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A taxi firm owner and a petrol station have been fined after an explosion in Immingham in which two people died.

According to the BBC, Sue Barker, 43, and Ann Mawer, 52, died in the blast in 2007 when petrol on the premises ignited. Mrs Barker’s husband John Barker, 46, was fined £2,400 after he admitted two counts of breaching health and safety laws.

Immingham Service Station Ltd was fined £7,500 at Grimsby Crown Court for breaching its petroleum licence.

After an investigation by North East Lincolnshire Council, Mr Barker was charged with failing to protect his employees in relation to the storage of petrol and failing to protect the public.
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The President of Toyota will face some tough questions this week from US politicians over the well documented safety problems at the firm.

According to the BBC, Akio Toyoda is to be quizzed on events that led to the recall of 8.5 million vehicles worldwide and how his firm responded to the public’s concerns.

Mr Toyoda has already stated that he believes that the firm’s expansion “may have been too quick”.
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A woman who is undergoing treatment to save her eyesight is having to have each eye treated in seperate hospitals.

According to the BBC, Mavis Eldridge is undergoing scans on her right eye in Coventry, and having treatment in Birmingham for the same condition in her left eye.

Mrs Eldridge said that she was getting excellent treatment but that it was “silly” to be going to two hospitals.
Coventry’s University Hospital said that she was sent to Birmingham for “prompt treatment”. Mrs Eldridge is being treated for age-related macular degeneration but says that it is well known that if you have a macular problem in one eye, the other will be affected sooner or later. She said: “To me it is silly that I can’t be treated in Coventry for the same complaint, but in the other eye.”
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Further details are expected to emerge later about one of the worst scandals in the history of the NHS.

According to the BBC, the Stafford Hospital independent inquiry is also due to report on what can be learned from the case.
Regulators said that last year at least 400 more people had died at the hospital between 2005 and 2008 than would be expected, due to “appalling care”.

The government commissioned enquiry has already been dubbed a whitewash by campaigners who want a public enquiry. Campaigners have consistently called for a full enquiry in to how the scandal could have happened, including the role of the wider NHS in the case. During this time period the hospital had been climbing the NHS ratings ladder.
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Tesco has been ordered to pay £74,000 in fines and costs after mice were seen between the aisles of a Suffolk store.

According to the BBC, Suffolk Coastal District Council said its food safety team found a “catalogue of problems” at Tesco Extra in Martlesham, near Ipswich.

Tesco was convicted of eight hygiene-related offences from April to August 2007 following a trial on Monday. Magistrates in Ipswich fined the store £17,000 and ordered it to pay £57,000 towards the council’s costs.
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A labourer and bricklayer who was paralysed in a car crash in which his friend died in Cornwall has been awarded more than £2m in compensation.

According to the BBC, Anthony Bennett, 26, from Dobwalls, was in the backseat of a car driven by Jonathan Stephens when it crashed on the A390 near Liskeard in October 2003.

Mr Stephens died in the crash and Mr Bennett was left paraplegic. Mr Bennett’s claim was settled by Mr Stephens’ insurers and the sum was approved at a High Court hearing.

Lawyers for Mr Bennett were due to argue that Mr Stephens was at fault for the accident because he drove too fast and did not take appropriate action to avoid an obstruction.
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The family of a 47 year old woman who was dragged along a road on a suspected hit and run incident have described the driver as “selfish and cowardly”.

According to the BBC, Julie Bloodworth was pulled several hundred yards under a car from Brick Row to Parliament Street car park in Stroud on Saturday 13th February 2010.

She lost part of her skull in the incident, had several broken ribs and needed skin grafts, Gloucestershire Police said.

Her family has urged anyone who knows the missing driver to come forward.

In a statement, the family said “A week ago last Saturday our ‘fiery angel’ Julie was seriously injured just yards from her home by a coward and selfish driver who left her for dead.
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The council child protection service heavily criticised for their role in the death of Baby Peter is showing signs of progress after spending millions of pounds on improving.

According to the Guardian, a report published by inspectors today in to Haringuey Council in north London shows that they have taken action to reduce frontline staff workloads, simplify bureaucratic IT systems and get rid of poorly-performing employees and this is beginning to pay dividends.

The report by Ofsted indicates that after initial difficulties the children’s services in the borough are beginning to make “good progress overall”
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A new hospital in Wales is being criticised because some beds have still not been used almost a year after it opened. According to the BBC, Ysbyty Alltwen in Tremadog, Gwynedd opened its doors in April last year, replacing the previous hospital, Bron y Garth, in Penrhyndeudraeth.

Health watchdogs said that they were unhappy only 24 of the 30 beds available had been used. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which runs the hospital, said the new hospital had the same number of beds available as the one it replaced.
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A doctor is accused of failing to spot the signs that Baby P was being abused and is due before the General Medical Council (GMC) charged with misconduct.

According to the BBC, Dr Sabah Al-Zayyat saw 17-month-old Peter Connelly at St. Ann’s Hospital in Haringuey days before his death in 2007.

She is accused of failing to carry out an “adequate examination” investigating his injuries, or admit him to hospital. The GMC could take the decision to ban her from working in the UK.
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