January 2012

• 31/01/2012 - Twincredible driving test success - Some say twins have a special connection. Well, Rosie and Lucy Carleton put theirs to the test on the road - and passed first time.

• 31/01/2012 - Stolen Olympic heirloom recovered - A ring presented to the manager of the British diving team at the 1992 Olympics has been traced at a pawn shop after being stolen.

• 31/01/2012 - Flood defence funding worries MPs - Funding concerns over maintaining and improving flood defences have been raised by MPs who said it was unclear who was ultimately responsible for managing the risk of flooding.

• 30/01/2012 - Motorists warned as cold snap hits - Motorists have been urged to take care on the roads as the mild winter enjoyed by the UK so far comes to a halt, with temperatures plunging as low as minus 10C this week.

• 30/01/2012 - Grandparents 'offering deposit support' - Grandparents are being called upon to provide financial assistance to young home buyers who have deposits to pay, research suggests.

• 30/01/2012 - 20% unable to perform basic car checks - The results of a new survey carried out by Haynes Publishing suggest that Britain may not be the nation of motoring experts it sometimes believes itself to be.

• 27/01/2012 - English Setter faces extinction - Native dog breeds are at risk of extinction as more people are following the celebrity trend of buying small dogs that fit inside a handbag like Paris Hilton's pet Chihuahua.

• 27/01/2012 - Earthquake shakes Donegal coast - A minor earthquake has shaken homes on the north coast of Ireland.

• 27/01/2012 - Britain braced for cold weather - Motorists might not want to venture out on Friday without a valid breakdown cover policy as bad weather has been forecast for many parts of the UK.

• 26/01/2012 - Toy poodle dies age 24 - or 26 - A toy poodle named Uncle Chichi, whose owners sought to enter him into the Guinness World Records book as the world's oldest dog, has died of cancer..

• 26/01/2012 - Police officer writes off loaned car - A police officer wrote off a car that was on loan to Greater Manchester Police during a test drive, it has been revealed.

• 26/01/2012 - CH11 PPY car plate to be auctioned - Motorists with a penchant for fish and chips or the hit TV show The Only Way Is Essex might want to publicise their love to all and sundry with a personalised number plate.

• 25/01/2012 - Body welcomes theory test move - Moves to toughen up the driving theory test have been welcomed by an instructors organisation.

• 25/01/2012 - Dog sets house on fire in pizza bid - A cheeky dog trying to reach a pizza on top of a cooker while its owners were out had to be rescued by the fire service after setting the house on fire.

• 25/01/2012 - Education 'key to improving road safety' - A motorist who took part in a National Driver Alertness Course has insisted that educating motorists instead of penalising them is the best way to make Britain's roads safer.

• 24/01/2012 - One million dogs aggressive, PDSA finds - The behaviour of aggressive dogs can be largely explained by a lack of training and socialisation, according to leading veterinary charity PDSA.

• 24/01/2012 - Kerosene tanker crashes into home - A lorry driver has appeared in court after a fuel tanker loaded with kerosene crashed into his family home.

• 24/01/2012 - Daredevil puppy falls off cliff - A puppy in Devon may never want to be let off his lead again, after his first taste of freedom ended in a 200ft plunge off a clifftop.

• 23/01/2012 - Theory test now tougher for learners - Learner drivers are being encouraged to achieve a better understanding of driving theory under changes introduced by the Driving Standards Agency.

• 23/01/2012 - Two Cornwall villages buy snowplough - The thought of being cut off from the outside world because of extreme winter weather has prompted two villages in Cornwall to club together to buy a snowplough.

• 23/01/2012 - Star cars to go under the hammer - It'll be going, going, gone for a set of classic collectors' cars - some a more than a century old and others with showbiz connections.

• 20/01/2012 - Cat shot in shoulder with airgun - A 12-year-old ginger tomcat has used up another of his lives after being shot in the shoulder with an airgun.

• 20/01/2012 - Knife offences up despite crime dip - There was a 10% rise in the number of robberies involving knives last year - despite a 4% decline in the overall number of crimes recorded by police.

• 20/01/2012 - Popular car brands continue to impress - A car finance provider's research has shown that the same makes and models of vehicle have dominated popularity surveys over the last five years.

• 19/01/2012 - MP calls for ban on primate pets - People should be banned from keeping monkeys and other primates as family pets, an MP has said.

• 19/01/2012 - Parking charge proposals scrapped - Westminster City Council will ditch proposed parking charges, with outgoing leader Colin Barrow declaring: "We have listened to Londoners in the interests of the wider economy."

• 19/01/2012 - Stolen car returned to Graham Norton - Radio presenter Graham Norton has been reunited with his stolen vehicle.

• 18/01/2012 - Insurance chief in appeal to MPs - As many as one in five young drivers has been involved in a road accident, costing the car insurance industry millions of pounds a year, MPs have been told.

• 18/01/2012 - Testers take out electric Skoda Octavia - Tests of a zero-emission electric version of the Skoda Octavia have begun in the Czech Republic.

• 18/01/2012 - Westminster parking fees 'unlikely' - On-street parking charges are unlikely to be established by Westminster City Council, a London MP believes.

• 17/01/2012 - More people abandoning pets, RSPCA - The number of people abandoning their pets rose last year compared with 2010, figures have suggested.

• 17/01/2012 - Pet owners launch new year diets - The majority of people putting their pets on new year diets are doing so without professional advice, it has been claimed.

• 17/01/2012 - Drivers 'spend 58 weeks in traffic' - Commuters spend more than a year of their lives stuck in traffic jams, new research suggests.

• 16/01/2012 - Tortoises stolen from train station - A car containing two hibernating tortoises has been stolen from a car park at a train station.

• 16/01/2012 - Energy bills causing concern - charity - Many people are worrying about paying gas and electricity bills in the winter, a study commissioned by a charity has suggested.

• 16/01/2012 - Safe driving in dark tips offered - Weekly motoring tips are on offer from a driver training specialist, with driving in the dark the current subject.

• 13/01/2012 - Motorway speed ruling 'imminent' - Ministers are due to issue a ruling on whether to increase the motorway speed limit to 80mph.

• 13/01/2012 - Stranded cat sparks motorway drama - A cat caused a motorway drama after getting stuck on the platform of a road sign 15 metres above the carriageway.

• 13/01/2012 - Kittens left out with the rubbish - A pair of kittens have been rescued after they were put out with the rubbish.

• 12/01/2012 - Whiplash 'cause of insurance price hike' - Car insurance premiums are on the rise, and the main cause of this is an increase in whiplash injury claims, an MPs' report has concluded.

• 12/01/2012 - Homes 'must change heating methods' - Consumers must drastically change the way they use heating in their homes if they want to meet carbon emission targets without a massive financial loss, engineering experts have said.

• 12/01/2012 - Couple await sentence over monkey sale - A couple who sold a pensioner a crippled pet monkey are being sentenced for causing the animal unnecessary suffering.

• 11/01/2012 - Heart researchers advise over car use - Most of us depend upon our cars to get to work every day and for doing the weekly shop.

• 11/01/2012 - Lucky horse moved into owner's home - A horse is enjoying domestic bliss after its owner argued with neighbours and moved the lucky animal into her home.

• 11/01/2012 - Students 'easy target for burglars' - Students are "ridiculously easy" to steal from, according to a former burglar.

• 10/01/2012 - Pet owners advised over doggy diets - If your pet has been piling on the pounds over Christmas with a stack of animal treats, you may be thinking it's time they lost weight.

• 10/01/2012 - Charity finds purrfect home for digital pets - A pair of kittens who were born with a total of 18 extra digits have found a new home, thanks to an animal charity.

• 10/01/2012 - Better driving 'saves 15% of fuel' - Being a more environmentally friendly motorist can save 15% on the amount of money spent on petrol or diesel, according to the Institute of Advanced Motoring.

• 09/01/2012 - Motoring offence scam man jailed - A man has been imprisoned for seven years over a scam that got rid of driving charges for people around the UK.

• 09/01/2012 - Owner sought for lonely fat cat - An overweight cat is needing a new home after its owner died, an animal charity has said.

• 09/01/2012 - Dogs 'react similarly to young children' - Dogs and very small children respond to communication from humans in a similar manner, according to the latest research.

• 06/01/2012 - Terrapins found abandoned in field - A woman out walking her dog over the Christmas period discovered two terrapins dumped in a cardboard box in a wet field.

• 06/01/2012 - Owner of drunken dog given ban - A 26-year-old man has received a three-year dog-keeping ban, following the discovery that his puppy had got drunk on an alcoholic drink.

• 06/01/2012 - Satnav summit planned for March - A Government summit is planning to bring an end to the difficulties faced by drivers following out-of-date directions on satnavs.

• 05/01/2012 - Westerly winds 'strongest since 1974' - Westerly winds were at their strongest for 37 years last month, according to the latest research.

• 05/01/2012 - 231 arrested in drink-drive campaign - An Avon and Somerset Police campaign targeting drug and drink-drivers caught 231 over-the-limit motorists during December.

• 05/01/2012 - Missing cat returns after four years - A cat that went missing four years ago has been reunited with its relieved owners, who said they had almost given up hope.

• 04/01/2012 - UK braced for more windy weather - Weather experts have forecast that 75mph winds will blight parts of Scotland and northern England on Wednesday evening, after large parts of Britain were hit by driving rain and strong winds on Tuesday.

• 04/01/2012 - Tips issued for windy weather driving - The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has issued guidance on driving in windy conditions as rain and gale-force winds affect large parts of Britain.

• 04/01/2012 - Man recovers gifts at rubbish site - A man had to spend Christmas Eve rummaging through rubbish at a recycling centre after realising he had mistakenly binned some presents.

• 03/01/2012 - Owners get 67 dog control notices - Hundreds of investigations into allegedly dangerous dogs in Scotland resulted in just 67 dog control notices being issued to owners.

• 03/01/2012 - Tardis materialises in Glasgow - If you have time on your hands you may want to view a flat in Glasgow that one dedicated Doctor Who fan has made into her very own Tardis.

• 03/01/2012 - Dogs left unwanted after Christmas - It seems that more work is needed to get people to take heed of the fact that a dog is not just for Christmas.