BBC defends online ‘eco-glam’ magazine

The BBC has defended a new online magazine, funded from the licence fee, which is designed to encourage sales of clothes that pass an “ethical fashion” test.

Katherine Hamnett, the designer, is backing Thread, which promotes the sale of “eco-glam” clothes to an intended audience aged 16 to 30. But the BBC website has raised concerns that the corporation could breach its charter requirement not to embrace the agenda of campaigning groups. A mission to promote clothes sales was not part of the BBC’s recent reduced licence-fee settlement.

A BBC spokeswoman said: “Thread is not lobbying in any arena and has no links to any external campaign groups.”

Man arrested over suspected bomb plot

A 19-year-old British man believed to be a Muslim convert was questioned by officers from Special Branch yesterday over a suspected terrorist bomb plot and a “significant” quantity of alleged bombmaking materials found in his Bristol home.

About 30 people were evacuated from houses in Westbury-on-Trym while bomb squad officers carried out a controlled explosion at the suspect’s property in a quiet cul-de-sac. A second controlled explosion was planned late last night. Officers acted on intelligence received “less than 24 hours” before the explosion, a spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said.

Neighbours said the explosion sounded like a gas boiler blowing up. They received letters from the police telling them the action was taken over a “potentially serious criminal matter”.

Arrests over bodies

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after police discovered the bodies of two men at an address in Sunderland following a tip-off. A spokesman for Northumbria Police said that the identities of the two dead men were not known and that they did not appear to have been the victims of a random attack.

Hospital for assailant

A teenager who made a video of herself trying to strangle her mother and stab her father should be treated in a psychiatric hospital, a judge ruled. She was 15 when, in 2007, she attacked her parents, neither of whom was hurt. After Cambridge Crown Court convicted her of assault, Judge Gareth Hawkesworth imposed a hospital order.

Fraudster to pay £7m

A fraudster from Houghton, Carlisle, was ordered by a judge at Liverpool Crown Court to pay almost £7 million – one of the largest confiscations made in this country. Noel Young, 32, masterminded a huge tax fraud involving importing and selling luxury vehicles and earned himself £10,551,747. He faces ten years in prison if he fails to pay.

Death driver jailed

A driver who killed one person and seriously injured three others when he drove the wrong way on the M4 has been jailed for four years at Swansea Crown Court. Thomas Davies, 38, who had never driven on a motorway before, hit a car driven by Jeffrey Green, 64, who was killed at the scene. Two others in the car are now wheelchair-bound.

Gay man harassed

A gay, airport security guard could receive up to £30,000 because a woman colleague pestered him for sex. Allwyn Rondeau, 46, made clear to Lucy Chilton, 42, that he was not interested. An employment tribunal in Reading upheld his claims of harassment on the ground of sexual orientation against her and employers G4S.

Killer jailed for life

A Sardinian man who travelled to the UK to murder his wife’s lover, a former boyfriend, after they got back together via the Friends Reunited website, was jailed for life at Exeter Crown Court. Francesco Matta, 56, had denied murdering Flight Lieutenant Stephen Keen, 54, in Tiverton, Devon, in July 2006.

Care home finds

Objects stained with human blood have been found in two underground chambers of a former children’s home in Jersey being investigated over abuse claims. Police said that it was not clear if the items, found during a search of the cellars, were linked to the abuse claims made about Haut de la Garenne in St Martin.

Something in the air

A foul smell that hung over southern England yesterday was blown from northern Europe, the Met Office said. The manure-like smell was reported in London, Kent, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, East Anglia and as far west as Devon and is believed to have been caused by agricultural and industrial pollution.

Bafta honour for Bruce Forsyth

Bruce Forsyth will follow in the footsteps of Sir Anthony Hopkins and Richard Curtis when he receives the Bafta Academy Fellowship from Paul Merton at tomorrow night’s awards. John Willis, chairman of the Bafta committee, said: “Bruce is the ultimate all-round entertainer.”

Peal of joy as bells ring again

Church bells rung in a Bedfordshire village for 300 years are sounding again after the council spent £12,094 trying to silence them. Worshippers at St Peter and St Paul’s in Cranfield, where the bells have pealed since 1715, won a legal battle overturning a noise abatement order.

Delays add to flood misery

Insurance delays are adding to the misery of people who suffered flooding last summer. Researchers from the University of Lancaster urged that homes be repaired quicker, but not at the expense of making improvements to flood defences. A review will be published in the summer.

Sat-nav error cuts off water

A Cotswold village was left without water for nine hours after a lorry driver flattened a fire hydrant while following his sat-nav. The supply to Duntisbourne Abbotts (population 300) was disconnected for repairs after the driver did not heed signs that the road was unsuitable for HGVs.

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