Vandals smeared a children’s playground with mud, dug several holes and carved an offensive message into a nearby area of grass, a council in Cumbria has said. Wigton Town Council said its staff had now filled in a 6ft (1.8m) deep hole that appeared last weekend at Wigton Park’s BMX track. An abusive message aimed […]

Helen Burchell BBC News Essex Border Force The cocaine haul was one of the largest of the past decade Cocaine with a street value of almost £100m has been seized by Border Force officers in “one of the largest drugs busts of the past decade”. The shipment was intercepted earlier this month on a container

Ben King Business reporter BBC Cdr Stephen Clayman says he understands victims’ frustration at how long the investigation is taking Criminal trials over the Post Office Horizon IT scandal may not start until 2028, the police officer leading the investigation has told the BBC. “The teams need to be really meticulous and [pay] attention to

Daniel Wainwright Data journalist, BBC Verify Getty Images Doctors and patient groups warn that the NHS in England is facing an uphill struggle on the government’s number one NHS priority – improving hospital waiting times. They are concerned about the lack of progress towards hitting the 18-week waiting time target, one of Labour’s key election

Charlotte Cox BBC South West Investigations Contributor A beaver takes its first steps into the wild, picture from an unlicensed release Under cover of darkness, a nocturnal creature emerges from a crate and takes its first tentative steps into a new life in the wild. “It is just essentially God’s work. We’re undoing the damage

For the first time in Wimbledon history, there will be three British players aged 17 and under in the women’s singles draw. Mika Stojsavljevic, Hannah Klugman and Mimi Xu have been rewarded with main-draw wildcards after demonstrating their potential over the past few years. Stojsavljevic, 16, has made the most notable progress, having won the

Tom Espiner Business reporter, BBC News Reuters UK car production sank to its lowest level for May since 1949 as US tariffs hit exports, an industry group has said. Production fell by nearly a third from a year earlier to 49,810 units, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which – excluding

Counter-terror police have arrested four people after military planes were sprayed with paint during a break-in at RAF Brize Norton that was claimed by a pro-Palestinian group. Footage posted online last Friday by Palestine Action showed two people inside the Oxfordshire airbase in darkness, with one riding on a scooter up to an Airbus Voyager

Getty Images The government has confirmed major concessions to rebel Labour MPs over its planned changes to benefits. People currently receiving personal independence payment (Pip), or the health element of universal credit, will continue to do so. However, the planned cuts will still affect future claimants. What is Pip and how is it changing? Pip

Tim Dale and Emma Glasbey BBC News, Yorkshire West Yorkshire Police Habibur Masum had denied murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter and possession of a bladed article A man who stabbed his wife to death in front of their infant son after tracking her to a refuge has been found guilty of murder. Habibur Masum