Four people have been taken to hospital after being exposed to toxic gas that escaped from a chemical plant.

The four experienced chemical burns and toxic inhalation after titanium tetrachloride fumes escaped from the Cristal Global site near Grimsby on the River Humber, the coastguard said. toxic inhalation after titanium tetrachloride fumes escaped from the Cristal Global site near Grimsby on the River Humber, the coastguard said.

One of the injured people was transferred to a specialist burns unit at Pinderfield Hospital in Wakefield, West Yorks, Humber Coastguard added, and all shipping in the estuary was halted for several hours.

Mike Puplett, the watch manager, described the incident, which happened at around 12.30am, as “serious”.

A spokesman for Humberside Police said the incident was under control and no-one living in the surrounding area was at risk from the fumes.

He said: “A plume of gas has escaped following an accident at a factory.

“It is dissipating naturally in the air and there is no risk to any surrounding area.”

At least ten fire crews attended the scene, with firefighters using a blanket of foam to contain the spillage.

The emergency services said up to 100 people could have been working at the plant overnight.

Humber Coastguard said: “Firefighters put a fairly substantial foam blanket over the outstanding toxic fumes and gas.”

Officials from the Health and Safety Executive are expected to launch an investigation into what happened.

A nine-year-old boy has died after suffering stab wounds in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

Police were called to an address in Rookes Avenue in the Wibsey area at about 7.45pm on Thursday.

A police spokesperson said the boy, who has not yet been named, was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary, where he died from his injuries.

The spokesman said a man in his 20s had been arrested on suspicion of murder. Police said inquiries into the death were continuing.

A householder who faced a possible eight-year jail sentence for attacking an intruder with a samurai sword said today he just wanted to stop him getting into his house.

Builder David Fullard, 46, from Brough, East Yorkshire, was prosecuted for attacking Michael Severs, 22, after using a “battlefield weapon” to defend his home when he and Michael Smith, 19, forced their way into his home. However he was cleared of unlawful wounding in November last year following a nine-month legal battle.

Mr Fullard told GMTV he ran downstairs and picked up the sword which had been dropped by Smith, who had used it to threaten his partner, before using it to hit Severs, who was carrying a spade and a knuckle duster.

He said: “I’ve no real feelings for them. At the time I was just intent on stopping them coming into the house.

“I suppose it has to go through the court process to prove your innocence but it shouldn’t have really gone to court in my opinion.”

The prosecution had argued that the use of the Samurai sword was a case of self defence gone too far.

Mr Fullard’s barrister Mark Bury argued however: “This is not a man who settles disputes with his fist or a sword. To do so would go against the principles he has held all his life. This was lawful, anticipatory, self- defence. You do not have to wait until you are hit. The two men were frightening men.”

Police forces have been criticised for wasting public money writing blogs aimed at raising the profile of the work of police dogs.

A number of forces – including Cambridgeshire, Tayside and Avon and Somerset – have all launched ‘dog blogs’ on their websites.

Staff say the diary is popular and promotes the work of police dogs.

But the TaxPayers’ Alliance says the blogs are “PR exercises” with no public benefit.

“All the time we hear that police forces overstretched and officers have too much paperwork,” said a spokesman. “Yet someone seems to have enough time to write hundreds of words about the life of a dog?”

Chief executive Matthew Elliott added: “This might be a well-intentioned idea but it is a waste of money.

“Either the dog’s handler or a press officer are evidently devoting their time to writing this blog at taxpayers’ expense and to no real benefit for public safety.
“People pay their taxes for the police to go out and catch criminals, not for cutesy PR exercises.”

Cambridgeshire police said the blog gave the public an ”insight” into the work of police dogs.

”The dog’s blog has proved to be extremely popular with the public and received more than 700 visitors in its first week,” said a spokeswoman.

”We have also had several emails from the public asking Lukas questions about his role and saying how much they like the blog.

”Police dogs play a vital role in protecting the public and officers and the purpose of the blog is to give people an insight into that work.

”The blog costs nothing to produce and is written by the corporate communications team, whose role it is to promote the work of the force.”

West Yorkshire Police is to slash its recruitment budget as it faces up to a substantial budget shortfall, according to reports.

The force a projected budget shortfall of £9.4 million next year, and £15.3 million in 2011/12.

According to reports from the BBC, the force is planning a number of money-saving initiatives, including replacing sworn officers in desk jobs with civilian staff and freezing its recruitment programme.

The plans are expected to result in a fall of around 20 – 50 police officers within the force.

The force currently employs 5,784 officers and 4,258 other staff.

The number of officers increased by 10.7 per cent between 2004 and 2009, the second biggest increase in the country, Home Office figures show.

A debate in Parliament recently heard that West Yorkshire Police was missing out on £18m in government cash because of the way the police funding formula is calculated.

A man has been arrested under the Terrorism Act after joking on Twitter that he wanted to blow up an airport.

Paul Chambers posted a comment on the popular micro-blog site on January 6th after snowfall threatened to delay his plans to travel to Ireland on January 15.

“Robin Hood airport is closed,” he wrote. “You’ve got a week and a bit to get your shit together, otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!!”

A week later, on January 13th, Mr Chambers was surprised to find the police at his door, where they presented him with a printout of his Twitter page, before placing him under arrest.

“My first thought upon hearing it was the police was that perhaps a member of my family had been in an accident,” 26-year-old Mr Chambers told The Independent.

“Then they said I was being arrested under the Terrorism Act and produced a piece of paper. It was a print-out of my Twitter page. That was when it dawned on me.”

Following his arrest, Mr Chambers was questioned for seven hours about all aspect of his life, before he was made to delete the post and had his laptop, IPhone and home computer seized. He was then bailed until February 11th pending further enquiries.

As a result of the post, Mr Chambers has also been banned from Robin Hood airport for life.

The arrest, by South Yorkshire Police, represents the first time someone has been taken into custody over comments posted on Twitter, although a number of cases have been reported in the U.S.

A group of youngsters in Sheffield have taken park in a ‘passing out’ event, after completing a five day course aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour in the city.

The nine youngsters, aged 13-16, took part in the Achieving Respect and Confidence (ARC) project, a joint initiative between South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, South Yorkshire Police and other partner agencies. The project has been funded by Sheffield City Councils Youth Offending Service.

The event took take place last Friday (4th December 2009) at Elm Lane fire station in Sheffield and saw the young people carrying out a display in the station drill yard to start off the presentation.

The project which was the second of two pilot courses in South Yorkshire, was aimed at highlighting the consequences of anti-social behaviour and to provide an intensive multi-agency work experience course, self-discipline, team spirit, fire safety awareness, life skills and values which will improve the life chances of the young people involved.

The course was aimed at young people who have offended, are at risk of offending or have been victims of crime.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Andy Hoyland, Station Manager at Elm Lane fire station, said: “This was a new initiative where we have joined forces with partner agencies in encouraging these young people to think about their behaviour and through discipline and teamwork, make positive choices towards improving their life chances.”

Inspector Dean Furniss, of Sheffield Partnerships, said: “The ARC Project develops an opportunity for vulnerable young people to address poor behaviour through promoting a positive lifestyle. A skilled workforce work with the young people with the aim of ensuring their self esteem and aspirations are raised. This is intended to show young people how they can be a part of their community and reach adulthood safely.”

Firefighters across South Yorkshire are today launching a major Christmas fire safety campaign, after warning residents they are 50 per cent more likely to die in an accidental house fire during the Christmas period than at any other time of the year.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) is holding displays, fire safety talks and community engagement events throughout December, all themed around winter safety advice.

Cooking, candles, fairy lights and flammable decorations are all major causes of accidental house fires and will be highlighted at the events, along with the SYFR’s free Home Safety Checks.

Events include fire safety talks at the Alhambra Centre and Transport Interchange in Barnsley on December 11, a Road Traffic Collision (RTC) display at Hillsborough College, Sheffield on December 15 and a community carol concert at Mosborough fire station, Sheffield on December 18.

As part of the safety drive, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has also released a video aimed at highlighting how quickly your tree- and your Christmas- can go up in smoke.

In the video, an un-watered scotch pine Christmas tree destroys a living room in less than a minute www.youtube.com/SYFR08.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Head of Community Safety Steve Makepeace said: ‘The risk of fire in the home is an all year round issue – however people are particularly vulnerable at Christmas for many reasons ranging from unsafe electrical decorations, unattended candles through to cooking whilst drunk.

“People vastly underestimate the deadly strength of toxic smoke and overestimate how long they have to escape should a fire break out. The reality is that just two to three breaths of smoke in a fire can render a person unconscious

“Christmas should be a time for celebration rather than tragedy and for this reason I’m urging people to be fire aware and stay fire safe.”

To stop being a victim of an accidental house fire this Christmas, follow the fire safety advice below. For more information or to arrange a free Home Safety Check call 0114 253 2314, visit www.syfire.gov.uk.

Top Ten Tips for a Safer Christmas:

1. Ensure you have a working smoke alarm installed on all levels of your home. Test your smoke alarms weekly and never remove batteries to power presents!

2. Never leave cooking unattended and avoid cooking whilst drunk. The majority of fires start in the kitchen so this is a high risk area. Always turn off kitchen appliances when you have finished cooking.

3. Never leave candles unattended. Keep decorations, cards and wrapping paper away from candles, fires, lights and heaters.

4. Ensure you switch off fairy lights and unplug them before you go to bed, or leave the house. Check your Christmas tree lights conform to the British Standard (BS EN 60598).

5. Always use an RCD (residual current device) on outdoor electrical equipment (a safety device that can save lives by instantly switching off the power if there is a fault).

6. Don’t overload sockets – ensure only one plug per socket. Always turn off plugs when they are not in use, except those that are designed to be left on, like freezers.

7. Make sure cigarettes are extinguished properly and never smoke in bed. Put it out, right out.

8. Check on older relatives and neighbours this Christmas, as they are at greater risk from fire.

9. Plan an escape route and make a bedtime check – Plan a route to escape your home if there is a fire and make sure everyone in the house knows the plan. Check for fire hazards in your home before you go to bed – it takes longer to become aware of a fire when you are asleep.

10. Ask the experts – South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue offers free home fire risk checks to identify potential fire risks and advise what to do to reduce or prevent them. This may even include the free installation of a smoke alarm – the ideal gift for keeping your family safe

And finally, in the event of fire: get out, stay out and call 999.

Sheffield firefighters have cooked up a fresh idea for delivering fire safety messages to students, dishing out hundreds of specially commissioned cookbooks to the city’s scholars.

The cookbooks, which feature quick and easy oven-free recipes alongside top fire safety tips, are part of a long-term drive by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) to reduce the number of accidental fires in student accommodation in Sheffield.

More than 30 fires have occurred in student properties in Sheffield since 2006. Cooking and alcohol are amongst the biggest dangers, causing 80% of all house fires in student properties in the city over the same period.

Now the cookbooks are being distributed to students from both the city’s universities at a range of events and venues, including two events at The Edge student village, Endcliffe and University of Sheffield Student’s Union, Brookhill, Sheffield.

Crews from Central fire station distributed more than 200 copies of the cookbook alongside fire and road safety information at the two events, as well as promoting SYFR’s free home safety checks.

During a check, an officer will give advice on how to make the home safer, what to do in the event of a fire and what to do if you are trapped by a fire. They will also fit a free smoke alarm if necessary and explain how to maintain it correctly.

Steve Makepeace, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s Head of Community Safety, said: “The cookbooks have proved extremely popular with students and are an important way of raising awareness of cooking related fires, which are a major cause of accidental fires in student and multi-occupancy properties.”

“In particular, we are urging students to take proper precautions when cooking, never to cook when drunk and to always have and maintain a working smoke alarm. Our free home safety checks are a great way of protecting you and your housemates and ensuring you can live and study in Sheffield risk free.”

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue have also produced a student fire safety video, giving students fire safety advice. To view visit www.youtube.com

Firefighters in South Yorkshire are due to being their fist strike at 6pm today, in protest of controversial new shift patterns.

The action comes after 744 employees were threatened with the sack if they did not accept new employment contracts to work 12-hour day and night shifts.

The fire authority said contingency plans were in place to provide cover.

Firefighters will remain in attendance until shortly after the end of shift at 6pm and the start of the strike. A second 24-hour strike is set to start at 6pm on 23rd October.

Earlier this week, the fire authority offered to suspend the plans to allow further negotiations with a condition that crews would work 10-and-a-half hour day shifts and 13-and-a-half hour night shifts until 31 March.

But the union said it had received no formal offer from the fire authority and was pressing ahead with strike action.

Ian Murray, Fire Brigades Union regional secretary for Yorkshire and Humberside said: “The new shifts [the fire authority] wants to force through would seriously disrupt childcare and other family arrangements for the firefighters of South Yorkshire.

“The authority has been reluctant to enter genuine negotiations to reach an agreement but wants to consult and impose change. At every stage it has refused to compromise on its demand for a move to 12 hour day shift working.

“It’s threat to sack 744 firefighters to force through the changes it is demanding are the worst kind of bully-boy tactics. These aggressive tactics leave strike action as the only option left to us.

“If the fire authority drops its threat to sack firefighters, we will call off the strikes. We will enter talks without pre-conditions to reach an agreement.”

Chief fire officer Mark Smitherman said: “We, together with members of the fire authority, have every confidence in the resilience of our contingency arrangements throughout the forthcoming strikes.”