National Grid Seeks Extra Winter Electricity

National Grid has brought forward plans to tap additional power capacity over the winter after unexpected plant outages raised the risk of shortages.

It is being described as a precautionary move, supported by Government, to safeguard supply rather than any bid to prevent possible blackouts.

National Grid said it had launched a tender for its Supplemental Balancing Reserve (SBR), asking power firms how much more electricity they could provide the network to fill a potential gap from mothballed or closed generators.

The network operator cited a series of unplanned shutdowns at large power stations for its decision to begin SBR a year ahead of its original timetable, having previously warned of a looming supply crunch.

Fires at E.ON's Ironbridge and SSE's Ferrybridge power plants have reduced output while precautionary checks at EDF Energy's Heysham and Hartlepool nuclear plants have also hit production.

Hartlepool's nuclear power station has been shut down for two months

The worries over future supplies were initially sparked by ageing and most-polluting power stations being shut down at a time when new plants are struggling to make up the shortfall.

National Grid's plan to safeguard supplies at peak winter times also includes a scheme that allows it to ask contracted users, mostly factories, to reduce their electricity demand when the system is strained.

It said it had received a positive response to the programme, known as Demand Side Balancing Reserve (DSBR), which could operate between 4pm and 8pm on weekday evenings between November and February.

It planned to issue contracts later this month which would be activated only if required.

National Grid's Director of UK Market Operation, Cordi O'Hara, said of the announcement: "This is a sensible precaution to take while the picture for this winter remains uncertain.

"At this stage we don't know if these reserve services will be needed, but they could provide an additional safeguard".

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How Scottish 'Yes' May Impact 'Invisible Border'

By Poppy Trowbridge, Consumer Affairs Correspondent

For those that live along the invisible border that divides Scotland and England, daily life could change dramatically with a Yes vote in the September 18 referendum.

These communities, from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Coldstream to Gretna, will certainly feel the effect of any changes first.

While business and families could suddenly find themselves exporting and travelling abroad, currency is the top concern for most people.

Harry Frew, owner of Cheviot Trees - a farm based in Scotland, but so near the border it has an English postcode - says the uncertainty is damaging.

"Currency is our biggest issue," Mr Frew said.

"It would be a major impact on the business, a lot of extra admin and costs. If Scotland was to end up with euros, we would have to become used to invoicing in euros. Personally I think it is something we'd rather avoid."

Whether Scotland keeps the pound, adopts the euro or produces its own tender will determine the ease and cost of doing business on both sides if the Yes campaign bridges the six point gap with Better Together.

Farm owner Harry Frew and Sky's Poppy Trowbridge

Cross-border workers may find themselves subject to two different tax regimes.

Eventually there could be two entirely different systems for borrowing, saving, buying and selling, working and retiring between the two countries.

Stephen Hay, head of tax at Baker Tilly in Edinburgh, said: "Of course people are going to be concerned about the pound in their pocket.

"A pensioner in Scotland will receive a pension, but the tax he pays on that pension could be higher or lower than a pensioner in England under independence.

"If the tax rate is higher in Scotland then clearly the less they'll have and equally if the tax rate is lower in Scotland the more they'll have, so I would imagine that will be a particular issue for a lot of people."

The Scotland referendum is just over two weeks away

The Scottish Government plans to set the state pension at £160 per week, while the UK will set the new single tier rate next year, it's likely to be slightly lower around £148.

The current Scottish Government's White Paper also suggests that in the event of independence, it would review (and possibly withdraw) the UK Government's decision to raise the retirement age to 67 - keeping it at 65.

Home Secretary Theresa May has threatened checkpoints along the boundary should an independent Scotland pursue an immigration policy more lenient than that of the UK.

That could mean commuters would require passports.

The Scottish Government proposes one major simplification though.

An independent Scotland would replace the 95 ombudsmen that deal with a range of consumer issues within the UK: from roofing, to renewable energy, to financial services, with a single Scottish Consumer and Competition authority.

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Woman Stabbed In The Neck In Walthamstow

Police are hunting for an attacker who stabbed a young woman in the arm and neck, leaving her in a critical condition.

The 24-year-old woman was taken to hospital after the attack at a home in Hatherley Road, Walthamstow on Monday afternoon. 

A six-year-old child also suffered a minor injury but did not need hospital treatment.

Detective Chief Inspector Philip Langworthy said police believe the attack was not random. 

"We are investigating a serious assault on a young woman," he said.

"The motive remains unclear at this stage but we do not believe this is a random attack.

"People living and working nearby may have seen something that could be of vital importance to investigators."

He appealed anyone with information to contact Waltham Forest CID on 07785 530686 or 101.

Alternatively they can contract Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Blackpool Pen Stabbing: Police Hunt Attacker

Police have released pictures of a 66-year-old woman who was stabbed in the arm with a ballpoint pen in the an attempt to track down her attacker.

Cynthia Bell was helping her husband's coach firm last month when the man boarded one of the buses in Seasiders Way in Blackpool and refused to leave.

After tampering with the controls near the driver's seat, he grabbed the pen and stabbed Ms Bell before running off.

Detective Superintendent Mark Dickinson, from Lancashire Police, said: "As you can see from Mrs Bell's photograph, significant force must have been used by the offender who stabbed her.

"She was lucky to have escaped without serious blood loss or any nerve damage. We are pursuing a number of lines of inquiry, including CCTV and forensic opportunities.

"I am particularly keen to identify and speak with two young women who were with the offender and I would ask them, or anyone who recognises them from their descriptions, to contact me as soon as possible."

Police described the suspect as a white male in his late teens or early 20s, 6ft and of stocky build, with short dark hair.

He was with two young women. The first is described as white, wearing a pink top with a floral pattern, with a pram or pushchair. She walked with a limp.

The second woman had blonde hair and was wearing a cream jumper. She had a tattoo on the right side of her lower stomach on display.

Anyone with information should contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or online.

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Ashya: Opinion Divided On Proton Beam Therapy

Radiotherapy cures more people of cancer than any drug.

But it has a fundamental problem: once an X-ray beam enters the body, it keeps going.

So while radiotherapists do their utmost to focus the beam on the tumour, surrounding healthy tissue will also receive a dose of radiation.

The latest computerised machines - that track tumours as the patient breathes - minimise the damage to normal cells.

A computer generated image of a proton beam therapy room

But they don't stop it altogether - and that's particularly important if the tumour is next to a critical organ or if the patient is a child (they're more susceptible to the effects of radiation).

That's why some doctors are excited about the potential for proton beam treatment.

Protons are tiny particles found at the centre of every atom.

Just like X-rays, they kill cancer cells. But once they hit their target, they stop. They don't carry on through the body, reducing the chances of damage to other tissue.

There are more than 40 proton beam treatment centres around the world, but just one in the UK - a low-energy machine suitable for treating eye tumours.

The NHS refers some patients to the US or Switzerland for treatment - 122 in 2013, 99 of them children. Patients are assessed by a panel of experts, who look at the tumour type, position, severity and so on.

But many more patients could be treated - perhaps 1% of cancer patients - and two proton beam centres are being built in the UK - in London and Manchester - at a cost of £250m.

Ashya with his older brother Brett and his mother Naghemeh

From 2018 around 1,500 patients a year could be treated.

So why has the NHS been so slow in the uptake?

According to Cancer Research UK the treatment isn't a "magic bullet".

Although it reduces side effects, there is a lack of good evidence that patients treated with a proton beam do any better than those given advanced X-ray treatment.

Survival rates seem to be about the same, the charity says. But the treatment is too new to know whether children treated with protons have fewer long term side effects.

The NHS will carefully follow up patients to answer some of the unknowns. And there is the possibility of building another treatment centre in Birmingham if there really are advantages for patients.

Where does that leave Ashya King?

We are not privy to his medical notes, so none of us can offer any informed insight into the benefits of proton treatment in his case.

It is a dialogue that should be happening between his doctors and parents. But that relationship appears to have broken down.

If proton beam really isn't the answer for Ashya, doctors have failed to convince his parents.

And one can sympathise with their belief that the latest treatment must be the best.

Ashya's parents are fighting for his life. They will cling to any hope, regardless of the limited scientific evidence.

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Calls Grow For Ashya To Be Reunited With Family

Prime Minister David Cameron has joined mounting calls for Ashya King to be reunited with his jailed parents as Portsmouth City Council calls for a halt to extradition proceedings against them.

Brett King and his wife Naghemeh, from Portsmouth, remain in police custody in Madrid while a Spanish court considers whether to grant a British extradition request.

Ashya, who has a brain tumour, is under police guard at the Materno-Infantil hospital in Malaga, about 330 miles south of the capital.

He has not seen his parents since they were arrested on Saturday after taking him out of Southampton General Hospital to seek specialist cancer treatment abroad.

A court in Madrid has called the parents for a hearing tomorrow morning to hear whether they will be released ahead of a judge's decision on their extradition.

Ashya's parents arrived at court on Monday

Separately, Britain's Crown Prosecution Service is reviewing the case to decide whether prosecution is required.

A High Court judgement is also expected on the wardship of Ashya who was made a ward of court on Friday

In an interview with LBC, Prime Minister David Cameron joined a chorus of voices calling for the King family to be allowed access to Ashya, saying pictures of the boy reminded him of his own son Ivan who died almost six years ago.

"Watching the pictures of him brought back memories of my desperate ill young boy Ivan and I remember him endlessly sitting on my lap and having to feed him through a tube and having to deal with all of the difficulties of having a desperately ill child," Mr Cameron said.

"But the government mustn't tell the police how to act or what to do, nor can we interfere in processes in other countries.

Ashya petition founder Ethan Dallas and family friend Sanjay Ganatra

"I just hope there is a rapid outbreak of common sense so the family can be reunited with this young boy and the best treatment can be given to him either in the UK or elsewhere."

Earlier Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told Sky News it was a "heartbreaking" situation.

"I've got a five-year-old son and the idea of leaving him in a hospital with no contact with parents and siblings fills me, as I imagine it fills all parents, with horror," he said.

"I would like to see the family reunited and then hopefully people can calmly make a decision about what should happen next.

Meanwhile Portsmouth City Council Leader, Donna Jones, issued a statement calling for an end to the extradition proceedings.

Ashya's brother Naveed said the family had all the right medical equipment

"Like others who have been watching this upsetting case unfolding in the media, I have been moved by the plight of the King family and am most concerned about Ashya. I believe what he needs now is to be with his family," she said.

"That's why I am urging the CPS to urgently review the case involving Ashya King's parents and remove any extradition proceedings, so the family can be reunited with their five-year-old son."

A petition calling for the family to be reunited has also been handed in to Downing Street.

It has emerged that Ashya's parents are planning legal action against Southampton General Hospital.

However the hospital claims it had discussed options for alternative proton beam therapy with the family at a facility in Prague.

Brett King defended the family's decision in a video posted online

"We were willing to support the family's transfer to Prague for proton beam radiotherapy, although we did not recommend it," a spokesperson for University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust said.

Over the weekend a spokesman for the hospital said that "our priority has always been Ashya's welfare".

British police officers are understood to be in Spain to question Ashya's parents.

In a statement, Hampshire Constabulary reiterated that it would made no apology for "being proactive" in the search for Ashya.

"We would far rather face criticism for acting proactively than not and risking a child's life," the statement said.

But the statement said Ashya now needs the best medical care and for his family to be with him at "what must be a very difficult and scary time for a little boy who, potentially, has limited time."

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Scottish Referendum: No Vote's Lead Narrows

The No vote's lead ahead of the Scottish Referendum has narrowed to just six points, according to a new poll.

The YouGov poll suggests support for Scottish independence has risen eight points over the past month.

The six-point lead for the No camp is down from 14 points in mid-August, and 22 points from early last month, excluding undecided voters.

The poll found that 53% of those questioned planned to vote No, while 47% would back Yes.

Today is the final day Scots can register to vote in the referendum. 

How the gap between the campaign's has narrowed

Blair Jenkins, chief executive of Yes Scotland, said the poll showed the Yes campaign had gained momentum ahead of polling on September 18.

"This breakthrough poll shows that Yes has the big momentum - it's an all-time high for Yes support in a YouGov survey so far, and an eight-point swing from No to Yes in just three weeks.

"We only need another three-point swing to achieve a Yes for Scotland on September 18."

The latest poll for The Sun and The Times questioned 1,063 respondents between August 28 and September 1.

Better Together Campaign Director Blair McDougall said: "We need the silent majority who back a No vote to do their bit.

The poll found that 53% of those questioned planned to vote No

"Whether it's voting on the day, knocking on doors, making phone calls or speaking to friends and family, the silent majority should feel confident in speaking up.

"We will not be complacent for one second and will do everything we can to secure the brightest future for Scotland within the UK.

"The nationalists talk as if they are winning, but the truth is this is yet another poll showing the campaign for Scotland to stay in the UK in the lead.

"We speak for the majority of Scots, but this poll confirms that if people want Scotland to stay in the UK then they need to vote for it."

The poll came as the focus of the campaign turned towards job creation.

Alex Salmond during his visit to the brewery

Alex Salmond and the Yes campaign visited the Eden Mill distillery and brewery in Guardbridge, Fife and the Better Together campaign, represented by shadow Scottish secretary Margaret Curran and Labour MSP Iain Gray, headed to Glasgow's Tennent Caledonian Breweries.

Mr Salmond and the Scottish Government have been working to develop a £4.5m food and drink export plan.

But Ms Curran argued young people would benefit by the increased employment opportunities in a united Britain.

During the visit Mr Salmond hailed the results of the poll.

He said: "I have always thought we would win. The polls are obviously very encouraging. But I am much more encouraged by the reaction on the streets."

Downing Street said the only poll that matters is the vote itself and insisted there would not be a change in tactics.

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'Huge Leap In The Dark': Boris Island Rejected

Boris Johnson's proposal for a new four-runway airport to be built in the Thames Estuary has been rejected by the Airports Commission.

The grounding of an airport in Kent leaves three options for expanding airport capacity - two additional runway plans at Heathrow and one at Gatwick.

These are being considered by the Airports Commission, which was established by the Government to recommend the best option for expansion, and will issue its final report after next year's election.

How a Thames Estuary airport would have looked. Pic: Foster and Partners

Mr Johnson, who is against a third runway at Heathrow, spoke of his disappointment ahead of the decision, which was widely expected.

The London Mayor said: "In one myopic stroke the Airports Commission has set the debate back by half a century and consigned their work to the long list of vertically filed reports on aviation expansion that are gathering dust on a shelf in Whitehall.

"Gatwick is not a long term solution and Howard Davies must explain to the people of London how he can possibly envisage that an expansion of Heathrow, which would create unbelievable levels of noise, blight and pollution, is a better idea than a new airport to the east of London that he himself admits is visionary, and which would create the jobs and growth this country needs to remain competitive.

One of the proposals for a third runway at Heathrow

"It remains the only credible solution, any process that fails to include it renders itself pretty much irrelevant, and I'm absolutely certain that it is the option that will eventually be chosen."

Sir Howard Davies, head of the Airports Commission, told Sky News: "This would be a huge leap in the dark and we simply don't think it's a practical scheme."

He added there were "a lot" of reasons to rule the idea out.

Boris Johnson attends a rally against Heathrow expansion

"We think that it is too expensive; we don't believe that a future government would be prepared to spend the public money, between £30bn and £60bn that would be necessary to get even the smaller version of his airport up and running," he said.

"We think that is too risky, the logistical problems of moving an airport 70 miles and of doing so in an environmentally extremely sensitive area are, we think, awe-inspiring and we're not entirely sure in fact it's the right model for London to think of one huge airport in a very diverse market where we think that competing airports produce a better solution."

The Heathrow and Gatwick options had been shortlisted by the commission last year, with Sir Howard announcing that further studies would be made on the estuary plan with a decision towards the end of 2014.

Sir Howard Davies said he didn't think Boris Island was 'practical'

The issue of airports is a thorny one for Mr Johnson, who is trying to become the Conservative candidate for Uxbridge and South Ruislip at the election.

That constituency borders Heathrow and contains many people who depend on it for their livelihood.

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Sir Cliff Raid: Police And BBC Deny Wrongdoing

The director general of the BBC has told MPs the broadcaster would "never have run the story" over a planned search of Sir Cliff Richard's home if police had warned it would be "damaging" to the investigation.

Lord Tony Hall told the Home Affairs Select Committee: "If the chief constable came to a news editor, head of news gathering or myself and said to us, 'if you run this story you will hamper this investigation, it will be damaging to this investigation, we would never have run the story."

"Had at any point the police said this is damaging... we would have responded."

The chief constable of South Yorkshire Police earlier told the MPs the BBC put his force in "a very difficult position"

Sir Cliff's Berkshire home was searched by police on August 14

David Crompton told the committee the broadcaster "made it clear" it would run a story about the investigation without some kind of deal.

He said: "We were placed in a very difficult position because of the original leak and the BBC came to us knowing everything that we knew, as far as the investigation was concerned.

"My concern was that if we showed the BBC the door, the very clear impression which had been left with my staff in the media department was that they were likely to publish the story. That would have impeded our investigation.

"I'm confident that we made the right decision in difficult and unusual circumstances."

Committee chairman Keith Vaz put it to Mr Crompton the broadcaster had blackmailed him, to which the police chief replied: "Blackmail is a very strong word. The BBC made it clear to my staff that they were in a position to publish. It put us in a very difficult position."

Sir Cliff's Berkshire home in Sunningdale was searched by officers from South Yorkshire and Thames Valley Police on August 14 as part of an investigation into an alleged sexual assault on a young boy at a religious event in 1985.

Sir Cliff was in Portugal at the time of the raid

The broadcaster was informed of the raid the the day before and told not to turn up at the scene before 9.30am, but a crew arrived hours before the search began.

The force has complained to the BBC - which has confirmed the leak about the probe did not come from South Yorkshire Police - about its coverage of the search, which Sir Cliff, who was in Portugal at the time, was not warned about in advance.

Asked if he regretted his force's actions of entering into a deal with the BBC, Mr Crompton replied: "The coverage was disproportionate and made our actions look heavy-handed and intrusive. I do regret that."

Agreeing to hand over text messages and emails, Mr Crompton admitted he did not seek to speak to the broadcaster's senior management.

He told the committee: "I did not really have that much faith that we could trust it wouldn't be published."

He also reiterated to the committee that the BBC journalist - Dan Johnson - made it clear "the original information leak had come from Operation Yewtree".

Scotland Yard's assistant commissioner Martin Hewitt has denied the leak came from the Metropolitan Police's investigation into historical sex crime, launched in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.

The BBC's head of newsgathering Jonathan Munro told the committee: "Dan Johnson totally denies mentioning Yewtree by name or the Metropolitan Police force or indeed any other clue as to the identity of the source for the original story."

Mr Vaz put it to Mr Crompton: "You blame the Met. You blame the BBC. But as far as you are concerned your staff did everything right."

Mr Crompton conceded his force may have been "a little naive" about entering into a deal with the BBC and assume journalists would not arrive before the operation, to which Mr Vaz said it showed "a gross lack of competence".

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Rotherham Abuse Scandal: Twelve New Victims

Twelve more victims have come forward with allegations of child sexual abuse in Rotherham, police have said.

South Yorkshire Chief Constable David Crompton said the dozen reported the claims since a damning report was published last week into a child sex exploitation scandal in the town.

The Jay Report criticised the failure of both Rotherham Council and South Yorkshire Police to respond to the abuse of 1,400 young people between 1997 and 2013.

Mr Crompton told an MPs' committee he now has 62 officers dedicated to dealing with child sex abuse, compared to just three in 2010 and eight in 2012.

And he said 104 convictions had been secured since the start of 2013, while 40 more suspects were on bail.

His force conducting nine "multiple victim, multiple offender" investigations, including two in Rotherham, he said.

An independent inquiry by an external police force will look into the force's handling of sex abuse complaints over many years.

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Theresa May has said Rotherham Council and South Yorkshire Police were guilty of a "complete dereliction of duty" over the scandal.

Addressing MPs in the House of Commons, she said the report made "shocking reading," adding there was no excuse for victims' appeals for help being ignored.

She said: "We must ensure these perpetrators are brought to justice. We will not delay in taking action now to protect children who are at risk of sexual exploitation.

"All local authorities working with other public bodies, like the police, health and children's services, have a responsibility to keep our children safe."

Ms May said she would be chairing meetings with other ministers to look at what happened in Rotherham and consider what can be done to prevent the situation happening again.

Her comments come as South Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner is expected to face a grilling from MPs after his refusal to resign over the Rotherham abuse scandal.

Shaun Wright was responsible for children's services at the town council for five of the 16 years when children were reported to have been targeted by gangs of older men.

The Home Affairs Select Committee will ask Mr Wright to appear on September 10, along with Rotherham Council's chief executive Martin Kimber and director of children and young people's services Joyce Thacker.

Mr Wright has faced mounting pressure to step down following the Jay Report.

He quit the Labour Party last week after it threatened to suspend him over the scandal.

But he has so far refused to quit as police commissioner despite calls from a number of senior figures, including Prime Minister David Cameron.

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