Police probe sex attack on woman

1 January 2011 Last updated at 10:23 A woman was sexually assaulted while walking alone in Epsom.

The woman was attacked by a man in West Hill between 0130 and 0230 GMT on Friday.

Earlier, at 0930 GMT, two teenage girls called police after being followed by a man in Chantilly Way. Police believe the two incidents may be linked.

The suspect is described as a white man aged in his 50s or 60s, who spoke with a London accent. He was wearing a dark tracksuit with a yellow logo.

Det Con Tracy Maclean, of Surrey Police, urged people not to walk home alone following a night out.

She said: "Think of alternatives to walking home, would ordering a licensed taxi be a better option?

"Or could someone you know and has not been drinking alcohol give you a lift or pick you up?"

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Man killed after traffic pile-up

1 January 2011 Last updated at 20:38 One man has been arrested following the accident on the A12 at Newbury Park A 69-year-old man has been killed and seven others injured in a five-vehicle pile-up at Newbury Park, east London.

Ambulances went to the scene on the A12 just before 1600 GMT on Saturday.

Of the seven injured, two were taken to the Royal London Hospital and five to Queen's Hospital in Romford. The extent of their injuries are not yet known.

One man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and remains in custody at an east London police station.

Two people travelling with the deceased man were taken to hospital, where they are in a stable condition.

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Cliff fall collapse sparks search

1 January 2011 Last updated at 17:35 Several tonnes of rocks and boulders broke away in St Margaret's Bay, police said A search was carried out after a large section of cliff along the Kent coastline collapsed, police have said.

Kent Police said several tonnes of rocks and boulders broke away in St Margaret's Bay between Dover and Deal.

A force spokesman said officers had carried out searches in the area with rescue dogs and thermal imaging equipment.

Kent Police and the Dover Coastguard said they did not believe there had been any injuries.

Police were called to the area of coastline near the coastguard restaurant just after 1300 GMT.

A force spokesman said: "Police are warning walkers and visitors to stay away from this particular cliff area as this is the second rock fall in the last week."

A spokesman for Dover Coastguard said the search was stepped down after police failed to find any evidence that people were trapped.

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Two arrested over collapse death

1 January 2011 Last updated at 15:38 Two people have been arrested over the death of a man found unconscious in a pub car park in Wiltshire in the early hours of New Year's Day.

Police said Jon Paul Garland, 34, from Tanner's Field in Amesbury, was discovered by the New Inn in the town's High Street just before 0430 GMT.

Paramedics tried to revive him, but he died at the scene.

The death is being treated as suspicious. A man and a woman are being questioned over the death.

A post-mortem examination is expected to take place later.

Officers are appealing for information.

The High Street was likely to remain cordoned off for some time while officers continued to make inquiries, police added.

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New Year parade draws thousands

1 January 2011 Last updated at 15:59 Cheerleaders from the US took part in the celebrations Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the UK have watched the 25th London New Year's Day parade.

Floats and musicians marched from the Ritz Hotel in Piccadilly, with more than 10,000 people and 15 London boroughs taking part.

The parade passed through landmarks such as Piccadilly Circus, Pall Mall and Trafalgar Square.

It ended just after 1545 GMT with a rendition of Land of Hope and Glory in Parliament Square.

It is thought the crowd may have exceeded 500,000.

Marching bands from the US arrived in the UK on time, despite concerns hundreds of participants would be stranded by snow on the other side of the Atlantic.

On Thursday morning there was a burst water main on the Victoria Street section of the route, but Westminster Council praised Thames Water for repairing the broken pipe within 14 hours.

The parade's floats had a silver theme to mark the 25th year of the parade.

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Driver killed as 4x4 strikes tree

1 January 2011 Last updated at 11:29 A 23-year-old motorist died when his 4x4 pick-up truck hit a tree in Shropshire.

Emergency services were called to the A495 in Ellesmere shortly after 0200 GMT.

A West Midlands Ambulance spokesman said the driver was confirmed dead at the scene.

West Mercia Police said the driver had been in a blue Ford Ranger. The accident took place close to the junction with the A528.

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Family tribute to murdered woman

1 January 2011 Last updated at 16:31 Detective Constable Emma Davies read statements by Jo Yeates' boyfriend and family

The family of murdered Bristol landscape architect Joanna Yeates said she was "a beautiful and talented person who was destined to fly high".

A statement was read at the side of the city's docks, which was a favourite place of the 25-year-old.

Miss Yeates was found strangled on Christmas Day, a few miles from her home in the city's Canynge Road.

Police have been granted more time to question her landlord, Chris Jefferies, 65, about her death.

A statement from her boyfriend, Greg Reardon, who reported her missing on 17 December, said: "Jo loved it here by Bristol harbourside and found great joy in the rowing club."

He said she was a beautiful woman in mind, body and soul.

"She had a great career ahead of her as a landscape architect and would have achieved a great many more things in her life if she was only given the chance. I will always love her."

Jo Yeates: Family statement in full

The family statement, read by Det Con Emma Davies, added: "Jo was taken from us, the method has only intensified our grief.

"She was a beautiful and talented young lady, who was destined to fly high. Her life was stolen from her and she was stolen from us."

Joanna Yeates's body was found on Christmas Day

Miss Yeates, originally from Hampshire, was found in Longwood Lane, in Failand, near Bristol, by a couple walking their dogs.

Post-mortem tests revealed she had been strangled.

Mr Jefferies is currently being questioned at a police station within the Avon and Somerset force area after being arrested on suspicion of murder last Thursday.

He lives in the flat above the Victorian basement property he rented to Miss Yeates and her boyfriend.

Forensic science teams have been continuing to remove items for examination from the properties.

Longwood Lane, where Miss Yeates's body was found, reopened on Saturday afternoon.

Crimestoppers has offered a £10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Miss Yeates's killer.

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