The Home Office has mistakenly informed around 100 EU nationals that they are to be deported from the UK.

The letter told the recipients that a decision had been taken to remove them from the UK under immigration laws

And it warned them that they would be  'liable to be detained' for failing to provide evidence that they are entitled to be in the UK.

The Home Office said the letter has been sent 'in error' they are 'urgently' looking into the issue.

The letter, which was signed by UK Visas and Immigration, states:  'A decision has been taken to remove you from the United Kingdom in accordance with section 10 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.'

It says the person is entitled to appeal the decision, but adds: 'Your are therefore a person who is liable to be detained under paragraph 16 of Schedule 2 of the Immigration Act 1971.'

Finnish academic Dr Eva Johanna Holmberg, who is based at Queen Mary University in London, received the letter telling her she had just one month to lave the UK. 

She told the : 'It makes you feel like you are being treated like a common criminal. 'Even if I were a criminal there are certain requirements that should be met before you are deported.

'How can an EU National be deported from the UK? There is free movement of people.

'I am a historian - I believe in the strength of paperwork and I like security and thought this of paper would be a way to show that.

'It turns out it has spiralled into some Kafkaesque nightmare.

'It is just unbelievable. All for a piece of paper I don't even need. It would be funny if it were not so draining and stressful.' 

Yvette Cooper, chairwoman of the Home Affairs Select Committee said: 'This is disgraceful - and will have caused huge anxiety and distress for families who suddenly fear being split up even though they are fully entitled to be here.

'We cannot afford for the Home Office to make mistakes like this.

'Ministers will need to set out how many other errors have been made, and what is being done to remedy them. I am very concerned about the Home Office's capacity and capability to deal with changing arrangements for EU citizens.

'The Home Affairs Select Committee will be taking evidence on this when Parliament returns.

Students are being urged to get themselves vaccinated to protect against meningitis before starting university amid 'rapid increases' of cases of the deadly bug on campuses.

Meningitis or meningococcal is an infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. 

Health leaders in the UK are encouraging soon-to-be university students to get vaccinated to protect against a deadlier strain of meningitis known as group W meningococcal disease (Men W). This strain can cause meningitis and septicaemia. 

Several adults with Men W have had mainly gastrointestinal symptoms but without the typical rash that most people associate with meningitis.

As as a result, they have progressed rapidly to death.  

Cases of meningitis and blood poisoning caused by the highly virulent strain of Men W bacteria increased from 22 cases in England in 2009/10 to 210 in 2015/16. 

Meningococcal in general has spread across the world - with five cases reported in just one week in New South Wales, Australia, in 2016.

The alarm was raised by NSW Health after 39 cases of the invasive disease and four deaths were recorded last year – compared to 27 cases and zero deaths in 2015.   

Between March 2013 and February 2016 there were outbreaks on five US campuses. Older teenagers and university students are encouraged to get the vaccine to protect themselves against the deadly bacteria.

This group is thought to be at a higher risk of infection because they mix closely with lots of new people - some of whom may unknowingly carry the meningococcal bacteria at the back of their noses and throats. 

Public Health England (PHE) said cases of meningitis and septicaemia caused by the aggressive meningococcal W strain are still rising.

While more than two million eligible young people have received the MenACWY vaccine, some remain unvaccinated, PHE added.

It warned Men W is one of the most aggressive and life-threatening forms of meningococcal disease and can be fatal.

Many survivors are left with life-changing disabilities, including brain damage and loss of limbs.

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE said: 'The MenACWY vaccination programme will save lives and prevent lifelong and devastating disability. 'We urge anyone who is eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

'Remain vigilant and seek urgent medical help if you or someone you know may be showing signs of infection.'

Earlier this month, a student who left one of her lectures early with a sore throat ended up fighting for her life after being diagnosed with meningitis.

Charlotte Hannibal, 21, from Nottingham, had both of her legs amputated as her body was ravaged by the deadly infection.

The business student at Nottingham Trent University also lost most of her left hand and the finger tips on her right from the Men W strain.

She said: 'I left one of my lectures early with a sore throat, headache and tiredness; similar to having a bad hangover. 

'But 48 hours after my first symptoms, I was in hospital and doctors realised my body was shutting down. I spent three months in hospital. 

Two infamous city gangs have been banned from making You tube rap videos about shooting each other in a landmark ruling made today.

Britain's biggest ever gang injunction will hit 18 members of bitter rivals the 'Burger Bar Boys' and the 'Johnson Crew' - 12 of whom are already in jail for violence and drugs offences.

The men, all aged between 19 and 29, are banned from YouTube and have been barred from large areas of Birmingham and must also stay apart in prison.

It includes Reial Phillips, Ashai Gray and Ishmail Lee who are all in jail for their part in a gangland turf war which saw eight people shot in just over a year.

Phillips was sentenced to 27 years last year for shooting Johnson Crew rivals and dealing Class A drugs while he 'gloried in the shootings' by posting his own rap videos online to 'ramp up tension between the two gangs. Both groups took their names after their regular meeting spots, the Burger Bar on Soho Road and Johnson's café on Heathfield Road in Lozells.

But in the 1990s they fell into a turf war as they started dealing drugs and brought extreme gang violence to the city for the first time since the now world-famous Peaky Blinders battled with the Sloggers in late 19th and early 20th century.

The rivalry between the 'Burger Bar Boys' and the 'Johnson Crew' culminated in the shooting dead of innocent friends Letisha Shakespeare, 17 and 18-year-old Charlene Ellis during crossfire at a New Year's Eve party in 2003 in a crime that shocked Britain.

Both gangs took their names after their regular meeting spots, the Burger Bar on Soho Road and Johnson's café on Heathfield Road in Lozells and brought severe gang violence to the city for the first time since the now world-famous Peaky Blinders from the later 19th and early 20th century. 

After today's court orders mean the 18 men will be barred from mixing with each other inside and outside prison after West Midlands Police and council chiefs secured the biggest gang injunction ever issued in the UK.

The gang members face up to two years behind bars if they are caught flouting the restrictions secured by police and the city council. 

The orders, aimed at disrupting gun and drug crime, will include restrictions on the cars the men can drive and even the mobile phones they can use.

They are also banned from making music videos that 'have the effect of promoting gang-related violence or drug dealing'.

Twelve of the gang members are currently in prison. 

The gang injunctions were first applied in response to dozens of shootings that first gripped the city in 2015 and continued into 2016.

The court action was launched by West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council in a joint attempt to crackdown on gang members.

The men, all aged between 19 and 29, are now banned from associating with each other and entering certain areas of Birmingham, including the city centre, Handsworth, Newtown, Winson Green, Lozells and the Jewellery Quarter. Tesfa Bernard Wheeler, 21, was hit with a civil injunction, which includes the same terms as the gang injunction.

Today police officers were out in force this morning to serve the orders on some of the men.

Others were issued on men who are already in prison, serving lengthy sentences for other criminal offences.

The orders include a power of arrest, meaning the gang members face up to two years behind bars if they are caught flouting the restrictions.

The order means they can no longer make music videos promoting violence or crime - as carried out by rapper Reial Phillips before he was jailed.

Detective Sergeant Ian Comfort, from the Force CID Prevent Team, said: 'We set out to disrupt and curtail gang activity following around 20 firearm offences involving Birmingham gangs during the summer of 2015 and into the start of 2016.

'We secured interim injunctions to reduce the violence and ensure the community had on-going respite from the incidents. We also dealt swiftly with a number of subsequent breaches.

'This is relatively new legislation and we believe that securing final full injunctions on such a large number of gang members is a UK first.

'The injunctions are applied for in the civil court in addition to sentences handed out by the criminal court for offences. They are an additional measure to help control the offenders and keep the community safe.

'We have been working closely with Birmingham City Council and other agencies to secure these injunctions and we will continue to work with these men if they wish to turn their back on a gang lifestyle.

A gang is accused of raping and sexually abusing vulnerable girls as young as 13 after plying them with alcohol and drugs.  

Six 'naive' victims were lured to parties at houses and flats, where they were expected to carry out sexual favours and services in return, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Soran Azizi, Palla Pour, Ribas Asad, Saman Obaid and Heiman Mohammed, all from Newcastle, are alleged to have committed a string of sex crimes including rape, paying for the sexual services of a child and trafficking. The men, who spoke through interpreters, denied all 31 of the charges against them at a hearing today.

Some of the sexual acts were carried out by the victims consensually, because they were 'in thrall' to their abusers, in return for 'rewards' of drink and drugs, the jury was told.

But prosecutor Anne Richardson said the victims were 'forced' at other times or were so intoxicated they were unable to consent to what happened to them.

Miss Richardson claimed the women and girls were treated as 'commodities', passed around various men and sometimes believed they were in relationships with their abusers. She told jurors: 'The case involves allegations of sexual exploitation and trafficking of young women and girls in the Newcastle Upon Tyne area of the North East of England.

'The alleged offences occurred over a number of years, namely between 2007 and 2014 and those who makes these allegations are, for the most part, immature and vulnerable people.

'It is the Crown's case that these personality traits were exploited by the defendants and that each of the young women were lured to various houses and flats where drugs and/or alcohol were made freely available to them.

'It is perhaps easy to make assumptions about the complainants based on their relative youth and their somewhat unusual lifestyles.

'But in due course, when you have heard all the evidence, you may consider that they were young, naive women, who were in the thrall to and under the control of these, for the most part, older and more worldly wise defendants.

'It is not always apparent to someone that what they are engaged in is in fact abusive and the law exists to protect those who cannot or do not want to protect themselves. 'In return, the Crown would say, these complainants were expected and encouraged to provide sexual favours and services, not because they wanted to do so, or through their own free and unencumbered will, but because they were beholden and in thrall to these men.' 

Azizi, 28, from Newcastle, denies charges of rape, sexual activity with a child and trafficking within the UK for sexual exploitation. Pour, 25, from Newcastle, denies offences of sexual activity with a child, paying for the sexual services of a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, supplying controlled drug to another and permitting his premises to be used for the supply of drugs.

Asad, 29, from Newcastle, denies sexual assault, paying for the sexual services of a child, conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the prostitution of a child, supplying a controlled drug, causing a child to engage in sexual activity and sexual activity with a child.

Mohammed, 26, from Newcastle, denies charges of sexual activity with a child, paying for the sexual services of a child and supplying a controlled drug.

Humans drilling for oil and gas are to blame for rocketing levels of the greenhouse gas methane in our atmosphere, experts have warned.

New research found that Earth's last bout of global warming which occurred at the end of the last ice age 11,500 years ago, did not lead to a spike in methane levels.

Instead, the likely source of rising levels of atmospheric methane was from tropical wetlands, the authors of the new study say.

The study points to humans triggering the recent rise in methane in our atmosphere, rather than the gas escaping from Earth's permafrost as it is melted by climate change. Atmospheric methane has increased from 750 parts per billion in the year 1750 to more than 1,800 parts per billion today - mostly from human sources.

Fossil fuel production, the creation of rice paddies, and cattle ranching are the main offenders, the researchers say. The study suggests that human emissions of geologic methane may be as much as 25 per cent higher than previous estimates.

Although not abundant as carbon dioxide, methane is a much more powerful greenhouse gas, and so the rising levels are an important contributor to global warming.

Study coauthor Professor Edward Brook, from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, said: 'All of the natural gas that we mine is very old and leaking inevitably occurs during that process.

'Natural gas is considered a cleaner energy source than coal, but it can be a significant problem depending on how much of the methane is leaking out.'

Human methane emissions are the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide.

But there has been uncertainty as to the source of that methane and whether it has changed over time.

Professor Brook said: 'Our findings show that natural geologic emissions of methane - for example, leakage from oil seeps or gas deposits in the ground - are much smaller than previously thought.

Apple will unveil the eagerly anticipated iPhone 8 at a special event on 12th September, it has been claimed.

The event is also expected to see the launch of an iPhone 7s and 7s Plus, a new version of the apple watch and a new 4K Apple TV.

It could also become the first event to take place at the Steve Job Theater at Apple's new 'Spaceship' HQ, according to rumours. The dates come from information given to phone carriers, according to mac4ever which says 'Several testimonies corroborate our sources today' 

It comes as leaked images appear to show parts taken from the upcoming iPhone 8 in unprecedented detail.

The images, posted to Twitter by leaker Benjamin Geskin, claim to show the iPhone 8's OLED display cover and a variety of cables, including for the Lightning port.

One of the photos, originally found on Chinese social media site Weibo, shows the iPhone 8s' display compared to that of the iPhone 7. With less than a month to go until the handset is expected to be officially launched, Apple's flagship smartphone is now reportedly in mass production.

Rumours have followed the device since its announcement but leaks of images of components have stepped up their pace since production began.

Apple is anticipated to unveil the iPhone 8 alongside the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus in September. 

The iPhone 8 is expected to come with a 5.8-inch display, but the lack of bezels surrounding it means that the full case appears to be only slightly bit bigger than the 4.7-inches of the iPhone 7. 

In the months leading up to the official unveiling of Apple's next smartphone, rumours have been rapidly circulating online about its expected design, specifications and features. 

Many have come from physical accessories and components reportedly for the handset, as with this latest leak, A case for the iPhone 8 revealed what appears to be the best peek at the much-anticipated handset yet. 

The render of the case shows a 'notch' design with no home button, which lines up with all the information leaked about the device so far.

The latest in a string of leaked images comes from a case maker, who often get an early look at devices in order to have cases ready at the time of launch.

The leaked render comes courtesy of well-known Apple leaker Evan Blass, who shared it on Twitter.

Mark Gurman, another well-known Apple insider, replied saying the image above represents 'a good look at the notch' of the iPhone 8.

As The verge pointed out, it appears the case is an Urban Armor Gear design, which sells the exact same model for the iPhone 7 series.

A distraught Uber driver washed his genitals with a bottle of water after a passenger he tried to rape said she had HIV to stop him attacking her.

Suleiman Abdirizak, 42, 'freaked out' when the woman told him she was infected with the disease and doused his penis with water from a squash bottle, it is claimed.

He was so upset his victim had to comfort him and reassure him he would not contract the virus, Snaresbrook Crown Court was told.

Abdirizak is alleged to have raped the woman as he drove her home from a night out in Hoxton, east London 

Prosecutor Sarah Morris said the victim had been out of a meal and drink at Hoxton Bar and Grill on November 10 last year and felt unwell after drinking a bottle of wine.

She ordered an Uber and Abdirizak picked her up but took her on the wrong route home, jurors heard.

He suggested she cancel an Uber pool request, where passengers ride together for a cheaper rate, so that she was his only customer.

He then made some 'fairly inappropriate' comments to his passenger, Miss Morris said. During the journey Abdirizak turned off into a dead end in Stepney, and pulled up as the woman slept to fondle her thigh.

Miss Morris said: 'He got into the back and put his penis into her mouth.

'He said: "I'll only drive you if you suck my d***".

'She told him a lie, she told him she had HIV to keep him away from her.

'He immediately left her alone and rinsed out his mouth and penis with water.

'She started comforting him and reassured him that she could not get it by touching. 'She told her flatmate about what had just happened when she got home and he telephoned the police.

'The journey should have taken about 20 minutes. They were in that cab for 43 minutes.

'His telephone shows that for nine minutes they were in fact in Buckle Street.

'That's where the rape took place.'

Abdirizak said it was the woman who told him to stop the car because she was going to be sick.

'He said she got into the front seat next to him, getting close to him, asking what perfume he was wearing.

'He said it was her idea that they should go somewhere more private to be sick.

'He knew she was drunk, he described her as "annoying".

In her police interview the woman said she was 'scared inside' as she told the driver she had HIV.

She said: 'I remember the car stopped and by the time I woke up I could feel him touching the side of my leg.

'I said ''what are you doing?'' He said: "You a pretty girl, you must get that a lot".

'He got off his seat and then came to the back and by the time he came to the back he had already got his penis out.

'I said ''stay away from me.'' 

She added: 'I don't know how I thought of this idea to lie to him, I said I have an illness and you don't want to sleep with me.

'He thought it was an STD or something, I told him I have HIV and have had it for five years.