Rural pubs fear stricter drink-drive limit will hit business

Rural pubs fear plans to tighten the drink-drive limit in England and Wales will impact alcohol sales and business.

Pubgoers who want to drive essentially won’t be able to drink any alcohol under proposals announced as part of a new road safety strategy.

The government aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65 per cent by 2035, and by 70 per cent for children under 16.

The drink-drive limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is currently 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath, which is the highest in Europe alongside Malta. But this could be reduced to 22 micrograms in England and Wales, bringing those nations into line with Scotland, which cut its drink-drive limit in 2014. After this change, just one drink could put someone over the limit.

While pub owners agree roads should be as safe as possible, many are concerned that without reliable public transport, those in remote locations will simply see fewer customers.

“In an industry that’s already suffering, it’s not going to do us any favours,” said Nikki Stepney, deputy manager at Devils Dyke, a pub located on the South Downs just outside Brighton.

“It would definitely impact us because we’re right on top of the South Downs, so there is only public transport in the summer,” she told The Independent.

“We would literally just rely on walkers and obviously people do drive up, but rather than being able to have two drinks and a meal, for instance, now it will change that. People’s eating and drinking habits will change.”

Already she has seen a shift to punters drinking low and zero alternatives, and she predicts this will only increase.

Marius Pretorius, the owner of Dew Drop Inn in Hurley, Berkshire, said the Labour government has been making decisions that are “against everything that public houses and pubs stand for”.

Although he would like to see safer roads, the pub owner believes the new drink-drive limit would see people order less alcohol and more alcohol-free beer. He is also sceptical that the law will be enforced.

“I think it will probably impact business, we get a lot of people who carpool over. If there’s a table of four, one of them won’t drink at all, or they’ll have a small glass of wine and then a couple of hours later they’ll leave,” he told The Independent.

Mr Pretorius said he has already seen drinkers’ habits change with alcohol-free beers becoming more popular.

“We’ve seen quite an increase in the sales of alcohol-free items in the last 18 months, not just in January when everyone’s doing it, but in general,” he added.

The drink-drive limit changed for Scotland more than 10 years ago in 2014, and while many small pubs survived, owners say there was a “change in culture”.

“The culture up in Scotland has changed quite a bit to the point where small pubs can’t survive and need to become restaurants,” said Tom Jones, a bar worker at The Red Lion Inn near Dunfermline on the east coast of Scotland.

“We still get local drinkers in, ones who walk here, but we don’t get outsiders. But if a village supports its pub, it should stay open.”

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) urged the government to ensure its new road safety plans are “proportionate and evidence-based” to avoid an impact on struggling pubs.

A spokesperson insisted the pub sector is “committed to actively promoting responsible drinking through its investment in no and low beer and support of drink-drive campaigns”, and pointed to a decline in alcohol-related driving accidents in recent government data.

It also warned that the pub sector “continues to face huge challenges”, adding: “So any additional policy measures that further impact trade will be of real concern to licensees, especially those in rural areas.”

“We would also urge the government to review how public transport, especially in rural areas, can better support the high street and local tourism.”

Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) is also worried that rural pubs will lose business.

“Of course we want our roads to be as safe as possible, but ministers must consider the impact of this change on top of big tax hikes already announced for pubs,” said chief executive Tom Stainer.

“We also want authorities that provide public transport, like combined authorities, to have a duty in law to run evening and late-night services so people can get to and from the pub, including in rural areas.”

But Dr Katherine Severi, chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said claims the drink-drive limit will harm pubs is “not supported by the evidence”.

“Rural roads are among the most dangerous in the country, accounting for well over half of fatal collisions, and protecting rural communities means reducing risk, not turning a blind eye to it,” she said.

“Today’s pubs are already adapting to changing habits, with more alcohol-free options and designated drivers more common.”

Transport minister Lilian Greenwood said: “There were 260 people killed by drink-drivers last year and every single one of those deaths is preventable. I have sat down with the families of victims and they are demanding action.

“Our drink-drive limit is out of step with Scotland and Europe. Nobody wants to stop people from going out to the pub, but we are saying leave the car at home. There has also been a proliferation of low-alcohol products. So leave the car at home or have a designated driver.

“ We know every one of the deaths that has happened is preventable. We are not setting the limit at zero, but don’t go out drinking and driving.”

Streeting warns NHS ‘not out of the woods yet’ as flu cases spike

Health secretary Wes Streeting has warned the NHS is “not out of the woods yet”, as flu cases have spiked following festive and new year gatherings.

Figures published on Thursday showed that the number of patients in hospital beds with flu has risen by 9 per cent on the previous week to 2,924, following two weeks where that number had fallen.

Norovirus and Covid figures have also increased, with the average number of patients in hospital up on the pervious week.

Overall bed occupancy was up 5 per cent on the previous week at just under 92 per cent.

“Today’s data shows we are not out of the woods yet. While the NHS is better prepared and performing more strongly than this time last year thanks to the tireless work of staff, the current cold snap is putting fresh pressure on frontline services,” Mr Streeting said.

“Flu can be serious, particularly for older people, young children and those with underlying conditions, and vaccination remains the best protection. I urge everyone who is eligible to get their flu jab as soon as possible.

“By acting now, we can help keep people out of hospital, support our NHS staff through the toughest weeks of winter, and ensure emergency care is there for those who need it most.”

It comes after data in December suggested the UK could face the worst flu season in decades. In the first week of December 1,717 patients were admitted to hospitals in England with the infection, up 56 per cent on the same week in 2024, according to NHS England.

The UK’s flu season was underway week’s before it usually starts mounting pressure on the NHS. It’s thought a new strain of influenza, influenza A H3N2 subclade K, was infecting the majority of people. This strain has seven mutations that differentiate it from the previous H3N2 strain.

In the run up to Christmas an average of 19,120 resident doctors were on strike each day between 17 and 22 December – that’s slightly higher than the 17,236 average in the last set of November strikes.

However, the majority of hospital appointments still went ahead and more than 5,000 fewer patients were in hospital on Christmas Day compared to last year, with 78.8 per cent of beds occupied.

But following this week’s rise in flu cases, NHS national medical director Professor Meghana Pandit has warned the “worst is far from over for the NHS this winter”.

“The cold weather also means we are also seeing more vulnerable patients with respiratory problems in A&E and more injuries from slips and falls due to the icy conditions, so it remains an extremely busy time,” she added.

“Staff continue to work incredibly hard and we are seeing teams across the country pulling out all the stops to ensure patients get the care they need. It remains important that people come forward for care as usual and there are still plenty of opportunities to get vaccinated and get protected against flu.”

There were 101,177 ambulance handovers- that’s over 5,100 more than the same week last year. These figures include New Year’s Eve, one of the busiest nights of the year for ambulance crews.

Despite the pressure, the average ambulance handover time of 37 minutes 44 seconds, was more than 16 minutes quicker than the same time last year – although was down on the week before.

The data comes with demand on the NHS remaining high as it manages the impact of a cold snap.

Data published last week showed it received the second-highest number of calls to 111 in two years on Saturday 27 December, with 87,318 calls answered.

A total of 414,562 calls to NHS 111 were reported as answered during Christmas week, almost 24,000 more than the previous week.

Responding to the figures, Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King’s Fund, said: “The NHS faces a frosty start to 2026 with pressure on NHS services running hot in the face of a cold snap and a rebound in winter viruses. The health services talk of a period of ‘calmer waters’ before the new year has come to an end but with the number of beds occupied by flu patients 46 per cent lower than this time last year the pressure is not as acute as the previous winter.

Although bed occupancy rates are “slightly better” than expected for this time of year, Ms Woolnough stresses this level should not be considered as “sustainable”.

She added: “Many NHS staff and leaders have worked around the clock to protect patients as best they can, planning for months in advance, despite the additional disruption caused by industrial action and spikes in flu cases.

“There is no doubt these actions have prevented the system from becoming overwhelmed, with bed occupancy rates standing at 92 per cent for the first week of January – slightly better than we have come to expect for this time of year. But this should not be treated as a sustainable level of pressure and is certainly not one that is providing the best possible outcomes for patients.”

Ex-Premier League referee David Coote had sex abuse video of 15-year-old on laptop, court hears

Former Premier League referee David Coote has avoided jail after police found a sex abuse video featuring a 15-year-old boy stored on his laptop, a court has heard.

He was handed a sentence of nine months in prison suspended for two years at a hearing at Nottingham Crown Court, as a judge told him he had suffered a “spectacular fall from grace”.

Forensic analysis of Coote’s computer showed a two minutes and 11 seconds-long video had been viewed that showed a 15-year-old boy in school uniform undress until he was completely naked, before performing sexual acts on himself, prosecutors said on Thursday.

Coote made no obvious reaction as he was sentenced, but his hands were shaking as he left the dock.

The former match official, 43, appeared in court over a charge of making an indecent image of a child after the category A video – the most serious kind – was found by police in February last year.

He pleaded guilty to the charge at a hearing in October, and appeared at Nottingham Crown Court this morning for sentencing.

Crown counsel Jeremy Janes told the court the offence was “aggravated” by it being a moving image over two minutes.

Defending, Laura Jane Miller said the ex-referee is “deeply ashamed of himself and his actions”.

The disgraced referee first came to police’s attention following a Football Association (FA) investigation into him over comments he made about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

He was arrested at his Woodhill Road home in Nottinghamshire in February 2025, and a number of his devices were seized and analysed, police said.

The charge of making an indecent image of a child refers to activities such as downloading, sharing or saving photos or videos of abuse.

Passing sentence, Judge Nirmal Shant KC told the sacked referee he must understand such videos involve “real children being abused, with all the consequent damage that comes from it”.

Ms Miller invited her to consider a suspended sentence and an order to perform unpaid work, saying there was a “prospect of rehabilitation” and it would save Coote from “being a burden in the public purse”.

Speaking about his state of mind, Judge Shant told him: “You were a lonely man. You had a relationship that had broken down recently. You had mental health difficulties and you were consuming cocaine.”

She also imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and told him it would restrict his “contact and communication with children”, and where he is allowed to reside.

Coote refused to comment on his suspended prison sentence as he left the court.

The ex-official was sacked by Professional Game Match Officials Limited in December 2024 after a video of comments he had made about former Mr Klopp in 2020 came to light.

His misconduct was defined as an aggravated breach under the FA’s rules because there was a reference to Klopp’s nationality. In August last year, he was also given an eight-week suspension by the Football Association over the footage.

He was also banned by European football’s governing body Uefa until June 30 2026 after a different video emerged of him snorting a white powder through a bank note while in Germany for Euro 2024.

In January 2025, Coote came out as gay in an interview with The Sun, saying a lifelong struggle to hide his sexuality had contributed to the rant about Mr Klopp.

Sister of man who drowned in Thailand says lifeguard ‘couldn’t swim’

A British man who drowned while swimming off a popular beach in Thailand may have survived had emergency response and safety standards been better, his sister has claimed.

She said the Thai lifeguard on duty “couldn’t swim”.

Jason Lambert, 37, from Colchester, was swept out to sea by strong waves at Freedom Beach in Phuket on 29 November last year while holidaying with his family. He was among a group of eight people who got into trouble after being caught in a rip current.

The allegations by his 30-year-old sister, Lauren Smy, come just days after a UK coroner ruled that Lambert’s death was accidental.

Ms Smy said the incident unfolded within seconds. In an interview withThe Gazette, she said that the group had been standing in waist-deep water when a sudden wave dragged them out.

She said: “It happened so quick – a wave just came over us, pulled us out, and I was pulled out a bit further than Jason so I started panicking.

“I was like, ‘Jason, I can’t breathe, you’re going to have to help me’, so he tried to come towards me and grabbed hold of my hand – before we knew it, another wave came and pulled us away even further and I’ve let go of his hand.

“I honestly thought I was going to die, because every time I was swimming, I weren’t going anywhere.”

Ms Smy said another beachgoer helped her back towards shore, while a separate rescue effort was launched for her brother.

She said: “Then this guy came in and helped me – while I was getting pulled back, another big guy went in the water, grabbed Jason, and dragged him to the shore where everyone then went over to him and started CPR.”

When she eventually reached dry land, Ms Smy said the scene was chaotic and deeply distressing.

She told the outlet: “This lifeguard should have been trained – this is the point I am getting at …. I didn’t know what was happening, really – it all just happened a bit quick …. The lifeguard on duty, he told us he can’t swim.”

The Independent has reached out to Thailand’s ministry of tourism and sports, which overseas lifeguard standards and beach safety.

Ms Smy’s allegations came despite Thai local media outlet Thaiger reporting that the police said Lambert’s family did not raise any objections about the circumstances of his death or ask for further inquiries. The outlet reported that his body was formally released to them following the autopsy to allow funeral arrangements to go ahead.

According to The Mirror, earlier last month, police lieutenant colonel Chanan Mekchai of Patong police station in Thailand said: “The incident happened at around 11.30am, and we were notified an hour later. He went to the beach with his wife at around 10am. While swimming, he was caught in strong waves and disappeared beneath the surface.

“Tourists on the beach rushed to help and managed to pull him from the water. They attempted CPR for first aid while waiting for the emergency service, but he could not be revived.”

Lambert had travelled to the Southeast Asian country with his family on 19 November for a family holiday.

Lambert, who lived in Greenstead and worked as a bouncer in Colchester, was taken to Patong Hospital in Phuket shortly after midday. He still had a pulse in the ambulance but was pronounced dead later that afternoon.

An eyewitness to the scene, 31-year-old Chariya Thaweerat Howells, told The Mirror earlier last month: “The sea looked rough and we had only been there a few minutes when we heard cries for help. Everyone ran to assist. A Thai man launched a kayak and managed to reach the two struggling tourists and get them safely to shore.

“Only then did people realise a third man was being washed in. By the time they dragged him onto the sand his face was already pale and yellowish. He had clearly been underwater for some time.”

A UK inquest recently concluded that Lambert’s death was accidental and recorded drowning as the cause of his death.

Ms Smy said her family were left traumatised by how authorities handled the aftermath at the hospital.

She also claimed blood samples were not taken after her brother’s death and said there was a two-week delay before a post-mortem examination was carried out. Lambert’s body was not repatriated until shortly after Christmas.

Ms Smy and her mother flew back to the UK two days after Jason died.

Former England players criticise Ben Stokes Bazball ‘cult’ after Ashes thrashing by Australia

Former England players have offered damning assessments of the team’s 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia.

Ben Stokes’ side won a chaotic two-day match in Melbourne but were otherwise outplayed all in disciplines of the game by a depleted Australian side who missed captain Pat Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon for much of the contest, and were without key bowler Josh Hazlewood for the entire series.

Stokes’ captaincy has come under scrutiny for the first time since he took charge, as has the role of head coach Brendon McCullum and the ECB director who appointed them, Rob Key.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan called on the Bazball “cult” to learn and adapt if the trio are to remain in place and succeed in the future.

“They have to change the culture around the group,” Vaughan said on Fox Sports. “They seem to have created a cult around the way this team play and talk. A lot of it is nonsense and that has to change.

“For English cricket to get back to winning Test series and five-match series, you have to remember they haven’t won a five-match series since 2017 … they’ve had some flamboyant times and exciting times in recent years, but they haven’t won a big, big series – and that’s what English cricket has been known for, for 20-odd years.”

Jonathan Agnew was critical of Stokes captaincy, telling BBC Sport: “When England won in Pakistan three years ago, they won 3-0, Stokes’s captaincy played a massive part in England winning that. I think he’s been off it in this series. He’s probably had so much on, so much noise.”

Stokes – who called former England players “has-beens” before the series and later apologised – was defiant over his own future and backed McCullum as the best person to lead the team. But he conceded that England were being regularly outplayed by the best teams.

“When a trend is happening on a consistent basis,” Stokes said, “that’s when you do need to go back and look at the drawing board and make some adjustments.”

Sir Alastair Cook pinpointed England’s reckless approach in the first Test as setting the tone for everything that followed.

“Australia won all the big moments, the 4-1 scoreline doesn’t flatter them,” Cook said on TNT Sports. “It’s a fair reflection of the gulf between the sides … this was a big missed opportunity for England.

“You go back to the one big moment for me, which set the whole tone, it was that 100-1 in Perth, day two – [England] were effectively 100 runs ahead with one wicket down. Backstage, behind the scenes, all the ex-Aussies were gunning for the Australian side – they had been poor, they’d bowled poorly. England had to bat really well for one hour against one bowler, which at that time in the series was Mitchell Starc.

“They didn’t take that opportunity, and guess what? They let Australia off the hook, and from that moment on, those four wickets meant that Australia gained confidence, England lost confidence, and for me that was the clinical moment.”

Another former captain, Michael Atherton, called for Cook to be involved in the England setup to support McCullum behind the scenes.

“Alastair Cook, if he could be persuaded, would be a perfect candidate,” Atherton wrote in the The Times. “Having retired from Test cricket in 2018, he is in touch with the game, but distanced enough to have seen it from beyond the boundary.

“He is one of England’s greatest cricketers. He knows what it takes to succeed, having scored 33 Test hundreds. He won the Ashes at home, as captain, and away as a player. He captained England to home and away triumphs in India. He was equally good against pace and spin.

“He made himself into a champion by dint of a Stakhanovite work ethic. He could probably still outrun most of the players now. If McCullum’s great strength – and it is a great strength – is making his players feel 10 feet tall, then Cook could help with the drive and the discipline.”

Kevin Pieterson was damning in his assessment, tweeting: “I’ll help with the thorough investigation that the ECB are going to conduct, right here, for free. Apart from Stokes, Root, Archer, Bethell & Brook WITH a brain, the team isn’t good enough to compete with Aus or India.”

Geoffrey Boycott meanwhile hammered England’s leadership team, labelling McCullum, Key and Stokes “three stooges who sold a lie for three years”.

He wrote in the Daily Telegraph: “Joe Root has said ‘it would be silly to change the management team’. Really? After losing the Ashes so badly would any company or sporting entity say to their management team ‘the same again please’?

“Sport is a results business. This trio would not last five minutes in football or the commercial world. There is every chance the suits at the ECB will keep their heads down and hope all the fuss will eventually die down and then carry on as normal.”

Stokes accepted that England must learn from their mistakes on this Ashes tour. “I think we’re now playing against teams that have found answers to the style of cricket we’ve been playing for quite a long time,” he said.

“In the first couple of years, teams struggled to come up with ways to counter how we played, but now they’re developing plans that stand up to the style of cricket we want to play.

“When you come up against a team like Australia out here — a side that knows how to play in these conditions — and you contribute to your own downfall, you’re going to end up losing the series 4–1, as we have.”

Your dream cruise formula: From Caribbean islands to European cities

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More than 100,000 households warned after cyber attack on council

Personal data belonging to hundreds of thousands of people is believed to have been stolen in a cyber attack on Kensington and Chelsea Council.

Households have been warned by the west London council to be wary of unexpected calls, messages and links and that the information could be used to make scams seem legitimate.

Small samples of the data hacked by the criminals show it is likely to contain sensitive personal information, and residents should be wary of anyone claiming to be a council worker who asks for details.

The council shares some of its affected services with Westminster City Council and Hammersmith and Fulham Council, which were also impacted. All three are working with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to track the data.

As a result, they have written to over 100,000 households with guidance and have warned residents to use the councils published contact routes if they have any concerns.

The council’s most recent update on its website said officers were “planning accordingly” and “working with law enforcement at every step”, and that they did not believe the hackers had succeeded in accessing third-party systems that help provide services.

The council are also checking files that may have been accessed and prioritising those belonging to vulnerable individuals, but it could take months for the operation to be completed.

In 2024, there were more than 150 incidents of reported cyber attacks in the local government sector that were reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Speaking to the BBC, cyber security expert Graeme Stewart said local authorities are targeted because “they have got a lot of really, really interesting data”.

“Cyber attackers don’t have any moral scruples. They will basically go for the easiest targets that they can. Quite a lot of these local authorities get attacked all the time and most of the time it won’t work – but eventually someone’s going to get through,” he said.

He also said local authorities “operate under real pressure the whole time as they’re currently always under budget scrutiny, things like that”.

Elizabeth Campbell, leader of the council, said: “We decided to go out immediately and say to people this is what’s happened, this data has been copied and it has been taken and you should be aware therefore you are at risk.

“In the meantime, we are now going through all the documentation to see if there are specific places where we know that someone’s been at risk – and then we will contact them directly.”

The Met’s Cyber Crime Unit said inquiries were ongoing and no arrests had been made.

Man admits attempted murder after soldier stabbed near Kent barracks

A 25-year-old man has admitted to the attempted murder of an Army officer outside his barracks in Kent.

Anthony Esan pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton, who was stabbed “repeatedly” in Sally Port Gardens near Brompton Barracks in Chatham on July 23 2024.

He appeared at Maidstone Crown Court via video-link from Broadmoor Hospital on Thursday, wearing a blue and white jumper, and spoke only to admit attempted murder and possession of two bladed weapons.

Lt Col Teeton, who was taken to hospital with serious injuries after the attack, was in court to hear the guilty pleas.

At a previous hearing at Medway Magistrates’ Court in 2024, prosecutor Rajni Prashar said: “A member of the public called 999 to report a male had been stabbed.

“It was then reported that the victim was a soldier in uniform.”

She told the court a man was seen “running up behind” the Army officer before he “pulled the soldier to the ground”, stabbed him “repeatedly” and drove away on a moped.

Two knives were dropped at the scene and a further three were found stored on the bike, the prosecutor said.

Since the attack, the case has been repeatedly delayed as investigations into Esan’s mental health and fitness to plead have been made.

Esan, of Rochester, will be sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court from February 9 to 11.

Brompton Barracks is the headquarters of the British Army’s 1 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment.

Lt Col Teeton is a chartered engineer working as a course manager in the Army’s Corps of Royal Engineers, according to a LinkedIn page, which shows he has worked in various roles in the armed forces dating back to 2001.

A GoFundMe page has raised almost £50,000 to support Lt Col Teeton and his family.