Romanian gang stripped lead from rural churches leaving communities facing £2million repair bill

A prolific gang stripped the lead from dozens of rural churches across England causing utter devastation to village communities, a court was told today.  Police swooped on the Romanian men, who were all living in the West Midlands, after the targeted churches were left with repair bills collectively totalling more than £2million.  Among those counties … Read more

House prices of £2million properties in rural areas rise by the fastest rate in a decade

House prices of £2million properties in rural areas have risen by the fastest rate in a decade as wealthy people in cities hunt for countryside retreats across the UK. Homes in the southwest, the Cotswolds and Scotland were most popular as well as luxury properties in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Norfolk.  While countryside homes like … Read more

Which rural and coastal areas have seen a surge in property interest in 2020?

The rural and coastal areas that with the biggest surge in annual online property viewings have been revealed, with the Somerset village where TV’s Sarah Beeny has created her new life in the country topping the list. Bruton in Somerset leads the way, with a 72 per cent increase in buyer searches, according to the … Read more

Rural areas ‘could miss out on 5G’

Rural areas ‘could miss out on 5G’: Plans for technology rollout could create ‘not-spots’ with no coverage, MPs are warned Rural areas face being left behind as 5G technology is introduced in the country Calls for more to be done to ‘ensure that rural areas do not get left behind’ Government’s target to deliver nationwide … Read more

Chris Whitty warns of looming health crisis over rural elderly who risk missing out on NHS care 

Chris Whitty warns of looming health crisis over rural elderly who risk missing out on NHS care Chief medical officer Professor Chris Witter has issued a dire warning to elderly Those suffering from serious illness could be left behind with no access to NHS This will happen unless urgent action is taken, he said, to … Read more

Ministers ‘will split’ rural areas from urban hotspots in tier review

Ministers ‘will split’ low-infection rural areas from nearby urban hotspots in tier review tomorrow to avoid massive Tory revolt as Sadiq Khan warns moving London into tier 3 will be ‘catastrophic for our businesses’ The Government will carry out its first formal review of the tier system tomorrow Ministers have raised prospect of ‘decoupling’ rural … Read more

Hopes rural areas will be ‘decoupled’ from neighbouring Covid hotspots dashed by Matt Hancock

Hopes that rural areas will be ‘decoupled’ from neighbouring Covid hotspots in high tiers are dashed as Matt Hancock warns move would trigger infections spike Local MPs had hoped they would be ‘decoupled’ from neighbouring hotspots  However, Matt Hancock has warned move could lead to rural areas ‘catching up’  Review of tiers to take place … Read more

Covid UK: Countryside rents up as people flee cities for rural areas

Rental prices in the countryside are continuing to surge as more city-dwellers flee to rural areas across the UK amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a survey carried out by Zoopla, the real estate company found that interest for rental properties in Mole Valley in Surrey had increased by 74 per cent while Elmbridge, also in … Read more

Golden ‘master’ monolith appears in rural Colombia

‘One monolith to rule them all’: Golden tower appears in Colombia with locals asking if it ‘controls’ structures in US, Romania and Isle of Wight – as ANOTHER is found in Holland Gold monolith has been discovered this weekend in Chia in rural Colombia A community called ‘The Most Famous Artist’ has since claimed credit … Read more

Coronavrius lockdown England: Fury in rural Kent as county in Tier 3

Towns and villages across Britain were furious tonight after Boris Johnson confirmed all but three places in England will be plunged into the toughest brackets despite many of the local cases being in small urban hotspots in the same authority areas.       The move prompted fury from rural areas in Kent, which was placed under the … Read more