Boris Johnson may have to water down plans for a new swimming pool after a local population of newts made waves in his application.
The former prime minister – who once blamed “newt counting” for holding up “the productivity and the prosperity of this country” – applied to install the 11m-by-4m outdoor feature at his Oxfordshire manor house, where he lives with his third wife and their three children, back in June.
But the process may be delayed after the local countryside officer warned of the risk to great crested newts – which thrive in the village and are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
In a report submitted to South Oxfordshire District Council, Edward Church said the location of the planned pool “falls within the red zone of highest risk” to the species.
“Natural England guidance requires that proposals need to demonstrate no risk to [great crested newts], or appropriate levels of mitigation and compensation following assessment,” he added.
“Based on the information available to me currently, I am of the opinion that there is a reasonable likelihood that [great crested newts] are present and could be impacted by the proposed development.”
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Mr Church said protected species surveys were likely to be needed for the application to go ahead, and he offered to visit the site to “ground-truth this desktop assessment and view the suitability of impacted habitats to provide the applicant with assurances that this is the correct approach”.
But, in the meantime, the countryside officer could not recommend planning permission was granted.
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The Wildlife Trust says the great crested newt is the biggest of the UK’s newt species, measuring up to 17cm.
The so-called “warty newt” is almost black with spotted flanks and an orange belly, with the charity comparing it to a mini-dinosaur.
Sky News contacted Boris Johnson’s office, but his spokesman refused to comment.
A 29-year-old man has been jailed for more than three years for loading illicit TV streaming services onto Amazon Fire Sticks.
Jonathan Edge, from Liverpool, pleaded guilty to three offences under the Fraud Act.
He was sentenced to three years and four months in prison, which included a separate concurrent sentence of two years and three months for accessing and viewing the content he was supplying.
Edge ran a service uploading illegal services to Fire Stick devices in return for cash-in-hand payments at his home, Liverpool Crown Court heard.
He used Facebook advertising and word-of-mouth recommendations to run his operation.
He ignored multiple warnings about the illegal activity, which were referenced by the judge and treated as an aggravating factor in sentencing.
The prosecution was undertaken by the Premier League and supported by several other organisations, including FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) and Merseyside Police.
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Kevin Plumb, Premier League general counsel, said: “The significant sentence handed down to the individual involved once again serves to highlight the severity of his actions.
“We will continue to pursue legal action against those supplying unauthorised access to Premier League football, regardless of the scale or mode of operation. Ignoring warnings to stop only served to make the consequences worse for the individual.”
Detective Sergeant Steve Frame from Merseyside Police said: “Merseyside Police is committed to working in collaboration to investigate intellectual property theft and we welcome today’s sentence handed to Edge.
“Many people see no harm in illegally streaming TV services but they are wrong, and this outcome should serve as a further warning how seriously such copyright theft continues to be taken.”
The Magic Circle is on the hunt for its first female member – who deceived the group by disguising herself as a man to enter its ranks – so it can apologise to her.
Sophie Lloyd hid her true identity from the famous society of magicians for 18 months.
Dressing up as a young man, Ms Lloyd fooled both the examiners and the Circle’s council and even went out for a drink with them.
However, she was expelled when the deception was revealed and the group hasn’t heard from her since.
At the time Ms Lloyd joined, women weren’t allowed to join the Circle. But when the rules changed in October 1991, Ms Lloyd revealed her true identity and was promptly kicked out for deceiving the society.
But now the group is trying to track her down, so it can apologise.
President of the Magic Circle Marvin Berglas told Sky News: “Times have changed.
“Back in the day she caused the ultimate deception of fooling the magicians and the council which is quite something.
“We’re trying to welcome Sophie back because it’s such a great story.”
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He added: “Being that she was such a pioneer we would love to find her, get her side of the story and honour her.”
Mr Berglas said magic wasn’t “an old boy’s club” anymore and that around 5% of its members were women.
It’s thought Ms Lloyd had been an actress, and her name might have been Sue Lloyd, he added.
It’s possible Ms Lloyd received training from magician Jenny Winstanley, who had wanted to be the first woman in the Magic Circle, but was, Mr Berglas said, likely too well known to enter in disguise.
Actor Timothy West has died peacefully in his sleep aged 90, “with his friends and family at the end”.
He was known for many roles in television and the theatre, including popular soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders.
Husband to 92-year-old Prunella Scales – who played Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers – the pair travelled together on UK and overseas canals in the Channel 4 series Great Canal Journeys.
His children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph West, said in a statement issued by his agent: “After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage, our darling father Timothy West died peacefully in his sleep yesterday evening. He was 90 years old.
“Tim was with friends and family at the end. He leaves his wife Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. All of us will miss him terribly.
“We would like to thank the incredible NHS staff at St George’s Hospital, Tooting and at Avery Wandsworth for their loving care during his last days.”
He was the winner of an RTS television award for his lead role in Churchill And The Generals, released in 1979, according to imdb.com.
In his career, he played Winston Churchill three times, including in The Last Bastion (1984) and in Hiroshima (1995).
West was also nominated for best actor in the 1976 BAFTAs for his part as Edward VII in the historical drama.
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Four years later, he was nominated in the same category for a number of roles, including as best actor in Crime And Punishment.
After a small part as Eric Babbage in Coronation Street in 2013, West appeared in 2014 for the first time as Stan Carter in EastEnders.
He also held other popular TV roles, such as in BBC comedy-drama Last Tango In Halifax.
In the long-running BBC comedy, Not Going Out, he played Geoffrey, the father of Lucy Adams, played by Sally Bretton.
In comedy-drama Brass, he was the ruthless self-made businessman Bradley Hardacre, playing the role from 1982 to 1984 before returning for a third series in 1990.
In 2019, the Bradford-born actor played Private Godfrey in Dad’s Army: The Lost Episodes, a recreation of three missing episodes of the BBC comedy Dad’s Army.
He was also a regular performer of Shakespeare, playing Lear in 2016 and 2002.