thursday and asked people to help identify them.

The boy is described by the Met as 5ft 6in (168cm) tall, with short dark hair. He was wearing a dark jacket with long sleeves, with blue jeans.

Police sergeant Babs Rock said the boy “was also seen carrying a black duffel bag, which sadly is thought to have contained the kittens”.

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BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Screen grab taken from CCTV dated 03/05/25 issued by Metropolitan Police of CCTV of two teenagers they want to speak to after two kittens were tortured and killed in Ruislip. The Metropolitan Police received a report on May 3 that alleged two teenagers dismembered the animals in Ickenham Road, Ruislip. Issue date: Thursday May 15, 2025.
Image:
The two youths. Pic: Metropolitan Police/PA

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Sergeant Rock said the young girl was the same height as the boy, with long red hair.

“She was wearing a white top with black shorts. She was also carrying a purple jumper, which she later puts on to wear,” she said.

“If you know these two individuals then please come forward to us, we would like to speak with them as soon as possible.”

In the video, the pair are seen walking down a street and then later running back the way they came.

Sergeant Rock described it as “an incredibly distressing incident which I know has caused concern in the local community”.

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