The professor said: "Urgent consideration needs to be given to the possibility of cross-infection in the abattoirs that handle both the slaughter of animals for food and the culling of cattle over 30 months that may be incubating BSE."He told the Foundation for Science and Technology in a lecture that the risk was "theoretical". But he added that unconfirmed research indicated prions could survive standard sterilisation. "We need to establish conclusively that work surfaces and equipment in abattoirs are not contaminated after cleaning and sterilisation procedures." Since publication of the American research, there have been further studies, but the Royal Society said it was unaware of research into the implications for the dual use of abattoirs. There are 21 abattoirs out of 394 involved in the culling programme. Of these, 13 are devoted to the scheme.The remaining eight are used for culling on certain days and provide meat for human consumption the rest of the time.The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said there were at present no dual-use abattoirs in operation. They were suspended on 23 February because of foot-and-mouth restrictions. Sir John Krebs, the FSA's chairman, said: "There are strict rules to prevent cross contamination but these now need to be re-examined."The Royal Society's report also warns of a possible risk of BSE infection from the leakage of 430,000 tons of meat and bone-meal and 200,000 tons of tallow stored in the UK after the BSE cattle cull.

Professor Heap said the Government should consider using meat-eating bacteria to eliminate the material. An alternative means of disposal would be incineration at high temperatures without air, using the by-products to generate electricity.. An influx of moneyed urbanites has already earned it the title of Hampstead-on-Sea but now the Suffolk resort of Southwold is grappling with a new side-effect of affluence ­ a rise in beach hut tax. An influx of moneyed urbanites has already earned it the title of Hampstead-on-Sea but now the Suffolk resort of Southwold is grappling with a new side-effect of affluence ­ a rise in beach hut tax. Owners of the 248 brightly painted sheds along the town's well-heeled seafront warned of their staunch opposition yesterday after the local authority signalled it was considering a rise in the annual rates.Huts in prime locations on the promenade of the genteel resort, where celebrities including Rowan Atkinson and Michael Palin have weekend retreats, now cost from £15,000 to £25,000.The steep prices, which do not even entitle the owners to sleep in their huts (a practice forbidden by local by-laws), follow a property boom fuelled by Southwold's popularity among wealthy Londoners.New money has spawned gastro-pubs offering London menus at London prices and has boosted demand for huts. It was only a matter of time before the local authority, prompted by one urban myth of a hut being sold for £40,000, took action.Waveney District Council announced last week that it was concerned by the Great Hut Rush and was considering a review of the annual ground rent and rates of £180 to £250.A council spokesman said: "We are hearing stories that beach huts are changing hands for a lot of money and it is only right that we investigate whether an appropriate charge is being made at present."Pressure on housing in the town, where earlier this year a modest town centre property went on the market for £500,000, has led to at least two applications to build new huts on the promenade.The local authority has told owners that its charges represent only a small proportion of what they would be legally entitled to charge and the rates would increase considerably if they were to reflect reality.But the Southwold Beach Hut Association warned of a rebellion among its members if spiralling demand for the 12ft by 8ft sheds was used as an excuse to raise taxation.Dr Slim Dinsdale, chairman of the association, said: "Most of the huts are owned by local people, many of them elderly, who could not afford a large increase It would be passionately opposed.". A girl of nine died on a school sailing trip because of "awful" weather, inadequate super- vision and a leaking boat, an inquest was told yesterday.

Elizabeth Bee drowned 18 months ago after a boat she was in with her twin sister, seven other children and a teacher capsized and threw them into Portsmouth Harbour. A girl of nine died on a school sailing trip because of "awful" weather, inadequate super- vision and a leaking boat, an inquest was told yesterday. Elizabeth Bee drowned 18 months ago after a boat she was in with her twin sister, seven other children and a teacher capsized and threw them into Portsmouth Harbour. Yesterday Portsmouth coroner's court was told that the group's leader, a 64-year-old science teacher, overruled concerns about sailing conditions that day.Paul Dove insisted on taking out the group, from The Boundary Oak School in Fareham, Hampshire, on their first sailing trip in September 1999 on a smaller vessel because a rigid inflatable boat at the Royal Navy's Sailing Centre on Whale Island failed to start.Mr Dove did not want the group to be restricted to rigging exercises on land so insisted they used a 14ft dory, a flat-bottomed motor-boat, in high winds, despite warnings from a colleague, Hanna Burman.Detective Inspector Derek Stone of Hampshire police said Miss Burman "did not want the children to go sailing that afternoon" and she was "personally unhappy" with the adult supervision after two parent helpers failed to turn up.All the pupils had lifejackets and had been given a safety briefing, but four boys leant over the bow of the 14-year-old boat, allowing water in over the sides, one boy fell overboard and another was stung by a jellyfish caught by Mr Dove.The boat, which was not fitted with an emergency radio, stalled twice and in the second attempt to restart the motor it capsized, throwing the passengers into sheltered waters next to HMS Bristol.Then, Mr Dove, who "was not a strong swimmer and could just hold his own treading water", failed to take a head count. He learnt of Elizabeth's disappearance only when her sister, Victoria, shouted her name and heard no reply. The missing girl was found under the capsized hull and given first aid but died in hospital.Investigators from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said the hull was not watertight and water had seeped in, weighing it down and making it unstable.The inquest was also told Mr Dove was an experienced sailor with a yacht master's ocean certificate. But he was not trained to the standard expected by the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority and the school was not bound by Hampshire County Council's guidance on hazardous pursuits.As an independent school, Boundary Oak is regulated only by a common-law duty of care and health and safety requirements.The inquest is expected to last four days.. A man with a distinctive, star-shaped scar on his cheek was revealed yesterday as the prime suspect in the murder of a popular, homosexual parish priest found dead at his London home last week.

A man with a distinctive, star-shaped scar on his cheek was revealed yesterday as the prime suspect in the murder of a popular, homosexual parish priest found dead at his London home last week. The man, who is white and has a shaven head, is wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of the Rev David Paget, 46, who was discovered stabbed to death in Fulham, south-west London, a week ago today.Detective Superintendent Lewis Benjamin, of the serious crime group west, who is leading the inquiry, said: "[The suspect] has a pierced right eyebrow and a vertical silver bar running through it His face is covered with a lot of scars. One scar is particularly distinctive and looks like an asterisk or a star on his left cheek."The slim-built suspect is in his late twenties or early thirties and is about 5ft 7in to 5ft 10in. He has brown eyes, according to a witness who helped detectives to produce an E-fit picture released yesterday by Scotland Yard.Supt Benjamin said: "We do not know how he got these scars, whether they are acne scars or from an injury This suspect at the moment is our main suspect. It is possible he knew the [clergyman] but we do not know."The man was seen in the vicinity of the nearby Queens Club tennis complex on Tuesday evening last week.

Mr Paget was murdered some time between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.Mr Benjamin said that a carving knife ­ between six and 10in long ­ had been recovered and was "possibly" the murder weapon, but would not say where it had been found. He said that officers investigating the killing had found a lot of evidence.Police who contacted gay websites with an appeal to try to track down people who may have known Mr Paget had received a very positive response from the gay community, Supt Benjamin added.Mr Paget, who was educated at Oxford University, had been the vicar at St Andrew's Fulham, for 12 years. He had been known to invite people with problems into his home if they knocked on his door, and it is thought that he may have known his killer.His body was found after he failed to turn up for a 10.30am Eucharist service. His front door was open and there were no signs of a break-in. Parishioners said Mr Paget had become a familiar figure in the area and was often seen walking his dog.