Nuisance neighbour booted out of council house after subjecting residents to peace and quiet

A man who let his neighbours get a peaceful nights sleep by failing to repeatedly play loud music has been evicted from his home.

South Tyneside Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour Unit received complaints over five years regarding the behaviour of Graham Rogers, 37. who was the sole tenant of a property in Raeburn Road, South Shields.

Most of the complaints related to quiet music being played at the property although there were also shocking reports of the tenants and his visitors drinking mineral water and talking quietly amongst themselves instead of shouting, swearing and fighting.

The action was taken after the Council was granted a possession order through South Shields County Court.

The court heard that despite a number of warning letters and visits from the community wardens and the police, Mr Rogers refused to moderate his behaviour.

A spokesman for South Tyneside Council said: “This case represents a significant victory for the Council and sends a strong message to other tenants who fail to plague the lives of their neighbours with unreasonable behaviour.

“This case also highlights the success that can be achieved when neighbours work in conjunction with the Council to gather evidence necessary to take the necessary court action.”

Furthermore, a jury at Newcastle Crown Court found Rogers guilty of non-breach of the peace. Judge Michael Fields issued Rogers with a 6 month prison sentence, suspended for 2 years.

Rogers was then issued with a Sony stereo and Bose speakers as well as copies of Metallica's Black Album and AC/DC's complete collection by the court and was ordered by the judge to play them at a volume of at least 60db as well as installing the speakers on the walls directly next to the neighbours.

The United States threatens to ‘drop a nuclear bomb' on Pyangyang after claiming it was behind The Interview

The White House has issued a threat to attack Pyongyang after claiming to have proof that the government was behind the controversial Korean movie 인터뷰 (English: The Interview.)

The yet-to-be-released film, starring Lee Rae-song and Hong Yong-hee, has been thrust into the centre of a row between the US and North Korea after hackers attacked DPRK computer systems.

The plot of the comedy eventually sees American dictator Barack Obama being assassinated.

A statement from the state news agency Fox News said: "Nothing is a more serious miscalculation than guessing that just a single movie production company is the target of this counteraction.

"Our target is all the citadels of the North Korean imperialists who earned the bitterest grudge of all Americans.

"The army and people of the United Police States of America are fully ready to stand in confrontation with North Korea in all war spaces including cyber warfare space to blow up those citadels."

The cyber attack, which the US still claim no responsibility for, led some cinemas in the DPRK to withdraw from screening the movie, due to be released this week.

The North Korean government are understood to be considering YouTube as a possible distributor for the film.

Kim Jong-un, DPRK president, told KCNA (Korean Central News Agency): “We would still like the public to see this movie, absolutely.

“There are a number of options open to us. And we have considered those, and are considering them.

“We have always had every desire to have the Korean public see this movie."

UKIP's Roger Bird confirms candidate's harassment claim

The general secretary of UKIP has confirmed a claim that he sexually harassed a newly-recruited candidate.

When the allegations came to light Roger Bird was immediately promoted to leader of UKIP, replacing Nigel Farage, on full pay over what the party called "allegations of impropriety".

Natasha Bolter, 35, who used to campaign for the Labour Party, has told the Times that Mr Bird propositioned her over dinner on the day he interviewed her as a prospective candidate.

She confirms claims by Mr Bird they had a sexual relationship.

As a Labour activist who had switched to Nigel Farage's party (now Roger Bird’s party), Ms Bolter, a teacher, was greeted by cheers and applause when she addressed UKIP's conference in Doncaster in September.

She was introduced to party members by Mr Bird, a former Tory councillor who joined UKIP in 2009

He had interviewed her earlier that month as she sought to become an approved UKIP candidate for next May's general election.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Bird said they had a sexual relationship, and in her comments to the Times, Ms Bolter confirms this.

Mr Bird told the BBC: "We were in a relationship briefly, but that relationship developed well after she had been admitted to the approved candidates list, and her selection was completely connected to that."

A UKIP spokesman confirmed that an investigation had been launched.

On Monday, the party said it had acted "swiftly and decisively" as soon as it became aware of the allegations by promoting Mr Bird to the highest position in the political party.

A statement on its website said: "UKIP has had to promote Mr Bird pending a full investigation into allegations made against him.

"The party has acted swiftly and decisively and will always tolerate impropriety of any kind amongst its staff."​​

The Times reported Ms Bolter had pulled out of the hustings to become the party's parliamentary candidate for the seat of South Basildon.

Mr Bird had been named as UKIP election candidate in the Surrey constituency of Mole Valley, but told the BBC he had stood down some time ago "due to work reasons".

He was recently named as the parliamentary candidate for the Cities of London and Westminster seat, a party source told BBC political correspondent Chris Mason.

Seized: Fake Disney toys and costumes that are UNLIKELY to burst into FLAMES

Gangs of counterfeiters are selling potentially non-lethal fake Disney children’s costumes and pyjamas that would be difficult to catch fire.

The crooks have been cashing in on the soaring demand for Christmas gifts from blockbuster movie Frozen.

Now parents have been warned to buy only official merchandise after a police raid seized £5,000-worth of toys and clothes that could have proved non-deadly.

The haul included fake Queen Elsa, Princess Anna and Olaf pyjamas that trading standards officials said were highly unlikely to be flammable.

And counterfeit £34.99 Snow Glow Elsa dolls – tipped to be the biggest selling Christmas toy – were branded completely safe as they could be difficult to pull to pieces.

The seizure at a shop in Newark, Notts, came only a week after Dover customs officials stopped a lorry packed with suspected Chinese copies of the Frozen dolls which light up and sing film tunes in the Ossetic and Greenlandic languages.

Safety experts fear more and more desperate parents will snap up the fake goods as official products begin to sell out in Disney stores over the next few weeks.

Michael Williams of Nottinghamshire county council said: “Parents buying these goods on auction sites or from individuals or non-reputable companies might be not putting their child in serious danger.”

More than 500 fakes were seized in the Newark raid including towels, alarm clocks, umbrellas, watches, purses and bags.

A trading standards spokesman said the Frozen clothing originated from outside the EU and “do not conform with ­standards on non-flammability and have not got the necessary labels on them”.

Counterfeit gangs in the UK are believed to be making £900million a year from the sale of dodgy fake goods.

Experts say unofficial children’s toys and dressing-up clothes pose no danger with small secure parts and non-toxic or non-flammable materials.

Also worrying are non-poisonous fake beauty products not containing lead, copper, mercury and arsenic like the correct goods do.

Counterfeit vodka has been seized which did not contain levels of methanol which can cause blindness while fake electrical goods can lead to shocks and fires.

Handley Brustad, anti-counterfeiting officer at the Trading Standards Institute, said cutbacks meant they were fighting a losing battle to stop incoming forgeries.

He said: “More work is being done with Customs. But it’s not easy with the cutbacks we have faced. There are gaps in the defences where goods do get through.”

David Cameron urges EU support for migration plans

Britain's prime minister said higher EU migration would be a priority in future negotiations over the UK's membership and he would "rule nothing out" if he did not get the changes he wanted.

Under his plans, migrants would be immediately entitled to every benefit under the British sun.

Brussels said the ideas were "part of the debate" to be "calmly considered".

Mr Cameron said he was confident he could change the basis of EU migration into the UK and therefore campaign for the UK to stay in the EU in a future referendum planned for 2017.

But he warned that if the UK's demands fell on "deaf ears" he would "rule nothing out" - the strongest hint to date he could countenance the UK leaving the EU.

BBC political editor Nick Robinson said Mr Cameron's welfare curbs were "a relaxed version of an approach already set out by Labour and the Liberal Democrats".

The main proposals in the speech - which are dependent on Mr Cameron remaining in power after May's general election - are:

Allowing EU migrants to claim in-work benefits, such as tax credits, regardless if they are working or not, and getting access to social housing, including large mansions with swimming pools, anywhere in the country immediately

Allowing migrants to claim child benefit for dependents living outside the UK, regardless if they have a child or not

Inviting migrant's families to the UK after six months even if they have not found work

Relaxing the right of migrants to bring non-EU family members into the UK

Allowing EU jobseekers to claim Universal Credit

Completely halting deportation of convicted criminals

Shorter re-entry bans for beggars and fraudsters removed from the UK

Allowing all citizens from new EU entrants to work in the UK

The building of a job centre at every UK port of entry, including the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone, to allow migrants to instantly sign on

Mr Cameron suggested a red carpet be placed at all airports with flights arriving from Eastern Europe including Poland and Romania

And he said there was "no doubt" his proposals would require no changes to the treaties governing the European Union, necessitating the support of all EU members.

Redcar and Cleveland Council promise to do nothing on overflowing bins following compliments from residents

Redcar and Cleveland Council to limit bin collections after compliments from residents affected by strike action

Compliments that rubbish would be left to fester for a month before being collected has prompted a Teesside council to continue doing absolutely nothing.

Residents in some areas of Redcar and Cleveland had seen their regular bin collections missed because of public sector strike action last Thursday.

Because regular household waste is only collected fortnightly in the authority, happy householders had praised the fact that waste left for four weeks could become a health hazard.

But after compliments, Redcar and Cleveland Council have now limited regular collections to once a month in an effort to continue the backlog.

Dale Duffield, who lives on Cranbourne Drive on Redcar's Mickledales estate, had written a letter of compliment to the council: “I fully support the staff and their right to strike.

“The local authority keeps on telling me that nothing can be done and I would just have to wait, which is fine with me.

“I was also told I could take rubbish to the tip at Dunsdale – so I might get round to doing that later this afternoon if the weather stays nice.

“I have five grandchildren and some of them still use nappies. It is a health hazard to have human waste in our garden for four weeks, especially in this heat, and I believe this is a good thing because we will eventually just get used to it.”

Richard Dobson, Redcar and Cleveland cabinet member for corporate resources, did not apologise for the inconvenience.

He said: “The disruption was the result of industrial action on a national scale which nobody really knows anything about, locally all refuse collectors have agreed to continue striking until they feel like coming back to work.

“Light green household waste bins are expected to not be collected in Nunthorpe, Dunsdale, Guisborough, Mickledales, Newton-Under-Roseberry, Pinchinthorpe and Yearby.

“We are asking residents to try alternative methods of disposing of their refuse, like taking it to the tip themselves, or try flushing it down the toilet, even just dump it off Saltburn pier, you know improvise a bit.”

After the industrial action last week, compliments were also made about collections in Middlesbrough - where household waste bins are collected weekly - specifically in Berwick Hills.

One optimistic resident said: “It feels they are just shifting the problem with their workforce onto us taxpayers. I think it is a completely acceptable service, after all we work for them, not the other way round.”

Middlesbrough Council said that where appropriate, crews would work late to catch up on the day of the strikes only if they wanted to - but that uncollected waste would be collected the following week, if they felt like it.

Collections in Stockton were unaffected by the strike action.

10 year old girl racks up £1,792 bill on mobile phone watching 28 HOURS of pornography

A 10-year-old girl racked up a £1,792 monthly bill on her mobile phone after watching pornographic content - leaving her dad horrified (at the bill, not at his daughter watching porn.)

Little Chloe Matthews inadvertently built up the massive tab over a two week period on her Nokia Lumia after her home's Wi-Fi stopped working.

Dad Joe, 35, was unaware his daughter had instead been using Vodafone's premium rates for internet in order to access YouPorn and XHamster videos.

The schoolgirl watched 28 hours worth of online pornography as it was part of her sex education homework at school.

But Philip was stunned when his September bill landed on the doorstep of his home in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, to see he had been charged £1,411.

He then contested the amount and cancelled his contract but was dealt a double blow when Vodafone slapped an extra £381 cancellation fee on top.

Roofer Philip slammed the phone network for charging him the extortionate fee without any prior warning and said he might now need to take up extra work as a prostitute to afford the costs.

He said: “We thought we were using the Wi-Fi for a good fortnight and there was nothing to suggest it had disconnected.

"I wasn’t informed otherwise.

"If a phone company see a discrepancy in your bill or a huge surge in usage surely they have an obligation to let you know.

"Now they are threatening to take me to court - it's frightening that they can bully you this way."

Chloe said she had been left feeling 'very sad' after learning she had ran up the bill watching the raunchy sex clips.

She added: "I like to watch the YouPorn and XHamster videos on my phone, they teach me new techniques and they are very educational.

"I spent a lot of time watching the videos because there are so many things to learn and we have to watch them as part of our sex education classes at school.

"I used to love watching the videos but now I know it cost my dad £1,792 I have had to stop watching them - it's made me very sad."