A blind man who complained to police about cars parking on a pavement was arrested when he threatened to let down the vehicles’ tyres.

Daniel Duckfield, from Narberth, Pembrokeshire, said he and his guide dog had to walk in the road when paths were blocked by illegally-parked cars.

He has complained about being cautioned and put in a cell after his arrest.

Dyfed-Powys Police said it was investigating Mr Duckfield’s complaints.

Mr Duckfield, who became blind in December 1999, claimed police were not doing enough to tackle motorists parking illegally on pavements near his home.

He said he had repeatedly complained to officers about cars blocking his path when he went out of his house, forcing him and his guide dog to walk on a main road.

Last week, after phoning officers and feeling he was getting no help, he went a step further.

He said: “I said all right, if you’re not going to do anything I’ll do something myself, I’ll let the tyres down and I’ll write ‘no parking’ on the windscreen.

“I went to the door [and] locked the door. By the time I got 50 yards down my street there was a policeman running towards me.

“He told me he was going to arrest me because I had threatened to let tyres down and threatened to write on windscreens.”

Mr Duckfield said he was taken to a police station and held in a cell before being cautioned.

He said: “I thought it was absolutely disgusting. I came back here and I sat down and I almost cried but I thought, no, the temper took over me.”

Mr Duckfield said the arrest meant he would no longer be asked to visit schools with his guide dog.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the force had held a crackdown on illegal parking in Narberth last month.

A spokesperson added: “It is unfortunate Mr Duckfield decided to take matters into his own hands on this occasion.”

The spokesperson added Mr Duckfield’s complaints would be fully investigated.

NHS care for patients with muscle-wasting disorders is often “inadequate and not acceptable”, MPs and peers say.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Muscular Dystrophy inquiry found huge variations in life expectancy.

People with the disorders also often faced long waits for wheelchairs and having to pay for physiotherapy, the report said.

The government said it expected the local NHS to provide services to meet people’s needs.

There are more than 60 different types of muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular conditions, affecting some 60,000 people across the country.

They cause muscles to waste and weaken, making it hard to do even the most simple tasks and many of those affected do not make it to adulthood.

The diseases cause muscle weakness and wasting

The cross-party group of MPs and peers, which was supported by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign in its inquiry, gathered evidence from doctors, patients and health managers.

It found there was a “postcode lottery” when it came to life expectancy, which politicians said would have been a national scandal if it had been related to cancer.

In the north east, sufferers can expect to live to 30 whereas elsewhere those with the condition struggled to reach 18.

The report also accused the NHS of relying on charities to provide support to families affected.

Dave Anderson, the MP who led the inquiry, lost a brother and sister to the disease. He said: “It is very clear that the standard of care provided to these patients by the NHS is often inadequate and not acceptable.”

‘Appalled’

Cross-bench peer Lord Walton, a founder of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, was one of the key members of the group and he said he was “appalled” by much of the evidence heard.

The report concluded by calling for official guidelines to be given to trusts to ensure high standards of care as well as a review of skills in the health workforce.

I hope that the report will help to put pressure on the NHS to start providing the standard of care that these patients so dearly need and deserve Philip Butcher, Muscular Dystrophy Campaign

It also recommended that each of the 10 health regions in England and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should appoint a specialist to oversee services.

Phillippa Farrant has a seventeen-year-old son with a rare muscle-wasting condition and she said getting treatment on the NHS had been a struggle.

“You just feel as though you are battling the system the whole time and that your whole life is based around hospital appointments,” she said.

“We have got something fairly local but in other parts of the country they are travelling hundreds and hundreds of miles to get to the specialist places, which is completely wrong.”

‘Meeting community needs’

Philip Butcher, chief executive of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, agreed that improvements were needed.

“I hope that the report will help to put pressure on the NHS to start providing the standard of care that these patients so dearly need and deserve.”

A spokesman for England’s Department of Health said it recognised the importance of providing high-quality, personalised care for people with long term conditions such as muscular dystrophy.

He added: “We expect the NHS to commission services to meet the needs of its local communities.

“However, muscular dystrophies are to be included in an updated list of specialised services to help local NHS organisations plan services.”

A Welsh Assembly government spokeswoman said it was already taking action to improve muscular dystrophy services.

Some UK universities are failing to provide accessible accommodation or facilities to disabled students, an investigation has found.

A report by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign suggests one in 10 disabled students were not be able to live or eat on university sites.

About 40% of the 78 institutions surveyed did not have rooms for carers, resulting in students living at home.

Universities UK says disabled students benefit from a wide range of support.

The report, by the charity’s Trailblazers nationwide network of 16-30 year olds, questioned universities across the UK.

Almost all said they could provide support in lectures or seminars for students with mobility difficulties.

But only four universities said that every one of their buildings had a fully accessible toilet for disabled students.

Some 40% of universities said they did not provide a particular prospectus aimed at students with disabilities

Most, but not all, universities, said they ran a disability equality scheme.

Clearing ‘difficulties’

Universities were asked to answer 15 questions on whether they provided certain facilities which disabled students might reasonably require.

Answers were provided by either the student union or a university disability advice unit.

Coventry University in the West Midlands was able to answer “yes” to most questions, and achieved a score of 94%.

Don’t be put off by people saying you can’t do a course because of disability Trailblazers

The University of Bedfordshire came out lowest, with 33% of questions answered positively.

Oxford and Cambridge were excluded from the survey. The institutions have 69 colleges between them, and their answers would disproportionately affect the overall results.

The researchers were also critical of the clearing system – where students who do not achieve the grades they need for their degree offers can search for an alternative place.

The clearing system only gives disabled students one month to find a course and research whether it suited their needs, they said.

They also ranked the websites of the top 100 universities in the UK on how much information they provided for students with disabilities.

One in 10 of these did not provide any information searched for, the report found, but 12 out of 100 were given a maximum rating of five.

‘Significant improvements’

The report says: “Trailblazers recommend choosing a university based on what you think is the best course for you.

“Don’t be put off by people saying you can’t do a course because of disability.

“Most subjects can be studied by anyone if you have the qualifications, skills and dedication. Therefore, extensive research into potential courses is key to a happy university experience.”

Under the Disability Discrimination Act, which came into force in 2005, universities must make reasonable changes to their premises to make them more accessible to disabled students .

Diana Warwick, chief executive of Universities UK, said: “This report acknowledges the wide range of support offered by universities for disabled students.

“The statistics in the report show that initiatives introduced by universities have led to significant improvements in facilitating access to university and offering support while studying.

“Universities recognise that there is always room for improvement and this is an ongoing process. They are continually monitoring provision in order to improve the support they can offer.

“The recommendations and tips for students in this report are useful.”

A spokesperson for the University of Bedfordshire said: “The University welcomes people from diverse backgrounds and we are constantly looking to improve facilities at all of our five campuses.

“This includes a £74m investment to rebuild the main Luton campus, including a new campus centre, and there are several highly-qualified staff dealing with the special needs of the students.”

One in five disabled students is being denied access to teaching and study rooms and libraries at universities in Wales, according to a survey.

As part of a guidebook for students with disabilities, undercover research at universities was carried out by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

It found that of the eight institutions it looked at in Wales, only one had a freshers’ guide to disabled facilities.

The assembly government said it will seriously consider the findings.

The research was carried out by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign’s Trailblazers – a network of 16-30-year-olds who campaign for the rights of young disabled people.

In Wales, the facilities at eight institutions were looked at: Swansea University, Cardiff University, UWIC Cardiff, Aberystwyth University, Bangor University, Glamorgan University, Glyndwr University, and Lampeter University.

Lauren West, 18, from Cardiff, was one of the researchers, said: “Universities need to understand how to make it easier for disabled students to have the same great experience as any other student – attending university is one of the biggest decisions anyone makes.

“I knew that because of my disability I would have less choice and it would take longer and a lot more planning for me to decide on the right university.

“That doesn’t even include the extra struggle to get all of the care arrangements in place.”

Results showed that five of the universities said there were building restrictions in place on some of their properties that would delay the installation of lifts or other adaptations.

None of the eight said that every one of its buildings had at least one accessible toilet with a hoist.

Five had no disabled union group or society, however all eight had accessible accommodation and rooms for personal assistants in their halls of residence.

Consider report

Phillip Butcher, of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, said: “Every student has the right to make their choices of university based on academic and social concerns rather than because of the practical facilities available.

“It is vital to ensure all students have access to the same opportunities.”

In response a spokeswoman for the assembly government said: “The assembly government regards it as critically important that our educational institutions fully respond to the needs of all learners including disabled learners.

“All Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Wales are obliged to produce a Disability Equality Scheme which sets out the steps the institution is taking to meet the needs of disabled learners.”

She said premium payments for disabled students were paid to support institutions and there was a drive to further the involvement of disabled students, as part of developing a more inclusive culture.

“The assembly government will nevertheless seriously consider the findings of the report in formulating its new higher education strategy, action plan and targets for the sector,” she said.

“The newly-appointed Disability Equality Expert Advisory Group, chaired by Social Justice Minister Dr Brian Gibbons will also be examining this issue.”

Disabled workers at a factory in Aberdeen could ballot for industrial action if their pay demands are not met, it has emerged.

Remploy employs 26 staff with varying special needs.

A spokesman for the government-run organisation said the economic climate had prevented it from increasing wages by the requested £20 a week.

But shop stewards said the workers needed the rise to maintain their quality of life.

A partnership aimed at giving disabled people better access to justice will see Scotland’s legal sector team up with disability organisations.

The scheme, coordinated by Capability Scotland, will allow disabled people to voice their concerns to police officers, solicitors and policy makers.

It comes after a survey suggested 40% of people with disabilities felt excluded from the justice system.

The poll also indicated 38% had been a victim of crime.

The Scottish Government, the Scottish Prison Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) are among the bodies involved.

Richard Hamer, director of External Affairs at Capability Scotland, said: “This collaborative approach is an excellent opportunity to bring together all those with an interest in ensuring that the justice system is accessible to all.

“We hope this will be the beginning of a longstanding relationship which will draw on disabled people’s skill and experience to improve the Scottish justice sector for all.”

‘Increase confidence’

A survey of 175 people last month, found 42% of those with disabilities had direct experience of the justice system. The most likely reason was being a victim of crime.

Nearly 10% said they had been involved in a tribunal such as employment, mental health or additional support needs.

Solicitor General Frank Mullholland QC, speaking on behalf of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: “This ambitious and exciting new programme will help us to identify, develop and coordinate measures to improve access to justice for all disabled people.

“We will continue to work hard to increase the confidence of disabled people in the criminal justice system, and to encourage and facilitate disabled victims of crime to come forward.”

The scheme will conclude with a national conference, attended by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, in November.

Zoe Legg, a visually impaired student starting a BA Textiles for Fashion course at Basingstoke College of Technology, with some of her artwork “Identity”. Photograph: Graham Turner

I was 17 when my sight began to deteriorate. I started having trouble reading things in the distance. I just thought I needed glasses, but I was diagnosed with Stargadts disease, a genetic condition that causes progressive sight loss and usually leads to blindness.

I gave up the art foundation course I’d been studying. I’d always been a visual, creative person, with an eye for design. With my sight getting worse, I couldn’t see the point.

At first, I played it down and just tried to get on with it. Determined not to end up on benefits, I worked as a cleaner and a chambermaid. I didn’t tell some of my friends. I appeared to be carrying on as normal. By the time I was 20, I was struggling. I was nervous crossing the road. I couldn’t find my friends in the pub; often I didn’t want to leave the house. In a world where I could only see blocks of colour, I started to feel isolated. I started to suffer panic attacks, and eventually had to give up work.

I enrolled at the Royal National College for the Blind in Herefordshire, where I studied remedial therapies, such as Indian head massage. I started yoga and learned breathing and relaxation techniques, which helped a lot.

I had my son Rhys at 25. My relationship broke up soon afterwards and I became a single parent. People are often curious about how I coped, but you just manage. The key is to keep everything tidy and orderly, so you can find everything. We managed fine until my son stopped using his buggy – I used it as my “guide dog” – but it got difficult after that. When I was taking him to school, I’d bump into the other children, almost knocking them flying. Getting a guide dog was a relief. Having her around to watch Rhys in the park was very reassuring.

A run of terrible luck made me re-evaluate. My granddad died, then my uncle. Then, two years ago, my dad died suddenly, closely followed by my nan. My dad was only 59. He was my best friend, so it hit me really hard.

In the months that followed, I realised I wasn’t just grieving for the members of my family I’d lost. For the first time, I was also grieving for the loss of my sight. It was a real turning point.

It was my dad who’d instilled a love of art in me. He’d shown me how to draw people, explained the idea of perspective. It had been 15 years since I’d done any art, but I started to draw and paint again. It was such a liberating feeling.

I started an access course in art and design last September. I’ve realised that being visually impaired doesn’t have to stop me expressing myself through art.

I’ve learned to work in different ways. I get visions in my head, which I try to translate into my work. I’m experimenting with working with more tactile materials, such as felt and weaves. I’m also starting to work with embroidery and ceramics. I use a pen for drawing now, instead of a pencil, so I can make out the shapes more easily. Once I’ve finished the course, I hope to go on to a degree course in textiles for fashion. It’s taken some time, but I finally feel as if I have found my purpose in life.

Problems processing visual information may stop those with autism interpreting body language, harming their ability to gauge others’ emotions, a study says.

Researchers say people with autism have problems recognising physical displays of emotion, but also general difficulty perceiving certain sorts of motion.

They suggest in Neuropsychologia this may contribute to problems with social interaction, characteristic of autism.

The National Autistic Society said the UK study was an interesting one.

A team from the University of Durham studied 13 adults with autism and found the patients had difficulty identifying emotions such as anger or happiness when shown short animated video clips.

Silent movies

The characters had no faces, nor did they speak, so the participants were asked to judge the emotion based on the body language of the figure alone.

Along with 16 adults with no autism diagnosis, they were also shown a number of dots on a computer screen and asked which way they were moving. A proportion of dots moved noticeably to the left or right, while the others moved randomly.

The way people move their bodies tells us a lot about their feelings or intentions, and we use this information on a daily basis to communicate with each other Anthony Atkinson Lead author

The performance of the autism group was significantly below that of the others in both tests, leading researchers to speculate that there may be serious differences between the ability to process visual information.

They point to an area of the brain needed for the perception of motion called the superior temporal sulcus, and cite previous research which has found that this area responds differently in people with autism.

“The way people move their bodies tells us a lot about their feelings or intentions, and we use this information on a daily basis to communicate with each other.

“We use others’ body movements and postures, as well as people’s faces and voices, to gauge their feelings,” said Anthony Atkinson, who led the research.

“People with autism are less able to use these cues to make accurate judgements about how others are feeling.

“We now need to look further to see how exactly this happens and how this may combine with potential difficulties in attention.”

It is thought as many as half a million people in the UK have a form of autism, a lifelong developmental disability which can severely affect how a person makes sense of the world around them.

Gina Gomez De La Cuesta, of the National Autistic Society, said the study was an interesting one.

“It certainly takes us on. We know of these problems with emotion recognition but to start to unpick the reasons why is helpful. There appear to be difficulties at the very basic processing level.

“But we really need to see this repeated in more people and then we can start thinking about how we act on it.”

Their lawyer told the New South Wales state Supreme Court in an opening statement there was no doubt that Monika Samaan, then seven, developed salmonella poisoning from a chicken wrap bought from a KFC outlet in Sydney in 2005.

“There is little or no doubt that chicken was reported by all scientists, at the time of these unhappy events occurring, as being the source of that salmonella,” lawyer Anthony Bartley said.

Officials for KFC, which is operated by Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum Brands, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The girl, now 11, attended court in a wheelchair.

Bartley said she had acquired spastic quadriplegia and an intellectual disability since the poisoning.

Bartley said the court would hear “disturbing and quite unsettling” evidence about the practices in KFC kitchens during the trial.

I’ve heard of suing hospitals, but this takes the chicken!

UK hacker Gary McKinnon has lost his latest High Court bid to avoid extradition to the United States.

US authorities want to try the 43-year-old, from Wood Green, north London, for breaking into US military and Nasa computers in 2001 and 2002.

Mr McKinnon admits hacking, but denies it was malicious or that he caused damage costing $800,000 (£487,000).

He had challenged refusals by the home secretary and director of public prosecutions to try him in the UK.

‘Lawful and proportionate’

If the law says it’s fair to destroy someone’s life in this way then it’s a bad law. Janis Sharp

Glasgow-born Mr McKinnon had asked the court to rule on whether the CPS was right to say he could not be prosecuted in the UK, and also whether his Asperger’s Syndrome meant he could not be extradited to the US.

But, in a 41-page ruling, the judges said extradition was “a lawful and proportionate response to his offending”.

He faces up to 70 years in prison if convicted in the US of what prosecutors have called “the biggest military computer hack of all time”.

Speaking outside the High Court, his mother, Janis Sharp, said her son had been “naive enough to admit to computer misuse without having a lawyer and without one being present”.

“We are heartbroken. If the law says it’s fair to destroy someone’s life in this way then it’s a bad law.”

US-UK EXTRADITION TREATY 2003 treaty, agreed in aftermath of 9/11 attacks Offence must be punishable by one year or more in jail in both countries US has to prove “reasonable suspicion” for extradition of a British citizen To extradite an American from the US, British must prove “probable cause” Since 2004, 56 people have been sent from the UK to the US for trial, and 26 for US to UK US courts have granted about 70% of UK extradition requests, while nearly 90% of US requests have been granted

Mr McKinnon accessed 97 government computers belonging to organisations including the US Navy and Nasa.

He has always insisted he was looking for classified documents on UFOs which he believed the US authorities had suppressed.

In February the Crown Prosecution Service refused to bring charges against Mr McKinnon in the UK.

The decision followed a ruling last October by then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to allow his extradition.

Mr McKinnon has already appealed unsuccessfully to the House of Lords and the European Court of Human Rights and his latest judicial reviews in the High Court are likely to be his last chance.

His lawyers say the authorities have not given proper consideration to his Asperger’s Syndrome, which could have “disastrous consequences,” including suicide, if he was to be extradited.

They argued he was “eccentric” rather than malicious and should be tried on lesser charges in the UK to protect his mental health.

Ms Williams says she wants to highlight the way she was treated

A woman claims she was told she would not be served at a nail salon because she was in a wheelchair.

Laura Williams, 28, who has muscular dystrophy, says she was reduced to tears after twice being refused service at Hollywood Nails in Port Talbot.

The salon in the Aberafan Shopping Centre disputes her account and says she was asked to return on a different day.

Two carers who were with her say they support her claims.

Ms Williams, from Cwmavon, said she had been a customer at the salon for around two years.

She said she had her nails done at the salon about four weeks ago and after they started growing returned last week to have them “refilled.”

“They said ‘no – not today’ so I did not think anything of it and went back on Monday,” she said.

“Again they said no so we asked them why and he said ‘because you are in a wheelchair and I do not like you’.

“My carer went back in then and said can she make an appointment or something, come back another time? and he said no.”

Ms Williams said it was the same man who had served her on previous visits.

“I was shocked. I have never come across anything like that,” she added.

The nail salon said Ms Williams was asked to return on a different day

“I burst into tears when my carer went back in. The people in the next shop came out and gave me tissues.

“One of my carers went and got a security guard.”

She said she made a complaint to the manager of the shopping centre but added in no way did she blame him, as she had always been treated well when visiting the complex.

Ms Williams has now created a site on the social networking site Facebook detailing her allegations.

“I just want to put my point across – they should not be treating people like that,” she added.

When a reporter from the BBC Wales news website visited the salon, he was told the manager was not available.

However a short time later a woman called and said she was the manageress and denied Ms Williams’s allegations.

She said whenever Ms Williams visited the shop she was the one who served her.

She said as she was not available staff asked Ms Williams to return another day.

She said the staff spoke little English so there may have been a misunderstanding but denied they refused to serve her because she was in a wheelchair or they did not like her.

She said the shop was happy to serve customers with wheelchairs.

Ms Williams was accompanied on Monday by two respite carers from the Swansea Neath Port Talbot Crossroads charity.

Manager Gareth Williams said: “It would appear that, in this particular instance, standards exhibited by the retailer involved apparently fell short of such widely recognised values.

“We [have] confirmed to Laura Williams that, if she were to consider pursuing the matter under anti-discrimination procedures via regulatory or legal bodies, we would in these circumstances be happy to provide the written statements of our staff members who were present at the time.”

Complications during pregnancy and giving birth later in life may increase the risk of having a child with autism, a review of dozens of studies suggests.

Researchers found the bulk of studies into maternal age and autism suggest the risk increases with age, and that fathers’ age may play a role too.

The mothers of autistic children were also more likely to have suffered diabetes or bleeding during pregnancy.

The US review of 40 studies appears in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

The recorded number of children with autism has risen exponentially in the past 30 years but experts say this is largely due to improved detection and diagnosis, as well as a broadening of the criteria.

The cause of the condition is unclear, and the review team from the Harvard School of Public Health said there was “insufficient evidence” to point to any one prenatal factor as being significant.

They did however note that nine out of 13 studies suggested an increased risk for older mothers, a demographic group which has grown in the last three decades.

This ranged from a risk 27% higher for those aged between 30-34 compared to those aged 25-29, and over 100% higher for those over 40 compared to those under 30.

For fathers, every five years increased the chances of a child with autism by nearly 4%.

It is like trying to complete a huge jigsaw puzzle – we still just don’t know how all the pieces fit together Richard Mills Research Autism

The biological reasons for why this may be are unclear, but the researchers speculated that potential chromosomal abnormalities in the eggs of older women and mutations in the sperm of older men may be a factor.

Gestational diabetes – which affects four in 100 pregnancies – was associated with a two-fold increase in the risk of autism, while bleeding in pregnancy was alleged to carry an 81% increased risk.

However, the team noted that there was little information given about when in pregnancy bleeding occurred. Common and often inconsequential in early pregnancy, later on it can signify serious problems.

Such bleeding may deprive the baby of oxygen – a condition known as fetal hypoxia – and this is turn impacts upon the developing brain, potentially raising the risk of autism.

The team also found associations with medication use, with a particularly strong link with drugs for psychiatric problems.

However, they acknowledged it was impossible to tell whether this was a result of the medication itself or the genetic traits which may be shared between autism and conditions requiring such treatment.

Researchers said the key challenge was to work out how genetics and the environment interacted with each other to produce autism.

“The rising prevalence, coupled with the severe emotional and financial impact on the families, underscores the need for large, prospective, population-based studies with the goal of elucidating the modifiable risk factors, particularly those during the prenatal period,” wrote lead author Hannah Gardner.

“Future investigations of prenatal exposures should also collect DNA to study potential gene-environment interactions.”

Richard Mills of Research Autism said such reviews of existing studies were “very useful indeed”.

“Age is a very interesting line of inquiry, but it is very hard to tease out one clear factor. It is like trying to complete a huge jigsaw puzzle – we still just don’t know how all the pieces fit together.”

A girl, thought to be six years old, has died at Birmingham Children’s Hospital after contracting swine flu.

NHS West Midlands said the girl, who had other serious health problems, died on Friday evening. It is not known if flu contributed to her death.

It was initially reported she was nine years old. Her death is the third swine-flu related fatality in the UK.

The other two deaths were in Scotland. There have been 1,604 extra confirmed cases in England since Friday.

The total number of cases in England has reached 4,968 with the UK’s total now rising to 5,937.

‘Hygiene procedures’

The Health Protection Agency confirmed 588 new cases of swine flu in the West Midlands region on Monday, taking the total number of cases in the region to 2,104.

The youngster who died is believed to have been a pupil at a special school in Birmingham which caters for children with learning difficulties.

Dr Helen Carter, consultant in public health for NHS West Midlands, said: “Our thoughts are with the family of the patient at this very sad time.

“The family have asked for the patient’s identity to be kept private and we will not be releasing any further details.

“It is important to remember that our experience here has been that the vast majority of cases with swine flu are mild.”

Health Secretary Andy Burnham said: “Tragic as today’s death is, I would like to emphasise that, across England, the majority of swine flu cases have not been severe.

“I would reiterate that the risk to the general public remains low and we can all play our part in slowing the spread of the virus by following simple hygiene procedures.”

Asked if he feared more West Midlands deaths, Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: “(We) thought there would be a few more than this with the numbers of cases that we’ve got.

“Actually, it’s a surprise that more people haven’t died in a way because you’d expect more from seasonal flu.

“More people will die from the heat in the next few days if we’re not careful than they will from flu.”

Last week health officials in the West Midlands and London said swine flu cases would be clinically diagnosed, rather than being confirmed by laboratory results.

The new policy means swabbing will take place only for a small number of cases to keep track of the strength of the virus.

Containment phase

Doctors will also use the drug Tamiflu more selectively, targeting only people with symptoms.

Chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson stressed that many parts of the UK were still in the containment phase.

But he warned there could be “tens of thousands of cases” of swine flu each week by the autumn because the virus was more likely to thrive in the colder months.

Dr Hamish Meldrum, head of the British Medical Association (BMA), said on Monday the public could rely on doctors to “step up to the mark” as swine flu spreads.

Some 366 retired GPs have joined a BMA register, saying they are willing to treat patients if the flu pandemic reaches crisis point.

In Denmark, health officials confirmed they observed a case of resistance to Tamiflu in a patient with swine flu.

The State Serum Institute, which aims to prevent and control infectious diseases, said: “The person is well now and no further contagion with the resistant virus has been detected.”

A store manager yesterday denied intimidating a disabled employee at a branch of clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch. Riam Dean, born with part of her left arm missing, said she was given permission to wear a cardigan to cover her prosthetic limb, but was later removed from the shopfloor because it did not adhere to the firm’s dress code. Maria Barbera, the store manager at the store in Savile Row, London, denied being aggressive towards Dean and the firm’s lawyer said Dean had exaggerated events. Dean’s lawyer said she had suffered harassment. The tribunal reserved judgment until July 8.

The new gene linked to autism gives hope for the future

Abnormalities in a gene important for learning and memory have been identified as a cause of autism, according to medical researchers.

The University of Aberdeen findings could hold the key to the future development of new treatments.

Researchers said it was another step forward in understanding the disorder.

It has been estimated that about 50,000 people in Scotland have the condition which affects how a person communicates and relates to others.

Rare chromosomes

In a study published in the Journal of Medical Genetics, the scientists explained how their investigations into the gene EIF4E began with the study of one child with severe autism.

The boy attended Aberdeen Royal Infirmary’s Genetics Clinic where he was found to have a rare re-arrangement of chromosomes.

Using state-of-the-art genetic mapping techniques, researchers went on to discover that the re-arrangement had disrupted the EIF4E gene.

We are very excited to have made the link between autism and a gene that is already known to play a key role in memory and learning Dr Zosia Miedzybrodzka University of Aberdeen

The team then looked in more detail at the make-up of EIF4E in 120 other families with autism.

They found that four children from two families also had abnormalities in this gene.

Dr Zosia Miedzybrodka, reader in medical genetics, said:”Our discovery is particularly important because several genetic signalling pathways, already known to cause autism, are channelled through this gene.

“Our finding paves the way for development of new treatments for this common and upsetting condition.”

The parents of the child with the rare re-arrangement of chromosomes, who wish to remain anonymous, said: “The team have done a brilliant job and we are delighted that the work that started with our son brings such hope for the future”.

The research was funded by the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office, NHS Grampian, University of Aberdeen and an anonymous donation to the University’s Development Trust.