People who abuse animals could now face up to five years in prison after the government introduced new sentencing rules yesterday.
Tougher prison sentences for animal cruelty are set to come into force this summer after the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill was passed into law on Thursday, meaning that the maximum prison sentence for people who abuse animals will be raised from six months to five years from 29 June 2021.
The new maximum penalty will enable courts to take a firmer approach to cases such as dog fighting, abuse of puppies and kittens, illegally cropping a dog’s ears and gross neglect of farm animals, and as well as a prison sentence – with the more stringent sentences set to be some of the toughest in Europe – offenders can also receive an unlimited fine.
The government said in a statement yesterday that the act will help ensure courts are able to enforce extended penalties for those who cruelly mistreat any animal, sending a clear message that “animal cruelty will not be tolerated”.
The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act is set to cover both England and Wales.
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❗ 🙌 Huge mews! 🐾⚖ Today the House of Lords completed the Third and Final Reading for #AnimalCrueltySentencing and the Bill is now set to become law, after years of campaigning! It should reach Royal Assent this week – paws crossed, everyone 🤞 #AnimalsDeserveJusticepic.twitter.com/neYxoubs4j
— RSPCA (England & Wales) (@RSPCA_official) April 28, 2021
Over the last three years, the RSPCA has secured 4,103 convictions in the courts in England and Wales and 156 individuals received immediate prison terms.
Speaking on the passing of the new bill, Chris Sherwood – Chief Executive at RSPCA – said: “This act is a huge step forward for animal welfare in the UK and we’re delighted that justice will now be served for animals.
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“Tougher sentences will act as a stronger deterrent to potential animal abusers and will help us in our aim to cancel out animal cruelty once and for all”.
— RSPCA (England & Wales) (@RSPCA_official) April 29, 2021
He added: “This reform is long overdue.
“For many years, the most violent and horrific abuse and cruelty received a maximum penalty of just a few months [so] we’re proud to have some of the best standards of animal welfare in the world, but custodial sentences have long been letting us down.
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“Every year, our officers are faced with cases of the most unimaginable cruelty – animals beaten, stabbed, shot and burned, unwanted or elderly pets being drowned, wild animals shot with crossbows or set on fire, gangs forcing cockerels to fight to the death and breeders cutting off puppies’ ears to make them look tough.
“Since the bill was introduced, animals have been starved, shot, stabbed, beaten to death and drowned [but] at least now, in those cases that leave us heartbroken, our courts will be able to hand out sentences that truly reflect the severity of the crimes”.
My Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act is now law! Those who are cruel to animals can now go to prison for five years. We did it! #AnimalsDeserveJustice
‘Danger to life’ amber wind warning issued for Greater Manchester as Storm Éowyn arrives
Emily Sergeant
Storm Éowyn is expected to bring very strong winds and widespread disruption to Greater Manchester later this week.
In case you hadn’t heard, the Met Office named Storm Éowyn yesterday, and confirmed that it will begin to influence the UK’s weather from early on Friday – with strengthening winds initially expected in the south west first, accompanying heavy rainfall, before it quickly spreads to the north and the rest of the UK as the morning progresses.
An amber warning for wind has been issued for large parts of the UK, including the majority of Greater Manchester, for most of the day on Friday.
#StormÉowyn has been named and is forecast to bring strong winds to much of the UK on Friday and into Saturday.
Coming into effect from 6am this Friday (24 January), the weather warning his means that power cuts are likely to occur, transport services will be affected with delays and cancellations, and there is a chance that buildings could be damaged.
Worse than that though, there’s even a ‘danger to life’ too, with potential injuries occurring from flying debris.
Speaking ahead of Storm Éowyn’s arrival in a couple of days time, Mike Silverstone, who is the Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Storm Éowyn will bring a period of very unsettled, potentially disruptive, weather to the UK through Friday and into Saturday.
Warnings for strong winds, heavy rain and snow are in place across many parts of the UK during Thursday, Friday and into the weekend ⚠️
“The strongest gusts are likely to be felt across parts of Northern Ireland, northern England, northwestern Wales and western Scotland, where exposed sites could get gusts in excess of 80mph, which has the potential to cause impacts for those in these areas.
“There will also be some heavy rain, bringing some unpleasant conditions to end the week.”
The initial warning for Storm Éowyn has been issued several days in advance, so it’s important to stay up to date with the forecast on the Met Office website here in the coming days.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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The 2025/26 Premiership Women’s Rugby season has been delayed
Danny Jones
The next Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) season has been officially delayed by nearly three weeks.
Announced on Tuesday, 21 January, the decision has been taken in an effort to help promote the Women’s Rugby World Cup (WRWC), the proximity of which is rather close to the national union championship competition.
With sporting bodies also trying to nurture a growing interest in female rugby, the start of the next PWR season will be pushed back not only to give players more time to rest but in an effort to drive a larger audience to the WRWC as well, the final of which is being played here in England.
The hope is that it will also better the Red Roses’ chances of winning the international tournament in turn – fingers firmly crossed.
Get excited 🤩
The PWR 2025-26 Season will officially kick off on Saturday 25th October PLUS the PWR Cup will return 🙌
The conclusion of the international tournament is taking place at Twickenham Stadium in London on 27 September, just days before the 2025/26 Premiership season was due to start.
Local side Sale Sharks are sadly at the bottom of the table this current campaign, which kicked off on 5 October 2024 and ends this March, but with eyes already on the WRWC the focus for lots of players in the division will no doubt already be shifting.
Not only is the domestic women’s rugby season being delayed by nearly three whole weeks – meaning the first games won’t happen until 25 October – but this comes after the current schedule of fixtures was also reduced with player recovery in mind ahead of the World Cup.
Speaking to BBC Sport, the PWR’s operations manager, Amy Walmsley, said: “The Rugby World Cup is a generational moment for women’s rugby and will create a huge opportunity for both PWR and our clubs to grow and celebrate with their fans.
“The optimum time between the Rugby World Cup Final and our first league match will ensure we capitalise on what we already know will be the biggest and best World Cup ever, while also ensuring player welfare with adequate rest across the season.”
The stats back it up too as 2024 saw numerous milestones for the women’s game; in addition to record crowds at the Olympics, last year’s Guinness Women’s Six Nations was the most viewed on record with 8.1 million fans tuning in, not to mention an increased interest among 18-24-year-olds.
You can find the run-down of the Sale Sharks Women fixtures below:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗜𝗻
All of our fixtures for the 24/25 season are locked in. Let's bring that Northern roar to every game #SharksFamily 🦈
As for the final of the Premiership Women’s Rugby, the date has been reverted to its usual window in June, which should also fit within what congestion remains.
Nevertheless, with the Women’s Six Nations in late April and England – who have won all but one of their last 51 games – set to begin their World Cup on 22 August, the margins are still going to be somewhat fine if they are to head into the tournament in the best shape possible.
With the tickets selling extremely well, the expectation is that the Rugby World Cup final break is set to break the world record for the best-attended women’s rugby fixture in history.
In the meantime, Greater Manchester is gearing up for the men’s action as the Six Nations gets underway at the end of this month and the city is boasting the perfect place to watch it.
Emily Sergeant -
30th April 2021 
