Asylum seekers can stay at protest-hit Epping hotel, court rules

Asylum seekers can stay at a protest-hit hotel in Epping after a High Court judge denied the local council an injunction to block migrants from being housed there.

Epping Forest District Council took legal action against Somani Hotels, which owns The Bell Hotel in Essex, claiming that they were breaching planning rules by housing asylum seekers at the site.

The hotel became the site of a series of protests over the summer after a migrant staying there, Hadush Kebatu, sexually assaulted a woman and a 14-year-old girl.

The local council tried to ban migrants from being housed at the hotel, telling the High Court that it had become “a feeding ground for unrest and protest”.

The council was initially granted a temporary injunction, which would have stopped 138 asylum seekers from being housed at the hotel beyond 12 September. The decision threatened to throw the government’s asylum policy into chaos after more councils said they would try and seek similar vetoes.

However the injunction was then overturned by the Court of Appeal, which found the decision to be “seriously flawed in principle”.

High Court judge Mr Justice Mould has now ruled that asylum seekers should be able to stay at the hotel, saying that it is for the police to manage any safety concerns in the local area.

In a judgment handed down on Tuesday, Mr Justice Mould said that the use of the hotel to house asylum seekers was not a flagrant breach of planning control. He added that he had heard “no evidence” to support concerns that the use of The Bell to house asylum seekers was placing the local GP, health, social or community services under pressure.

Mr Justice Mould continued: “There is no evidential basis at all for the assertion that asylum seekers as a cohort have a greater propensity than the settled population to engage in criminal or anti-social behaviour”.

He said that there is a clear “continuing need to source contingency accommodation for asylum seekers from hotels”, and concluded that the “planning and environmental harm resulting from the current use of The Bell is limited”.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said on X/Twitter that the decision was “a dark day for local democracy and a slap in the face to the people of Epping”. He claimed: “A Labour government has once again used the courts to put the rights of illegal immigrants above the rights of British citizens”.

A Labour source hit back, saying: “This is some brass neck from Chris Philp. If he wants to understand why there are so many asylum seekers in hotels, I suggest he casts his mind back to his time in the Home Office. He was the one opening all these hotels”.

Councillor Ken Williamson, at Epping Forest District Council, said they were “bitterly disappointed” by the ruling. He said: “We won the moral and ethical arguments, but we were outgunned by bigger and more powerful interests.

“In the interests of political expediency, the home secretary can now ignore planning law, the concerns of local councils, and their residents.”

Mr Williamson said that the council had fought “an unholy alliance of lawyers for government and big business intent on protecting huge profits and an indefensible asylum policy”.

The Home Office intervened in the case to argue that asylum seekers should be allowed to stay in the hotel, telling the court that granting an injunction to Epping “essentially incentivises” other councils who wish to close down migrant hotels in their areas to seek legal action.

Becca Jones, director of asylum support, said the loss of the bed spaces in The Bell Hotel would be “significant” amid rising small boat crossings.

The Essex hotel became a focal point of protests in the summer after Ethiopian national Hadush Kebatu was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl. He was jailed for 12 months in September and was later mistakenly released from prison and re-detained.

A second asylum seeker who was resident at the hotel, Syrian national Mohammed Sharwarq, was also jailed for 16 weeks in September after admitting assaulting two fellow residents and two members of staff at the site.

A third resident was arrested in April for the alleged offence of arson. In his judgment on Tuesday, Mr Justice Mould said the planning harm resulting from these actions or alleged actions “should not be overstated”.

Responding to the ruling, Enver Solomon, chief executive at the charity Refugee Council, urged the government to ensure that all asylum hotels are closed next year. He added: “Plans to warehouse people in military barracks or other large sites are not a viable or humane solution. They are unsuitable, isolating, and the government’s own spending watchdog has found them to be more expensive than hotels.”

Steve Smith, CEO of charity Care4Calais, said that residents of The Bell “have been subjected to racist abuse and threats of physical violence”, adding: “Now we have today’s judgement, we call on the Home Office to get on and process the claims of all those who have been left behind at The Bell.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels in this country. This government will close every asylum hotel. Work is well underway to move asylum seekers into more suitable accommodation such as military bases, to ease pressure on communities across the country.”

Princess Kate marks royal first at moving Armistice Day service

The Princess of Wales spearheaded the nation’s solemn observance of Armistice Day, leading a poignant two-minute silence in tribute to the fallen.

Standing in quiet contemplation alongside veterans at the Armed Forces Memorial in Staffordshire’s National Memorial Arboretum, Kate honoured the war dead before laying a wreath in remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

This marked the first occasion the future Queen had attended the Arboretum’s Armistice Day service and personally laid a wreath.

She wore a military-inspired black coat, a wide-brimmed hat adorned with a bow, and two poppies.

Across the country, moving services commemorated the anniversary of the end of the First World War, with the traditional 11am silence observed to honour all who have died in military conflicts.

Meanwhile, Queen Camilla participated in Great Western Railway’s “Poppies to Paddington” initiative, joining commuters on a train journey from Chippenham to London Paddington station.

The 9.28am service from Wiltshire was part of the scheme in which wreaths are transported on early-morning trains to Paddington station for a dedicated service.

After her journey, Camilla placed a wreath of poppies at the war memorial on platform one at Paddington, before the Last Post was sounded to mark the start of the two-minute silence.

At the National Memorial Arboretum, Kate was handed a wreath to lay in the centre of the memorial.

Watched by the crowd, which included veterans and their families, she stepped forward to lay the large ring of poppies before appearing to take a moment of reflection and then returning to her seat.

She bowed her head as the crowd prayed for those who had been affected by conflict, including members of the armed forces and civilians.

After the service, the princess visited the memorial wall, where she was introduced to Squadron Leader Beth Long and her daughters Scarlett and Sophie – the family of Squadron Leader Mark Long, who flew with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and died when the Spitfire he was flying crashed in 2024.

Long’s name is the most recent to be engraved on the wall.

Kate spoke to the family for around five minutes before meeting Bosnia veteran Johnny Hayes, who spent 23 years in the Royal Military Police.

The princess held on to her hat in the breeze as she made her way down the steps and away from the memorial. She was met by Hayley Lawrence, a Royal Army Medical Corps veteran, and Steve Cartwright, a Royal Engineers veteran, and chatted to them as she walked back to the main buildings.

During their chat, she touched Mr Cartwright’s arm and laughed with the pair before she waved and smiled at the crowd, who took photographs as she passed by.

Elsewhere, in Edinburgh, members of the public bowed their heads in silence as they gathered despite the rain during an Armistice Day event in the Garden of Remembrance at the Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens.

In central London, the Western Front Association led commemorations at the Cenotaph, where members paraded to the monument to pay their respects.

In St Mary’s Church in Dover, Kent, a cascade of knitted poppies flowed down from the top of the church, covering part of the historic building in a blanket of the scarlet flowers.

A video message from the Prince of Wales was played to children across the UK as part of the Royal British Legion’s Remembrance assembly on Tuesday morning. William told the pupils about the importance of wearing a red poppy, saying that “Remembrance is for everyone”.

Could Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s name be changed again?

He has been stripped of his titles and forced to leave his 30-room mansion in Windsor, but disgraced member of the royal family Andrew Mountbatten Windsor may be given something new by Buckingham Palace – a hyphen in his name.

This would change it to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and bring the double-barrelled surname in line with how it was first used by the Queen, and how it is usually formulated by his relatives.

When the palace announced that Andrew would no longer hold the title of “Prince” or “His Royal Highness” in the wake of further revelations about his connections with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, and the publication of a damning book by Virginia Giuffre, it gave his name as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, with no hyphen – a decision that was reportedly agreed with Andrew himself.

But The Independent understands the palace is now considering reinstating the usual hyphen, which is how his late mother styled the double-barrelled name when it was introduced.

It was immediately prior to Andrew’s birth that the surname Mountbatten-Windsor was created. Though he is the third of Elizabeth’s four children, Andrew was the first to be born after her accession to the throne – when the official royal family name, Windsor, was still in use. This meant that as her husband, Prince Philip had to give up his surname.

The style change was announced two weeks before Andrew was born, and it is recognised as having been created largely to accommodate Prince Philip’s surname – Mountbatten – within the family, after he expressed frustration that he was “the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his children”. In the now famous rant to his friends, he added: “I’m nothing but a bloody amoeba.”

In a lengthy proclamation in The London Gazette in February 1960, a notice by Elizabeth was published, stating her last-minute changes. It said: “My Lords, Whereas on the 9th day of April 1952, I did declare My Will and Pleasure that I and My children shall be styled and known as of the House and Family of Windsor, and that my descendants other than female descendants who marry and their descendants, shall bear the name of Windsor:

“And whereas I have given further consideration to the position of those of My descendants who will enjoy neither the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness, nor the titular dignity of Prince, and for whom therefore a surname will be necessary:

“And whereas I have concluded that the Declaration made by Me on the 9th day of April 1952, should be varied in its application to such persons:

“Now therefore I declare My Will and Pleasure that, while I and My children shall continue to be styled and known as the House and Family of Windsor, My descendants other than descendants enjoying the style, title or attribute of royal highness and the titular dignity of Prince or Princess and female descendants who marry and their descendants shall bear the name of Mountbatten-Windsor.”

Now, historians have suggested that the disgraced royal ought to be styled Mountbatten-Windsor, with a hyphen, to maintain tradition.

Andrew Lownie, historian and author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, told The Independent: “It is strange that the former Prince Andrew wished – and was allowed – to drop the hyphen, as the family name is Mountbatten-Windsor. Indeed, under the 1960 Privy Council Declaration, he was the first royal baby to take that name, and other royals have adopted that format.”

Lownie noted that this includes “Princess Anne on her 1973 marriage certificate and Prince Harry’s son Archie on his 2019 birth certificate.”

He added: “My own view is that a correction will be made.”

Ian Lloyd, a royal historian and author, said: “I was quite surprised when the palace statement came out giving Andrew’s name without a hyphen, given the historic precedent for one.

“Despite everything that has gone on, I expect that Prince Philip might at least be pleased to know that the Mountbatten name lives on,” he suggested to The Times.

Train attack hero says Ryanair is ‘childish’ for refusing refund

A victim of the mass stabbing on a train in Cambridgeshire has described Ryanair’s decision to deny him a refund as “sad and childish”.

Stephen Crean, 61, was due to fly to Austria on Wednesday 5 November to watch Nottingham Forest play SK Sturm Graz in the Europa League.

He was unable to make the journey, however, after sustaining stab wounds to his left hand, back, bottom and head in the attack on Saturday 1 November.

After confronting the attacker, he managed to escape by crawling into an empty toilet and locking the door before the train arrived at Huntingdon station. Mr Crean was hailed a hero for his actions.

Speaking to The Independent, Mr Crean described how friends attempted to secure a refund for the missed Ryanair flight.

“Somebody else has applied for me, because I haven’t had the use of my left hand and I’m left-handed,” he said. “So that’s the problem. Now I’m right-handed, and I’m just learning to use my right hand.”

“There are other people that are trying [on my behalf] – that are on Ryanair’s case – but they are still not having it.”

Despite the pressure, the airline has thus far refused to return Mr Crean’s payment.

“All Ryanair air fares are non-refundable, which is why we strongly recommend passengers take out travel insurance in order to protect themselves if they can’t travel,” a Ryanair spokesperson told The Independent.

The airline’s website states that all its tickets are generally non-refundable.

“If your flight operated and you didn’t travel, you’re not entitled to a refund. You may have valid reasons for deciding not to travel, but our business model is simple – we don’t offer refunds to people who don’t travel because the seat you booked has operated empty in your absence,” the policy states.

The policy states that passengers may be entitled to a refund when the airline has cancelled a flight, failed to operate the flight or denied boarding.

“That’s what they’ve said, and they’re going to stand by that, and I find it rather sad and childish,” said Mr Crean.

“It’s not all about money. It’s got nothing to do with money. And they should know that – it could have been Ryanair staff in that buffet car.”

“They should grow up a bit and do something. Just stop being petty about this, it’s childish.”

It is “pretty sickening”, he says, that the airline is refusing to change its mind. “I mean, there’s not very much you can do about it if they’re just set in their ways.

“I used to be like that. But things happen… and you change for the best.

“So maybe they must change, because people are going to think very low of them now.”

Philip Chambers, one of Mr Crean’s friends, said, according to The Telegraph, that Ryanair’s decision was “shocking”.

He went on to say that his friend was “gutted he couldn’t come” to Austria, and said: “I understand they have policies and I’d say I’m not surprised – but you think but they might change their mind when you think of the impact of what Stephen has done.”

Meanwhile, one Forest fan, Kevin George, said he hoped some fans would “start to boycott the airline over the fact they’ve refused to refund a hero who put himself on the line for others”.

While Mr Crean was unable to board his flight to Austria to catch the away game, he did attend Forest’s match against Leeds United on Sunday with his arm in a sling.

As he took his seat, his picture was shown on large screens as he was greeted with applause from home and away fans.

After the 1 November attack, 10 patients were taken by ambulance to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, and one patient self-presented, British Transport Police said last Tuesday.

Anthony Williams, 32, has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder following the attack.

Read more: ‘There was nowhere to go, I didn’t have a choice’ – hero opens up on moment he confronted Huntingdon knife attacker

£5bn Bitcoin scammer behind UK’s largest-ever cryptocurrency seizure jailed

The mastermind behind a scam which led UK police to make their largest-ever cryptocurrency seizure of more than £5bn in Bitcoin has been jailed.

Zhimin Qian, 47, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to 11 years and eight months in prison on Tuesday.

She had earlier pleaded guilty to money laundering and possessing and transferring criminal property.

Qian, a Chinese national, defrauded more than 128,000 victims between 2014 and 2017 through a Ponzi scheme in China. She then fled to the UK as an international fugitive.

She had stored the illegally obtained funds in Bitcoin assets and spent years evading UK police by sightseeing across Europe, staying in upmarket hotels, and living a life of “luxury”, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Qian, also known as Yadi Zhang, was eventually arrested in 2024 after spending nearly six years “at large”.

Her accomplice Seng Hok Ling, 47, was sentenced at the same court to four years and 11 months in prison.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of transferring criminal property.

When Qian and Ling were convicted in September, the value of the Bitcoin was priced at more than £5.5bn, according to Metropolitan Police officers.

It is understood that the value is constantly changing, and is currently priced at around £5bn.

Gillian Jones KC, prosecuting, told the sentencing hearing that Qian had defrauded more than 128,000 victims through her business Lantian Gerui.

Qian eventually came to the attention of Chinese authorities, prompting her to flee the country before eventually arriving in the UK in September 2017.

In the UK, Qian recruited an accomplice, Jian Wen, to help her “set up a new life”.

In September, Qian started renting a “lavish” property in Hampstead, London, having told an estate agent a “lie” that she ran a successful jewellery business.

The monthly rent for this property was £17,333, the court heard.

The sentencing hearing was told that Qian travelled “extensively” throughout Europe in the months and years that followed, staying in expensive hotels and sightseeing.

It was heard that during these trips, “Bitcoin was transferred and sold in exchange for cash, fine jewellery bought and property in Europe considered for purchase”.

In one trip, Qian and Wen spent £119,200 purchasing two watches at a jewellery shop in Zurich, Switzerland.

In 2018, Qian attempted to purchase a £12.5m property in London, and after suspicions were raised over her Bitcoin, UK authorities were notified.

Metropolitan Police officers visited her Hampstead home to execute a search warrant in October 2018.

Qian provided the fake name of Yadi Zhang to officers, and the court heard that at this stage, the police did not know who she was.

Officers discovered laptops in her property with millions of pounds worth of Bitcoin contained on them.

No arrests were made at that stage and Qian fled the country after this raid.

The court heard that in a later discovery officers found documents recording Qian’s “aspirations and intentions”.

The court heard that one of these detailed her intention to become the “monarch of Liberland”, which is a “self-proclaimed country” consisting of a strip of land between Croatia and Serbia.

The court heard that for nearly six years, Qian managed to “evade arrest” and was ultimately “at large”.

Meanwhile Wen was arrested in May 2021 at the Hampstead address in London and was subsequently charged with money laundering.

While her trial was ongoing, a transfer of Bitcoin was made, which led police to identify Seng Hok Ling at an address in York.

Police visited the address in April 2024 and discovered Qian.

Authorities discovered several devices at Qian’s address, including a laptop containing a cryptocurrency wallet with millions of pounds worth of Bitcoin.

She was arrested at the address in York in April 2024 and taken to a local police station.

Qian was subsequently charged with the money laundering offences.

The court heard Ling, a Malaysian national who lives in Derbyshire, had provided assistance to Qian, including by arranging rental properties for her to live in.

Richard Thomas KC, mitigating on behalf of Qian, said his client has “no previous convictions” and has maintained an “exemplary record” while in custody.

Narita Bahra KC, representing Ling, said her client did not know the “full extent” of Qian’s criminality and described her as the “boss lady”.

She said: “This was a subservient role for Mr Ling.

“The first defendant [Qian] was described as ‘boss lady’, ‘the boss’, and all the evidence points to that being the position that Mr Ling acted on the direction of the first defendant.”

She said Ling, who had a previous conviction for fraud, did not have any “enrichment beyond employment payments”.

Wen was convicted of one charge of money laundering after a trial at Southwark Crown Court.

She was later sentenced to six years and eight months’ imprisonment.

From cuisine and culture to history and nature, find the ideal cruise

If you want to see the world from a fresh perspective, then taking to the water is a great way to do it. Not only can travelling by ship  take you to far flung corners of the globe, it can also show you a different side of your favourite destinations and provide some unique experiences, from spotting rare wildlife and glancing remote landscapes to seeing iconic sights from a whole new viewpoint. From epic adventures exploring Antarctica or uninhabited archipelagos in the South Pacific, to itineraries taking the cultural capitals of Europe or sampling the cuisine of South East Asia, there’s a trip for everyone, whatever your passion or wherever you’d like to go.

Combining a cruise with carefully curated time on land gives you the best of both worlds. Audley cruise offerings are tailor made, with the land and water elements of your trip meticulously planned to create a bespoke itinerary that’s as relaxing or as adventure packed as you wish. Audley’s cruise experts will listen to what your dream trip looks like and help you pick the best route, ship and experiences to bring it to life. They work with a range of cruise partners, hand picking vessels for their facilities, service, onboard activities and the experiences they offer in port, so you’ll enjoy the journey just as much as the destination.

Each Audley trip is tailor-made to the traveller – but if you need some inspiration, here’s a taste of the adventures you can experience.

A cruise can offer immersive cultural experiences, from learning about a country’s centuries old traditions to touring cities with world-class galleries and museums. One of the benefits of a cruise is that you can explore multiple stops, giving you plenty of time to take in each destination and tailor the trip to your specific interests.

“For example, a 24 day cruise around Japan visits 10 different ports,” says Audley cruise specialist Caroline. “In the city of Sakaiminato, you can explore the artistry of Japan with a guided visit that takes in both the Adachi Museum of Art and the Yushien Garden. The museum provides a deep dive into Japan’s contemporary art before you head to a nearby island to explore the exuberant peony beds at Yushien. The garden is most spectacular in the spring, but carefully timed plantings mean you’ll always see many of the 250 types of peonies in gloriously full bloom.”

Or how about exploring the art cities of Italy in the largest five-masted, full-rigged sailing ship in the world – a romantic call-back to the golden age of sailing? You’ll enjoy personal tours of the Colosseum and Sistine Chapel in Rome, explore Florence’s Renaissance heritage and discover hidden haunts in Venice.

Audley can make sure your time at sea is just as enriching, with ships that include a variety of experiences and activities to choose from – from expert talks and lectures on subjects like art history, archaeology and local wildlife to art classes like watercolour painting to glassblowing.

With cruises covering all seven continents, and many featuring unique culinary experiences, there’s plenty of trips to tickle the tastebuds of foodies. Wine lovers will enjoy a river cruise of Portugal’s Douro region that takes in port houses in the vibrant city of Porto and stops at vineyards along the picturesque Douro Valley. You’ll enjoy a traditional home cooked meal at a quinta (country house), visit Mateus Palace and Gardens — home of the famous rosé wine – and finish the trip in Madrid, sampling the local tapas.

On a Bali to Bangkok trip you can check out the Indonesian street-food scene, trying delicacies such as Java’s rawon (a black beef soup) and Bangkok’s drunken noodles. In Singapore, watch locals haggle for seafood and spices in the markets and try a Singapore Sling in the very place they were invented: Raffles’ Long Bar.

Wherever you’re heading, the options are just as tasty on board the ship. “The larger and medium-sized cruises we’ve chosen to work with always offer a variety of dining options,” explains  Audley cruise specialist Franki. “With usually at least one buffet-style restaurant, and also usually at least a couple of specialty restaurants, such as trattorias or steakhouses. Audley hand-picks the best vessels with some also offering cooking demonstrations and wine tasting.

From experiencing the world’s wildest and most remote landscapes to spotting rare species, travelling by water offers one-of-a-kind adventures for nature lovers. “No other type of voyage gets you as close to unpeopled landscapes or feeds your curiosity about the world’s wildlife and habitats as expedition cruises,” says Audley cruise specialist Caroline, “Wherever you are, expedition leaders will help root you in your destination, pointing out intriguing features and what to look for.”

There’s also plenty of expert knowledge you can tap into onboard, as Audley cruise specialist Jon explains. “Many of our polar expedition cruises are accompanied by leading researchers who can enlighten you on the icy formations and distinctive wildlife you sail past. Some ships also feature onboard helicopters, offering you the chance to follow the flight paths of Arctic birds and get a rare glimpse of this pristine landscape from the air.”

In the Galapagos Islands, for example, Audley’s Luxury Ecuador and Galapagos tour includes a seven night expedition around the islands where you’ll come face to face with countless incredible species from iguanas, penguins and albatross to sea lions, sea turtles and sharks. The trip also includes a stay in a luxury lodge in the Ecuadorian cloudforest, surrounded by 400 types of wildlife.

A cruise is also the ideal way to discover the landscapes of Alaska. You’ll sail down through fjords, past glaciers and waterfalls – with the option to kayak to the places your cruise ship can’t reach. You might spot otters, seals, sea lions, porpoises, and even orca whales in the water or, on shore, moose, mountain goats and wolves. At the end of the cruise, there’s a stay in Great Bear Rainforest on Berry Island, a haven for bears, whales, marine mammals and birds.

With knowledgeable local experts on hand across the globe, Audley cruises allow you to delve into the history of a destination. A cruise of Croatia’s cities and coasts offers all the spectacular scenery you’d expect – but also give you the chance to walk Dubrovnik’s UNESCO-protected walled city with an expert guide, explore the medieval streets of Šibenik and visit a working 13th century monastery on the island of Visovak.

If you like your history to be ancient, try a luxury river cruise along the Nile, with an exclusive private tour of the pyramids of Giza, Saqqara and Dahshur, and visits to other significant sites including ancient tombs in the Luxor Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Horus, all with an expert local guide ensuring you get the most out of the experience.

With Audley, experiences on land are carefully planned to fit seamlessly with your cruise. “As your trip takes shape, I’ll take care of every aspect of your voyage.” says Audley cruise specialist Steph. “If I need to, I’ll call on the expertise of our most experienced destination-specific specialists to help you make the most of your time – wherever you’d like to go.”

Fellow Audley cruise specialist Jon adds: “Some trips span vast geographical routes, jumping between a myriad of countries that are often challenging to link in one trip. That involves a lot of moving parts, but your specialist will take care of all the logistics so you can focus on getting the most out of your time on land and water.”

With all the organising in hand, you’ll have plenty of time to soak everything in before you set sail again to continue your dream journey.

Audley offer bespoke land-and-sea cruises that you can tailor to your personal travel passions. To find out more and start planning your trip, visit Audley

Revealed: UK’s worst hotspots for doorstep parcel thefts

More than £666m worth of parcels were stolen from people’s doorsteps in the year to June, new research can reveal.

Leicestershire was the top hotspot for doorstep thefts, with 799 incidents reported during the year, followed by Hertfordshire (767) and Kent (750), according to a freedom of information request submitted by parcel locker company Quadient to 27 police forces across the UK.

The company also found that the value of items stolen had risen by £290m over the year, and that the average value of stolen parcels had risen from £120 to £138.

A survey of 2,000 consumers, carried out by market research company Censuswide, also found that those living in urban areas are more likely to experience theft, as flats and shared buildings without secure parcel management systems are particularly exposed. Some 27 per cent of reported thefts took place in Greater London, while cities like Bristol and Glasgow were also hotspots for package stealing.

As a result, homeowners say they have started to install their own deterrents to keep their parcels safe, with 40 per cent of respondents who had recently had parcels taken having bought a video doorbell or a security camera. Another 38 per cent had changed their delivery instructions so parcels were left at deposit boxes or with a close neighbour.

The survey also found that parcel theft was hugely underreported. While 79 per cent of respondents said parcel theft should be treated more seriously by the authorities, only 22 per cent of those whose deliveries had been stolen said they had reported it to the police.

A further 34 per cent said they did not report the loss because they didn’t think the retailer or courier would refund them. Another 28 per cent said they did not think the police would take any action.

One in 10 victims said that the impact of having a parcel stolen had caused them to stop shopping online. Younger people between the ages of 22 and 34 were more likely to report a stolen parcel, the survey found.

Katia Bourgeais-Cremel, European director of lockers automation at Quadient, said that many customers no longer want their parcels to be left outside their door.

“Parcel theft has risen dramatically in the past year, and with the busiest delivery season approaching, the message from consumers is clear: they don’t want packages left on their doorsteps any more,” she added.

A Leicestershire Police spokesperson said: “There are a number of steps people can take to help prevent themselves from becoming victims of parcel theft. This includes tracking parcels to ensure someone is at home for the delivery, arranging for your parcel to be delivered to a trusted person, or using an offsite locker service.

“Anyone who is a victim of parcel theft should report it to police. You can report online at www.leics.police.uk or by calling 101.”

Whistleblower Israeli soldiers describe killing unarmed Palestinians as they ‘demolish’ Gaza

The Israeli army in Gaza shot unarmed Palestinians “without restraint”, created a “protocol” for using civilians as human shields, and pursued a policy of “destroy, demolish, transfer”, military whistleblowers have claimed.

In a shocking documentary broadcast on ITV, at least a dozen soldiers described in detail how Gaza was left a “zombie apocalypse” after Israel’s unprecedented two-year offensive.

During that time, they said commanding officers told them to ignore international law, use civilians, including teenagers, as human shields, celebrate drone strikes and “take revenge on them all”.

The testimonies, which include a contractor for the controversial Israeli-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, also described the wanton destruction of civilian infrastructure, torching Palestinian homes they turned into forward bases, shooting aid seekers at distribution sites, and an “unprecedented” bombing campaign allowing for vast collateral damage.

One officer, identified only as Lieutenant Colonel B, who has served more than 300 days in Gaza, described the offensive as “all-out”, adding he believed there was “no limit” for collateral damage.

“If you ask me I would have pushed them all into the sea [with bulldozers] on October 7, given them snorkels and let them swim in Egypt,” he told ITV’s Exposure.

Another, whose identity was also protected, added: “In my [company] there were people openly saying ‘let’s destroy, demolish, transfer them [out of Gaza]’.”

Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign and siege of Gaza in the wake of Hamas’s bloody attacks on southern Israel, during which more than 1,000 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli estimates.

In the documentary Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War, soldiers said that in the aftermath, Israel launched a “revenge campaign”.

Since October 2023, Israel’s bombardment and the war have killed more than 64,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials. It has also destroyed or damaged more than 90 per cent of homes, according to the UN, and displaced most of the 2.3 million population.

An Israeli siege of the tiny 25-mile-long enclave has meanwhile pushed the strip into famine and unleashed a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions. The UN Commission of Inquiry concluded this year that Israel has committed genocide.

Israel has vehemently and repeatedly dismissed these allegations as false and antisemitic. The military has, in multiple statements to The Independent, denied deliberately violating international law or committing any crimes, maintaining that any potential violation is investigated.

But in the ITV Exposure film, a conscript infantry soldier named only “Yaakov” said the destruction is so widespread that they have “destroyed a society”.

“All mosques, almost all hospitals, almost all universities, every cultural institution has been destroyed,” he added grimly. “You’ve destroyed a society. You don’t have to kill them one by one to destroy every sign of the society that once existed there.”

He described his company using two Palestinians, including a 16-year-old boy, as human shields.

When the soldiers protested, he said they were told by their commander: “Soldiers don’t have to worry about international law, just about the ‘IDF spirit’.”

Daniel, a tank unit commander, said the use of human shields is widespread.

“It is called the ‘Mosquito Protocol’. It entails a method, a process by which a Palestinian is turned into a so-called agent. It’s designed exclusively for working in tunnels and is something that has been proven very, very useful,” he added.

After about a week, he said every company was operating with its own “mosquito”.

“That’s three Palestinians per battalion, nine to 12 per brigade, dozens, hundreds per division,” he continued, adding, “It saves soldiers’ lives.”

The Independent’s own investigation into the use of human shields revealed that children as young as 12 years old were forced to inspect houses and roads and look for tunnels and militants, sometimes dressed in military fatigues.

When asked about these testimonies, the Israeli military said: “The orders and directives of the IDF prohibit the use of Gazan civilians captured in the field for military missions that endanger them.”

Another disturbing reality revealed in the film was the wanton destruction of swathes of the strip, which the World Bank has estimated will cost $53bn (£40bn) to rebuild.

Last year, the UN Conference on Trade and Development said even if the war stops, if Gaza remains under an Israeli blockade, it could take a staggering 350 years for its battered economy to return to pre-war levels.

Rabbi Avraham Zarbiv, who has served more than 500 days in Gaza driving bulldozers and flattening swathes of the strip, also spoke to filmmakers from the settlement where he lives.

He claims to have come up with the idea of systematically demolishing entire neighbourhoods in Gaza, inspiring other units within the Israeli military.

“We changed the conduct of an entire army. The IDF invests hundreds of thousands of shekels to destroy the Gaza Strip.”

He argues that the mass demolition of civilian homes is justified, claiming in one video: “Everything there is one big terrorist infrastructure.”

The soldiers also recalled several incidents where unarmed Palestinians were killed, including a man who was on a roof hanging out his washing; one soldier says a tank brigade, between 600 and 700 metres away, labelled him a “spotter” and took out half the building. In another incident, a teenager pushing a cart was shot in the head.

“Eli”, another soldier, said at the end of his deployment that his commander reported they took out “112 terrorists”, but added: “I can confidently say that … only one was even suspected of being armed. That is, the 111 other people we killed, no one even claimed that they were armed.”

Drone warfare is also described by Neta Caspin, a major in the IDF, who said she watched drone operators follow a man walking in the Netzarim corridor for half an hour before he was shot, after which a fellow soldier told them to “be happy”.

Another anonymous soldier said that using drones in Gaza “feels like a game”.

“You can sit in some basement of a house, safe with your helmet off, scratching your balls, half dressed and kill Palestinians,” he added bluntly.

‘Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War’ is on ITV1, ITVX, STV & STV Player