?... Dr Bulmer also claimed Scots were “ further away than ever ” from independence as Nationalists are

four strength in the central North Atlantic Ocean. Chris Bulmer, the Met Office’s deputy chief

Becky Andrew was in the car on the way to hospital with husband Phillip Andrew at around 6. 50am when her waters broke.... Ms Andrew, a primary school teacher from Pontefract, West Yorkshire, said: “ Someone went running into the hospital to get a nurse, but when the midwife stepped off the bus all I thought was ‘hallelujah’.... By 7. 30am it was all over.“ Congratulations to Philip and Becky on the birth of Barnaby Andrew....

Snow warnings are in place across Scotland ahead of Christmas day as Brits brace for more rain and frosty conditions.... The Met Office has said that “ most will experience an unsettled Christmas ” and those in northern England and Scotland could expect some snow on high ground.... There could be as much as 10cm of snow on higher ground in Scotland on Thursday evening and into Friday morning....

Heineken has chopped down an orchard the size of 140 football pitches sparking fears for wildlife as thousands of trees were uprooted.... The brewing giant wants to sell the land in Monmouthshire amid a slump in demand for cider. Penrhos Orchard's trees on Offa's Dyke path were planted in 1997.... Heineken has insisted it acted in line with the Wildlife Act after environmentalists said they were concerned about the impact of the tree felling on migratory bird populations, according to the BBC.

As we enter the final days before Christmas and temperatures begin to plummet once more, the thoughts of many Britons are inevitably turning towards whether the country will finally see the fabled blankets of snow we promise ourselves every year on a million greetings cards but which rarely actually materialise. Our obsession with the phenomenon cannot be blamed solely on Charles Dickens, who depicted memorably snowy Christmases in The Pickwick Papers and “ A Christmas Carol ”, as it was a regul

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been urged to raise the lowest income tax threshold to help the poorest workers( Image: Getty Images) The Treasury has delivered its response to an important proposal that could benefit the UK's lowest earners, as a substantial public demand for action gains momentum.... We think this would help low earners to get off benefits and allow pensioners a decent income." We think it is abhorrent to tax pensioners on their state pension when it is over the personal allowan