Latest news with #Wiltshire
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Disgraced Wiltshire Police officer found guilty of misconduct
A former police officer, previously convicted of making indecent images of children, has been found guilty of gross misconduct.A hearing into the actions of former Wiltshire Police officer Callum Denley took place on Monday and found that he would have been dismissed without notice had he not already was found that Denley had breached the standards of Professional Behaviour for police officers relating to Honesty and Integrity and Discreditable 20, received a suspended prison sentence in May for five counts including the making of indecent images of children and possession of an extreme pornographic image. He also pleaded guilty to being in possession of a prohibited image of a resigned from the force on 18 March – the day he was charged and has been placed on the national barred list, preventing him from working in policing in the future. 'Abhorrent behaviour' Deputy Ch Cons Mark Cooper said that Denley's "abhorrent" behaviour "could not be further removed from what a police officer should be"."As a member of our police service, Denley was in a position of trust, with a responsibility to protect the public from harm," he added."He has completely undermined that trust and his actions have the potential to damage the trust and confidence that the public should be able to have in their police service."Police officers must ensure that their behaviour is always of an impeccable character and this case is clearly far from that."
BBC News
11 hours ago
- BBC News
Shop selling illegal tobacco has licence revoked
A convenience store that sold illegal tobacco products has had its alcohol licence revoked.7 Days Trowbridge, located at 6 & 7 Wicker Hill in the town, was issued with a four-week closure order by Salisbury magistrates on 19 a hearing on 10 July, a Wiltshire Council licensing sub-committee decided to revoke the business' premises licence, deeming that the owner had failed to comply with his obligations to prevent crime and disorder and ensure public convenience store, operated by Hawkar Mohamed, opened in 2022 and has been the subject of repeated investigations. Licensing officers told committee members that there had been a repeated pattern of non-compliance with tobacco control sub-committee heard since September 2022, Trading Standards officers have seized illegal disposable vapes, counterfeit tobacco products, and large sums of cash from the licence holder, 7 Days Trowbridge Ltd, had also failed to update their registered address and had extended the premises into an adjoining property – 6 Wicker Hill – without contacting the licensing holder had also failed to comply with a previous suspension of the premises licence. 'serious concerns' In April, Wiltshire Police officers stopped a man pulling a suitcase near the was found with hundreds of packets of illicit tobacco, over £1,200 in cash. He claimed to be staying at the shop.A subsequent search of the premises by the police uncovered more illegal tobacco and more than £3,000 in Paul Sample, cabinet member for environment, climate and waste, said that the council had acted in response to the repeated breaches of the law."Despite a number of warnings and enforcement, illegal activity has continued," he said."It was felt by the sub-committee that there were serious concerns about the business adhering to licensing objectives, leading to the revoking of the licence."
The Sun
14 hours ago
- Health
- The Sun
Urgent warning over vapes laced with deadly ‘zombie drug' – as children rushed to hospital
VAPES laced with the deadly 'zombie drug' spice are turning up in British schools and leaving kids in hospital. Wiltshire cops say tainted vapes flogged on Snapchat are flooding schools, leaving kids suffering seizures and terrifying personality changes. 4 "I'd urge parents to have conversations with your child about the dangers and risks as well as what happens if they do use a vape which is contaminated with something," PCSO Jon Akehurst, said in a statement. "Make it clear that if you do take these things, it has an impact on your life. Spice is a nickname given to synthetic cannabinoids - lab-made drugs that were originally designed to mimic the effects of cannabis. However, it is usually much stronger than cannabis, causing terrifying side effects like seizures, heart attacks, and breathing trouble. Victims also suffer dizziness, vomiting, racing hearts, sweating, panic attacks, and paranoia. streets littered with near-unconscious addicts. Now they're using new gadgets in schools to sniff out the dodgy vapes and keep children safe. It comes as the ban on single-use vapes has come into effect, part of a tough crackdown designed to stop kids from getting hooked and reduce waste. The force is working with Bath University, Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Council to test any suspected contaminated vapes to mitigate any further risks to students. Officers are urging parents to talk to their children about the dangers of using contaminated vapes after the discovery. "If you are concerned about your child, there are people that can help and support you," Jon added. "Unfortunately, with spice there can be many different reactions. "We've seen vomiting and behaviour changes, and we've had an incident where there were concerns that a child was having a fit. "The reactions can be very, very broad. Behaviour changes seem to be the biggest concern for schools, with students being fine before lunch, but after lunch they are elevated in aggression, say," A shocking study last year found that one in six vapes confiscated from school children in England was found to be laced with the 'zombie drug' spice. 4 Meanwhile, Public Health Wales reported testing 196 vape e-liquid samples, finding over a third contained synthetic cannabinoids. In March, The Sun joined Greater Manchester Police on an armed raid to expose armed gangs selling kids vapes laced with the deadly drug. Professor Chris Pudney, an expert in biotechnology from the University of Bath, conducted tests using the world's first portable device that instantly detects synthetic drugs. Working with concerned schools and police forces, he tested 596 confiscated vapes and discovered Spice at 28 out of 38 (74 per cent) of schools across London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire. What is Spice? The synthetic cannabinoids collectively known as Spice are made up of a range of amphetamines and other laboratory-created chemicals that vary wildly from batch to batch. Users smoke, drink or eat Spice, often in tea. Before the ban on psychoactive substances in 2016, it was being sold either over the counter or online under a variety of brand names such as Annihilation and GoCaine. It is highly addictive with withdrawal symptoms said to be worse than coming off crack or heroin. Users can suffer vomiting, seizures, terrifying hallucinations and severe psychotic episodes after consuming the drug, according to the NHS. Other side effects can be severe and unpredictable. They include inability to move, dizziness, and breathing difficulties. Chest pain and heart palpitations are common. Extreme anxiety, paranoia, and suicidal thoughts may occur. Psychosis and stomach problems like vomiting or diarrhea can happen. In some cases, acute kidney injury is reported. Spice appears particularly rife in Birmingham and Manchester, where a number of users have been hospitalised after taking the drug. The substance is sometimes dubbed the "zombie drug" because of the effect it can have on users, who are often seen staggering around. An ex-spice addict has described the sensation to Metro, saying: 'You just feel brain dead half the time. They say people look like zombies, and that's how it feels." The substance was declared unfit for human consumption by the very person who invented it. Organic chemist John Huffmann accidentally created it in 2006 when searching for a new way of developing anti-inflammatory medication. Two years later the substance began surfacing on websites, usually advertised as a form of incense or plant fertiliser. The drug has been described as similar to cannabis but others have cited effects more like powerful hallucinogenics such as LSD. An even more dangerous crystal form emerged in 2017, believed to be around 20 times more potent than the "usual" strain. About one in six (16.6 per cent) of the vapes contained Spice, while roughly one in 100 (1.17 per cent) contained THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis. 'Some have come quite close to death' Earlier this year, pupils from Unity City Academy in Middlesbrough were hospitalised after using contaminated vapes. Meanwhile, a teenage girl from Teesside nearly died at school after trying a vape laced with the deadly spice drug. Back in 2019, nine teens collapsed after unknowingly vaping synthetic cannabinoids. And in March, two schoolboys in Dalkeith, Scotland were rushed to hospital after taking just one puff of a suspected spice-laced vape. Dan Griffiths, 40, from South Shields, has seen first-hand the damage spice vapes can cause after his 14-year-old son Ash smoked one earlier this month, and collapsed. 'Ash had no idea what was in it,' Dan revealed. 'After a couple of puffs, he collapsed, and his friends were standing there laughing at his reaction. 'Thankfully, a passing nurse saw it and called an ambulance. 'Since then, he's had six seizures, and we're constantly in and out of the hospital. It's changed his life forever.' 4 Professor Pudney said: "Teenagers think they are purchasing vapes or vape fluid containing THC or nicotine when, in fact, they are laced with Spice. "We know children can have cardiac arrests when they smoke Spice, and I believe some have come quite close to death. "Headteachers are telling me pupils are collapsing in the halls and ending up with long stays in intensive care. "This is not just a niche, one-off occurrence that happens in a school far away from you, this is something common. "As we go into the school holidays, if we can have an open dialogue and talk with children about the risks they face, then they've got a chance of making a different choice."
BBC News
14 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Headlines: 'Disgraceful' hosepipe bans and blocked police car
Here's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media. Our pick of local website stories A mum-of-two who said her breasts "tried to kill [her]" after she was diagnosed with breast cancer just four weeks post-partum is calling for more research into treatment options, Bristol Live a man died in a Wiltshire river, an ambulance worker who attended the scene is calling for a ban on unsupervised wild swimming, according to Wiltshire Swindon Advertiser said a trade union in Swindon has called Thames Water's hosepipe ban "disgraceful" and criticised the company for wasting "billions" of litres of water. Our top three from yesterday What to watch on social media A police car on an emergency call was filmed being blocked by planters installed in the East Bristol Liveable City Hall has defended its decision to host controversial political commentator Katie "biggest walking Rugby Festival in the world" took place over the weekend.
BBC News
18 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Flood-hit Bradford-on-Avon resudents advised to 'use gaffer tape'
Residents and businesses have been told by the Environment Agency that one option is to use gaffer tape to protect their properties after the chance of a comprehensive £11m flood protection scheme was ruled near Bath, was badly flooded in November 2024 during Storm Withers, the Environment Agency's Area Director for Wessex said that he was "completely comfortable" recommending gaffer tape, because it will "keep water out" longer than sandbags and buy people "thinking time".The agency said a permanent flood scheme for the Wiltshire town was unviable, with prospective costs having more than doubled since it was proposed in 2017. Mr Withers added that those with properties close to the river should be prepared."Having a supply of duct tape or gaffer tape in your shop, to seal up the front door makes a huge difference. Traditionally, everyone thinks sandbags are the answer. "In fact, running gaffer tape around your door will keep water out for far longer than sandbags will."The rejected flood scheme, which involved the installation of low walls and pumping stations, was initially budgeted at £4.5 million, but has since risen to an expected £11 million. David Waldren, owner of The Cake Architect on Silver Street, said he believed the decision over the flood scheme was "short sighted"."It always seems like people don't want to take the risk of making a long-term change," he said."In the long run, it's going to cost more, it's going to cause businesses to close. It's going to cause residents to move out." Town mayor Jack Vittles said that the agency's decision was not a surprise.[It's] definitely disappointing and frustrating [but] not in any way unexpected.""The funding gap was large when they shelved the project a number of years ago. That funding gap has only grown."Environment Agency operations manager Ron Curtis said the agency remains "committed to supporting Bradford-on-Avon in adapting to flood risks through community resilience measures".
