Other UK News In Brief

Solicitor Found Dead In Car 'Was Strangled'

Police have revealed that a Solicitor found dead in a car parked in a Cheshire street had been strangled. Linda Bakewell, 45, was found around 8.20am on Wednesday in Shevington Walk, Widnes. Ms Bakewell, from Prescot on Merseyside, had been missing since Friday. She was last seen driving out of a car park in Tithebarn Street, Liverpool city centre, on Friday afternoon. A local man, 47, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Dangerous Dogs Consultation Responses Published

Animal Welfare Minister Lord Henley today published the summary of the 4,250 responses to the dangerous dogs consultation to better inform wider public debate on the issue, and repeated his commitment to tackling dangerous dogs and irresponsible owners. Lord Henley said: “The issue of dangerous dogs is not just a problem of dangerous breeds but also one of bad owners. They need to be held to account and stopped from ruining people’s lives. Dangerous dogs are a major issue affecting many people. This is why I am working closely with Ministerial colleagues in the Home Office on the anti-social behaviour dimension to this issue. We are also working with groups such as the RSPCA to look at other issues raised in the consultation, such as breed-specific bans, micro-chipping and attacks on private property.” Lord Henley said that he would announce the Government’s approach to dangerous dogs early in the New Year. Responses to many of the forty proposals in the dangerous dogs consultation were strongly divided, with primary concerns being whether the bans on specific dog breeds were the best approach to reduce dog attacks, and how to deal promptly and effectively with those that allow their dogs to be a nuisance to others.

Temperature Rise Boosts Kids’ Hospital Admissions

Every 5°C rise in maximum temperature pushes up the rate of hospital admissions for serious injuries among children, reveals one of the largest studies of its kind published online in Emergency Medicine Journal. 

Conversely, each 5° C drop in the minimum daily temperature boosts adult admissions for serious injury by more than 3%, while snow prompts an 8% rise, the research shows. 

The authors base their findings on the patterns of hospital treatment for both adults and children in 21 emergency care units across England, belonging to the Trauma Audit and research Network (TARN), between 1996 and 2006. 

Any patient requiring hospital admission for more than three days, a transfer to another hospital or critical care, or who subsequently died after being injured, was included in the analysis in a bid to see if clear temporal patterns emerged, which were linked to prevailing weather conditions. 

These criteria applied to just under 60,000 patients, whose average age was 48 (adults) and 10 (children). The data analysis indicated strong seasonal trends. 

Among adults, every 5°C rise in maximum daily temperature and each additional two hours of sunshine increased the admission rate for serious injury by just under 2%. 

But an even stronger pattern was seen among admissions for children, with equivalent temperature rises prompting a 10% increase in admissions and extra sunshine a 6% increase. 

The authors calculate that the rate of children’s admissions between the months of April and September may be up to 50% higher than average. 

At the other end of the scale, each 5°C drop in the minimum daily temperature boosted adult admissions for serious injury by more than 3%, while snow prompted an 8% rise. 


(BMcN/GK)