BBC News | People should plan for potential cyber-attacks by going back to pen and paper, according to the latest advice.

The UK Government has written to chief executives across the country strongly recommending that they should have physical copies of their plans at the ready as a precaution.

A recent spate of hacks has highlighted the chaos that can ensue when hackers take computer systems down.

The warning comes as the National Cyber-Security Centre (NCSC) reported an increase in nationally significant attacks this year.

Organisations need to “have a plan for how they would continue to operate without their IT, (and rebuild that IT at pace), were an attack to get through,” said Richard Horne, chief executive of the NCSC.

Firms are being urged to look beyond cyber-security controls toward a strategy known as “resilience engineering,” which focuses on building systems that can anticipate, absorb, recover, and adapt, in the event of an attack.

Plans should be stored in paper form or offline, the agency suggests and include information about how teams will communicate without work email and other analogue work arounds.

These types of cyber attack contingency plans are not new but it’s notable that the UK’s cyber authority is putting the advice prominently in its annual review.

Although the total number of hacks that the NCSC dealt with in the first nine months of 2025 was, at 429, roughly the same as for a similar period in 2024, there was an increase in hacks with a bigger impact.

The number of “nationally significant” incidents represented nearly half, or 204, of all incidents. In 2024, only 89 were in that category.

A nationally significant incident covers cyber-attacks in the three highest categories in the NCSC and UK law enforcement categorisation model:

  • Category 1: National cyber-emergency.
  • Category 2: Highly significant incident.
  • Category 3: Significant incident.
  • Category 4: Substantial incident.
  • Category 5: Moderate incident.
  • Category 6: Localised incident.

Amongst 2025’s incidents, 4% (18) were in the second highest category “highly significant.”

This marks a 50% increase in such incidents, an increase for the third consecutive year.

The NCSC would not give details on which attacks, either public or undisclosed, fall into which category.

The vast majority of attacks are financially motivated with criminal gangs using ransomware or data extortion to blackmail a victim into sending Bitcoins in ransom.

Whilst most cyber-crime gangs are headquartered in Russian or former Soviet countries, there has been a resurgence in teenage hacking gangs thought to be based in English-speaking countries.

As well as the advice over heightened preparations and collaboration, the government is asking organisations to make better use of the free tools and services offered by the NCSC, for example free cyber-insurance for small businesses that have completed the popular Cyber-Essentials programme.

Environment Agency | The EA has successfully prosecuted a Derbyshire man who must pay nearly £37,000 in fines and costs for operating waste sites illegally.

At Wolverhampton Crown Court, Thomas Reilly, 74, of Mill Acre Close, Ilkeston, Derby, was sentenced after previously pleading guilty to four offences, two under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and two under the Environment Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.

These offences were for operating sites without the necessary environmental permits and illegally depositing waste on land between 2016 and 2023.

He was fined a total of £19,248, ordered to pay costs of £17,500 and a victim surcharge of £120.

The court heard that Reilly traded as Tom/Thomas Reilly Groundworks.

He admitted operating an illegal waste site at Top Farm, Barton Lane, Barton-in-Fabis near Nottingham between 2016 and 2021, where he deposited 180 tonnes of inert soil without an environmental permit.

The investigation by the Environment Agency included a drone survey at Top Farm.

The aerial images revealed a variety of waste materials were being stored including black bin bags, bricks, concrete, wooden fence or shed panels, and green waste.

A report by the team said it appeared to be a landfill site without the necessary permissions or environmental protection infrastructure. This would include impermeable lining plus leachate and gas extraction.

It was accepted that the defendant was not responsible for all the waste deposited at this site. But he admitted that he had left his digger there for considerable periods of time.

Reilly also admitted operating an illegal waste site on land at Oxton Road in Southwell between 2020 and 2021. He imported, deposited and disposed of eight lorry loads of waste soils without an environmental permit.

The court was told that Environment Agency officers had spotted Reilly’s lorry leaving land on Oxton Road.

An inspection revealed that six deep pits had been dug in the ground plus a stable block filled with white goods including fridges and bags containing books and magazines.

The defendant stated the waste was imported as finishing and levelling works to fill holes that had been dug on the land by persons unknown.

Between April and July 2023, the defendant unlawfully deposited 160 tonnes of waste soil on a parcel of land at Winking Hill, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Leics.

In April 2023, the landowner found deposits of waste and began monitoring the site. In July 2023, the landowner approached the defendant who admitted being responsible.

In September 2023, the defendant was witnessed by Environment Agency officers to reverse into open fields at Flawforth Lane, Ruddington, Notts, and to empty his lorry load.

Checks established that there was no permit or exemption in place to deposit such waste soil.

In mitigation, it was pointed out the defendant was a man of clean character.

Despite these offences he had provided the court with documentary proof of legal deposits of waste at regulated facilities throughout the period of offending.

HSE | A Middlesbrough man has been given a suspended prison sentence after carrying out illegal gas work.

The HSE’s investigation found Neil Burton carried out boiler services in a home in Stockton-on-Tees on two occasions, in May 2021 and April 2022. Although Burton had previously been on the Gas Safe Register, he had allowed his membership and qualifications to lapse. A subsequent review of the boiler identified defects, which meant it was classed as a risk and a danger.

Burton, 41, also carried out work at a house in Middlesbrough in September 2022 and October 2023. These works included disconnecting a gas hob and installing a new one, as well as disconnecting a gas fire. As he had done previously, he carried out this work while not registered to do so. He had also been subject of previous action taken by HSE, when carrying out illegal gas work in 2015.

Neil Burton, of Harrogate Crescent, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 3(1) and 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Darian Dundas said: ““All gas work must be carried out by registered Gas Safe engineers to ensure the highest standards are met and to prevent injury or loss of life.

“The public should always ask to see a gas engineer’s identification and check their registration number online.”

HSE | A Worcester-based waste and recycling company has been fined £160,000 after a loading shovel bucket fell onto a maintenance worker.

Blackpole Recycling Limited was prosecuted by the HSE following the incident at its site on Blackpole Trading Estate West in Worcester.

Mr Andrew Taylor, a father of two from Worcester, was fixing a hydraulic leak on the loading shovel when the vehicle’s bucket fell on him. He was airlifted to hospital where he required three operations. His crush injuries included fractures to his ribs, leg, foot and pelvis, which were shattered into three pieces.

Speaking about the incident, Mr Taylor said: “I remember being in the emergency room with 15 doctors and nurses, and my wife. The nurse told me not to worry but I was worried about the here and now. Prior to the accident I used to go to the gym and go running, but since the accident I can’t even get up the stairs.”

The HSE’s investigation found that Blackpole Recycling Limited had failed to undertake a risk assessment for the maintenance activity and had not devised a safe system of work. The company also failed to provide adequate information, instruction and training to Mr Taylor.

Blackpole Recycling Limited, of Thorneloe House, 25 Barbourne Road, Worcester, Worcestershire, England, WR1 1RU, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £160,000 and ordered to pay £7,049 in costs and a victim’s surcharge of £2,000.

HSE Inspector Charlie Rowe, who led the investigation, said: “This incident could and should have been prevented. Had a safe system of work been in place, Mr Taylor would not have sustained these serious, life-changing injuries.

“The absence of an appropriate risk assessment, method statement, training and supervision for this maintenance task created a scenario where someone could easily have been killed.

“Employers must ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the safety of their employees. Where they fail to do so, HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds and paralegal officer Jason Dix.

HSE | A manufacturing company has been fined £240,000 after a grandfather was killed by a reversing HGV in Birmingham.

David Saint worked as an engineering manager at Northwood Consumer Limited, at its site in Electra Park, Electric Avenue.

The 61-year-old, from Spalding in Lincolnshire, was walking across the service road on the shared industrial estate on 19 October 2023, when the reversing HGV collided with him.

An investigation by the HSE found that Northwood Consumer Limited failed to:

• Undertake a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks associated with workplace transport.
• Address the movement of HGVs in its site rules.
• Eliminate, as far as possible, the need for HGVs to reverse.
• Provide any aids or assistance to HGVs that had to be reversed.
• Display any signage to warn of the hazards arising from the movement of HGVs.
• Control when HGVs would access the site.

Northwood Consumer Limited of Northwood House, Stafford Park 10, Telford, pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £240,000 and ordered to pay £6,917 in costs at Birmingham Magistrates Court on 6 October 2025.

Mr Saint leaves behind his wife, Cassandra, his children Samantha and Adam, his grandchildren, Jake and Ava, as well as his father, Terry, and siblings, Paul, Kim and Michael.

His daughter, Samantha, said: “He was my everything, there was nothing he wasn’t involved in.

“My life now consists of ‘what would dad do?’ I think of him and miss him every day.”

Mr Saint’s son Adam added: “I just miss my dad being there. I miss the conversations that we used to have and his guidance. I just miss everything about him.”

Lead HSE inspector Charlie Rowe said: “This is a tragic and shocking case that has devastated Mr Saint’s family, friends and loved ones.

“Pedestrians being struck by moving vehicles remains a leading cause of workplace fatalities in Great Britain.

“Many of these incidents involve the reversal of vehicles with poor visibility, such as HGVs.

“The HSE will continue to take appropriate enforcement action where employers fail to implement reasonably practicable measures to keep people safe.

“My thoughts remain with all of David’s family and friends.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Edward Parton and supported by senior paralegal manager Sarah Thomas.

BBC News | An automotive parts firm has been fined £1.3m after admitting health and safety breaches that led to the death of an employee. The company was also ordered to pay £16,284 in costs.

Telford-based Autostructures UK, formerly known as GKN Autostructures, had failed to fit a protective guard on a flywheel for two years, despite concerns raised by staff, Stafford Crown Court heard.

On 13 December 2018, 47-year-old employee Steven Westbrook was struck in the head by the flywheel and died four days later in hospital, as a result of head injuries he had suffered.

The judge, Mr Justice Turner KC, said there was “no excuse” for the missing guard and “the steps that needed to be taken to make the machine safer were neither complicated nor costly”.

“A properly-run company would never have allowed this dangerous state of affairs to arise.

“The dangers are obvious and the legal requirement mandating the need to fence off dangerous machinery in factories has been in place for well over 100 years.”

Traumatic

Lead prosecutor, Allan Spencer-Compton KC told the court it was unclear why the guard to the flywheel had been removed, but if it had been replaced the machine would have been safe.

The court heard that on the day he was injured Mr Westbrook had been working close to a 2,250 tonne pressing machine at the factory in Hadley Castle, which was powered by a large flywheel that moved at high speed.

At about 22:00 GMT on 13 December 2018, another member of staff reported hearing a “thud” and seeing Mr Westbrook flung backwards.

Mr Spencer-Compton said Mr Westbrook was taken to hospital in Stoke with a fractured skull and shoulder having suffered a traumatic brain injury which he did not recover from.

In a statement, Mr Westbrook’s wife, Suzanne, described him as her “childhood sweetheart” and said: “It was the hardest thing for me to witness Steven taking his last breath.”

Mr Westbrook’s mother, Joyce Westbrook, said it was “hard to describe the unbearable pain” she felt and said her son’s death had been “preventable”.

‘Accident waiting to happen’

He said this was the “central issue” in the case, but evidence from staff suggested the management of maintenance at the factory had “broken down” and that employees did not know who was responsible. Training for employees was “haphazard” and appeared to be “learn as you go”, the court was told.

Mr Spencer-Compton also said repeated complaints about the dangers of the unguarded flywheel at health and safety meetings had gone unheeded.

The court was shown footage of the machine and heard employees had said being close to it was “terrifying”.

Mr Spencer Compton said it was “sadly, an accident waiting to happen”.

In July, four people who were separately charged with health and safety breaches following the death of Mr Westbrook, were acquitted at Manchester Crown Court. But at Stafford Crown Court, Autostructures UK admitted a charge of failing to discharge the employer’s general duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Systems ‘not followed’

James Leonard KC, who represented the company in court, said it accepted Mr Westbrook’s death “should never have happened” and the “fundamental problem is the fact the guard was not replaced”.

However, he argued there were systems in place to ensure the safety of staff, which were not followed.

Mr Leonard also told the court the company had been “seriously affected” by the recent cyber-attack on Jaguar Land Rover, which he described as a “major customer” of Autostructures UK. This has led to the loss of sales worth a “considerable value” and 19 employees being laid off.

With this in mind, the judge said he would adjust the deadline for the fine’s payment, with the company ordered to pay it off over the next 12 months.

Facilitate Magazine | Nearly half of people have spotted problems with fire doors in their workplace, a survey finds.

Despite widespread faults, only 13% of workers report fire door issues at work, according to research from the British Woodworking Federation. Issues identified ranged from fire doors being propped open (18%) and blocked (13%) to having faulty closers (10%) or faulty hinges (10%).

Fire doors act as a fire and smoke barrier, compartmentalising a building and helping to inhibit the spread of flames, heat and smoke. Effectively installed and maintained, they can allow crucial time to enable a building’s occupants to escape to safety.

The findings come as a recent FOI request revealed a 93% increase in lithium-ion battery fires between 2022 and 2024, with e-bikes and e-scooters among the most common causes.

Other sources of lithium-ion battery fires include vapes (38%) and electric cars and vans (36%). The research found 10% of people have experienced, or know someone who has experienced, a lithium-ion battery fire in the last 12 months.

Poor management of e-vehicles can exacerbate risk, too, as owners bring them into their workspaces, such as hallways, to charge. Many employers have introduced facilities for e-bikes and e-scooters, such as indoor parking (31%), charging points (59%), and secure storage (27%).

The British Woodworking Federation found more than half (59%) of e-bike and e-scooter owners said their fears around fire risk had grown since getting their vehicle.

Environment Agency | “Completely off the scale” is how the Environment Agency describes two years of mismanagement of waste from housing developments across Suffolk.

Some five organisations have been fined £70,666 for the huge amount of unpermitted waste stockpiled at two farms between 2016 and 2018.

When the Environment Agency heard about thousands of lorries moving waste along narrow roads in the village of Iken, they soon established more than 121,000 tonnes had been dumped at the two locations, Hill Farm and The Anchorage.

Haulage and waste management firm Nicholls Ltd took the waste to Iken on behalf of East Suffolk Water Management Board, but without the permission from the Environment Agency.

Judge Martyn Levett fined Nicholls, of Kesgrave, £26,666 at Ipswich crown court.

In March 2025, he ordered them to pay £425,000 in a proceeds of crime order, which is designed to ensure offenders don’t profit financially from wrongdoing.

Nicholls was given the waste by three firms, who admitted they failed to check where it was going.

Howard Construction (Anglia) Ltd, of near Woodbridge, was fined £18,000. Barconn Ltd, of Norwich, was given a £14,000 penalty. Ipswich-based Landex Limited was fined £8,000.

Judge Levett said East Suffolk Water Management Board “turned a blind eye” to what was happening. They asked for the waste to be held at the farms but failed to obtain the appropriate permit from the Environment Agency. They were fined £4,000.

It was clear from the Environment Agency’s investigation that all five should have known the rules on the management of waste. They were experienced operators in the construction and waste industries.

Counsel for the Environment Agency Richard Beynon earlier told the court the five organisations had the people and experience to know how to operate legally but chose not to.

It was evident from interviews and statements with senior staff that assumptions were made about what permissions were obtained by others in the chain from housing developments to the farms where the waste was left.

Investigators found both the vast quantity of waste and its composition meant the two locations it had been taken to were illegal. The waste contained wood, plastic, concrete and brick that was wrongly described as soil.

The court was earlier told the water management board did nothing to stop the waste being brought in or make any attempt to secure the appropriate Environment Agency permission.

More than half the illegal waste, around 62,000 tonnes, was supplied by Howard Construction. Barconn and Landex provided around a third again.

East Suffolk Water Management Board sought to legitimise the waste at Iken by registering two waste exemptions. However, the sheer volume of what was taken there by Nicholls meant the exemptions were quickly breached and illegal.

All five organisations pleaded guilty to charges brought by the Environment Agency.

East Suffolk Water Management Board, based in Horsley’s Fields, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, operated a waste management facility on land at Iken without an environmental permit, in breach of regulation 12(1)(a) and 38(1)(a) of the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010 and 2016.

Nicholls Ltd, of Sinks Pit, Main Road, Kesgrave, left the waste at the same locations without a permit, contrary to section 33(1)(a) and (6) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Howard Construction (Anglia) Ltd, of Boot Street, Great Bealings, near Woodbridge, Barconn Ltd, of Meridian Way, Norwich, and Landex Ltd, of Holywells Road, in Ipswich, were all charged with failing to comply with the duty of care around on the transfer of waste, under section 34(1)(a) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The defendants were ordered to pay the Environment Agency’s costs of £102,250. Nicholls will pay £62,000, East Suffolk Water Management Board £15,500, Howard Construction £7,750, and Barconn and Landex £7,500 each.

They will also have to pay victim surcharges totalling £850, or £170 each.

FIA | A company director from West Sussex has been fined after being found guilty of multiple breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Sawar Hussain, the ‘Responsible Person’ for fire safety management at NAASTA, an Indian street food takeaway located at 226 London Road in Burgess Hill, was prosecuted by West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. He faced five charges brought under the fire safety legislation.

During an inspection of the premises, fire safety officers identified several serious breaches which placed residents sleeping in the building at significant risk. The breaches included:

• The lack of a suitable fire alarm system.
• Inadequate means of escape.
• Inadequate fire safety arrangements.
• Lack of testing and maintenance of key fire safety systems, including fire alarms and emergency lighting.
• No evidence of sufficient staff training in respect of fire safety.

Area Manager Dave Bray, head of fire safety for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Fire safety regulations are in place for a reason and those with legal responsibility for fire safety management must adhere to these laws. The safety of the public is our highest priority. This sentencing serves as a clear reminder to all West Sussex businesses about the importance of complying with the fire safety legislation.”

He added: “West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is committed to supporting businesses to ensure the safety of the public by providing fire safety advice and guidance and will always work with those who are willing to address their fire safety issues. We will not allow companies to attempt to hide from their duties when our fire safety inspectors identify that the lives of the public are being put at risk and will pursue legal action when appropriate.”

Hussain was fined a total of £6,200.

Environment Agency | The EA has secured convictions against Cats and Dust Limited, its director Cavin Mears, and former director Stephen Bryce for operating waste sites without the required environmental permits.

At Preston Crown Court, Cats and Dust Ltd was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £6,000 in costs.

Cavin Mears, 45, from Euxton, Chorley received a 12-month community order requiring 200 hours of unpaid work and was ordered to pay £5,360 in compensation to the Environment Agency, along with £6,000 in costs.

Stephen Bryce,45, from Lancaster was given a 12-month community order requiring 150 hours of unpaid work and was ordered to pay £6,000 in costs.

The court heard that Mears and Bryce were previously directors of RF Recycling Ltd, a company operating a regulated facility without a permit. The facility was at Unit 6, Twin Lakes Industrial Estate, Croston, Lancashire, and operated without an environmental permit between January and June 2020.

Following a visit from the Environment Agency in October 2021, RF Recycling ceased trading. However, Cats and Dust Ltd commenced trading immediately afterwards, operating unlawfully from a separate unit within the same trading estate until January 2022.

Cavin Mears, a former director of RF Recycling Ltd, is the sole director of Cats and Dust Ltd. Stephen Bryce resigned as a director in September 2021, shortly before Cats and Dust Ltd began trading.

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