'Modern day highwaymen' target M20 drivers
Four conmen who posed as police officers, stopping cars on the M20 and tricking them into handing over money have been jailed.
The People's Millions
Over the past eight years The People's Millions have awarded more than £27.8m to 523 community projects across the UK.
Thomas Cook job losses - latest
Around 2,500 jobs are to be axed at holidays group Thomas Cook after it revealed plans to close 195 of its high street travel agencies.
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Gatwick numbers up despite 'challenging European conditions'
Passenger numbers edged up at Gatwick last month.
A total of just more than 2.73 million people passed through the airport in April 2013 - a 0.4% rise on the April 2012 figure.
But last month's total included a dip of 11.4% in European charter traffic, with bosses of the West Sussex airport warning of "challenging" European economic conditions.
European scheduled traffic, which makes up a big slice of Gatwick's overall operation, was up 3.2% in April 2013.
And although north Atlantic traffic dipped 15.1% last month, other long-haul traffic rose 8.7%.
Gatwick's chief financial officer Nick Dunn said: "It is pleasing to see the trend for long-haul growth continuing, with several key carriers expanding their frequencies and routes.
"While April 2013 also saw growth in scheduled European services... it is also important to note that economic conditions in Europe remain challenging and we expect this trend to continue for the immediate future."
Foodbank charity in Salisbury sees biggest ever rise in food recipients
A foodbank charity based in Salisbury says it's seen the biggest ever rise in people using its service.
The Trussell Trust says over fifty nine thousand people in the South West have received at least three days emergency food from its foodbanks during the last 12 months, almost twice the number helped in the previous year.
It runs three hundred and forty foodbanks across the country, with nearly all the food donated by the public.
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2,500 town hall staff paid over £100,000 last year
More than 2,500 town hall staff were paid over £100,000 last year, research has shown.
Despite the number earning in six figures falling by 11% between 2011 and 2012, 103 councils were still employing more staff on that level than before, the TaxPayers' Alliance said.
It added that one executive was handed almost £600,000.
Town hall 'Rich List': Top ten employees
Figures from the TaxPayer's Alliance have shown that more than 2,500 town hall staff were paid over £100,000 last year.
Read the full storyLGA: Senior staff pay must provide 'good value'
A Local Government Association spokesman has defended a report listing the highest paid town hall staff.
They said pay for senior staff has to provide "good value for taxpayers while ensuring the recruitment and retention of staff with the right skills".
– Local Government Association spokesmanLocal government is showing wage restraint as the 11% fall in the number of staff on more than £100,000 a year shows. There has been no national increase in senior pay for five years, including in 2013/14. Incoming chief executives are also receiving salaries that are on average 8% smaller than their predecessors.
Local authorities work hard to ensure salaries are set at appropriate levels and have created the E-Paycheck system to allow remuneration committees to compare their pay rates with similar councils in other parts of the country.
Lottery syndicate targeted in £79k fraud case
A Chatham-based syndicate which nearly lost out on a £79,000 lottery win have celebrated receiving their cheque. The group were misled into believing they had only won £10 after they handed the ticket in for checking at Moores Convenience Store in Mackenzie Way in Gravesend.
Today shop assistant Imran Pervais, 26, of Milton Road in Gravesend was handed a 12-month prison sentenced - suspended for two years. He was convicted of fraud by false representation by a jury in March.
Pervais was also given a 200 hour community service order and a curfew for what the judge at Maidstone Crown Court called an 'opportunistic' and 'mean-spirited' offence.
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BREAKING: £79k lottery ticket fraudster gets 1 year sentence
A shop assistant from Kent has been jailed for 12 months, suspended for two years - after trying to con a lottery syndicate out of its £79,000 winning ticket.
Imran Pervais, 26, of Milton Road in Gravesend paid out just £10 to the Chatham-based syndicate even though they had matched five balls plus a bonus number.
In March Pervais was convicted of fraud by false representation. In addition to the suspended sentence, he was given a curfew and a 200 hours community service sentence.
People's Millions - funding for your community project
Applications for the 2013 People's Millions funding can be made up until noon on Monday 13th May to apply
Chartwell welcomes news of Churchill on new £5 note
NEWSFLASH: We and @chartwellnt are delighted that Winston Churchill will be the face of the new five pound note!
From @southeastNT on Twitter:See our story about Sir Winston Churchill's links to the South, and the story of his former home at Chartwell near Sevenoaks in Kent. The wartime Prime Minister's property and its gardens are open to the public. Sir Winston lived there from 1924 until his death in 1965.
Sir Winston Churchill to feature on new £5 note
The wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill is to be the face on the new five pound note. Churchill lived at Chartwell in Kent during his lifetime.
The bank note will be issued in 2016, making Churchill the first politician of the modern era to feature on British currency.
