A council is urging people to be wary of bogus cold callers or online advertisements offering to remove household waste, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

As part of the government measures taken to limit the spread of Covid-19, household waste recycling centres have been closed until further notice by local authorities.

Northamptonshire County Council said householders have a "duty of care" to ensure that their waste is only removed from their property by a registered waste carrier, as they can be held liable if their waste is not disposed of properly, or found fly-tipped.

Residents are asked to store any waste until they are able to reopen their dumps.

Image source, Suffolk Police

The daughter of Douglas Mayne, a former paramedic, pays tribute to him after his death in March.

Mr Gittins said he was inspired by Captain Tom Moore, who raised more than £28m for NHS charities.

The photos spread after a model told women to download gay apps to see how common homosexuality is.

Even with social distancing measures still in place, Bobby Strain's family managed to mark his birthday.

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A care home nurse who died after contracting coronavirus had not seen his family back in the Philippines for five years.

Larni Zuniga, who came to the UK 12 years ago and worked in the Surrey Hills care home in Godalming, received his British citizenship in February.

Friend Arnold Barrientos said Mr Zuniga had gone through a lot to build a future for them.

He said: "It was 12 years ago when he left his young family in the Philippines to seek for a greener pasture in UK. There were so much uncertainties and he had to endure years of homesickness while working in a care home."

Mr Zuniga, a member of the Jesus Is Lord Church in Oxford, had "absolutely sacrificed a lot for his family", his friend said.

The first minister says the progress which has been made in tackling coronavirus is “fragile”.

Fern Adams is one of thousands of Scots who have lost their home-care support during the coronavirus crisis.

Sonia Kataria
BBC News

Police officers have been working with a Leicester temple to distribute "much-needed" food to vulnerable people in the areas during the coronavirus outbreak.

The Shree Hindu Temple said it was "another successful" Sunday delivering food parcels to those in need with help from Hamilton and Spinney police stations.

Image source, Leicestershire Police

The temple added it was a "great pleasure" to have Leicestershire Police join them.

The force said it was "not all about catching the baddies".

Image source, Leicestershire Police

The temple decided to close "until further notice" on 17 March, before the lockdown measures were announced a week later.

Image source, Leicestershire Police

Northern Ireland-only chains do not get as much government support as retailers elsewhere in the UK.

The chancellor says there have already been "tough times" as the coronavirus outbreak has an impact on the UK and warns "there will be more to come".

Local Democracy Reporting Service

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Waltham Forest Council expects to be “fully reimbursed” by the government as its coronavirus losses reach £20m.

Council leader Clare Coghill said it had been “given assurances” by the government and that it was vital they “follow through on the commitment”.

The council has spent on support for vulnerable residents, taking rough sleepers off the street and other measures, while receiving less income from council tax, business rates and its gyms and pools.

A report presented to cabinet’s first virtual meeting estimated the council could lose around £40m, although this figure could change depending on the length of the lockdown.

Ms Coghill said: “Local councils will have a key role in rebuilding our local economy and providing services to help residents adapt to the changes Covid-19 is bringing to our society."

'Full reimbursement'

Since the beginning of the pandemic last month, the council’s expenditure has increased by £5.9m as it supports vulnerable residents.

So far, it has lost £13.7m in income, including gyms, business rates and a significant fall in council tax as more residents need financial support.

On 19 March, it received more than £7.5m from the government as part of a £1.6bn scheme.

A further £1.6bn will be sent to local authorities across the country in May but allocations for each council have yet to be confirmed.

If Waltham Forest Council receives the same proportion of this funding again, it will receive less than half the amount it expects to lose.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government did not confirm whether councils had been promised full reimbursement.

“The Secretary of State has announced £3.2 billion of funding for councils to support their response to the pandemic.

“This new funding will support them through immediate pressures faced by councils to respond to coronavirus and protect vital services.”

Money donated by Westminster richest residents is to be used to help local organisations manage the coronavirus epidemic.

A £250,000 special fund has been set up by the Westminster voluntary Community Contribution Fund - made up of donations from Westminster’s top-rate band H council tax payers - to allocate grants more quickly.

The fund has raised £1m since it was set up in March 2018 - the equivalent of a £63 contribution from Westminster's 15,910 top rate council tax payer.

The usual suggested amount for a donation from a band H homeowner is just under £900 a year - matching the £896.42 council tax for a property in that bracket.

However, the coronavirus crisis has sparked bigger donations - with two recent contributions of nearly £9,000 and £10,000 respectively.

Funds are collected and distributed by the City of Westminster Charitable Trust. The Council supports in fundraising for the scheme.

Kensington and Chelsea and Surrey County Councils run similar schemes.

Cllr Rachael Robathan, leader of Westminster City Council: said: “The community contribution’s original priorities overlap with the kinds of issues we are seeing as a result of Covid-19 - rough sleeping is shooting up and loneliness among those self-isolating is widely recognised as a problem.

“There was an obvious need to create a new fund aimed at our current unprecedented conditions which could help as soon as possible."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The first home testing service for coronavirus has been set up for NHS staff at a north-west London hospital trust.

London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH) has already checked 900 people for Covid-19, through the operation run by its occupational health team.

Staff across Ealing, Northwick Park and Central Middlesex hospitals have been able to test themselves for the virus as well as their family members in the seven-day service.

So far 300 staffers and 150 family members have been tested in the community while on-site checks are also carried out. About 9,000 people work for the trust.

The service returns swab results within 48 hours so that healthcare workers can return to work as quickly as possible if the test comes back as negative.

A Covid-19 hotline is also set up with eight responders. All staff who carry out the test, regardless of the result, receive a phone call for support.

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NHS doctors have been warned to look out for a rare but dangerous reaction in children that may be linked to coronavirus infection.

An urgent alert , externalsent out to GPs said that intensive care departments in London and other parts of the UK have been treating severely sick children with unusual symptoms.

This includes "multi-system inflammation" with flu-like symptoms.

Some, but not all, tested positive for coronavirus.

It is unclear how many children have been diagnosed with the new syndrome, although the numbers will be low.

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Counties face an £85m loss of revenue if "the very real possibility" of no cricket this summer becomes a reality, says a new report.

Thomas Mackintosh
BBC London News

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A further 87 patients have died in London hospitals from coronavirus, NHS England has said.

New data released in the last hour show that 21 people died at the Chelsea and Westminster and West Middlesex University hospitals.

Both are run by the Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust.

it brings London's total coronavirus death toll in hospitals to 4,693.

Complete with fake London landmarks and commentary from legendary voice of the marathon Steve Cram.

Rob England
BBC News

A 72-year-old woman who was going "round the twist" in isolation with nothing to read has been "saved" by her neighbours - who left her books and DVDs.

The woman, from London, posted notes seeking help, and then thanking her neighbours.

"You have saved an old bird's sanity," she said.