UK news: AA says petrol prices ‘stubbornly high’

The price of petrol still remains “stubbornly high”, with inflation threatening further rises, latest figures from the AA showed today.

In mid-October, average petrol prices were 134.51p a litre, compared with 135.61p in mid-September. Diesel is averaging 139.65p a litre compared with 139.62p.

Pay rates falter across UK

PAY rates “faltered” last month, with firms facing increasing numbers of jobseekers prepared to negotiate on salary, according to recruitment firm Office Angels.

It said pay rates stalled in administrative jobs and customer service jobs saw salaries fall by six per cent on a year ago.

Met calls in watchdog over undercover officer

Scotland Yard will today call in the police watchdog over allegations that an undercover officer took part in a criminal trial under a false name.

Jim Boyling, a detective constable with the Met Police, is accused of maintaining an alias throughout court proceedings after being arrested following a demonstration in 1996.

Scotland Yard contacted the Independent Police Complaints Commission yesterday “with a view to making a formal referral” to it today.

Luxuries cost Britons £6k

British households typically spent £5850 over the last year on “lifestyle essentials” such as holidays, takeaways and haircuts, a survey found today.

LV found that Britons still managed to spend £149 billion on such little luxuries, up £5.7bn on the previous year.

The research found the “lifestyle essentials” had an overall inflation rate of 3.6 per cent.

Letwin in clear over papers

THE cabinet secretary has said he is satisfied that Oliver Letwin did not dispose of any classified government documents in a park in London.

The Cabinet Office minister was pictured putting correspondence, including parliamentary papers and constituents’ letters, in litter bins.

Essex: Bailiffs will today continue demolishing properties on the illegal travellers’ site at Dale Farm.

The bailiffs began dismantling parts of it after travellers and supporters left the site peacefully after a two-day stand off and an outbreak of violence on Wednesday.

Cardiff: Two teenagers arrested and deported from Kenya have been released by police without charge after being detained under the Terrorism Act.

Both went missing from Cardiff more than a week ago, and it was feared that they had been radicalised by militant Islamists.