I’ve just chaired COBRA on the continuing crisis in the Caribbean and I want to say to all those who have friends and families and loved ones in the Caribbean and the British Overseas Territories; Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands that have been so badly affected by the recent hurricanes that they remain absolutely uppermost in our thoughts.

We are continuing to send in more police, you’ve already got 700 troops in the area, and we’re seeing confidence now starting to rise, people getting back to normal and I really congratulate the governors and the governments of those areas and in what they are doing.

But I want you to be in no doubt that we are continuing to work around the clock on all these issues. Any consular problems that you know of please get on to our helpline +44 (0)20 7008 0000. Dial that number we will make sure that you get an answer.

And in the meantime we’re staffing up on St Maarten where there have been some some consular issues so far but I’m absolutely confident that those wonderful islands are going to get through this. We are going to help them get back on their feet and the U.K. is with them for the long term.

Katy Bethel was found guilty of a charge of assisting illegal immigration on 8 August. Aaron Harris had previously admitted the same offence.

On 4 July 2015, Katy Bethel and Aaron Harris were stopped by Border Force in a van at the UK control zone in Coquelles, France. Harris, 28, was driving the vehicle and Bethel, also 28, was his passenger.

When Border Force officers searched the couple’s borrowed Sprinter van they found 12 Vietnamese nationals (4 men, 5 women and 3 minors) hidden among a load of tyres packed into the rear.

Harris and Bethel, both of Dial Road, Gillingham, were arrested on suspicion of assisting unlawful immigration into the UK and the investigation was passed to Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) team. The Vietnamese nationals found in the van were handed to the French authorities.

Aaron Harris pleaded guilty on 30 January at Canterbury Crown Court and Katy Bethel was found guilty by a jury at Maidstone Crown Court on 8 August.

Harris was jailed for 5 years and Bethel for 2 years and 9 months at Maidstone Crown Court today.

Assistant Director David Fairclough, from the CFI team, said:

As these sentences demonstrate, abusing immigration laws and gambling with people’s safety are taken very seriously by the courts.

Anyone thinking of doing the same should take this case as a warning. Working with our colleagues in Border Force we will catch you and ensure that justice is served.

Anyone with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The AAIB has sent a team to investigate a light aircraft accident

The Environment Agency (EA) has been on site near Peakshole Water in Castleton, Derbyshire, following a spill of cooking oil in a surface water drain. Approximately twenty-five litres of used cooking oil were accidentally spilled into the drain, which leads into Peakshole Water.

After a member of the public reported the pollution, Environment Agency officers worked with Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service to ensure a clean-up operation could get off the ground as soon as possible. Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service was able to reach the scene of the incident quickly, which meant that the oil was prevented from spreading further down the drain towards the watercourse.

The Environment Agency soon joined their Fire and Rescue colleagues in Castleton, using booms as well as absorbent pads to contain and absorb the oil.

Castleton is a popular tourist destination in the Peak District National Park. There have been no reports or sightings of affected wildlife and an investigation by the Environment Agency did not identify any environmental impacts.

Commenting on the joint clean-up operation, EA environment officer Paul Reeves said:

The response to the cooking oil spill incident in Derbyshire on Saturday is an excellent example of how strong partnership work can help us protect wildlife and the environment. We were able to respond quickly by combining resources with Derbyshire Fire and Rescue, thereby keeping the impact to the environment in this beautiful area within the Peak District National Park to a minimum.

This incident was reported to us by a member of the public. These reports are very valuable in helping us in our efforts to protect the environment, and we’d like to encourage anyone who observes a suspected pollution to report this to our incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.