A serious chemical fire at PHS Waste Management plant has resulted in three men being injured. The blaze, which followed a chemical explosion at the Tollgate Road facility in Burscough, began about 10am Tuesday morning. Taking sixty firefighters to combat the fire at its height, fire crews were able to prevent the flames from spreading to surrounding buildings. Two of the workers were taken to Whiston Hospital, where they received treatment for burns on their hands and faces. A third worker, 52, was airlifted to Royal Preston Hospital to receive treatment. During the peak of the blaze, smoke billowed up into the air ... Full Story

According to newly appointed BP boss Bob Dudley, the firm may continue paying shareholder dividends with the beginning of the new year. In a direct statement to the media, Mr Dudley, who will officially take the reins as early as tomorrow from former chief executive Tony Hayward, said that BP’s board will be holding an emergency meeting to discuss the fate of the dividends. It is being speculated that they could reinstate payments as early as next month or beginning after the new year. After receiving a combined total of £7bn in dividends last year, the firm was fored to halt payments ... Full Story

Innovative automaker MINI has launched its latest trend setting vehicle; a fully electric two-seater scooter. Being unveiled at next week’s Paris Motor Show, the scooter marks the 10th year anniversary of BMW’s modern day MINI cooper. Dubbed the MINI Scooter E Concept, the two-person scooter features a fully electric engine and will be available in three concept designs. Optional themes include the swinging Sixties and Union Jack. With an exclusive party last night in London, the MINI Scooter made its debut. Targeting the ‘young urban generation’, All Scooter Es use smart phone key ignition and come complete with satellite navigation, communication and ... Full Story

After documents emerged highlighting the Royal Palace management has having applied for heating grants, Buckingham has been accused of viewing ‘ordinary’ people with contempt. Anti-monarchy group, Republic, said that the management of palace properties should be publicly available for full scrunity in the wake of documents revealing aids at the Palace attempted to apply for Government grants meant for low income families. Using the Freedom of Information Act, it was unearthed that officials at Buckingham Palace had put in a request for funding when heating and electricity bills at the Palace rose up over £1 million in 2004. However, Government authorities told ... Full Story

Mary Bale, 45, who famously made headlines after CCTV caught her petting the four-year old tabby Lola just prior to tossing her in a rubbish bin, has been charged with two cruelty to animal offences. The cat is believed to have been trapped in the bin for nearly 15 hours before owners Darryl Andrew Mann, 26 and his wife Stephanie, 24, found the feline the following morning. Now, Bale has been charged under the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) with two counts of animal cruelty for the wheelie bin stunt. Bale will appear in front of the ... Full Story

A North Yorkshire based company that produces machinery and associated safety devices has been taken to court for failing to protect its own workers. Magistrates in a Selby court heard that Lambert Engineering Ltd of Station Estate located in Tadcaster had breached health and safety measures by failing to provide adequate protective guards on factory floor machinery. Pleading guilty to the charges, the firm was fined £6,000 under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety At Work etc Act 1974. Inspectors at the factory found that many of the protective guards had either been removed or disabled. The manufacturer, which employs nearly ... Full Story

Top Gear's number one star, Jeremy Clarkson has revealed that the man who plays the Stig was sacked immediately upon revealing his identity to the public. Having been shrouded in mystery and intrigue for seven years as the iconic role, Ben Collins was let go from the TV show in the wake of going public with his role on Top Gear. Previously kept anonymous by the Stig's infamous white suit and helmet, Collins is believed to have gone public for a lucrative book deal with HarperCollins, which saw the stuntman receive £250,000 in advance to pen his autobiography. A former American ... Full Story

 A government scheme to give motorists money off when purchasing electric cars has been cut by 80 per cent. Despite recent warnings from independent climate change groups that Britain must increase the amount of electric cars drastically if it wants to meet EU emission targets, the fate of low-carbon charging points hangs in the balance. Environmental groups, politicians and electric car-makers argue that cutting the incentive will reduce the amount of green jobs and harm the cars’ take up.  ... Full Story

Britain will not meet its targets on reducing carbon emissions, the government was warned today. According to the independent Committee on Climate Change, the only way the UK will live up to its 2020 EU targets is with drastic changes, such as reforming the electricity market and introducing more electric cars.   The committee also said that the large 8.6 per cent drop in greenhouse gas emissions seen last year was almost entirely to do ... Full Story

  Houseproud women who use certain cleaning products often are at a great risk of breast cancer, according to new research. Significant links were found between the disease of women’s use of mould removers, air fresheners and cleaning products.   With the women who used these products most, the risk of breast cancer is doubled, say scientists. Mould and mildew removers and air fresheners posed the highest risks according to the ... Full Story

A photograph of Everest taken by a mountaineer in 1921 has revealed alarming loss of ice. The Asia Society (AS) arranged for climber George Mallory’s photo to be mimicked exactly in a bid to compare how Mount Everest looked in the 1920s to now. In a statement, AS said the loss of ice in the Himalaya was “startling” and that the rate of melting over the past 89 years has been “alarming.”   Mallory took ... Full Story

Fresh fears have emerged that oil maybe seeping from the ocean floor near the Gulf of Mexico oil well. Thad Allen, an US official in charge of the clean-up at the stricken well, said that methane was leaking from the seabed, meaning oil may also be a problem.   If his fears are found to be true, Allen will order BP to reopen the recently capped well to allow the leaking oil to be funnelled ... Full Story