Morning briefing Wednesday 31st December

0:00This episode of the Times Radio News Briefing is sponsored by PwCWC. Staying competitive means getting ahead, not just keeping up. So how do business leaders cut through the noise and focus on what really matters. PwC takes you further with tech, from optimising the systems that put your data to work, to scaling AI from proof of concept to competitive edge. PwC helps you meet tomorrow's tech demands, so you can compete at a speed that rewrites the rules. Discover more at pwc.co.uk This is the Times' Morning Briefing on Wednesday 31st December. Gas boiler owners may face a green levy to subsidise heat pump users as part of a£15 billion plan set to be unveiled by Ed Miliband in the new year.

0:47The Energy Secretary is looking to launch a warm homes plan in the next few weeks after months of wrangling with the Treasury. Miliband wants to encourage more households to install heat pumps by artificially pushing down electricity bills by potentially adding a£30 levy on gas bills. However, Labour's biggest green donor has described a government push for zero-bill homes a silly concept and called for poorer households to be singled out for support. After a day of major delays, Eurostar passengers will be hoping to make it to their destinations after the Channel Tunnel was closed earlier, although passengers are being warned that there's still the possibility of severe delays and last-minute cancellations due to ongoing issues caused by electricity supply problems and a broken-down train.

1:34Broadcaster Vincent McAvenny spoke to some passengers who were on the broken down train and told us that customer services let them down. They'd been told that meeting them off the train would be customer service advisors to help them either rebook or to help them find accommodation for the night or anything. They said that when they did get off the train at St Pancras, they were simply met by police officers who told them they needed to leave the station immediately because they needed to stop the build-up of people in the station. Three men have been arrested after a pedestrian was killed after being hit by a car and then carried on top of it in Kent.

2:10Police say the man in his 80s was struck by a grey Mercedes estate in Gillingham. Officers think he could have been hit about a mile away from where he was found. A GP was suspended for five months after booking fictitious end-of-day appointments to ensure she could pick up her children by 6pm. Dr. Helen Eisenhower admitted to scheduling face-to-face slots for patients she'd already consulted by phone to prevent any last-minute bookings. She told a medical tribunal she was thoroughly ashamed of her actions, which she blamed on the pressure of balancing parenthood with her professional life. Thieves have stolen tens of millions of euros worth of property from a bank vault in Germany.

2:48Detectives believe a large drill was used to break through the wall, and it could be one of the largest heists in the country's history. Investigators fear the theft could be worth anywhere between£9 and£79 million. New Year's Eve revellers have been told to wear extra layers when they head out to watch fireworks displays across the country as chilly temperatures are forecast. For Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh, there'll be wind gusts of up to 25 to 30 miles an hour and a chance of showers and hail. In London, where tens of thousands will flock to the banks of the Thames to watch the mayor's annual fireworks display, the temperature will be just above freezing when Big Ben strikes midnight.

3:27There's more on these stories throughout the day on Times Radio.

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