It’s reported one customer lost almost £100,000 after asking the company to stop sending promotions.

The regulator says the owner of Ladbrokes and Coral betting stores also didn’t make sufficient checks to prevent money laundering.

The parent company, GVC, admits the compliance failures were unacceptable, and insists it has made changes.

Christian charity CARE has long campaigned on the issue of problem gambling and for more safeguarding in the industry.

CARE’s Communications Manager, James Mildred said: “Gambling harm effects at least hundreds of thousands of people every day.

“Problem gambling is linked to family and relationship breakdown, job losses and in extreme cases, to suicide as well.

“But the gambling industry continues to exploit problem gamblers and it has a long history of systematic failure when it comes to acting responsibly towards excessive gambling.”

Calling for further action, he said: “The failure of one of the UK’s biggest gambling firms to protect vulnerable customers is a shocking reminder of how much still needs to be done to hold the gambling industry to account.

“Sadly, I don’t think this is an isolated incident.

“It is absolutely right that Ladbrokes Coral is fined, but that being said, £5.9m is loose change to a major bookie and so it remains to be seen whether lessons will in fact be learned.”

Earlier this year a number of Christian…

Rev Matt Ineson was abused when he was 16 by Rev Trevor Devamanikkam, who took his own life the day before his trial.

At the Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) regarding the Church of England, Mr Ineson gave his testimony and detailed how those he had told about the abuse failed to handle his claims properly.

He also said in the inquiry that archbishops Justin Welby and John Sentamu were “not fit for office”. 

Talking separately about a time he was ignored, he recalled when he told a member of the clergy about his abuse, saying: “he said ‘I’m sorry, I’ve got a meeting to go to, I’ve got a meeting to go to’, and couldn’t get off the phone quick enough.”

In a statement, he explained that his reasons for not participating in the Church’s internal review were because he believes “the entire process seems to have been constructed so as to avoid proper scrutiny”, adding “the so-called ‘core group’ set up by the church to investigate what happened consists only of representatives of the bishops against whom I had complained, together with communications professionals from the church”.

He listed that the “independent reviewer” proposed by the Church is a contracted employee of the Church, something he says is “clearly unacceptable, but appears to be a growing pattern”.

In response, a spokesperson for the Church’s National Safeguarding Team said: “The Church is…

Following talks with the PM, Sinn Fein insisted that a no-deal exit would be “a very dangerous course” of action for the people of Ireland.

Party leader Mary Lou McDonald criticised Mr Johnson’s impartiality on the issue of the Northern Ireland backstop – after he had a private dinner with the DUP leader Arlene Foster on Tuesday evening.

Ms McDonald said: “Boris Johnson’s first priority coming to Ireland is his interests, Tory interests, British interests as he sees them and it seems to me that he is quite complacent at the idea of Ireland becoming collateral damage.”

The DUP is currently helping to prop up the Tory government in parliament and their MP Jim Shannon told Premier’s News Hour Mr Johnson was not being unfair: “He has made it his business to speak to every political party in Northern Ireland, he is genuinely seeking out their opinions so that he himself will be better versed in what the critical and crucial issues are in Northern Ireland.”

Jim Shannon is certain that Mr Johnson’s strong leadership style will be beneficial for EU negotiations and the future of Northern Ireland.

“I have confidence in the prime minister, that he will have the ability first of all, the interest number two, and perhaps maybe that wee bit of charisma that’s needed from a prime minister.

“Let’s give the prime minister a chance to negotiate a withdrawal agreement from the EU…

Named after chef Claudia Lawrence (pictured below), who vanished without a trace a decade ago, Claudia’s Law came into force on Wednesday.

Police believe the 35-year-old from York – who has not been seen since March 18 2009 – was murdered but her body has never been found.

Her father Peter Lawrence, a churchgoer from York, said “several hundred families” were “queuing up” to make use of the legislation known as the Guardianship (Missing Person’s) Act 2017.

Under the law, families can apply to the High Court for guardianship of the affairs of a missing person after they have disappeared for 90 days or longer.

It will mean they can handle everyday financial matters such as making mortgage payments and suspending direct debits for bills.

Operated by the Office of the Public Guardian, families will be able to make use of the scheme for up to four years before having the option of renewing the legal status.

Previously, families could only take over the financial affairs of a missing person if they were declared dead.

Mr Lawrence, who has campaigned for change ever since his daughter’s disappearance and was made an OBE for his efforts, said: “It’s taken an awful long time but the important thing is it’s now here.

“When people are at their lowest emotional ebb, they suddenly find that they can’t deal with all these financial…