Innovation

France's Justice Minister said the government would not give in to "acts of intimidation" after a wave of attacks targeting prisons across the country.

On Monday night, vehicles were set alight outside several French prisons and one jail was hit by gunfire, in what Gérald Darmanin described as "terrorist attacks".

Seven prisons have been targeted, in Toulon, Aix-En-Provence, Marseille, Valence and Nîmes in southern France, and in Villepinte and Nanterre, near Paris.

Darmanin suggested the attacks which began on Sunday were a response to the government's crackdown on drug trafficking. France's anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has launched an investigation.

On Tuesday, Darmanin visited Toulon's La Farlede prison where gunmen opened fired on the prison gate with a Kalashnikov.

"I am delighted that the national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has taken action because this is extremely serious," he told reporters. "These are terrorist attacks."

He added that "significant means" were being employed to find the perpetrators and they would be given "extremely severe sentences".

Darmanin indicated that the "acts of intimidation against prison workers" were related to government efforts to tackle drug crime.

"It might also be because we hit them where it hurts," he said, "and for the first time in decades, France is taking extremely serious measures against drug trafficking."

Earlier on Tuesday, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said the government's response must be "relentless".

"Those who attack prisons and officers deserve to be locked up in those prisons and monitored by those officers," he posted on X.

He added that he had instructed police to immediately strengthen security at prison facilities.

The prison guard union, FO Justice, expressed its "deepest concern and anger" following the "extremely serious" attacks overnight.

The union posted updates from the aftermath of several attacks on X, including images of burnt-out vehicles in prison car parks and bullet holes in the Toulon prison entrance gate.

It called for urgent government action to protect prison staff.

Another union, Ufap-Unsa Justice, said there were not enough officers to secure prison perimeters "24/7".

Ufap said that staff vehicles were among those set on fire outside the jails in Villepinte, Aix-Luynes, Nanterre and Valence.

The union condemned the "cowardly and heinous attacks [that] aim to terrorise those who embody the authority of the state".

In Nancy, a prison officer was reportedly threatened at their home, while in Marseille, an attempted arson attack targeted prison officers' accommodation.

Monday night's attacks come after seven vehicles were set on fire in a similar attack on France's national school of prison administration on Sunday, according to FO Justice.

"It is worrying to note that some people no longer hesitate to directly attack the prison's property, a symbol of state authority," it said in a statement.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Parisien reports that the letters DDPF – meaning "French prisoners' rights" – were found inscribed on damaged vehicles. The AFP news agency says anarchist slogans were found at some sites.

AFP quotes a source close to the case as saying the attacks appeared to be coordinated and "clearly linked" to the government's strategy against drug trafficking.

Darmanin and Retailleau have vowed to tackle the scourge of drug trafficking and drug-related violence in France amid a rise in gang-related crime.

In February, the interior ministry announced a record number of cocaine seizures in the first 11 months of 2024 – 53.5 tonnes, a rise of 130% on the 23.2 tonnes seized in 2023. Retailleau said France had been hit by a "white tsunami".

Darmanin has proposed a number of measures to tighten prison security, including establishing dedicated high-security prisons to isolate the drug lords who run their empires from behind bars.

A law is passing through the French parliament which creates a special prosecutor's office to deal with drugs crime, with new powers for investigators.

Council taxes are giving families a new financial worry as the yearly bills arrive with one of the largest increases in two decades.

"It's more than our utilities now," former teacher Sylvia Stevenson said of her April statement in Swansea, where the average council tax is up 6.2% for 2025-26.

The 7.2% average uplift for all councils is the second largest since 2003, with the 8.7% rise in Conwy county called "diabolical" by one resident.

The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) said even with increased taxes, "intense financial pressures" mean councils are cutting spending.

"We knew it would go up but at the same time we thought, 'gosh, that has gone up more than what we thought it would'," said Sylvia's husband Ian.

She said despite paying more, there are still potholes on roads and no wheelie bins for rubbish and recycling.

A former army veteran has spoken out over the decision by an armed forces charity to sell off military cottages built in honour of his brother in law.

Fourteen bungalows, known as the McKay VC Memorial Cottages, in Hoyland, were built in 1988 and dedicated to Sgt Ian John McKay, who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

Despite being built to house disabled military veterans the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) sold the properties in 2024 to Mountview Estates.

While veterans still living on the site have been told they can stay for the rest of their lives, Mr McKay's brother-in-law John Vickers, 58, said he did not want his relative's memory "tainted".

Sgt McKay, from Wortley, served in the Falklands and died aged 29 during the Battle of Mount Longdon in 1982 while trying to save his fellow soldiers from enemy fire.

He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the UK's top military honour.

Mr Vickers said: "He was obviously a fair bit older than me but he was a magnificent calm individual, warm and loving"

"He was the reason I joined the army" he added.

John served with the Queens regiment on tours in Gibraltar and Northern Ireland before leaving the force in 1991 after suffering an injury in Cyprus.

Veterans currently living in the bungalows on Pine Close in Hoyland told the BBC last year how unsettling the sale had been for them.

In September SSAFA said they had a "binding stipulation" that all current residents could live in their properties for as long as they wished but that the sale "would free up more financial resources to help more people through the charity's core work".

Mr Vickers described the approach by the military charity as "commercial short-termism dishonouring my brother-in-law's name"

He added: "If you dedicate a series of buildings to the care of veterans in the name of someone who was a veteran it is behoven on the organisations involved to maintain that legacy

"I'm exceptionally disappointed that this has not happened.

"SSAFA had an obligation to maintain them as memorial cottages, not just for one generation or just the existing residents but for a legacy of at least 125 years."

In a statement a spokesperson for SSAFA said:

"We understand the strength of Mr Vickers' feelings, and would like to make clear that the lifetime protected tenancies the residents of the McKay VC Memorial Cottages signed nine months ago are just that: protected and for life."

They continued, "Further, the sale of the Pine Close properties is leaving a legacy of help and support to many in the military family past, present, and future, not only the residents of those properties."

A spokesperson for Mountview PLC said they did not wish to comment.

South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds

A highly-contested 23-acre green space leased to a school to use as a playing field does not have to be shared with the local community, a judge has ruled.

Cotham School in Bristol has been in dispute with residents living close to land it leases at Stoke Lodge since 2019 when it erected a 6ft (2m) high fence around it.

Bristol City Council, which leased the land to the school, voted to give the site town green status in June 2023, but this status has now been revoked following a High Court trial.

Judge Paul Matthews ruled that the fact local residents had ignored signs warning against trespass did not mean they had use of it "as of right" and Bristol City Council was wrong to change it status.

The Redland school, which said it was "thrilled" with the legal ruling, was granted an 125-year lease on the land in 2011 due to lack of space on its inner city site three miles away.

It said it was forced to fence the site for safeguarding purposes and due to issues caused by out-of-control dogs and dog fouling on the sports pitches.

A care home has been placed into special measures after a watchdog rated it as "inadequate".

Springfield Lodge Care Home in West Rainton, County Durham, was inspected following previous concerns over medicines management and unsafe care.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said action plans to address the issues had not led to improvements, which meant "people remained at risk of ongoing harm".

However, it added most people had spoken positively about the service they received and had described staff as "caring and kind".

Ascot Care, which runs the facility, has been contacted for a comment.

The care home provides accommodation for up to 40 residents, some of whom have physical disabilities or dementia.

Placing it into special measures means it will be kept under close review by the CQC and monitored to ensure improvements have been made.

Victoria Marsden, CQC deputy director of operations in the north of England, said: "When we visited Springfield Lodge, it was disappointing to see a deterioration in the quality of care being provided to people.

"Action plans to address previous concerns hadn't led to improvements which meant people remained at risk of ongoing harm."

'People at risk'

Inspectors assessed the care home between November 2024 and January 2025.

The overall rating for the service went down from "requires improvement" to "inadequate" following the visit, as did its ratings for being safe and well-led.

It was rated as "requires improvement" for being effective and responsive.

A CQC report said residents had told inspectors they felt safe at the service and appeared "happy and relaxed" around staff.

However, the assessment found care records and medicine management did not meet expected standards which "placed people at risk of harm".

"Leaders continued to manage medicines ineffectively. Some people weren't given medication as prescribed by their GP and some medications being out of date or unavailable which placed people at risk of ineffective treatment or harm," Ms Marsden said.

Care records were not "cohesive or regularly reviewed" and some contained contradictory information and guidance, according to the report.

The inspections also found not all staff had completed required training, including how to support people with a learning disability.

However, the facilities were clean and there was positive feedback on changes the recently appointed manager had been trying to make.

"It was also positive to see kind and caring interactions during our inspection, and people appeared to be happy and relaxed around staff," Ms Marsden added.

The CQC has issued a warning notice to the care home and inspectors will return to check on progress.

Leicester City Council looks set to keep an apartment block being built as part of a new 350-home development.

The Waterside project, being delivered by the authority and Keepmoat Homes, is expected to be finished by the end of 2026, said the developer.

So far, more than 200 homes – a mixture of houses and flats – have been built, as well as public open spaces on former factory sites along the banks of the Grand Union Canal.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby is set to approve on Monday the retention of Lambert House, a block of eight two-bed flats, to be used as temporary accommodation for families who have declared themselves homeless.

In a report, officers said the property would be a "significant" contribution to the council's target to deliver 1,500 "new council, social or supported living homes" by 2027.

It added: "The city has experienced growing levels of homelessness and this, in turn, has led to a growing number of households in hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation."

The Waterside project has also included the refurbishment of the bridge connecting Soar Lane to Soar Island, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Construction of 34 homes on Soar Island is expected to be completed by the end of the year according to Keepmoat, while 53 homes will be built in the Canal Frontage phase by the end of 2026.

A "specialist care block" is also due to be developed by a third-party company with that work due to start later this year, Keepmoat said, and four commercial units are also planned.

Keepmoat said the project would be an £80m-plus investment into the regeneration of the area.

It added that the scheme would "help transform disused and neglected industrial buildings near Leicester's waterways".

Soulsby said the area had "for a long time had immense potential for regeneration" and the project will "transform Waterside into a vibrant, attractive neighbourhood in which to live and work".

A hospital has refused to update some staff contracts to match NHS standards, creating a "two-tier" workforce, according to the union Unite.

Staff at Cheswold Park, a mental health hospital in Doncaster, were employed by private company Riverside until late 2024, when the NHS was asked to take over the site.

A spokesperson for South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said staff were "fully supported" following the change and all workers would be moved on to NHS contracts once the "financial position supports the move".

Chris Rawlinson, regional officer at Unite, said NHS values were "not being upheld in their treatment of workers".

More than 170 workers had launched a collective grievance against the Trust, Unite said.

The union also accused the Trust of "trying to take advantage" of contract disparities to save money on redundancy packages and sick pay.

It said one woman, who had worked at the hospital since it was run by Riverside, returned to work against her doctor's advice after a miscarriage as she was not entitled to sick pay.

The Trust said it "did not accept the position" described by Unite.

"It does not accurately reflect the situation in Cheswold Park, nor acknowledge the support being provided to staff at the hospital," a spokesperson said.

The Trust aimed to ensure patients and staff could "remain at the hospital whilst returning it to a stable financial position", they added.

"In respect of staff terms and conditions we have always followed our legal obligations and continue to do so."

"We have not in any way changed the terms and conditions of employment of staff who have transferred over to the Trust," they said.

Mr Rawlinson said taking members on strike over the dispute was "a last resort", but they would be given the option if the employer refused to budge.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham described the situation as "absolutely sickening".

"The Trust's leadership should hang their heads in shame for allowing it to happen," she added.