Author: James Anderson, FRSA, CMgr MCMI

Households are being warned about the risks of using their gas hob, especially with windows closed during the winter. Christmas is a time when the oven is called into action in a big way, with the hob burning away to cook potatoes, parsnips, carrots, Brussels sprouts and all sorts of trimmings while the turkey roasts in the oven. At the same time, families are set to pack around tables indoors while windows remain firmly closed in freezing cold outdoor temperatures.But for the many households who cook with gas rather than electricity, failing to properly ventilate your kitchen could put you at risk…

A FEW small adjustments can instantly elevate the look of your home’s exterior. Gardening pros shared the tips that may increase the value of your house. Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter Thank you! A home expert revealed the simple steps you can take to increase the value of your home (stock image)Credit: Getty Speaking on behalf of Marshalls PLC, Johanna Elvidge revealed the best ways to transform the front of your home without breaking the bank. She recommended spending some time defining the pathways and edges of your front lawn. “Kerb and lawn edging can help add definition to…

Joining Neff and Wise on the 2026 board are Lowell Lampen (Kohler) as Vice President, Paige Riddle (LSP Products) as Secretary/Treasurer, and At-Large Directors Troy Benavidez (LIXIL), John Confrey (Falcon Water Technologies), Tim O’Keeffe (Symmons Industries), and Kate Olinger (Uponor-GF Building Flow Solutions). Neff Emphasizes Industry Purpose and Impact In remarks after his election, Neff highlighted the essential role plumbing manufacturers play in safeguarding health and sustainability. “Plumbing products manufacturing is not just about fixtures and fittings—it is about safeguarding health, advancing water efficiency, and building the systems that sustain our communities every day,” he said. Neff also recognized Wise for…

The structure, which is behind terraced homes on Vale Green, was installed by Norwich City Council two years ago to secure an unstable wall. It blocked an alleyway between the back of the houses and the old Mile Cross depot, and became so overgrown with shrubbery and garden waste the path was impassable.  The rear alley behind Lynn Gillon’s home in Vale Green, where the access has been completely blocked for two years by scaffolding on a dangerous wall (Image: Denise Bradley) READ MORE: REVEALED: Motorists fined nearly £200k over notorious city bus gate But now people living in the terraced houses are…

Ms Horton said tornadoes were not uncommon in the UK, having last had a report in Milford on Sea, Hampshire, in November.She explained: “It’s not terribly rare, perhaps a couple of events a year. If you’ve got an unstable atmosphere you can get vigorous showers.”Add in some wind shear, which is where winds are changing their speed and direction with height, that rising air can sometimes tighten into a waterspout.”If it makes landfall, then we call it a tornado.”She said the events could last from “a few seconds to maybe half a minute” and were very hard to forecast. Read…

Calling it the largest advancement since the NVIDIA CUDA platform was inroduced in 2006, NVIDIA has launched CUDA 13.1 with CUDA Tile, which the company said introduces a virtual instruction set for tile-based parallel programming focusing on writing algorithms at a higher level and abstract away the details of specialized hardware, such as tensor cores. The company said CUDA exposes a single-instruction, multiple-thread (SIMT) hardware and programming model for developers. This supports fine-grained control over how code is executed. However, it can also require considerable effort to write code that performs well, especially across multiple GPU architectures. While there are…

The recognition came during a West Sussex County Council scrutiny meeting on Friday, November 28, where the county council’s Fire and Rescue Service Scrutiny Committee reviewed the service’s Strategic Performance Report. The service’s performance in the second quarter of 2025/2026 and progress on the Community Risk Management Plan 2022-2026 were discussed during the meeting. Of the 30 performance measures used to assess the service, 25 were rated green, three amber and two red. Of the two measures that were red last quarter, improvements were noted in high-risk referrals, which moved back to green status, but on-call firefighter availability remained in…

A MAJOR fire has broken out, with an iconic nightclub engulfed in flames. The Ritz nightclub in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, is currently ablaze, with smoke being spotted rising into the night sky. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The Ritz nightclub in Brighouse is ablazeCredit: Lynne Martin/Brighouse Matters/ Facebook Firefighters have been spotted tackling the inferno. Locals have been warned to stay clear and keep their windows closed due to the amount of smoke. The cause of the fire is not yet known. The surrounding roads have been closed by the police in both directions. TRAGIC FIND Body…

The government has confirmed mayoral elections in Sussex and Brighton will be delayed by two years until 2028. Critics have suggested the move looks suspicious amid speculation about a potential challenge to Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership following defeat at the local elections, with Reform UK accusing Labour of a “blatant attempt to stop big wins” for the party. This morning, minister for devolution Miatta Fahnbulleh MP announced Sussex would get an annual £38 million investment fund to spend on areas such as transport and planning. She said: “This money will help transform communities for the better as part of our…

It happened at a premises on Markethill Road, Tandragee. Picture: Belfast Telegraph.Police in Armagh are appealing for information after the report of a man armed with a crow bar smashed electrical boxes before stealing drinks and money by passing them out a window.It happened at a premises on Markethill Road, Tandragee.Sergeant Hillis said: “Shortly after two am yesterday, Saturday 6th December, it was reported that a male carrying a crow bar in his hand entered the premises and smashed a number of electrical boxes.“The suspect then rummaged around one of the rooms, and took a quantity of tins of drinks,…