Prestatyn girl born with half a heart battles back from 14 operations

Chloe Evans and mum Leanne Haniewicz

A BRAVE little girl who was born with only half a heart kept a smile on her face during a painful series of 14 operations.

Chloe Evans, aged four, was diagnosed with a catalogue of heart defects after her birth.

 In the run up to Christmas the plucky youngster underwent vital surgery at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital to improve the quality of blood flow to the youngster’s heart.

Volcanic Ash on Snowdon... all the way from Iceland

CCW volunteer Alex McGregor collects grass for sampling at the CCW monitoring station above Llyn Llydaw, opposite the summit of Snowdon

ASH still falling from the Icelandic volcano which caused flight chaos for thousands is being tested on Snowdonia.

Scientists are collecting samples of grass and rain at a monitoring station on Snowdon to study the environmental impact of the ash cloud.

Dylan Lloyd, Environmental Surveillance Officer for the Countryside Council of Wales (CCW), said: “Early indications are there have been no dramatic changes as a result of the volcano’s eruption. But the results from our samples, and those from other stations, are still being analysed by Defra and we await the final results.”

BP protesters picket Tate party

Protesters have picketed an art world party as they called on Tate bosses to cut their ties with sponsor BP over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

A group of artists under the name The Good Crude Britannia was voicing its concerns as Tate Britain held its summer party.

The event was organised jointly to launch a major new display by artist Fiona Banner and 20 years of support by BP.

Figures such as playwright Caryl Churchill, cartoonist Martin Rowson and comedian and writer Rob Newman are among dozens of figures who have put their names to a letter protesting about the association.

They claimed the "BP logo represents a stain on Tate's international reputation".

Gunman held following armed siege

A man has been arrested after a siege at a bank.

A suspected gunman took a number of hostages in the incident at Barclays Bank in Church Road, Ashford, west London. Some three hours after the incident began, a man in his 30s was arrested, Surrey Police said.

Surrey Police confirmed that the siege had come to an end and one man had been arrested.

Superintendent Duncan Greenhalgh said: "Shortly before 4pm, Surrey Police received reports that a man with a firearm had entered Barclays Bank in Church Road, Ashford.

"A number of people were inside the bank at the time and being prevented from leaving.