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Ferry services have been cancelled and a red weather warning has been issued for the Channel Islands as Storm Ciaran sweeps in towards the south of England.

Forecasters said gusts of 85mph could hit the islands on Wednesday, with wind speeds of up to 110mph in the English Channel.

High tides could also force the closure of coastal roads and residents have been urged to “avoid outdoor activities”.

Condor Ferries has cancelled its freight and passenger routes between the Channel Islands and the UK on Wednesday and Thursday, while DFDS has axed services between Newhaven in East Sussex and Dieppe in France.

Brittany Ferries has also warned of possible disruption to its cross-Channel routes.

It comes after the Met Office issued amber weather warnings for the South West and south coast of England for Thursday as Storm Ciaran approaches.

The agency said the wind and rain warnings would be in place from Wednesday night to Friday, with the storm due to cross southern Britain on Thursday.

Ahead of its arrival, parts of Northern Ireland have already been flooded by heavy rain and people have been warned not to travel.

Check the latest five-day forecast where you are

A Met Office amber alert warning has been issued for southwest and southern England on Thursday. Met Office 01/11/2023. Storm Ciaran
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A Met Office amber alert warning has been issued for southwest and southern England on Thursday

Met Office yellow weather warnings for rain are in place until 9am on Wednesday
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Met Office yellow weather warnings for rain are in place until 9am on Wednesday

Met Office yellow weather warnings for rain in the region were in place earlier today.

It warned of rainfall of between 25mm and 60mm in places, with up to 100mm on higher ground.

Yellow weather warnings for rain and wind are also in place between Wednesday and Friday across parts of England, Scotland and Wales.

Amber weather warnings are in place for Cornwall and Devon between 3am and 11am on Thursday, and between 6am and 5pm the same day along the coast from Hampshire to Kent, as well as parts of East Anglia.

Forecasters said strong gusts – of 70 to 80mph, perhaps exceeding 85 mph – could disrupt travel and cause damage to buildings, while flying debris could pose “a danger to life”.

Trains and planes could be delayed, while roads and bridges face potential closure.

Flooding in Northern Ireland

There was flooding in Newry in County Down on Monday after the city’s canal burst its banks, while in Dromantine around 100 sheep were rescued after becoming stranded in a flooded field.

A street is sandbagged to prevent water flowing further through the streets after heavy rain caused extensive flooding, ahead of the arrival of Storm Ciaran, in the city centre of Newry, Northern Ireland, October 31, 2023. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
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A street is sandbagged to prevent water flowing further through the streets in Newry Town, Co Down

Flood water in McCartan Bros clothes store in Newry Town, Co Down
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Flood water in McCartan Bros clothes store in Newry Town, Co Down

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Why Storm Ciaran will be so bad

Newry resident Dessie Heatley described the scenes as a “repeat of what happened here around 35 years ago”.

“We were up and down here in boats,” he said. “It’s pretty bad, I’m sure all the shopkeepers are raging, we’d no warning or nothing.”

Police have advised people to avoid Newry city.

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Residents row boat across flooded NI streets

Downpours expected in parts of England and Wales

Storm Ciaran is set to bring strong winds and heavy downpours to southern parts of England and Wales – with “unsettled” conditions forecast for much of the UK.

Rainfall of 20mm to 25mm is expected across southern and western areas, with potentially more falling over higher ground, the Met Office said.

Read more UK news:
Police close beach after body found on shore
Rail ticket office closures cancelled after U-turn

The forecaster warned conditions could worsen in areas already affected by flooding from Storm Babet.

Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said Storm Ciaran was “likely to be a notch down” in intensity from Storm Babet, but flooding could still occur because the ground is “so laden with water” and river levels “are at their highest”.

She told Sky News the key features would be “wind damage” and a “lot of rain”, and added that the wet weather would slowly move northwards.

Buckle up for some really wild weather

Buckle up for some really wild weather over the next few days.

Storm Ciaran is due to hit the UK on Wednesday night and into Thursday, bringing very high winds and a lot more rain.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and Devon between 3am and 1pm on Thursday, and the Channel coast from Dorset to Kent between 6am and 8pm.

Wind speeds could be 70-80mph on the coast, possibly exceeding 85mph in exposed spots.

That’s enough to cause significant damage to property, with debris being hurled through the air. Trees will also take a battering because they are still in full-leaf. And transport will be disrupted.

The storm will also bring lots more rain – and over a much wider area.

That’s because Ciaran will grind almost to a halt over the UK, its path blocked by a curl of the jet stream.

Then, just as Ciaran finally moves off over the North Sea, we get another storm piling in, bringing yet more rain over the weekend.

All in all, some really unpleasant weather for the rest of the week.

Ms Nasir said the storm would start affecting southern areas of the UK on Wednesday evening, as well as on Thursday morning during rush hour, before it tracks northwards.

“We could see some coastal flooding because the winds will be so strong, particularly initially across more southern areas,” she said.

“It’s not a fast-moving system, so it’s going to be with us for at least two-and-a-half, if not three, days and most places will be impacted in some shape or form by this storm.”

Her colleague Marco Petagna added: “There are possible gusts of 80mph to 90mph in some exposed southern areas. It’s probably quite a nasty storm this one.”

Is Storm Ciaran affecting an area near you?

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Rats, flies and maggots: The Wigan homeowners plagued by 25,000 tonnes of illegal waste

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Rats, flies and maggots: The Wigan homeowners plagued by 25,000 tonnes of illegal waste

“That smell of maggots, rotting food and maggots, my house smells like that.”

For Louise, not her real name, home has become a hell she cannot escape.

“We just couldn’t move for flies, and then we noticed an increase in rats,” she says.

Louise lives near Bolton House Road in Wigan. At the end of a row of terraced houses sits a former scrapyard, which has been transformed into an industrial-scale illegal dump site.

The wagons started coming last winter, “20, maybe 30 times a day,” Louise remembers.

“Eighteen-tonne wagons. Full of all sorts; nappies, black bin rubbish, chemicals, plastic.”

Within a few weeks, she and her neighbours realised the waste was just being dumped, not sorted or managed. It piled up, higher and higher.

They contacted the council, the Environment Agency and the police – but Louise claims no one did anything to stop the lorries.

Her retired neighbour, Tom, says it felt like the authorities “didn’t want to know”.

Though he does remember someone from the council asking him if he could go and “have a look for them” and “report back” information about what sort of waste was being dumped.

Louise and Tom are both so worried about who could be behind this that they are only comfortable speaking anonymously.

The fire which lasted nine days

By July’s heatwave, the site had long been full. The wagons had stopped months earlier, so 25,000 tonnes of waste, several storeys high, sat festering in the sun.

Lorries and vehicles in the former scrapyard lay buried, unseen, beneath the shredded and rotting filth – and then the fire started.

For nine days, dozens of firefighters from across Greater Manchester fought to bring the fire under control.

Pic: Wigan Council
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Pic: Wigan Council

Pic: Wigan Today
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Pic: Wigan Today

The nearby primary school had to shut due to the acrid smoke.

The sheer amount of water needed by fire engines to tackle the blaze left residents without any – while many were forced to keep their windows and doors shut in the 30C-plus heat.

Some were left with chest infections, others were hospitalised.

“I think it’s awful to let people live with that toxic rubbish right next to our house after us all asking for help and nothing’s materialised,” Louise says.

The crime costing the economy billions

Sky News has been investigating how, across the country, waste crime is a growing scourge and a booming business being exploited by criminal gangs.

Being paid to remove rubbish only to dump it illegally without sorting it or paying tax is an easy way of making huge amounts of money, with poorly enforced legal repercussions and a huge cost to the environment.

It’s something the previous head of the Environment Agency called “the new narcotics”.

– It’s thought a fifth of all waste in England is being illegally managed

– That’s around 34 million tonnes a year, enough to fill about four million skips

– It costs the economy around a billion pounds a year, with legitimate operators thought to be losing a further £3bn from missed business

In July, we tracked down a group of suspected organised fly-tippers who waved wads of cash on TikTok after dumping waste in the countryside.

‘Absolutely soul-destroying’

The residents of Bolton House Road are not the only victims of this toxic dump.

Last winter, Neil Hardwick rented out three diggers to an individual, unaware of the growing illegal dump site in Wigan.

By March of this year, he had not received several rental payments and had received a call from the Environment Agency warning him about what was happening at the site.

Neil and Carla Hardwick
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Neil and Carla Hardwick

With his daughter Carla, he went to Bolton House Road in an attempt to retrieve the machinery, worth approximately £300,000 in total.

At the site, Carla says a group of men slapped her, as well as spat at her. The men allegedly told her father: “We want you to give us £100,000, and we’ll allow you to take your diggers back, or we can cut your throat.”

Carla and Neil say an officer from Greater Manchester Police dismissed their report, and claimed their machinery was not stolen.

That officer also threatened to arrest the pair if they did not leave the area, they say.

“I just wanted us to get those machines back. But the fact that a man can spit in a woman’s face and get away with it, and the police are not interested, well, it is maddening,” Carla said.

The Hardwicks returned to the site 10 days later with officers from the National Crime Agency but found their machines smashed up and destroyed.

Mr Hardwick said the ordeal was “absolutely soul-destroying”.

“It’s caused us so much grief, damage to business, just absolutely brought us to our knees,” he said.

A vehicle used to transport waste to the illegal dump
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A vehicle used to transport waste to the illegal dump

Greater Manchester Police told Sky News there is an ongoing complaint relating to the incident involving Neil and Carla Hardwick at Bolton House Road, and “this process will take time”.

“As part of this complaint, our Professional Standards Directorate are assessing all elements of the investigation including all crimes and reviewing bodyworn footage,” a spokesperson said.

The £4.5m bill

Finding out how the illegal dump in Wigan happened, and who’s responsible, is hugely challenging.

The landowner has not responded to Sky, nor have the companies which allegedly own the lorries seen by residents transporting the waste.

They appear to be either refuse or haulage companies that boast of their environmentally friendly credentials.

The firms seen moving waste to the illegal dump did not reply to Sky News
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The firms seen moving waste to the illegal dump did not reply to Sky News

One company’s website claims it diverts most of its waste away from landfill, and advertises its “innovative approach” to waste management.

“We’re passionate about the environment,” the website says.

Josh Simons, the local Labour MP, has been outraged by the case.

Speaking before his promotion to the Cabinet Office, he said it is “buck-passing” between Wigan Council, the police, and the Environment Agency.

Mr Simons says he was told at the start of the year that there was a criminal investigation, “and therefore no action can be taken to prevent people from dumping more on the site or intervening”.

“That just doesn’t seem right to me,” he says.

He also says information and financial support from the Environment Agency to Wigan Council has been poor.

“The number [the council] have come up with is about £4.5m to clear the waste.

“Anybody who knows local authority budgets at the moment knows they don’t have nearly five million pounds stashed behind the sofa. So what’s supposed to happen?”

The land itself is not worth £4.5m – and Mr Simons thinks this makes working-class areas uniquely vulnerable to this kind of crime.

The funding and powers of the Environment Agency need to change, says Josh Simons MP
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The funding and powers of the Environment Agency need to change, says Josh Simons MP

Paul Barton, director for environment at Wigan Council, said: “Our top priority is to ensure those residents feel heard and safe while the Environment Agency carries out their investigation with our full cooperation.

“We want the site to be cleared as a matter of urgency and are continuing to work with the Environment Agency to survey and sample the waste so polluters/landowners – who are the responsible parties – can progress this as soon as possible.”

Paul Clements, director of operations at the Environment Agency, said: “We are prioritising local people, businesses and the nearby school as we work… to deal with this illegal waste site as quickly as possible.

“Our staff continue to visit the site and at the forefront of our minds is the impact the illegal waste is having on the local community.

“We are continuing to progress our criminal investigation as a priority. This includes actively pursuing many lines of enquiry, interviewing under caution and using the enforcement tools available to us.”

Additional reporting by Adam Parker, OSINT editor, and Niamh Lynch, planning producer

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Urgent action needed to stop fly-tipping by gangs, peers say

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Urgent action needed to stop fly-tipping by gangs, peers say

The Environment Agency (EA), police and other agencies are failing to stop fly-tipping by organised crime groups, a cross-party group of peers has found.

In a damning letter to the government, members of the House of Lords’ Environment and Climate Change Committee called for an independent review of waste crime, with the current approach “inadequate”.

Their report described the EA as “slow to respond to even the most flagrant and serious illegality” – and said its taskforce on waste crime appears “ineffective”.

Police are accused of showing a “lack of interest” in the crime, while penalties for criminals do not match their profits and are “insufficient to deter future offending”.

Read more:
Dirty work: The fly-tippers turning trash into cash

‘The new narcotics’

Sky News has been investigating the boom in waste crime – a trade so lucrative it has been named the “new narcotics”.

Our most recent investigation found that for months the Environment Agency failed to prevent 20 lorries a day dumping industrial levels of waste at the end of a residential street in Wigan.

Over the summer, the 25,000 tonnes of rubbish burnt for nine days – making life hell for residents.

In July, we tracked down a group of suspected organised fly-tippers who waved wads of cash on TikTok after appearing to dump waste in the countryside and in farmers’ fields.

The Lords’ committee has called for the EA’s Joint Unit for Waste Crime to do more to encourage collaboration between various authorities, and for the Department for Environment, Rural and Food Affairs to develop and publish targets for tackling this issue.

Peers have also demanded an end to what they call the “merry-go-round of reporting” where members of the public who report fly-tipping and waste crime in their area get bounced between various agencies.

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Criminals benefitting from trash

This is something Sky News has often heard from victims – they will call the police, only to be told to speak to the council, which then pushes them over to the EA.

Peers want a “single telephone number and web portal” which would triage responsibility for each case.

Read more from Sky News:
Could the UK run out of drinking water?
Mystery of what killed billions of starfish solved

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The boom in waste crime

An EA spokesperson said: “We recognise the recommendations of the report and are committed to doing more.

“Last year alone, our dedicated teams shut down 462 illegal waste sites and prevented nearly 34,000 tonnes of waste being illegally exported – showing that we can make real change despite the challenges involved.”

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King heckled over Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein during visit

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King heckled over Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein during visit

The King has been heckled over his brother Prince Andrew’s relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a visit to a cathedral.

Charles was shouted at by a man in the crowd outside Lichfield Cathedral in Staffordshire on Monday, who asked: “How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?”

The protester, who was filming on a mobile phone, also said: “Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew? Should MPs be allowed to debate the royals in the House of Commons?”

King Charles during his visit to Lichfield Cathedral. Pic: AP
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King Charles during his visit to Lichfield Cathedral. Pic: AP

The King did not respond to the comments, which came as the monarchy faces increasing pressure to resolve the controversy surrounding Andrew, who earlier this month said he would stop using his Duke of York title and his knighthood after revelations in the posthumous memoir of sex assault accuser Virginia Giuffre.

The prince has always strenuously denied all allegations against him from the late Ms Giuffre.

Reports also emerged that claimed Andrew asked a royal close protection officer to “dig up dirt” on Ms Giuffre. The Metropolitan Police said it is “actively looking into the claims”.

At the moment, Andrew resides at Royal Lodge, a Windsor mansion where he effectively lives rent-free. He’s done so since 2003.

Obstacles to a settlement are reportedly where the prince, who remains eighth in line to the throne, will live and what financial recompense he will receive for the funds he spent renovating the home.

The Sun reported he is keen on Harry and Meghan’s former home Frogmore Cottage.

Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein. Pics: PA/Sipa/Shutterstock
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Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein. Pics: PA/Sipa/Shutterstock

‘The royals need to be challenged’

Calls are still growing for Andrew’s dukedom to be revoked, which can only be done by an act of parliament.

Downing Street has indicated it its reluctance to do so, suggesting the King would not want the issue to take up politicians’ time.

Graham Smith, chief executive of anti-monarchy group Republic, said: “The royals need to be challenged, and if the politicians won’t do the job and the police won’t investigate, then more and more members of the public will be asking tough questions.”

He said he believed Monday’s heckler was “one of our own members but doing their own thing”.

After the visit to the cathedral, the King laid flowers at the UK’s first national memorial commemorating LGBT armed forces.

He was joined by dozens of serving and former members of the armed forces, as he met veterans who told of the trauma inflicted by the military’s former “gay ban”.

The memorial, titled An Opened Letter, was unveiled at the National Memorial Arboretum.

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