Weather in the general media (Newspaper features etc)

[Candice]

180mph super winds with GUSTS of 90mph - rather defies all the laws of physics lol

[Bobby]

This is getting extremely stupid now and needs stopping very quickly

 

180mph wind to batter Britain as we face worst Christmas on record

 

BRITAIN is heading for its stormiest Christmas ever, with terrifying 180mph super-winds. And a huge area of low pressure headed for the UK from the Atlantic is set to bring 90mph gusts by the end of next week. Now bookies have slashed the odds to 25-1 for the nation to experience its strongest winds ever as fears grow that the 173mph record set in Scotland in 1986 will be smashed. Weather expert Nicola McGeady, from Coral, warned: “The odds on the worst winter in history continue to tumble as the latest weather reports make for grim reading. “And judging by the amount of bets flooding in, punters are preparing for the worst.†Such high wind speeds could cause massive damage to buildings, blowing roofs off houses. They could also uproot millions of trees.

 

 

Here is the link to the press complaints comission: http://www.pcc.org.uk/complaints/makingacomplaint.html

 

If enough people complain then hopefully something will be done about these scaremongering charletons... enough is enough now. Not amusing anymore!

[pip22]

Front page of today's Express

 

Whats next? record breaking mild temperatures for Christmas? If that is a case, it be a very low chance of that, just like 100 days of heavy snow has failed.

Edited December 10, 2013 by pip22

[Gael_Force]

This is getting extremely stupid now and needs stopping very quickly

 

180mph wind to batter Britain as we face worst Christmas on record

 

BRITAIN is heading for its stormiest Christmas ever, with terrifying 180mph super-winds. And a huge area of low pressure headed for the UK from the Atlantic is set to bring 90mph gusts by the end of next week. Now bookies have slashed the odds to 25-1 for the nation to experience its strongest winds ever as fears grow that the 173mph record set in Scotland in 1986 will be smashed. Weather expert Nicola McGeady, from Coral, warned: “The odds on the worst winter in history continue to tumble as the latest weather reports make for grim reading. “And judging by the amount of bets flooding in, punters are preparing for the worst.†Such high wind speeds could cause massive damage to buildings, blowing roofs off houses. They could also uproot millions of trees.

 

The predictions come after last week’s sea surge and gales of up to 140mph saw 10,000 homes evacuated. Coral has offered 4-1 odds that 2013 will be the wettest year on record, beating the 1,337mm of rain that fell in 2000. And punters were also being given 9-1 odds that it will drop below the -27.2C lowest temperature ever recorded in 1982. But yesterday the Met Office predicted days of mild, relatively calm weather before any storm. They forecast 11-13C temperatures for much of the UK this week. Forecaster Dan Williams said: “Temperatures are going to be average or above for much of the nation, and we could see a positively balmy 13C.â€

 

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/354998/180MPH-wind-to-batter-Britain-foresees-worst-Christmas-on-record

 

 

Summer Sun, I take it the concept of irony is lost on you. You claim this needs to be stopped now - yet, you persist in peddling this I need to control my languagee by posting endless links for people to click through to. If you REALLY want to stop it - IGNORE and stop being a  promotion agent on their behalf. 

[Froze were the Days]

Hahahahaha! why not make it a round 200mph!

[Jax]

Summer Sun, I take it the concept of irony is lost on you. You claim this needs to be stopped now - yet, you persist in peddling this I need to control my languagee by posting endless links for people to click through to. If you REALLY want to stop it - IGNORE and stop being a  promotion agent on their behalf. 

"Killer Christmas Winds" is a new Drag racing car taking part in Santa-Pod?

 

 

it's the only way that makes any sense.

[Candice]

Here is the link to the press complaints comission: http://www.pcc.org.uk/complaints/makingacomplaint.html If enough people complain then hopefully something will be done about these scaremongering charletons... enough is enough now. Not amusing anymore!

Sadly they are not regulated by the IPCC - see reply from them below:Thank you for making a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission about the Daily Express.The PCC formally considers complaints about the vast majority of UK newspapers and magazines, provided that they subscribe to the system of self-regulation independently overseen by the PCC.Northern & Shell – the publishers of the Daily Express – do not currently subscribe to the system of self-regulation independently overseen by the PCC. The publication does not therefore fall under the Commission’s jurisdiction and, as such, we are unable to take forward your concerns in this matter.In the circumstances, you may wish to complain directly to the publication. Its contact details are as follows:Nicole PattersonDaily Express Legal DepartmentThe Northern & Shell Building10 Lower Thames StreetLondon, EC3R 6ENSwitchboard Tel: 020 8612 7000News Desk Tel: 020 7098 2982Nicole.patterson@express.co.ukEditor: Hugh Whittow14 minutes ago · Like

[feb1991blizzard]

Summer Sun, I take it the concept of irony is lost on you. You claim this needs to be stopped now - yet, you persist in peddling this I need to control my languagee by posting endless links for people to click through to. If you REALLY want to stop it - IGNORE and stop being a  promotion agent on their behalf. 

 

I agree, I went and bought a copy of the Daily Express Yesterday almost as a direct result of SS's post, I don't look at the websites of the papers very often and although I do buy the Express sometimes, its more often the Daily Mail, the caveat being when the Express has weather related headlines, I did need some paper for practical reasons to mop something damp up and A4 plain is more expensive plus you can also read a newspaper (more for sport usually) but switched to the Express, I have thought this for a while, a lot of people have so much vitriol and hatred towards middle market  tory tabloid Newspapers on this forum yet it is probably the forum (apart from their own websites) that gives them the most publicity!!!, I can count probably 50 times I have bought a tabloid with sensationalist weather related headlines as a direct result of posts on this forum and I have only been viewing it since the cold winters started up again.

[Coast]

UK weather: Heavy fog delays flights and ferry services across South East England

 

Visibility has dropped to less than 50 metres in some places, with cancellations at Heathrow Airport and delays to Isle of Wight ferry services

 

Heavy fog has descended over much of south east England this morning, leading to flight delays and cancellations. The Met Office has warned of travel disruption this morning, with visibility expected to drop to lower than 50 metres in places. British Airways said there had already been cancellations and delays at Heathrow Airport, and urged customers to check its website for updates throughout the morning.

 

A spokeswoman for Heathrow Airport confirmed that 40 incoming and outgoing flights had been cancelled this morning, and others had been delayed. Wightlink Ferries, which operates routes between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, has also reported delays.

 

Lara Gunn, a forecaster at MeteoGroup, said: "A dense fog is hanging over the South East and up towards the Midlands and is expected to linger throughout the morning. "Visibility will be quite poor in some areas and so travellers should take caution."

 

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/uk-weather-heavy-fog-delays-2913765#ixzz2n9NpJrdL 

[Jo Farrow]

At least the mirror has something current/real and useful as a warning this morning, (thick fog rather than 'heavy' fog)

So travellers can expect delays, perhaps they can headline, Turn your fog lights off, later for every one who gets dazzled on the M25 as  they all head home

[Summer Sun]

Travel Chaos: Flights cancelled as fog descends on England

 

FLIGHTS have been cancelled at Heathrow and London City Airports this morning as thick fog sweeps over south east England. A spokeswoman for Heathrow Airport confirmed that 40 incoming and outgoing flights have been cancelled this morning, and others have been delayed. British Airways has urged customers to check its website for updates throughout the morning. At London City Airport nearly every early-morning service was either delayed or cancelled.

 

Among the services that had to be axed were BA flights to Zurich, Glasgow and Dusseldorf. A spokespoerson said: "Due to low visibility this morning flights to/from the airport are experiencing disruptions. Passengers are advised to call their airlines for more information. " The Met Office warned the public of travel disruption, with visibility expected to drop to lower than 50 metres in places.

 

Wightlink Ferries, which operates routes between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, has also reported delays. Lara Gunn, a forecaster at MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "A dense fog is hanging over the South East and up towards the Midlands and is expected to linger throughout the morning. "Visibility will be quite poor in some areas and so travellers should take caution." Today's flight problems follow last Saturday's major disruption at all airports after difficulties at the Hampshire headquarters of air traffic control company Nats.

 

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/447991/Travel-Chaos-Flights-cancelled-as-fog-descends-on-England

[Summer Sun]

Fog Causes Heathrow Flight Cancellations

 

Heavy fog in the southeast of England is causing flight delays and hazardous driving conditions for commuters. Forty incoming and outgoing flights have already been cancelled this morning, a Heathrow Airport spokeswoman said. The Met Office has warned the public of travel disruption, with visibility of less than 50 metres in places causing dangerous driving conditions. Sky News' Harriet Hadfield, in west London, said there were reports of "almost no visibility" on some motorways such as the M25. London's City Airport is also experiencing disruption to inbound and outbound flights, with eight out of 10 flights cancelled or delayed. Among the services axed are British Airways flights to Zurich, Glasgow and Dusseldorf

 

Gatwick is operating without any problems but there are delays at Southampton Airport.Today's flight problems follow last Saturday's major disruption at all airports after difficulties at the headquarters of air traffic control company Nats. Ferry services have also been affected by the fog, with delays to Wightlink Ferries - which operates routes between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Customers are advised to check company websites before travelling. The fog, which extends towards the East Midlands and the east of England, is expected to clear at about 10am.

 

http://news.sky.com/story/1180645/fog-causes-heathrow-flight-cancellations

[Coast]

UK weather: thick fog causes travel disruption as flights cancelled at Heathrow Airport

 

More than 40 Heathrow flights cancelled, with ferry services affected, as visibility drops to less than 50 metres in places

 

Thick fog has caused another day of flight chaos for air passengers and also affected ferry services. The poor visibility, predicted by the Met Office to be less than 50 metres in places led to 40 flights being cancelled at Heathrow airport in west London, while at London City Airport in London's Docklands nearly every early-morning service was either delayed or cancelled. Blanketing most of south east England, the fog also led to delays to Wightlink Ferries, which operates routes between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

 

Lara Gunn, a forecaster at MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "A dense fog is hanging over the South East and up towards the Midlands and is expected to linger throughout the morning. "Visibility will be quite poor in some areas and so travellers should take caution."

 

 

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/10510107/UK-weather-thick-fog-causes-travel-disruption-as-flights-cancelled-at-Heathrow-Airport.html

[Bobby]

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/448115/Christmas-weather-forecast-Winter-storms-warning-as-snow-gales-and-floods-threaten-UK

 

The Christmas from HELL: Biggest winter storm EVER to wreck holidays for millions in UK

MILLIONS of people will have their Christmas ruined as the worst winter storms in recorded HISTORY ravage Britain, forecasters warned tonight.

 

Hurricane-force gales and torrential downpours will lash the country at the start of Christmas week, just as 18 million people take to the roads to visit friends and family.

Even the 4.5 million planning to travel overseas will be caught in the 'total nationwide disruption' as airports, train stations and bus networks completely shut down at the busiest time of the year.

Frenzied storm systems are lined up to charge towards the UK from the Atlantic with warnings the resulting mayhem could last well into January.

Long-range forecasters said torrential downpours will set in this week bringing inches of rain in hours while 90mph winds threaten to devastate parts of the North with widespread blackouts likely.

 

The horrifying onslaught is expected to start as soon as the weekend as violent gales sweep southwards and torrential downpours bring the risk of flash floods.

 

 

Do you laugh or cry??

 

Edited December 12, 2013 by Bobby

[Coast]

Do you laugh or cry??

 

 

I'm not sure as any real forecast is hidden amongst the ridiculous headlines and OTT hyperbole. When will someone cotton on to this scaremongering and see what effects this misguided exaggeration has on the ordinary public who may have to plan their travel or even their lives based on it?

 

It may be funny or laughable to us as we have a little more information and a strong knowledge base in this forum, but what would an 85 year old or a vulnerable family make of this, which they might take as gospel?

 

Disgusted of Eastbourne

[Coast]

Next on the list of favourites is the weather, and our stick-in-the-mud readers obviously won't want any of this celsius nonsense. Good old-fashioned fahrenheit is what they need so they can sizzle at 100 rather than a lame old 33. Then, of course, they should be shivering 32 instead of  0, which also seems odd. Still, there's nothing to beat flexibility:  the -12 we experienced over the coldest Easter for however many years was (thankfully) C not F.

 

Off we go then:

 

April 5, April 13, April 22, April 30, May 4, May 13

 

The predictions were all over the place in the spring. At the beginning of April people were moaning about drought warnings, which seemed reasonable after all the rain and flooding that had gone before. The downpours in the middle of the month seemed to prove the point, but by the 30th we were again looking forward to drought. We had a lovely warm Mayday bank holiday, but soon we were being warned to expect yet more rain. And yes it came.

 

June 17, July 12, July 13, July 15, July 16, July 17, July 18, July 19, July 20, July 22, July 27,

 

In the middle of June we were promised a tropical heatwave, and then when summer really arrived last month, the Express wasn't sure whether this was something dangerous or something to savour. The one thing that was certain was that it had to be the splash. The paper led on the weather every day from 12 to 23 July, when the royal baby intervened. Little George was given three days, the GPs with their £150 charge popped up on the 26th and then it was back to the usual diet of weather, health scares and house prices.

 

 

It's easy to mock.  If you have a winning formula, by all means stick to it. The Express has struck on a losing formula and won't let go. It is losing readers to the graveyards, to the internet, to rivals. Circulation has fallen by half to just over 500,000 since the beginning of the century (Although as an esteemed former colleague has pointed out, that is still more than The Guardian and Independent combined). The Crusader logo remains on the titlepiece, but the paper no longer shows any crusading spirit. It cheats its readers every day with that red roundel that suggests they can buy it for 10p, when what it is really pointing to is how much cheaper - in cash terms -  it is than the slicker Mail. 

 

 

http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/content/goundhog-day-why-daily-express-front-pages-may-leave-readers-sense-deja-vu

[Coast]

[Summer Sun]

The comments are well worth a read

 

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/448115/Christmas-weather-forecast-Winter-storms-warning-as-snow-gales-and-floods-threaten-UK

 

You'll get a laugh

Edited December 12, 2013 by Summer Sun

[Summer Sun]

Heathrow flight cancellations continue after fog

 

Around 45 flights in and out of Heathrow have been cancelled because of knock-on effects from fog which grounded 280 planes there on Wednesday. There also delays at Gatwick and cancellations at London City. Bad weather in Europe and disruption to flight schedules on Wednesday were behind the delays, the airports said. The Met Office expects fog in London and south-east England to lift later on Thursday morning. "There's been no cancellations from fog today but there could be some from the disruption yesterday," a Heathrow spokeswoman said.

 

'Totally jammed'

 

At London City, which on Wednesday morning faced cancellations or delays to every flight, a spokeswoman said: "It's misty but visibility wise we're okay, it's the knock-on effects from yesterday." She said bad weather in Europe was also having an impact. Alexis Erskine, who was due to fly from London City to Milan said her plane was three hours late and the airport was "totally jammed". Around 30 London City flights - arrivals and departures - were either late or cancelled.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25344576

[IanR]

next time some mistiness  is forecast...

 

 

Killer mega fog to engulf UK

[Mapantz]

Haha

[Summer Sun]

Freak storm to batter Britain: 100mph winds and downpours to cause chaos

 

ANOTHER freak storm is set to sweep Britain next week as our topsy-turvy weather continues. Torrential rain and 100mph gales are expected to topple trees, bring down power lines and damage buildings. And forecasters warn that this time there will be no let-up until Christmas. As parts of the country were still struggling yesterday to clear up the damage caused by last week’s storm and devastating tidal surge, there were reports of 80mph winds next week with 100mph storm-force gusts likely to lash areas of the North. After a few days of relatively calm, foggy weather, Leon Brown, forecaster for The Weather Channel, said a shift in the jet stream would turn things more unsettled over the weekend. He warned Britain could feel the full brunt of the storm by Wednesday with gales continuing until Christmas. “There is a 30 to 40 per cent risk of severe gales for central and southern Britain on Thursday as a deep area of low pressure tracks east to Scotland,†he said.

 

http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/448402/Freak-storm-to-batter-Britain-100mph-winds-and-downpours-to-cause-chaos

 

[Coast]

Daily Express Weather Front Page Is Dramatic But Possibly Wrong

 

Hurricane-force gales! TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS! FRENZIED STORM SYSTEMS! HORRIFYING ONSLAUGHTS!!!

 

Hello dear reader, and welcome to another edition of Daily Express weather watch.

 

The meteorological-madness mongering mouthpiece is back with another weather report designed to make you give up hope of surviving winter, despite assurances from the Met Office that weather forecasts beyond five days are notoriously unreliable.  And oh my, this one is a cracker. Just look at it and try not to google "ski shoes" with your mitten-clad hands.

 

Anyway, the Express's long-range forecasts (LRFs) predict a Christmas ruined by 900mph gales, torrential downpours, all with the kind of language and headline placement that suggests certainty of events. And excuse us for being pedantic but wouldn't a 'Christmas from Hell' be a touch on the toasty side?

 

And yet...

 

The Express use Vantage Weather for their LRFs but a quick scan of their website reveals this little gem of information:

 

If there were lessons to be learned from long range predictions over recent years, one is that VWS's seasonal forecasts are based on searching for trends and patterns in historic data, using many algorithms to create projections, all not necessarily reaching the same outcome. What it doesn't account for is the random element, the element that gave us the fine run of summer weather for instance. In essence, LRF's are overviews only, a guide, but nothing more.

 

The HuffPost UK rang the voices of reason at the Met Office to calm our frayed and frozen nerves who assured us predictions that far ahead simply can't be accurate enough to say for certain. A spokesman said: "I've got charts until Tuesday, we don't go any further than that because the uncertainty increases so much. "It's just not possible to forecast that far ahead and give detail about the speed of winds and track of a storm."

 

So calm down folks, we're probably going to get some wintry weather. Because it's winter.

 

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/12/12/daily-express-weather-front-page_n_4433867.html?utm_hp_ref=uk&ir=UK

Edited December 13, 2013 by Coast

[Wivenswold]

I've only gone and done it. This went to the Press Complaints Commission this morning....

 

 

 

 

1i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures.The Express (and in particular Nathan Rao) have been making frightening predictions about the weather for ages, of late.Nov 11th - Artic winds to bring snow and flood chaos. Based on nothing, it didn't happen when they said it would.Nov 12th - Britain braced for Artic Plunge - Again there was no evidence that it was anything more than a temporary pocket of cooler air.Nov 13th - Heavy Snow Warking "Shock" long range forecast for winter - Wrong.Nov 17th - 100 Days of Heavy Snow - WrongNov 18th - Artic Blast to last a month - Er, no.Nov 21st - "Screaming" gales and 12 inches of snow - Wrong again.Nov 22nd - Winter 2013 to be longest in history - WrongNov 25th - Snow could fall until May - Nonsense.Dec 2nd - Get ready for arctic plunge - One day of cold, no snow for most, then back to mild.Dec 3rd - SNOW WARNING: Arctic storm set to blast Britain with 90mph gales and crippling blizzards- Hmmm 

 

The structure of the story is always the same. A bold and highly frightening sub-headline, followed by an explanation of why and how we're all going to die. Then there will be a quote from James Madden at Exacta Weather who has been completely discredited by the meteorological community, followed unsually by a secondary quote from Jonathan Powell who also uses dubious techniques and loves forecasting armageddon-like weather situations.By the end of the article there will be a more sober prediction from The Met Office which is the only bit of truth in these stories.By way of an example of the inaccuracy, the story on the 12th gives warning of the worst storm ever. Quite how such a claim can be quantified is unclear but for the purposes of clarity the current long-range forecast for Christmas day using a number of reliable computer models suggests that the UK will be under the influence of a polar vortex to the NW which will bring quite normal wet and windy weather over the holiday period.But most people just read the headline and panic. I get asked every day "where's this worst winter ever", "Is that typhoon going to hit us at Christmas?", usually followed up with "they (by implication, The Met Office) don't know what they are doing".It causes fear in the minds of the vulnerable, it discredits professional forecasters and it's just plain wrong.I also feel that The Daily Express is in breach of section 1iii as they report these forecasts as fact "Hurricane-force gales and torrential downpours will lash the country at the start of Christmas " the important word being "will".The online version under a photograph of lightning says "Huge winter storms are set to devastate much of Britain " which is at best conjecture and at worst reckless.While my complaint relates to one of these articles I feel The Express should be made an example of. The Daily Mail, The Metro and The Daily Star have all published highly inaccurate forecasts of impending apocolyptic weather recently. Of course a cynic could suggest that Nathan Rao has some sort of vested interest in stories that push up the share value of energy companies, maybe The Express own shares in companies that benefit from the panic caused by these nonsense stories. Maybe the PCC should investigate. 

[Summer Sun]

I've only gone and done it. This went to the Press Complaints Commission this morning....

 

 

 

 

1i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures.The Express (and in particular Nathan Rao) have been making frightening predictions about the weather for ages, of late.Nov 11th - Artic winds to bring snow and flood chaos. Based on nothing, it didn't happen when they said it would.Nov 12th - Britain braced for Artic Plunge - Again there was no evidence that it was anything more than a temporary pocket of cooler air.Nov 13th - Heavy Snow Warking "Shock" long range forecast for winter - Wrong.Nov 17th - 100 Days of Heavy Snow - WrongNov 18th - Artic Blast to last a month - Er, no.Nov 21st - "Screaming" gales and 12 inches of snow - Wrong again.Nov 22nd - Winter 2013 to be longest in history - WrongNov 25th - Snow could fall until May - Nonsense.Dec 2nd - Get ready for arctic plunge - One day of cold, no snow for most, then back to mild.Dec 3rd - SNOW WARNING: Arctic storm set to blast Britain with 90mph gales and crippling blizzards- Hmmm 

 

The structure of the story is always the same. A bold and highly frightening sub-headline, followed by an explanation of why and how we're all going to die. Then there will be a quote from James Madden at Exacta Weather who has been completely discredited by the meteorological community, followed unsually by a secondary quote from Jonathan Powell who also uses dubious techniques and loves forecasting armageddon-like weather situations.By the end of the article there will be a more sober prediction from The Met Office which is the only bit of truth in these stories.By way of an example of the inaccuracy, the story on the 12th gives warning of the worst storm ever. Quite how such a claim can be quantified is unclear but for the purposes of clarity the current long-range forecast for Christmas day using a number of reliable computer models suggests that the UK will be under the influence of a polar vortex to the NW which will bring quite normal wet and windy weather over the holiday period.But most people just read the headline and panic. I get asked every day "where's this worst winter ever", "Is that typhoon going to hit us at Christmas?", usually followed up with "they (by implication, The Met Office) don't know what they are doing".It causes fear in the minds of the vulnerable, it discredits professional forecasters and it's just plain wrong.I also feel that The Daily Express is in breach of section 1iii as they report these forecasts as fact "Hurricane-force gales and torrential downpours will lash the country at the start of Christmas " the important word being "will".The online version under a photograph of lightning says "Huge winter storms are set to devastate much of Britain " which is at best conjecture and at worst reckless.While my complaint relates to one of these articles I feel The Express should be made an example of. The Daily Mail, The Metro and The Daily Star have all published highly inaccurate forecasts of impending apocolyptic weather recently. Of course a cynic could suggest that Nathan Rao has some sort of vested interest in stories that push up the share value of energy companies, maybe The Express own shares in companies that benefit from the panic caused by these nonsense stories. Maybe the PCC should investigate. 

 

The PCC can't do anything about it unfortunately

 

 

Sadly they are not regulated by the IPCC - see reply from them below:Thank you for making a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission about the Daily Express.The PCC formally considers complaints about the vast majority of UK newspapers and magazines, provided that they subscribe to the system of self-regulation independently overseen by the PCC.Northern & Shell – the publishers of the Daily Express – do not currently subscribe to the system of self-regulation independently overseen by the PCC. The publication does not therefore fall under the Commission’s jurisdiction and, as such, we are unable to take forward your concerns in this matter.In the circumstances, you may wish to complain directly to the publication. Its contact details are as follows:Nicole PattersonDaily Express Legal DepartmentThe Northern & Shell Building10 Lower Thames StreetLondon, EC3R 6ENSwitchboard Tel: 020 8612 7000News Desk Tel: 020 7098 2982Nicole.patterson@express.co.ukEditor: Hugh Whittow