A gospel church has been fined after neighbours complained about its services being too noisy.

A gospel church was fined after nearby residents complained about its services being too noisy, it has been revealed today.

The intrinsic value of ordinary countryside will continue to be recognised in the new “streamlined” planning system, the Government announced today in a concession to countryside campaigners.

Going green never quite loses its capacity to surprise. Things that once seemed obvious turn out not to be. Once, we took it for granted that nuclear power was an environmental disaster story. Once, we thought windmills were a picturesque feature of a fairy-tale Middle Ages. Once, we thought British politics would never be the same because the Green Party won 15 per cent of the vote in the European Parliament elections of 1989.

They were idealistic once, but now Caroline Lucas's party is running into the familiar problems of politicians in power. Matt Chorley reports ahead of their spring conference

Lawns, patios and even trees – nearly everything in your backyard comes at a carbon price

It's time to get familiar with light emitting diodes (LEDs) because, according to the Energy Saving Trust, LED technology is going to dominate the lights we use at home by 2015.Following a field trial of the technology at the end of last year, James Russill, EST's technical development manager, said: "LED is one of those rare technologies that performs better than the lighting system it is replacing but at the same time uses less energy."

Our new-style night at the opera took place in a cinema with five-star comfort, drinks being brought as we lounged on our sofas.

An MPs' inquiry into protecting the Arctic from exploitation through oil and gas drilling has been launched.

After a campaign spearheaded by a direct descendant of the poet Dante Alighieri, a Venice court has refused planning permission to a cement company that wants to build a waste recycling plant in the heart of the Valpolicella wine region in northeast Italy.

How can I cut my heating bills?

Tom Greatrex, the shadow energy minister, is demanding a full government investigation into controversial “fracking” technology used to dislodge natural gas trapped in rocks after a new report linked the practice to water pollution for the first time.