Mobile Spending 'Could Be Worth £23bn' By 2018

By Poppy Trowbridge, Business and Economics Correspondent

This year has been dubbed 'The Mobile Christmas' and with 48% growth in mobile shopping, retailers are increasingly targeting shoppers through digital devices.

British retailers will spend nearly £400m on advertising during the last three months of 2013 and consumer spending via mobiles and tablets is worth about nearly £8bn a year, according to research firm Verdict.

But over the next five years, the spread of smartphones and tablets will see our spending on these devices triple to £23bn.

Spending via mobiles and tablets is expected to triple over five years

Two thirds of that shopping is done at home, as buyers often wait until they are logged in to a secure network before purchasing items.

Matthew Rubin, retail analyst with Verdict Research, said: "While we are expecting growth in successive years, we are expecting this year to be the highest level of growth. Retailers really need to invest in their mobile websites now."

John Lewis announced its £7m Christmas television advertising campaign on Friday. The ad is set to a cover of Keane's 2004 hit Somewhere Only We Know sung by Lily Allen.

Supermarket chain Morrisons launched its Christmas TV advertising campaign during the prime-time slot of ITV's Coronation Street.

Some 20% of home shopping business at Asda is done via mobile or tablet

Asda says 20% of its home shopping business is done via a mobile or tablet, and that figure is growing by 1% each month.

The living room is becoming a key location for retailers to target consumers, as 67.2% of all online shoppers making a purchase from their home do so in their living room.

Wealthy young shoppers currently dominate mobile and tablet expenditure, but with increased access to cheaper, high-specification devices, older shoppers will have a much bigger impact over the next five years, Verdict research shows.

Still, window shopping hasn't entirely given way to digital methods yet.

Around 38% of online shoppers still research goods by viewing them in a store before purchasing them online.

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Super Typhoon Haiyan: 'At Least 100 Dead'

At least 100 people may have died in the Philippines from the impact of super typhoon Haiyan, according to government officials.

An aviation officer in the central city of Tacloban reported bodies lying in the streets, said Captain John Andrews, deputy director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

Captain Andrews said the Tacloban airport manager had radioed the head office in Manila to report "100-plus dead, lying on the streets, with 100 plus injured".

The death toll is expected to rise (pic: Lowell Estepa Coron)

"This report was relayed to us by our station manager so it is considered very reliable information," he told ABS-CBN television.

"According to the station manager the airport is completely ruined."

Tacloban is the capital of Leyte, a large island of about two million people that was hit by Haiyan on Friday morning when the storm was at its strongest, knocking out all its communication facilities.

Families who survived the onslaught wait for relief supplies from the army

Local television GMA network reported that storm surges had hit Tacloban and nearby Palo town on its east coast.

Its reporter said he counted at least 31 bodies, including 20 at the Palo church. Philippine authorities are now rushing rescuers and communication equipment to the island.

Volunteers in Manila pack relief goods for devastated provinces

Five other people have been confirmed killed elsewhere in the central Philippines and as emergency workers reach the worst affected areas, many which remain cut off, the death toll is expected to rise.

Minnie Portales, a spokesman for the aid agency World Vision, said: "As we wait for early reports from some of the hardest-hit provinces, we fear for the worst. This could be very bad."

The typhoon is believed to be the strongest ever to have made landfall

Anna Lindenfors, Save the Children's director for the Philippines, added: "We expect the level of destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan to be extensive and devastating, and sadly we fear that many lives will be lost."

Haiyan, now thought to be the strongest storm ever to hit land, was barrelling out of the Philippines after having flattened houses, triggered landslides and floods and knocked out power and communications across a number of islands.

The category five storm whipped-up winds of 195mph and waves as high as 5 metres as well as brought down power lines, knocked out communications, caused landslides and left streets flooded.

Haiyan could now pick up speed again as it sweeps towards Vietnam

Hundreds of thousands of people had to be evacuated and thousands more fled their homes as Haiyan tore apart buildings.

The previous strongest tropical cylcone, Hurricane Camille, brought 190mph winds to the Gulf of Mexico in 1969.

Meteorologists say Haiyan could pick up strength again as it sweeps across the South China Sea toward Vietnam.

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Alcohol Testing In Workplace Recommended

By James Matthews, Sky News Correspondent

An organisation set up to tackle alcohol misuse has called for workplace testing to seek out problem drinkers.

The Alcohol Health Network wants employees to take a standardised test which identifies whether or not they are misusing alcohol.

The body's director and founder, Don Shenker, wrote in the British Medical Journal that if problems were identified, employers could provide advice to help prevent problem-drinking at an early stage.

He stated that introducing such a measure could "prevent alcohol-related harm and sickness costs".

Mr Shenker wrote: "Offering staff confidential use of the 'alcohol use disorders identification test' and brief advice as a self-awareness initiative at work, whether through face to face interactions or leaflets, may well help prevent problems with alcohol at an earlier stage.

"In this way, staff who may be concerned about their drinking or whose level of drinking is not yet apparent to them, can assess the risks their drinking poses to their health and take appropriate action.

"Reducing hazardous drinking also reduces the risk of dependent drinking occurring."

He added: "Employers need also to be convinced of the business case for prevention rather than cure - that is, that it is ultimately more cost effective to prevent and reduce harmful drinking in the general working population, compared with the costs of managing dependent drinking among a minority of staff."

The NHS estimates that in the UK around 9% of men and 4% of women show signs of alcohol dependence.

In 2011, 167,764 prescriptions for drugs to treat alcohol dependency were prescribed.

In 2010, 6,669 deaths were directly related to alcohol.

The Government advises that people should not regularly drink more than the daily unit guidelines of three to four units of alcohol for men (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer) and two to three units of alcohol for women (equivalent to a 175ml glass of wine).

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Super Typhoon Haiyan Hits The Philippines

Three people have been killed after Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded in the world, hit the Philippines.

The victims are reported to be a mother and child who drowned in South Cotabato, and a boy who was struck by lightning in Zamboanga City.

Thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes in villages in Haiyan's path amid fears the storm damage could be the worst in the Philippines' history.

Communications have been cut and roads blocked by fallen trees

President Benigno Aquino III assured those living in high-risk areas, including 100 coastal communities, of war-like preparations with three C-130 air force cargo planes and 32 military helicopters and planes on standby, along with 20 navy ships.

People were warned they would be made to abandon their homes at gunpoint if necessary.

"No typhoon can bring Filipinos to their knees if we'll be united," Mr Aquino said in a televised address.

Those who did not leave have begun the clear-up operation

The US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre in Hawaii said Haiyan's maximum sustained winds were 195mph (314kmph), with gusts up to 235mph (379kmph).

Local journalist Mike Cohen told Sky News: "We're seeing a lot of strong winds but not a lot of rain.

Residents of Legazpi city in Albay province, south of Manila

"There are already reports of some landslides and very strong storm surge entering towns and villages in the path of the storm.

"Trees are falling and there is lots of damage reported across the region."

Nearly 200 flights have been suspended at Ninoy Aquino airport

According to Mr Cohen, power has been cut to the worst-affected areas, mainly as a preventative measure to avoid electrocution, but this was making communications difficult.

Jeff Masters, a former hurricane meteorologist who is a director at the private firm Weather Underground, warned residents to prepare for "catastrophic damage".

Philippine Coast Guards beside newly acquired rubber boats in Manila

He said: "195mph winds; there aren't too many buildings constructed that can withstand that kind of wind. The wind damage should be the most extreme in Philippines' history."

The strength of the wind made it one of the four most powerful typhoons ever recorded in the world, and the most powerful to have made landfall, he added.

The calm before the storm: Fisherman's outrigger anchored off Manila bay

But other meteorologists forecast lower readings, saying the storm's speed at landfall had sustained winds at 145mph (234kmph) with gusts of 170mph ( 275kmph).

Haiyan is expected to sweep through the Philippines' central region before moving toward the South China Sea over the weekend, heading towards Vietnam.

A closer look reveals the eye of the storm over the Philippines

The head of the government's main disaster response agency in the capital Manila said people are still being moved from communities prone to landslides and flooding.

These include residents of Bohol, many of whom are still living in tents after being made homeless following an earthquake last month.

But there is hope that, as Haiyan is a fast-moving storm, flooding from heavy rain - which usually causes the most deaths from typhoons in the Philippines - may not be as bad.

Haiyan is the 24th tropical storm to hit the Philippines this year.

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Food Waste: Six Meals A Week Thrown Away

The average UK household throws away the equivalent of six meals every week, costing almost £60 a month, a study has found.

The waste costs £12.5bn a year despite a significant drive to reduce the problem, a report by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) said.

The equivalent of 24 million slices of bread, 5.8 million potatoes and 5.9 million glasses of milk are thrown away every day, while 86 million whole chickens are discarded every year.

Recent research by the watchdog Which? found that 70% of consumers are worried about rising food prices.

But Wrap's Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK 2012 report suggested a lack of clarity around storage and labelling, over-estimating portions and buying more than is needed were some of the reasons consumers discarded edible food.

Households have cut avoidable food waste by 21% since 2007, saving consumers almost £13bn, but the rate of reduction has slowed in recent years and 4.2 million tons which could have been eaten is still thrown out.

Almost half of this food goes straight from fridges or cupboards to the bin without making it to the dinner plate.

Wrap chief executive Dr Liz Goodwin is calling for a "major combined effort" with retailers, brands, the Government and consumers to cut avoidable household food waste by a further 1.7 million tons a year by 2025.

Tesco recently announced it is dropping some promotions for bagged salads after revealing it generated almost 30,000 tons of food waste in the first six months of 2013.

Dr Goodwin said: "Consumers are seriously worried about the cost of food and how it has increased over recent years.

"Yet as Wrap's research shows, we are still wasting millions of tons and billions of pounds.

"The UK is leading the way in tackling food waste and the 21% cut is a terrific achievement by millions of people who have taken action, saved money and helped safeguard our natural resources."

Resource management minister Dan Rogerson said: "Cutting avoidable household food waste by 21% is great news but there is still more to do.

"Cutting waste and driving business innovation will help to build a stronger economy.

"We will continue to work closely with food retailers and manufacturers to achieve this goal."

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Intelligence Agency Heads Face MPs' Questions

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor

The three heads of Britain's intelligence agencies will be questioned at a historic televised Parliamentary committee later.

It will be the first time they have appeared in public together and the first time the head of one of the agencies, GCHQ, has been seen in public.

The hearings come as the agencies are under fire following revelations by the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden that the UK is monitoring communications on a vast scale.

The three intelligence chiefs are Sir Iain Lobban, director of GCHQ; Andrew Parker, director general of Security Service (MI5) and Sir John Sawers, chief of Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).

They were originally scheduled to appear earlier this year but the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) workload did not allow for it.

Members of the committee were then too busy talking to the agencies following the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich.

The MI6 building on next to Vauxhall Bridge on the River Thames

Anyone who follows intelligence affairs knew that modern agencies have the capability to monitor vast amounts of communications traffic, but Snowden gave details of how, and revealed that GCHQ was running a programme called Tempora.

This called into question whether the agencies were "overstretching" in their surveillance capabilities and intentions.

An inquiry found that Tempora falls within the UK laws governing monitoring, but the disquiet remains over "who guards the guards".

That is the framework for the ISC hearings.

Sir John Sawers will appear at the committee

In the UK, Parliament makes the laws the agencies should abide by and the newly empowered ISC tries to ensure they do just that.

This year it was given greater powers and a bigger budget.

Members are proposed by all major political parties and are then approved by the Prime Minister.

In the unlikely event he/she was to turn someone down, the ISC reserves the right to make this public.

The ISC also now has powers to go into the headquarters of the agencies, look at documents and question officers.

It and the agencies are also overseen by two commissioners who are senior judges. They hold similar powers to the ISC.

The intelligence community is concerned that the UK public has the impression that millions of emails and phone calls are being listened to.

This is physically impossible, but what they are doing is monitoring vast amounts of digital traffic and using computers to try and track people they are already interested in, or to find patterns of interest.

The GCHQ building in Cheltenham

Within that they may well come across an ordinary person's communications, but in law actually reading or listening to that requires another step.

When an agency wants to tap a phone, or read an email, it needs to apply to a secretary of state.

In the case of GCHQ and MI6 that is the Foreign Secretary, while the Home Secretary oversees MI5.

A judge may be required to approve the request for monitoring.

Part of the job of the commissioners is to ask the agency chiefs to justify their applications.

There are more revelations to come from Snowden, and more public debate, which is part of the reason why the spies are emerging from the shadows and into the 21st century.

:: For live coverage of the Intelligence and Security Committee watch Sky News from 2pm on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 82, Skynews.com and Sky News for iPad.

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Dublin Police Identify Mystery Street Woman

Police have identified a woman who was found wandering the centre of Dublin nearly a month ago - just hours after releasing a photograph of her.

Officers said that with the assistance of the public they were now "following a definite line of enquiry" and were "liaising closely with the Australian Police and the Health Service Executive to finalise the matter".

The woman, who was thought to be as young as 14 and from eastern Europe, is now understood to be an Australian aged 19-20 who appears to have travelled voluntarily, according to Sky sources.

"Police no longer believe there was any criminal involvement in the case of the girl found on O'Connell Street," a source said.

They hope to reunite her with her family soon, but for now she remains in the care of the HSE.

She was found in a dazed state in the Irish capital on October 10, but has yet to speak to the police.

It was thought the woman, now thought to be Australian, was eastern Europe

Interpol had been called in to try to identify the woman.

The woman, 5ft 6in tall, of slim build, with long blonde hair, was found wearing a purple hooded top, tight dark coloured jeans, flat black shoes and a grey woollen jumper.

It is believed her clothes were bought in major retailers in Ireland, but detectives could not determine when they were purchased.

The woman also has a brace, but paediatric orthodontists contacted in Ireland were unable to shed any light on her identity through their records.

A major investigation was launched into the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the woman.

The probe has so far involved more than 2,000 man hours and more than 115 lines of enquiry.

These include door-to-door enquires, vehicle and pedestrian checks in the area where the woman was discovered, and the seizure and viewing of CCTV from the city centre.

Police also showed her picture to specialised child interviewers throughout the country.

Officers sought High Court approval to release the picture of the woman, who is under an interim care order, after their early enquiries drew a blank.

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Dog Attack: Young Girl Dies After Being Bitten

A four-year-old girl has died after being bitten by a dog at her home in Leicestershire.

The victim, who has been named as Lexi Hudson, was taken by air ambulance to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham where doctors were unable to save her.

Police were called to a flat in the quiet cul-de-sac of Rowena Court in Mountsorrel, a village between Leicester and Loughborough, just after noon on Tuesday.

It is not known if this was the dog that attacked Lexi

A spokesman said the dog involved was believed to be the family pet.

Neighbours said the animal was a rescue dog and had only been with the family for a few weeks, it was reported.

They described Lexi as a friendly girl who played outside her home and was often seen with quite a large dog, which potentially could be a French Mastiff.

Lexi lived in a flat with her mother Jodi Hudson and they had been there for about a year, neighbours added.

Lexi was described as always having a smile on her face

Police did not say what breed the dog was. It is not thought the animal was of one of the four breeds banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

The dog died shortly after the attack but police did not say how.

Arthur Nash, who lives in Rowena Court, said: "Everybody is in shock at the moment with Lexi dying.

"When I saw an ambulance pull up I thought it was an old lady on the court who had had a heart attack, and then the neighbour came up and said she had been killed by the dog. We're in shock."

The attack happened at Rowena Court, Mountsorrel, Leicestershire

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "We've seen all the activity today and I've just had a phone call from one of the neighbours to say she's died.

"The police have been and then the ambulance came and we heard.

"I always say hello when I pass, and the little girl used to play outside - she used to say hello when she was playing. It is just such a shock, such a sad shock."

Glennis Goddard, who has lived in the road for 27 years, said: "She was very happy, everything was fun - as it is when you're a four-year-old.

"You've only got to look at her and she'd got a big smile on her face."

Melanie Wright, a spokeswoman for East Midlands Ambulance, said handlers were being given support after responding to the "very distressing" 999 call.

She said: "The child was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham where, tragically, she has since died."

In September 2006 a five-month-old girl, Cadey-Lee Deacon, died after being savaged by two rottweiler dogs guarding a pub in nearby Leicester.

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Water Bills: Minister Urges Firms To Rethink

The Environment Secretary has urged water companies to "look closely" at whether price increases are necessary and urged them to introduce special tariffs for hard-pressed households.

In a letter to suppliers, Owen Paterson MP said they should recognise the financial strain that people were under.

The intervention came with Ofwat expected later this week to reject an application from Thames Water to increase bills by £29 in 2014-2015.

The regulator has questioned the profits being made by firms, and suggested its next Price Review could ease the upward pressure on bills by up to £750m after 2015.

Owen Paterson has urged water companies to reconsider price hikes

Mr Paterson said: "We know that household budgets are under pressure, and keeping water bills affordable is a crucial way we can help hardworking people.

"That is why we are pressing hard to make sure customers get a fair deal, by encouraging water companies to look closely at any price increases, introduce social tariffs for vulnerable customers and crack down on bad debt."

Water bills have risen by more than 60% in the last decade and the average household bill is now £388.

Since 2009, average increases in water and sewerage bills have been in line with inflation, but this has still outstripped increases in household income.

Water companies have blamed the price increases on the costs of environmental improvements including replacing ageing Victoria water pipes.

It comes after the cost of living has become increasingly important on the political agenda after Labour leader Ed Miliband pledged to freeze energy prices if his party wins the 2015 General Election.

Mr Miliband will accuse the coalition Government of "shrugging their shoulders" about low wages and rising prices this week and will challenge Conservative and Lib Dem MPs to back his policy of freezing energy bills in a Commons vote on Wednesday.

During a speech at Battersea Power Station, he will say: "The cost of living crisis isn't just an issue for the lowest paid, it affects the squeezed middle just as much.

"This is not just an issue facing Britain. It is the issue facing Britain. It is about who our country is run for."

Prime Minister David Cameron last week said he wanted to "roll back" environmental taxes that bump up energy bills, and promised more details in Chancellor George Osborne's Autumn Statement on December 4.

:: Read the full letter here

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Wonga Chief Defends Company Practices

The chief operating officer of payday loan company Wonga has defended its practices as it released a film telling the stories of 12 of its customers.

Niall Wass told Sky News that Wonga decided to make 12 Portraits to dispel the "negative" image of the company, as MPs prepare to grill three payday loan companies as part of a crackdown on the short-term lending sector.

The film was made by an independent director who picked 12 customers from the company database and followed their decision to take a loan from Wonga.

He said: "We felt the need to release it because we felt that the voice of the customer, really the silent majority of people using our service, was not being heard.

Wonga will appear with two other lenders in front of MPs later on Tuesday

"Generally you hear a lot of criticism about our service out in the media and actually the super positive stories that we see every day from our customer feedback are not being heard, so we wanted to redress that balance and allow their voice to come out.

"We didn't think it was fair the characterisation of some of our customers, so we want people to reconsider, judge for themselves have a look at our site have a look at those videos and see what you think."

Representatives from Wonga, QuickQuid and Mr Lender - three of the largest payday lending firms - will appear before the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee on Tuesday.

MPs are expected to follow up on a damning report by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) that found "deep-rooted" problems in the way payday loans attract and treat customers.

Lenders have come under intense scrutiny from the Competition Commission and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) since the report was published in September.

New curbs proposed by the FCA in October will force lenders to place "risk warnings" on promotions and advertising, urging customers to "think" before taking out a payday loan.

Representatives from Which? and the Citizens Advice Bureau will also address the committee.

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'Plebgate' Officers Facing New Investigation

Three police officers accused of deceiving MPs over the so-called Plebgate scandal are to face a new investigation by the police watchdog.

The officers - police federation representatives - will also be called back before an influential committee of MPs over evidence they gave to it previously.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission said there were "procedural irregularities" in an earlier probe.

Andrew Mitchell tried to take his bike through the Downing Street gates

Inspector Ken MacKaill, Detective Sergeant Stuart Hinton and Sergeant Chris Jones are accused of giving misleading accounts of a meeting with former chief whip Andrew Mitchell.

The Conservative MP met the officers last October to try to clear the air after an alleged foul-mouthed confrontation with police in Downing Street the previous month.

The trio were initially told they would face no action for misconduct over misleading press statements they made immediately after the meeting.

But the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has now said it will hold an investigation into their behaviour.

IPCC deputy chairwoman Deborah Glass said the watchdog was holding its inquiry to avoid damaging public confidence.

The confrontation was caught on CCTV and shown on Channel 4

She said: "Evidence given to the Home Affairs Select Committee on October 23 revealed a number of procedural irregularities between the production of the draft and final West Mercia reports."

The officers have also been recalled to the Home Affairs Select Committee to apologise for giving "misleading answers" on October 23.

Committee chairman Keith Vaz said: "We were appalled by the evidence given by DS Hinton, Sgt Jones and Inspector MacKaill. It is now clear that DS Hinton and Sgt Jones misled the committee, possibly deliberately.

"We have recalled them to correct the record and if they do not, they will be in prima facie contempt of Parliament."

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Maidstone Prison 'Riot' Brought Under Control

A "riot" at Maidstone Prison has been brought under control, the Prison Service has said.

Officers from special prison service riot units across the country were called in to deal with the Maidstone incident in a system known as Operation Tornado.

A prison officers union said it had been told the riot involved up to 180 prisoners, but the Prison Service said just 40 inmates took part in the "incident".

Riot units were called to the prison

Prison Officers Association vice chair Ralph Valerio told Sky News negotiators had been sent to the scene in Kent to try to contain the disturbance.

He said he had been told that at one point inmates were smashing up the Thanet Wing at the prison.

Mr Valerio said he had been led to believe that between 160 to 180 foreigners were involved - and some staff could have been assaulted.

Up to 180 foreigners are thought to have taken part in the disturbance

He said prison staff had been forced to retreat to safety. Thanet Wing, where the riot occurred, is separated from the other wings.

Jackie Hipwell, the landlady of a pub nearby, said the whole road in front of the prison was filled with fire engines and riot vans.

She said it started around 4pm and there were so many vehicles deployed she was unable to use the road.

The location of Thanet Wing at Maidstone Prison

A Prison Service spokesperson said later: "An incident involving around 40 prisoners at HMP Maidstone has been successfully resolved with no injuries to staff or prisoners.

"An investigation is under way and the perpetrators will be dealt with appropriately by the prison."

Mr Valerio believes staff shortages and the impact this has had on the prisoners is a possible reason behind the rioting.

Maidstone, with an inmate population of about 600, is a category C training prison that predominantly houses sex offenders from the Kent and Sussex areas.

Its website says it aims to "create a therapeutic environment that supports, embraces and empowers change with a primary focus on risk reduction and protection".

The prison also takes in foreign prisoners with more than 18 months to serve and provides forums with the UK Border Agency.

Kent Police confirmed it was aware of the incident, but a spokeswoman said prison services were dealing with the matter.

Meanwhile, a passive demonstration took place at G4S-run Rye Hill Prison, near Rugby,  involving 60 inmates. However, this was resolved peacefully and was not linked to the Maidstone riot.

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