Other UK News In Brief

Man Missing From Hospital

Police are appealing for assistance to trace a man who went missing from Hillingdon Hospital, Uxbridge. Virginus Uselis, 35, was last seen on Thursday 24 March at approximately 13.30 hrs leaving the grounds of the hospital. A Lithuanian national who works in the building trade, he is a white male, 5ft 6ins tall with short receding dark hair and of slim build. He has a moustache and a beard. Officers are becoming increasingly concerned for the welfare of Mr Uselis as he suffers from depression and at high risk. He is of no fixed abode, but his last known address was in Plaistow, east London. He is known to frequent the Newham areas especially Manor Park. It is thought that Mr Uselis does not have any connections to Hillingdon. Anyone with information on Mr Uselis whereabouts is asked to contact Uxbridge CID.

Construction Companies Fined After Workers Exposed To Asbestos

A plant hire company and a construction services firm have been fined for exposing employees and members of the public to asbestos. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Mansell Construction Services Ltd of Croydon and sub-contractor Woodlands Plant Hire Ltd of Ickleton, South Cambridgeshire, put workers and the public at risk by failing to properly manage the presence of asbestos during the refurbishment of a residential block of flats, between 24 November and 8 December 2009. During the work in an occupied London Borough of Hackney block of flats, asbestos insulation board was disturbed and removed by unlicensed contractor, Woodlands Plant Hire Ltd, potentially releasing the deadly substance into the air. A previous survey, identifying the presence of asbestos insulation board in a number of the properties, had been provided to Mansell, but had not been acted upon or passed to their sub-contractors. Mansell Construction Services Ltd pleaded guilty and was fined £50,000 at the Old Bailey for breaching Regulations. Woodlands Plant Hire Ltd pleaded guilty of breaching the Control of Asbestos Regulations, and was fined £50,000. The companies were ordered to pay joint costs of £20,690.

Rain On The Way

Dry weather through much of this month is expected to end as unsettled conditions move across the UK. Some heavy rain is likely, especially over northern and western parts of the country, although in some eastern parts rainfall amounts may be relatively small. Met Office Chief Forecaster Martin Young said: "The change to more unsettled conditions follows a dry spell over large parts of the UK. Some locations have only seen a few millimetres of rain during March, but these totals will be added to by the end of the month." The 30 day forecast for April indicates a return to average rainfall amounts through the month, with southern and eastern regions likely to see the most of any dry weather.

(BMcN/GK)