Video: Children Saved From Sinking Car In Essex

A woman who helped save several people trapped in a sinking car has told Sky News she knew she had to act quickly after realising there were three children trapped in the vehicle.

Hannah King, 22, and her friend Emma Burles, 26, pulled the children - aged four, six and eight - to safety after the Mitsubishi 4x4 got stuck driving through deep water under a railway bridge in Hockley, Essex.

"As soon as it went in, the water took it," Ms King told Sky News

"When it started sinking we could see there were kids in there and knew we had to get them out."

Dramatic footage filmed by a bystander shows the two women passing the children to a group of local boys who led them to safety.

Scott Swinford, who was driving the car with eight-year-old son Reece, his niece Jessica and nephew Alfie inside, said he thought his "monster truck" type vehicle could make it through the water.

But after finding himself in difficulty and trying to reverse out the vehicle was taken by the current and the wheels lost traction.

Ms King said the children were already up to their knees in water when she started to pull them out.

"The little girl was most scared I think. I couldn't get her seatbelt off at first, but they were okay once they were inside," she said.

Video footage of the rescue shows the vehicle largely submerged moments after the children were taken to safety.

After the children were taken inside to dry off, a police scuba team arrived at the scene believing people might still be trapped, Ms King said.

A user comment below the video of the rescue on Youtube said: "I would like to say a very very big thank you to all the people that helped rescue my Grandchildren & my Son-In-Law you were all brilliant thank you all again from the bottom of my heart you all done a fantastic job xxxxxx."

Heavy rain caused a number of roads to be flooded in Essex on Saturday and the fire service received more than 300 calls overnight.

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Edinburgh Festival: Bridget Christie Wins Gong

Feminist comic Bridget Christie has won the £10,000 award for Best Comedy Show at the Edinburgh festival.

Her show, called A Bic for Her, was described as "beautifully written" and "delightfully delivered".

The producer of the awards, Nica Burns, said: "Whilst high on the laughter count, Bridget Christie's show about feminism also gives us something to think about. An outstanding hour amongst an extremely strong shortlist."

Christie, the wife of comic Stewart Lee, recently starred in her own Radio4 show.

The gongs, formally known as the 33rd Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Awards, were presented by last year's Best Comedy Show winner Doctor Brown and special guest Steve Coogan.

The £5,000 best newcomer award went to John Kearns for his show called Sight Gags for Perverts.

The Foster's Panel Prize, also worth £5,000, went to Adrienne Truscott's Asking For It: A One Woman Lady Rape About Comedy Starring Her ***** and Little Else!

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Cheryl Cole Defends English Roses Tattoo

Pop star Cheryl Cole has defended her decision to have a giant tattoo of English roses inked on her bottom and lower back after her artist posted an image of the design online.

Nikko Hurtado, who owns the Black Anchor tattoo studio in Hesperia, California, put the image on his Instagram page on Saturday.

Within hours, fans of the 30-year-old singer had posted their opinion of the tattoo on the star's Twitter page.

The pop star said the tattoo took around 15 hours to complete

Cole confirmed the image was of her bottom and said she had been hiding the design for eight months before it was detailed.

She wrote: "People are entitled to their own opinion. Personally I've never really concerned myself with other people's body parts!

"I've had it for seven-eight months but only just had it detailed. I can pretty much safely say I'm now done!"

She added that the tattoo took around 15 hours to complete and she chose English roses as they are her favourite flowers.

Mr Hurtado said the picture was on an "in progress tattoo I've been covering up and reworking" and described the singer as "tough as nails".

Online reaction to the tattoo has been mixed, with many fans expressing their dislike.

But Coronation Street actress Michelle Keegan wrote: "No gonna lie I actually heart @CherylCole new tattoo!"

In February, she gave fans a glimpse of the tattoo while performing on stage with Girls Aloud.

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Pets Considered Part Of The Family, Census Shows

The British family has changed in modern times - with pets widely considered to be much-loved members, according to new research.

The findings from Ancestry.co.uk, the family history website, show 90% of pet owners think of their animal as part of the family.

A third (33%) of those even claim to prefer their pets to real life members of their family, with one in six (15%) considering their pet more important than their cousin.

Dog owners are the most keen to make their pet a bona fide family member, with 16% choosing to include the animal in the 2011 Census.

A number of these even listed their dog as their "son" on the official form.

But this animal infatuation is by no means a 21st century phenomenon, with pets also listed in the 1911 Census.

For example, Arthur and Elizabeth Delve from Smethwick found it fit to record the existence of their "faithful Irish terrier Biddy". Biddy, it was noted, was a "magnificent watch and a demon on cats and vermin".

Another canine in the 1911 Census is 'Roger the Watchdog' who lived in Dulwich. His journalist owner James Little listed his age at five and a rather fitting profession of "looking after the house".

Paintings of pets were particularly popular in Victorian Britain when wealthy women were known to sit for pictures with perfectly groomed lap dogs.

This trend persists today with one in 20 owners confessing they have commissioned a professional portrait of their animal.

Many British people also leave behind a more permanent token of affection.

Nearly one in 10 (9%) of dog owners love the animal so much that they are planning on leaving money or assets to them in their will.

:: Ancestry.co.uk commissioned ICM Research to question 2,000 UK adults aged 18 and over this month about attitudes towards pets. Of these, 1,172 were pet owners.

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Sunday Times Settles With Lance Armstrong

The Sunday Times has revealed it has settled with disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong after it was forced to pay damages over a report which suggested he had used banned substances.

The newspaper sued Armstrong for £1m last October when the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced it had "overwhelming" evidence of his drug use.

He later confessed to Oprah Winfrey that he had taken performance-enhancing substances.

The seven-time Tour de France winner - who has now been stripped of his titles - was awarded £300,000 in 2006 after he sued the paper and journalists Alan English and David Walsh.

Mr Walsh almost single-handedly uncovered Armstrong's cheating.

Following the USADA announcement, The Sunday Times demanded the return of the money as well as £720,000 costs and branded the libel "baseless and fraudulent".

It reported on Sunday that it, along with Mr Walsh and Mr English, had "reached a mutually acceptable final resolution to all claims against Lance Armstrong related to the 2012 High Court proceedings and are entirely happy with the agreed settlement, the terms of which remain confidential".

Armstrong said he justified his actions in the years that he won the Tour from 1999 to 2005 because doping was then part of the culture of the sport - and he did not believe he could capture cycling's greatest race without illegal assistance.

He did not see it as cheating, he said, adding: "I viewed it as a level playing field."

He described his favoured "cocktail" of EPO, blood transfusions and testosterone, recalling that at the time he told himself that his history of testicular cancer somehow justified it.

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Britain Is Boom Destination For Tourists

By David Crabtree, Midlands Correspondent

A record number of visitors are choosing the UK as a holiday destination following the success of the 2012 London Olympics.

There were almost 2.9 million tourists in June, a record for the month, according to the latest figures from VisitBritain.

Data from the Office for National Statistics showed they spent a record £1.84bn in June, an increase of 13% on 2012, which was another record.

There has been a significant rise in the number of people coming from China, the US and various parts of Europe.

Visitors from overseas spent £8.72bn in Britain in the six months to June, up 11% on the same period last year.

But it is not just overseas visitors who have been swelling the numbers.

VisitBritain predicts that over the Bank Holiday 4.5 million Britons will be taking an overnight holiday trip in the UK, a factor helped by a spell of good weather.

In Stratford-on-Avon, the draw of Shakespeare has never been so popular.

Rachel Hudson, from The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, said: "We have seen a boost due to the success of the Olympics and I think people around the world realise that we have something really special to offer.

"Shakespeare is a worldwide brand and more people want to enjoy the experience in his home town."

Patricia Yates, VisitBritain's director of strategy and communications, said: "The Olympic bounce has well and truly sprung with the best start to a year since 2008.

"This has seen us achieve record-breaking spend figures for 2013 to date and record visitor numbers.

"We are surpassing our spend forecast for 2013, which is testament to the fact that our great campaign has capitalised on the showcasing of Britain through 2012 to turn viewers into visitors.

"Our marketing and promotion of Britain as a great place to visit will ensure we are well positioned to deliver continued growth through 2013 and beyond, achieving positive results for the UK tourism industry and increasing the 2.6 million job supported by the sector."

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NHS Managers Pocket £1.4bn In Pay-Offs

NHS chiefs have squandered £1.4bn on axing staff as part of David Cameron's shake-up of the health service, Labour have claimed.

Latest Department of Health figures show that over the past three years more than 32,000 NHS managers received "exit packages".

Of these, 330 people received pay-offs totalling more than £200,000, while just under 2,000 pocketed between £100,000 and £200,000.

The figures come in the same week that NHS workforce statistics show the number of nursing jobs lost since the election in 2010 has topped 5,000.

Labour claims the shortage of nurses is fuelling a waiting time crisis at A&E units and and leaving one in 10 hospitals without enough staff.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said: "The true cost of David Cameron's NHS re-organisation is slowly revealing itself and it is enough to make people weep.

"At a time when the NHS needs every penny it can get, we have a Prime Minister handing out gold-plated, six-figure pay-offs to hundreds of managers and P45s to thousands of nurses. It stinks and begins to explain why, on Cameron's watch, A&E is in crisis and waiting lists have hit a five-year high.

"There could be no clearer illustration of a Prime Minister with his priorities seriously wrong. He has lined the pockets of management consultants and left one in 10 hospitals without enough staff on the wards.

"Billions have been siphoned out of the NHS front-line to pay for an unnecessary re-organisation no-one voted for and David Cameron personally promised would not happen.

"We are only in this position because Cameron was too weak to stand up to his old boss Andrew Lansley and allowed him to proceed with his vanity re-organisation.

"It is time for the Government to own up to the real cost of its disastrous NHS re-organisation. These payments show that official figures are under-estimating the true price-tag.

"People who are now waiting longer for operations, or seeing treatments denied, have a right to know about how this Government has chosen to spend scarce NHS resources."

A Department for Health spokesperson said: "Last year we started changes that put doctors and nurses in the driving seat as they are best placed to take decisions about care for their patients.

"The changes made as a result of the reforms mean a huge net gain for the taxpayer. They will save £5.5bn during this Parliament and £1.5bn every year thereafter, to be reinvested back into patient care."

Meanwhile, the Royal College of Midwives has claimed expectant mothers are being turned away from maternity wards because of severe staff shortages, which could last a decade.

It said a baby boom is putting strain on the system - the number of new births jumped by 7,000 between 2010 and 2012.

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Kilburn Shooting: Police Arrest Second Man

A second man has been arrested over the killing of a 24-year-old woman shot dead as she celebrated her 24th birthday.

Sabrina Moss, from Neasden in northwest London, died in hospital after being involved in a double shooting.

Police said she was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time while out with friends.

Another 24-year-old woman remains in hospital. Her condition has been described as critical but stable.

Police investigate the double shooting in Kilburn

Detective Chief Inspector John Sandlin of the Metropolitan Police said: "Enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances of this tragic incident.

"At this early stage, I believe the two women were innocent parties who were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time."

The family of Ms Moss visited the scene of the shooting on Sunday with flowers, which officers placed inside a police cordon.

The second man is being held at a north London police station, and the first remains in custody, Scotland Yard said.

Police lay flowers at the scene of the shooting

Police were called at 4.12am yesterday to reports of shots fired in the street in Kilburn High Road, Kilburn, north-west London, at the junction with Messina Avenue.

Police and the London Ambulance Service found two women suffering gunshot injuries and both were taken to London hospitals.

Ms Moss was later pronounced dead.

Mr Sandlin said: "I am appealing for anyone who witnessed the shooting, or who saw anything suspicious in the Kilburn area, to call police.

"In particular, I need to hear from anyone who saw two males who came into the High Road from Messina Avenue and, after the shooting, made off on foot back along Messina Avenue."

Officers were called to the scene after reports of gunshots

The second suspect to be arrested is being held at a north London police station, while the first also remains in custody, police said.

Tributes to Ms Moss flooded onto social networking site Twitter, with many of her friends reporting that she had a young child.

Adjei Adu wrote: "My heart goes out to her family and the lil one she's left behind, sleep well Sabrina Moss."

Leila Hassan tweeted: "My Thoughts Are With Your Family... A Beautiful Young Woman, Mother and Daughter!"

Another tweet read: "Lost the cousin I was close with when I was a child.. R.I.P Sabrina Moss."

Anyone with information that might assist the investigation was asked to call the incident room at Hendon on 020 8358 0300. To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Earthquakes In Irish Sea Shake North West

The British Geological Survey has recorded two earthquakes in the North West, with residents of Blackpool, Fleetwood and Barrow saying they felt their homes shaking.

The first of the two quakes had a 2.4 magnitude. It was reported at 5.37am at a depth of 3km (1.8 miles), 25km (15 miles) west of Fleetwood.

The second one measured magnitude 3.3. It was recorded at 9.58am at a depth of 5km (3 miles).

The BGS chart records the two tremors

Local residents said on social media sites that they had felt a tremor.

"Just had an earthquake in Blackpool anyone else feel it our breakfast room shook wooooo adrenaline rush !" the Sandgate hotel in  Blackpool posted.

@Kirstenkat wrote: "Earthquake in Blackpool area this morning not quite what I expected from a quiet Sunday."

@Samcornwell posted a photo of a fallen chair and quipped: "Blackpool earthquake! We will rebuild!"

Pic: @Samcornwell

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Fracking tests in Lancashire have been blamed for some previous tremors in the area.

A quake at Preese Hall near Blackpool, Lancashire, last April had a magnitude of 2.3.

A study by experts at Durham University found in April that fracking operations were "not significant" in causing earthquakes.

The controversial process involves pumping a mixture of water and chemicals underground to deliberately crack sedimentary rock and extract oil and gas.

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North Sea Helicopter Crash: Super Puma Grounded

The body of the last victim of a helicopter crash off the coast of Shetland has been recovered from the North Sea.

Police confirmed the recovery of the fourth body from the wreckage after it was announced that all helicopters like the one which ditched into the sea have been grounded.

Helicopter services company CHC said flights of the Super Puma AS332 L2 would be suspended globally until further notice.

It has also suspended all UK commercial flights of the other models in the Super Puma range after a recommendation from an aviation safety group.

The yellow inflatable from the helicopter protrudes through the surface

The crash took place as the helicopter headed back from the Borgsten Dolphin platform on Friday.

The aircraft was carrying two crew and 16 passengers from the rig, operated by French oil and gas company Total.

 Police named the four people who died as: Early indications suggest a sudden and "catastrophic loss of power" which gave passengers no chance to brace for impact before the helicopter ended up upside down in the North Sea.

At a meeting of the UK's Helicopter Safety Steering Group on Saturday, offshore companies and unions agreed to suspend commercial flights by all models of Super Puma until at least next Wednesday.

CHC - which operates helicopters in 30 countries - said it had "great respect" for the HSSG and would follow its recommendation, which still allows for the use of emergency flights.

Top: Duncan Munro; Gary McCrossan. Bottom: George Allison; Sarah Darnley

The incident marks the fourth in four years involving Super Puma aircraft.

In April 2009, 16 people died when a helicopter returning from BP's Miller platform crashed 11 miles from Peterhead after a "catastrophic failure" in part of its main gearbox.

A Facebook group called Destroy The Super Pumas, set up after the latest tragedy, has more than 15,000 likes.

One comment urges offshore workers to "stand side by side and get these Death traps out of the sky's for good !!!!"

However, other users warn against a knee-jerk reaction and say that the helicopter has been successfully used for many years in search and rescue.

The Unite union's Scottish Secretary, Pat Rafferty, said the safety record was "unacceptable" and called on the oil and gas industry to use "every means at their disposal to demonstrate that its fleet is fit for purpose".

The rescue operation was hampered by bad weather

Bob Crow, head of the RMT union, said he expected an "outpouring of anger" after the latest incident.

"The entire Super Puma fleet must remain grounded until the causes of this latest event are established," said Mr Crow.

Police named the four people who died as: Duncan Munro, 46, from Bishop Auckland; Sarah Darnley, 45, from Elgin; Gary McCrossan , 59, from Inverness; and George Allison, 57, from Winchester.

Rescue operations were hampered by bad weather.

Once the wreckage is removed from the sea, officials hope to have access to the black box, which will give an early clue to what caused the crash, Sky's James Matthews said.

A Facebook page is calling for the industry to scrap the Super Puma

It is thought that at least three of the four people who died had trouble getting out of the wreckage of the upturned helicopter.

All the relatives of the dead have been informed.

Mr Munro's family said he was "a fabulous father" to his 12-year-old daughter and that his death would "leave a large void in a lot of people's lives".

Sarah Darnley's mother, Anne, paid tribute to a "fun-loving free spirit" who was brought up in Elgin and moved to Aberdeen aged 19.

Two survivors of the crash were still in hospital on Shetland on Sunday night. The other 12 have returned to Aberdeen.

Survivors were aided by waterproof immersion suits that helped keep them afloat and warm in the North Sea.

This photo was taken before fog descended

The tide - which was heading towards the land - also helped survivors.

A team from the Department of Transport's Air Accidents Investigation Branch has travelled to Aberdeen to carry out initial inquiries.

A statement from Super Puma manufacturers Eurocopter said it was "supporting CHC and relevant authorities with their investigations".

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