MAN KILLED AS E-CIGARETTE EXPLODES

Fire service warnings about dangers of e-cigarette

"A man was killed when a charging E-cigarette exploded and ignited oxygen equipment he is believed to have been using", Merseyside's fire service said.

David Thomson, 62, was found in the living room of a house in Penkett Road, Wallasey.

"A small fire in the bedroom of the property had gone out before firefighters arrived", Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) said.

The exact cause of death is yet to be established, with an inquest now due.

Mixing warning

An MFRS spokesman said: "The subsequent fire investigation identified that an e-cigarette that had been charging in the bedroom exploded, caught fire and ignited the oxygen tube of an oxygen concentrator, which may have been in use by the occupier."

Myles Platt, MFRS area manager said: "The investigation into the cause of this fire is continuing but at this stage it is thought that the charging device being used at the time may not have been the one supplied with the e-cigarette".

"We urge people to always use electrical equipment in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and guidance, always ensure that no electrical items are left charging overnight or left unattended for a long period when being charged, and do not mix parts from different e-cigarettes".

"Only use the original charger or electrical cables supplied and ensure you purchase electrical items from a reputable source."

Since January, nine fires involving e-cigarettes have been recorded on Merseyside.

Service representatives are speaking to people in the Wallasey area to give advice about the safe use of e-cigarettes following Tuesday's fire.

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FLASH FLOODING IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE (ENGLAND) TRAPS DRIVERS AND CUTS OFF POWER

Rescue crews tried to restart cars that had stalled in the flooding.

Homes evacuated after flash flooding

Torrential rain in Cambridgeshire caused a riverbank to collapse, left 856 homes without power, trapped drivers and closed two supermarkets.

The weather also hit Norfolk and Lincolnshire, where homes were evacuated and an air display cancelled.

BBC Weather said 50mm of rain fell in Cambridgeshire in an hour, damaging the banks of the River Nene in March.

A Tesco shopper said water was "pouring through the ceiling near the fresh fish counter".

'Engines cutting out'

Richard Mayer, 32, became trapped in his car at Bar Hill while he was visiting to buy a home in the area.

Speaking from the vehicle he said: "Water is lapping over the kerb now. People can walk through it, but it's far more than you'd want to drive through. I'm sitting in my car on the pavement in order to maintain some height just down from the Bar Hill roundabout near Tesco".
"There are cars everywhere and the flooding is getting worse as people are trying to drive through it, but their engines are cutting out which is causing them to block the road."

Drivers were being advised to avoid the A428 westbound between Hardwick and Dry Drayton, which is blocked due to flooding

More than 50mm of rain fell in Cambridgeshire in an hour confirmed BBC Weather

Fire service group commander Ryan Stacey said: "We have seven crews currently in the March, Doddington and Wisbech St Mary areas, assisting with evacuating residents, salvaging and pumping water out of homes. The exact number of properties affected cannot be confirmed, but we understand that we are assisting currently at least 60 properties."

He warned: "Don't try to drive through standing water - as well as the water damaging your car, there may be hazards under the water you can't see."

A rest centre was opened in St John the Evangelist Parish Hall in Queens Street, March.

There have also been reports of flash flooding in west Norfolk.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service said officers have been dealing with about 40 flood-related calls with ongoing incidents in Swaffham, Necton, Outwell and Downham Market.

The heavy rain caused subsidence on parts of the riverbank in March and flooding in The Ship Inn cellar

Police in Cambridgeshire urged people to avoid driving on the county's roads unless absolutely necessary due to the "deluge of rain currently being experienced".

Ch Insp Nick Night said: "We are assisting partner agencies including the Highways Agency, Fire and Rescue Service, Fenland District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council with road closures, evacuating residents and pulling vehicles out of flood water.

"We do not have a stock of sandbags, so please do not call 999 requesting any."

The UK Power Network said it had been working to restore power to homes and about 400 homes were still without power at about 21:00 BST on Friday.

Bungalows in Poplar Close in March in Cambridgeshire were flooded

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SUNDAY'S IN-DEPTH FORECAST FOR TODAY AND BEYOND IN ENGLAND

SETTING THE SCENE...

It's official! Last month overall was drier and sunnier than usual for July, and after a brief interlude of heavy rain things look like quietening down again a little.

The area of low pressure which brought the weekend's thundery downpours is now spiralling away northwards across Scotland.

Low pressure remains to the north during the first part of the new week, but a ridge of pressure is trying to build in from the south, so good news if you're lucky enough to be on a Bank Holiday on Monday - it should be much better than Sunday!

Drier and brighter for the first part of the coming week, but still a little unsettled. Temperatures on the warm side of average.

In more detail then...

SUNDAY

Rather cloudy and still some outbreaks of rain around, mainly over Dumfries and Galloway. Heavy at times, especially in the west, but turning more showery through the afternoon. Breezy and blustery in the west.

Temperatures further west around 16-17c, but nearer 18-19c in the best of any sun further east.

SUNDAY NIGHT

We still expect some showers overnight. Rain over Ireland swings up across the Border region, so it will be cloudy and mild with some outbreaks of rain. Nothing especially heavy, and mainly in the west and over hills. Lows 12-13c, 54-55f.

BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY (SCOTLAND)

Dry on Monday morning, best of any brighter breaks to the east. Winds not as blustery as Sunday. Continuing dry and bright into the afternoon with more sunshine, best of the sun across the Isle of Man and through Cumbria, tops 18-19c, 64-66f.

Feeling better overall, with more sunshine and less wind. The best day of the Scottish Bank Holiday weekend!

WEATHER OUTLOOK: for the Border region.

OUTLOOK

Generally, sunshine and showers.

Odd well scattered shower on Tuesday, especially in the west. Drier and brighter further east. Heavier showers possible on Wednesday, some thundery. Sun and showers on Thursday. Temperatures maybe just above average in the low 20's celsius. Warm nights.

                                                                                                            -Source: ITV

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A SCHOOL WHERE HALF OF THE PUPILS IN A CLASS ARE TWINS - AMAZING

This sounds very interesting to say the least as staff at a primary school are getting used to seeing double because morning roll-call reveals that almost half the pupils in one class are twins. Of the 25 youngsters in Year Six at St Anne’s Church of England school in Waterfoot, near Bacup, Lancs, in England, there are five sets of twins with two being identical. And in every case the elder twin is smaller than their sibling – "and all five pairs have an older brother or stepbrother", their class teacher, Kim Kirk says. He says even though they sometimes trick him, he has managed to identify some with the length of their hair, but some twins are too alike he still can’t differentiate.

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NATIONAL UNION OF TEACHER'S STRIKE SET FOR 10 JULY

Schools in England and Wales face disruption as the NUT go on strike on 10 July. 

Christine Blower, the union's general secretary, said it was a "last resort". "For teachers, performance related pay, working until 68 for a full pension and heavy workload for 60 hours a week, is unsustainable," she said. The Department for Education said there was "no justification" for striking. The NUT leader said that next month's strike date had been chosen to "cause minimum disruption to examinations" - and that "we deeply regret the disruption it causes parents and pupils".

WORKLOAD

The teachers' union has been in talks with the government over its dispute over pay, pensions and workload.But Ms Blower said the talks were "only about the implementation of government policies, not about the fundamental issues we believe to be detrimental to education and the profession".
A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said that talks were still ongoing and there was no justification for a strike.

"Ministers have also met frequently with the unions and will continue to do so".

Further strike action will only disrupt parents' lives, hold back children's education and damage the reputation of the profession,"
said the Department for Education spokeswoman.

"We know that the vast majority of our teachers and school leaders are hardworking and dedicated professionals.That is why we are giving teachers more freedoms than ever and cutting unnecessary paperwork and bureaucracy. In fact, teaching has never been more attractive, more popular or more rewarding".

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