England

Conservators restoring paintings at Blenheim Palace are hoping to track down workmen or their relatives who left their names in the ceiling area decades ago. About 11 names have been found scribbled high up in the Great Hall of the stately home in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, by art restorers working on …

Shannen HeadleyWest Midlands WMFS Natasha Johnson-Mall and Karlo Bogdan were killed in the fire A woman is urging people to beware of the dangers posed by modified e-bikes after a fire caused the death of her sister and her boyfriend. Natasha Johnson-Mall and Karlo Bogdan died after fire tore through …

Meghan OwenLondon work and money correspondent BBC More than 200,000 families and individuals across Britain are experiencing hidden homelessness, a 30% rise since 2020, according to new research from the charity Crisis and Heriot-Watt University. Crisis defines the hidden homeless as people dealing with their situation informally – and who …

Eleanor Lawsonand Richard Price,West Midlands Staffordshire County Council Reform UK said it was not taking any action against councillor Chris Large A Reform UK councillor has denied writing or endorsing racist comments on TikTok, including one which said racism “was a left-leaning term used to stop free speech”. Councillor Chris …

Family Handout Dania said getting an education in Gaza is impossible at the moment When Hayat’s adult daughters persuaded her to leave her teenage daughter with them and flee the escalating conflict in Gaza in 2023, she believed they would be quickly reunited. However, the 46-year-old, who was able to …

On 11 December 2005 the UK experienced one of its largest explosions since World War Two at a oil depot that was holding up to 60 million gallons of fuel. The huge blast at the Buncefield fuel depot in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, was heard as far away as the Netherlands …

Jasmine LoweIn Bridlington Jasmine Lowe/BBC Lisa Squire was speaking at a White Ribbon Campaign event in Bridlington The mother of a murdered Hull student has called for whole life sentences for convicted killers. Libby Squire, 21, was raped and murdered by Pawel Relowicz in January 2019. Her body was recovered …

Meet Happy, the deaf-blind pup. The 22-week-old “joyous and determined” dog came into the BBC Radio Cumbria studio to show how disabled animals make “fantastic pets”. Caroline Johnson, vice chair for charity the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes, says they can “bring so much to your family”. Despite not …

Ramona Jones Ramona Jones shares videos from her bountiful cottage garden in Somerset The stress of being a social media influencer can put significant pressure on mental health, a study has revealed. Influencers struggle with work-life balance and commercial pressures, as well as negative comments and the strain of appearing …

Jen SmithSouth West health correspondent BBC Pauline Miller said Mounjaro had left her in “chronic pain with no quality of life” A woman has said the weight loss drug Mounjaro has left her in chronic pain, suffering depression and with “no quality of life”. Pauline Miller, from St Keyne, near …

Eric Johnsonin Hemel Hempstead PA Media Firefighters battled flames for five days after the blast devastated parts of Hemel Hempstead When the Buncefield oil depot exploded on 11 December 2005, sending a fireball into the sky, it was declared the largest explosion in peacetime Europe. More than 40 people were …

Matthew hill,Health Correspondent Westand Martin Jones,BBC West Investigations BBC Two ambulance workers have been arrested over the deaths of six adults and are currently on bail The arrest of two ambulance workers over the death of six adults is linked to allegations that some patients were not taken to hospital …

PA Media Ray Winstone: “This has been such a special day for me” Actor Ray Winstone has said he is “a very proud Londoner” after receiving the Freedom of the City of London. The 68-year old, who has starred in films including The Departed, Scum and Sexy Beast, was honoured …

Victoria Cook,BBC Londonand Tom Edwards,London transport and environment correspondent, Canary Wharf Vertical Aerospace The aircraft is designed to fly passengers short distances Electric flying taxis will be in the skies by 2028, an aircraft manufacturer has claimed. At a launch event, developers Vertical Aerospace said the Valo aircraft, which can …

Drivers have been warned not to queue on a railway level crossing near a south Derbyshire village. Network Rail said vehicles had been seen “idling on the track” in recent weeks at the Etwall Road crossing in Willington. Train services were disrupted after a car was struck by a train …

PA Media The incident happened in Shaftesbury Avenue in central London A man accused of leaving a “trail of carnage” in London’s West End last Christmas Day in a series of drink-fuelled attacks has denied using his car as a “weapon to strike people”. Anthony Gilheaney is accused of using …

Joe Skirkowski,West of Englandand Emma Elgee,at Bristol Crown Court Doorbell footage shows moments before murder A man has been handed a life sentence after murdering a father in a stabbing. Kane Kotwica, 39, stabbed Matthew Cainey to death in an attack at a block of flats in Gloucester on 28 …

Joe Skirkowski,West of Englandand Emma Elgee,at Bristol Crown Court Doorbell footage shows moments before murder A man has been handed a life sentence after murdering a father in a stabbing. Kane Kotwica, 39, stabbed Matthew Cainey to death in an attack at a block of flats in Gloucester on 28 …

Lewis Adams,Essexand Nadira Tudor,in Little Dunmow Nadira Tudor/BBC Terry Penton said the issue in Little Dunmow had “upturned” his life A couple say they are prepared to fight a council in court after a bus stop and a “no waiting” sign were installed in front of their home. Terry and …

A traffic-holding measure for vehicles queueing to cross the English Channel is set to be reintroduced for the Christmas getaway. Operation Brock, a contraflow system on the M20 coast-bound in Kent between junctions eight, Leeds Castle, and nine, Ashford, will be brought in overnight on 15 December. The scheme is …