[unable to retrieve full-text content]Remit letter from the Minister of State for Prisons and Probation to the Chair of the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB).

Pet owners are being encouraged to check the latest government advice about travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland or the European Union with their pets at the end of the transition period.

The government has worked alongside the European Commission to ensure pet travel can continue between Great Britain and the EU and Northern Ireland at the end of the transition period.

From 1 January 2021 onwards, the UK will have Part 2 listed status under the EU Pet Travel Scheme, meaning that people travelling from GB with their pets and assistance dogs will need to follow new requirements in order to travel to the EU and Northern Ireland.

Before taking their dog, cat or ferret to the EU for the first time after 1 January 2021, pet owners must complete the following steps. The only new requirement for travel to the EU is the use of a certificate, rather than a pet passport:

• Ensure their dog, cat or ferret is microchipped.
• Ensure that their dog, cat or ferret is vaccinated against rabies – pets must be at least 12 weeks old before they can be vaccinated.
• Wait 21 days after the primary vaccination before travel
• Dogs must be treated against tapeworm 24-120 hours before landing, if they are travelling to a tapeworm free country.
• Visit their vet to get an animal health certificate (AHC) for their pet, no more than 10 days before travel to the EU.

Pets and assistance dogs will also need to enter the EU through a travellers’ point of entry (TPE), which includes all the major French ports such as Calais, Caen and Dunkirk.

All of these requirements will also apply for movements of pets and assistance dogs from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. However recognising that these changes will take time to adjust to, the UK Government is working with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland on an enforcement approach that takes this challenge into account. This approach will be implemented in a way which supports pet owners and assistance dog users while the Government pursues a permanent solution.

There will be no change to the current health preparations or documents for pets entering Great Britain from the EU or Northern Ireland from 1 January 2021.

Christine Middlemiss, UK Chief Veterinary Officer, said:

We have been granted ‘Part 2’ listed third country status by the EU which will ensure that travelling with your pet continues from 1 January onwards.

Your vet will be able to advise what you need to do in order to obtain the correct documentation to travel and you can find the latest pet travel advice on gov.uk or by searching ‘pet travel’.

Updated guidance on pet travel has been available since November 2018, ensuring that owners will be ready for any future scenario, so many pet owners will already be familiar with that they need to do.

The UK government is continuing to press the European Commission to secure Part 1 listed status. The UK has one of the most rigorous pet checking regimes in Europe and currently meets all the requirements for Part 1 listed status under the EU Pet Travel Scheme.

The latest advice for pet owners seeking to travel to the EU after 1 January 2021 can be found here.

• Passengers should always check the rules of the country they are travelling to for any additional restrictions or requirements before they travel.
• For information on commercial imports and exports of dogs, cats and ferrets to the EU – please refer to the Border Operating Model
• There will be no changes or new requirements on movements from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.
• There will be no changes to the current health preparations or documents for pets entering Great Britain from the EU in the immediate term, as the disease risks remains unchanged.
• There are no restrictions on bringing pet rodents, rabbits, birds, invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles to the UK from EU countries.
• Contact the Centre for International Trade (Carlisle) for more information on the rules for travelling with other species of pet.

When white road markings are removed, for example when road layouts change, the original lines can sometimes still appear as faint or ‘ghost’ markings, particularly in bright sunshine.

This can make the road ahead unclear for drivers. But, as this new footage shows, huge progress is being made in a trial on the M5 in the South West to eradicate the problem.

Making ‘’ghost markings’ vanish

Last year Highways England launched a £685,000 international research project to find a solution to issues around the removal of white lines and of ‘ghost markings’.

The competition set out to identify the most effective road markings that will also reduce damage to the surface when the lines are removed.

Seven new products are being tested to check their skid resistance and performance in the dry and wet as well as five systems for removing white lines to see if they are more effective.

Head of Lean and continuous improvement Martin Bolt, who has been overseeing the competition for Highways England, said:

The trial will continue until April but the results so far have been very promising and the safety benefits are already clear. We are very optimistic that we have identified some effective solutions to a worldwide problem.

We know that people find the ghost lines confusing but these new methods could make this issue disappear, creating safer journeys for drivers. They will also prevent damage to the road surface saving time and money.

We have certainly gaining a greater insight into the materials and processes we, and the road industry, could be using in future schemes.

One approach used in the trial has been to apply a black baseline first before adding the white line. This also fills in some of the voids in the road preventing the marking penetrating too deeply into the surface.

Another advantage is that it provides greater contrast between the marking and the road itself which will be increasingly important as autonomous vehicles are introduced.

Products from around the world were submitted for the competition. At a testing centre in the Spanish capital Madrid, the markings were then subjected to some two million ‘wheel overs’ to find the top products for skid resistance and performance.

The best seven were then also put to the test on the northbound carriageway of the M5, between junctions 20 (Clevedon, Nailsea) and 18 (Avonmouth).

Once testing is complete, the most successful products will be highlighted in research shared around the world and setting new high standards for the road industry.

The competition, launched in conjunction with Roadcare and Kier, was funded through Highways England’s Designated Fund for Innovation.

Keith Dawson, managing director of Roadcare, said:

It is refreshing to see such collaboration across a wide range of countries, All competitors should be congratulated for the attitude they have shown throughout this competition in sharing knowledge and best practice, from which we have gained an enormous amount of data based on facts not opinions.

Tom Tideswell, head of innovations at Kier Highways, said:

Ghost markings are confusing to road users which can lead to poor lane discipline through no fault of their own and, in worst case scenarios, cause incidents to occur.

During the trials, the five innovative road markings removal systems demonstrated their capabilities and have since provided very positive results which could lead to eradicating this issue and create safer journeys for road users.

They will also reduce the scarring/pothole creation by being less intrusive to the carriageway which in turn improves journey reliability by reducing the amount of closures required to carry out repairs in addition to saving money.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.