Snowmail: Shell quits wind power

Last Modified: 01 May 2008
By: Alex Thomson

On tonight's show...

Greetings everyone, Alex Thomson here with a little taster of what we might serve up on Channel 4 News tonight.

Shell quits wind power scheme

First off as things stand, where now for the government's green agenda? The giant oil company Shell has pulled out a flagship British scheme, destined to become the world's biggest offshore wind farm.

The multinational said it was selling its interest in 'The London Array' project, with 341 turbines in the Thames Estuary, capable of generating enough energy to power a quarter of London's homes?

Shell's decision to get out of the project has raised doubts about whether it can proceed as planned. Why has Shell jumped ship? Is it simply a case of Shell switching their investment out of wind power because old-fashioned and dirtier oil is more lucrative?

Well of course it is in the short -term, but wasn't it the oil giants who were claiming they were trying to escape just that short-termism? And all this in the week when the likes of Shell are posting colossal profit, no wonder the Environment Secretary Hilary Benn called it "very disappointing".

Female drink offences soar

The number of women arrested for drunk and disorderly offences has soared by up to 1,000 per cent in some British cities, according to new figures obtained by Channel 4 News Online. The rising number of binge-drinking women has prompted one chief constable to call for a complete ban on discounted drinks, happy hours, and alcohol advertising. Campaigners say pubs and clubs are deliberately targeting women with cheap drinks offers and free entry in a bid to encourage them to drink more.

Babysitter awarded retrial

Babysitter Suzanne Holdsworth has been granted bail after Court of Appeal judges declared her conviction for the murder of a toddler "unsafe" in the light of new medical evidence. Three judges in London granted conditional bail pending a new trial over the death of her neighbour's two-year-old son, Kyle Fisher. It is expected that Suzanne Holdsworth, now 37, will be freed later today from Low Newton prison in County Durham, where she has been serving a life sentence since her conviction in March 2005.

Council 'not consulted' over bail hostels

There is further fall-out from our lead story last night concerning bail hostels and the degree to which local authorities are, or are not, consulted about where they are set up.

One council involved in a scheme where bail hostels have appeared in residential areas maintains that it was not consulted about the sites. The government says a stakeholders meeting was held in the area where Local Authority officers were present. Enfield council says it only learnt about the thirteen bail hostels in the borough after a Channel 4 News investigation, despite the claims of justice minister David Hanson on last night's programme.

And Cathy Newman (who broke the story last night) has just been on the blower - she's got another very strong line of exclusive information about the bail hostels story. Can't say more than that now, but tune in at 7pm for the latest.

Crunch hits buy-to-let renters

Some vaguely confident talk today from the Bank of England about the economy. Not exactly optimism, but more a call for the banks to behave with more sanity than they've displayed in recent years. Some intriguing figures though in their report.

All of which will be of scant comfort for many homeowners facing repossession, and renters, whose problems may have been overlooked.

The credit crunch is also hitting the buy-to-let market too, with more and more renters finding themselves evicted from their homes, because their landlord hasn't been able to keep up repayments. And tenants have few legal rights when the eviction letter arrives, as we've been finding out.

So all that plus anything else which breaks - including the latest on the US Presidential race. Do join me here at seven on four.

Alex T