Villagers have been stranded after a massive storm destroyed the coastal road that connects them to the outside world and nobody knows where they’ll get the £18million to fix it.

The A379 into Torcross was swept into the sea after being pummeled by 12ft waves and 60mph winds in Storm Imogen in south Devon earlier this month.

It was not the only casualty in the storm. Landlady Gail Stubbs’ pub, the Start Bay Inn, was smashed up by the deluge along with several neighbouring houses.

The road runs a precarious two-mile stretch along a narrow shingle bar between Torcross and nearby Slapton and is nicknamed ‘The Slapton Line’.

After the storm, 200 metres of the vital access road had been washed into the south Devon sea. The shingle bar had been used for rehearsals of the D-Day landings because it resembled Utah Beach in Normandy, but it looks more like a warzone now than ever.

Even if someone is found to pay the £18million bill to fix the gouges in the tarmac, repairs may not be finished until 2027.

The destruction at the pub itself and the ruined road connecting the village to the outside world have spelt misery for Mrs Stubbs’ pub.

The 47-year-old told The Telegraph: ‘We predict that our business could be down by up to 50 per cent – we don’t know whether to start hiring for the summer season or not.’

The A379 between Torcross and Slapton in South Devo has collapsed into the sea after Storm Imogen thus month

Torcross is now cut off from the rest of the world after the 200 metre section fell into the sea

300,000 holidaymakers come to the South West each summer. Now access to Torcross is much more limited, with only one road remaining, which forces a massive detour on narrow country lanes for drivers heading to Slapton or nearby Dartmouth.

Mrs Stubbs has made the drive with her partner and said she had to stop and reverse 22 times on the trip to let other cars pass.

Her inn dates back to the 1400s, but Mrs Stubbs fears storms like this could wipe out that 600 year history. She added: ‘The damage to the village has been quite severe, and if it carries on, we may not even be here physically anymore.

‘I’m really not sure how many more storms the village can sustain.’

Windows and roofs were smashed in by rogue waves crashing over the sea wall onto a row of houses along the promenade. Alleyways were left sitting full with waist deep water. 

The Start Bay Inn defiantly remains open despite its boarded-up windows. It was still busy of the half-term weekend too, as well as neighbouring cafes – admittedly due to an influx of rubbernecking ‘disaster tourists’.

But this will not last, and there are already reports of holidaymakers cancelling bookings in the wake of the news.

Gerd Masselink, professor of coastal geomorphology at the University of Plymouth, said the damage to the road, village and beach was ‘the biggest change that’s happened here in the last 10 years.’

The beach was lowered by 6.6ft in the storm, essentially amounting to over six years of damage. In the past 20 years, the beach has fallen 20ft, Masselink said.

As well as the damage to the road, several buildings including Gail Stubbs’ pub the Start Bay Inn have been heavily damaged with smashed windows and roofs

Metal clanking in the waves means that Ali Willcock, owner of Torcross’s Billy Can cafe can’t  sleep. He said: ‘Everything rattles all the time, it’s impossible to sleep’

‘It is very significant but it’s part of an ongoing trend at beaches along the south coast, of gravel and sand being moved from the western end, to the eastern end,’ warned Mr Masselink.

He added: ‘We’re going to see increased flooding, we’re going to see erosion on beaches that used to be stable. We’re going to see increased erosion at beaches that are already eroding.

‘We can’t keep defending coastlines for the next 20, 30, 40 years.

‘Unless we start casting the whole coast in concrete, we have to start retreating’.

For now, however, a school bus service has been set up for children who need a lift around the collapsed road. What was once a 10-minute journey to Dartmouth now takes 45 minutes and locals are worried about access to doctors, chemists and emergency services.

Torcross is no stranger to terrible flood and storm damage. The Slapton Line has collapsed three times already in 2001, 2016 and 2018 and the government has not said it is willing to repair it yet again.

Mrs Stubbs’ inn has also seen bad storm damage, with the pool table nearly being washed out of the doors in one storm in 1979. It was this that prompted a proper sea wall being built at the village.

The £18million repair cost estimate is well over Liberal Democrat-run Devon County Council’s budget with hopes central government funding from the new £1billion Structures Fund might save the road, but nobody is confident.

‘It’s difficult when you have a road right next to the sea,’ says local Lib Dem councillor Dan Thomas. ‘Highways authorities nationwide don’t have enough money as it is, never mind roads like this.’

In a village hall meeting, things got heated with locals angry as county council leader Julian Brazil explained that government funding was limited.

They aired resourceful ideas like the Army building a pontoon bridge, the £18million be taken from the billions in the foreign aid budget, making it a toll road, even a kelp bank to protect the coastline.

A Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs spokesperson said: ‘We’re committed to supporting coastal communities through our record investment of £10.5bn in protecting against flooding and coastal erosion by 2036, benefitting nearly 900,000 properties.

‘In addition, having inherited flood defences in the worst condition on record, we have reprioritised more than £100m into urgent maintenance works to make sure defences are properly maintained.’

The tour company that organized the group of backcountry skiers who were swept away an avalanche in California warned of incoming inclement weather just two days before the storm hit.

A Blackbird Mountain Guides ski guide stationed in Mt Rose, the Tahoe’s highest elevation, on Sunday revealed that there was ‘atypical layering’ in the snow pack.

The guide, in a post on the company’s Facebook  page, warned that the extended dry season impacting the area has caused faceting, a process in which snow becomes weak.

‘As we move into a large storm cycle this week, pay close attention to places where faceting has been particularly strong – avalanches could behave abnormally, and the hazard could last longer than normal,’ the guide said, urging snow sportsmen to ‘use extra caution this week.’

But 15 skiers led by Blackbird Mountain Guides were on Castle Peak, about 40 miles from Mt Rose, late Tuesday morning when they were hit by a slide and a huge storm dumping heavy snow. 

Six skiers had been rescued ‘with varying injuries’ Tuesday evening, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said, though mountain rescue teams battling treacherous conditions were still trying to find the others as daylight faded.

Blackbird Mountain Guides said it is ‘working in full coordination’ with authorities to support the rescue mission, but local skiers have hit back, claiming that the firm made a ‘bad call’ and should have never let the group up the mountain in the first place.

‘I was at Frog Lake from Thursday to Sunday but we got out before the storm moved in,’ one skier told the Post. ‘Absolutely a preventable tragedy is all I will say about it.’ 

Fifteen skiers led by Blackbird Mountain Guides were on Castle Peak late Tuesday morning when they were hit by a slide and a huge storm dumping heavy snow

A Blackbird Mountain Guides ski guide stationed in Mt Rose, the Tahoe’s highest elevation, on Sunday revealed that there was ‘atypical layering’ in the snow pack. The guide, in a post on the company’s Facebook page, warned that there was a ‘big storm incoming’

A huge storm dumped heavy snow on the mountains near Lake Tahoe on Tuesday

Another skier accused the ski guides of making a ‘bad call’ and questioned why they ever took the group up the mountains in such poor conditions. 

‘Praying for all but questions about how “guides” took them out in these conditions. Really? Did they not read the warnings?’ one added. 

Another said: ‘What in God’s name were they doing up there today of all days! Hope they survive and learn a really important lesson.’

Crews pushed through mountainous wilderness near Lake Tahoe during a snowstorm on Tuesday to rescue six skiers who survived the avalanche but were trapped by its snow and ice. Two of the rescued skiers were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Nine others from their tour group remained missing. 

Blackbird Mountain Guides revealed that skiers had been in the process of returning to the trailhead at the end of a three-day trip when the avalanche struck. 

Some were forced to seek safety in a makeshift shelter erected with a tarp as rescuers battled blizzard conditions to reach them, the Post reported. 

The group of backcountry skiers had been staying at the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts, a collection of remote cabins near the Castle Peak. 

Authorities previously said 16 people – four guides and 12 clients – were on the trip, before revising that number down to 15.

Crews pushed through mountainous wilderness near Lake Tahoe during a snowstorm on Tuesday to rescue six skiers who survived the avalanche but were trapped by its snow and ice

Officials had said 46 emergency first responders were involved in the search, including ‘highly skilled rescue ski teams’ from both Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Center, who were dispatched to rescue the six known survivors

A sign is covered in snow during a storm on Tuesday in Truckee, California

Blackbird Mountain Guides said in a statement on its website that it was coordinating with authorities on the rescue operation.

‘The leadership team at Blackbird Mountain Guides is working in full coordination with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and Nevada County Search and Rescue to support the ongoing rescue operation,’ the statement said. 

‘Blackbird Mountain Guides is in direct contact with the emergency contacts of the affected clients and guides and is providing them with regular updates as verified information becomes available.’

Search and rescue crews were dispatched to Frog Lake in the Castle Peak area, northwest of Lake Tahoe, after a 911 call reporting an avalanche and people buried. A powerful winter storm was moving through California at the time.

Extreme conditions in the Northern California mountains slowed the rescue effort. It took crews several hours to reach the skiers and take them to safety, where they were evaluated by the Truckee Fire Department.

The skiers were on the last day of a three-day backcountry skiing trek and had spent two nights at huts on a trip that required navigating ‘rugged mountainous terrain’ for up to 4 miles while bringing along all food and supplies.

Nevada County Sheriff Capt. Russell Greene said authorities were notified about the avalanche by Blackbird Mountain Guides, and by emergency beacons the skiers were carrying. 

Forty-six emergency first responders were involved in the search, including ‘highly skilled rescue ski teams’ from both Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Center, who were dispatched to rescue the six known survivors. 

Shopping carts were buried when a snow storm struck the Sierra Nevada mountain range area on Tuesday

A powerful storm packing several feet of snow continued to pummel the Sierra Nevada mountain range throughout the day, with forecasters warning of white-out conditions

The dangerous conditions were caused by rapidly accumulating snow piling on fragile snowpack layers coupled with gale-force winds

The powerful storm continued to pummel the Sierra Nevada mountain range throughout the day, with forecasters warning of white-out conditions.

The Sierra Avalanche Center, based in Truckee, issued an avalanche warning for the area in the Central Sierra Nevada, including the Greater Lake Tahoe region, starting at 5am Tuesday with large slides expected into Wednesday 

‘HIGH avalanche danger exists in the backcountry. Large avalanches are expected to occur Tuesday, Tuesday night, and into at least early Wednesday morning across backcountry terrain,’ the Sierra Avalanche Center said.

‘HIGH avalanche danger might continue through the day on Wednesday.’

The town of Soda Springs, near where the avalanche took place, recorded at least 30 inches of snow in a 24-hour period, according to the Soda Springs Mountain Resort.

The dangerous conditions were caused by rapidly accumulating snow piling on fragile snowpack layers coupled with gale-force winds.

The storm wreaked havoc on roads from the Sierra Nevada to Sonoma County. Traffic was halted temporarily in both directions on I-80 over and around Donner Summit due to spinouts and crashes, the authorities reported.

Several Tahoe ski resorts were fully or partially closed due to the weather. Resorts along highways have avalanche mitigation programs and were not expected to be at as high of a risk as the backcountry, where travel in, near or below avalanche terrain was strongly discouraged, the center said.

‘It’s particularly dangerous in the backcountry right now just because we’re at the height of the storm,’ said Brandon Schwartz, Tahoe National Forest lead avalanche forecaster at the Sierra Avalanche Center.

The National Weather Service said parts of the Sierra above 3,500 feet could see up to eight feet of snow over the next 48 hours, with gusts of wind as strong as 55 miles per hour.

Sheriff’s office Captain Russell Green told local media station KCRA that officials discourage people from backcountry skiing.

‘People go out and use the backcountry at all times,’ Green said. ‘We advise against it, obviously, but I wouldn’t say that it’s uncommon. Not that it was a wise choice.’

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has tallied six US avalanche fatalities so far this season, including one in Castle Peak in January.

It’s 365 days and counting since a 20 metre-long sinkhole opened up on a Surrey High Street. 

Yet when you visit the scene today, little has changed. 

Construction work is ongoing, the road is still closed – and the council still won’t confirm when it will be finished. 

‘The day before it happened, I was walking down the road with my daughter,’ says Eric Eamon, 87, who lives in a house just metres along the same road the sinkhole opened up on. 

‘I turned to her and said that the cars sounded different going over the road. The next day, the sinkhole happened. 

‘I realised they must have been driving over a completely hollow road.’ 

Mr Eamon also knew the likely cause of the sinkholes before authorities too – he recalls playing in the Victorian sand mines woven beneath the quiet village of Godstone as a child. 

‘When I was around 10, on a wet day we used to play in the mines. All the children would get a candle from the shop and play hide and seek!’ 

Pictured: The Surrey sinkhole one year on. The road remains closed and construction is ongoing

Eric Eamon, 87, said the day before the sinkhole opened, he noticed cars sounded different going over it. ‘I realised they must have been driving over a hollow road,’ he recalled

Godstone High Street remains closed, as businesses and locals told the Mail this week they were fed up and struggling after twelve months of the once-busy road being shut

Like many residents along the road, he never evacuated and says he won’t ever leave his home, despite fears now that there could be up to 125 similar cavity holes beneath Godstone. 

On the night of February 17 last year, a 20-metre-long and six-metre-wide sinkhole opened on Godstone High Street, quickly filling with water from a burst pipe and forcing 30 residents out their homes. 

Residents were initially told the repairs would take three to six months. But this week many told the Daily Mail they have no idea when the roads will actually reopen.

Nor did any say they had been offered any compensation for the inconvenience of constant building work for 12 months, or the likely impact the hazardous sinkhole would have on their businesses – or house prices. 

Shane Fry owns a garage on Godstone High Street. Now that the road has shut, his business has been struggling for over a year since the clients he used to get with broken down vehicles coming off the motorway have stopped entirely.

‘We’ve been offered no compensation, none,’ he says.

‘We’re lucky that we’re inside the road closure, because they’ve given us a break from business rates – but that’s the equivalent of about £200 a month, which is nothing when you’ve got a workforce and a car park to rent.’ 

‘It’s been a long-winded and tedious process,’ he adds.

Shane Fry owns a garage next to the sinkhole. His turnover is still down 10-15 per cent, as he gets no customers from recoveries off the M25 anymore 

Alison Cullinan, 58, owns The Hare & Hounds in Godstone. Having been there for 21 years, they rely on locals, as business has been tough the year after the sinkhole 

The council said it is filling in 125 other holes in the network of Victorian sand mines beneath the village

Although the sinkhole is now filled, the council has not given a date for completion of the works

‘The first months were the hardest, normality was completely gone. But our turnover is still down 10-15 per cent even now, and there’s no end in sight.’ 

Surrey County Council said that more mine tunnels continue to be discovered, prolonging the village’s recovery. 

One pub owner in the village had their profits plummet too when the sinkhole opened up down the road. 

Alison Cullinan, 58, owns The Hare & Hounds in Godstone. The pub has been there for 21 years, and say they are fortunate to be able to rely on regulars over the last year – otherwise they would have shut.

‘It’s taken the rug from beneath our feet,’ Ms Cullinan told the Mail.

‘We’re an independent pub, not a brewery, and we lease this place so it’s been really tough. 

‘And it’s terrifying that we just don’t know what’s going to happen or when it will end – the last I heard was June. 

‘We’ve been given no compensation and there’s nothing to say it won’t happen again. Our children grew up here and we’ve been here for decades so don’t want to move, but it is definitely scary,’ she adds. 

An aerial view of the concreted sinkhole shows its proximity to resident properties, which have lived with it on their doorstep for over a year

One corner shop opposite the sinkhole is completely derelict. Businesses inside the road closure have been given a break from business rates, but for many it is not enough

Other businesses in the village had already been struggling under Labour’s tax raids. A sinkhole in an already difficult economic climate sent many plunging further into the abyss, with no support. 

Although the sinkhole itself has been filled over, it remains gated off and the surrounding road shut off. 

More than £2.3million has been spent repairing the damage so far and the estimated overall cost is expected to be at least £3million. 

Hundreds of residents attended a council meeting organised by local MP Claire Coutinho last month, but were left no clearer as they were still not given a firm end date in sight.  

Surrey County Council said in a statement: ‘Highways Officers are continuing to tackle the large road collapse that appeared suddenly overnight on Godstone High Street in Surrey, on February 17, 2025.’ 

Following the ground opening up and a major incident being declared, the collapsed road and pavements were made safe, and infrastructure for utility services was temporarily repaired, allowing residents to return home and pedestrians to use the area.  

‘However, the discovery of a large, 19th-century underground mine network in June 2025 has meant the final reconstruction of the High Street has not yet been able to get underway. 

Residents and business owners at a public meeting in February last year. One month ago, the council and local MP attended another public meeting, but many were left feeling no clearer about the future

The sinkhole was 20-metres-long and six-metres wide. The entire network of holes beneath the village has so far taken over 667 tonnes of grout to fill 

‘Filling and stabilising the mine network remains the focus of operations on site with over 667 tonnes of grout being pumped in 125 holes to depths of up to 15 metres below ground level to stabilise the area, with further mine tunnels continuing to be discovered.’

Matt Furniss, Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Economic Growth at Surrey County Council said: ‘This remains a highly complex incident with teams on site dealing with an evolving situation, making it far more than just the repair of a road.

‘Our teams are working with specialist geotechnical contractors to locate, survey, fill and stabilize a large, 19th-century underground mine network with limited visibility, to ensure the long-term stability of the area and fundamentally, the safety of local residents and people travelling through the area, before we are able to re-build and re-open the road.

‘These stabilisation works will therefore need to continue over the coming weeks, after which the burst water pipes can be replaced by SES Water and the final reconstruction of the road and pavements can get underway.

‘We remain hugely sympathetic to the disruption being experienced by some residents and businesses in Godstone and thank them for their patience. 

‘We are working hard to get the road open again in the Spring but need to be absolutely sure that the area is safe and stable before we do so for the benefit of everyone.’ 

By DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

Published: 02:04 EST, 18 February 2026 | Updated: 02:30 EST, 18 February 2026

Inflation fell to 3 per cent in January in a rate piece of good news for Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The rate of Consumer Prices Index(CIP) inflation dropped from 3.4 per cent in December, according to the Office for National Statistics.

It is the lowest rate since March and will reinforce expectations of another interest rate cut, possibly as soon as next month.

Disappointing growth figures for the final quarter of last year have added to forecasts for a rate cut in March, to 3.5 per cent from 3.75 per cent currently.

The fall was driven by falls in the price of petrol, food and clothing last month.

But inflation remains above the government’s target of 2 per cent.  Sir Mel Stride, the Conservative shadow chancellor, said: ‘Families are still feeling the pinch because of Labour’s economic mismanagement.

‘This comes after the Office for National Statistics confirmed unemployment has risen to a five-year high, with youth unemployment now above the European average, and GDP per capita falling.

Ms Reeves said: ‘Cutting the cost of living is my number one priority.

The reading was in line with the predictions of economists and puts inflation back on a downward trajectory after an increase in the previous month.

Data showed that motor fuels particularly contributed to the fall of inflation, with the average price of petrol falling by 3.1p per litre between December 2025 and January 2026.  

ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said: ‘Airfares were another downward driver this month with prices dropping back following the increase in December.

‘Lower food prices also helped push the rate down, particularly for bread & cereals and meat.

‘These were partially offset by the cost of hotel stays and takeaways.’

Ms Reeves said: ‘Cutting the cost of living is my number one priority.

‘Thanks to the choices we made at the budget we are bringing inflation down, with £150 off energy bills, a freeze in rail fares for the first time in 30 years and prescription fees frozen again.

‘Our economic plan is the right one, to cut the cost of living, cut the national debt and create the conditions for growth and investment in every part of the country.’

Із 16 лютого педагогічні працівники можуть подати заявку на участь у пілотуванні державної політики «Гроші ходять за вчителем» через платформу «Вектор». Вони мають актуалізувати інформацію про заклад освіти, додати дані про класи викладання та підтвердити особу через BankID або кваліфікований електронний підпис. Після цього заклад освіти підтверджує внесені дані, і педагогічний працівник отримує доступ до подання заявки. Учасники проєкту отримають 1500 грн на підвищення кваліфікації та зможуть самостійно обирати програми відповідно до власних професійних потреб.

Із 16 лютого розпочався процес верифікації закладів освіти. Керівникам потрібно зареєструватися на платформі, активувати кабінет за допомогою юридичного КЕП та підтверджувати заявки педагогічних працівників.

Щоб допомогти педагогам і закладам освіти швидко пройти всі етапи, МОН проведе регіональні вебінари з докладними роз’ясненнями. Листи із запрошенням надійдуть від обласних департаментів освіти. 

Подати заявку можна до 16 березня, повідомляє МОН.

By OLIVIA ALLHUSEN, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER

Published: 14:33 EST, 17 February 2026 | Updated: 20:59 EST, 17 February 2026

A wealthy HSBC banker who dodged £5,900 in train fares using a ‘doughnutting’ ticket scam has been banned from using his local railway. 

Joseph Molloy used what prosecutors described as a ‘sophisticated’ ticketing ruse to slash thousands of pounds off the cost of commuting from his £2million home into London.

He bought tickets covering the start and end of his route, but not the stations in between.

The tactic, known as ‘doughnutting’, exploits ticket barriers to create a ‘hole’ in payment for part of the journey.

Molloy carried out the scam at least 740 times, saving £5,911 over 11 months on Southeastern services, Inner London Crown Court heard. 

It was not disclosed how he was caught.

The 53-year-old travelled from near his £2million home in Orpington to London Bridge before continuing to his Canary Wharf office. 

He admitted fraud by false representation and appeared for sentence on Tuesday, The Times reported. 

Prosecutor Jack Furness described the scheme as ‘sophisticated in planning and execution’. 

Joseph Molloy used what prosecutors described as a ‘sophisticated’ ticketing ruse to slash thousands of pounds off the cost of commuting from his £2million home into London 

Molloy carried out the scam at least 740 times, saving £5,911 over 11 months on Southeastern services, Inner London Crown Court heard (stock image)

Between October 2023 and September 2024 Molloy used false names and addresses to obtain two smartcards loaded with tickets. 

He also secured Jobcentre Plus discounts giving him 50 per cent off fares. 

He initially declined to comment in a police interview but later made a full confession when confronted with the evidence. 

Molloy was appointed head of passive equity at HSBC Global Asset Management in 2015 and retired last year. 

His barrister, Will Hanson, said he had been under stress due to health issues and his mother’s death. 

He described the fraud as ‘discreet’, committed against a large private company rather than an individual, and said Molloy had a distinguished career and was a devoted father active in his church and community. 

Recorder Alexander Stein said Molloy was ‘a man of some financial means’ who could afford his fares. 

He branded the offending ‘persistent and serious’ and said its sophistication merited jail, but suspended the sentence due to strong mitigation. 

Molloy was handed 10 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work, banned from Southeastern for a year and told to pay £5,000 compensation. 

After the hearing he changed his clothes and vaulted a wall in an apparent attempt to avoid photographers.

Fare evasion costs the rail industry an estimated £240million a year, according to the Rail Delivery Group. Companies are now testing GPS technology to help clamp down on ‘doughnutting’.

Tourists have been ordered to leave parts of the Italian and Swiss Alps after extreme snowfall and increasing avalanche risks forced authorities to evacuate villages and shut down entire areas.

In just hours, weather conditions in regions of northern Italy and Switzerland deteriorated so dramatically that emergency measures were introduced.

These included road closures and evacuations, as drifts several metres high buried Alpine communities.

Beginning on Monday, severe snowfall across Switzerland and parts of northern Italy has created mounting issues.

Regional media report that up to 40 centimetres of fresh snow has fallen, significantly increasing the danger of avalanches.

The second highest warning level is now in effect across the region, and heavy snowfall is forecast to continue today.

The situation is especially serious in Italy’s Piedmont region, leading the regional government to put out a municipal decree ordering the prompt evacuation of Rochemolles, a tourism dependent town, Bild reports.

An access ban was imposed at the same time, with all roads closed to both pedestrians and motorists, according to the Italian newspaper Il Dolomiti.

The Rochemolles section of Bardonecchia was evacuated due to heavy snowfall

An access ban was imposed on the Rochemolles section of Bardonecchia due to heavy snowfall

The village of Le Tour above Chamonix covered in feet of snow

Around 40 people, including both residents and tourists, were told to leave.

Some found their own accommodation, while others were placed in nearby hotels.

Andrea Vuolo, a meteorologist at Meteo Piemonte, warned of the growing threat.

He wrote on Facebook: ‘The area causing the greatest concern is the Gran Vallone, which bears strong similarities to the conditions that triggered the last major avalanche event in this area in 2018.’

During that event, an entire road was blocked. Because of its location, the high mountain valley in Piedmont is particularly vulnerable to heavy snowfall and avalanche danger.

In Switzerland, around 50 people in the municipality of Orsières were forced to leave their accommodation after avalanche risks rose sharply, according to 20minuten.

The village of Le Tour above Chamonix covered in feet of snow

The Rochemolles section of Bardonecchia was evacuated due to heavy snowfall

Those affected either returned home or found accommodation in areas considered less dangerous.

Alongside snowfall, danger has also come from severe winds approaching hurricane-level force.

According to the regional environmental agency ARPA Piemont, gusts of up to 189 kilometres per hour were recorded at the Gran Vaudala weather station in Ceresole Reale, Italy which sits at an altitude of 3,272 meters.

Forecasters have warned that conditions may worsen further.

This comes as two skiers died over the weekend after being buried in the snow following an off-trail avalanche in Italy, close to the borders with France and Switzerland.

At least three skiers were caught up in Sunday morning’s avalanche on the Mont Blanc massif.

The tragedy occurred in the Couloir Vesses, a well-known freeride route in Courmayeur, in upper Val Veny, according to Italy’s Alpine Rescue.

An avalanche at Cervinia in the Aosta Valley in Italy

An avalanche on Tuesday in the Zermatt region of Switzerland

And on Friday, two Brits were among three people killed in an avalanche in the French Alps, a day after several ski resorts shut down due to the risk of snowslides.

Friday’s avalanche in Val-d’Isère swept away six skiers in an off-piste area of the slopes, killing one French national and the two Britons, as red alerts were issued across the Alps.

Emergency services responded quickly but could not prevent the deaths, a resort official said, noting that all of the victims had avalanche transceivers.    

A record 13 backcountry skiers, climbers and hikers died in the Italian mountains during the first week of February, Alpine Rescue reported last Monday, including 10 in avalanches triggered by an exceptionally unstable snowpack. 

Nigel Farage today unveiled a Reform ‘shadow cabinet’ for the first time, with ex-Tory minister Robert Jenrick handed a key role. 

Mr Jenrick, who defected to Reform from the Conservatives last month, has been made Reform’s ‘shadow chancellor’ to take on Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Three other roles were announced this morning, with Skegness MP and former leader Richard Tice in line to be deputy prime minister if Reform wins the next election.

He would also be in charge of a ‘super department’ covering business, trade and energy. 

Party chairman Zia Yusuf, whose parents were immigrants, was unveiled as ‘shadow home secretary’ with a brief to tackle legal and illegal migration, despite not being one of Reform’s eight MPs or a member of the House of Lords. 

And Mr Jenrick’s fellow Tory turncoat Suella Braverman has taken on a role as education and equalities spokeswoman – and said one of her first jobs in government would be to scrap the job of equalities minister.

Mr Farage has been facing calls to sort out a proper frontbench team, now he fronts a team of eight MPs, to knock down claims he is the leader of a one-man-band.

He admitted today that Reform needed the ‘experience’ brought to his team by former Tories. 

Mr Jenrick was previously a Cabinet minister as Housing Secretary under Boris Johnson and was Conservative shadow justice secretary until he jumped ship.

Mr Jenrick, who defected to Reform from the Conservatives last month, has been linked with the party’s treasury role, shadowing Chancellor Rachel Reeves

Mr Farage has been facing calls to sort out a proper frontbench team, now he fronts a team of eight MPs, to knock down claims he is the leader of a one-man-band

Party chairman Zia Yusuf, whose parents were immigrants, was unveiled as ‘shadow home secretary’ with a brief to tackle legal and illegal migration, despite not being one of Reform’s eight MPs or a member of the House of Lords

But his only Treasury experience was an 18-month stint as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, the most junior minister, under Theresa May. 

Today he thanked Farage for allowing him to oppose Rachel Reeves, labelling her an economic ‘wrecking ball’.

He said Reform would put together ‘the most comprehensive plan of any political party’ to ‘fix Britain’s broken economy’. 

He is not the official shadow chancellor, as that role is held by the Conservatives’ Mel Stride. And the same is true of his fellow frontbenchers.

But smaller parties have previously labelled their frontbench teams the ‘shadow cabinet’, including the Liberal Democrats and the SNP. 

Mr Farage told the audience in London that Reform was now ‘the real opposition to Labour’.

Mr Yusuf said ‘more people have turned up on our beaches uninvited in the last seven years than stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.’

Mr Yusuf said: ‘Those people, instead of being detained and deported, have been given free accommodation, free meals, free access to healthcare, free taxis, free leisure activities at the expense of the British people, to the tune of tens of billions of pounds every single year.’

He described the situation as the ‘the most profound betrayal of the British electorate in history’.

He added: ‘If you are in this country illegally right now and you are watching this, I want to be crystal clear: as Reform’s home secretary, I will ensure that you are deported from these lands.’

Mr Tice said the party would create a new ‘super department’ in Government with an aim of getting growth of up to 4 per cent.

Mr Tice, who is the party’s deputy leader, said the party would focus on using oil and gas to help boost the economy and would abandon net-zero targets.

He said the party would also create a ‘serious’ British wealth fund.

Mr Tice said: ‘If we achieve those things then we can reindustrialise Britain, we can reenergise Britain, we can renew Britain and yes, we can rebuild Britain. These are absolutely essential to create growth.’

But Conservative chairman Kevin Hollinrake said: ‘After months of infighting and leaks, Nigel Farage has unveiled a front bench dominated by ex-Conservatives – a line-up that looks more like a tribute act to the old Conservative Party than a credible alternative.’

It comes as a new poll today suggested Reform’s poll lead has been cut to just five points. 

YouGov had Farage’s party on 24 per cent, down three points in a week. Labour and the Tories are unchanged on 19 per cent and 18 per cent respectively, with the Greens up a point on 17 per cent.

Skegness MP and former Reform leader Richard Tice in line to be deputy prime minister if Reform wins the next election

Mr Jenrick’s fellow Tory turncoat Suella Braverman has taken on a role as education and equalities spokeswoman

Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley said Nigel Farage’s front bench appointments had ‘failed Britain before’ and would do the same again.

Ms Turley said: ‘Farage’s top team of failed Tories spent over 3,000 days inflicting untold damage on our country in government, trashing our economy, hammering families’ mortgages, and leaving our borders open.

‘They failed Britain before – they’d do the same again under Reform.’

By DAN WOODLAND, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 03:29 EST, 17 February 2026 | Updated: 04:56 EST, 17 February 2026

A senior firefighter was wrongly sacked after saying a woman who he rescued ‘looked haggard for her age’, an employment tribunal has ruled. 

Pete Langton was fired by Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service for making ‘misogynistic and sexist’ comments about the woman after pulling her from a blaze.

The Crew Commander (CC) told a meeting in December 2022 that the casualty, who was not named, looked ‘bad’ and ‘haggard for her age’, sparking complaints from female colleagues. 

CC Langton was said to have also used the phrase ‘pull a pig’ – a reference to a crude game played by men on nights out in which they hook up with unattractive women. 

Anna Ditta, a Community Safety Coordinator in the fire crew’s prevention department, later told him to stop, claiming there was ‘no banter’ that could have encouraged the comments. 

She claimed CC Langton had been ‘disrespectful’ in how he spoke about the woman and had not apologised afterwards. 

He was accused of making other female colleagues ‘notably upset’ with his remarks and was dismissed by Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.

But Watford Employment Tribunal found CC Langton was unfairly dismissed as the investigation into his alleged misconduct had a ‘lack of precision’ and there was not a ‘clear finding’ about his behaviour.

A Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service firefighter has won an unfair dismissal case after he was fired for saying a woman who he rescued ‘looked haggard for her age’. Pictured: Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service headquarters

CC Langton started working for Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service as a part-time firefighter, but he became full-time in 2006.

He was promoted to crew commander in 2020, and he was working at Gerrards Cross Fire Station.

In December 2022, CC Langton was talking in a meeting, which included his watch and also two civilian employees.

Ms Ditta complained after the meeting about his conduct, saying he made ‘misogynistic’ and ‘sexualised’ comments.

CC Langton said he had made the remarks ‘in jest’ as an ‘off-the-cuff comment’ and that he never intended to offend anyone at the meeting.

He said he had made a comment like ‘one you would make about a woman in a club or a night out’.

He said they were talking about the incident and Ms Ditta had asked him whether the woman was his type.

CC Langton said he believed it was a more informal meeting, and this led to his comment. He said he used the term ‘pull a pig’, which was ‘commonly used back in the day’.

He said that Ms Ditta had told him to stop, and he replied saying: ‘No it wasn’t very nice, but I’m sure that you have the same for the men that are left alone at the end of the night.’

 CC Langton started working for Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service as a part-time firefighter, but he became full-time in 2006. Pictured: A Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service fire truck

At the start of the investigation into CC Langton’s conduct, he was suspended. He was then fired after a disciplinary meeting that had taken into account the incident and also previous misconduct.

This stated that he had fallen asleep during a presentation, been ‘rude and aggressive’ to another employee and had not performed his role with ‘sufficient attention’.

Employment Judge James Dick said CC Langton was sacked unfairly on technical grounds because the fire service took account of ‘irrelevant factors’.

Judge Dick also said CC Langton had no history of similar behaviour.

Judge Dick said: ‘[The fire service] also overstated the gravity of the misconduct by erroneously taking into account what criminal lawyers would call an aggravating feature (or the absence of a mitigating feature), namely that [his] behaviour was not isolated when in fact he had never done anything remotely similar.’

Judge Dick said the investigation had a ‘lack of precision’ about what it found that CC Langton had actually said and there was not a ‘clear finding’.

The investigation merely used the words ‘sexualised and misogynistic’ comments, which do not show the ‘gravity’ of the comments used, the judge said.

The judge also found it was likely the ‘pull a pig’ comment was not said directly about the women, however the fire service wrongly assumed it was.

CC Langton is now in line for compensation for unfair dismissal.

Американсько­український інвестиційний фонд відбудови за перший місяць приймання заявок отримав понад 60 проєктних пропозицій. Із них 37 — від українських компаній. Про це повідомила Прем’єр­міністр Юлія Свириденко. Команда вже перейшла до конкретної роботи із пропозиціями. Перший проєкт готують до проходження процедури due diligence. Ще 21 — на стадії опрацювання. Усі проєкти стосуються провідних галузей — енергетики, інфраструктури, критичних мінералів, а також інноваційних технологій.

Фонд має стартовий капітал 150 млн доларів — по 75 млн від України та США. Додатково він наповнюється коштами від продажу ліцензій. Створено керівну раду та профільні комітети, обрано інвестиційного радника — тобто всі умови для подальшого ухвалення інвестиційних рішень. 

«Маємо на меті підписати перші три інвестиційні угоди до кінця 2026 року. Пріоритетно фонд інвестуватиме у проєкти, які допоможуть залучати додатковий капітал на інвестиції та дадуть найбільший ефект для нашої економіки», — зазначила очільниця уряду.

Фонд — частина довгострокового економічного партнерства зі США, повідомляє Департамент інформації та комунікацій з громадськістю Секретаріату КМУ.