25/09/2012

Other News In Brief

Councillor Loses Seat For Joke About Police Deaths

A senior Derbyshire councillor has lost his cabinet position after making a "poor joke" about PC Fiona Bone and PC Nicola Hughes, who were shot dead last week.

The two officers were killed in Mottram last Tuesday.

Erewash Borough Council leader Chris Corbett removed David Stephenson for his remarks about scoring points for killing police officers.

Mr Stephenson said: "What I did was undoubtedly tactless - it was a poor joke and I apologise."

However the Conservative councillor said he believed his punishment was harsh.

Newspaper Prints Police Log Of Mitchell Row

The official police log of a confrontation between the chief whip and officers in Downing Street has been published in full for the first time.

The document, printed by the Daily Telegraph, appears to confirm Andrew Mitchell called the officers "plebs", something he has not admitted to.

The Met says it will probe how the media got hold of the records.

The government has ruled out an investigation into the row, but Labour accused them of a "cover-up".

12% Drop In Complaints To Water Companies

Complaints from customers to water companies in England and Wales fell by 12% last year, the fourth annual decline in a row.

There were 163,027 written complaints - by letter, fax or email - in the 12 months to the end of March, the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) said.

However, there was not a uniform dip across the country.

Seven of the 23 water and sewerage companies reported a rise in consumer gripes compared with the previous year.

(H)

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