Mel Smith: Comedian Dies From Heart Attack

Griff Rhys Jones has led the tributes to his longtime comedy partner Mel Smith who has died from a heart attack at the age of 60.

The pair were most famous for their TV shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones.

Jones, who had been friends with Smith for 35 years, said the comedian was "a force for life" to everybody who met him, adding he was "a gentleman and a scholar, a gambler and a wit".

He also said: "I still can't believe this has happened. We are all in a state of shock. We have lost a very, very dear friend.

"He inspired love and utter loyalty and he gave it in return. I will look back on the days working with him as some of the funniest times that I have ever spent."

Smith began his career as a theatre-director at some of the country's most established venues, but it was his partnership with fellow comedian Jones that made him a household name.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mel and Griff, as they became known, produced and starred in four series of the hit comedy, Not The Nine O'Clock News.

Their success continued with Alas Smith and Jones which was one of the most popular sketch shows in the 1980s.

Mel with Griff Rhys Jones and Elton John in 1987 at the London Palladium

It won an Emmy Award and The British Comedy Award for Top Entertainment Series where Mel and Griff were named Top Entertainment Performer.

The pair founded Talkback, which grew to be one of the UK's largest producers of TV comedy and light entertainment programming.

Smith, who died at his home in north west London, also directed the film The Tall Guy in 1989 and Bean in 1997 and starred in movies including Wilt alongside Jones in 1989. 

Other friends and colleagues have also been paying their respects.

Not the Nine O'Clock News producer John Lloyd said Smith was an "amazingly talented guy" but added that he had not been in good health.

He said: "We did know he was ill. He's been ill for some time.

"So although it is the most awful news - I mean, it's a tragedy, it's a great loss not just as an amazingly talented guy in all sorts of areas but also as a friend.

"I think he was not in good shape, so in some ways we try and put a good spin on it by saying it's a relief for him."

Smith directed the film Bean starring Rowan Atkinson

Actor and fellow funny man Rowan Atkinson, who worked with Smith on both Not the Nine O'Clock News and Bean, the first Mr Bean film, said he was "truly sad" to hear about his death.

Atkinson said: "He had a wonderfully generous and sympathetic presence both on and off screen."

Comedian and author Stephen Fry tweeted: "Terrible news about my old friend Mel Smith, dead today from a heart attack. Mel lived a full life, but was kind, funny & wonderful to know."

Smith was described as having "extraordinary natural talent" by Peter Fincham, director of television at ITV.

Mr Fincham, who was the business partner of Smith and Jones at Talkback Productions as well as their agent, said: "Life was always exciting around Mel.

"He was my friend and business partner for many years and had extraordinary natural talent with the rare gift of wearing it lightly.

"Being funny came naturally to him, so much so that he never seemed to give it a second thought. Mel and Griff were one of the great comedy acts and it's hard to imagine that one of them is no longer with us."

Father Ted writer Graham Linehan said he and writing partner Arthur Mathews had been helped in their career by Smith, with their first sketches being broadcast on Alas Smith and Jones.

He said on Twitter: "Very sad to hear news of Mel Smith's death has been confirmed. He and Griff gave Arthur and I our break. Was always so kind & generous to us."

Actor and comic Peter Serafinowicz also paid tribute on Twitter. He wrote: "Very sad to hear about Mel Smith. He did something very kind for me early in my career even though he hardly knew me. Such a funny man."

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Beijing Airport Blast 'Caused By Wheelchair User'

A man has been hurt after apparently detonating a homemade bomb in an arrivals hall at Beijing International Airport.

Pictures posted on the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, Weibo, showed smoke in Terminal 3 after the blast at around 6.30pm local time.

Witnesses have claimed that a man was sitting in a wheelchair in the arrivals hall, shouting and waving a small bag in the air before the explosion took place.

The Weibo microblog of state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) said a man detonated a package of black gunpowder used to make firecrackers just outside the international arrivals exit.

Photos taken in the minutes after the explosion showed a wheelchair lying on its side, medical workers attending to someone and people running through the terminal.

Police appear to tend to a casualty. Pic: @mild_luna

A man, who local media named as Ji Zhongxing, who was born in 1979 and in Shandong Province, was injured in the blast and has been taken to hospital.

No one else was hurt in the incident and airport operations are now back to normal.

"The explosion sound was loud," said a witness who gave only his family name, Chen. He said he was only 25m away from the explosion when it occurred.

Chen said there was only one explosion, and that the terminal was crowded with people.

"Since there was no second explosion, many people took out their phones and gathered near the explosion spot to take photos," he said.

He said police responded to the explosion immediately.

Only the wheelchair user was injured in the blast

Sky's China Correspondent Mark Stone, at the airport, said the man may have travelled to the capital to petition for a particular social cause.

"This is looking like a tragic story really. There are a lot of people in China who call themselves 'petitioners'.

"Every now and again they go a little bit further and it's a very much more extreme form of petitioning and that I think, is what this appears to be."

Stone said most petitioners complain of local corruption, land grabs and beatings.

He added that a blog purporting to have been written by the man contains claims he was beaten and paralysed by Chinese police in 2005. This has not been verified.

Terminal 3, which opened in 2008 just ahead of the Beijing Olympics, is the airport's hub for international flights. United Airlines and American Airlines operate out of the terminal.

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Dubai Pardons Brits Jailed Over Drug Offences

Three Britons who claimed they were tortured after they were arrested over drug offences in Dubai have returned home after being pardoned, according to Sky sources.

Grant Cameron, 25, Suneet Jeerh, 25, and Karl Williams, 26, all from London, were each jailed for four years for possessing synthetic cannabis after being arrested in Dubai in July last year while on holiday.

The men, who denied any wrongdoing, claimed they had signed documents in Arabic, a language none of them understands, following their arrests after they were threatened with guns to their heads.

David Cameron discussed the case with Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Dubai police denied the claims.

After Cameron arrived back in the UK, his mother Tracy said: "After a year of waiting, we are deeply relieved and overjoyed to have Grant back home with us after his terrible ordeal.

"Obviously what Grant has been through has been very distressing for him, and the family as a whole. We'd ask that people give him the time, space and privacy he needs to settle back in.

Tracy Cameron campaigned for her son's freedom

"In the meantime, we'd like to thank everyone who has helped support Grant and his friends throughout their ordeal."

The Britons were pardoned by authorities under a United Arab Emirates amnesty.

Although the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it would not discuss details of specific cases, a spokesman said: "We are aware that the 2013 amnesty list has been announced in the United Arab Emirates and that the local authorities have begun the process of releasing those included.

In May, Prime Minister David Cameron raised the case with Emirati president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and talks have been continuing through other official channels.

Reprieve investigator Kate Higham said: "After everything Grant has been through, his release is welcome but long overdue.

"No one should have to go through what he experienced, and we are glad that he is safely back home. We hope the same will soon be true of his friends Karl and Suneet."

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Chris Froome Set For Tour De France Win

Team Sky's Two Remarkable Riders

Updated: 4:42pm UK, Saturday 20 July 2013

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent

When Team Sky was founded in 2010, Sir Dave Brailsford's stated ambition of winning the Tour de France within five years was greeted by the sound of people laughing behind their hands.

Some did not even both concealing their mirth.

A Briton, after all, had not won cycling's greatest test at all in its 97 years. Three years later, in the centenary running of Le Tour, a Brailsford Brit is about to win it for the second successive year.

There are many reasons for the British annexation of the Champs Elysees but chief among them is the presence in Sky's black-and-blue ranks of two extraordinary athletes.

The first, Sir Bradley Wiggins, was familiar to the public when he won the race last year having developed within the Olympic track team run by Brailsford.

He secured national treasure status a week later in the 2012 Games.

Chris Froome, who come sunset in Paris on Sunday night will inherit Wiggins's title, is a very different character, but his rise is no less remarkable.

Both men have been shaped by bumpy upbringings outside the UK, and both have lost a parent. But there are few other similarities, beyond the bikes.

Wiggins grew up in Belgium, close to cycling's roots, and endured the absence of his father who left the family having planted the seed of cycling in his son's head.

Froome was schooled in the sport as far from its European epicentre as it is possible to imagine.

Born in Kenya to English parents who separated when he was just 11, he learned the sport riding with a cycling club founded for poor black Africans.

It was an early lesson in self-sufficiency that has served him well throughout his career.

His peers and teachers at boarding school in South Africa talk of Froome's fierce motivation, and hours spent on the rollers in his room hammering out static miles that laid the foundations of the astonishing strength and determination we have seen this last three weeks.

He ploughed a lonely furrow, struggling to find a professional berth in South Africa and then in Europe before his talent and promise was spotted by Brailsford, who signed him up to his formative team.

That came two years after Froome's mother Jane died from cancer.

His formative years did not leave him with the purest technique. While Wiggins's flat back and languid leg strokes seem to eat up the miles, Froome strikes a hunched silhouette.

It may not be pretty but it is just as effective, particularly in the mountains that have punctuated this ferociously tough Tour.

It is arguable that in taking victory in this of all years Froome has demonstrated that in the Grand Tours at least, he is a superior performer to Wiggins.

There was evidence last year, which Froome spent as Wiggins's super-domestique, leading him up the most testing climbs and, notoriously, suggesting at times that he had the team leaders' measure.

This year there has been no argument that Froome is the strongest man in the field, and certainly his own team, which has been a shadow of the devastating black road-train that propelled Wiggins to yellow last year.

His strength in the mountains has left rivals in awe, in part because he has often had to defend the yellow jersey above the tree-line alone.

The defining stage came a week ago on Mont Ventoux, when Froome rode away from the peleton and his rivals with a superlative display of climbing.

It was immediately hailed as one of the great stage wins in 100 years of the Tour, and more immediately consolidated his grip on the yellow jersey.

He has not looked like relinquishing it, not on the double ascent of Alpe D'Huez last week or the final mountain stages on the road back to Paris.

On Sunday he will find the Champs Elysee en fete and ready for a floodlit firework celebration of the world's greatest bike race.

And its champion will be a Briton so good even the most partisan Frenchman will have to applaud.

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Heatwave: 30C Temperatures Into Next Week

Britain will continue to bake in temperatures of 30C (86C) right through into next week, forecasters say.

Six days of 30C-plus temperatures have already been recorded, the longest heatwave for seven years.

And this is expected to continue over the weekend and into the early part of next week.

A young child cools down with an ice-cream

Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: "Western areas will still remain very warm into the weekend, in fact it will feel hot for some with temperatures possibly reaching up to 30C locally.

"There will be a brief respite from the heat in the east with cloudier skies during the mornings and perhaps the cloud lingering into the afternoon.

"But into the start of next week there will be plenty of sunshine across the UK and Ireland and feeling hot again, especially across southern counties where we could see temperatures up to 31C, perhaps a little higher locally."

A man basks in the summer sunshine in Nottingham

She warned that the heat and humidity are likely to trigger some thunderstorms in the west.

The prolonged hot spell has prompted the Met Office to issue level three heatwave health warnings for northwest and southwest England, and the West Midlands after a similar alert for London and the South East on Wednesday.

Level three warnings are only one notch below the most serious alerts and are put out when high temperatures place the very young, the very old and those with chronic diseases at risk.

A couple and their dog enjoy Roundhay Park, Leeds

Ambulance call outs have increased by 30% as Britain's heatwave continues and The Met Office has already warned of an increased wildfire risk due to the dry, hot conditions.

Mountain blazes tore across the south Wales' valleys while flames devastated swathes of Tentsmuir Forest in north east Fife, Scotland, on Thursday night. London has experienced its worst grass fires since 2006.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) has already dealt with twice as many grass fires in this summer's heatwave compared with last year.

Meanwhile, the death toll from swimming accidents during the heatwave has reached 13, as people look to lakes and the sea to cool off in the sweltering sun.

There have also been reports of people arriving at hospitals with extreme sunburn, including a four-week-old baby.

Children should be sent home from school if temperatures in classrooms soar, teachers' leaders have suggested.

Youngsters can become lethargic, unable to concentrate and even faint if the heat becomes too much.

Schools are due to break up for the summer holidays within the next week, but in the meantime many are coping with "hot and stuffy" classrooms as the mercury continues to rise.

Meanwhile a man and a teenage boy who drowned while swimming at a beauty spot have been named by police.

Ryan Pettengell, 41, of Railway Road, King's Lynn, Norfolk, and Umar Balogun, 16, from the Waltham Forest area of east London, died at Bawsey Pits, a disused quarry near King's Lynn, on Tuesday.

Their bodies were recovered from separate lakes following a major search and rescue operation by emergency services, after both had separately been reported getting into difficulties in the water.

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Woolwich: Prison Staff Deny Adebolajo Assault

Prison officers "strenuously deny any wrongdoing" after Woolwich murder suspect Michael Adebolajo reportedly lost two teeth while being restrained in jail.

The 28-year-old was injured at high security Belmarsh prison in south east London on Wednesday, where he is being held on suspicion of murdering soldier Lee Rigby.

The Prison Officers Association (POA) said its members would challenge the allegations made by the prisoner.

"We are aware of an incident that took place on Wednesday July 17, which involved a prisoner being subjected to restraint using approved techniques called Control and Restraint," it said in a statement.

Adebolajo is in Belmarsh Prison awaiting trial for the murder of Lee Rigby

"Our members strenuously deny any wrongdoing and the POA will be supporting them legally and emotionally during this difficult time.

"The use of restraint is only used where necessary when dealing with incidents up and down the country."

It said it will fully co-operate with any police investigation, and expects the officers to be "fully exonerated".

The prison officers' trade union also accused the Ministry of Justice of not doing enough to avoid what they described as "sensationalist reporting" of the alleged assault.

The Prison Service has refused to comment on the detail of what happened, but the Met Police confirmed it was investigating an allegation of assault. prison. An investigation has been started."

Adebolajo is accused together with Michael Adebowale, 22, of hacking Drummer Rigby to death near Woolwich Barracks in south east London on May 22. The pair are due to stand trial at the Old Bailey on November 18.

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Nigeria Kidnapping: British National Taken

A British national has been kidnapped shortly after landing at Lagos International Airport in Nigeria, the British High Commission has revealed.

Gunmen targeted a four-wheel drive car at around 8.30pm on Tuesday after it left the airport's international terminal, seizing the British man who was returning to a residential area of Lagos, according to security sources.

The Nigerian driver of the vehicle was shot but survived.

In a statement, the British High Commission (BHM) said: "The BHM is working closely with others to secure the release of the hostage.

"Because of the nature of this incident, the BHM is not going into further detail about it."

Major companies with British connections operating in Nigeria include oil giant Royal Dutch Shell, British Airways, Unilever and PricewaterhouseCoopers. There was no indication of where the kidnapped man was employed.

Kidnapping of expatriates and Nigerians by armed gangs seeking ransom has been rife in Nigeria's oil producing southeast, but is rarer in Lagos were most foreigners live.

Four Chinese nationals and the three-year-old son of a state legislator have previously been reported kidnapped this month.

Risk analysts Drum Cussac have reported a "noticeable upsurge" in the number of kidnappings in the southwest of the country, including Lagos.

The consultancy said: "Foreign nationals were targeted in the affluent Lagos areas of Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Epe-Lekki, sparking speculation that organised criminal gangs have renewed their focus on the city's upscale districts given their relatively permissive security environments."

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Alan Greaves: Church Organist Killers Jailed

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

The murderer of a church organist who was on his way to midnight mass has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 25 years.

Sheffield Crown Court heard that Jonathan Bowling, 22, had written a "letter of remorse" to his victim's widow just hours before his sentencing.

Mr Greaves died after he was found lying in the street yards from his home

But afterwards Maureen Greaves said she did not intend to read it and that it was inappropriate for the defendant to write to her so long after her husband Alan had been murdered.

Sixty-eight-year-old Alan Greaves was on his way to midnight mass at a church in High Green, Sheffield when Bowling "chose him at random as a victim" and beat him about the head causing injuries "consistent with a road accident".

Bowling was with his close friend Ashley Foster, 22, at the time.

Judge Mr Justice Nigel Teare described the attack as "gratuitous, reprehensible and horrific".

He told Bowling: "Alan Greaves happened to be in front of you on his way to serve his community as he had always done and you decided to inflict violence on him."

He said that Bowling was "entirely indifferent" to the fact that the injuries might have resulted in death.

The pickaxe handle used to batter Mr Greaves

Before sentencing Robert Smith QC, prosecuting, said that the murder of Mr Greaves was "a crime without motive".

He said: "He was killed for no reason other than he was identified as a suitable victim."

He told the court that Bowling had several previous convictions for violent crimes going back to the age of 15.

In some he had brandished a hammer and in another he had been convicted of wounding after attacking a jogger.

Mr Greaves with wife Maureen on their wedding day

Bowling had already pleaded guilty to murder but Foster was convicted of manslaughter on Thursday after denying murder.

Adrian Waterman QC, representing Ashley Foster, said that the convicted killer has "intellectual difficulties" and was heavily influenced by his friend Bowling.

He said that Foster may have been present during the murder but used no violence himself.

Foster was jailed for nine years for the manslaughter of Mr Greaves.

Mr Greaves had left his home around 11pm to walk to his local church of St Saviour's.

He had planned to play the organ for midnight Mass as he had done for the past 40 years.

Fifteen minutes later a passing delivery driver found him on the pavement with head injuries. His face was covered in blood and doctors found a piece of wood embedded in a head wound.

He had been attacked with a pick-axe handle and died in hospital three days later.

His widow, who sat by his hospital bed on Christmas Day, said she did not hate her husband's killers and spoke of forgiveness.

Mrs Greaves said after the conviction: "Alan was a man who was driven by love and compassion and he would not want any of us to hold on to feelings of hate and unforgiveness.

"So, in honour of Alan and in honour of the God we both love, my prayer is that this story doesn't end today.

"My prayer is that Jonathan Bowling and Ashley Foster will come to understand and experience the love and kindness of the God who made him in his own image and that God's great mercy will inspire him to true repentance."

Mr and Mrs Greaves had been married for 40 years. Both worked for Church Army and devoted a lot of time to charity work. 

Mr Greaves established a new food bank project just weeks before his death.

Following the murder Maureen Greaves told Sky News: "I am so truly thankful to have loved and been loved by Alan. 

"I am so proud of the man he was and of the life that he lived."

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British 'Cocaine Smuggler' Arrested In Spain

Spanish police say they have arrested a notorious suspected British drug dealer, Brian Charrington.

The 57-year-old is alleged to have run an international trafficking ring involving cocaine from Venezuela.

Charrington was detained at his luxury home on the Costa Blanca in a joint operation by UK and Spanish officers.

His girlfriend and son were also arrested along with 10 other people in Spain and Venezuela.

A police statement said Charrington was "one of the 10 criminals most investigated by European police and leader of an international drug-trafficking organisation".

The statement said officers seized 220kg (485lb) of cocaine hidden in an apartment in L'Albir near the tourist resort of Benidorm.

They also impounded property and bank accounts worth more than five million euros (£4.33m).

It is claimed Charrington, from Middlesbrough, and others smuggled tons of cocaine into Europe via an armada of yachts.

Charrington is said to have started as a car and drugs dealer in the 1980s and allegedly went on to build an international criminal empire.

He is the third suspected British drugs baron to be arrested in recent weeks.

On July 10, Kevin Hanley, who was wanted in connection with a multimillion-pound drug seizure, was caught in a sting operation in Athens.

Two days before, convicted drug trafficker Mark Lilley was caught hiding naked in a panic room in his luxury villa in Malaga.

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Panama: North Korea Ship 'Smuggling Weapon'

Panama has stopped a North Korean ship which it claims was trying to illegally sneak sophisticated missile equipment through the Panama Canal.

Panamanian authorities boarded the ship suspecting it was carrying drugs.

However, when they searched it they discovered "undeclared weapons of war" among a shipment of brown sugar, according to Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli.

The North Korean captain attempted to kill himself and violence broke out among the 35-strong crew as the ship was raided, according to Mr Martinelli.

The president posted a photograph of the cargo on his Twitter account and said: "The world needs to sit up and take note: you cannot go around shipping undeclared weapons of war through the Panama Canal."

He told Radio Panama: "We had suspected this ship, which was coming from Cuba and headed to North Korea, might have drugs aboard so it was brought into port for search and inspection.

Leader Kim Jong-Un has threatened to use missiles to attack the US

"When we started to unload the shipment of sugar we located containers that we believe to be sophisticated missile equipment, and that is not allowed."

The ship, called the Chong Chon Gang, is currently being held by the Panamanian authorities.

Hugh Griffiths, an arms trafficking expert at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said the seized ship is called Chong Chon Gang and has been on the institute's suspect list for some time.

He said the ship had been caught before for trafficking narcotics and small arms ammunition. It was stopped in 2010 in the Ukraine and was attacked by pirates 400 miles off the coast of Somalia in 2009.

Mr Griffiths' institute has also been interested in the ship because of a stop it made in 2009 in Tartus - a Syrian port city hosting a Russian naval base.

North Korea has yet to respond to the incident, however, previously the government in Pyongyang has branded such seizures as a 'double standard'.

North Korea believes it has the right to ship weapons in the same way that most other countries do on a regular basis.

Weapons analysts at IHS Janes' said that the equipment was a fire control radar for surface-to-air missiles and suggested it could have been sent to North Korea by Cuba for an upgrade. It was suggested that it would then have been returned to Cuba and the sugar could have been payment for the services.

The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacfic

Earlier sources familiar with North Korea's weapons capabilities had suggested it was an anti-ship missile.

North Korea and Cuba are ideologically allied as communist nations and both are seen as politically isolated from the rest of the world. However, arms shipments between the two countries are rare.

"Cuba is often cited alongside the DPRK as the two last hard-line communist holdouts, yet this is misleading in  several ways." Korean analyst Aidan Foster-Carter told Sky News.

"On the external economic front, it is the US - and only the US - that  applies closure to Cuba more than vice versa. Internally, Cuba is finally grasping the nettle of market reforms with a will, rigour, and honesty still wholly missing in North Korea."

North Korea is banned, under several United Nations resolutions, from importing and exporting all weapons, with the exception of small arms.

The UN has said the ban will remain in place until Pyongyang shuts down its nuclear weapons programme.

However, there is no suggestion that the weapons seized in Panama have any nuclear capability.

North Korea defiantly carried out its third nuclear weapons test in February and threatened to attack the United States in the most aggressive act yet by the leader Kim Jong-Un.

It led to banking sanctions being imposed by Washington on Pyongyang.

UN resolution 1718, ratified in 2006 bans North Korea from importing and exporting all weapons with the exception of small arms. The resolution was reaffirmed by the Security Council in March 2013 following North Korea's latest nuclear test and rocket launch. 

Following the 2006 resolution, the North Korean ambassador to the UN branded the ban a "double standard".

Pak Gil Yon told the Security Council: "It [is] 'gangster-like' for the Security Council to adopt such a coercive resolution against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, while neglecting the nuclear threat posed by the United States against his country.  It was a clear testament that the Council had completely lost its impartiality and was persisting in applying double standards to its work."

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NHS Report: Teams Sent In To 11 Failing Trusts

The Health Secretary has revealed that 11 hospital trusts listed in a shocking report of care failures have been placed under "special measures".

After the publication of Professor Sir Bruce Keogh's review into 14 trusts, Jeremy Hunt, speaking in the Commons, said we can "no longer ignore mediocre treatment".

All of the trusts have been ordered to act on recommendations made by health officials.

The review found that none of the hospitals investigated were providing "consistently high quality care to patients".

Sir Bruce Keogh said 'mediocrity is simply not good enough'

Mr Hunt told MPs: "No statistics are perfect but mortality rates suggest that since 2005, thousands more people may have died than would normally be expected at the 14 trusts reviewed.

"Worryingly, in half of those trusts, the Care Quality Commission - the regulator specifically responsible for patient safety and care - failed to spot any real cause for concern, rating them as 'compliant' with basic standards."

The trusts in special measures will be assessed, senior managers "not up to the job will be removed" and each hospital will be given a high performing organisation as a mentor, Mr Hunt said.

He also sought to blame former health secretary Andy Burnham for the failings, telling MPs the findings represented Labour's "darkest moment".

But Mr Burnham hit back, accusing the Health Secretary of "playing politics with people's lives", adding that the report was based on trust performances in 2011 and 2012, after the coalition had taken office.

Jeremy Hunt said he was 'deeply proud' of the NHS

Tameside General Hospital in Greater Manchester was one of the worst trusts in England.

The investigation found "insufficient levels of nursing staff", "poor supervision of junior doctors by consultants" and a "lack of compassion" from staff dealing with patient complaints.

Interim chief executive Karen James apologised to patients unhappy with the care they had received at the hospital.

"I feel disappointed that they have been unable to provide positive feedback," she told Sky News.

"However, what I want to do is involve patients in the next stage of our improvement programmes, so we need to take on board what they are saying about our services.

"What they feel and what they experience is absolutely key to us in actually addressing the fundamentals," she added.

Mr Hunt said where failures have been found in hospitals like Tameside "they have been confronted straight away".

Former health secretary Andy Burnham

Other examples of problems included patients being left unmonitored on trolleys for excessive periods, staff working up to 12 days in a row and low levels of clinical cover, especially out of hours.

Sir Bruce, NHS England's medical director, was asked to conduct a series of 'deep-dive' reviews into other hospitals with mortality rates which have been consistently high for two years or more after the Francis report into failures at the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust.

He said: "Higher mortality rates do not always point to deaths which could have been avoided but they do act as a 'smoke alarm' indicator that there could be issues with the quality of care.

"Not one of these trusts has been given a clean bill of health by my review teams. These reviews have been highly rigorous and uncovered previously undisclosed problems.

"I felt it was crucial to provide a clear diagnosis, to write the prescription, and, most importantly, to identify what help these organisations might need to support their recovery or accelerate improvement."

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) welcomed the review and is calling for the recommendations to be implemented as a matter of urgency.

Karen James, interim chief executive at Tameside Hospital

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary, said: "There's an undeniable link between nurse staffing levels and patient mortality and we can't keep failing to address this issue.

"Only with the right numbers of nurses, with the right skills, can we ensure patients are looked after with dignity and compassion."

Hospitals in special measures:

North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Medway NHS Foundation Trust.

Hospitals not in special measures:

Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

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Heathrow Dreamliner Fire Probe Looks At Beacon

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

Investigators are examining the possibility a battery within an emergency locator component may have been to blame for a fire on an Ethiopian Airlines 787 Dreamliner at Heathrow Airport.

The fire last Friday caused extensive damage to the rear section of the plane, near the tail fin.

A team from Britain's Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) is looking at a number of components, including the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT), which is positioned in the upper rear part of the aircraft, near to the spot where the fire broke out.

The ELT is manufactured by the US electronics firm Honeywell.

An AAIB spokesman told Sky News: "We can confirm that Honeywell have been invited to join the investigation.

"The Emergency Locator Transmitter is one of several components being looked at in detail as part of the investigation and it would be premature to speculate on the cause of the incident at this stage."

Dreamliner flights were grounded in January after a battery fault

Although investigators appear to have ruled out a recurrence of faults within the main battery system, which grounded the entire Dreamliner fleet worldwide earlier this year, the battery attached to the Emergency Locator Transmitter is being viewed as a possible source for the fire.

The ELT is designed to send out an emergency signal in the event of an aircraft accident, helping to lead rescuers to the crash site.

The transmitter is powered by a non-rechargeable lithium-manganese battery.

The focus on the emergency beacon will raise concerns among executives at the plane's manufacturer Boeing, who have already had to embark on a hugely expensive exercise to improve to reinforce the Dreamliner's main battery systems in the wake of the earlier faults.

The fire damaged Ethiopian Airlines plane has been moved to a hangar at Heathrow as investigators continue their examination.

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Soldiers Died 'On First Day Of SAS Assessment'

Two TA soldiers who died while attempting to get into the special forces were on the first day of a week-long assessment when they collapsed with suspected heat exhaustion, according to Sky sources.

Police are investigating the deaths of the two servicemen on the hottest day of the year while a third serviceman is in a serious condition in hospital. The Ministry of Defence has named one of the servicemen as Lance Corporal Craig Roberts.

The three were part of a group training in the Brecon Beacons, some of Wales' most rugged terrain, on Saturday when temperatures topped 29.5C (85.1F).

It is understood that the men were on the first day of a week-long assessment as part of the Territorial Army section of the SAS.

The selection process was running alongside regular SAS trials and has now been abandoned due to the deaths.

For the regular version of the special forces elite, the trials would involve a 40-mile speed march with about 55lb on their backs, including a replica rifle, normally completed over a 20-hour period.

It is likely that the process would be slightly reduced for the reservist version or split up, but nevertheless gruelling.

Sky News Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall said the "very rigorous selection process" would have meant "long yomping walks carrying an awful lot of weight".

Police are investigating the deaths

With military sources indicating soaring temperatures may have been to blame for their deaths, Bunkall added that the investigation into their deaths was like to focus on the climate and whether enough preparations were put in place.

Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, pointed out the difference between the selection processes for the regular Army and the special forces, where the onus is on individual achievement and self-motivation.

He told Sky News: "The Army relies a lot on the buddy-buddy system, in other words of either a commander or fellow soldier looking out for their mates to see if they are exhibiting any symptoms of heat illness.

"Of course if they are doing SAS selection ... then a lot of that is done as individuals."

Chris Hunter, a former special forces bomb disposal officer who was training for a marathon on the Brecon Beacons over the weekend, told Sky News that every member of the armed forces is taught how to survive in extreme heat as soon as they join up - using techniques such as carrying lots of water, rehydrating with salts and adding and removing layers of clothing as necessary.

But he added: "Of course when they are trying to meet very tight timelines, carrying lots of equipment, literally speed marching up the mountains, running down them and navigating at the same time it can be quite difficult to do so."

Mr Hunter said a medical assessment by a doctor is always carried out before "any extreme training" and "the individual soldiers would certainly have been physically fit".

The Ministry of Defence and police are both investigating what happened. The soldiers' families have been informed.

The MoD has refused to confirm that the three were members of the TA aspiring to join the reservists' branch of the SAS.

And a spokesman said there are no plans to change "routine exercises" in light of the incident.

The Brecon Beacons is one of several locations British military use as part of their training. The deaths occurred near the Storey Arms activity centre.

The area's rugged and sprawling terrain helps prepare soldiers physically and mentally for warfare as well as put their logistic skills to the test, making it an ideal area for elite forces personnel like the SAS.

However the Beacons' jagged topography can prove dangerous even to the most hardened and physically fit.

Earlier this year, an army captain was found dead on a snow-covered Corn Du mountain.

It was thought that Rob Carnegie had been taking part in a gruelling 17-40 mile march in freezing conditions in the Brecon Beacons as part of a selection process for the special forces regiment, when he collapsed and died.

However, this time investigators are examining whether hot temperatures played a major factor.

The soldiers who died were thought to be trying out for the SAS

A source said: "It is a case of the people succumbing to being affected by the training that they were doing."

The Army's website said the Brecon Beacons were used because they are so demanding and prepare soldiers for the "extraordinary things" they have to do on deployment.

The website says: "Training for high-intensity, light-role war fighting is the way soldiers and officers are prepared for any operational situation they may face - conventional war, counter insurgency, security sector reform, peacekeeping or supporting civil authorities.

"This ensures that the training is as close to current operations and pre-deployment training as possible, whilst maintaining the ability to train for high intensity war fighting."

News of the deaths has been met with shock in the nearby town of Brecon, which is home to The Infantry Battle School.

Brecon mayor and Powys county councillor Matthew Dorrance said: "It's incredibly sad for the friends and family of the people who have lost their lives and our thoughts are with the person who is injured.

"In one way we've been blessed with the weather but for people working in this heat, they're tough conditions."

Members of all four of South Wales' mountain rescue teams said they had been called out to assist when the two servicemen died.

Thirty members of Central Beacons, Brecon, Western Beacons and Abergavenny-based Longtown Mountain Rescue Teams joined the operation near Pen y Fan, which is the highest mountain in south Wales.

Mark Moran, from Central Beacons MRT, paid tribute to its members who took part in the rescue operation.

"They are all volunteers, who are highly trained and dedicated" he said.

"We were working alongside military personnel who remained extremely calm and professional during this tragic incident. Our thoughts are now with the families of those involved."

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British Woman Dies Swimming English Channel

A British woman has died after collapsing while attempting to swim across the English Channel.

Having set off in the early hours of Sunday, married accountant Susan Taylor was just a mile off the coast of France, near Sangatte.

The 34-year-old was pulled from the water by her paramedic brother David, who then battled to save her life on the boat accompanying her attempt. The support team alerted French emergency services and requested a defibrillator.

She was airlifted by a French naval helicopter to a hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer, where she was pronounced dead at 7.15pm on Sunday.

Tributes were left on Mrs Taylor's Create A Ripple Channel Swim page

Speaking at the family home, Mrs Taylor's father, 68-year-old Arthur Wright, said: "I'm devastated. I've lost the best person in the world. She was just wonderful.

"She had swum 30 miles and she got to the last part and that's when it happened. That's as much as I know."

He said the family had celebrated Mrs Taylor's birthday and her brother's birthday at a restaurant last Thursday and that he last saw his daughter on Friday night.

"I saw her to say I hope it goes well and gave her a kiss," he said.

Mr Wright said his daughter had given up her full-time job to carry out charitable work and was working part-time as an accountant.

She had also done wing-walking and a parachute jump, and was a qualified rally driver.

"She was certainly not a boring accountant," he said.

The tracker map showing Mrs Taylor's progress stopped near the French coast

Also on the boat was Mrs Taylor's husband Stephen, her coach who has been training her since she was eight years old, and a support swimmer.

She had been attempting to raise money for Rainbows Hospice and Diabetes UK through her Facebook page Create A Ripple Channel Swim.

A message apparently posted by her sister on the page said: "Thank you for your messages of support. If you would like to leave a sign of respect please feel free to donate to her fund raising page."

She set off from Samphire Hoe at around 1am on Sunday and weather conditions were reported to be relatively good when she encountered difficulties, with water temperatures of 15C.

Mrs Taylor before starting her swim (pic: Create A Ripple Channel Swim)

Posts on her Facebook page show supporters began to fear for Mrs Taylor at around 9pm.

Sarah Taylor wrote: "Any news Susan Taylor? Can't seem to get any track since 6.30? Xxxxxxxx."

A short time later, Clare Biddle posted: "Hope all is ok?? Tracker has stopped!! Susan you are a star xxx."

At around 11pm, a user called Maverick Marc Richardson wrote: "What's going on no news and tracker doesn't look good."

The messages reflected mounting concerns among her supporters, with Lauren Boat writing at 10am today: "Really hope your OK Susan, thinking of you xx."

More than 100 comments followed within an hour of the message from Mrs Taylor's sister.

One post, from Rebecca Adie-Drackley, said: "RIP Susan. Swimming was your life all through school from Barwell Infants we all grew up together. I am so sad I cannot think of any words at this time. God bless you, it was an honour to grow up with you xxx."

Mrs Taylor's crossing was being overseen by the Channel Swimming Association, one of the two official British organisations who authorise the attempts.

Dr Julie Bradshaw, secretary of the association, told Sky News: "Susan was a bubbly person, full of life and always doing things for other people."

Kevin Murphy, who is secretary of the other official body, the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation (CS&PF), oversaw Mrs Taylor's six-hour assessment swim - which everyone attempting to swim the Channel must undertake.

He told Sky News: "She was a very nice woman, a very good swimmer and we're all very upset.

"I got to know her while overseeing her assessment swim. It is an extreme sport but has a safety record that is second to none among extreme sports. Both the official organisations work within the strictest of conditions in terms of safety.

"Susan has passed away doing something she loved and raising money for two fantastic causes. I would hope people recognise that and feel moved to donate money to those causes in her memory."

He said the zig-zag pattern on the tracker charting her progress was normal and reflected the tidal flows that affect swimmers' routes during the attempts.

Mrs Taylor is the eighth person to die while trying to swim the channel since the first recorded attempt in 1875.

Geoff Ellis, chief executive at Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People, said: "Susan was a wonderful woman who would do anything for anybody.

"She has been a much loved ambassador at Rainbows for over two years, helping out at events and tirelessly fundraising for us.

"She was more than an ambassador; she was part of the Rainbows family."

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OAP Killed 'Helping Paedophile' Being Robbed

Police have launched a manhunt over the murder of a pensioner who was stabbed to death after going to the aid of his neighbour - a convicted paedophile - during a robbery.

Graham Buck, 66, was responding to cries of his neighbour, believed to be 86-year-old convicted paedophile Francis Cory-Wright, who was apparently being attacked at his home.

Police urgently want to speak to Ian John McLoughlin, also known as Ian John Baker, in connection with the killing in Little Gaddesden, near Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire on Saturday afternoon.

Police are trying to trace McLoughlin

They have released CCTV images, thought to be of the 55-year-old, to highlight the clothes he was wearing on the day of the murder.

They have warned the public not to approach Mr McLoughlin and have described him as "extremely dangerous".

The suspect is described as being a white male, around 6ft tall with greying hair.

He was believed to be wearing sunglasses, blue jeans and a dark, blue, light blue and white checked short sleeved shirt with a button down collar. He is of average build.

Francis Cory-Wright was thought to have been attacked in his home

Mr Buck, 66, was found dead at the scene by police while Cory-Wright was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Detective Chief Superintendent Jeff Hill said Mr Buck, described as a retired financial industry worker, paid the "ultimate price" for intervening during the robbery at the home of an elderly neighbour.

"Mr Buck's actions were totally selfless and illustrate a deep sense of community spirit which deserves recognition and respect," he said.

"His family are receiving support from specialist officers and we extend our deepest sympathies to them at this truly dreadful time."

Mr Buck leaves behind a wife, two sons and a daughter, two grandchildren and a former wife.

A statement from Hertfordshire Police said his family described him as a devoted husband, father and grandfather who "appreciated his life, getting great satisfaction from his family being happy and healthy".

"He was a man who would help anyone in need, with a strong sense of doing the right thing," it said.

A statement from Mr Buck's family said: "We have no words to express how much Graham will be missed. We were all in such a happy place as a family. We were all so settled, with growing numbers of grandchildren whom he adored being around.

"We haven't seen him happier than being around his grandchildren whom he adored being around. We haven't seen him happier than being around his grandchildren, he was so proud. We cannot get over that we have lost him.

"He's going to be missed by so many people."

DCI Martin Branning from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said: "We would like to reiterate that we continue to search for an extremely dangerous man and our focus is on finding Ian McLoughlin as soon as possible.

"The nature of this murder investigation is one of significant violence and until he is caught the public are asked not to approach him as he is a very dangerous man."

Officers have been conducting additional patrols in the "quiet residential" area to provide reassurance to residents.

In November 2011, Cory-Wright was jailed for 30 months for indecently assaulting a young boy in the 1970s.

:: Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting Operation Acaria, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Shark Attack: Teenage Girl Killed Off Reunion

A 15-year-old girl has died after a shark tore her in two while she was swimming off a beach on the French island of Reunion.

The victim is understood to have been just three to five metres from the shore at the bay of Saint-Paul, northwest of the island, when she was attacked at around 2.30pm local time.

"Part of her body was carried away by the shark," said Gina Hoarau, director of public safety in Saint-Paul.

"The conditions of the attack are surprising. You wouldn't think that a shark would get this close to the shore," she added.

The teenager, who lives in mainland France with her mother, was on holiday visiting her father who works at a yacht club in the area.

She was snorkelling in an unsupervised area where bathing is forbidden due to high shark numbers, officials said.

A friend who was with her at the time of the attack managed swim back to shore and emergency services including lifeguards, firefighters and a police helicopter were called to the scene.

It is the second deadly shark attack this year off the French island, situated east of Madagascar, and brings the total of shark-related deaths there since 2011 to five.

And it is the first time in at least three decades that a swimmer, rather than a surfer, was killed by a shark off the island.

In May, a 36-year-old French man on his honeymoon was killed off the popular beach of Brisants de Saint-Gilles on the west of the island while surfing.

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'Up To 13,000 Needless Deaths' In NHS Hospitals

Up to 13,000 people may have died needlessly in NHS hospitals since 2005, according to a report to be published in the coming days.

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS's medical director, will expose failings in 14 of the worst trusts in England.

He was commissioned by the Government to look into hospitals with high mortality rates after the scandal at Stafford Hospital.

The report, to be released on Tuesday, will criticise care standards and management failures, fuelling concerns about a problem with the NHS's culture where whistleblowers are afraid to speak out and regulators often fail to do their job.

It is expected to confirm fears that the 1,400 excess deaths at Mid Staffs were not a one-off.

The findings have prompted a political row with the Conservatives accusing current Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham of shouldering some of the responsibility.

Robert Francis QC issued a scathing report on Stafford hospital

One of the 14 trusts investigated, Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation trust, had 1,600 more deaths than would have been expected in seven years, according to The Sunday Telegraph.

At Tameside - which is around half the size of Basildon - there were more than 830 excess deaths.

The study goes back before the Conservative government took over power from Labour. Andy Burnham was Labour's last Health Secretary from June 2009 until May 2010.

A source close to the Health Secretary told Sky News that Jeremy Hunt is likely to put several hospitals on special measures as a consequence of Sir Bruce's report and warning signs being missed over many years.

The Conservatives are seizing on the study to attack Mr Burnham, who was forced to defend his actions on Sky News' Murnaghan programme on Sunday.

It came after one of the contributors to the report, Professor Sir Brian Jarman, told Sky News that part of the blame resided with the last government.

Mr Burnham is expected to come under increasing pressure as the week goes on, despite the fact that he was just one of several health secretaries under Labour.

The report was commissioned in February by the Prime Minister after the results of the inquiry by Robert Francis QC into how the NHS failed to stop the Stafford hospital scandal happening.

The inquiry exposed appalling lapses in both the care of patients and the regulation of hospitals.

The 14 hospital trusts with the worse mortality rates over the last two years are Basildon and Thurrock, in Essex; United Lincolnshire; Blackpool, Lancs; The Dudley Group, West Midlands; George Eliot, Warwickshire; Northern Lincolnshire and Goole; Tameside, Greater Manchester; Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire; Colchester, Essex; Medway, Kent; Burton, Staffordshire; North Cumbria; East Lancashire; and Buckinghamshire Healthcare.

Jeremy Hunt is likely to put some hospitals on special measures

Sir Bruce examined not just mortality rates, but measurements including infection levels, the number of patients suffering from preventable and potentially fatal signs of neglect, and the numbers harmed by so-called "never events" such as operations on the wrong part of the body, or surgical instruments left inside a patient.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We are not prepared to speculate about the contents of Sir Bruce's review, or our response to it. We've shown consistently that we expect the NHS to be accountable where things go wrong.

"That is why the Prime Minister ordered an investigation to get to the bottom of these issues."

Mr Burnham told Sky News' Murnaghan programme he would account for all decisions he made in office and defended his record.

The shadow health secretary said he had warned about a number of hospitals when he left office but that several of the hospitals involved had deteriorated since the coalition took over.

He said: "I will account for all of the things I did as secretary of state. I took actions to reveal what happened at Stafford, I took actions at Basildon, at Tameside, I left warnings in place on five hospitals.

"The Conservative Party briefed this week they were wanting to target me personally. That is what they are wanting to do."

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Cory Monteith: Glee Star Found Dead In Hotel

Glee star Cory Monteith has been found dead in a hotel room in Canada, Vancouver Police have confirmed.

The 31-year-old's body was discovered at Vancouver's Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel just after noon on Saturday after he failed to check out.

Police believe he was alone when he died, and have ruled out foul play.

Doug LePard, the acting chief of Vancouver Police, said: "As was the case in countless homes, I watched Glee regularly with my daughters, and I know there will be shock and sadness in many households with the news of his tragic death.

Monteith had reportedly been dating Glee co-star Lea Michele

"Mr Monteith checked into the hotel on July 6 and was due to check out of the room (on Saturday).

"There were others with Mr Monteith in his room earlier ... but video and fob key entries show him returning to his room by himself in the early morning hours and we believe he was alone when he died."

Monteith had voluntarily entered rehab for substance abuse problems in April.

It was not Monteith's first time in rehab. He received treatment when he was 19 and had previously talked about his addiction struggles, saying he had a serious problem and took just "anything and everything".

Popular musical comedy Glee first aired in 2009

He told Parade magazine in 2011 that he was "lucky to be alive".

He was best known for playing Finn Hudson in the popular musical comedy series Glee, which follows a group of American secondary school misfits.

A post-mortem will take place on Monday, and the coroner will decide on the next steps to establish the cause of death.

A statement on behalf of Glee's executive producers and 20th Century Fox Television said: "We are deeply saddened by this tragic news.

"Cory was an exceptional talent and an even more exceptional person. He was a true joy to work with and we will all miss him tremendously. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones."

Stars have spoken of their shock at the news.

Dot-Marie Jones, who plays Coach Bieste in Glee, wrote on Twitter: "I have no words! My heart is broken, Cory was not only a hell of a friend, he was one amazing man that I will hold close to my heart forever."

Singer Taylor Swift wrote: "Speechless. And for the worst reason."

Actress Jaimie Alexander added: "Sweet man... Gone far too soon. Peace be with you friend."

Singer Lance Bass said: "Devastated about the news of Cory Monteith - such an incredible guy - my thoughts are with his family and friends."

And Zooey Deschanel wrote: "What an absolutely tragic loss of a very talented young man."

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Manchester Firefighter Death: Girls Arrested

Greater Manchester Police have arrested two 15-year-old girls on suspicion of the manslaughter of a firefighter who was killed tackling a blaze in the city centre.

Father-of-two Stephen Hunt was part of a team responding to a fire at Paul's Hair World in Oldham Street when he and a colleague got into difficulties last night.

Both were rescued by firefighters and taken to hospital, but 38-year-old Mr Hunt died.

Police Detective Superintendent Phil Owen said: "We are working with our colleagues from the fire service to establish how this fire, which has tragically claimed the life of a fire fighter, started.

Manchester Firefighter Stephen Hunt. Pic: Greater Manchester Fire Service

"We have already arrested two juveniles in connection with the fire and our enquiries are continuing.

"If anyone has any information about how the fire started please get in touch."

Earlier, County Fire Officer Steve McGuirk said arson had not been ruled out.

The chief fire officer said Mr Hunt had two teenage children and that his family were "absolutely grief-stricken" and said it was still a "very raw situation".

He said: "We are devastated by the loss of one of our colleagues who has died in the line of duty.

"We never expect to lose a colleague in this way and it brings home the dangers that our firefighters put themselves in every day to keep the community safe.

"Stephen had been a dedicated firefighter since 2008 and we are all in a state of shock.

"It is a very sad day for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and all our thoughts are with Stephen's family and friends."

Mr McGuirk said Mr Hunt is thought to have been enveloped by some kind of "super heat".

The store house and above offices are the headquarters of a hairdressing supplies company where various chemicals used in the trade are thought to have been stored.

Pic: @manchesterfire

He added: "At the minute it's really too early to say what's led to the firefighter's death. It doesn't look like a building collapse or that he fell through any floors.

"The early indications are an absolutely massive, ferocious and sudden build-up of heat."

The fire began around 2.50pm on Saturday and is still being dealt with.

The second firefighter pulled from the blaze remains in hospital but his injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

The pair got into trouble inside the building at around 8.35pm.

The fire, which started in the store room of the shop, has been particularly difficult  to tackle due to the complex layout of the building and the amount of materials inside, a spokeswoman for the fire service said.

Pic: @manchesterfire

Sky News correspondent Nick Martin said among the materials were chemicals commonly used for hairdressing like hydrogen peroxide and aerosols.

Roxxi Watson, 48, who owns a shop called Strawberry Peach, in the neighbouring Afflecks Palace complex, said more than 200 businesses had been affected.

A fire service spokeswoman said the owner and a passer-by had tried to put the fire out but were unable to and both were taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation.

By 4pm yesterday, 12 crews and more than 60 firefighters from stations around the county were tackling the fire which broke through to the first floor.

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Brecon Beacons Military Deaths In Heatwave

Two soldiers have died during a training exercise on the Brecon Beacons in Wales, the Ministry of Defence has said.

The pair were among three army personnel thought to have been affected by heat exhaustion on Saturday, the hottest day of the year for many parts of the country.

A statement released by the MoD said: "The MoD can confirm that it is working with Dyfed Powys Police to investigate an incident during a training exercise on the Brecon Beacons on Saturday in which two members of military personnel died.

"The two servicemen's next of kin have been informed. More information will be released in due course but it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."

Temperatures in the Brecons are normally cooled by the 600m (2,000ft) and higher elevations that military personnel train at but on Saturday temperatures in Usk in nearby Monmouthshire reached 29.2C (84.5F).

Sky News' Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkell said sources had told him that the two men had been 'affected by conditions', with heat exhaustion thought to be involved.

All those affected were male, he said, and all were in the army. He said the MoD is releasing no details about what sort of training they were on.

The Brecon Beacons are well known as a training destination for both the regular army and for special forces like the Special Air Service.

The SAS has its regimental headquarters in nearby Hereford and the Army infantry has its Infantry Training Centre in the town of Brecon.

The mountain range is among the highest in the UK, with peaks like Pen y Fan reaching 886m (2,907ft).

In winter, conditions are regularly gruelling, which army chiefs say mimic the toughest conditions soldiers may have to face.

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