Latest news with #MarkLane
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- BBC News
Grow Along Live
Studies have shown that gardening is good for both the body and the mind, and in fact, some GPs have even started writing prescriptions for gardening!This Summer, we're encouraging as many people as possible to get into an outdoor space and take part in our Summer initiative, 'Grow Along Live'. Whether you've got a 20-acre plot or a Juliet balcony, you can join Friday 9th July, gardener Mark Lane will be planting Spinach, Rocket, Kale and Basil on the Morning Live balcony, all of which are incredibly easy to grow and ready to harvest in just a few take part, simply grab yourself some seeds from your local garden centre, a container or plot in your outdoor space and some compost, and Mark will show you how to get started. You can also follow along on our social pages for Mark's bonus tips on growing Lettuce and Parsley love to see what you grow, so send us your pictures and we may feature them on the show across the Summer!
Daily Mirror
30-04-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mirror
The worst mistakes gardeners can make in heatwave as UK set to sizzle in 30C heat
As the mercury looks set to hit 30C in parts of the UK tomorrow, Brits will no doubt be flocking to their gardens for barbecues with friends and family, or a relaxing read in the shade. The Met Office has forecast temperatures around 25C today, and things are set to get even hotter throughout the week. However, while the sunny skies might be a welcome shift in the weather, for gardeners it can lead to concerns about how to keep their space thriving despite the increasing temperatures. Luckily, some experts have shared the things gardeners should avoid when navigating the warmer weather… Get rid of dandelions for good without any chemicals using expert's solution Watering at the wrong time With soaring temperatures, it's natural for gardeners to worry about how much water their plants are getting. According to TV presenter and QVC gardening guru Mark Lane, timing is important when it comes to keeping your plants well watered in the heat. 'One of the worst mistakes you can make is to water your plants at the wrong time,' he previously said. Mark recommends people water their plants earlier in the morning, between 5am and 9am, when the temperature is cooler, allowing less water to evaporate. Alternatively, watering in the late afternoon is another option as it will allow plants to 'dry off quickly which helps protect against the development of fungal diseases'. However, watering should be avoided at night. Mark added: 'Watering at night can result in water pooling on the soil's surface, around the roots and on foliage which can lead to fungal growth, rot, insects and even the death of a plant.' Overwatering your lawn Like our plants, it can be tempting to keep our lawns well watered during hotter periods. That being said, watering the lawn too excessively can do more damage than good as it may lead to scorching. Watering the lawn once a week should be ok, and mowing it once a week should work too. Gardening experts from Power Sheds have also advised people to adjust the blades on a mower with a higher setting to ensure the grass stems allow for maximum shade for the soil. When it comes to looking after plants, they added: 'The biggest risk to plants in high temperature is the soil drying out, your first line of defence against this should be to use a layer of mulch around plants to help the soil stay moist after watering. There are many different mulch materials gardeners can use during a heatwave, dry grass clippings from your lawn are a great option.' Planting the wrong things When the weather's good you might be tempted to put your gardening skills to the test, but you should think twice about what you're planting. Last year royal gardener Jack Stooks stressed the importance of timing when it came to planting certain shrubs. 'Ideally when you have excessively hot weather, you don't want to be planting trees and shrubs because when you plant these you will expose roots,' he said. He added: 'You want to be planting these early on in the season or late in the season to get them established quite well. 'All in all, I wouldn't recommend planting anything in really hot weather because you have to really keep on top of it and really be cautious with what you are planting.'
Daily Mirror
28-04-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mirror
Worst mistakes gardeners can make in hot weather as heatwave arrives in UK
With temperatures across the UK set to climb this week, there are things that gardeners should avoid doing to help keep their plants stay happy and healthy amid the warmer weather With many parts of the UK currently basking in high temperatures and bright blue skies, a lot of Brits will be spending more time in their gardens and outdoor spaces. Whether it's relaxing in the shade with a good book or treating friends and family to the first barbecue of the season, rising temperatures make it tempting to spend more time outside. The Met Office has forecast temperatures 'quite widely into the high teens, with a maximum of 25C possible in the southeast' for today, and things are set to get even hotter throughout the week. However, while the sunny skies might be a welcome shift in the weather, for gardeners it can lead to concerns about how to keep their space thriving despite the increasing temperatures. Luckily, some experts have shared the things gardeners should avoid when navigating the warmer weather… Watering at the wrong time With soaring temperatures, it's natural for gardeners to worry about how much water their plants are getting. According to TV presenter and QVC gardening guru Mark Lane, timing is important when it comes to keeping your plants well watered in the heat. 'One of the worst mistakes you can make is to water your plants at the wrong time,' he previously said. Mark recommends people water their plants earlier in the morning, between 5am and 9am, when the temperature is cooler, allowing less water to evaporate. Alternatively, watering in the late afternoon is another option as it will allow plants to 'dry off quickly which helps protect against the development of fungal diseases'. However, watering should be avoided at night. Mark added: 'Watering at night can result in water pooling on the soil's surface, around the roots and on foliage which can lead to fungal growth, rot, insects and even the death of a plant.' Overwatering your lawn Like our plants, it can be tempting to keep our lawns well watered during hotter periods. That being said, watering the lawn too excessively can do more damage than good as it may lead to scorching. Watering the lawn once a week should be ok, and mowing it once a week should work too. Gardening experts from Power Sheds have also advised people to adjust the blades on a mower with a higher setting to ensure the grass stems allow for maximum shade for the soil. When it comes to looking after plants, they added: 'The biggest risk to plants in high temperature is the soil drying out, your first line of defence against this should be to use a layer of mulch around plants to help the soil stay moist after watering. There are many different mulch materials gardeners can use during a heatwave, dry grass clippings from your lawn are a great option.' Planting the wrong things When the weather's good you might be tempted to put your gardening skills to the test, but you should think twice about what you're planting. Last year royal gardener Jack Stooks stressed the importance of timing when it came to planting certain shrubs. 'Ideally when you have excessively hot weather, you don't want to be planting trees and shrubs because when you plant these you will expose roots,' he said. He added: 'You want to be planting these early on in the season or late in the season to get them established quite well. 'All in all, I wouldn't recommend planting anything in really hot weather because you have to really keep on top of it and really be cautious with what you are planting.'
Telegraph
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
‘A staggering waste of money': The £100m asylum seeker scheme that fell apart
HMP Northeye, a defunct prison closed in 1992, sits on the edge of a quiet housing estate on the outskirts of Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex. Mark Lane has lived there happily since the 1990s – largely unbothered by the dilapidated prison next door – and now both his children have bought homes in the area, too. In March 2023, he turned on the radio to hear that the former prison site would be used as mass accommodation for asylum seekers and that there would be up to 1,400 people living seconds from his front door. 'Most of the residents – particularly down at the front of the estate – were obviously very, very concerned,' Lane says. 'I looked and thought 'This is nothing like a 'large' site'.' Northeye is roughly 40 acres; comparable ex-military sites bought by the government for the purpose of mass asylum-seeker accommodation, such as RAF Scampton, are more than 300 acres. For two years, Northeye's residents were in limbo, with minimal communication from the Home Office on how – and when – the site would be used. 'It has affected us hugely and has significantly brought down the value of our houses,' says another Northeye resident, who wishes to remain anonymous. 'It was quite unnerving for a long time, because no one quite knew what was going on.' Ultimately, they needn't have worried. In a significant blow to the taxpayer, the site – purchased by the government for £15.4 million in 2023 – will never be used. The Home Office announced in December that it had scrapped the plans because of the cost of making the site safe for habitation, despite receiving 'clear warnings' that it was unfit for use. 'It is a staggering waste of money,' one resident says. HMP Northeye is the latest in a string of unsuccessful attempts to solve the asylum accommodation crisis. In 2023-24, the government spent £4.7 billion on supporting asylum seekers who were destitute. Of this, £3.1 billion was spent on hotels being used as contingency accommodation. In a bid to bring this figure down, the Government has invested in a number of sites, such as disused military bases and barges, which it intended to use as large-scale accommodation for hundreds of people at a time. All these schemes have, for one reason or another, failed. 'In total, these purchases are approaching £100 million and they've all been cancelled – so it's £100 million wasted,' says Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the Conservative MP and chair of the Public Accounts Committee, which released a damning report on the acquisition of HMP Northeye earlier this month. It concluded that the purchase was an 'unacceptable waste' of public funds, caused by the Home Office's 'dysfunctional' culture. 'They really didn't do their homework, or they never would have bought it,' states Sir Geoffrey. When The Telegraph approached the Home Office for comment, a spokesman said: 'We inherited an asylum system in chaos. The contents of this report relate to the previous government's purchase of the Northeye site for asylum accommodation, but we have decided against progressing the site to ensure value for money for the taxpayer. 'As part of our overall effort to cut the astronomical cost of asylum accommodation, including ending the use of asylum hotels, we have surged the number of returns, removing more than 16,400 people with no right to be in the UK, restarted asylum processing, established the new Border Security Command, and prioritised the acquisition of more sustainable dispersal accommodation.' HMP Northeye, which was supposed to provide 1,400 beds for asylum seekers but has provided zero, is just one of a few sites where the accommodation has been deemed unsustainable. In 2022, £2.9 million was spent on a failed attempt to convert an RAF base in Linton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire. The government spent £60 million on converting RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire – a former military base that was the home of the Dambusters – into asylum accommodation, before concluding in September 2024 that the site 'is not value for money for the taxpayer'. To date, the Home Office has spent £34 million on the Bibby Stockholm barge, which is moored in Portland Harbour, Dorset. It was operating at less than half of its capacity and, as of this year, will no longer be used. Northeye is now another white elephant the Home Office is looking to offload. It will be offered to other departments, but it is likely that no one will want it. A report from the National Audit Office confirmed that the site's main risks were ground contamination, asbestos, flooding risks and issues with mains connections to utilities. Remediation would cost upwards of an estimated £20 million. It is 'yet another indication that the Home Office rushes into decisions with scant regard for the taxpayer, due diligence or humanitarian concerns', says Nicola David, the founder of One Life to Live, an NGO which campaigns against the large-scale containment of asylum seekers. 'Like the Rwanda plan, the RAF sites and the Bibby Stockholm barge, the Northeye plan was a display of performative cruelty which ultimately and inevitably failed.' Questions were also raised over the site's enormous cost. The Home Office paid more than double what developers had purchased the site for just a year earlier, after buying the old prison from the Ministry of Justice. Brockwell Group Bexhill LLP – a property company set up a month before it bought HMP Northeye – paid £6.3 million for it in August 2022. Thirteen months later, the Government bought it for £15.4 million, raising questions over what – if any – due diligence the Home Office did before purchase. It did not do a Red Book valuation – the formal property valuation report that adheres to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors' standards – so, according to Sir Geoffrey, they 'didn't know whether they were overpaying or underpaying. That's the scale of how badly they were doing this,' he says. 'There were a few reasons [that these schemes failed] but there are common themes,' he says. The Home Office 'didn't do due diligence. They were way out with the amount of time it was going to take to make them operational, and indeed the cost. It wasn't only the cost of buying [the sites], it was the cost afterwards. We see this with Northeye in spades. It would take many millions to get it into a fit state to accommodate anybody.' The prison was originally the site of an RAF Mobile Radio Unit. Between 1969 and 1992, it was a Category C training prison, but it was badly damaged in the prisoner riots of 1986. Then, until 2010, it was used as a training ground for the United Arab Emirates military. When it left, it fell into disrepair. Photographs from inside show squalid conditions; the ground is contaminated and the buildings riddled with asbestos. Yet when the Home Office was offered it, it jumped at the chance, bypassing established processes in a rush to purchase it. Northeye's residents questioned the site's suitability from the off – and not only because of its proximity to their homes. As a prison, it had a capacity of 450, yet the government was proposing it would house triple that number of migrants. 'It's completely derelict, which everybody seemed to overlook… We know the electricity supply, which is overhead, would not sustain or support a development of [that size],' says Lane. 'We [already] have issues with waste-water, and sewage, and whatnot – if they do anything down there, it impacts everybody. And so now we've got an uninhabitable lump of concrete that cost £15 million of our money.' Another common complaint is a lack of proper consultation with local residents. Nigel Jackson, who lives a mile away from Northeye, led a local campaign group opposing the plans. 'If people wanted to know anything, they couldn't find out. There was no dialogue [with the Home Office],' he says. 'There are 50 houses right next door, and the people who live there chose it because it's fairly quiet and peaceful. Some have young children, and some are retired.' The plans would have 'completely changed the nature of the place… Some, therefore, wanted to move, but the impact of the proposals was that nobody wanted to buy their houses. And if they were to sell… One woman got a valuation that was half of what it was before.' It is desperately ironic, then, that the Home Office paid more than double for the prison site – which it too will struggle to shift.
