Farmer with strong Angus connections killed in tragic accident

Machinery Claims
Lincolnshire Claims


A farmer with strong Angus connections has died in tragic circumstances at his Lincolnshire home.

William Laird (81) was working on the family farm nearConingsby on Friday afternoon when he was struck by a teleporter handling vehicle being driven by one of his five sons.

The victim's younger brother, Ivan, is a well-known figure in Angus agricultural circles and spoke of the devastation of family members on both sides of the border.

The victim was the elder son of the late William Laird of Inverquharity Mill, near Kirriemuir, and although schooled in Lanark retained close ties to Angus before moving south in the late 1950s.

He trained as a draughtsman and after National Service took over Providence Farm in the hamlet of New York, around 20 miles south-east of Lincoln.

Mr Laird and his wife, Hilda, have five sons. Four of them — Gordon, Douglas, Graham and Malcolm — followed their father into farming and were involved in running the successful mixed operation at New York. The couple's other son, Ian, is a vet based at Providence Farm.

Friday's tragedy happened when Malcolm was feeding cattle. Although the exact circumstances of the accident are unclear, it appears he tragically ran over his father when operating the teleporter.

Speaking to The Courier, Ivan Laird said: ''We are not sure exactly what happened but they were working outside and William was unsighted to Malcolm, who was driving the teleporter.

''It was failing light but we do not know the full circumstances. It is a tragedy which has left the whole family shattered.

''William was just one of those lads who wouldn't retire and continued to work on the farm with the four boys. The way it happened is dreadful and the family are devastated.''

He said the Lincolnshire operation was well known as finishers of beef cattle and the family's agricultural involvement also included organising ploughing matches.

''The boys' wives are all very active in the community. New York is just a small place and this will have hit many people very hard down there,'' added Mr Laird, from Justinhaugh, nearForfar.

''William was very keen on carriage driving and was president of the British Driving Society in his area.

''We were schooled in Lanarkshire after my father joined the police there, but the family's roots are in Angus and it has always been regarded as home. When we were younger we came back here at every opportunity.''

Lincolnshire police confirmed they were aware of the tragedy, but their involvement in the matter had concluded and no further investigation would be carried out.

The Health and Safety Executive was also part of the inquiry.

It is understood the matter has now been passed to the local coroner's office, which will handle the post mortem arrangements before the release of Mr Laird's body for a funeral to take place.

source: thecourier.co.uk

Bowel cancer screening 'does cut deaths'

Cancer Misdiagnosis

A bowel cancer screening programme in England is on course to cut deaths by a sixth, say researchers studying results from the first million people tested.

However, the work, published in the journal Gut, has raised concerns that the programme, launched in 2006, misses tumours in certain parts of the colon.

Testers checked a faeces sample for signs of abnormal bleeding.

The researcher who analysed the results said money should be spent on bringing in more sensitive tests.

Approximately 16,000 people a year die from bowel cancer, making it second only to lung cancer as a cause of death in the UK.

Part of the reason for the high mortality rate is that symptoms often do not appear until cancer is advanced and harder to treat.

The screening programme aims to catch the tumours earlier, meaning more patients can be cured.

Several million people aged 69 and over have now been screened, with approximately half of those invited taking part.

When results from the first 1.08 million taking part were collated, it was found that 2.5% of men and 1.5% of women had received an abnormal result, and were sent for further tests, usually colonoscopy, in which a tube with a camera on the end is passed into the colon.

Early stage cancers

Among the men with abnormal results, 43% turned out to have either cancer or pre-cancerous growths in their colon. The figure for women was 11.6%.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

There is a much better test available, but it will cost money to introduce it, and that money is not currently there”

Prof Richard LoganUniversity of Nottingham

Most of these were early-stage cancers, which are generally easier to treat.

Professor Julietta Patnick, director of the NHS Cancer Screening Programmes, said she was "delighted" by the results.

"We are pleased to be on track to cut bowel cancer deaths by our target of 16% - early detection is crucial to lowering the number deaths from bowel cancer."

However, the test appeared to be less effective at spotting cancers in the upper section, or "right side" of the colon.

Cancer statistics from millions of people diagnosed with the disease suggest that for every three cancers in the left side of the colon, there will be one in the right side.

However, of the thousands of cancers found by the screening test, only 14% were on the right side.

Questions remain

Prof Richard Logan, of Nottingham University, who led the study, said it was not yet fully understood why cancers on the right-hand side were not showing up during screening.

Among the possibilities, he said, were that they grew faster, and were more likely to be diagnosed conventionally, or that they were less likely to bleed and trigger a positive test result.

However, he said that the current blood test was "old fashioned", and should be replaced by a more modern alternative which might be more sensitive.

He said: "There is a much better test available, but it will cost money to introduce it, and that money is not currently there."

A spokesman for the screening programme said that the move to the new test was being "actively considered", although no date had been set for a change.

Deborah Alsina, the chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK, welcomed the results, adding that separate moves to widen access to a form of colonoscopy called flexible sigmoidoscopy would also improve screening.

"As a higher proportion of cancers are being found in the left side of the bowel than predicted, the rollout of flexible sigmoidoscopy screening in the new year will help to save even more lives.

"However, this does need to be rolled out quickly with a sustained focus on areas with low uptake of screening."

source: bbc.co.uk

M1 shut after tanker crash in South Yorkshire

Personal Injury Yorkshire

A large-scale clean-up operation has been carried out after a tanker carrying more than 20 tonnes of waste yeast overturned on the M1.

The lorry, initially reported to be carrying Marmite, crashed and spilt its contents onto the carriageway at about 22:15 GMT on Monday.

Police closed the motorway in both directions between junctions 32 and 33 near Sheffield following the accident.

The Highways Agency said both carriageways had since reopened.

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Police said the tanker overturned after being involved in a collision with a motor caravan.

Pollute waterways

The tanker driver was taken to hospital but the driver's injuries were not believed to be serious.

The Environment Agency was called in to assist in the clean-up after fears that the yeast could pollute local waterways.

Environment Agency area incident controller Colin Atkinson said: "Brewers yeast can have a devastating impact on wildlife in watercourses because it strips the water of oxygen, suffocating the fish.

"Our incident team worked with the Highways Agency to create a bund to contain the yeast. This prevented it from flowing into nearby Ulley Brook and the River Rother which is an important coarse fishery and is used by many anglers.

"Tankers were brought in to take the yeast waste away and our environment officers are checking oxygen levels in the waterways to make sure no pollution has escaped."

source: bbc.co.uk

Breast implants in focus after cancer death

PIP Implant Claims

Two women have developed serious illnesses after they received defective French-made silicone breast implants. Last week, a woman died from lymphatic cancer thought to have been contracted from her breast implants.

A 36-year-old woman called Leaticia was diagnosed last month with ruptured breast implants, according to the French daily Aujourd’hui en France.

Her implants burst six months ago and the silicone gel has leaked into her shoulders, breasts and ribs. Leaticia was operated on in Spain where she received breast implants manufactured by Poly Implant Prothèses (PIP).

Another women who received PIP implants has been diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. It is not yet clear what caused the cancer, but doctors advising a group representing the victims of PIP breast implants suspect the silicone gel used in PIP implants.

French implant manufacturer PIP was closed down by health authorities last year after they discovered the company was using non-medical silicone gel in implants which were twice as likely to rupture as other products in the same category. The company CEO is accused of fraud.

While it is feared that the silicone gel used in the PIP implants is linked to cancer, French health watchdog AFFSAPS has not been able to establish a link.

Last week, a woman - the first in France - died of lymphatic cancer in the southern city of Marseille after her PIP breast implants burst.

It is feared 44,000 women are still carrying PIP breast implants, which were sold in France, Spain and the United Kingdom.

source: thelocal.fr

Bone marrow cancer hope as scientists identify gene that increases risk by 30 per cent

Cancer Claims

Scientists have made a key breakthrough in the search for a better treatment for bone marrow cancer.

For the first time they have identified the genes responsible for an aggressive form of the disease, called multiple myeloma.

Having the genes can increase a person's the risk of developing the condition by 30 per cent, a study has revealed.

It was already known that relatives of those suffering from the incurable cancer were at increased risk, but until now, no responsible gene had been identified.

It is now hoped the discovery will prompt improvements in diagnosis and treatment.

Researchers from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) used a technique called a genome wide association study to scan the DNA of 1,675 patients with multiple myeloma.

The same process was also carried out on around 5,900 healthy people.

When results were compared scientists discovered that two regions of the DNA that were more common in people with multiple myeloma and were therefore linked to a higher chance of developing the disease.

Professor Gareth Morgan from the ICR and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust said that the findings, published in the online journal Nature Genetics, are particularly important as the disease becomes more prevalent among an aging population.

He said: 'Multiple myeloma is an aggressive cancer that sadly has poor survival rates.

'By learning more about the biology of multiple myeloma development, we hope to identify new drug targets - or even existing drugs - that could improve patient outcomes.

'Multiple myeloma is becoming more common as the population ages, and so it is even more important that we find new treatments.'

Myeloma, is a type of bone marrow cancer which affects the plasma cells inside the bone marrow, which are an important part of the immune system.

Usually it doesn't exist as a lump or tumour and it is only when symptoms such as bone pain and fractures occur that a diagnosis is given.

Currently there is no cure, but treatments such as chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation can control progression of the cancer.

Eric Low, chief executive of Myeloma UK, said: 'Understanding the biological and genetic basis for the onset and progression of myeloma is extremely important and will lead to better screening, earlier diagnosis and treatment in the future.'

Every year in the UK, it's estimated that multiple myeloma affects 60-70 in every million people with the average patient surviving three to five years despite receiving intensive treatment.

source: dailymail.co.uk