Coastal Town Battles Rising Erosion Threat

By Emma Birchley, East of England Correspondent

The coastal town of Hemsby is desperately seeking to shore up its erosion defences, three months after a tidal surge washed a number of houses into the sea.

Five patches of golden sand now break up the marram grass on the sand dunes in Hemsby where the houses once stood.

Angela and Tony Lewis's house, once set far back from the beach, now has a clear view of the horizon.

"You look at the sea view we never had and you think that view, lovely as it is, that is the view that is going to take our house away," said Mrs Lewis.

"We go to bed at night dreading there might be another storm and we dread what this winter is going to bring ... After this winter we don't know if we are going to have any houses left."

Even before the tidal surge of December 5, 2013, the quiet Norfolk resort had been fundraising for defences.

Some are questioning whether residents are fighting a losing battle

They had already put in place gabions - metal cages full of rocks - and vast bags of concrete at the base of the dunes. They think they helped, even though it is thought the dunes retreated 30 metres in places that night.

Many more defences have been added since, after fundraising reached £35,000.

But now the campaign group Save Hemsby Coastline is applying for much bigger sums of money from various grants, including lottery cash from the Coastal Communities Fund, in the hope of being able to afford a more sturdy and permanent solution.

Lorna Bevan-Thompson, landlady of the local pub and founder of the campaign, said: "We are trying to raise a good few million pounds to put in a preservation and protection scheme here.

"We want to make sure we can protect the remaining sand dunes we've got. This is our only barrier to the seas. If we don't protect them now, homes will be lost, businesses will be lost and we desperately need to protect what we have got left."

It is estimated that defences can cost as much as £10,000 per metre.

A notice erected by the people of Hemsby

Dr Alastair Grant, professor of ecology at the University of East Anglia, says the costs have to be weighed up.

"The sea is incredibly powerful. If you have enough resources you can build sea defences that will stay where they are but that is incredibly expensive and the decision needs to be made about the relative costs and benefits of defending a piece of coastline."

Tourism in the village, just north of Great Yarmouth, is said to make £80m a year.

But there is more than just business at stake and for the people whose lives revolve around Hemsby, giving into the sea is not an option.

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Migrants 'Buying Language Test Passes For £500'

The Home Office has launched an investigation into claims that migrants who speak no English are able to buy certificates showing they have passed a supposedly "secure" language test.

Secret filming at an exam centre showed the certificates - which are required by anyone wanting to remain in the UK permanently or to apply for British citizenship - were being sold for £500.

Immigration and Security Minister James Brokenshire said in a statement: "The Home Office takes any allegation of fraud extremely seriously and we have already begun a full investigation.

"We will take the strongest possible action against anyone who is found to have abused the rules - including the possibility of criminal prosecutions for fraud.

"This ESOL certificate is just one element of a wide range of evidence required by individuals applying for settlement and citizenship.

"Nobody can gain a UK visa on the strength of this qualification alone."

Ofqual, the examinations watchdog, was also said to be aware of the allegations and was seeking further information "as a matter of urgency".

Following information from a whistleblower, the Daily Mail carried out the undercover investigation into the exam centre at Upton Park, east London, which is run by Learn Pass Succeed (LPS).

Uzwan Ghani, one of the directors of LPS, which has four branches in London, told the paper the problem was confined to the Upton Park branch and that it had suspended tests taken at the centre.

"I'm shocked that this has happened and am very concerned as to how it could have happened," he was quoted as saying.

"We are very thorough when it comes to checking IDs of candidates before they take the test, so I will have to investigate which of the centres the test was taken in and who the assessor was.

"I've been in the business for five years and I've never come across something like this and I would not allow it. It is wrong and ridiculous."

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Ann Maguire Funeral: Teacher Laid To Rest

Mourners will gather in Leeds today to say farewell to Ann Maguire, the popular school teacher who died last month after she was attacked in her classroom.

The funeral will take place at the Catholic Church of The Immaculate Heart of Mary, in the north of the city.

The mourners are expected to be led by Mrs Maguire's husband Don, her daughters Emma and Kerry, and her nephews Daniel and Andrew.

The mass will be followed by a private burial.

The 61-year-old teacher died on April 28 after she was attacked in her classroom at Corpus Christi Catholic College.

Hundreds of tributes were placed outside the school in Leeds

Mrs Maguire had taught at the school for more than 40 years. She was due to retire in September.

Following her death, many current and former pupils placed thousands of tributes outside the school.

Many people who did not know Mrs Maguire were also moved to pay tribute to the teacher.

Flowers, cards and messages stretched for at least 100 metres outside the school gate.

Tributes were also pinned to hundreds of bunches of flowers and other mementos including football shirts, school ties and guitars.

A 15-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with Mrs Maguire's murder.

He has been remanded in custody and will go on trial later this year.

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Binge-Drinking Parents: Calls To Helpline Rise

The number of children calling ChildLine with concerns about their parents' drinking and drug abuse has doubled in the past year, the charity has said.

The NSPCC's 24-hour helpline received 5,323 calls - more than 100 a week - from children worried about by their parents' behaviour, up from 2,509 the previous year.

Many of the children who contacted the service were between the ages of 12 and 15, but a substantial minority - one in 10 - were aged 11 or under and still at primary school.

The charity said thousands of children live in fear of being on the receiving end of their parents' anger, with one in six saying they had fallen victim to physical violence by their mum or dad when they were under the influence.

Many children are being forced to live in dirty and even dangerous surroundings because the household money is frittered away on alcohol, the charity added.

The emotional trauma of their parents' substance abuse combined with their chaotic home lives is driving many children to depression, self harm and even suicidal thoughts, the NSPCC claimed.

Children are being driven to depression and self harm, the charity says

One child told ChildLine: "My dad has been drinking and taking drugs a lot recently - it's ruining our family.

"He gets angry when he has been drinking so he says nasty things to us like we are stupid and worthless. I'm finding it difficult to deal with because underneath it all I know he's a really good dad."

Tom Rahilly, head of services for families affected by alcohol and drugs at the NSPCC, said: "What we hear from children is that they are concerned that their parents are using drugs or alcohol to blot out worries in their lives around jobs, money and housing issues.

"The recent benefit cuts are hitting families in particular households. But the higher counselling rates could also be that more children are aware of ChildLine and that they have someone to turn to."

However, he warned against stereotyping and said that children from all walks of life, including middle class families, were affected by the problem.

He said that many children were faced with a "feeling of helplessness", while others were faced with the traumatic role reversal of playing parent to their own mother and father.

The charity warned the figures were just the tip of the iceberg, and estimates that some 250,000 children in the UK have parents with drug problems, and three in 10 children live with at least binge-drinking parent.

:: Children can seek help by contacting ChildLine on 0800 1111 or at childline.org.uk. Adults with concerns about a child should call the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000.

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'Too Many Hospital Patients Are Dying In Pain'

By Afua Hirsch, Social Affairs and Education Editor

Too many patients in English hospitals are dying in pain and not being consulted about the end of their lives, says a new report.

The Royal College of Physicians found fewer than half of all patients received pain relief in the last 24 hours of their life, despite the view of some medical professionals that around 80% of patients are likely to need painkillers.

In the vast majority of cases doctors and nurses knew when a patient was in the last days of their life but did not discuss this with the patient themselves.

"50% of people who die in England do so in hospitals, but we found that this is still not core business for hospitals," said Dr Kevin Stewart, clinical director at the Royal College of Physicians.

"Many patients have a satisfactory experience, but there are still far too many for whom this is a very negative experience, and we don't want that to happen."

One hospice director said consulting patients about the end of their life was a key part of their care.

"We consult very closely with patients and families trying to anticipate with them what's going to happen," said Dr Ros Taylor, director at the Hospice of St Francis.

"Most people want to know where they're going to die. They really want to know what support is available.

"Most people cope very well with that conversation if it's held at that time with the right people.

"I think it's a really serious issue in hospitals because about a quarter of a million people die in hospitals at the moment.

"We hope that those numbers will decrease so that more people can die at home, but at the moment those numbers are enormous, so the quality of care has to improve."

The report surveyed 6,580 people who died in 149 hospitals in England in May 2013, and 858 bereaved relatives.

The NHS said it was considering the findings.

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Cameron Flies To Scotland To Fight For Union

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

David Cameron is flying to Scotland amid reports he and his close colleagues are unhappy with the anti-independence campaign.

The Prime Minister will spend two days campaigning for a "No" vote in September's referendum, when Scots will be asked whether they to remain in the UK. 

The "Better Together" campaign is being led by Labour MP Alistair Darling, the former Chancellor.

But the Prime Minister is said to be unhappy with his performance amid polls which have shown a steady rise in numbers supporting Scottish independence, although they remain in the minority.

Mr Darling has strenuously denied suggestions he is being side-lined.

Mr Cameron kicked off his Scottish trip by invoking the memory of the late Labour leader John Smith. 

Speaking ahead of his arrival in Glasgow, he said: "I have been heartened to see so many people finding their voice.

Alistair Darling rejects accusations he is being side-lined

"People from all walks of life and all parts of the UK know, as I know, that we are all better together.

"Twenty years ago this week, the Labour leader John Smith died. Whatever people thought of his policies, nobody could argue that he was a proud Scot who wanted the best for his country.

"And why not? Like millions of other people, he knew that loving your country and at the same time wanting to be part of something bigger does not make you any less Scottish.

"That truth is shared by millions of others. So my message is simple. We want Scotland to stay.

"We are all enriched by being together. Scotland puts the great into Great Britain. Together we are a United Kingdom with a united future."

Former Labour leader John Smith

A Conservative Prime Minister aligning himself with a key architect of devolution will surprise some who recall determined Tory opposition to a Scottish Parliament. 

There is campaigning sense, however, for a Prime Minister with a low popularity rating north of the border to reach for an association with a Scottish political icon - to seek approval by proxy.

The delivery of devolution and its benefits has become a more prominent theme in the "No" campaign in recent weeks as it endeavours to present a more positive message. 

It has been criticised for conducting a negative campaign based on dark warnings about the dangers of independence, although "Better Together" insists it is merely asking pertinent, important questions. 

Mr Darling said: "Any political party in government should not be afraid of the fact that, from time to time, there will be criticism and legitimate questions.

"Whether it's me, whether it's Standard Life, whether it's the banks, whether it's Barrhead Travel - anyone who says: 'Excuse me, I don't believe you, I've got a question', gets shouted down and subject to unacceptable abuse."

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Claudia Lawrence: Man Held Over Missing Chef

Missing Claudia: Timeline Of Events

Updated: 4:58pm UK, Tuesday 13 May 2014

Here is Claudia Lawrence's last known movements and the investigation since her disappearance:

2009

March 18

:: 5.57am - Miss Lawrence is seen on CCTV arriving for work at the University of York's Goodricke College.

:: 2.31pm - The chef leaves work to walk the three miles to her home on Heworth Road.

A female colleague sees her as she drives past in her car and gives her a lift, dropping her off outside her house.

A short time later, Miss Lawrence leaves her house and walks past the Nags Head pub. She has a brief conversation with a woman with a pram.

:: 3.05pm - The last sighting of Miss Lawrence as she walks back to her house.

:: 8.10pm - Miss Lawrence has a telephone conversation with her father, Peter, and then another with her mother, Joan.

:: 8.23pm - She sends a text message to a friend.

:: 9.12pm - Miss Lawrence receives a text on her mobile phone but it is not known if she read the message.

March 19

:: 6am - Miss Lawrence fails to arrive for her shift at work.

:: Later in the evening, Miss Lawrence fails to keep an arrangement to meet her friend, Suzy Cooper, at the Nags Head pub.

Ms Cooper discovers her friend did not attend work and rings Mr Lawrence, who contacts North Yorkshire Police.

March 23

:: Mr Lawrence, a solicitor from Slingsby, North Yorkshire, makes an emotional appeal for information about his daughter at a news conference in York. He describes Miss Lawrence's disappearance as a "living nightmare".

:: Police say they cannot rule out the possibility that the chef has been abducted.

March 25

:: Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway, leading the investigation, says he believes Miss Lawrence may have come to harm after meeting someone she knew.

He confirms around 100 police officers are involved in the search and says North Yorks Police are bringing in officers from other forces to help.

CCTV footage of the chef's last known movements is released.

March 30

:: Detective Superintendent Galloway makes an appeal for information on BBC1's Crimewatch programme.

April 7

:: Mr Lawrence holds his first weekly press conference at his home and appeals for anyone protecting his daughter's possible abductor to come forward.

April 16

:: Police say they are investigating "significant" new lines of inquiry, including a couple seen arguing near a car on Miss Lawrence's route to work the day after she was last seen and two men apparently trying the front door to her house in the week before she disappeared.

April 24

:: Detectives say they are treating Miss Lawrence's disappearance as a suspected murder investigation and Crimestoppers offers a £10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible.

Detective Superintendent Galloway also reveals new information received from members of the public. He says one witness reported seeing a man and a woman walking near the University of York between 6am and 6.30am on March 17 and March 19.

Another witness saw a man and a woman, possibly matching Miss Lawrence's description, at 5.35am on March 19 on Melrosegate on the chef's route to work.

April 29

:: Mrs Lawrence releases her first statement through police describing her daughter's disappearance as "every parent's worst nightmare"

May 6

:: Police reveal they have received more than 1,000 calls about Miss Lawrence's disappearance since March 22 and have taken 1,096 statements and reports.

Officers involved in the investigation have visually searched around 1,270 properties, including gardens and outbuildings and student halls of residence at the University of York.

May 15

:: Police release CCTV footage of a man seen near Miss Lawrence's home in the early hours of March 19.

Detective Superintendent Galloway says the number of searching officers has been scaled-down and police are now only carrying out intelligence-led searches.

June 2

:: A reconstruction of Miss Lawrence's last known movements and possible witness sightings is screened on BBC1's Crimewatch programme.

Detective Superintendent Galloway tells the show that Miss Lawrence was involved in relationships of "complexity and mystery" and appeals to anyone who had ever been in a relationship with the chef to come forward.

August 19

:: Police say an external review of the investigation by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) is "extremely positive" and the force are acting upon a list recommendations.

September 18

:: Detectives reveal they have extended their investigation to Cyprus.

2010

March 18

:: Police reveal Ms Lawrence spent the night with a mystery boyfriend just two days before she went missing. It was "critical" they spoke to the man, a detective adds.

March 24

:: Detectives search an area near York University following new information.

May 25

:: Police confirm they have spent two days searching a house about 10 miles from Claudia's home as a result of a "recent development".

July 29

:: Police confirm they are scaling back the number of officers dedicated to the inquiry.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Madgwick says 100 officers were dedicated to the investigation at its height.

A year after Miss Lawrence disappeared, this figure had dropped to about 20 to 30 and there were now 16 detectives involved. Mr Madgwick says they will be cut cut to seven officers the following month.

August 8

:: A man arrested on suspicion of burglary has been spoken to about the case, North Yorks police say.

But he is described as  "one of many people spoken to during the course of the investigation" and there still have been no formal suspects identified by the inquiry team.

September 20

:: Mr Lawrence speaks of his "devastation" after it is revealed that a cash reward for information was being dropped.

The decision means the North Yorks Police will remove their appeal posters from fleet vehicles because they refer to the reward.

2011

March 18

:: On the second anniversary of Miss Lawrence's disappearance, Detective Superintendent Galloway reveals that he could have "potentially" spoken to her killer.

December 13

:: Detectives say they are pursuing a new lead which could be "significant".

2012

March 16

:: Peter Lawrence speaks of his daily pain over his daughter's disappearance and makes a plea for anyone who may still harbour a sense of "misguided loyalty" to come forward and help with the police investigation.

July 10

:: Martin Dales, spokesman for Mr Lawrence, says a former private detective has contacted him to say he spotted someone with a striking resemblance to Claudia a week earlier in Amsterdam.

2013

February 27

:: Family and friends of Miss Lawrence make an emotional appeal for help to find her on what would have been her 39th birthday.

October 29

:: Police announce a new forensic search of Miss Lawrence's home is to begin as they launch a fresh review of the case.

2014

March 17

:: Mr Lawrence, speaking ahead of the fifth anniversary of his daughter's disappearance, says not knowing what happened to his daughter five years after she disappeared is like a "cancer" eating away at him.

March 19

:: Police say a new forensic examination of Claudia's house has uncovered the fingerprints of people who still have not come forward five years after she disappeared. They say they are seeking to trace two men and two vehicles seen near her home.

April 17

:: North Yorks Police say 121 people have come forward to help their inquiry since a national appeal was made to coincide with the fifth anniversary of her disappearance. They say taxi drivers may have important information about the case.

May 13

:: A 59-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of murder by detectives investigating the disappearance.

:: A police spokeswoman says Miss Lawrence has not been found and they cannot rule out the possibility of further arrests in the future.

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Property Boom Leaves Many Unable To Buy

By Ed Conway, Economics Editor

The proportion of English and Welsh homes selling for over £1m has more than doubled during the Great Recession, in the latest evidence of the property market boom.

In London a record 7% of all home sales listed by the Land Registry in the year to March were for £1m or more - a sharp increase from the 3% level when Britain slid into recession in 2008.

Overall, the number of homes sold for £1m or more over the past year has surpassed 10,000 for the first time - with just over 11,000 £1m sales in the year to March.

This compares to around 9,000 at the peak of the pre-crisis boom.

Sky News analysis has also uncovered the affordability gap between different local authorities has reached unprecedented levels, driven up by a combination of high house prices and falling real wages.

Darker areas show the higher house price to earnings ratios in England

The numbers come as the Bank of England prepares to deliver its quarterly Inflation Report, at which it is expected to signal growing consternation about the property boom.

With the economy recovering faster than many had expected and house prices pushing ever higher, the Bank is widely expected to lift interest rates within a year - and may add further checks on housing market lending as early as next month.

Across the country as a whole, some 1.4% of homes sold in the past year went for £1m or over, another record, and more than double the 0.7% at the beginning of 2008.

Analysts said even these Land Registry figures may understate the extent of the £1m-plus property market, since they exclude many properties bought through corporate vehicles.

The vast majority of these sales - 7,692 of the 11,341 properties sold for £1m or over in England and Wales over the past year - were in London.

However, because wages have not kept pace with rising house prices, the capacity of families to afford bricks and mortar has diminished.

Although one closely-watched measure of housing affordability - house prices vs earnings - remains below its pre-crisis peak, it has risen to unprecedented levels in London.

In Kensington & Chelsea, average property prices hit 22 times the average earnings of local residents last year - a doubling in the past decade.

They are also at 20 times earnings in Westminster, and 12 times earnings in inner London as a whole.

By contrast, prices in Burnley remain 2.9 times the average earnings in the local area, down sharply from the 4 times earnings peak reached in 2007.

The statistics, which are derived from Land Registry and Office for National Statistics data, illustrate the scale of differences in house price performance throughout the country.

Although London boroughs dominate the top of the unaffordability rankings, there are exceptions.

For some tenants, the prospect of buying a property is ever less likely

Elmbridge in Surrey is Britain's sixth most unaffordable district, with prices 12.3 times local earnings.

Sitting at ninth and tenth in the rankings are Hackney and Brent, where although absolute prices are lower than many other parts of the capital, local earnings are also comparatively lower.

The upshot is that for many of those renting in such areas, the prospect of buying a property is becoming ever less likely.

The most affordable homes are primarily in Wales and in northern parts of England.

The figures underline the suspicion among economists that although ever less affordable house prices pose a serious social threat, they are not yet widespread enough to prompt a broad-based economic crisis in the UK.

The Bank has warned that, left unchecked, this could yet be a risk.

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Peaches Geldof's House Raided Twice By Burglars

Peaches Geldof's house has been raided twice by burglars since her death last month.

Police investigating the break-ins at her family home in Wrotham, Kent, said a lawnmower was taken in the first raid in mid-April.

Thieves broke into the house during a second raid on Friday.

Police at the scene of Peaches Geldof's home after her body was found

Officers arrived at the address within five minutes and said no personal items are believed to have been stolen.

The 25-year-old mother-of-two was found slumped across a bed in a spare bedroom in the house by her husband Tom Cohen on April 7.

Heroin is likely to have contributed to her death, an inquest heard.

The raids come after singer Amy Winehouse's home was also targeted shortly after her death in July 2011.

Thieves took her wedding dress, which was due to be sold at auction for charity.

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Pfizer Chief Questioned Over AstraZeneca Jobs

Pfizer's chief executive is to be questioned by MPs later about the US drugs company's commitments to UK jobs as part of its £63bn takeover plan for AstraZeneca.

Ian Read has questioned the British drugmaker's ability to stand alone for much longer and said the planned merger would create a "UK-based scientific powerhouse".

He said Pfizer's agreement to complete AstraZeneca's new research centre in Cambridge and put a fifth of its research staff in Britain if the deal goes ahead were legally binding.

In a written statement ahead of his appearance before the Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, Pfizer took a swipe at AstraZeneca's go-it-alone strategy by arguing it lacked the financial muscle to make the most of its experimental medicines.

"Looming patent expiries and near-term revenue losses jeopardise its ability to deliver on its very promising pipeline," it said.

If the deal goes ahead, it would be the largest foreign takeover of a British firm.

Critics claim the Viagra maker's pledges are worthless, and are calling on the Government to stop any deal.

AstraZeneca has rejected the offer as "inadequate".

The offer is reviving bitter memories of when American food giant Kraft abandoned jobs pledges after buying Cadbury in 2010.

The GMB and Unite unions are calling on Business Secretary Vince Cable to block the proposed takeover.

"Assurances given by Pfizer ... are worthless. If this takeover is allowed it will be a serious blow to the UK's science economy," said GMB national officer Allan Black.

MPs will also question Mr Cable and AstraZeneca's CEO Pascal Soriot.

A second parliamentary committee on Wednesday will question both CEOs again, along with Science Minister David Willetts.

Meanwhile, Sky's City Editor Mark Kleinman has learnt Neil Woodford, the City's most prominent fund manager, will meet Mr Read this week for talks about the proposed takeover.

Mr Woodford may prove to be a key figure in Pfizer's battle to win control of AstraZeneca despite managing only a small stake in the British-based drug-maker.

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Stephen Sutton Goes Back Into Hospital

Cancer sufferer Stephen Sutton, who has raised over £3m for a cancer charity, has been readmitted to hospital.

The terminally ill 19-year-old was discharged from Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital on May 2 after he made what he described as "a miraculous recovery", coughing up a tumour.

But commenting on his Facebook page on Sunday, he told supporters he was again posting from his hospital bed after developing breathing difficulties.

He wrote: "Unfortunately today I've ended up back in hospital. I had some breathing difficulties starting last night and after going to A&E have been admitted back to a ward for monitoring.

"I've still got the cough, then quite quickly developed a wheeze in my breathing and breathlessness upon any physical exertion.

"There's no immediate panic and I'm currently quite stable - I have been put on nebulisers and other meds which are currently helping my symptoms hugely."

Mr Sutton recently met Prime Minister David Cameron

He added: "The doctors think there may be something restricting my airway again, they're not sure exactly what yet though (tumour regrowth, infection, inflammation, are all potential reasons mentioned), but are currently discussing the possibilities and my scan results to decide what to do next.

"Fingers crossed the issue will be resolved and that I'll be out of hospital soon - I'll keep you all updated with how I'm getting on."

Mr Sutton, from Burntwood in Staffordshire, was diagnosed with bowel cancer when he was 15.

Despite treatment the tumours spread, with doctors telling him the disease was terminal in 2012.

His fundraising efforts for the Teenage Cancer Trust since posting a picture of himself in hospital in April with a goodbye message when he thought he was nearing death total £3.22m to date.

Over the weekend, a petition at change.org calling for Mr Sutton to be knighted both for his charity work and efforts to raise awareness about cancer had attracted 31,300 signatures.

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'Horrors Of War Take Toll On UK Troops'

The number of Afghanistan veterans seeking mental health support has risen significantly, according to new figures.

Charity Combat Stress said 358 ex-military personnel sought help for mental illness last year, compared with 228 in 2012.

The majority of those veterans were treated for post traumatic stress disorder, depression or anxiety.

The charity's chief executive, Commodore Andrew Cameron, warned that the numbers are likely to increase over the coming years.

"With demand for our services already surging, Combat Stress faces a real challenge in continuing to provide our unique life changing clinical treatment and support services to those who need it," he said.

"We are planning for services at or above the current level for at least the next five years, and we do not expect to see demand for support tail-off in the near future."

Commodore Cameron said one fifth of all veterans are likely to suffer from mental illness.

"A small yet significant number of veterans who serve in the armed forces each year continue to relive the horrors they experienced on the front line. Day in, day out, they battle these hidden psychological wounds, often tearing families apart in the process," he said.

"They have faced unique challenges and require, and deserve, specialist support to help them overcome these challenges."

Combat Stress has supported more than 100,000 veterans since 1919 and is currently helping more than 5,400, which is more than at any time in its history.

Commodore Cameron added: "We cannot allow the ex-service men and women who suffer from the invisible injuries of war to go unnoticed and untreated. This is an unnecessary drain on society and our veterans and families deserve better."

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Stretched Nurses 'Struggling To Give Safe Care'

Patients in some NHS hospitals are receiving "unsafe and unsatisfactory" care because of staff shortages, a nursing chief has told Sky News.

Elderly patients are particularly at risk of being left in discomfort and distress, according to Dr Peter Carter, the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing.

His warning comes as the National Institute For Health and Care Excellence (NICE) prepares to issue draft guidelines to hospitals, stating nurses should ideally be responsible for no more than eight patients at once.

Failing to meet this ratio puts patients at "increased risk of harm", it said.

One estimate is that 20,000 additional nurses could be needed to meet NICE's recommendations.

"There is a lot of very good care, but there are undoubtedly many clinical situations each day where nurses are really struggling to provide the level of safe and satisfactory care they would wish to do," Dr Carter told Sky News.

Dr Peter Carter says nurses are struggling to provide "safe" care

"Nurses tell us they often come off shifts knowing they've not provided the level of care they'd wish to.

"Patients are left in discomfort - sometimes they're incontinent and nurses are unable to change them for considerable periods of time, which adds to distress.

"That's the reality. It's not that the nurses don't care - just that there are insufficient numbers of them.

"We have copious examples, particularly on wards for older people, where you have one nurse for 12, 14 and sometimes 15 people."

Dr Carter welcomed NICE's guidelines but said sometimes even "one to eight" was not nearly enough.

"Research demonstrates that once you go over the one to eight (ratio), serious problems begin," he said.

"There are plenty of settings, (such as in) neo-natal and intensive care, where you need one to one."

NHS staffing levels have been criticised following the Mid Staffordshire scandal, which uncovered evidence of increased mortality rates and serious neglect.

NICE will issue final guidelines for adult inpatient wards in acute hospitals in England in July following a consultation.

Its deputy chief executive, Professor Gillian Leng, said: "We'll be issuing draft guidelines on Monday, providing advice on how hospitals should ensure nurse numbers on wards are appropriately tailored to the needs of patients.

"The advice is for hospital managers, the board, and nurses working on wards.

"We want to make sure patients receive effective, safe care.

"We've also set out some information about what needs to be monitored in terms of outcomes for patients who have falls or pressure ulcers, and what nurses need to keep track of on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour basis to make sure patients are being cared for effectively."

The Department of Health said administrative staff and managers had been cut since 2010 but there were 5,100 more nurses working on wards.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt added: "NICE's work on staffing is a major step forward.

"For the first time in its history, the NHS will have the evidence it needs to make sure that nurses are able to spend enough time with their patients."

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Gove Accused Of 'Lunacy' In Free Schools Row

Michael Gove has been accused of stripping £400m from a fund for extra school places in order to plug a financial "black hole" in his free schools programme in a move described as "nothing short of lunacy".

A senior Government source also accused the Education Secretary of being willing to see children struggle for a classroom place so the department can "lavish" money on the free school "experiment".

The attack is the latest coalition spat with the Department for Education at the heart of it.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was earlier this week accused of "lying" over how plans to provide free school meals for infant school pupils would be funded.

The senior Government source said: "Michael Gove is so ideologically obsessed with his free school experiment, he's willing to see children struggle to get suitable school places.

"Everybody knows there's real pressure on school places at the moment and the Secretary of State for Education knows better than most. It is nothing short of lunacy to slash the amount of money available for new school places to lavish on free schools.

"Michael Gove was warned by the schools minister David Laws that this was a bad idea but the zealot pressed on anyway.

"The Conservatives are putting the needs of a handful of their pet-projects ahead of the requirements of the other 24,000 schools in the country."

The source claims Mr Gove reduced the basic need allocation by £400m  - enough to provide around 30,000 new school places - to £2.35bn between 2015 and 2017 to help fund an overspend in the free schools budget of around £800m between 2013 and 2016, the source said.

A spokesman for Mr Gove said: "The suggestion we are cutting money for new places in areas of need to pay for free schools where they are not needed is totally wrong.

"These claims pretend that money spent in free schools is not creating new places in areas of need. That is simply not true.

"From 2015, funding to councils for new school places will rise by more than £200m a year. On top of this, investment in free schools will provide tens of thousands of new places in areas of need.

"Indeed the vast majority of free schools - more than seven in 10 - are in areas with a shortage of places. This investment in free schools is entirely in addition to the rising basic need funding for councils which we announced in December.

"Free schools are hugely popular with parents and are more likely to receive top ratings from Ofsted than council-run schools. So it is absolutely right that, where they are needed, new places are created in free schools."

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