Paul Gascoigne Arrested Over 'Drunken Assault'

Paul Gascoigne has been arrested after an alleged drunken assault at a train station.

The former football star, who left rehab in the US earlier this year, was held after the incident in Hertfordshire.

A Hertfordshire Police spokeswoman said: "Police were called to a report of a man allegedly being drunk and disorderly at Stevenage railway station at 10.30pm on Thursday July 4.

"Officers attended the location and arrested a 46-year-old male on suspicion of common assault and being drunk and disorderly."

He was taken into custody but was not charged, police said.

The Mirror reported that Gascoigne had grabbed a security guard by the throat before attacking ex-wife Sheryl Gascoigne when she tried to step in.

According to the newspaper, he was bailed after being held in a police cell for 12 hours overnight.

Earlier this year, Gascoigne said he wanted to "get back to reality" after the latest health scare in his battle with alcohol addiction.

In March, the ex-England and Newcastle player told Sky Sports News: "When I'm drinking I forget about everyone.

"I don't realise the hurt I'm doing to others but, you know, I've got to think about the hurt I was doing to myself.

"People come up (and say) 'never touch a drink again'. I don't know (if) I'm going to touch a drink again. I just know that I'm not drinking today."

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Father Charged With Daughter's Murder

The father of an 11-year-old girl found strangled at her home has been charged with her murder, police have said.

Rebecca Thompson was discovered at the house in Holmefield Road, Bushey, Hertfordshire, on Saturday, June 22.

Her father Simon Thompson, 52, was taken to hospital after being involved in a car crash in the early hours of the same day.

He has now been charged with murder and will appear at Hatfield Magistrates' Court this morning.

Rebecca's headteacher paid tribute to the schoolgirl.

In a statement, Rita Cooper, head of Sacred Heart Primary School, said: "It is with great sadness that we heard of the death of Rebecca who was in Year Six at Sacred Heart.

"Rebecca was a lovely girl who was hard-working and did well in her learning. She was looking forward to secondary school.

"The whole school is very distressed by this tragedy and our thoughts are with her family and friends."

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Third Of Children Thought Of Suicide By 16

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

Almost a third of children have considered or attempted suicide by the time they turn 16, according to a new survey.

Research for the new mental health charity MindFull also shows that 29% had self-harmed because they felt "down".

The charity is so alarmed by the finding that it is offering 11 to 17-year-olds immediate access to free online counselling with professionals.

The YouGov poll of over 2,000 young people found almost half of those suffering from depression failed to get the support they needed.

Emma-Jane Cross, founder of the charity, said children are being let down or simply ignored by those they turn to.

She said: "It's unacceptable that so many are having to resort to harming themselves on purpose in order to cope, or worse still are thinking about ending their own lives.

"Early intervention is proven to help prevent adult mental health problems, so swift action must be taken now if we are to avoid a legacy of serious long-term mental illness."

According to the charity, many young children feel down because of stress at school, because they are worried about their future and because they feel they are not "good enough".

April Plater began self harming at the age of 12, cutting her arms, legs and even face as a release from her depression.

She was overwhelmed by problems at home and school, but people she turned to dismissed them as just "teenage troubles".

Now 17, she told Sky News: "After a while of self harming I wasn't getting the release I was originally.

"It was almost like an addiction. So then the suicidal thoughts started to come, because I wasn't getting that satisfaction and I was still not talking about my issues."

Labour leader Ed Miliband and psychologist Tanya Byron are supporting the charity.

Professor Byron said: "Just as we look after our children's physical health, it's vital that we also offer support for their mental wellbeing.

"Children and young people are clearly not getting the help they need and that's why this new online support from MindFull is so important."

:: The Samaritans is available for anyone struggling to cope, round the clock, every single day of the year call 08457 90 90 90, email jo@samaritans.org or find local branch details at www.samaritans.org.

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Man Charged With Murder Of Pensioner

A man has been charged with murder and attempted murder after an 84-year-old woman was found dead in her home and a nine-year-old boy was stabbed in a skate park.

Nathaniel Flynn, 26, of Shipley, West Yorkshire, is accused of stabbing to death retired teacher Louisa Denby.

Ms Denby lived at the same address in Prospect Mount as Flynn and was believed to be his grandmother.

Police were called to the address on Monday night after reports that a boy, named locally as Jason D'Arcy, was attacked in nearby Carnegie skate park.

A nine-year-old boy was injured after he was stabbed in this skate park

Flynn was charged with his attempted murder, West Yorkshire Police said on Thursday.

He was also charged with possessing an offensive weapon and assault after police received information about another incident in the Shipley area on Monday.

At 9.55pm in Stanley Street, Idle, a 59-year-old man was attacked outside his home with an iron bar, officers said.

He suffered a broken hand and required treatment at hospital, according to police.

Flynn is due to appear at Bradford Magistrates' Court this morning.

Four other people who were arrested on suspicion of murder have all been released without charge.

Mrs Denby was described by distraught neighbours as a "lovely woman" and "everyone's grandmother".

David Cameron later spoke during Prime Minister's Questions in Parliament of his shock at the attack.

On Wednesday, police said the boy who had been stabbed was in a stable condition after he suffered chest and arm injuries and was airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary.

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Ex-Police Chief Bettison Faces Lawrence Probe

Former police chief Sir Norman Bettison has been referred to the police watchdog over claims officers tried to smear Stephen Lawrence's family.

West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson said he had "significant concerns" about Sir Norman's conduct when he was Assistant Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police in 1998.

He said documents had emerged relating to Sir Norman's involvement in the Macpherson inquiry - a probe of the Metropolitan Police's investigation into the teenager's murder.

The documents refer to Sir Norman "commissioning a report to be prepared in respect of a key witness" at the inquiry.

"This may suggest an attempt to intervene in the course of a public inquiry and influence the manner in which the testimony of a witness, who was due to present evidence before it, was received," Mr Burns-Williamson said.

Stephen Lawrence was murdered in 1993

He went on: "This is a matter which needs to be thoroughly investigated and, if wrongdoing is demonstrated, those responsible must face the consequences of their actions.

"Doreen Lawrence (Stephen's mother) and her family need their treatment by the police service reviewed independently and this must be done as a matter of urgency.

"I am sure the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) will do the same for these separate issues of concern indicating possible corrupt practices in the later period around the Macpherson Inquiry."

It comes days after Ms Lawrence met Britain's top policeman, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, over claims by a former undercover officer that the Lawrence family were subjected to a "smear" campaign shortly after the 18-year-old's killing in Eltham, southeast London, in a racist attack.

The officer, Peter Francis, said his superiors wanted him to find "dirt" that could be used against the Lawrences.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has also started a Lawrence investigation after claims the force's Special Branch sent a memo in August 1998 to all divisions seeking information on "groups or individuals" expected to attend the Manchester-based Macpherson inquiry.

GMP referred itself to the IPCC over the matter.

Home Secretary Theresa May, who has met with Ms Lawrence, said earlier this week that the claims could be examined by two existing inquiries - a police probe into the activities of undercover officers and another led by Mark Ellison QC into allegations of corruption in the original investigation into Mr Lawrence's murder.

But Ms Lawrence said she did not trust the existing police-led investigation into undercover officers and expressed shock that her family was targeted.

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Prisoners To Be Moved To Jails Near Home

A network of 70 resettlement jails that will prepare offenders to be released into the area in which they live has been unveiled by the Justice Secretary.

Existing prisons up and down the country will function as resettlement prisons with a trial starting in the north west of England in the autumn, as part of a prisons shake-up.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling hopes the move will cut the risk of reoffending.

Mr Grayling has also announced plans to build a £250m super-prison in North Wales, and a raft of prison closures covering some 2,600 inmate places in January.

Mr Grayling said: "Rehabilitation in the community must begin behind the prison walls and follow offenders out through the gates if we are to stand a chance of freeing them from a life of crime.

"Currently a local area could expect to receive offenders from dozens of prisons across the country - this is hopeless.

"It is little wonder we have such high reoffending rates when you have a prisoner leaving HMP Liverpool, given a travel permit to get them home to the south coast, and then expected to simply get on with it.

"This approach is a significant step forwards in our reforms to tackle reoffending and lays the groundwork for building a genuine nationwide network of 'through the gate' supervision and support for all offenders."

The Government wants every offender released from custody to receive statutory supervision and rehabilitation in the community.

Mr Grayling hopes the move will cut reoffending

The Offender Rehabilitation Bill currently before Parliament will extend statutory supervision to 50,000 short-sentenced offenders each year, who will serve their time in custody in a resettlement prison and come out to a tailored package of supervision and support.

The women's estate is subject to a separate review announced by the Justice Secretary in January, which will report later in the summer.

Paul McDowell, chief executive of crime reduction charity Nacro and a former Governor of Brixton Prison, welcomed the move and said: "We are still sending too many people to prison when they could be better dealt with in the community - especially many of those serving short prison sentences.

"But putting communities at the heart of the criminal justice system through the development of resettlement prisons is a step in the right direction."

Shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan MP said: "The idea of resettlement prisons is a good one - prisoners being integrated back into communities where they have family and friends could lead to reduced re-offending and fewer victims of crime.

"However, this is another example of reality being very different from rhetoric. These plans amount to a substantial reorganisation of our prisons system, and it's not clear how it will be funded. Nor is it clear what will happen in London where there is an estimated shortfall of 8,000 places."

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust said: "Resettlement and rehabilitation do matter but, until and unless you reserve prison for serious and violent offenders, you cannot hope to cut sky-high reoffending rates or maintain safe and decent regimes."

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Health Tourism: Foreigners Face £200 NHS Levy

Foreigners will be charged around £200-a-year towards the cost of healthcare in a bid to tackle so-called health tourism.

Ministers will outline plans to introduce the charge for foreign workers and students who come to the UK for more than half a year.

A Department of Health spokesman said the cost would "ensure that migrants contribute towards the cost of their healthcare while not increasing red tape and administration for NHS professionals".

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce a public consultation on the move as part of a raft of changes to immigration laws.

He will say:  "We need to ensure that those residing or visiting the UK are contributing to the system in the same way as British taxpayers, and ensure we do as much as possible to target illegal migration.

"We have been clear that we are a national health service not an international health service and I am determined to wipe out abuse in the system.

"The NHS is a national treasure and we need to work with the entire health system to develop plans and make sure it is sustainable for years to come."

He will also outline plans to end free access to GPs for short-term visitors and pledge to cut the bill for treating tourists which currently stands at £200m

The changes are part of a government-wide push to cut down on abuse of British services but doctors warned they feared being turned into a "form of immigration control".

Earlier this year Prime Minister David Cameron said that immigrants cannot expect "something for nothing" in the UK.

Labour's shadow health minister Liz Kendall MP said: "In its three years in power the Government has a poor record on announcing policies that sound good but prove to be completely unworkable. We will have many questions to ask about the details when they are published but the key tests for their proposals are: can they be properly enforced and will they save more money than they cost to put in place?

"The public and NHS staff must be confident that any new measures are about getting taxpayers a better deal and ensuring fairness, not playing politics with our NHS."

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Reserve White Paper: Hammond In TA Shake-Up

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

The Defence Secretary is due to announce that £1.8bn will be invested in a restructured Reservist Force over the next decade.

Philip Hammond will set out a new package for Reservist soldiers and their employers when he unveils the Reserve White Paper in the House of Commons.

It is also expected that news of which Territorial Army regiments are to disband will be revealed, although defence sources point out that new ones will also be created.

Although well known for some time, the White Paper will also confirm a change in name.

The TA, which senior military officers feel has a Dad's Army connotation, will become The Reservists.

Thirty-six TA centres will also be "vacated", although that is far less than the 88 predicted based on early calculations.

Philip Hammond says employers will benefit from the changes

They will not be sold off but instead used for other purposes. A total of £80m will be spent refurbishing the remaining centres, with 68 major units for the reserve force.

A financial package for small and medium-sized businesses will be announced, ensuring that companies do not find themselves out of pocket if a member of staff joins the Reservists.

Companies will also be given more notice of training and deployments so they can plan for the temporary loss of staff.

And Philip Hammond will promise to listen to the concerns and views of businesses to ensure their co-operation.

Speaking to Sky News, he defended the changes: "The White Paper allows us to set out our vision for the future of Reserves. We need the support of employers to make this work.

"But we also need to make sure that the benefits of Reservist training, the skills that Reservists learn, can be properly recognised and deployed in their civilian workplace to make them better employees.

"An additional financial incentive over and above the reimbursement of costs that we already provide is our way of recognising that pressure that it puts particularly on smaller employers."

But Neil Carberry, the Confederation of British Industry's director of employment and skills, said small businesses were willing to work with the MoD but fear being told what to do.

"What we want to see is not a 'thou shalt do this' when you employ a Reservist from the MoD, but rather a 'let us tell you how we can work together' to make employing a Reservist a really enjoyable experience," he said.

The Ministry of Defence needs to dramatically increase the size of the Reservists. The total reserve force, made up of all three services, currently stands at around 22,000, of which around 19,000 are in the Army.

"But the aim is to expand it to 35,000 members, 30,000 in the Army. A big marketing drive has been put in place including a recent series of adverts broadcast live from Camp Bastion in Afghanistan."

The Head of the Army, General Sir Peter Wall, admits that the key challenge will be recruiting the numbers needed, but is confident that will be achieved.

"There is a cultural shift required here, there is a sort of experimental nature here, but we need to remember that historically we had a big reserve and when I joined the Army a few decades ago it was over 100,000 in the Reserve," he told Sky News.

"We also need to remember that other nations make far more use of reserve manpower than we do, particularly the American army, which you wouldn't necessarily associate as being that situation and if we emulate what they've been doing then I think we'll be fine."

The Reservists will train alongside the regular counterparts. There will be more overseas exercises for them and both the reserve and regular force will train together ahead of deployments.

Sgt Gary Shepard is a lorry driver and a member of the Reservist. He foresees no problem with a closer working relationship.

"I'm actually an ex-regular soldier but when I joined 1 Para we integrated very easily and within a few weeks they actually forgot we were part-time," he told Sky News.

"What we do is 'beat-up' training prior to going and joining them (the regulars) so that we're on the same level as they are." 

However, the restructuring is not out of choice but financial pressures. The regular Army is being cut to 82,000 personnel, the lowest level for more than a century.

Although the MoD escaped the worst of the budget cuts in the recent Spending Review, the military is still undergoing a major restructuring following the Strategic Defence and Security Review a few years ago.

There will be a fourth and final round of redundancies early next year. That will largely affect the Army.

Dan Jarvis, a former soldier and now a Labour MP, has his doubts: "Let's be clear these decisions are being made not about capability but about saving money.

"The Government has considerable challenges ahead to recruit the number of reservists it needs.

"We accept and understand that changes do have to be made but it will be a difficult a process to make all those changes happen smoothly and effectively."

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Child Sex Abuse Live Streaming A Bigger Threat

Child sexual abuse streamed live online through services like Skype has been highlighted as an emerging threat by experts.

Figures show an increasing number of offenders have been targeting vulnerable families overseas to set up live access to children over webcams in exchange for payment.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre's (Ceop) annual report also warned that fears were growing of child sexual abuse in Brazil ahead of the country's influx of visitors for the World Cup and Olympic Games.

In 2012, Ceop received 8,000 reports of indecent images of children being shared - with a two-fold increase in the total number of images and videos on previous years to 70,000.

Ceop chief executive Peter Davies said: "Our assessment shows that, sadly, there are still too many children at risk and too many people who would cause them serious harm.

"We should all practice zero tolerance to child sexual exploitation and abuse."

The report said live streaming emerged as a key method of producing and distributing indecent images last year, a tactic that it said presents a particularly high risk in the developing world.

Sex offenders are targeting families and children in areas with extreme poverty, rising levels of access to the internet and poor child-protection policies, the centre said.

Concerns were also raised about the use of the so-called hidden internet - heavily encrypted forums and pages that allow abusers to cover their tracks when accessing indecent images online.

The number of UK users connecting to secret or encrypted networks each day increased by two thirds, one of the largest annual increases globally, the report said.

A total of  20,000 daily UK users of such networks are expected by the end of this year, although not all of these will use the hidden internet for criminal means.

Ceop found that there has been a 70% increase in the number of female victims under 10 years old.

The report comes shortly after after five members of a seven-man sadistic paedophile ring found guilty of grooming vulnerable underage girls were given life sentences at the Old Bailey. Two other defendants were both jailed for seven years.

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Wales Set To Approve Organ Opt-Out Scheme

By Rhiannon Mills, Sky News Reporter

Wales is expected to become the first place in the UK to bring in an opt-out scheme for organ donation.

The Welsh Assembly will hold the final vote on the Human Transplantation (Wales) Bill later, which if enacted would bring in a system of "presumed consent" for organ donation.

Under the proposals, people in Wales will have to clearly indicate that they do not wish to give their organs when they die in order to be excluded from the donor register.

Kidney Wales Foundation has campaigned for the proposed change in the law for the last five years and believes that donor organ availability could be boosted by up to 35% if it goes through and many more lives could be saved.

"The UK is one of the lowest donor rate countries in Europe," said Roy Thomas, KWF chief executive.

"The new Bill is new progressive law. We are proud to have led the debate in favour of this law.

"When introduced in Belgium only 2% opted out, currently only around a third of the Welsh population is on the organ donor register and this is around the same for the UK as a whole."

Those against the proposals claim it will cause extra distress for bereaved families and could put medical staff in a difficult position.

The UK currently has one of the lowest donor rates in Europe

Laura Raffour's four-year-old daughter Ava, was born with a life-threatening liver condition and underwent heart surgery and two liver transplants before her first birthday.

In total she has undergone over 60 operations. Mum Laura, who is now on the organ donor register said: "Ava has been given a second chance at life and I want other people, young and old, to also have a better quality of life.

"For us, organ donation comes down to the premise that if you're willing to take, you should be willing to give. Simple as."

In 2004, Gaynor Taylor from Barry, South Wales, lost her 23-year-old champion skater son Richard in a freak accident. They had never talked about being an organ donor but Gaynor eventually agree to donation.

She only later found out that Richard put his name on the NHS Organ Donor Register without telling anybody.

Gaynor said: "While we were in favour of organ donation, knowing his wishes made the whole process a lot easier to accept and meant we had done the right thing by him.

"Making a decision on whether to allow donation is a very difficult decision at the most traumatic time. Six people's lives were saved as a result of donating Richard's organs and the recipient of Richard's heart went on to win gold at the Transplant Games which is an incredible story and proves something positive can sometimes come from tragedy."

If the legislation is passed, a two year public information campaign will follow in Wales to ensure members of the public are fully informed on what the changes will mean and how to make their wishes known through a single organ and tissue donation register.

Yet a group of faith leaders and senior health professionals in Wales have issued a joint statement calling for a soft opt-out option, which would take into consideration the views of bereaved families.

The signatories, who include the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, and the Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff, George Stack have said: "The law must be amended in this way if it is not to be inhuman, unfeeling before the suffering of relatives, and a danger to the public trust and support which are necessary for the practice of organ donation to flourish.

"Without this there is a real danger that the law could backfire."

One person dies every week in Wales waiting for an organ transplant. The figure for the UK as a whole is three people a day.

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Police Pensions May Be Cut For Misconduct

Police officers should have their pensions docked for misconduct to clean up corruption in the service, a group of influential MPs has said.

In a report on policing standards, the Home Affairs Select Committee has recommended that a scale of fines should be established to tackle corruption.

The Committee has also called for a new code of ethics to be established and for all new officers to obtain a Certificate in Knowledge of Policing.

The report comes after fresh allegations were made against the Metropolitan Police that undercover officers spied on the family of murdered Stephen Lawrence.

Undercover officers allegedly 'spied' on the family of Stephen Lawrence

And there are currently at least eight investigations underway as a result of police failings, the MPs said, which have so far cost £23m.

Keith Vaz, Home Affairs Select Committee chair, said: "Broken systems of accountability and a patchwork of police standards and training, have allowed a minority of officers to get away with corruption and incompetence which is blighting an otherwise excellent service with dedicated officers."

He added: "The days of Dixon of Dock Green are over. The new landscape of policing requires a new type of police officer ready to meet the new challenges.

"Honesty, integrity and transparency are essential components of the policing DNA."

Police have been accused over the Plebgate affair involving Andrew Mitchell

Among the ongoing investigations is Operation Alice, into the so-called Plebgate affair, involving former chief whip Andrew Mitchell MP.

Others include Operation Elveden, into alleged corrupt payments between police officers and journalists.

One officer told the Committee that colleagues tempted with corruption often looked at what they could lose.

The pension was seen as a huge financial incentive to "keep your nose clean", the officer said .

But the group of MPs heard of numerous cases where police officers retire to avoid disciplinary proceedings, with no further repercussions.

Among them was Sir Norman Bettison, former chief constable of West Yorkshire, who stepped down while facing a disciplinary investigation over Hillsborough.

Simon Harwood, the officer dismissed for gross misconduct after the death of Ian Tomlinson at the G20 riots, had previously served with the Met.

But he retired on medical grounds in 2001 despite an unresolved disciplinary proceeding and was later re-employed.

The report said there is no way for chief officers or police and crime commissioners to stop officers from resigning to avoid disciplinary proceedings.

The Committee said the recently-formed professional standards body, the College of Policing, should "establish a scale of fines which should be docked from officers pensions in cases of the most grave misconduct".

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Smethwick Fire: Massive Blaze At Recycling Plant

More than 100 firefighters in 35 fire engines have been tackling a massive blaze at a plastic recycling factory in the West Midlands.

About 50,000 tonnes of recycling material and a factory unit are on fire in Smethwick on the outskirts of Birmingham.

West Midlands Fire Service said they had more than 35 fire engines at the scene just off Dartmouth Road.

Paramedic Huw Jones tweeted that he was at the scene of the "large industrial fire".

It is understood there are no plans to evacuate residents from nearby homes.

The fire service said its control centre had received more than 145 calls about the fire.

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Salford Body: Woman Found Murdered In Home

A murder investigation is under way after the body of a woman was found at her home in Salford.

Linzi Ashton, 25, was found dead after police were called to a home in Westbourne Road, in Winton, shortly before 6pm on Friday.

A post-mortem examination has yet to take place.

Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Shenton said: "A young woman has been murdered and our thoughts are with her family and friends at what is obviously a totally devastating time for them.

"While it would not be appropriate for us to comment on how she died at this time, a full and thorough post-mortem examination will be taking place in due course to establish exactly how and when she died and following that we will be in a better position to provide more information.

"I want to reassure her loved ones as well as those in the local community that we have a team of highly skilled detectives already working on this case but if anyone has any information they think can assist please call us.

"There will be extra officers in the area to offer reassurance so please talk to them if you have any concerns or want to provide us with any information."

:: Anyone with information should call police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Meat From Diseased Cattle Sold By Defra

Meat from diseased cattle, slaughtered after testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB), is being sold for human consumption by Defra, the food and farming ministry has said.

The raw meat, from around 28,000 diseased animals a year, is banned by most supermarkets and burger chains, The Sunday Times reported.

Tesco, for example, rejects it because of "public-health concerns surrounding the issue of bTB and its risk to consumers".

But it is being sold to some caterers and food processors, and finding its way into schools, hospitals and the military, or being processed into products such as pies and pasties, the newspaper said.

A Defra spokeswoman said: "All meat from cattle slaughtered due to bovine TB must undergo rigorous food safety checks before it can be passed fit for consumption.

"The Food Standards Agency has confirmed there are no known cases where TB has been transmitted through eating meat and the risk of infection from eating meat, even if raw or undercooked, remains extremely low."

The meat is sold with no warning to processors or consumers that it comes from bTB infected cattle.

Asked whether the public should know whether or not the meat they are buying originated from an infected cow, a spokeswoman for the Food Standards Agency said: "The public do not need to know anything more about that meat other than it is fit for human consumption."

If an inspection of a carcass reveals tuberculous lesions in more than one organ or region it is declared unfit for human consumption and destroyed, she explained.

But if only the lymph nodes in one organ or part of the carcass is infected, then that area is removed and the rest is considered safe to enter the food chain.

She added: "Cooking this meat would be an additional safety step, but we would emphasise the risk even before cooking is very low."

The Sunday Times reported that Defra's reassurances contrasted with experts' warnings who have said rising levels of bTB in cattle are becoming a serious threat to human health.

Such claims have been used to justify a cull of tens of thousands of badgers which, are said by some, to help spread the disease between cattle.

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