The latest figures on the number of fines issued to parents who have taken their children out of school for term-time holidays have rocketed.

The figures reveal a 93 per cent increase in the number of penalty notices issued to parents, with almost 223,000 issued in 2017/18.

With the summer months rapidly approaching, homeowners are being warned to make sure they know the rules before making major changes to their properties.

One particular headline-grabbing case saw David Matthews, who owns a property in Dorset, prosecuted for cutting down 11 trees that were subject to a Tree Preservation Order requiring the local authority to give consent before pruning or removing the trees.

The Government has announced new safeguards for Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs).

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has set out a strategy to protect vulnerable people who have set up LPAs.

The Government has announced a raft of new measures designed to support victims of domestic abuse.

The consultation document proposing the changes went live earlier this month, and will close after 12 weeks.

The increase in the number of wills being challenged in the High Court is being blamed on the increasing number of DIY wills.

The High Court heard 368 cases about disputed wills last year, up from 282 in 2017, and 227 the year before that.

According to the latest industry research, people would rather buy or rent a house where a murder has previously taken place than one with signs of damp, cracks in the walls or a shared garden.

Surprisingly, only 58 per cent of people would be put off by a house which had previously seen a murder take place and 44 per cent of people would turn down a property with reports of paranormal activity. However, these people did expect the asking price to be lowered by around a third to accommodate these issues.