Crews led by the Port of London Authority, Thames Water and Thames21 removed an estimated 180 tonnes of compacted wet wipes from a 250-metre stretch near Hammersmith Bridge, exposing a largely invisible urban pollutant. Volunteer monitoring and charity surveys warn plastic-containing wipes are breaking down into microplastics, fouling the foreshore…

Average private rents on newly let properties in Great Britain fell year-on-year in July for the first time since August 2020, led by a roughly 3% drop in London and improved availability in some regions. Industry analysts caution the pause is fragile: rents on renewed tenancies are still climbing and…

Hamptons’ lettings index shows the average rent on newly let properties fell 0.2% year‑on‑year in July — the first annual decline since August 2020 — driven by an around 3% drop in Greater London. The national cooling masks sharp regional differences and ongoing pressure on households: renewal rents rose roughly…

The Chancellor’s move to replace the long‑standing non‑dom regime with a residence‑based system from 6 April 2025 has coincided with a sharp uptick in high‑net‑worth relocations. Monaco estate agents report double‑digit rental inflation and fierce competition for family apartments, prompting warnings from Reform UK about capital flight even as ministers…

BulkSMS has been repositioned as the anchor product of new parent brand Celerity in a move the company says will marry SMS reliability with richer, multi‑channel messaging and deeper analytics. A complementary product, Kero, is due to begin a phased rollout in September to offer interactive multimedia messages, developer APIs…

Ambulance trusts across England have spent roughly £27.5m on specialist bariatric transport in recent years, either buying reinforced vehicles and lifting kit or paying private contractors. North West Ambulance Service has paid nearly £15m and says it will purchase bespoke vehicles to curb private‑hire bills as rising obesity and hospital…

Thousands marched in central London calling for the urgent return of Israelis taken hostage on 7 October, but the family-led rally was disrupted near Downing Street when a small group of pro-Palestine activists clashed with counter-demonstrators, with witnesses reporting a man grabbed by the throat and police making arrests. Speakers,…

A practising solicitor and alto saxophonist, Houser handled Ronnie Scott’s legal affairs largely pro bono, helped thaw US‑UK musicians’ relations and acted as an informal carer and fixer for visiting artists across decades. Wally Houser, who has died aged 90, played a quietly pivotal role in British jazz: a practising…

A march calling for the return of Israeli hostages was disrupted outside Downing Street when it collided with a small group of pro‑Palestine activists, witnesses and organisers said. The disturbances — including at least one detention — came after an unprecedented police operation in Westminster that saw more than 500…

The Daily Mail cross‑matched thousands of magistrates’ court records with addresses of about 65 hotels used under a Home Office scheme and found at least 300 people staying in taxpayer‑funded accommodation were charged over three years with offences ranging from assault and theft to sexual and weapons charges. The investigation…

A short clip shows a woman in a keffiyeh repeatedly striking a metal pot inches from a Metropolitan Police officer’s head as he stood his ground. The footage has become a flashpoint in a wider dispute over the Home Office’s decision to proscribe a pro‑Palestinian faction, the hundreds of arrests…

As part of a Guardian experiment, Cushla, a centre-left software worker who moved from New Zealand, and Martin, a right-of-centre retired photographer who voted Reform, met for dumplings in east London. Their conversation uncovered unexpected agreement — including on removing the two-child benefit cap — alongside sharp disagreements over immigration…