UK holidays: deals of the day

Treat a loved one to a night of romance at a Lancashire hotel where Edward Prince of Wales and Mrs Simpson once stayed. Farington Lodge, a listed Georgian country house near Preston, is offering a one-night break with dinner and breakfast, as well as a bouquet of flowers and bottle of champagne on arrival for £145 (for two people). It is available until the end of the year. Book through Classic Lodges (0845-603 8892; http://www.classiclodges.co.uk/Farington_Lodge_Hotel_Preston/).

Seven nights from December 22 in ‘Tigh na Beithe Cottage’ now costs £495 (saving £100). This property, which sleeps four, is located in the pretty lochside village of Killin. The cottage, which has fishing rights on the River Lochay, is backed by the Lawers mountain range. Price includes central heating, bed linen and towels and well-behaved pets are welcome. Book through Ecosse Unique (01835 822277, www.unique-cottages.co.uk)

Save 25 per cent on weekly or short-break bookings at Sternsmill Cottage, on the outskirts of the village Quatt in the Shropshire countryside. The 19th-century cottage accommodates four people, and has access to fine walks along the River Severn and the Severn Valley Steam Railway. A three-night break currently costs £169.75 (including discount and booking charge).

Book through National Trust Cottages (0844 8002070; www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk). Valid until December 15.

Eastern Lodge, a Victorian bed and breakfast sleeping six on the South Devon coast (01752 871450; www.easternlodge.co.uk) is offering exclusive use for a small group of family and friends over New Year. The package costs £295 per person, including three nights' accommodation, breakfast each morning, a Devon cream tea, four-course candlelit dinner on December 30, a New Year's Eve Party at the nearby Ship Inn in Noss Mayo, and dinner on New Year's Day. Available from December 30 to January 2.

A seven-bedroom property in Northumberland is available via Owners Direct (www.ownersdirect.co.uk/england/e2414.htm) for £499 for three nights. Luxuriously furnished and close to a sandy beach and restaurants, the house on the coast near Alnwick sleeps 14.

A three-night February half-term break for a family of four costs £58 (saving £58) at Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks (0843 208 0368, www.woolacombe.com/bp). Book and pay in full by November 30 and enjoy this deal on a three-night weekend, or four-night midweek breaks, starting on February 18 or 21. Accommodation is in centrally-heated apartments and facilities include pools, cinema, 10-pin bowling and a nine-hole golf course, as well as children’s clubs and nightly entertainment.

Save £740 when renting a seven storey windmill in Norfolk this Christmas. Sleeping 15 people, the property has 360 degree views, internal beams, oak floors, a wood stove, open fires and the former workings of the old mill. Rent through HomeAway Holiday-Rentals (www.HomeAway.co.uk/p98330) for £2,960 per week.

Described as having "the best sited hot tub in Europe", Honeysuckle House cottage in the Scottish Highlands (along with its sister cottage next door) is available from December 20 to 28, for £1650 for the week (or £206 per person based on eight sharing). If you take both cottages, you will get £600 off the normal price through One Off Places (01967 402226; One Off Places)

Condor Breaks (www.condorbreaks.com) is offering a three-night break any time up to December 21 from £189 per person, including ferry and car from Weymouth, in time for the La Fête de Noué Christmas festival in Jersey. A three-night break over the same period with Fly Jersey (www.flyjersey.com) will cost from £269 per person, including flights, car hire and airport parking at Gatwick. Both breaks include three nights' accommodation based on two sharing on a bed and breakfast basis at the four-star Radisson Hotel.

Winter sun: deals of the day
City break holidays: deals of the day
UK holidays: deals of the day
Cruise holidays: deals of the day

Got a deal or discount for a UK holiday or attraction? Email ukdeals@telegraph.co.uk with no more than 50 words, following the format in the deals outlined above.

City transport 'needs improving'

City dwellers believe transport and traffic are the key elements that need to be improved to make their towns better places in which to live

City dwellers believe transport and traffic are the key elements that need to be improved to make their towns better places in which to live, a survey has shown.

Those polled put public transport, road links and parking ahead of the environment, safety and health as the first things they would improve and change if they ran a big city.

Nearly 60% of respondents cited traffic and transport as their number one city priority, with the general environment and cleanliness seen as the next most important thing.

Based on responses from hundreds of urban professionals from the UK and around the world, the survey came in a report prepared for the Philips company by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

The report also said: More than half of those polled would pay more, in tax or other ways, to get better roads and public transport. Citizens are happy now but worry about the future strain on public services.

Almost 60% reckon life in their cities is getting better, but older respondents are more likely to say life is getting tougher. Many over-60s would prefer to move out of the city;

Civic authorities need to look to their own inhabitants to develop infrastructure innovation. Citizens experience city life daily, they have better knowledge of these systems and what works, so local authorities should be more prepared to cede more to citizens and develop partnerships.

Iain Scott, senior editor in the EIU's business research division, said: "We were surprised at the perceived importance of transport issues to citizens. They rate transport above access to quality healthcare and decent childcare and education when deciding what makes a city an attractive place to live."

He went on: "Despite how much city dwellers enjoy their quality of life, they are generally doubtful that their cities will be able to cope with pressures in future.

"Policymakers will therefore need to get better at proving that they have the long-term vision and resources to ensure that standards of liveability can be maintained."

UK airports enjoy 'top approaches'

Barra Airport has been listed in the world's top 10 most stunning aerial approaches

Two UK airports - one a busy inner-city hub, the other featuring a beach runway - are among the world's top 10 most stunning aerial approaches in a list published on Sunday.

London City Airport provides "a highly scenic approach over world-famous London landmarks", said jet booking company PrivateFly.com which drew up the list.

The other UK entry in the top 10 was Barra airport in Outer Hebrides where planes land on the beach and flight times vary according to the tide.

London City was described as providing "amazing views" of the 02 arena in Greenwich, with the runway described by pilots as "an aircraft carrier" for being relatively short and surrounded by water.

At Barra, "visitors and cockle-pickers share the use of the beach".

Electric car completes epic journey

AP

The SRZero became the first electric car to travel from Alaska's Prudhoe Bay to the world's southernmost city of Ushuaia in Argentina (AP)

An electric sportscar developed by British engineers has finished a remarkable road trip on the Panamerican Highway, travelling from near the Arctic Circle in Alaska to the world's southernmost city without a single blast of carbon dioxide emissions.

Developed by engineers from Imperial College London, the SRZero sportscar ran on lithium iron phosphate batteries powering two electric motors with a peak output of 400 horsepower during its 16,000-mile journey.

Powering up was a joy at times, the team said - such as in Chena Hot Springs, Alaska, where they started their trip on July 3 after charging the batteries using geothermal energy.

"The SRZero was literally being charged from energy taken straight out of the earth with absolutely zero CO2 emissions," Alex Schey, a mechanical engineer who organised the trip, wrote in his blog that day.

Finding places to plug in along the way became a major challenge as the team passed through 14 countries in 70 days of driving.

But every time the driver hit the brakes - and there was plenty of that as the team made its way through the Rocky Mountains, Mexico and Central America and then through South America - the car recovered kinetic energy, extending its capacity to drive as much as six hours and more than 250 miles on a single charge.

This was no clunky science project - all that horsepower enabled the car to reach 60mph in just seven seconds and reach top controlled speeds of 124mph, the team said.

It pulled into the city of Ushuaia, in Tierra del Fuego, on Tuesday afternoon.

"The success of efforts like this should motivate us to follow this road that we believe is as possible as it is necessary - that of searching for progress for our societies without putting at risk the environment," the governor of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province, Fabiana Ros, said as she greeted the team.

Andy Hadland, the team's spokesman, said he hoped the trip would change the image of electric cars and inspire young people to become engineers and develop their own projects.

Big Apple 'a juicy treat for shops'

Britons should head to the Big Apple for big bargains on Christmas shopping, according to a survey

Britons should head to the Big Apple for big bargains on Christmas shopping, according to a Post Office survey.

Some items in New York, including jeans, toys and toiletries, are up to 55% cheaper than in London, the poll revealed.

A Jet Pack Buzz Lightyear toy costing £50 in London is just £24.27 in New York, while a pair of Levi's 501s set Londoners back £50 but are just £22.29 in New York.

The survey also showed that a 50ml Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream costing £23 in London would be £11.79 in New York.

Bargain hunters are also helped by the fact that the duty free allowance for UK citizens travelling from the USA to the UK rose earlier this year from £340 to £390.

But the survey also showed that while fashion items are invariably cheaper in New York than in London, prices for perfumes and beauty products are often higher.

The Post Office's head of travel money, Sarah Munro, said: "The duty free allowances now mean holidaymakers can bring back higher-priced gifts like the Apple iPad.

"Remember too that additional savings can be made by shopping in stores like Bloomingdales and Macys, which offer a 10% discount to UK visitors to offset the 8.8% New York sales tax."

She went on: "There are great savings to be made in New York provided that shoppers have done their homework in advance and don't assume that everything will be cheaper.

"Although most items are cheaper, the savings vary and we did find examples of popular Christmas gifts that were more expensive in New York. So it will pay to check carefully before splashing the cash."

Salt stockpiles 'enough for winter'

Philip Hammond is confident that there is enough road salt in the event of severe winter

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has said he was confident there was enough road salt in the event of severe winter weather.

He said that some salt had been imported from overseas and that a "strategic stockpile" was available if local councils ran into salting difficulties.

"I think we'll be able to cope. I am pretty confident we'll be OK," said Mr Hammond in an interview on ITV's Daybreak programme.

He said it was expensive to import salt from abroad and that there was a need for better productivity from the two main UK suppliers of road salt.

Mr Hammond said: "If local councils do have problems we can top them up."

Asked about potholes in roads, Mr Hammond said that the budget for dealing with this problem had not been cut and that £84 million from the previous Labour government had been ring-fenced.

But Mr Hammond added: "There is a huge issue with the backlog of maintenance on local roads."

AA president Edmund King said: "We welcome the Government's recommendation that local highway authorities should hold 12 days' salt supply, as last winter many had only six day's supply, which led to chaos on many local roads.

"Three quarters of AA members in a Populus poll of 20,109 last January said that their local authorities had not done well in gritting minor roads during last winter's snow, so we hope to see a better performance this year."

Work begins to remove M4 bus lane

Work to remove the bus lane on the M4 is set to begin

Work to remove an unpopular bus lane on a busy motorway is getting under way.

The 3.5-mile lane on the M4 near Heathrow Airport west of London was introduced in 1999 by then Transport Secretary John Prescott.

But it was rarely used and not always enforced, and the current Transport Secretary Philip Hammond announced earlier this autumn that the lane was being suspended until the 2012 London Olympics.

The Highways Agency will begin work on Monday night and traffic is expected to be able to use the lane later this week.

Mr Hammond said: "Scrapping the M4 bus lane is symbolic of this Government's decision to end the war on the motorist. It ends the injustice suffered by thousands of drivers who sit in traffic next to an empty lane day in day out.

"We will monitor the suspension over the next 18 months, but my intention is to scrap the lane permanently after the London 2012 Olympics are over."

EasyJet flights hit by fuel dispute

EasyJet flights returning to the UK from Egypt were disrupted in a row over fuel payments

Holiday flights returning to the UK from Egypt have been disrupted in a row over fuel payments.

Budget carrier easyJet had to put three plane loads of passengers up for the night in Egyptian hotels after the local supplier refused to refill its planes.

Passengers on one Gatwick-bound easyJet plane that got away late from Sharm el-Sheikh were initially told in an airport announcement that the delay was due to easyJet "not being able to pay its fuel bill".

But easyJet said on Tuesday that it had no outstanding fuel invoices with the Egyptian refuelling company and would be "changing suppliers immediately".

Passenger Tom Stanley, 83, from Deal in Kent, arrived back nearly two hours late at Gatwick on Tuesday after an easyJet flight.

He said: "There was an airport announcement at Sharm el-Sheik that easyJet could not pay its fuel bill and that was the reason for our delay.

"Then we were told that the flight had been cancelled and then, finally, we were able to board late and the pilot told us that the airport had run out of fuel."

The easyJet flights from Egypt that were delayed overnight were Luxor to Gatwick, Hurghada to Gatwick and Sharm el-Sheikh to Luton.

EasyJet said on Tuesday: "We can confirm that, regrettably, three of our flights were disrupted overnight due to a refuelling issue in Egypt.

"We can also confirm that easyJet has no outstanding fuel invoices with the refuelling company and as a result of the disruption we will be changing suppliers immediately."

Tube disruption 'every weekend'

A report warned of Tube disruption every weekend until summer 2012

London Underground services will be disrupted every weekend until just before the Olympics in 2012, a report has claimed.

Commuters have faced reductions in services for years because of weekend engineering work to upgrade Tube lines, including last weekend when the entire Circle Line was suspended and others were part-suspended.

The Evening Standard newspaper said it had obtained figures under the Freedom of Information Act showing that track, signal and construction work would close or part-suspend many Tube lines every weekend until just before the Olympics, which will start on July 27 2012.

The figures also showed that the last time LU ran a full weekend service was 29/30 December 2007.

When a full service resumes on Saturday July 21 2012, there will have been a gap of three years and eight months since Tube bosses last ran a full weekend network, said the Standard.

The figures were published following weeks of delays and disruption because of problems including signal, train and power failures.

An LU spokesman said: "LU is carrying out the biggest upgrade in the Tube's history while carrying record numbers of passengers, over one billion last year. There is not enough time to do this work during the four hours each night when trains do not run and as a result much of this work must take place at weekends.

"We completely understand the frustration passengers feel when confronted by closures, but to replace track there is no option but to close the railway. Under TfL nearly 200km (125 miles) of track has been replaced, delivering smoother, more reliable journeys.

Meanwhile, hundreds of London Underground workers are to be balloted for strikes in a row over allegations of victimisation against two union members, threatening fresh disruption on the Tube.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union said several hundred workers would vote in the next few weeks on whether to take industrial action in support of the two men.

Residents fight airport expansion

Campaign group Fight the Flights are fighting the planned expansion of London Airport in the High Court

Residents fearing rises in noise and air pollution have protested at the High Court over plans for an "extremely large" increase in the number of flights at a busy city airport.

Their lawyers are asking judges to rule the key decision to permit the increase in the number of take-offs and landings at London City Airport was so legally flawed that it must be quashed.

Nathalie Lieven QC, appearing for the residents, said: "There is no doubt there will be a significant impact on people living around the airport, particularly in terms of noise."

Ms Lieven accused Newham Council of "erring in law" by failing to consider the effect of the increase on the Government's policy on climate change.

The council had also failed to consult neighbouring boroughs and their residents before varying planning permission to allow the increase.

Ms Lieven told Lord Justice Pill and Mr Justice Roderick Evans the effect of the consent was to allow an increase of flights of up to approximately 100% on any particular day, and about 60% annually.

In broad terms, the number of flights from the airport, which was in a densely-populated part of London, would increase from between 70,000 and 80,000 to 120,000 each year.

Outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, members of the "Fight the Flights" campaign protested, arguing that noise pollution levels which were already almost unbearable would become intolerable.

Anne-Marie Griffin, chair of the campaign, said: "Noise and air pollution from the airport have been getting worse as the years have gone by, and any further extension of flights will make it worse still. It means people cannot have their windows open, shift workers cannot sleep during the day and it is difficult to work from home."

London City has released an economic impact assessment it says shows the benefits of increasing the number of flights to 120,000 a year, and claims that the airport contributes more than £500 million a year to the economy.

Plane crash liver 'saved patient'

West Midlands Fire Service/PA

Firefighters examine a Cessna that crash-landed on the tarmac in foggy conditions at Birmingham Airport (West Midlands Fire Service/PA)

A transplant patient "would certainly have died" without the donated liver that was involved in a dramatic plane crash, the surgeon who performed the operation has said.

The organ was on board a private Cessna that crash-landed on the tarmac in foggy conditions at Birmingham Airport after arriving from Belfast on Friday.

Two men on board were injured and the airport was shut until noon on Saturday while investigators probed the cause of the accident.

But the liver was not damaged and the transplant was carried out successfully at the city's Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Friday night.

Simon Bramhall, consultant liver transplant surgeon at the hospital, said: "Without a liver transplant the patient would certainly have died."

The recipient of the donated organ, who has not been identified for reasons of patient confidentiality, was listed as a "super urgent", meaning they were among the sickest patients on the liver transplant list anywhere in the UK and would get offered every potentially suitable liver.

"Patients who are on this list only have a matter of days to survive, so in this particular instance it was crucially important that the donor liver was used and has functioned successfully," Mr Bramhall said.

It was "pretty amazing" that the liver made it to the hospital in a perfect condition, he added.

"The liver is an amazing organ when it's in the human body and has enormous resilience but obviously once you've taken it out of the body then it's exposed to the elements," he said.

"It was reasonably well-packaged as one would normally package an organ in a fairly sturdy box which is insulated and surrounded with ice, but one doesn't normally expect the donor organ to be put through quite the effects that this organ had to go through."

No law change for electric vehicles

EPV's

The government has maintained its stand on Electric Personal Vehicles (EPV's)

The Government has ruled out changing the law about the use of Electric Personal Vehicles (EPVs) on the roads.

Following a consultation process, ministers said that the current situation, in which EPVs using the public roads and cycle tracks must comply with road vehicle law requirements, would continue.

It means that EPVs using the roads will still have to be registered, taxed and insured and the driver will still have to have an appropriate licence.

The Government decision also means that those EPVs that do not comply with road vehicle law requirements will carry on being restricted - with landowner permission - to private land.

Begun by the Labour Government, the consultation sought views on whether to allow such vehicles on to public roads and cycle tracks.

The Department for Transport said: "The department has considered the responses to this consultation but has no plans, at present, to change the requirements relating to EPVs.

"We are currently in discussions with the European Commission about new EU-wide rules on powered two-wheel vehicles and the outcome of these discussions may affect the future treatment of EPVs."

The department went on: "In the meantime, with the exception of certain types of mobility scooter and electrically-assisted pedal cycle, powered vehicles used on public roads in the UK are required to be registered, taxed and insured and drivers must have an appropriate licence.

"EPVs not approved for use on public roads may be used on private land with the landowner's permission. This could include, for example, use on show grounds, in warehouses, on golf courses or in shopping centres."

Fall in spending on weekend breaks

Spending by Britons on weekend breaks away is set to dip next year, according to a survey

Spending by Britons on weekend breaks away is set to dip next year, according to a survey.

British adults forked out £21.5 billion on weekend trips in the last 12 months, the poll by Santander Cards showed.

But travellers reckon their spending on similar breaks in the next 12 months is likely to fall more than 4%, or £883 million.

The survey showed that in the last 12 months, the average spent on a weekend break was £719.

British adults took 11 million weekend breaks to visit friends or relatives and also had 2.4 million weekend wedding breaks, 2.4 million weekend shopping trips and around 1.5 million weekend stag or hen parties.

London was the most popular domestic weekend destination, followed by Manchester, York, Edinburgh and the Lake District.

France was the most-visited overseas weekend destination, followed by Ireland, Spain, Italy and Holland.

Around half the weekend breaks were taken with a spouse or partner.

Football clubs tackling road safety

Four top football clubs are to help tackle the problem of child accident rates on the roads

Four top football clubs are to help tackle the problem of child accident rates on the roads, the Government has announced.

Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United will take part in a THINK! child road safety campaign.

The teams will use their after-school clubs, activities in schools and match days to help youngsters learn about road safety.

The new initiative will focus on helping six- to 11-year-olds learn how to find safe places to cross the road.

The clubs taking part in the new pilot project are all based in regions where there are higher than average casualty numbers for children aged six to 11. This work will be supported by local road safety officers and council road safety programmes.

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said he was delighted at the clubs' participation.

"Britain's roads are among the safest in the world, but last year more than 1,600 children were killed or seriously injured - that's 31 children every week.

"We need to think of new ways to reach children and make sure that they are given the skills they need to keep themselves safe on the roads as they grow up and gain independence."

Highway Code bus stop error spotted

The Highway Code fails to tell drivers not to park in bus stops, civil servants discovered when researching a parliamentary question

The Highway Code fails to tell drivers not to park in bus stops, civil servants discovered when researching a parliamentary question.

Government whip Earl Attlee said the error, spotted by Department for Transport officials, would be corrected next time the guide for road users is published.

Lord Attlee, answering for the Government at question time in the House of Lords, had faced questions about the problems caused for disabled passengers if buses are unable to stop in the proper place because of parked cars.

He said that local authorities had powers to keep bus stops clear and the Government "encouraged" them to use them.

But Lord Davies of Oldham, for Labour, asked: "Is the Highway Code entirely clear about the obligations of motorists with regard to parking at bus stops?"

Lord Attlee replied: "My officials take great interest and care in drafting replies to all parliamentary questions. In the research process it was discovered that there is an error in rule 240 of the Highway Code that doesn't list bus stop clearways as somewhere you must not stop.

"At the next printing of the Highway Code we will correct that error."

Rule 240 of the Highway Code lists a series of places where motorists must not wait or park, including motorway hard shoulders and cycle lanes, but makes no mention of bus stops.

BA puts on extra Paris flights

BA is to start extra flights between London and Paris

British Airways is to start extra flights between London and Paris, it has been announced.

On January 10 2011 BA will begin 12 services a week between Heathrow and Orly airport in Paris.

The new flights will complement BA's Heathrow services to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.

BA network planning general manager Colm Lacy said: "This is an excellent addition to our short-haul network, allowing business travellers easy access to the Paris financial district which is close to Orly airport."

BA will operate Airbus A319s, A320s and A321s on the new route.

Meanwhile, regional airline Air Southwest is launching a daily service between Newquay and Cardiff on January 4 next year.

Prices start at £39 one way, including all taxes.

Speed cameras 'save 800 lives'

Switching off all speed cameras could lead to 800 extra deaths or serious injuries a year, according to an academic

Switching off all speed cameras could lead to 800 extra deaths or serious injuries a year on the roads, according to a report from a leading transport academic.

Speed cameras have offered continuing road safety benefits since they were introduced, Professor Richard Allsop of University College London said. He added a large majority of the public have consistently backed the use of cameras.

Following reductions in central Government grants to local authorities, some councils have switched off speed cameras.

Prepared for the RAC Foundation, Prof Allsop's report said that 800 more people could be killed or seriously injured each year on Britain's roads if all fixed and mobile speed cameras operational before the cutbacks were to be decommissioned.

Prof Allsop, who is University College's emeritus professor of transport studies, said the benefits of cameras were not just to be found at camera sites but across the wider road network.

His report also said that in 2007 just £4 out of every £60 raised in speed camera penalties was net income to the Treasury and there was no surplus for local authorities or the police.

Commenting on the report, Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "The current crisis in funding for speed cameras - and road safety in general - leaves road users at real risk.

"The Government has said decisions on speed camera funding must be taken at local level which is why we are sending this evidence (from Prof Allsop's report) direct to all highway authorities. Councillors are perfectly within their rights to use scarce resources on things other than cameras but they need to know what the consequences could be."

Road Safety minister Mike Penning said: "The coalition Government is committed to further improving road safety but it is right that local councils decide how best to tackle specific problems in their areas.

"We would expect that road safety would remain a priority for local communities and that local spending would reflect that."

Union fury at BA member suspension

The Unite union has expressed anger after a BA cabin crew member was suspended

Union leaders have expressed anger at the suspension of a member of British Airways cabin crew after she collected contributions for colleagues facing disciplinary action as a result of strikes earlier this year.

Unite's joint leader Tony Woodley wrote to the company to express his "dismay and anger" over the airline's treatment of Andrea Molton.

The union said she was suspended for collecting contributions towards the cost of Christmas for colleagues suspended or sacked by BA following a series of walkouts earlier this year.

In a letter to Tony McCarthy, BA's director of employee relations, Mr Woodley said: "I am writing to formally register my dismay and anger at the suspension of Andrea Molton.

"It beggars belief that at this sensitive moment in industrial relations at British Airways, management should seek to take disciplinary action against a long-standing employee for collecting funds for Christmas gifts for sacked or suspended cabin crew colleagues. This meets nobody's definition of gross industrial misconduct" and has led to a wave of outrage among BA cabin crew.

"This suspension exemplifies the bullying and vindictive attitude rife among some BA managers which I have repeatedly told you represents a major barrier to any settlement of our current dispute.

"I am urging you to intervene to lift Andrea's suspension immediately, failing which the consequences will rest entirely with management."

A BA spokesman said: "A member of cabin crew has been suspended following an allegation of bullying and harassment.

"The company's disciplinary process has been in place for many years and was agreed with all of its unions, including Unite. As a responsible company, we would not divulge details of individual cases."

The 14-month-long dispute between BA and its cabin crew remains deadlocked after Unite decided not to ballot its members on an offer aimed at resolving the row.

Warning over VAT effect on tourism

Next year's VAT hike will make UK unaffordable for foreign visitors, a poll has claimed

The new year rise in VAT is set to make the UK unaffordable to many would-be visitors from overseas, a poll has claimed.

The increase from 17.5% to 20% will mean UK holidays will be "too expensive", according to 24% of 3,200 worldwide travellers surveyed by TripAdvisor.

In addition, a further 26% were still undecided as to whether the tax hike will deter them from holidaying in Britain next year.

The survey also showed that around a quarter of Britons reckon the VAT rise could make domestic holidays in 2011 too expensive.

TripAdvisor spokesperson Emma O'Boyle said: "The UK is one of Europe's most popular holiday destinations, with London in particular regarded as a world-class shopping hub.

"With a quarter of both continental European and British travellers anxious about a UK holiday because of the VAT increase, we may see some excellent travel deals in 2011 as the British tourism industry works hard to be seen as an attractive and competitive holiday option."

Warning over 'superjumbo' engines

Rolls-Royce's Trent 900 engine of the type that powers the A380 'superjumbo'

Up to half of the Rolls-Royce engines of the type which disintegrated on an Airbus superjumbo this month may need to be replaced by the three carriers in Australia, Singapore and Germany, Qantas's chief executive have said.

Australia's Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Germany's Lufthansa fly A380s powered by four giant Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, with a total of 80 engines on 20 planes.

Qantas chief Alan Joyce said that Rolls-Royce had indicated that up to 40 of them may need to be replaced.

"Rolls-Royce are still working through the criteria for which engines need to be changed," he said on the sidelines of an event in Sydney unrelated to the A380 incident.

He said that 14 of the 24 engines on Qantas planes may have to be replaced.

One of the Trent 900s on a Qantas superjumbo caught fire and blew apart shortly after take-off from Singapore on November 4, in what experts say was the most serious safety incident for the world's newest and largest passenger plane. The Sydney-bound flight returned safely to Singapore, where it made an emergency landing.

All six of Qantas's A380s have been grounded while extensive safety checks and fixes are carried out, and the airline says three Trent 900 engines have been removed, in addition to the one which blew out.

Singapore Airlines, which has 11 A380s, and Lufthansa, with three, briefly grounded some of their planes after the Qantas scare but returned almost all of them to service after conducting safety checks. Singapore Airlines has said it replaced three Trent 900s. Lufthansa replaced one but said the reason was unrelated to the Qantas blow-out.

Mr Joyce reiterated that Qantas would not be putting its A380s back into service until the airline was satisfied they were safe to fly.

"We'll have a daily dialogue with Rolls-Royce to determine which engines actually need to be taken off," he said. "We're hoping to understand precisely which engines need to be replaced and therefore we can have a firm timeline for when they will be back in the air, but we are still a few days away from that."

PM urged to back clock-change move

Road safety organisations have urged David Cameron to back a move to keep UK clocks on continental time

Road safety organisations have joined motoring groups to urge Prime Minister David Cameron to back a move to keep UK clocks on continental time.

A Private Member's Bill, tabled by Conservative MP Rebecca Harris, and calling for a review of evidence to support a trial of "European time" for the UK, is due to go before the House of Commons on December 3.

A number of groups, including the AA, the RAC and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents wrote to Mr Cameron asking him to back the clock-change initiative.

The groups argue that an extra hour's daylight in the evenings would cut road accidents.

However such a move, with the UK so far west and north compared with most of Europe, would lead to much darker mornings, particularly in Scotland.

Also, a three-year trial from 1968 to 1971, when the UK stayed on British Summer Time (BST) the whole year round, was unpopular and the UK reverted to the existing Greenwich Mean Time and BST system again from 1971 onwards.

RoSPA chief executive Tom Mullarkey said that putting the UK on European time would prevent 80 deaths and 200 serious injuries on the nation's roads every single year.

He went on: "At a time of great financial uncertainty, changing the clocks would offer a unique opportunity to save lives, improve well-being and boost the economy. We only hope that our parliamentary representatives now help to turn this universally appealing idea into a reality."

The letter's signatories are part of the Lighter Later coalition, which includes tourism organisations, businesses, environmentalists, public health experts and community charities.

"We would still put the clocks forward in spring and back in autumn, but we would have moved an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening," said campaign manager Daniel Vockins.

Building fire causes travel chaos

A fire caused major disruption to Nottingham's tram network

Commuters faced severe disruption after a large fire in a disused city centre building.

Fire crews remained at the scene of the blaze in central Nottingham as rush hour approached, causing "significant disruption" to the city's tram network, police said.

Crews were called to the scene, at a premises in Goldsmith Street, shortly after 1am and 1,400 people were evacuated from a nearby nightclub.

Inspector Ian Cresswell, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Nobody has been hurt as a result of the fire and people were evacuated as a precautionary measure for their personal safety.

"The fire has now been contained and we are continuing to assist the fire service while they carry out their work at the scene."

Police said Goldsmith Street and Talbot Street were both closed to pedestrians and vehicles, and asked motorists driving into the city centre to "be patient". Tram services into the city centre from all directions were also suspended, a police spokesman said.

Police said student accommodation near the scene was evacuated, as well as The Rescue Rooms nightclub, where a student event was taking place.

A spokesman said: "Nottinghamshire Police would like to thank members of the public for their patience and co-operation."

UK drivers 'most fuel-efficient'

Britain has the most fuel-efficient drivers among Europe's main motoring nations, according to a survey

Britain has the most fuel-efficient drivers among Europe's main motoring nations, according to a continent-wide survey.

British motorists drive at around 62% of possible fuel efficiency, a better figure than those achieved by drivers in Germany, France, Italy and Spain, the survey by the Fiat motor company showed.

The British driving style is built around "exceptionally smooth and thoughtful handling of gears", according to the survey which was based on responses from more than 5,000 drivers.

The survey, also based on data from half a million European car journeys, found the British are masters of gear changes.

The Germans accelerate too forcefully but do well at maintaining speed once they have it, while the French brake gently but are not so good at handling gears, yet readily adopt fuel-saving, gear-change techniques.

The Italians have the most trouble maintaining an average speed and slowing down gently.

The Spanish, although bottom of the five-nation eco driving table, are best at learning new driving techniques.

The survey also found that the Germans have the best road system, with cars having to stop due to congestion or traffic lights for an average of only six minutes per day.

The average time that cars have to stop per day in Britain and France is eight minutes, with the Italians stopped for nine minutes and the Spanish for 10 minutes.

Average traffic speeds in Germany, Britain and France are 21mph, while the figure for Italy and Spain is 19mph.

Call to ditch road safety cuts

The Institute of Advanced Motorists claims cutting back on road safety spending is a "false economy"

Cutting back on road safety spending is a "false economy" and achieving casualty-reduction targets by 2020 will save 2,500 lives and more than £4 billion, a report from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has revealed.

The report, entitled Deaths and Injuries on Britain's Roads, showed that in 2009 the UK was number one in the world road safety league table of safest roads, having been sixth in 2007 and fourth in 2008. In the EU, the UK has half the road death rates of Austria, Belgium, Portugal and Luxembourg.

"These staggering figures prove conclusively that investing in saving lives on the roads saves the country money, so funding being taken away from this area is a false economy," said IAM policy and research director Neil Greig.

The IAM also revealed that each fatal accident cost the UK economy £1.79 million in lost output, health care, pain and suffering. Mr Greig added: "Meeting our casualty reduction targets has meant that deaths on Britain's roads have halved over the past 20 years with 31,000 deaths avoided and savings to the economy of around £50 billion.

"The IAM calculates that achieving similar targets for road deaths by 2020 would save society 2,500 lives and the economy over £4 billion."

He also urged public bodies "to focus on the benefits to all road users and to the economy of investing in road safety education and awareness, training for younger drivers and riders, and targeted safety improvements to roads."

Meanwhile, the IAM report showed rural roads were still the most dangerous in the UK, accounting for two-thirds of fatal and serious casualties.

It also concluded that despite falling casualty rates, young drivers were still the most at-risk category. Mr Greig added: "With changes to the theory and practical parts of the driving test under way, and an ever-increasing focus on the risks faced by younger drivers, we hope that this number will continue to fall."

Road safety minister Mike Penning said: "We are committed to further improving road safety and fully appreciate the economic as well as personal benefits this can bring. That is why we have taken steps to develop drug-screening technology to make it easier for the police to prosecute drug drivers and, as the IAM recognise, have made improvements to the driving test."

He went on: "The importance of tackling the country's deficit means that we have had to make tough decisions in all areas of our spending. However, we have also removed ring-fencing from local authority grants so that councils are able to set their own priorities. We would expect that road safety would remain a priority for local communities and that local spending would reflect that."

Passenger train 'overshot station'

A 65mph passenger train overshot its intended station stop by nearly two and a half miles

A 65mph passenger train overshot its intended station stop by nearly two and a half miles in what rail accident investigators described as a "serious incident", it has been revealed.

Fortunately, no red signals were passed as the London to Hastings train encountered "poor adhesion conditions" as it went through Stonegate station in East Sussex.

Also a level crossing that the train went through operated normally before the service - operated by the Southeastern train company - came to a halt 2.45 miles beyond the station.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has begun an inquiry into the incident which took place at around 8.10am on November 8 on a train that had left Charing Cross station at 6.45am.

The RAIB said: "The train encountered poor adhesion conditions as its driver applied the brakes to make the scheduled stop at Stonegate station, while travelling at about 65 mph.

The train was unable to stop at Stonegate, and came to a stand some 2.45 miles beyond the station."

The RAIB went on: "No signals were passed at danger during the incident and a level crossing encountered by the train during the incident operated normally. The train driver contacted the signaller by radio to report the situation.

The investigation will identify the reasons for the train's inability to stop normally, and examine the arrangements for the servicing and maintenance of the rail head sanding equipment on the trains used on the Charing Cross-Hastings line, the information provided to the driver, the regime for rail head treatment, and other factors which may have affected the incident.

"The RAIB will publish a report, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of its investigation."

Rail firms condemned over fare hike

Train companies have been condemned after announcing that fares would rise by an inflation-busting 6.2 per cent

Train companies have been condemned after announcing that rail fares would rise by an inflation-busting 6.2% in the new year, with some travellers facing rises of nearly 13%.

Commuters in Kent and Sussex bore the brunt of the sharp increases from train companies, with some season tickets going up 12.8% in January 2011.

The Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc) attempted to put a gloss on the figures by confining itself to an announcement that average fares would rise 6.2%.

Atoc said the rises were necessary to ensure Britain "could continue investing in the railways".

But transport union TSSA said the increases were "simply outrageous" while the RMT union said passengers would be paying "inflation-busting increases to travel on overcrowded services".

And rail passenger group London TravelWatch warned that the "dramatic rise" could drive passengers off trains.

For the second year running Atoc gave no breakdown of figures from individual train companies.

The companies which did give more detailed information included Southeastern where a season ticket from Ramsgate in Kent to London increases 12.8% from £3,880 to £4,376.

A season ticket from Ashford International to London on Southeastern rises 12.7% to £4,328, while a Tonbridge-London season ticket goes up 11.8% to £3,408.

Under the existing price rise formula, regulated fares, which include season tickets, will rise by an average of 5.8% in January. There is no limit to what unregulated fares, which include many off-peak tickets, can be raised by.

Plane crash liver op 'a success'

Passengers wait at Birmingham Airport which remained closed after two people were hurt in an incident involving a light aircraft

A liver transplant operation put in jeopardy when a private jet carrying the donor organ crashed on a runway went ahead successfully, a hospital has said.

The liver was on board a Cessna that crash-landed on the tarmac in foggy conditions at Birmingham Airport on Friday.

Two men on board were injured, one critically, but the donor organ was taken to the nearby Queen Elizabeth Hospital, despite the wreckage of the light aircraft catching fire.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said: "A successful liver transplant was carried out last night at the QEHB.

"The recipient is stable, as would be expected at this time. Due to patient confidentiality no more details about the patient will be released."

She said the operation was the sixth liver transplant in five days at the hospital.

"The operation took under four hours and was carried out by three surgeons, an anaesthetist, a scrub nurse and a team of skilled theatre staff," she added.

"The transplant team would like to thank the pilot of the light aircraft and his colleague for their bravery. Our thoughts are with the individuals and their families.

"The team would also like to thank the quick-thinking of the fire and rescue teams at the scene who saved the organ."

Birmingham Airport remain closed until noon to allow experts from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to investigate the crash-landing.

Union seeks more BA strike talks

The union representing British Airways cabin crew is to seek further talks with the airline

The union representing British Airways cabin crew is to seek further talks with the airline after deciding it could not recommend a proposed deal aimed at ending its long-running dispute, it has been announced.

Unite had been due to put the offer to a ballot of its 11,000 members, on the understanding that leaders would recommend it for acceptance.

Tony Woodley, Unite's joint leader said: "I met today with BA cabin crew representatives. It was unanimously agreed that the last offer tabled by British Airways management in the current dispute could not be recommended to the members.

"I am therefore contacting the company with a view to reopening discussions to seek to achieve a recommendable settlement to be put to cabin crew."

The dispute flared over a year ago when BA announced plans to cut costs, including reducing crew numbers, but it later developed into a row over disciplinary action and the removal of travel concessions from workers who went on strike.

Unite members took 22 days of strike action earlier this year, costing the airline over £150 million and disrupting travel for passengers.

Under the proposed deal, the union would have to drop legal action on behalf of members who have been disciplined and agree to a period of no industrial action before the travel concessions were fully restored.

Leaders of the cabin crew branch of Unite, the British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association (Bassa) decided last week that recommending the deal would be a "step too far".

The deal included plans for disciplinary cases to be considered by the conciliation service Acas, as well as the return of travel concessions, although not until 2013.

Airport scan protest fizzles out

AP

A traveller receives instructions from a TSA agent while using a body scanner at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago (AP)

Despite some tough talking there was little if any sign of a passenger revolt at many major US airports about tighter security, with few declining the X-ray scan that can peer through clothes.

Many travellers said the stepped-up measures made them feel safer and were, in any case, unavoidable.

A loosely organised internet campaign is urging people to refuse the scans on Wednesday in what is being called National Opt-Out Day. The extra time needed to physically search people could cause a cascade of delays at dozens of major airports, including those in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta.

Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole pleaded with passengers for understanding and urged them not to join the boycott on one of the busiest US travels day of the year because it is the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday.

"We all wish we lived in a world where security procedures at airports weren't necessary," he said, "but that just isn't the case."

About two-thirds of Americans support using the full-body scanners to increase security, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll . But half of the 514 adults surveyed by phone said the more rigorous pat-downs go too far.

"Just one or two recalcitrant passengers at an airport is all it takes to cause huge delays," said Paul Ruden, a spokesman for the American Society of Travel Agents, which has warned its more than 8,000 members about delays.

More than 400 imaging units are being used at about 70 airports. Since the new procedures began on November 1, 34 million travellers have gone through checkpoints and less than 3 % are patted down.

Roads are dangerous, say children

More than 60 per cent of nine to 13-year-olds think roads around their home and school are dangerous

Children are at risk from speeding drivers and "dangerous roads" around schools and homes, a survey has revealed.

As many as 10% of nine to 13-year-olds have been knocked down while walking or cycling, the poll by road safety charity Brake and insurance company QBE found.

More than 60% of nine to 13-year-olds think the roads around their home and school are dangerous for those on foot or bicycles. And almost nine in 10 of these children reckon drivers go too fast in their community.

Based on responses from more than 15,000 children aged between nine and 13, the poll showed that 50% of nine to 11-year-olds and 61% of 11 to 13-year-olds have had a near-miss while walking or cycling.

The survey was launched as part of Road Safety Week during which a petition about road safety will be handed in at 10 Downing Street.

Brake believes that urban speed limits should be lowered to 20mph and strictly enforced.

Brake campaigns director Julie Townsend said: "For a society that places so much importance on the safety and well-being of our children, it is shocking and unacceptable that so many children die and suffer appalling injuries on our roads."

Road safety minister Mike Penning said: "Britain has some of the safest roads in the world, but if we are to continue to reduce casualties then everyone has a role to play.

"The Government is working on a new national road safety strategy and this week we launched an exciting new initiative to help children stay safe when they are out on the roads.

"Local authorities are able to implement 20mph limits outside schools or on other roads where they feel it is appropriate and they are best placed to make these decisions using their local knowledge."

Union chief slams BA 'fear culture'

New Unite general secretary Len McCluskey has attacked a 'culture of fear' at British Airways

The new leader of Britain's biggest trade union has attacked the "culture of fear" at British Airways as he launched a drive to discover the level of "bullying and harassment" against cabin crew.

Len McCluskey, newly-appointed general secretary of Unite, said the behaviour of the airline's management had been "disgraceful" in the wake of the 14-month-long dispute which remains deadlocked.

He said: "We have launched a survey asking whether our members have been subjected to or witnessed bullying, harassment or intimidation.

"BA is back in healthy profit and its senior management have their pockets jingling with gold, so it's time they showed respect for our members.

"George Orwell's 1984 is alive and kicking in British Airways. What is going on is absolutely outrageous, with people scared stiff to say a wrong word for fear of being suspended."

Unite has complained to the airline about the suspension of a cabin crew worker for collecting contributions towards the cost of Christmas for colleagues suspended or sacked by BA following a series of walkouts earlier this year.

Unite has decided not to ballot its members on a recent offer aimed at resolving the row.

The union is seeking urgent talks with the company over how to resolve the bitter dispute, which started last year over cost-cutting, but worsened after BA suspended a number of workers and withdrew travel concessions from staff who went on strike.

Heavy fog at Heathrow hits flights

Persistent fog at Heathrow airport has led to numerous flight cancellations and delays

Persistent fog at Heathrow airport has led to numerous flight cancellations and delays.

British Airways, the main carrier at the west London airport, axed some short-haul flights, while others were subject to long delays.

BA said the fog had led to air traffic controllers imposing "very severe restrictions on the number of aircraft that could take off and land each hour".

BA went on: "Customers were rebooked onto alternative services or given a full refund. We apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused, but the situation was beyond our control."

Tube workers balloted over strikes

Tube workers are to be balloted for strikes in a row over alleged harassment against two union members

Hundreds of London Underground workers are to be balloted for strikes in a row over allegations of victimisation against two union members, threatening fresh disruption on the Tube.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said several hundred workers will vote in the next few weeks on whether to take industrial action in support of the two men.

The union claimed that Eamon Lynch, a health and safety representative on the Bakerloo Line, was sacked because of his role as a union official, while Arwyn Thomas, a driver on the Northern Line, was facing "trumped up" charges as a result of recent strikes over job losses.

Members of the RMT and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association have staged a series of strikes in recent weeks and are planning another 24-hour walkout from next Sunday evening.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "Instead of harassing our members and activists on trumped up charges the London Underground management should be directing their energies into reaching a settlement to the on-going disputes over Tube safety and safe staffing levels."

Talks aimed at averting the next strike will resume on Monday at the conciliation service Acas. Voting in the two ballots will end on December 7, raising the threat of industrial action in the run-up to Christmas.

The unions have signalled they would suspend action over the festive period in the row over job losses if progress was made during long-running talks, but there has been no sign of a breakthrough.

A Transport for London spokesman said: "It is completely irresponsible for the RMT to call a ballot for strike action when the disciplinary and appeal process for both drivers has not been exhausted and in the case of the Northern line driver has not even started. For the RMT leadership to threaten to disrupt Londoners in this way shows a complete disregard for Tube passengers.

"The Bakerloo line driver was dismissed after a serious breach of Tube safety rules and the appeal process has not yet concluded while the Northern line driver was suspended for unacceptable conduct towards London Underground colleagues with a disciplinary hearing yet to be held.

"The RMT leadership should call off this pointless and unnecessary ballot immediately."

Diverted passengers stage sit-in

Around 90 angry passengers have spent almost five hours on a diverted Ryanair plane refusing to disembark

Around 90 angry passengers spent almost five hours on a Ryanair plane refusing to disembark after their flight was diverted to Liege instead of landing at Beauvais airport in northern France.

Passengers from three other diverted Ryanair planes accepted an offer of bus transport to France when fog shut down the Beauvais airport, 225 miles away.

But the mostly French tourists returning from Morocco on a fourth Ryanair plane refused to leave when it landed about midnight in Liege.

A spokesman for the Liege Airport, said the situation was tense and some passengers "were very aggressive, very rude."

He said passengers finally left the plane at the request of police.

Customers 'stick with same insurer'

Around 56% of drivers have not switched insurance provider during the past year

Just over half of consumers have used the same motor insurer for the past year, but some companies are only managing to retain a third of their customers, research indicates.

Around 56% of drivers have not switched insurance provider during the past year but policyholder retention rates range from 80% for some firms to just 35% for others, according to market research group JD Power and Associates.

The research, which was based on interviews with 5,000 policyholders, found that insurers Zurich/Zurich Connect, Liverpool Victoria and RSA had the highest customer retention rates.

Jeremy Bowler, senior director of insurance practice at JD Power and Associates, said: "While some of the highest-performing car insurance companies in the UK market successfully renew more than eight in 10 policyholders, others manage to retain barely one-third of theirs, which means they have to invest in advertising and lead commissions to replace two-thirds of their customers annually.

"Furthermore, 44% of customers overall switched insurers during the past 12 months, which represents nearly £3.5 billion in premiums that were up for bid.

"It's clear that focusing on customer retention can bring insurers substantial benefit in reducing costs and boosting profitability."

The group, which measured customers' overall satisfaction with their motor insurer, found that RSA is most likely to have happy customers, achieving an average score of 762 out of 1,000, followed by Liverpool Victoria. Sheilas' Wheels, Diamond and Swiftcover made up the rest of the top five.

The study also found that insurers are beginning to offer significant discounts to people who take out car insurance alongside other policies, and this is likely to continue.

The AA recently said the average cost of comprehensive motor insurance had soared by 40% during the past year on the back of high fraud losses and increased personal injury claims.

The cost of cover is expected to continue rising for the foreseeable future as the industry struggles to become profitable again.

Diesel at 'highest price this year'

The price of diesel at the pumps has returned to around its highest level of the year

The price of diesel at the pumps has returned to around its highest level of the year, according to the AA.

The average cost of a litre of diesel is now 123.07p compared with the 2010 high of 123.08p reached in May, the AA said.

Diesel has risen 1.77p a litre from mid-October to mid-November while petrol has gone up 1.33p a litre to 119.08p.

The AA said the stronger pound had prevented prices going even higher, with petrol still not as expensive as the year-high figure of 121.6p a litre reached in May.

Increased pump prices were largely blamed earlier this week for the October inflation figure of 3.2%.

The cheapest region for petrol is Yorkshire and Humberside, where average prices are 118.2p a litre. Northern Ireland and London remain the most expensive areas for petrol at 119.7p a litre.

Wales and Northern Ireland share the spot for most expensive diesel in the UK at 123.6p a litre while Yorkshire and Humberside (122.3p) has the cheapest.

AA president Edmund King said: "Knife-edge, dread and uncertainty are the words describing the state of UK fuel prices at present.

"The stronger pound has shielded drivers and consumers from the worst of the market changes. However, the fall-out from next January's increase in fuel duty and higher VAT doesn't bode well for inflation figures and sterling, if this week's market reaction is anything to go by.

"At street level, a steady increase in pump prices, impending higher domestic energy bills and even reduced reward points for supermarket fuel purchases add to the sense of dread for the coming months."

Protests held at ferry company

Unions representing hundreds of workers at the Isle of Man Steam Packet will step up their campaign to defend ferry services to the mainland

Unions representing hundreds of workers at the Isle of Man Steam Packet will step up their campaign to defend ferry services to the mainland, claiming attempts are being made to undermine them using vessels crewed by seafarers on "poverty pay and appalling conditions".

Workers will stage protests on the island and in Liverpool as part of a campaign to protect local jobs and services, claiming that shipowners were employing seafarers on rates below the minimum wage.

Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport union RMT) , said: "It is a scandal that there is now an orchestrated attempt to undermine the viability and the future of the Isle of Man Steam Packet, putting more than 300 island jobs, plus many more that depend on the continuation of the service, on the block.

"The Steam Packet is a cornerstone of the Isle of Man economy with nearly 200 years of history and we are demanding that the island's House of Keys intervenes to secure the future of this vital freight and passenger link."

The 180-year-old Steam Packet is the longest continuously operating ferry company in the world, said the RMT, employing 350 permanent and a further 150 seasonal staff.

It operates services from Liverpool, Heysham and Birkenhead to Douglas.

Union offers to suspend strikes

Union leaders have offered to suspend strikes on the Tube if a safety evaluation takes place into proposed job cuts

Union leaders have offered to suspend further strikes on London Underground if a safety evaluation takes place into planned job cuts.

Members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) are due to stage a fourth 24-hour strike from 5pm on Sunday evening in protest at 800 job losses, which threatens fresh travel chaos for commuters.

During talks at the conciliation service Acas today, the unions tabled a new proposal which included a recommendation for the suspension of industrial action if the management side agreed to a 12 week suspension of the implementation of the station staffing cuts proposals to allow for a station-by-station safety evaluation to take place.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "After many hours of talks we have now pinned down the issue of the station-by-station safety review, the mechanism for that review and the timescale to allow it to be carried out thoroughly taking into account the looming Christmas and New Year period.

"Clearly, the review can only happen in a meaningful and thorough fashion if the job cuts process is suspended for the 12 weeks that we believe is required to assess the safety implications for each station properly. If the management agree to that then we will recommend the suspension of the industrial action through Christmas and into the New Year."

TSSA leader Gerry Doherty said: "The unions have today put forward a proposal seeking to address safety, ticket office closures and the impact of cuts on passengers.

"It would seem after long discussions at Acas, London Underground management have finally arrived at a point where they are willing to at least consider suspending their unnecessary job cuts programme to allow for a meaningful safety and customer service review.

"It seems incredulous that it has taken three days of strike action to get here but if management agree to our proposal we will seek to persuade our members to suspend the strike action planned for next week."

Johnson 'must act over Tube chaos'

Boris Johnson has been urged to tackle mounting disruption on the London Underground

London's Mayor is being pressed to take urgent action to tackle the mounting delays and disruption on London Underground as passengers suffered fresh problems.

Labour's Mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone and Labour London Assembly Transport spokesman Val Shawcross told Boris Johnson he had to "get a grip" on the Tube "chaos".

They said that over the past month there had been "serious disruption" on one or more underground lines every single day because of a combination of over-running repairs, cracks on the lines, signal failures and faulty trains, causing "misery" for millions of commuters.

There were delays in the Monday morning rush hour because of signal failures on the District and Piccadilly Lines and a lack of available trains on the Metropolitan Line.

Transport for London reported a good service on just four Tube lines on Sunday, with nine lines either closed or part-closed, said Mr Livingstone.

"Londoners are fed up with the daily delays on the Tube. It's about time that the Mayor acted to tackle the failures which are causing misery for millions of commuters."

Val Shawcross said: "The Mayor has taken his eye off the ball on his key responsibility of keeping the Tube running. He is clearly not managing the planned closures and his inaction has caused a crisis in industrial relations on the transport network."

Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor of London's transport adviser, said: "The Mayor watches the levels of service on the Tube from a screen in his office like a hawk and is in constant contact with Tube chiefs about what needs to be done.

"More fundamentally, he put an end to the Public Private Partnership that has caused huge disruption and has been able to secure unprecedented levels of investment, despite the toughest of economic backgrounds, which will remedy these problems, add 30% capacity to the Tube and protect the economic prosperity of the capital.

"We utterly reject the easy rhetoric and gall of the former mayor who refused to condemn recent strikes and left behind a gaping black hole in finances as well as Tube upgrades that were spiralling over budget and over time."

TfL accused of 'lying' over Tube

Transport for London has been accused of 'lying' over staffing levels on the Tube

Transport for London (TfL) has been accused of "lying" over staffing levels on the Tube after the biggest rail union said a leaked document showed some stations were being left unmanned.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) stepped up its call for a halt to job losses because of the internal management document, which stated that "some stations were left unstaffed from time to time".

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "The management claim that they have no plans for unstaffed stations as a result of the cuts is a total lie."

The union said Transport for London had previously pledged that all stations with a ticket office would continue to have one despite plans to axe 800 jobs.

Mr Crow said: "Once again TfL have been caught out lying about the service and safety impact of their station staff jobs cuts plans. They have repeatedly told the public that they have no plans to run unstaffed stations and yet this communications report shows that that is exactly what they are planning for.

"There is no way that on an unstaffed station they will be able to communicate with the public in the event of an emergency or pass on service information. This report shows that the cuts are a disaster in the making.

"Unstaffed stations are also a muggers and vandals paradise. The mayor has promised that there will be no unstaffed stations but his officials say not only that there will but that there already are. It's about time they told the public the truth about their cuts plans."

A TfL spokesman said: "London Underground has staff at all stations and staff rostered for shifts covering all hours that a station operates. This will not change. On rare occasions, at small above-ground stations, when staff are not available for short periods due to sickness or other unplanned circumstances, a station maybe left unstaffed temporarily while another member of staff is found. This is preferable to closing the station and causing inconvenience to passengers.

"London Underground is a very low-crime environment, with crime falling by 4% last year - just 13 crimes for every million passenger journeys."

Tube safety staff job cuts anger

Plans to cut back safety staff on London Underground have been attacked

A fresh row over job losses on London Underground flared up when union leaders complained that safety staff were being cut back.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association said it "beggared belief" that jobs in LU's Safety Directorate were being cut by 50% under plans for hundreds of job losses which have sparked a series of strikes.

The union said it had been told that 65 jobs out of a total of 127 at LU's headquarters were being axed.

General secretary Gerry Doherty said: "It beggars belief that at a time of heightened security in the capital the Mayor is talking about cutting back on safety staff on a system used by three million people every day. This news comes during the inquest into the July bombings five years ago in which the heroism of LU staff has been widely recognised and praised.

"This is the thanks they get from a Mayor who is more interested in scoring cheap political points than entering into serious negotiations with the trade unions on maintaining and improving the Tube in the run up to the Olympics in 2012."

Members of the TSSA and the Rail Maritime and Transport union have staged three 24-hour strikes in recent weeks over plans to cut 800 ticket office jobs, with another walkout planned for the end of the month.

A Transport for London spokesman said: "As part of the review announced last month to reduce back office jobs at London Underground by around 800, around 60 posts will be removed from the company's Health, Safety and Environment directorate.

"The posts represent less than a quarter of the directorate's total staff and are non-operational advisory roles, not in those teams which carry out maintenance and safety checks on the railway."

Meanwhile, Labour's Mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone and Labour's London Assembly transport spokeswoman Val Shawcross have written to Mayor Boris Johnson listing a series of questions about the delays and disruption to Tube services in recent weeks.

The Mayor was asked to explain the "daily problems" being experienced by travellers and questioned about any actions he had taken to improve services.

Cost of running a car jumps 9%

The cost of running a car has leapt by twice the rate of inflation in the last 12 months, an RAC survey showed

The cost of running a car has leapt by twice the rate of inflation in the last 12 months, an RAC survey has shown.

Including vehicle depreciation, average annual new-car motoring costs now stand at £5,869 - a 6.3% increase on the figure a year ago.

Stripping away depreciation and car financing deals, the average new-car running costs have risen almost 9% to £2,417.

Overall, it now costs an average of £736 more to own and run a car than it did in 2007.

RAC motoring strategist Adrian Tink said: "Rises in the cost of motoring for Britain's 34 million drivers shows no sign of ending.

"Owning a car is a necessity for most people but they're once again being hit in their pockets - this time by an increase in costs which is double the rate of inflation."

He went on: "Fuel continues to be a major contributor in the rising costs, with little being done to control the spiralling prices at the pumps. It's time for the Government to look closely at the problem and take action, starting by cancelling the planned fuel duty rise of 0.76p in January 2011.

"Motorists will continue to be hit hard in the new year with the additional rise in VAT to 20%. This is likely to take us into a new era of record petrol prices, which is why it is vital the Government takes a close look at the issue to help end the war on motorists' pockets."

Hammond in aviation costs clash

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond clashed with a Commons committee chairman over security at airports

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has clashed with a Commons committee chairman over spending on aviation security.

Mr Hammond told the House of Commons Transport Committee that there were plans to transfer some of the cost of aviation security to the industry. He said that there would be no relaxation of security standards but there would be more flexibility in introducing measures.

But the committee's chairman, Louise Ellman MP, said she was concerned that it was emerging that there would be "quite significant cuts" in spending on aviation security.

She went on: "There is a concern that this is being cost-driven rather than needs-driven."

Mr Hammond told MPs that he was looking to transfer some of the responsibility on aviation security from the Department for Transport to the Civil Aviation Authority or to aviation industry operators.

He said there were different ways of introducing aviation security, adding: "I am not suggesting we relax the standards we require. I am suggesting more flexibility."

Mr Hammond was asked if it was possible to have fewer checks at airports and still maintain good security.

He replied: "The way forward is to try to focus more effectively on high-risk behaviour. It's possible that in some cases more searches (of passengers) than are necessary have been carried out."

Mr Hammond said he "completely rejected" the notion that some areas - such as aviation security - were somehow immune from the need for savings. He added: "Almost every activity is capable of yielding some efficiency gains."

Royal wedding 'will boost tourism'

Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding will be a huge boost to UK tourism, travel chiefs said

Next year's royal wedding will be a huge boost to UK tourism, travel chiefs has said.

With the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics following in 2012, the tourism industry has a tremendous opportunity to attract extra overseas tourists, VisitEngland chief executive James Berresford said.

He said: "I'm absolutely thrilled for William and Kate, and thrilled for tourism as well.

"The wedding next year will mean that once again the eyes of the world will be turned to our nation. We will have a wonderful opportunity to showcase all that is best about the country - its heritage and its history and what being English is all about."

Mr Berresford continued: "We now have the boost of the royal wedding next year and then in 2012 there is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and then the Olympics. The wedding announcement today is great news and is a real shot in the arm for tourism."

Last week the Office of National Statistics announced that the number of visits made to the UK by overseas residents in the first nine months of this year totalled 22.48 million - a 2% dip on the January-September 2009 total.

Spending by overseas residents during UK trips so far this year has reached £12.57 billion - 1% down on the January-September 2009 figure.

M25 widening cost 'increases £660m'

The cost of widening Britain's busiest motorway has increased by 660 million pounds, partly due to project delay

The cost of widening Britain's busiest motorway has increased by 24%, or £660 million, partly due to the slow way the Highways Agency took the project forward, a report by a Government spending watchdog has said.

An 18-month delay in preparing and finalising the widening procurement for the M25 meant the contract was let in May 2009 at the height of the credit crisis, the report by the National Audit Office (NAO) said.

This increased the net present cost by £660 million to £3.4 billion, the NAO said.

The report added that the Government had announced in 2003 its intention to reduce congestion on the M25.

At that time, the Highways Agency was starting to carry out trials of an alternative, potentially cheaper solution of allowing drivers to use motorway hard shoulders at peak times - known as hard shoulder running (HSR).

The NAO said on Thursday that the savings from a conventionally-procured HSR solution for the M25 might range between £400 million and £1.1 billion.

The report said: "The slow progress on testing HSR and the agency's commitment to widening meant that the agency limited its options.

"As a result, it did not give itself the opportunity to secure a better price for the taxpayer. The agency is now using HSR on a number of major roads."

NAO head Amyas Morse said: "The Highways Agency's PFI (private finance initiative) project to widen the M25 could have achieved a materially better value-for-money outcome. This was partly because the slowness with which the project was taken forward subjected it to the cost effects of the credit crisis.

"The agency should have adopted a more agile approach to procurement, recognising the potential for making savings using an alternative method of relieving congestion - hard shoulder running. The agency should have kept its contracting approach open to allow the use of this method."

Tenerife, Canary Islands

Tenerife, Canary Islands : Beach Guide - Travel Channel Catch It The Travel Channel Home Shows Featured Food Wars Ghost Adventures Man v. Food Mysteries at the Museum Shows A-ZBert the ConquerorBizarre FoodsDhani JonesFood WarsGhost AdventuresMan v. FoodMysteries at the MuseumNo ReservationsSamantha BrownThree SheetsWhen Vacations Attack View Full TV Schedule » ScheduleVideoPlaces & TripsSweepstakes Places & Trips  >    >    >   Tenerife, Canary Islands Tenerife, Canary IslandsSun, Sand and Surf Impossible to Resistby Douglas Holaday Link to This Travel IdeaClose Copy to ClipboardShare This Travel IdeaCloseYour emailRecipient's emailSeparate multiple emails by commas or semi-colonsSubjectMessageCancelPost to:

Playa de las Américas is a series of contiguous beaches in the towns of Arona and Adje on the south shore of Tenerife Island. Tenerife is the largest island in the Canary Island archipelago, which is part of Spain. The beach there is protected by an artificial reef and features an attractive yellow-grey sand and shallow water.

Getting There
The nearest major international airport is Reina Sofía International. Most tourists arrive on flights from Madrid (2 hours.)

Airport transportation
Buses make the 10-mile trip to Las Américas every hour. Car rentals are plentiful and their prices reflect ample competition.

Timing
Tenerife's tradewinds and proximity to the equator make the weather there remarkably stable -- visitors are attracted to the island year-round.

Temperatures range from 68F to 77F, and the water temperatures range from 66F to 72F. The island receives about 29 days of rain each year, although the South is far more arid than the North. The beaches are busiest at Christmas and Easter, when northern Europeans flock to the sun, and during August when the Mediterranean countries are on holiday. May and November are the slowest months.

Lodging
The hotels start at the waterfront, and neither selection nor availability pose a problem. Las Américas has hotels, apartment complexes, and rental homes to suit virtually any taste or budget, and still the construction continues.

Cuisine
Canarian cuisine is known for featuring locally grown tropical fruits: banana, guava, mango and papaya. Fish specialties also figure prominently. Ask for sancochio canario, a blend of stewed salted fish, bananas and potato with a spicy sauce. Olive oil sauces are popular: try mojos verdes, (made with coriander), or mojos rojos, (made with paprika). Eat these with gofio, which is a roasted blend of wheat, corn and barley. 

Travel Tips
The southern shore is the most developed area in the Canaries, but also offers the most attractions and the best dining and nightlife. The emphasis is on fun and enjoyment so don't expect peace and quiet. Tenerife is a duty-free island, and you can find all types of products for less than the duty-free sections of airports in their countries of origin. Liquor, perfume, cosmetics, and cigarettes are least expensive in the large supermarkets. Cameras, watches and specialty crafts from Africa and elsewhere are readily available at low prices, especially if you haggle.

Although the local drinking water is safe, its mineral content is very high and bottled water is suggested.

Remember that the sun's rays are far stronger at these southern latitudes than in North America or Europe. 

While you are there
Join a tour or drive to the National Park of the Teide volcano which, at an elevation of 12,200 feet, dominates the island.

Take the short hydrofoil ride to the lush neighboring island of La Gomera where Columbus last provisioned his ships in 1492.

Lighten your pockets at the Casino Playa de las Américas in the Hotel Gran Tenerife.

To fake that you've been there
Nonchalantly refer to the (typically European) topless nature of the beaches.

Linking for a better vacation
Budget Travel Tenerife contains contact information for tourism-related businesses such as hotels and cybercafes.

That's Tenerife provides a basic survey of the island.

Doug Holaday is the Mining Co. Guide for the 'France for Visitors' site and enjoys visiting beaches around the world.

 

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