New Road Tax Plan For Motorways And A-Roads

Drivers who use motorways could be charged a higher rate of road tax than those who stick to slower routes.

According to reports, motorists face a two-tier road tax under proposals being considered by the Government.

It has been suggested drivers could be offered a lower rate of the tax if they agree not to use the country's trunk road network of motorways and major A-roads.

Those paying a higher rate of vehicle excise duty would be free to use any roads.

Proponents say a network of automatic number-plate recognition cameras could be used to catch any drivers who were using the motorways without paying the higher rate.

A Department For Transport (DFT) said: "The department and Treasury are currently carrying out a feasibility study to review new ownership and financing models for the strategic road network.

"This is looking at how best we can secure investment in the network to increase capacity and boost economic growth."

Governments have long sought to explore revenue generation options for road users.

Sky's Deputy Political Editor Joey Jones said: "The fact is when they look years down the line with people changing their pattern of road use - some people getting electric or hybrid vehicles, or vehicles that have lower emissions - that means they are going to be paying less in vehicle excise duty."

Money-raising concepts raised by previous governments have included expanding toll booths across the motorway network and a system based on mileage.

But a DFT spokesman added: "The Government has made clear it will not implement tolls on existing road capacity and has no plans to replace existing motoring taxes with pay-as-you-go road charging."

The AA said it was opposed to an overhaul of road tax.

"This is the last thing drivers want on top of high fuel prices," said spokesman Paul Watters.

"This would create a two-tier system on Britain's roads, which would push many drivers away from trunk roads and into towns and villages where congestion would increase.

"Governments keep coming back to the idea of charging motorists for the roads they use, but the costs of implementing such a scheme would be huge."

Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said that a scheme could work if the proceeds were used to improve the road network.

He said: "Ministers would go a long way to restoring trust among drivers if the proceeds were ring-fenced and ploughed back into road provision."

Dr Richard Wellings, head of transport at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said the road network had been "neglected" by successive governments.

"For too long British drivers have had to pay over the odds for a road network that is simply not up to scratch," he said.

"It is lamentable that this vital area of infrastructure has been neglected by government after government."

Road tax is currently paid based on a sliding scale of 13 bands from zero to more than £1,000 in the first year of registration.

Drivers pay according to how much carbon dioxide their vehicle produces.

Another option is to replace the annual road duty charge on cars with a one-off charge on new vehicles.

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Pierre Barnes, 12, Missing On French Island

Fears are growing for the safety of a British schoolboy who disappeared on a holiday island off the south of France during a severe storm.

Twelve-year-old Pierre Barnes vanished on Saturday after going for a bike ride on the island of Porquerolles, near Toulon on the Mediterranean coast.

Rescuers found one of his shoes on a coastal path on Sunday, alongside his bike with its chain off, it was reported.

His father Stephen, 57, from Grantham, Lincolnshire, told French television of his hopes that his son had survived the storm, the Daily Telegraph said.

Mr Barnes said: "I am certain he went off on an adventure on his bicycle but, in the forest, all the little tracks look the same.

"He is lost but he is a strong boy and I hope he found a place to sleep where there was not too much wind.

"It's difficult to say what you can do when you are cold and frightened."

Pierre disappeared just hours after he and his family arrived on the island for a week-long half-term holiday.

More than 150 local volunteers are believed to have helped search for him on Sunday.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We can confirm that a British national has been reported missing in France.

"We are in touch with the French authorities and we are providing consular assistance."

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Election: Joe The Plumber Slams Barack Obama

By Gary Mitchell, in Ohio

The man who became known as Joe The Plumber after famously challenging Barack Obama at a campaign event in 2008 has told Sky News the President is making the US "even more divided".

Samuel Wurzelbacher, who prefers to go by his middle name, Joe, had a run-in with then-Senator Obama just outside Toledo, Ohio, when he asked whether his tax policies would harm his plans to buy a small plumbing business.

Mr Obama responded by saying: "When you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody" - a remark Republican rival John McCain seized to paint the Democratic candidate as a socialist.

Video of their chance meeting went viral and Mr Wurzelbacher emerged as a household name in the US, with the Republican campaign making him a symbol for middle-class America.

Four years on, and again on the outskirts of Toledo, Sky News had a chance encounter of our own with the 38-year-old, who has since worked as a conservative pundit and motivational speaker.

With days to go until the election, the economy and jobs are the big issues for Mr Wurzelbacher, who lives a short drive from Toledo, one of the main cities in this key battleground state.

Activists say support for Romney is rising in Democratic-leaning Toledo

He is siding with Mitt Romney partly because of his success in business. He believes the US has suffered with Mr Obama in charge of the economy and that the President's controversial healthcare reforms - known as Obamacare - have split the nation.

"In my neighbourhood alone six people have had to move and go out of state to work," he said.

"A lot of people are leaving this area in general just because there's no jobs here.

"This area of the country should be booming. But unfortunately, because of the high tax rate that we have and the regulations that are imposed upon us ... it's just too much, the private market can't compete with the federal government."

Mr Wurzelbacher is now running for Congress on a Republican ticket and his campaign is based on opposing Mr Obama's policies, which he says are hitting middle-class families with job cuts and high taxes as well as harming the country's long-term economy.

Mr Obama and Mr Romney have been focusing significant spending and manpower in recent weeks in Ohio, one of a handful of swing states where the election will be won or lost.

Mr Wurzelbacher was speaking to Sky News after showing up at a giveaway of signs promoting Mr Romney, would-be vice-president Paul Ryan, and conservative candidates in local elections.

It was staged by a mix of Republican Party-backers and Tea Party activists in Maumee, Lucas County, which is a Democratic-leaning area of the state but somewhere organisers say there is growing support for Mr Romney.

Hundreds of Romney placards - designed to go on show in front gardens - were handed over to a steady stream of passers-by in about an hour.

Some showed support by honking their horns as they drove past. A group of twenty-somethings who shouted, "Obama, Obama", from one car were quickly silenced when some of the organisers - most of them aged over 50 - echoed the chant in jest.

Juan Gonzalez plans to show his support with this sign in his front garden

Truck driver and lifelong Republican Juan Gonzalez, 51, who lives in west Toledo, picked up some Romney-Ryan signs for his garden.

"I'm supporting Romney because this country is going in the wrong direction, and we're leaving a mess for our kids," he said. "In four years Obama's managed to completely ruin the economy."

Retired police officer Tom Gulch, 67, who lives in nearby Sylvania, said he was backing Mr Romney because he is "appalled" by Mr Obama, whom he suspects could be a Muslim. Or a communist.

"The man does not tell the truth," he said. "He's radical."

Volunteer organiser Larry Boday, 58, believes Mr Obama is an "anti-colonialist" who "thinks America has stolen our greatness from the rest of the world - and we need to pay for that in his eyes".

"He wants to run our economy into the ground and bring us down to the level of everyone else," he said.

"He wants to bring us down to the Third World, to make us pay for things we've done in the past.

"Everyone says his policies aren't working - but they are working to his end, to destroy America."

Tom Bridges, 31, an Obama-supporting Toledo barman watching from the sidelines, told Sky News: "People can put up as many Romney signs as they want in their yard. I know from what I hear at work, Obama will win here."

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Tom Cruise 'Prowler' Is Drunken Neighbour

A security guard has used a stun gun on a man he thought was prowling around the grounds of Tom Cruise's home.

It later transpired the apparent prowler was actually an intoxicated neighbour who may have mistakenly entered the property.

Lt Lincoln Hoshino said the confrontation occurred at the Mission: Impossible actor's Beverly Hills residence at about 9.30pm on Sunday.

Fifty-year-old Cruise and his family were not home at the time.

The guard said he saw a man "climbing a fence to gain access to the property" and then used the stun gun to detain him before the police arrived.

Tom Cruise separated from his wife Katie Holmes this year

The officer then reportedly told City News Service that the man was identified as a 41-year-old neighbour who lives in an adjacent property and had been drunk at the time.

The man was taken into custody for allegedly trespassing and treated at a hospital for any injuries incurred from the stun gun.

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Union Supports Clattenburg Over Chelsea Claim

The referees' union says it is "offering full support" to Mark Clattenburg in relation to allegations made against him by Chelsea.

The football club made a formal complaint against the official after accusing him of using "inappropriate language" towards two of their players during a controversial defeat to Manchester United.

The European champions confirmed they have reported the official to the Premier League match delegate following the London team's 3-2 loss at Stamford Bridge.

That complaint is set to be passed on to the Football Association (FA).

It is understood Jon Obi Mikel is one of the two players Chelsea believe "inappropriate language" was directed at.

Mr Clattenburg pictured during the fiery clash at Stamford Bridge

A club spokesman said: "We have lodged a complaint to the Premier League match delegate with regards to inappropriate language used by the referee and directed at two of our players in two separate incidents in today's (Sunday's) match.

"The match delegate will pass the complaint to the Football Association. We will make no further comment at this time."

Mr Clattenburg, 37, has vowed to co-operate with any investigation.

Prospect, the union representing football referees, said it had given its full support to Mr Clattenburg.

"Prospect is committed to helping to eradicate racism in football and in society generally," said national secretary Alan Leighton.

"In the context of that commitment, Prospect is offering full support to Mark Clattenburg in relation to the allegations made against him. It is now important that the allegations are fully investigated through the proper process as quickly as possible."

The hotly-anticipated match between two of the Premier League's top three sides was eventful.

Chelsea had two players controversially sent off, including striker Fernando Torres who was dismissed for a second yellow card after allegedly diving.

Meanwhile, Manchester United were allowed a winning goal that some thought was offside.

All of the referee's conversations during the game would have been audible to his two assistants Michael McDonough and Simon Long as well as the fourth official Michael Jones, who are all connected by audio headsets. However, the audio itself is not recorded.

Mr Clattenburg is regarded by Fifa - the sport's world governing body - as one of the top officials in the game.

At the Olympics, he was chosen to referee the final between Brazil and Mexico, and he is expected to be put forward to be part of the English representation at the 2014 World Cup.

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April Jones: Prayers Held One Month On

Private prayers are being held in Machynlleth in mid Wales to mark a month since the disappearance of schoolgirl April Jones.

The five-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, was abducted on October 1.  Police are continuing to look for her, with 150 experts taking part in the hunt.

So far more than 40,000 man-hours have been spent in trying to find April.

More than 300 areas have been searched including mountains, caves, derelict mines and lakes around the town.

April went missing while playing on her bike on a nearby estate.

Dyfed Powys Police say they will continue to look for April into the New Year if need be.

The child had been playing on her bike with friends on the evening of her disappearance.  She was last seen getting into a car on the estate.

Mark Bridger, 46, was arrested a day later and charged with abduction and murder.

The local community had undertaken symbolic gestures of solidarity to mark previous occasions of April's disappearance, including tying pink ribbons around the town and a procession to the church from the family home.

Mark Bridger has been charged with abduction and murder.

Last week Machynlleth's historic town clock was lit up in pink to mark the tragic disappearance.

In nearby Carmarthen, the county hall building will be lit up in a similar way:

"(We) feel quite helpless but want to demonstrate openly that our thoughts and prayers are with April's family and the community of Machynlleth", said council leader Kevin Madge.

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Fourteen Crew Members Saved, Two Missing

Fourteen crew members of HMS Bounty have been rescued near the eye of Hurricane Sandy - but two are still missing.

The captain ordered his crew to abandon the ship, which is located 160 miles from the hurricane's centre, after it lost power and the pumps were unable to keep up with the dewatering.

The US Coast Guard said the Bounty's crew had donned cold water survival suits and lifejackets before launching in two 25-man lifeboats with canopies.

"The first Jayhawk crew hoisted five people into the aircraft and a second helicopter arrived and rescued nine people," the coast guard said.

They were flown to Air Station Elizabeth City for medical treatment while aircraft remained on the scene to search for the missing two.

Rescuers faced 40mph winds and 18ft waves at the scene, which is 90 miles southeast of Hatteras in North Carolina.

Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received a call from the owner of the 180ft, three mast ship, saying she had lost communication with the vessel's crew late on Sunday evening.

It regained contact with the ship after receiving a signal from the emergency position indicating beacon registered to the Bounty.

The current Bounty was built for the 1962 movie Mutiny on the Bounty with Marlon Brando and has since appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

The original Bounty is known for the mutiny that took place in Tahiti in 1789.

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Breast Implant Firm Founder Freed From Prison

The founder of breast implant firm Poly Implant Prothese has been freed from a prison in France after serving eight months for unpaid bail.

Jean-Claude Mas, 73, was jailed in March after he was charged in January with causing grievous bodily harm. The firm had sparked a global health scare over potentially faulty products.

Mas' release was ordered by a French judge but he will still be "placed under judicial supervision", his lawyer Yves Haddad said.

Mas, who is due to go on trial in April 2013, will have his movements restricted and is barred from meeting Claude Couty, his former right-hand man at the company.

Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) shut down in 2010 after it was revealed to have been using substandard industrial-grade silicone gel.

PIP implants were made with non-authorised silicon gel

Between 400,000 and 500,000 women in 65 countries - including 30,000 in France alone - are believed to have implants from PIP, once the world's third-largest silicone implant producer.

German and French authorities advised the implants should be taken out, while women given PIP breast implants on the NHS were told they could have them removed for free and private firms were expected to offer the same deal.

Mas was previously a travelling salesman who turned to selling pharmaceuticals. He reportedly founded PIP in 1991 to take advantage of the burgeoning market for cosmetic implants.

He previously confirmed the implants sold by PIP were made with a non-authorised silicon gel, but he rejected any suggestion that they posed a health risk.

Mas and four other former PIP officials will go on trial next year in a keenly-awaited trial that will involve about 180 lawyers and 4,600 complainants.

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Hurricane Sandy: 'Frankenstorm' Heads For New York

New York has called up 1,000 extra troops from the National Guard as "superstorm" Hurricane Sandy bears down on the city.

Heavy rain and strong winds have started lashing the northeast of the US, with the public safety director of Atlantic City declaring that the majority of his city is "underwater".

As forecasters warn New York could bear the brunt of the one-of-a-kind storm - dubbed a "Frankenstorm" - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave last-minute advice to citizens before the "massive" hurricane hits.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave advice to citizens unable to leave New York

Urging people to follow evacuation orders if they still can, he said: "If you don't evacuate, you are not only endangering your life, you are also endangering the lives of the first responders who are going to rescue you."

He said around 3,000 people have reached 76 emergency public shelters around the city, with a combination of the storm surge, coastal flooding and a ferocious blizzard posing the greatest threat.

Sandy is on a collision course with two other weather systems leading to fears it could develop into one of the worst storms on record in the US.

Floodwater has inundated the Atlantic City boardwalk (Twitter.com/hoeboma)

The storm is threatening up to 50m people on the heavily populated East Coast, and forecasters say it could wreak havoc over 800 miles (1,280km) from the Atlantic coast to the Great Lakes.

Authorities are warning New York could be hit with an 11ft (3.3-metre) wall of water that could swamp parts of lower Manhattan, flood subway tunnels and cripple the network of electrical and communications lines that are vital to the nation's financial centre.

:: Live Updates on Hurricane Sandy

Sandy, a Category 1 hurricane, is currently about 380 miles (615km) southeast of New York City, with winds of about 85mph (140kph).

Flooding in Norfolk, Virginia

The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said it strengthened as it turned toward the coast on a predicted path toward New York, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia. It is moving at 15 mph (24 kph).

The centre of the storm is expected to come ashore on Monday night in New Jersey, meaning the worst of the storm surge could be in the northern part of that state and in New York City and on Long Island.

The massive storm, which is hundreds of miles across, is set to stay until at least mid-week, bringing hurricane winds, flooding rains and snow in the Appalachian mountains.

President Obama faced driving rain as he returned to Washington

Hundreds of thousands of people have already evacuated coastal areas, but much focus remains on New York.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo urged residents to use common sense and stay indoors.

"The worst is still coming," he said.

People have been ordered to leave low-lying coastal areas

New York and other cities shut down schools and suspended all train, bus and subway services on Sunday night because of the risk of flooding.

Nearly the entire coastline of Staten Island has been evacuated. Parts of lower Manhattan, like Battery Park and Ground Zero, have also been evacuated amid the threat of flooding.

All US stock markets will be closed on Monday and possibly Tuesday, the operator of the New York Stock Exchange said, reversing an earlier plan that would have kept electronic trading going on Monday.

A state of emergency has already been declared in nine states - including New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

The Belle Harbor section of the Queens borough of New York

US President Barack Obama has cancelled a planned campaign appearance in Florida and returned to Washington to oversee the federal government's response to the ever-threatening hurricane.

Mr Obama promised the government would "respond big and respond fast" after the storm hits.

"My message to the governors as well as to the mayors is anything they need, we will be there, and we will cut through red tape. We are not going to get bogged down with a lot of rules," he said.

His election rival Mitt Romney announced he would cancelled planned campaign appearances on Monday night and throughout Tuesday as the nation's attention turns to the storm.

Airlines have cancelled more than 7,600 flights, with British Airways, Virgin and American Airlines have halted some departures to the eastern coat of the US.

As the hurricane approached the coast, rescuers have saved 14 crew members of HMS Bounty stranded on lifeboats near the eye of storm - but two remain missing.

Sandy was blamed for 69 deaths in the Caribbean before it began travelling northward parallel to the eastern seaboard.

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Savile 'Was Barred' From Children In Need

Jimmy Savile was barred from any involvement with the Children In Need charity, former BBC governor Sir Roger Jones has claimed.

Despite the late presenter's fundraising efforts, which resulted in millions going to good causes, Sir Roger - a former chairman of the charity - said he had been uncomfortable about allowing Savile to have any association with the charity.

Although he had "no evidence" that Savile was up to anything, he said he found the Jim'll Fix It star's behaviour to be strange, describing him as a "pretty creepy sort of character".

He told Sky News: "There were certain rumours about his behaviour, nothing proven, just allegations. All that we could do was to make sure that our child protection policies were strong enough to withstand any kind of attack.

He said it would have been impossible to make any claims about Savile without hard evidence but, as the charity was trying to protect itself, it did not need evidence.

Savile's Highland cottage has been vandalised

He added: "I had no evidence, I'm not someone that would make unwarranted allegations. I'm sure my fellow governors would not have been too pleased to have uncorroborated accusations made.

"As long as my patch was absolutely clear, the charity was clear, that was all I could really do."

Sir Roger said he did not remember suspicions about Savile being discussed at any meeting of the BBC governors.

Today marks one year since Savile's death. At the time he was saluted for his charity work and long TV career. Now, he has been described a predatory paedophile and one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders.

On Sunday, former pop star Gary Glitter became the first high-profile arrest under Scotland Yard's Operation Yewtree, which is looking at child sex abuse allegations against Savile and others.

Gary Glitter was arrested on Sunday

Police have drawn up a detailed arrest strategy for other suspects, as 30 officers work through 300 claims of abuse.

Met Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said police and other organisations missed the pattern of Savile's alleged sex offending while he was alive.

Meanwhile, Savile's own great niece told Sky News that too many people turned a blind eye for too long.

"The rewards they got from Jimmy Savile's name and everything else kept them in a lifestyle that they became accustomed to," said Caroline Robinson.

Rick Parfitt, from rock band Status Quo, said he too was unsurprised by the Savile allegations.

Status Quo's Rick Parfitt (L) has spoken out about Savile

"A lot of us, like everybody else, we all kind of knew. We were all kind of suspicious of Jimmy Savile. We all felt 'there's something not right there'," he told The Daily Telegraph.

"But we didn't know what, and it was kind of in the back of our minds. But you could never quite suss him out. We did so many Top of the Pops, so many Jim'll Fix Its."

Parfitt added it was common for young women of 17 or 18 to be found in dressing rooms with famous acts.

"If you watch those early editions of Top of the Pops, all the girls there have got skirts up to their chins. There were a lot of girls knocking around downstairs and people would invite them down to the dressing room."

Over the weekend, Savile's Highland cottage was been targeted by vandals, with graffiti spray-painted across the outside.

Monday marks a year since Savile died

"Jimmy the beast" was written on the wall of the remote holiday home outside the village of Glencoe, and the door was badly damaged.

Former Court of Appeal judge Dame Janet Smith has started the first of two independent inquiries.

It will focus on whether the culture and practises at the BBC allowed Savile to carry out his abuse.

A further review will examine current sexual harassment policies at the corporation.

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