Adams invitation sparked fury in UK

OFFICIAL FILES: The decision of then-US president Bill Clinton to allow Gerry Adams into America in 1994 was met with fury from the British Government, newly released official files have revealed.

EXTREMES FROM Arctic temperatures to a sizzling heatwave resulted in a rollercoaster year for the UK’s wildlife, the National Trust has said.

From a prolonged, harsh end to the winter, which saw the “Beast from the East” sweep in with snow and freezing temperatures, to a scorching summer, the UK faced “astonishing” changes to the weather.

Wildlife reacted in dramatic ways, with some species enjoying record years and other struggling with the unusual conditions, the Trust said in its annual review of the weather and its impact on nature.

While it was a good year for species including the large blue butterfly, at one time extinct in the UK, and grey seals breeding on the east coast, in other places creatures such as natterjack toads and Cheddar Gorge’s feral goats suffered.

Dr David Bullock said: “This year’s unusual weather does give some indication of how climate change could look and feel, irrespective of whether this year’s was linked to climate change. It’s becoming less predictable every year to gauge what sort of weather we are likely to experience, and what this means for our wildlife.”

For only the fourth time since the 1960s, the whole of the UK experienced a more “traditional” winter with widespread snow in January, February and March. And while the weather brought a bumper year for many fruits, as well as for fungi, it also encouraged the spread of pests such as box moth and oak processionary moth.