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Locksmith exposed on BBC's Rogue Traders is jailed for four years for ripping off customers with shoddy work

Rogue trader: Mark Makowski has been jailed for four years for over-charging pensioners hundreds of pounds

Mark Makowski, 40, overcharged his victims by hundreds of pounds for shoddy and often unnecessary work around the London area. He ignored letters of complaint and bullied unhappy customers - calling one woman 'scum' when she phoned him.

Web hunt for girl caught in horror video throwing live puppies into a river

A video has emerged which appears to show a young woman throwing live puppies into a fast-flowing river

In the clip, which has sparked outrage on social networking websites, she picks up what appear to be wriggling puppies before hurling them into the water.

Bob Wilson's son-in-law dies after being poisoned by sea urchin in freak tragedy

bob wilson

Mitchell Carey complained of stomach pains before his condition deteriorated sharply. His wife, Mr Wilson's daughter, also died young when she was just 31.

Pakistan cricketers in betting scandal leave squad for London crisis summit as officials make three arrests

London bound: Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal (right) has been summoned to the capital for crisis talks. Akmal and teammate Fawad Alam are pictured leaving the team's hotel in Taunton, Somerset today

Two men and a woman, all from London, were questioned yesterday as part of an investigation into money laundering before being released on bail, HM Revenue and Customs said.

Father of girl, 21, injured in clash with Arsenal and England star Jack Wilshere demands justice

CCTV of fight outside the Daily Mail's offices in Kensington

Kim Plested, who was celebrating her 21st birthday, was left with a broken forearm and dislocated elbow in the fracas.

Teenage boy 'drowned elderly vicar and chopped up his body after sexual abuse'

Christopher Hunnisett at the time of the original trial: His explanation of the circumstances surrounding the late vicar's death have changed considerably.

Former church server Christopher Hunnisett offers shock new testimony in case of 81-year-old Reverend Ronald Glazebrook's grisly murder

Fresh fears of housing market 'double dip' as mortgage lending crashes to new low

Mortgage lending dived sharply in July as activity in the housing market remained subdued, figures from the Bank of England showed today

The subdued lending figures have added to concerns among economists that the housing market is heading for a fresh round of price falls.

Temperatures soar as summer returns... just in time for the bank holiday return to work

Bournemouth

The late blast of summer sun will come too late for the millions of holidaymakers who returned to work today after a mixed bag of weather over the bank holiday long weekend.

iStethoscope: The iPhone app making the real thing obsolete in hospitals

The iStethoscope app displays a cardiogram after it is pressed against the chest

More than 500 users a day are downloading the free version of the application which experts say has already saved lives.

'There was no argument': Giant Royal Navy destroyer looms over yacht carrying £4m worth of cocaine

HMS Gloucester looms over the yacht Tortuga whilst a Cape Verde law enforcement team searches for narcotics

Two teenagers die after car plunges down 20ft embankment and lands on its roof in lake

Anwen Chloe Lane-Busby

The accident happened on the A44 at Ponterwyd, near Aberystwyth, Wales, at 12.30am. The car plunged 20ft down the embankment and came to rest in 4ft of water.

In B&Q they cost 20p. So why does the NHS spend £99 for a screw to put in your hip?

Most NHS health trusts spend between £3million and £4million a year on ­orthopaedic supplies alone

In a damning expose, a medical sales rep, under the cover of anonymity, talks to VICTORIA ­LAMBERT about the used-car-sales ­tactics of ­companies which make millions from the NHS.

Labour braced as Blair prepares to trash Brown in first major TV interview since he quit as PM

Blair

Allies of Mr Brown are preparing to hit back at Mr Blair as he 'trashes' Brown's reputation in a television interview with Andrew Marr and in his new book, A Journey.

Ed Balls slams Miliband family 'soap opera' as he stokes Labour's leadership civil war

 Labour leadership candidate Ed Balls and his wife Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary

Launching a call for a massive £6billion programme to build 100,000 new houses, the shadow education secretary said the Labour leadership race had become a 'Miliband soap opera'.

Raoul Moat 'shot himself BEFORE police fired Taser guns'

Raoul Moat

The revelation contradicts reports that the electric shock of the Tasers may have led to the fugitive gunman accidentally shooting himself.

British grandfather stranded in Prague hospital in a coma after insurance refuses to pay out

Stranded: Andrew Ross has been in a coma in a Prague hospital after suffering a heart attack nearly a month ago

Andrew Ross became ill in his hotel room on his son's stag do as he prepared to fly home on August 2.

Dangerous hoodie gang smashed by police after drug and gun boasts on YouTube

Menacing: The B515 gang as they appear on one of their YouTube videos

The 40-strong members of notorious Birmingham gang B515, some aged as young as 13, had been attacking police cars, evading police on BMX bikes and plaguing their neighbourhood with anti-social behaviour for months.

'Pay me £4bn a year and I'll stop Europe from turning black': Col Gaddafi demands EU cash to stop immigration via Libya

Demands: Colonel Gaddafi has said the EU should pay Libya £4.1bn a year to prevent immigration through the country

Colonel Gaddafi made the apparent blackmail demand as he ended his controversial two-day visit to Italy.

BA union threatens new round of strikes over 'unjustified' sackings and suspension of nearly 100 staff

BA jets

Unite said the number of disciplinary cases taken against its members was 'seriously complicating' attempts to break the deadlocked row.

Luxury Manhattan apartment building where U.S. ambassador's daughter fell to her death 'known for wild parties'

Album: Nicole John, 17, kept a blog of her photographs and a camera was found near her body after she fell from an apartment building in New York

Nicole John, 17, is believed to have stepped on to the ledge of the top floor of the 25-storey Herald Towers, in New York, carrying a camera.

Was MI6 spy victim of the perfect murder?

Gareth Williams

Pathologists investigating death of MI6 spy Gareth Williams believe the cause of his death may never be fully discovered as there are no signs of violence.

Dutch police arrest two terror suspects on flight from U.S.

Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al-Soofi

A US law enforcement official said the men were flying on an American Airlines flight from Chicago to Amsterdam when the items were found in luggage.

Police pelted with missiles by anti-fascist protesters during far-right Bank Holiday march

Birghton and Hove

The Unite Against Fascism group took to the streets of Brighton, East Sussex, to protest against the march, but ended up attacking police.

Mexico catches 'Barbie' the U.S.-born drug lord behind vicious turf war

 Edgar Valdez Villarreal, alias

The Texas-born gang kingpin, 37, faces drug trafficking charges in the U.S. and has been blamed for a vicious turf war which has seen shoot-outs in central Mexico.

Royal Navy 'plans to share aircraft carriers with the French'

HMS Ark Royal

British and French ships could work together to protect the interests of both countries, allowing Britain to stop work on two replacement carriers, which are already under construction at a cost of £5.2bn.

Urgent probe into Iraqi boy, 11, missing for seven years after being taken into care by British Army

Missing: Memmon Salam al-Maliki and his father. He has not been seen since 2003 after being taken to a British Army base in Iraq

Memmon Salam al-Maliki, then 11, disappeared within days of being taken to a military base in 2003 after being wounded while playing with munitions in Basra.

'Cyberchondriac' nation: Millions of Britons worry themselves sick after misdiagnosing symptoms on Google

One in six people who suffer migraines have convinced themselves they could have a migraine after searching for their symptoms online

Millions of Britons have convinced themselves they are seriously ill or even dying - after using the internet to diagnose their symptoms, a survey reveals.

Grandmother is awarded college certificate - for making sandwiches

Helen Wright was issued an adult numeracy certificate after helping her grandson make sandwiches (file picture)

Pensioner Helen Wright could not understand why she had been sent the adult numeracy certificate in the post - as she had never attended college in her life.

Ski tourists more likely to have a heart attack at start of holiday than at the end

A combination of high altitude and intense exercise is to blame for many heart attacks on the slopes, according to new research

Most heart attacks in winter tourists taking skiing holidays happen in the first two days, say researchers.

Ban TV to protect children's health, top psychologist tells EU politicians

Child TV

Aric Sigman will tell MEPs today that spending hours slumped in front of TVs and computers is 'the greatest unacknowledged health scandal of our time'.

Elf 'n' safety police outlaw children's trampoline

Sharon Farmer has been ordered to take down her trampoline because it constitutes a safety risk

Sharon Farmer has put up the 14ft trampoline in communal gardens in Lewisham, south London, for the past decade, but has been told by housing association bosses that she must remove it for health and safety reasons.

Our ever shrinking pension payouts: Millions now facing the lowest returns on investments since records began

Money worries: Pension pots have been slashed because annuity rates have nose-dived

Despite saving the same amount of money into their pensions, they face the dire prospect of getting about half the income they would have received 15 years ago, research reveals today.

Afghan campaign is 'turning a corner' claims Clegg as Deputy Prime Minister swoops in for surprise visit

Nick Clegg

Mother of 10 living in three-bed council home demands TWO houses next door to each other 'because we need more room'

Harrison family

Greenpeace forces British firm to shut down Arctic oil rig: Activists chain themselves 50ft above freezing ocean

oil rig

Greenpeace said four expert climbers in inflatable speedboats had evaded Danish navy commanders to climb up the inside of the Cairn Energy oil rig.

Hardline Iranian newspaper brands Carla Bruni 'a prostitute who deserves to die over stoning protest letter'

The Elysee Palace had no formal reaction to the slurs in the Iranian media, but an insider said Ms Bruni-Sarkozy was ¿deeply shocked¿ by the personal attack

President Sarkozy's wife was one of several French celebrities who published open letters protesting about the Iranian woman sentenced to death for adultery.

Titian masterpiece 'David and Goliath' damaged by water during fire at Venice basilica

Repairs: Titian masterpiece David and Goliath in the Santa Maria della Salute basilica in Venice was damaged by water

The fire broke out at the seminary next to the Santa Maria della Salute basilica, a 17th century octagonal-shaped church that dominates the view of the Grand Canal.

Boy, 5, saved after doctor plays 'space invaders' on kidney stones by blasting them with lasers

Daniel, 35, and Stephanie White, 39 with their son Benjamin, 5, whose life-threatening kidney stones condition was cured with a 'space invader' laser

A five-year-old boy who developed 16 kidney stones has been saved after a doctor used a revolutionary technique to blast the growths with lasers.

Mac on... The Pakistan cricket scandal

'I have a horrid feeling Mrs Frobisher has been got at by an Asian betting syndicate...'

'I have a horrid feeling Mrs Frobisher has been got at by an Asian betting syndicate...'

Baby-faced boy racer, 13, killed in motorbike crash during warm-up lap at Indianapolis Speedway

Peter Lenz

Peter Lenz was preparing to compete at the historic Indianapolis Speedway track when he fell off his bike. The young racer was then run over by a 12-year-old rival.

Had a good break, Sir? Now about the vehicle you left in the long term car park. . . 20 families' cars gutted at Stansted

Blaze: The fire took hold at a long-stay carpark at Stansted airport. It took firefighters more than an hour to tackle the flames which destroyed an estimated 24 vehicles

It is estimated that the fire, which raged through a long-stay car park at Stansted airport, has caused almost a quarter of a million pounds worth of damage.

First day at school for miracle triplets whose father was told he couldn't have children as he battled leukaemia

Off to school: Caitlin, Finley and Olivia defied doctor's predictions that their dad Tim could never have children.

Osborne cuts Treasury staff by 25 per cent in example to other departments

George Osborne will reconvene a group of ministers to work out where money can be saved in the Government

The Chancellor this week reconvenes the ‘star chamber’ – a group of ministers from different government departments charged with working out where money in Government can be saved.

Jobless rate 'will hit 10% by 2015' in some parts of the UK as public sector cuts take effect

Job Centre Plus Sign

New report says public spending cuts could mean unemployment soars to one in ten in some parts of the country as the labour market remains weak.

UN climate experts 'overstated dangers': Keep your noses out of politics, scientists told

Exaggerated? Science academies say the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change relied on 'vague' predictions in making its reports

U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was heavily criticised after admitting 2007 global warming report had exaggerated the pace of Himalayan glaciers melting.

Tornado of fire: Whirling vortex of flame tears through Hawaii brush

Vortex: Swirling smoke and a column of fire tears through brush on Hawaii's Big Island

This extremely rare phenomenon was captured on camera as the unstoppable fire whirl tore through brush along a main road on Hawaii's Big Island.

Search called off for kayaker lost at sea after being separated from friends during bad weather

Kayaker Elizabeth Ashbee

Elizabeth Ashbee, 53, from Shrewsbury, vanished at about 2.30pm on Sunday off the coast of Anglesey in North Wales.

Hurricane Earl threatens Britons holidaying in the Caribbean as it gathers pace

Gathering storm: A satellite image shows Hurricane Earl

Forecasters predict Earl - a category four storm - could cause 'catastrophic' damage when it hits land.

Revealed: Powerful 'dragon' with vicious claws that attacked prey 'like a kickboxer'

The reconstruction of the skeleton of Balaur bondoc which stalked what is now Romania around 70 million years ago

The creature was a powerfully-built meat-eating dinosaur with scythe-like claws for ripping apart prey.

Robbery with violins! You must buy a seat for your fiddle, says Ryanair

Francesca Rijks

Twelve-year-old Francesca Rijks, who attends a leading music school, had planned to put the valuable violin in an overhead locker as hand luggage.

Get walking to prevent 10,000 cases of cancer

Activity: You don't need to be an athlete to lessen the risk of cancer through walking, experts claim

Just 45 minutes of daily activity at a moderate level could prevent about 5,500 cases of breast cancer a year in the UK.

Don't look down! High wire star performs record breaking tightrope walk - 250 feet up

Olivier Roustan