Contractors completing energy improvements on the homes of low-income families will need to be registered with a new government quality scheme to give residents confidence that they will get a good service.

Work undertaken through ECO offers free energy-saving measures, including insulation and new boilers for low-income and vulnerable households.

Today Energy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng confirmed that those completing this work will need to be registered through a new quality scheme, delivered by ‘TrustMark’. It will also protect all homeowners having energy efficiency improvement work done on their properties, when they choose to use a ‘TrustMark’ registered business.

Around 15% of households take an energy efficiency measure each year, with over one million installing additional or replacement loft insulation and over one million upgrading to double glazed windows. The energy efficiency industry is worth over £20 billion in Great Britain, employing nearly 150,000 and selling exports worth over £1 billion every year.

Emissions from buildings account for nearly a quarter of all carbon emissions, which the government is committed to reducing. Under this government, the UK became the first G7 economy to put into law a commitment that Britain will reach net zero greenhouse gas emission by 2050. Insulation in domestic premises can make a significant contribution to reaching our carbon targets and help reduce the cost of heating homes.

Business, Energy and Clean Growth Minister Kwasi Kwarteng said:

Driving up the energy efficiency of Britain’s homes is key to us reducing emissions from households, saving people money on their bills and helping us to end our contribution to global warming entirely by 2050.

This new scheme will guarantee households the peace of mind that workers installing energy efficiency measures in their homes are trusted tradespeople.

All consumers who want energy efficiency and home improvement measures installed on their own homes will be able to search the ‘TrustMark’ website for trusted and certified tradespeople.

The measures will enable consumers to search the TrustMark website for accredited tradespeople, checking their installers are recognised before they start work on their homes.

The new mark builds on the well-established government-endorsed ‘TrustMark’ scheme, which guarantees the quality of businesses. It ensures they meet industry standards, have good technical competence and trading practices, and have a commitment to providing good customer service.

Customers can already access free and impartial advice on reducing their energy bills, making their homes warmer and planning green home improvements from Simple Energy Advice.

1. The new TrustMark scheme is an outcome of the ‘Each Home Counts’ review and has been developed to help reassure households having work done on their homes that the companies have met the appropriate standards for installing insulation and new central heating systems in their homes.

2. The government-commissioned Each Home Counts Review acknowledged the importance of consumers receiving trusted, impartial advice on energy efficiency. The Review also made recommendations on how energy efficiency advice could be improved.

3. BEIS has worked closely with industry through an industry-led Each Home Counts Implementation Board and technical steering group to develop new standards.

4. View the latest English Housing Survey (EHS).

An FCO spokesperson said:

The United Kingdom shares the Organisation of American States (OAS) and European External Action Service (EEAS) assessments that substantial shortcomings in Sunday’s presidential and legislative elections in Bolivia, notably the unexpected interruption of publication of voting results, undermined their credibility and transparency.

We also agree that the best option would be to hold a second round to restore trust in the process and to fully ensure the democratic choice of the Bolivian people. We call on all parties to refrain from violence.

Further information

Published 25 October 2019

Pledgemusic.com (company registration number 06712061) was wound up by the courts on 31 July 2019 following a petition brought by its own directors. The Official Receiver was appointed as liquidator.

The Official Receiver has issued a report to creditors and has indicated that it is unlikely that there will be any dividend payments from the liquidation to unsecured creditors. However the official receiver’s investigations concerning the operation of the company and the reasons for its failure are continuing, and should the position change, the Official Receiver will contact creditors directly.

Published 25 October 2019

The Government announced last week that Operation Brock – a series of measures that improve Kent’s resilience in the event of disruption to services across the English Channel – will be active from Monday 28 October, in preparation for the UK’s exit from the EU on 31 October.

A significant part of Operation Brock is keeping the M20 open in both directions by using a contraflow on the M20 London-bound carriageway between junctions 8 and 9 (from Maidstone to Ashford) and directing lorries heading for mainland Europe onto the coastbound carriageway, where they can be queued if necessary.

The M20 contraflow is planned to be in place by 6am on Monday 28 October, and in preparation Highways England will carry out roadworks on the M20 over this weekend as the contraflow is activated.

Highways England south east operations director Nicola Bell said:

Operation Brock is part of a set of measures put in place to allow the M20 and the rest of Kent to keep moving in the event of cross-channel disruption. We have worked extensively with our partners in Kent to ensure that the county is as prepared as possible for any disruption to cross-channel services. We thank road users in advance for their patience while we carry out this necessary work.

To enable the contra-flow to be activated, sections of the M20 will be closed this weekend. The M20 will be closed in both directions between junction 7 (for Maidstone) and junction 9 (Ashford) overnight tonight and tomorrow night from 8pm until 6am each night. Saturday night’s closure may be cancelled depending on how much work can be completed on Friday. On Sunday night, the coastbound carriageway only will be closed from 8pm between junctions 7 and 9, reopening at 6am on Monday, with the contraflow up and running.

Whenever the M20 is closed, signed diversions will be in place. Overnight closures may also be required on this section the following week if there is remaining work to complete.

From Monday, drivers will need to follow the different layout on the M20 from just north of Junction 8 (for Hollingbourne/Leeds) to Junction 9 (Ashford). Lorries heading for mainland Europe will be routed down the coastbound carriageway, with a 30mph speed limit in place. All other traffic will be directed onto the London-bound carriageway, with two lanes in each direction operating at 50mph.

Elsewhere along the M20, work continues to upgrade 6.5 miles near Maidstone to a smart motorway, and to create a new junction at Ashford, junction 10a. Work at junction 10a is being fast tracked to have key sections of the new junction open for traffic by 31 October. Resurfacing work between junction 12 and 13 of the M20 is also underway between Monday and Friday this week.

About Operation Brock

Operation Brock is an interim measure and was successfully deployed in March 2019, and crucially keeps the M20 open in both directions using a contraflow system. As with its March deployment, Operation Brock has stages that can be deployed sequentially, scaling up or down to meet demand. This is how Operation Brock will work:

• In recent years there have already been significant improvements to the holding capacity in the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel, as well as the A20 on approach to the port, where peaks of traffic arriving at the Port of Dover can be managed by traffic lights toward the end of the dual carriageway
• If this increased capacity looks set to be reached, Highways England and Kent Resilience Forum partners can activate a contraflow on the M20 between junctions 8 and 9. Lorries bound for mainland Europe will be queued on the coastbound carriageway, with cars using a clearly signed contraflow on the London-bound carriageway
• If the M20 becomes full, lorries heading for the Port of Dover will be directed to Manston Airfield, while the M20 is used to hold traffic for Eurotunnel. Traffic lights on the A256 will help to manage traffic arriving at the port from Manston, similar to the existing system on the A20
• If the M20 holding area becomes full after Manston airfield has been activated, the coastbound M26 could additionally be used to hold lorries heading for the Eurotunnel terminal
• Lorries would move through the queue in sequence and would be released from the front of the queue as soon as there is capacity in the port and tunnel terminals.
• Instructions for lorry drivers will be clearly signed, well managed and monitored at every step.
• The holding areas are all temporary and will be stood down as soon as they are no longer needed. They will be safe and secure with appropriate welfare facilities and access for emergency services throughout.
• The queuing system only applies to drivers of lorries heading to mainland Europe from Kent. All other drivers should check conditions before setting out and, if they are crossing the channel, check with their service operator for updates.

The deployment will help to demonstrate Kent’s preparedness for disruption and allow the contraflow to be in place for any traffic disruption in the coming weeks. Three lanes in each direction could be restored, with a 50mph limit, if Operation Brock is assessed as unlikely to be required in the following weeks.

For more information on Operation Brock and other contingency measures in Kent, visit:

How Operation Brock will affect your journey

Government advice for car drivers in Europe after Brexit

Government advice for bus and coach drivers in Europe after Brexit

Government advice for HGV drivers in Europe after Brexit

How Kent County Council has prepared for Brexit

Kent’s joint action plan for dealing for disruption

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Our officer found a diverse selection of litter and debris at at South Park on the River Skerne, south of Darlington.

Not only is litter damaging to the river but also to the fish that live and pass through the waters.

The items retrieved during the hour-long clear up included:

• 67 single use plastic bottles
• two oven trays
• a flip-flop
• a fridge door, and
• a rubber duck

Here in the North East, the Environment Agency is responsible for nine fish passes located from the River Wansbeck to the River Skerne.

A fish pass is designed to facilitate the upstream and downstream movement of fish and other aquatic fauna. Fish passes can be applied to watercourses, where natural or human placed obstructions such as dams, weirs, or culverts prevent or interfere with fish migration.

Paul Frear, Fisheries Technical Officer for the Environment Agency, said:

The North East is proud to have a number of beautiful rivers that provide a great natural resource for people, groups and wildlife.

It was disappointing to find the pieces of debris and litter as each piece is a potential obstruction for the fish that live in our rivers. We would urge people to use public litter bins provided or to take their rubbish away with them and dispatch the content at home.

Over the past two years other unusual items that have been found in rivers across the region include traffic cones, a deflated space hopper and a deck chair.

If you have any environmental issues to report please contact the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.