Wales

Tees Transporter Bridge and a former working men’s club in Barrow-in-Furness among sites at risk of decay or neglectTeesside’s Transporter Bridge, a disinfecting station in Hackney and a former working men’s club in Barrow-in-Furness have been included on a list ringing alarm bells for Victorian and Edwardian heritage.The Victorian Society has published its annual top 10 endangered buildings list, intended as a way of drawing national attention to at-risk places in England and Wales. Continue reading...

Police warn of violent pornography and ‘toxic’ influencers as suicides outstrip homicides for third year runningThe first teenage girl has been identified as having been driven to kill herself after domestic violence, as police chiefs blamed violent pornography and “toxic” influencers for being behind a rise in teen abuse.Suicides after domestic abuse have outstripped homicides for the third year running, according to the Domestic Homicide Project, which records deaths in England and Wales after domestic abuse. Continue reading...

Prime minister says number of people charged has risen by 17% and technology is helping police to tackle theftKeir Starmer has claimed the “tide could be turning” on shoplifting, pointing to a 17% rise in people charged for what has become a hot political issue.CCTV footage that could be shared immediately with the police should be used more widely, the prime minister said, adding that “the hope of technology” could make a difference. Continue reading...

Demographic also overrepresented when police officers use force such as handcuffs, firearms or Tasers, says children’s commissionerBlack children across England and Wales are almost eight times more likely to be strip-searched by police than their white counterparts, a report has disclosed.Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, said Black children are also overrepresented when officers use force and were more likely to have their “size, gender or build” cited as justification. Continue reading...

Eluned Morgan says US under Donald Trump is ‘not partner it once was’ with Iran threats and ‘contempt’ towards UKWales’s first minister has called on Keir Starmer to suspend a big joint defence project with the US, saying that under Donald Trump the country is “not the partner it once was”.In a statement on Wednesday, Labour’s Eluned Morgan cited the US president’s “contempt” towards the UK and his threat to “annihilate” Iran as reasons to halt the development of the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (Darc) programme in Pembrokeshire, part of the Aukus defence partnership between the UK, US and Australia. Continue reading...

Decision to seek contact ban orders for people who repeatedly call about non-criminal matters is believed to be UK firstPeople who call with complaints about their neighbours could face a contact ban for wasting police resources, a police force has said.In a social media post on the weekend, North Wales police (NWP) said they had responded to four antisocial behaviour callouts in 24 hours for disputes such as “neighbours who don’t put their bins away or kids playing in the garden making too much noise during the day”. Continue reading...

Legal charity argues ‘job lot’ prosecution approach is unjust and primarily targets young black menJoint enterprise cases in England and Wales have soared over the past four decades, according to a report calling for a change in the law so that individuals are held accountable only for their own actions.The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (CCJS) also found sentences have become harsher under the legal doctrine, which allows for individuals to be convicted of crimes they did not physically carry out if they were present at the scene or held an association with the principal culprit. Continue reading...

Increased recognition of crime and perpetrators using technology to track victims are behind rise, say expertsThe number of stalking offences recorded by police has soared over the past decade, with experts saying the rise has been driven by increased recognition, and technology making it easier for perpetrators to track their victims.House of Commons library data analysed by the Liberal Democrats found more than 135,000 offences were recorded last year, up from just under 3,000 10 years ago. Continue reading...

Road and rail travel also disrupted across the UK before weather warnings lifted on SundayStorm Dave left thousands of homes across Wales and Northern Ireland without power and disrupted road and rail travel across the UK before high wind and snow warnings were lifted on Sunday morning.Winds of up to 93mph were recorded in Capel Curig in north Wales – 20mph higher than forecast – while the Met Office issued a yellow severe weather warning for heavy snow and blizzards across the Scottish Highlands, Argyll and the Western Isles on Saturday. Continue reading...

Reports on English policies seen in Wales as relating to whole of UK contribute to widespread confusion, researchers sayUK media is failing to report properly on devolved issues in Wales, leaving voters ill-informed about May’s Senedd elections, a report has found.A Cardiff University study of more than 3,000 news items found repeated patterns in coverage across different broadcasters and platforms, including not signposting whether an issue was relevant to England or England and Wales only, widespread references to “the government” rather than “the UK government”, and the use of “you” and “your” in contexts that apply only to people living in England. Continue reading...

Latest data shows 209 cases recorded as assisted dying referred to CPS by police between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 31 this yearThirteen cases of suspected assisted dying are being considered by prosecutors in England and Wales, according to the latest data.Encouraging or assisting the suicide or attempted suicide of another person is against the law in England and Wales, under the Suicide Act 1961.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [email protected] or [email protected]. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Welsh affairs committee says Bridgend jail is ‘not the right place’ to add inmates after deaths, violence and staff shortagesPlans to expand one of the most troubled prisons in England and Wales should be paused until serious failures surrounding staff and inmate safety are addressed, MPs have said.Seventeen men died at HMP Parc in Bridgend in 2024 – the highest number recorded at any prison in England and Wales that year – amid drug use, self-harm, violence and understaffing issues. Another three men died there in the first nine months of 2025. Continue reading...

Party announces Corey Edwards’ decision to quit Senedd election campaign on grounds of mental healthA Reform UK candidate for the Welsh Senedd elections in May has announced he is standing down because of his mental health, after a photograph emerged of him apparently making a Nazi salute as an imitation of Adolf Hitler.The announcement by Reform comes a day after Nigel Farage defended Corey Edwards, its lead candidate for the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency, saying he might have instead been impersonating the John Cleese character Basil Fawlty. Continue reading...

Research suggested resurgence in Christianity, especially among young people, but some respondents found to be ‘fraudulent’A YouGov survey showing a significant rise in church attendance in parts of the UK has been withdrawn after some respondents were found to be fraudulent.The poll was central to a Quiet Revival report, published by the Bible Society last year, which prompted news stories about an apparent resurgence in Christianity, particularly among young people. Continue reading...

‘Problem-solving’, child-focused courts to replace adversarial hearings, with earlier intervention to cut delaysFamily courts are “not good enough” and have treated women and children unfairly for decades, a government minister has said.Announcing a major overhaul of the family justice system in England and Wales that will play a central role in “rebalancing” the family courts, Alison Levitt said often brutal legal showdowns will be replaced with a “problem-solving”, child-focused model. Continue reading...

About a quarter of prison places are unsafe, Ministry of Justice admitsThe government has reneged on a pledge to make all prison cells fire-safe or take them out of use by the end of next year, meaning tens of thousands of prisoners in England and Wales will remain at risk.The Ministry of Justice has admitted it has known for almost two decades that about a quarter of prison places are unsafe, putting the people housed in affected cells at risk. Continue reading...

Taith programme, set up after UK’s post-Brexit withdrawal from Erasmus+, faces uncertain future over fundingA “life-changing” international learning programme set up in Wales after Brexit is at risk of being closed down.Taith, which means “journey” in Welsh/Cymraeg, was established by the Senedd in 2022 after the UK pulled out of the Erasmus+ student exchange programme. Its reach is much wider: many participants get involved through schools, youth groups or adult education centres, and nearly half come from underrepresented backgrounds. Data suggests Taith has already funded approximately twice as many projects in Wales as Erasmus+ did, working with less money. Continue reading...

Most dangerous offenders on probation will now be watched more closely than ever before, says governmentTens of thousands of offenders will be released from prisons in England and Wales wearing tags that track their location in real time as part of the biggest expansion of electronic tagging in British history, ministers have announced.The prisons minister, James Timpson, said a new pilot scheme would track domestic abusers and stalkers, alerting authorities if they approached their victims, while other offenders will wear geolocation tags that will enable probation officers to track their live location. Continue reading...

Law Commission proposal forms part of plan to modernise and simplify burial and cremation lawGraves more than 100 years old could be reused across England and Wales under Law Commission proposals that also include the reopening of some burial grounds closed under Victorian-era legislation.The changes would create a national framework for the first time, aiming to reduce pressure on burial space and modernise a system largely unchanged for more than 170 years. Continue reading...

Only half the road network is in good condition despite 1.9m repairs last year, says industry bodyA losing battle with potholes has now seen the backlog of repairs across England and Wales reach a record £18.6bn, according to an annual industry estimate, despite councils filling in about 1.9m holes last year.The “national disgrace” of dangerously pockmarked local roads has been exacerbated by a notably wet winter, with only half of the network now reported to be in good condition. Continue reading...

Prisons minister says more women should be diverted away from jail – and new board aims to bring about that changePat had been in trouble with the police before, when she was 16 and had been spat out of the care system with no qualifications, no housing and no support. Nearly 50 years later, she heard a knock on the door again.There had been a fire in the estate where she lived, and another resident said she had seen Pat start it. “I was in the police station for nearly two days before I got to the magistrates court,” she said, worrying one finger over the top of her hand. “The magistrate said he was sending it to the crown court, and sending me to prison, basically.” Continue reading...