A brood of balding ex-battery hens have had pullovers made for them as protection from the elements.

Knitters from Thirsk Yarn Bombers were recruited to fashion the woolly winter warmers for the three rescued birds.
The plucky chickens are not used to the outdoors and their previous living conditions caused them to shed their feathers, staff at Thirsk Birds of Prey Centre said.
It is hoped the hens will re-grow a full plumage in about 10 weeks.
Ms Badgery, who owns the centre, took the hens on as pets from the re-homing charity British Hen Welfare Trust.
She said the woolly jumpers protect the birds from winter weather as well as aggression from other chickens.
"They are used to being in a controlled, warm climate with no natural light - not cold weather," Ms Badgery said.
"When it comes to introducing them to other hens there can be aggression, plucking feathers and damaging them, and I don't want that to happen."
The birds were rescued on Sunday and Ms Badgery made a Twitter appeal for woolly jumpers on Monday.
"The response was fantastic," she said. "I have to thank Thirsk Yarn Bombers for their immediate knitting skills!"
The jumpers will only be worn outside and when the hens are introduced to her other pet chickens.
Yarn bombing, also known as guerrilla knitting, is a type of street art using knitted or crocheted items.


Hundreds of troops are searching for Palestinians who shot dead an Israeli couple as they drove in the West Bank with their four children, Israel says.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed "to capture the murderers" who killed Rabbi Eitam and Naama Henkin on Thursday night.
The killings were praised by the Palestinian Hamas movement in Gaza.
It comes amid a period of tension between Israel and the Palestinians, which has seen clashes in Jerusalem.
Mr Netanyahu blamed the killings on what he called "savage Palestinian incitement".
The Henkins, who were in their 30s, were buried in Jerusalem on Friday.
Thousands of mourners, including the Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, attended the funeral.
The couple, who came from the Jewish settlement of Neria, were shot dead as they drove between the settlements of Itamar and Elon in the north of the occupied territory.
Their four children, aged between four months and nine years, witnessed the killings and were treated for shock.
Israel deployed four additional battalions to the West Bank in the wake of the killings to beef up security forces there and help search for the attackers.
There has been a recent flare-up in tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, with violent confrontations between security forces and Palestinian youths in a compound holy to both Jews and Muslims in East Jerusalem.
Earlier this week, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told the UN General Assembly that Israel risked creating "an explosive situation" in Jerusalem and the West Bank with its use of "brutal force".
In his address to the UN chamber on Thursday, Mr Netanyahu called on Mr Abbas to "stop spreading lies" about Israel and return to peace talks.


Sierra Leone football looks set for a new start after years of problems and infighting within its governing body.

An extraordinary congress in Freetown on Thursday ended with Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) president Isha Johansen and her biggest critics embracing and shaking hands to pave the way for a fresh beginning for football in the country.
One of the major reasons for the tension between aggrieved stakeholders and the SLFA executive committee was the setting up of an appropriate body to investigate match-fixing allegations.
It's a good day. Football is bigger than us. What I want is a genuine and lasting peace
This has now been resolved with the formation of an ethics body - a first for Sierra Leone football.
It will be one of the association's judicial bodies and will investigate four Sierra Leone internationals, referees and administrators accused of match-fixing by the SLFA.
The convening of the first congress under the current SLFA administration came about after Sierra Leone's president Ernest Bai Koroma gave the SLFA an ultimatum to solve their internal dispute on or before March 31, 2017.
It was also in line with a peace road map set out by Fifa secretary general Fatma Samoura (pictured below) when she visited Freetown last November.
"I'm extremely happy. It's the start of a good working relationship between us and the stakeholders," said Johansen.
"It's a good day. Football is bigger than us. What I want is a genuine and lasting peace."
The extraordinary general assembly also paved the way for nine out of 14 Premier League teams to put an end to a breakaway league to participate in the country's top tier league which will commence soon.
At the end of the congress Johansen said: "I'm pleased to announce that we are ready to play football everywhere in Sierra Leone at all levels."
She also stated that the SLFA would provide almost $29,000 for the commencement of the Premier League and it would also provide financial supports to other domestic competitions including the female national league.
Leader of the stakeholders, Idrissa Tarawalley, who doubles as secretary general of a Premier League club Ports Authority FC, is delighted about the truce and the decision for the Premier league to start soon.
"We are happy that there is now peace as a result of a successful extraordinary congress. This is what we've been yearning for. We only hope that it'll be a sincere and lasting peace," said Tarawalley.
"We look forward to further discussions with the FA on how to move things forward.
"I'm also delighted that the beneficiaries - the footballers - will now have a chance to ply their trade as we have agreed that the Premier League will start soon.
"For far too long we've deprived our footballers from playing. We can no longer afford to deprive them" Tarawalley added.
The Sierra Leone Sports minister Ahmed Khanou, who co-chaired the congress as moral guarantor of the peace process, is also buoyed by the mood of optimism.
"I'm happy about the outcome of the congress and be assured that I'm committed to getting lasting peace, " said Khanou.
"The consultations will continue and I'm happy everybody is now on board to play football everywhere in the country."


A Northern Ireland woman's personal collection of more than 25,000 rare books is being sold at the biggest auction of its type in 30 years.

The private library was amassed by Mary Colette McAlister who died last year.
After her death, her house was sold and her book collection was transported to Matthews Auction Rooms in County Meath.
Auctioneer Damien Matthews told the Irish Times: "She didn't buy rubbish. The majority are first editions; serious books by serious authors."
The late Ms McAlister, who was from Bangor in County Down, managed to fund her "extraordinary" library by living an otherwise very "frugal" life.
The Irish Times reported that she was "happy to live on toast and margarine if it meant she could add to her collection of beloved books".
Ms McAlister was in her 80s when she died and the auctioneer told the paper it took six men almost a week to clear the books from the vicarage she called home.
Mr Matthews commissioned a carpenter to build bespoke shelves at the Duke Brothers building on Market Street, Kells, and then began the daunting task of cataloguing the many thousands of volumes.
Ms McAlister's library was opened for public viewing earlier this week and are now being sold in a two-day auction which began at noon on Saturday.
The lots going under the hammer include an early edition of Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species' but many focus on Irish history.
There is a large book detailing the opening of the Stormont parliament in 1921 and a signed copy of SeÃ¡n Mac Bride's Nobel Prize speech.
Mac Bride, a founding member of Amnesty International, was the son of one of the executed leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising and Maud Gonne - a political activist and long time muse of the poet, WB Yeats.
Another lot, Mr Keeling's Five Years in Russia, once belonged to another Irish republican rebel - Constance Markievicz - and bears her signature.
Other rare items include a copy of a 1777 survey of Irish road maps and a History of the Irish Parliament 1692 to 1800, which the auction house described as a "major reference resource for all aspects of 18th Century Ireland".
There are also several bound volumes of the Ulster Journal of Archaeology Belfast 1895 and a first edition of James Connolly's book, Labour in Irish History.
Ms McAlister had also purchased a volume on the book trade and records of Irish book auctions - suggesting that she was well aware of the value of her collection.
However, many of the books have been placed for auction without a reserve price.
"It's all to be cleared," Mr Matthews told the Irish Times.
"It doesn't matter if it's signed by Yeats or whoever else, I'm here to sell."


Thames Valley Police's specialist search and recovery team will be axed in the latest round of cuts.

The team's work includes missing person searches on land and underwater.
Police and Crime Commissioner Anthony Stansfeld said he regretted the move to axe the team, formed in 1956, "very much indeed".
The force, which wants to save £43m over three years, said it would use other police forces' teams or the military instead.
A Thames Valley Police spokeswoman said the force could use private companies if those options were not available.
Of the need for savings she said: "This sadly means we have to consider how we are structured and make any changes we feel necessary."
Mr Stansfeld said of the team: "It has been I think a very valuable part of our police force."
He said the force had already made savings of £58m and he had concerns about the plan to save a further £45m.
"It's not going to be easy," he said.
"It is going to be fewer police officers and fewer backroom people, but I never underestimate that if you reduce the overall number by the significant number we have, it is going to be more difficult to police effectively."
The development follows an announcement on Thursday that 147 officer posts would be lost as part of Thames Valley Police's savings drive.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "There is no question police still have the resources to do their important work and police-recorded crime is down 31% in Thames Valley since 2010.
"Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary recently rated Thames Valley as 'good' overall in terms of providing value for money and 'outstanding' for taking the necessary steps to ensure a secure financial position for the short and long term."


Stephanie Beacham is to play Princess Margaret in a new play inspired by real events.

The production, set in Kensington Palace in 1993, sees Margaret going through bags of royal correspondence with the intention of burning them.
When an ex-gangster arrives, the Queen's sister has the choice "to make or break her family yet again".
A Princess Undone, by Richard Stirling, will have its world premiere at Cambridge Arts Theatre on 19 October.
Directed by Matthew Gould, it will feature Beacham in an exact copy of Princess Margaret's Poltimore tiara - worn by the princess on her wedding day.
"She was Diana before Diana, and it must have been difficult," Beacham told the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye. "It's always difficult being second fiddle."
Princess Margaret died in 2002.
Beacham's television work includes The Colbys, Dynasty, Bad Girls and Coronation Street. More recently she has appeared in Trollied and Boomers.
The cast also includes Emmerdale and Waterloo Road actor Jason Merrells as ex-gangster John Bindon.
The play will tour in November to the Devonshire Park Theatre in Eastbourne and Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud Theatre.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


Police in the Russian capital Moscow have arrested a woman on suspicion of murdering a child after she was found apparently carrying a severed head.

The woman, believed to be the victim's nanny, is suspected of killing the child before setting fire to its parents' apartment.
CCTV appears to show the woman, dressed in a hijab, walking near a metro station with a head in her hands.
A police officer then intercepts her and wrestles her to the ground.
The suspect has been placed in psychiatric care to determine whether she is capable of understanding her actions, the Moscow Investigative Committee said in a statement (in Russian).
A criminal investigation was launched after the discovery of the remains of a child aged three to four, whose body bore traces of a violent death, in a charred flat on Narodnoye Opolcheniye Street in north-western Moscow, it added.
"According to preliminary information, the child's nanny, a citizen of one of the Central Asian states born in 1977, waited for the parents and elder child to leave the flat and then, for reasons not established, murdered the infant, set fire to the flat and left the scene," it added in the statement.
Police sources told Russian news agencies that the victim had been decapitated and the head removed from the scene by the nanny.
The suspect has been named by Russian media as Gyulchekhra Bobokulova, from the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan.
Russia's tabloid news website Life News, which specialises in crime coverage, reports that the victim was a little girl.
According to Life News, a policeman asked to see her identity documents outside Oktyabrskoye Polye metro station, at which point she pulled the head of the child out of a bag and began screaming that she would blow herself up.
No traces of explosives were found on the suspect after her arrest, the site adds.
Amateur video posted online shows a black-clad woman, apparently the suspect, outside a metro station shouting the Islamic phrase "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great).
"I am a terrorist," she cries. "I am your death."
Russian journalist Polina Nikolskaya witnessed the incident. She told Reuters:  "I was on my way to the metro station from home. She was standing near the metro entrance and caught my attention because she was screaming Allahu Akbar.
"I saw that she had a bloodied head in her arms but I thought it was not real. People in the crowd said it was real."
Other witnesses says the woman walked up and down outside the metro station for some 20 minutes, shouting and brandishing the head.
The phrase "Allahu Akbar" has been trending on Russian social media, in a country with a recent history of violent Islamist militancy.
In 2010, a twin bombing by women suicide attackers on the Moscow metro killed at least 38 people while in 2011, a bomb at Domodedovo airport killed 37 people.
Islamist groups from restive parts of Russia's North Caucasus region such as Dagestan and Chechnya have been behind most of the attacks.
Uzbekistan, which like other Central Asian states has a Muslim majority, has long supplied migrant labour for the Russian capital.


Concerns are growing for former England footballer Paul Gascoigne who has been struggling with an addiction to alcohol.

The 45-year-old was shaking and slurred his words on stage at a charity event in Northampton on Thursday and his agent, Terry Baker, says he now fears for Gascoigne's life.
Alex Best, widow of football legend and recovering alcoholic George Best who died in 2005, is also concerned.
She told The Sun newspaper: "Seeing Gazza in such a bad way brings back the most horrible memories of George when he was in the grip of the drink that eventually killed him.
"It's heartbreaking to see Paul so deeply gripped by his addiction again."
NHS figures suggest nine in every 100 men and four in every 100 women show signs of alcohol dependence.
Drinking alcohol becomes a focus in daily life, meaning the person no longer has control over their drinking and depends on it to get through the day.
You don't necessarily have to be rolling around drunk to have a dependency on alcohol - people may be able to hold down a career and drink in a way that is damaging.
Dependency mean you are physically and psychologically tied to booze - you feel compelled to drink and this takes its toll on your physical and emotional health.
Julie Rogers has been working in the addiction field for 12 years, helping people who are hooked on alcohol.
Ms Rogers, who works with the charity Foundation 66, says problem drinking is a complex and incredibly difficult behaviour to break. No two people are the same and there is no single approach that is guaranteed to work.
"Alcohol addiction does not have any boundaries. It affects all types of people alike. It doesn't matter if you are wealthy or poor.
"And there are so many different reasons why people drink. But the thing they do have in common is that, for them, alcohol has become more than just a drink.
"It becomes something that you need to do to cope and get through. That's when it becomes a problem."
For some, the trigger is stress or anxiety - a demanding job or a traumatic divorce, for example.
She said for others it is a learned behaviour - something they have been exposed to during their childhood and have grown up to follow the same path.
Genetics can also make some people susceptible, experts suspect.
Regardless of the cause, the first step to tackling addiction is the same.
Ms Rogers said: "Recognising you have a problem and then seeking help is the first step.
"It sounds simple but, in reality it's not. It can be hard to admit you have a problem and actually do something about it."
The former Newcastle, Tottenham and Lazio player has tried hard to fight his addiction, spending repeated spells in rehab over the last decade.
Gazza's drinking problems started during his playing days.
In 1998, shortly after his divorce from wife Sheryl, he was admitted to the The Priory Hospital in Marchwood, near Southampton, to receive treatment for stress and drink problems.
In 2001, whilst playing at Everton, Gascoigne admitted himself to an alcohol rehabilitation clinic in Arizona on the insistence of his then manager Walter Smith.
Four years after retiring, in 2008, he was arrested in Newcastle and detained under the Mental Health Act and was later sectioned following reports that he was acting strangely in Hemel Hempstead.
More recently he has been treated at The Priory again and the Providence Projects treatment centre in Bournemouth.
Ms Rogers says relapses are incredibly common, and they shouldn't be seen as a failure.
"It's important that we do not judge relapse because that just compounds the shame and guilt people feel about it.
I took my first drink in my early teens. There were consequences from my drinking from the beginning, very small at first: arguing with friends, turning up late for social appointments, losing keys, urinating in alleyways, and general behaviours I would not engage in when I wasn't drinking. As I reached my 20s I had destroyed a marriage by now, and I was well on that alcoholic slippery downhill slope. I was starting to lose jobs as I could not be trusted to turn up for work. Into my 30s, my drinking very subtly but progressively got worse; the dry spells between my binges got shorter and shorter. I had started too waken up in strange places and also in A&E hospitals and couldn't remember how I got there. The last 10 years of my drinking, I had tried many avenues of escape in order to stop drinking completely and failed every single time. At 40 years old I was truly beaten by alcohol. I had heard and of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and had visited AA meetings in the past but nothing else, I would visit and then leave and eventually always drink again. I did not know what it was to be an alcoholic, and I had not fully admitted to myself that I was an alcoholic. Now, through AA's 12-step recovery programme, I have a productive, contented life with complete abstinence from alcohol.
"Relapse can be part of recovery. That's when they really learn to move on. I've worked with people who have relapsed 20 or 30 times and have got there in the end.
"Even if it is your thousandth relapse, it can still be the last. It's important not to give up."
She said in order to break the cycle some people need to hit a critical point where it's "stop drinking or die".
But for others, abstinence is never an option.
Instead, they might work towards curbing their intake, even if it means they are still drinking far too much for good health.
"Some people reduce the harm rather than stop drinking.
"Some relapse every few months but still lead a fulfilling life. Even if you get a month of sobriety at least it's a month."
She said there is plenty of help available to anyone struggling to keep their drinking under control.
"Your first port of call should be your GP who can direct you to your local alcohol services."
Support may include home-based and community detoxification programmes, counselling and group work.
Friends and family also have a role to play.
Friend and former England player Alan Shearer has said: "It won't be easy, but he [Gazza] needs to dig deep and find the energy and the will to do it.
"What he needs to know most of all is that he is loved."


Gregor Townsend says Finn Russell is expected to make a full recovery from the "very bad" head injury sustained in Glasgow Warriors' Pro12 semi-final defeat by Connacht in May.

The Warriors head coach told BBC Scotland that the fly-half, 23, should be back training later this month.
"He sees a lot of specialists every week and they've been really pleased by how he's progressing," said Townsend.
"He was in yesterday and he's taking things step-by-step."
However, Townsend cannot at this stage of the rehabilitation put a date on the Scotland cap's return to action.
"We don't expect Finn to be back in training for another few weeks," Townsend said.
"He's in great spirits, we expect him to make a full recovery and we'll see him back playing sometime next season."
There had been concerns over whether Russell would be able to return to competitive rugby, such was the severity of the injury.
He was carried off on a stretcher early in last month's defeat by eventual tournament winners Connacht.
And Russell, capped 19 times by Scotland, will miss the national team's summer tour to Japan.
"We've got doctors who've been involved in sport for a number of years who haven't seen such a clash of heads," Townsend said.
"But it's testament to the work of our staff, those of Connacht and the medical staff in Ireland who helped us out for the first few days, that he has made a full recovery.
"I'm sure he'll be itching to play again very soon."


The new transport secretary, Chris Grayling, says he does not intend to scrap the high-speed HS2 rail project.

The initial plan is for a new line from London to Birmingham, with later extensions to Manchester and Leeds.
The Stop HS2 campaign group had called on Mr Grayling to urgently review the project on cost grounds, and the effect on towns and cities near the route.
But Mr Grayling told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend: "I have no plans to back away from the HS2 project."
After Mr Grayling's remarks, Stop HS2 campaign manager Joe Rukin told the BBC the transport secretary's comments were "hardly a ringing endorsement" of the project.
The new transport secretary also said he wanted to reach a quick decision on where a new runway should be built to meet growing demand for air travel to and from London.
On rail, Mr Grayling told the BBC: "The thing that's important for people to understand is that HS2 is not simply a speed project, it's a capacity project.
"We have lines at the moment which have seen huge increases in the number of passengers, the amount of freight in recent years."
He said the West Coast main line was becoming "really congested" and was limiting the capacity of services to places such as Northampton and Milton Keynes.
Mr Grayling added: "Of course it makes sense if we're going to build a new railway line for it to be a fast railway line, to increase travel times or reduce travel times from north to south - that's logical.
"But actually we need a better transport system for the 21st century and HS2 is part of increasing the capacity of our transport system."
On flight capacity for the South East, the Airports Commission published a report last year that said a new runway was needed by 2030, and recommending that Heathrow's plan for a third runway should go ahead.
An alternative option would be to build a second runway at Gatwick - an idea supported by London's mayor, Sadiq Khan.  Another suggestion has been doubling an existing runway at Heathrow.
Mr Grayling said: "I am very clear that I want to move rapidly with a decision on what happens on airport capacity. It is a decision that will be taken collectively by the government.
"We have a quasi-judicial role so I'm not going to say today whether I prefer Gatwick or Heathrow, there's two options at Heathrow. I'm going to look at this very carefully in the coming weeks."
MPs are due to vote on the first phase of the HS2 project later this year. Their approval of the bill should allow construction to start on the London to Birmingham section.
The company building the line, HS2 Ltd, is also set to hand out Â£11bn worth of contracts in the coming months.
Last week Stop HS2 called on the government of new Prime Minister Theresa May to undertake a fresh review of the rail project, saying a failure to do so would be "irresponsible".
Mr Rukin, the pressure group's campaign manager, said the project had failed a recent Department for Transport review, on the issues of both costs and the scheduling of work.
That was one reason why HS2 should not be allowed to commence with its tendering processes, he argued.


Three teenagers have been charged with the murder of a 20-year-old man who was stabbed to death in east London.

Syed Jamanoor Islam died in hospital after an attack in Wager Street, Mile End, on 11 April.
Three youths, aged 18, 17 and 15, have been charged with murder. They are due to appear at Bromley Magistrates' Court later.
Mr Islam was one of three people stabbed to death in little more than 24 hours in attacks in London.


There is more food for thought for the DUP on the front page of The News Letter as Ian Paisley delivers his opinions on the way forward for the party.

The North Antrim MP says he believes a new skill set is needed to deal with the current issues facing Northern Ireland and that the menu could do with "perhaps a bit of humble pie being served up and eaten".
He says he thinks DUP leader Arlene Foster has a "strong support base" but that she has to "answer some very tough questions".
Mrs Foster makes a plea for unionist unity in the Belfast Telegraph as both her and Sinn FÃ©in's Michelle O'Neill get the opportunity to outline their hopes and concerns in separate articles.
She says there is a responsibility on all unionists and that her party must "reflect on what we can do to remove barriers from people voting for us".
Mrs O'Neill tells the paper "it is in our strategic interests to have power sharing restored, but only on the correct basis". She says that without a "fundamental change in the approach of the British government, there can be no progress".
As well as Arlene Foster's dismissal of a revolt in the DUP ranks, the Irish News reports again on the health of Martin McGuinness and the thoughts of Presbyterian clergyman David Latimer.
Dr Latimer says he has texted a copy of a prayer for hope to Mr McGuinness, who has spent two weeks in Altnagelvin Hospital, and the paper says Sinn FÃ©in has denied he is suffering from a genetic condition.
The Irish News also says an update on the progress of the public inquiry into the botched Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme (RHI) is expected in the coming days.
A spokesperson for the inquiry said its website will go live "by the end of this week" and that Sir Patrick Coghlin, the judge chairing the probe, will provide details on how it will proceed.
The BBC Crimewatch appeal by a police officer shot during an attack at a petrol station in north Belfast in January makes the front page of the Daily Mirror.
'Get deadly AK47 off our streets" is the headline, with the constable who was injured in the Crumlin Road attack saying he is sure he will meet the people who shot him when he returns to duty.
"My priority is to be fit enough to get back to work and keep people as safe as I can," he says. "In the meantime, I would ask everyone to search their consciences and if they have the slightest inkling about who was involved in trying to kill me, then please come forward."
The Mirror also covers the Independent Financial Review Panel (IFRP) letter to Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire asking that all payments to MLAs should be limited to a three-month period if direct rule becomes necessary.
The News Letter reports that Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill admits he would be "tempted" if Premier League champions Leicester City came calling following the departure of their Italian boss Claudio Ranieri.
"You have to consider these things if the opportunity is presented to you," O'Neill said.  "I don't think you can ever say 'no' in football but equally I'm not actively looking for another job."
Meanwhile, anyone who has had their fill of election coverage over the last week, will empathise with 108-year-old Ellie Lawther who is pictured celebrating her latest birthday in the Belfast Telegraph.
Ellie, residing at St Finnian's House on the Cregagh Road in east Belfast, is believed to be the oldest person living in Northern Ireland.
But House manager Geraldine Maguire said that despite the great-grandmother's interest in current events, she could only take so much.
"On the voting, she said she was tired listening about it," Ms Maguire added.


UKIP's foreign affairs spokesman has resigned his post in protest at leader Paul Nuttall's plans to ban the burka.

Mr Nuttall sparked controversy over his proposals to outlaw the full-face veil - as well as forcing girls at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) to face regular medical checks.
Announcing his decision to quit, West Midlands MEP James Carver described the policies as "misguided".
But UKIP deputy leader Peter Whittle defended the policies.
"The burka is not something in the Koran - it's not specified by the Koran - it's a cultural practice. FGM is a cultural practice," he said.
Mr Nuttall's so-called integration strategy has already been panned by former UKIP donor Arron Banks, who accused him of going to "war" with Muslim communities.
Mr Carver said he "strongly disagreed" with the policies.
"I would be the first to condemn a ban on wearing a crucifix as an infringement of liberty," he said.
"No-one has the right to dictate what people should wear.
"When facial identification is necessary, such as at passport controls, or in a bank, then it is perfectly reasonable to order the removal of veils - as is the practice - but in a free and liberal society, people have a right to their religious beliefs and to dress as they see fit."
Mr Carver said he stepped down as UKIP's foreign and Commonwealth affairs spokesman "with deep regret", but he added: "I feel this policy undermines my desire to represent all communities within the West Midlands, including the many British Muslims, who I know from first hand experience, voted to leave the EU in last year's referendum.
"I have consistently spoken of my desire for a truly global perspective for the United Kingdom, outside of the European Union, and I see this policy as being incompatible with that aim."
But Mr Whittle told BBC Radio 4's Today programme UKIP had discussed these issues for many years, including banning face coverings, which the party believe are a "barrier to integration in our society".
However the Muslim Council of Britain's secretary general Harun Khan condemned the move, and is due to say at a Muslim leadership dinner: "It is deeply regrettable that the UK Independence Party is singling out Muslims in the most negative terms.
"This is not leadership - and it is certainly not becoming of a party seeking to represent British people.
"Together with Britons, Muslims will be looking for true leadership that unites our country during this time of uncertain transition and seek to represent all British people, and certainly not scapegoat some. Bigots must not be allowed to set the terms of the debate."
Meanwhile, Mr Whittle said Mr Nuttall "probably will" stand in the 8 June general election, after the leader sidestepped the question at an event on Monday.


A former British soldier, who was arrested by detectives investigating the events of Bloody Sunday in Londonderry, has been released on bail.

Thirteen people were killed when British paratroopers opened fire on a civil rights march through the city in January 1972. A fourteenth died later.
The 66-year-old man is a former member of the Parachute Regiment.
He was the first person to be arrested as part of the Bloody Sunday investigation.
It is understood he was questioned over the deaths of William Nash, Michael McDaid and John Young.
He was arrested in County Antrim on Tuesday morning and interviewed at a police station in Belfast.
The man was one of the soldiers who appeared before the Saville Inquiry and was referred to as soldier J.
The inquiry, led by Lord Saville, took 12 years to complete and exonerated those who died.
It concluded that soldiers fired the first shot and gave no warning before opening fire on the civilian marchers.
The Saville Report also found that some of those killed or injured were clearly fleeing or going to help the injured and dying.
Bloody Sunday was one of the most controversial days in Northern Ireland's history.
In 2010, Prime Minister David Cameron apologised to the Bloody Sunday victims on behalf of the state, after a long-running public inquiry unequivocally blamed the Army for the civilian deaths.
The arrest of soldier J was made by the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Legacy Investigation Branch.
The specialist police team was set up to re-investigate unsolved murder cases, dating from the beginning of the Troubles in the late 1960s, up to 2004.
The Legacy Investigation Branch replaced the Historical Enquiries Team (HET), shortly after an inspection report criticised the HET for treating state killings with "less rigour" than others.
The branch began work in January this year, taking over the Bloody Sunday investigation along with other HET cases.


The Egyptian military has begun flooding tunnels used by Palestinian militants and smugglers under the border with Gaza, reports say.

It is the latest move by Egypt to destroy the tunnels, part of an offensive against insurgents.
Excavators have been digging there for weeks to turn the area into what authorities say will be fish farms.
Egypt has destroyed thousands of homes and evicted families from the border, where it is creating a buffer zone.
Hundreds of tunnels were operating until Egypt began to eliminate them in recent years, but some remain functional and others have been rebuilt.
The tunnels, which emerge in the Sinai Peninsula, have played a vital role in the economy of Gaza, which has been under a blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt in 2007 as a measure against the territory's Islamist Hamas rulers.
Hamas has accused Egypt of collaborating with Israel to try to further isolate Gaza.
Scores of Egyptian soldiers and civilians have been killed in an insurgency which has intensified, especially in the Sinai, since the overthrow of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.


After spending almost a year in one of Mexico's most feared maximum security prisons, Jorge Cueto-Felgueroso knows a thing or two about dealing with adversity.

In 2012 he was charged with fraud, and thrust into the midst of 13,000 inmates at Puente Grande Prison, in central Mexico.
Mr Cueto-Felgueroso, a lifelong entrepreneur, was faced with a stark choice - sink into depression or worse, or find the best way to survive. He chose the latter.
"Even in the most adverse circumstances you can find the formula for success," he says.
Struck by how many of the inmates had tattoos, and the fact that much of the ink work had been done while behind bars, using the rudimentary tools available, Mr Cueto-Felgueroso came up with the idea of using the same methods to transfer designs onto leather.
So he started paying the prison tattooists to imprint designs onto leather bags and wallets
By the time Mr Cueto-Felgueroso was found innocent and released 11 months later, he'd amassed 650 such items, which he used to set up a social enterprise called Prison Art.
The business now sells up to 600 bags, wallets and purses a month, all tattooed by prison inmates, and retailing at up to 6,500 pesos ($390; Â£261).
Inmates who work on the bag designs can earn up to 6,000 pesos a month  - well above the typical government salary for prisoner jobs such as cleaning and maintenance, which pay as little as 50 pesos per week.
Two years after Mr Cueto-Felgueroso left prison, the brand now has four shops, including an outlet in one of the most luxurious hotels in the historic centre of Mexico City.
And in total the business has generated more than 200 jobs inside and outside the prison. In fact, those who have been released often go on to get jobs in the small factory near the prison, which also now makes t-shirts.
With profits reinvested back into the business, Mr Cueto-Felgueroso says his main motivation is to provide "decent work" for inmates, offering them a way out other than crime.
The 48-year-old says: "The problem in Mexico is that guilty and innocent people are mixed for a long time in prison, criminal proceedings are very long.
"[There are] no opportunities and decent work, and for many, joining the ranks of crime is the only way out."
Prison Art isn't the only venture offering Mexican prisoners an opportunity for rehabilitation. At the Santa Marta Acatitla men's prison in the eastern part of Mexico City, an amateur dramatics group has been turned into the first professional theatre company inside a Mexican prison.
The venture originated through four amateur workshops offered by independent theatre group Shakespeare Forum, founded by Mexican actors Bruno Bichir and Itari Marta.
The men's prison troupe has gone onto perform three professional productions since 2010. These are open to the general public, who, as part of their 200 pesos ticket price, are bussed into the prison from downtown Mexico to watch the performance.
The money generated from the theatre shows has enabled actors, set designers and stagehands to receive a salary, and in all has generated employment for 35 people, both inside and outside prison.
But the social enterprise project is much more than a source of employment, it is "a lifetime chance" for inmates to escape the "black hole" of prison, says Ms Marta, 39.
She and Mr Bichir started working with the prisoners after some inmates go in touch to invite them.
Israel Rodriguez, who was released from Santa Marta Acatitla  prison five years ago, says the theatre company helped him transform his life.
After serving an 18-year sentence, he had nothing, and little chance of employment, but the Shakespeare Forum offered him a job as a security guard, whilst he trained as a professional actor.
The chance has enabled him to break away from the stigma of being an ex-prisoner, and since then he has moved on to work on productions with other theatre companies, and he now helps to lead the prison theatre company.
Hands Weaving Dreams, a brand of bags, decorative items and furniture, was started with a similar aim to offer prisoners, in its case female ones, hope.
Sisters Claudia Martinez-Erazo, 47, and Diana Martinez-Erazo, 42, started the firm seven years ago, with just 1,500 pesos, after Claudia lost her job.
They started to employ female prisoners upon the recommendation of their aunt, who volunteered at a prison.
Female prisoners across Mexico now make Hand Weaving Dreams products, which are sold in major Mexican department stores, and also exported to both the US and Europe.
Diana, who studied architecture, is in charge of the design of the products, while Claudia manages the business side of things at the for-profit venture.
Claudia says they pay the prisoners fairly for their work, enabling the women, who often have no other means of financial aid, to send out money to help care for their families and children.
Diana adds: "One of the biggest challenges was to try to help them without weighing stereotypes. Not to see them either as victims or as criminals but as artists, as creative workers.
"It is not my role to judge them or save them.  We need to work with them to give them a dignified choice to move forward."
Taller Nu - a clothing and shoe brand started in 2012 by fashion design students Pilar Obeso and Olga Olivares -  also use prisoners to help make some of its products.
The co-founders decided to do this after holding a workshop in a prison, and because they say they wanted the firm to have a positive social impact in their local community.
The for-profit business sells its creations in fashion stores in Mexico City, New York and Tokyo, as well as online.
As the business grows, Ms Obeso, 26, says they will continue to use prison inmates.
"Our model seeks to generate jobs, training and productive skills for prisoners, helping them to better integrate into society when they are released."


Commonwealth bronze medallist Katie Archibald is targeting an Olympic gold medal at Rio 2016 as part of Great Britain's women's pursuit team.

The 21-year-old from Milngavie, near Glasgow, returned from the European Championships in France last month with three golds - one in the team pursuit.
"I feel good about training and how I've been performing at races so I hope it's going to pay off," she said.
"Everything I ever do will be to try to win that team pursuit medal."
Having excelled in the Scottish cycling scene, Archibald moved to Manchester in 2013 when she became part of the British Cycling set-up.
She admits to missing home and her old Scotland team-mates but is happy in England's north-west and very pleased to be benefiting from "the fantastic riders here and a bigger well of expertise".
Archibald trains with Laura Trott, Elinor Barker, Joanna Rowsell Shand and Ciara Horne at the city's velodrome and admits it took her a while to get used to the place.
"The first time I walked in here was for the Junior Nationals in 2012 and I remember the feeling in my stomach," she told BBC Scotland.
"I expected there to be dramatic music!
"It struck me the other day that I'm desensitised to the glory of it all. I guess I'm a bit sad that I've lost that sparkle but it's working me hard.
"It's a strange world because you know that it's nothing that you ever dreamed you'd be doing yet there are 20 people around you who are doing the same thing. There's a lot of pressure."
Having overcome any initial feelings of being overawed by her surroundings, Archibald is now an established part of the GB pursuit team that won the World Championships in 2014, clinched silver this year and are the current European champions.
In October's European Track Cycling Championships, she won gold in the individual pursuit and elimination race as well as gold in the team pursuit.
"We basically live in each other's pockets yet are still meant to be able to give relevant criticisms," she said of her relationship with her team-mates.
"You'd think that would be quite tricky but we get on ridiculously well.
"There are five of us and there are usually four spots, which seems like a recipe for disaster, but I think it just pushes you on.
"The ultimate target is against every other nation in the world, not against each other, so we're kind of held together by that.
"I'm more motivated by being in a team environment. This team has pushed me on to another level because there is that extra expectation. There are people to chase and people chasing you.
"It builds this really good ethos to get the best out of people."
While Rio and team pursuit goal is the ultimate target, Archibald is also competing in road races, though she says that is "more of a supplement" at the moment.
Her diverse training programme as an endurance rider includes track, road, gym and turbo trainer sessions.
In 2017 she expects to place greater emphasis on European road races than track competition.
And a longer-term goal might be to step up from her current position as reserve rider to Trott for the omnium in Rio to be first pick in that discipline at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.


A fire has broken out on a Spanish ferry from Mallorca, forcing some 150 passengers and crew to abandon ship.

The Sorrento was travelling to the coastal city of Valencia when the blaze began and quickly got out of control.
The passengers were evacuated from the burning ship on to lifeboats and have been rescued by another ship.
At least three people have been injured and have been taken to hospital by helicopter, Spanish media say. One is reported to be seriously hurt.
The ship was about 27km (17 miles) from Mallorca when the fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon on one of the car decks. The reason for the fire was unclear.
Several ships including two passenger ferries were sent to help. The passengers and crew on the life rafts eventually boarded one of the ferries, the Puglia.
Spanish officials said the rescued passengers were on their way back to Palma de Mallorca and were expected to arrive at the port in a few hours' time. Psychologists were being asked to go to the port to provide counselling.
"Due to the fire that it has suffered, The Sorrento may sink in the position in which it finds itself," the Balearic Islands port authority said in a tweet (in Spanish).
The ferry, owned by Italian company Atlantica di Navigazione, sent out distress signals at 13:50 local time (11:50 GMT), said Spain's Ministry of Public Works.
At first, the ministry said the captain did not believe it would be necessary to abandon the ship but the fire became so intense that a full evacuation was called for.


A national centre aimed at improving health and wellbeing is to be established with the help of £2.25m funding.

Universities in Bangor, Swansea and Cardiff will lead research into areas like physical activity, arthritis, asthma, infection and injuries.
Aims will include giving children a healthy start and adding more quality years to people's lives.
It is being funded by Welsh government body Health and Care Research Wales.


An IVF clinic has had its licence refused after claims staff got consent to collect a woman's eggs while she was still under the effects of sedation.

Jude Adeghe officially holds the IVF licence at St Jude's Women's Hospital, in Wolverhampton.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) said obtaining written consent while donors were under effects of anaesthetic was "wholly wrong".
Mr Adeghe said it was an "isolated incident" and verbal consent was given.
He is allowed to continue treating patients until an appeal is heard.
Mr Adeghe started the fertility clinic in 2001 and has held an HFEA licence there since 2002.
The regulator became aware of an anonymous complaint against him received by the General Medical Council (GMC) in relation to the incident.
In November, the HFEA, which is responsible for licensing IVF practitioners, heard eggs were collected from a woman on 20 August 2010, during fertility treatment.
The HFEA committee said it believed the forms for egg donation were filled in before she was discharged, one hour and 35 minutes after the procedure.
In its report, the regulator said guidance for patients given Midazolam, the sedative used in this case, stated they should "not drive a car, operate machinery, or sign legal documents for 24 hours."
It was unlikely she filled in the paperwork herself, but simply signed it, the watchdog concluded.
"To ask for written consent of a patient still under the effect of sedation is in our view wholly wrong," it said.
The committee added that it did "not think" Mr Adeghe had been "truthful" in his evidence and that the incident was probably "not a one-off", a claim he disputes.
He said since the last hearing he had commissioned an independent review which confirmed the incident was isolated.
"How can I be an unreliable witness? I have been an HFEA responsible person for 15 years and in that time this is the first incident," he said.
Mr Adeghe said he was confident the clinic's licence would be renewed and he was investing Â£100,000 in improving facilities.
The HFEA had proposed to refuse a licence for Mr Adeghe over the incident in May 2014 and its meeting in November followed an appeal by him.
A second appeal, in front of an independent panel, is expected to be heard in March. If that fails, Mr Adeghe could still choose to take his case to the High Court.
In a statement, the HFEA said it identified "serious concerns" during its inspection at St Jude's and it decided the clinic's current licence should not be renewed.
"The clinic made representations against that decision which was upheld," it said.
"The clinic has now sought to have the case heard by the independent appeal committee. The clinic can continue to treat patients until the appeal process is complete."
Mr Adeghe is also subject to GMC restrictions while it completes its fitness to practice investigation.


The Pope has announced plans to visit the US next September, his first trip there since his election last year.

Pope Francis said he would attend an international Catholic conference on marriage in Philadelphia.
He is also expected to address the UN General Assembly in New York and meet President Barack Obama in Washington.
The announcement, at an interreligious conference on family values in the Vatican, was eagerly awaited after months of speculation.
Speaking at the Vatican on Monday, the pontiff said he would travel to Philadelphia for the "World Meeting of Families", a gathering sponsored by the Roman Catholic Church which takes place every three years.
The website of the conference said in a statement that Pope Francis would most likely travel there from 25 to 27 September, although dates are yet to be finalised.
Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput, who had personally invited the Pope, said he was "overjoyed" by the announcement, adding: "A hallmark of his papacy has been a keen focus on the many challenges that families face today globally.
"His  charisma, presence and voice will electrify the gathering."
Pope Francis will become the fourth pope to visit the US, in a visit that Catholic officials say could draw up to a million people.
According to AP news agency, he had received invitations from President Obama, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Congress, as well as letters from more than 10,000 school children in Philadelphia, encouraging him to make the trip.


Up to 400,000 commuters in Dublin are facing travel disruption as strikes by Dublin Bus drivers enter a fifth day.

Drivers in the firm are seeking a pay rise of 15% over the next three years.
Dublin Bus has said it cannot exceed an increase of 8.25%, recommended by the Labour Court.
It also said the dispute has cost more than 4m euros (£3.4m) so far, and will leave the firm in a loss-making position by the end of 2016.
The National Bus and Railworkers' Union has said that the action could spread to Bus Éireann and Irish Rail.
In a statement, Dublin Bus said the additional 13 days of planned stoppages in October will cost the company a further 15m euros (£12.9m).
"This will have a catastrophic impact on Dublin Bus's financial position," the company said.
Dublin Bus passengers face disruption until normal services resume on Sunday, with further strike action planned for next week.
Irish Minister for Transport Shane Ross has said his department will not fund pay hikes.


An Uber driver drew a gun after a passenger said he thought he was going to be sick in the car, according to police.

Patrick McDonald told officers in Florida that he took out the weapon, despite the firm's firearms ban.
The two got into an altercation when the driver tried to forcibly remove Shane Fabry from the car.
Uber said Mr McDonald, 67, has been suspended and that it would co-operate with police.
Mr Fabry and his fellow passengers told police they were picked up by Mr McDonald on Friday last week as they made their way home.
During the journey, Mr Fabry said he felt ill and asked the driver to pull over in case he was sick but, when Mr McDonald did so, the passenger said he felt fine to continue after all.
Mr McDonald was accused of trying to drag Mr Fabry out of the car by his arm, telling him he must not be sick in a $75,000 (Â£52,600) vehicle. They said the driver took up an "aggressive fighting stance" and that, after a verbal altercation, he drew a black semi-automatic gun from the driver's side.
In sworn statements, the passengers said the Uber driver pointed the gun at Mr Fabry. While Mr McDonald admitted to police that he drew the weapon, he said he did not point it at his passenger.
According to the police report filed with the Manatee county sheriff's office, he said he had "grabbed it (the gun) because he was in fear for his life".
The report read, that when asked exactly how he was in fear, he said he had heard the passengers making threats.
The 67-year-old driver was released on bail by police in Florida, where the incident took place. He is due to appear in court on Tuesday morning on charges of aggravated assault, with a further appearance on a charge of battery scheduled for 19 February.
Uber spokesman Bill Gibbons told the local paper, the Bradenton Herald, that Mr McDonald's account was deactivated while the firm investigated the incident.
"We stand ready to provide law enforcement with any information that would be helpful to their investigation into this matter," Mr Gibbons said, adding that Mr McDonald started working as an Uber driver in mid-January.
The background checks carried out by Uber, which does not employ its drivers directly, have been criticised in the past, including by a California district attorney and the UK's Licensed Taxi Drivers Association.
It was reported in June last year that Uber changed its firearms policy to ban weapons after one of its drivers shot someone soon after dropping off a passenger in his car. But, later that month, the Washington Times reported that another Uber driver was accused of shooting a passenger who was allegedly choking him, despite the policy.
Roger Chapin of the Florida Taxicab Association said that the latest incident came as the state's lawmakers were considering a bill to "strip away virtually all regulations for Uber".
They are due to vote on the draft law shortly.
"Uber can do their screening but it may not be enough," Mr Chapin said.
"If Uber is the only one with the names of their drivers, how can the public verify they are following the rules?"


Aldi has announced it will hire 5,000 more staff in the UK this year and plans to open 80 new stores.

The expansion will take the discount supermarket to 700 shops and more than 32,000 employees in the UK.
Jobs will include managers, stock assistants and store staff, Aldi said.
The German-owned company was the UK's sixth-biggest supermarket with a 5.6% market share in the 12 months to January 31, according to analysts at Kantar Worldpanel.
Along with fellow German retailer Lidl, the company has doubled its market share in the last three years and forced the "big four" supermarkets - Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons - to slash prices.
Ruth Doyle, Aldi's regional managing director, said the new staff would "support our continued expansion and the ongoing performance of our existing stores".
However, UK supermarket investors were calm about Aldi's move. Tesco shares rose 1% on Monday, while Sainsbury's and Morrisons both added more than 3%.
Source: Kantar Worldpanel (12 weeks to 31 January 2016)


Four masked men have carried out a "terrifying" robbery at a petrol station close to Durham city.

The men took the safe from the Jet garage at Bowburn at about 12:15 GMT, along with a silver Vauxhall Astra belonging to a woman working in the shop.
Durham Police said the car and safe were found abandoned nearby.
The robbers were wearing balaclavas and police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
Det Insp Dunny McCubbin said: "This was obviously a terrifying incident for the woman and we would urge anyone who has any information either about the robbery or the abandoned car to get in contact."


The kidnapped son of Pakistan's ex-Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has been rescued in Afghanistan in a joint Afghan-US special forces operation.

Pakistani officials said Ali Haider Gilani would be transferred to Pakistan after undergoing medical checks.
Mr Gilani was abducted three years ago in his home town of Multan as he was campaigning in elections for the Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP).
The Afghan envoy to Pakistan said he was held by an al-Qaeda-linked group.
"He is well and will be repatriated to his family soon," Dr Omar Zakhilwal said on his Facebook page.
The Nato-led mission in Afghanistan said he had been rescued in a joint operation in the eastern Paktika province, not in neighbouring Ghazni as earlier reported.
"The counter-terrorism mission was planned and launched after evidence of terrorist activity was confirmed," the Resolute Support mission said in a statement.
"Four enemy combatants were killed as a result of the operation. No other injuries or damage was observed or reported."
Ali Haider Gilani's brother, Ali Musa Gilani, told the BBC he had been caught unaware by the release, with the family not told about the operation.
"He [Ali Haider Gilani] called himself from an Afghanistan number, and he just told me, 'I have US military around me, and they have rescued me, and now what are you doing? Who are you getting in touch with to get me out of here?'"
Television pictures showed celebrations in Multan. At a party rally in Pakistan-administrated Kashmir, his father was seen surrounded by well-wishers.
The newly released captive has been taken to Bagram airbase in Afghanistan and will be transferred to Pakistan in a few hours, Geo TV reports.
Ali Haider Gilani is the youngest son of Yusuf Raza Gilani, who was prime minister of Pakistan from 2008 until 2012.
He had been contesting a seat in the Punjab provincial assembly in the May 2013 elections, when he was seized by gunmen who opened fire on a campaign rally just a few days before the polls opened.
Suspicion immediately fell on the Pakistani Taliban, which had been openly threatening the governing PPP and other secular parties in Pakistan in the run-up to the election.
Kidnapping has frequently been used as a tactic by militant groups across Pakistan, who want the ransom money for revenue and use the hostages as bargaining chips in negotiations with the authorities.
Yusuf Raza Gilani said last year that he had been allowed to speak to his son for several minutes by phone, and that the kidnappers wanted the release of several high-profile al-Qaeda prisoners.
In March, the kidnapped son of Pakistan governor Salman Taseer was found alive, nearly five years after his father was assassinated and he was seized in Lahore.
Shahbaz Tasser was recovered by counter-terrorism police in a compound north of Quetta, just a few days after his father's killer - his bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri - was hanged.


A record number of female directors have been shortlisted for this year's British Documentary Awards.

A total of 53 women are on the Grierson shortlist, dominating in the best documentary series and best constructed documentary series categories.
There were 36 women in the running for the awards at this stage last year.
The trust's chair Lorraine Heggessey said she was "delighted" at the increase in women, "following under-representation in previous years".
Female nominees include Pamela Gordon, series director of Dementiaville, who is shortlisted in the best documentary category.
Nicola Brown is another one of the women directors nominated, for her work on Channel 4's Secret Life of 4, 5 and 6 year olds. The series director is up for best entertaining documentary category, while the series is up for best constructed documentary series.
Other nominees in this category include Gogglebox, First Dates and The Real Marigold Hotel.
Sir David Attenborough has been shortlisted for the best presenter award, for Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur.
The documentary, directed by Charlotte Scott, is nominated in the natural history category, along with Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough, directed by Mike Davis and produced by Anthony Geffen.
Long Lost Family is up for best presenter for Davina McCall and best constructed documentary series, while Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners: Profit and Loss is up for best presenter for David Olesoga and best historical documentary.
Asif Kapadia's Academy Award-winning documentary Amy is on the shortlists for both best arts and best cinema documentary.
The BBC has 41 entries on the shortlist, with 26 for Channel 4 and seven for ITV.
The awards organisers said this year had the "widest spread of broadcasters and channels ever represented", with theguardian.com nominated for the first time.
Ms Heggessey said: "It's very heartening to see that digital platforms like Netflix, Vice and theguardian.com are funding high quality documentaries that bring fresh perspectives to our screens."
The migrant crisis, war in Syria and international terrorism are some of the key themes represented in the contemporary theme and current affairs categories for the awards.
The Grierson Awards commemorate the pioneering Scottish documentary film-maker John Grierson, famous for Drifters and Night Mail, and the man widely regarded as the father of the documentary.
The final nominations will be announced on 20 September before the awards ceremony on 7 November. The winner of the BBC Grierson Trustees' Award will be named in autumn.


AFC Fylde manager Dave Challinor has signed a new two-year contract at the National League club.

Challinor, 41, took over in 2011 and won promotion to the fifth tier for the first time in the club's history last season.
He has won three promotions with the side since joining from Colwyn Bay.
"This has been in the offing for a while now and I'm delighted to get it sorted. I always wanted my future to be here," Challinor said.
The National League North champions have already signed six players this summer, with the new season starting in August.


Former Hearts, Everton and Scotland forward Alex Young has died at the age of 80.

Young played for Hearts from 1955-1960 and his goals helped the Edinburgh club win the Scottish league title in 1958.
He won a move to Everton, where he made 273 appearances, scoring 87 goals and winning the First Division title as well as the FA Cup.
Loanhead-born Young also made eight appearances for his country, scoring five goals.
While with Everton, his elegant touch earned him the nickname of "The Golden Vision", a title coined by Northern Ireland defender Danny Blanchflower.
Young was the inspiration for a 1968 play called The Golden Vision, directed by Ken Loach, which explored Evertonians' affection for the Scot.
Everton's 2001 testimonial for Young was attended by more than 20,000 fans at Goodison Park.
In the latter stages of his playing career, he played for Northern Irish club Glentoran - who he went on to manage - and Stockport County.
At the end of his football career, he ran his family's upholstery business in Edinburgh before retiring.


Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill has confirmed that Scott Hansen will join the club as a defence coach this summer.

He replaces Phil Blake and is making the switch from New Zealand along with new head coach Aaron Mauger.
Coaches Geordan Murphy and Richard Blaze have extended their contracts, with all four signing three-year deals.
"Aaron knows Scott very well and comes very highly recommended as a coach," Cockerill told the club website.
"He has worked in some top-class environments and we look forward to sharing that experience and knowledge with the playing squad here."
Blake is leaving the Premiership club, who are fourth in the table and will play Wasps and leaders Northampton in their final two games of the season.
"Aaron has already had a lot of input on our plans for next season, while he has continued to work with the Crusaders in New Zealand, and we look forward to having him here as we build up to next season," added Cockerill.
"We're delighted that Richard and Geordan have agreed new contracts, because they are outstanding young coaches with a big future."


Inverness actress Karen Gillan has a bigger role in the Marvel movie Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume Two, the film's director has said.

Gillan played space pirate Nebula in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy and will reprise the role in the sequel due to be released in cinemas next year.
James Gunn revealed she has a bigger presence in a question and answer session he held with fans on Facebook.
Guardians also stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista.
The sequel, which is being shot in Atlanta in the US, is a follow up to one of the most successful Marvel movies.
In the Q and A, Gunn said he was "excited to have Karen Gillan around more" on set.
He added: "Karen is here in Atlanta now I believe, unless she went home for a few days."
Gillan's other film and TV roles have included Amy Pond in Doctor Who and Kaylie Russell in the horror film Oculus.


Nigeria's sacked national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, has appeared in court in the capital, Abuja, charged with illegally possessing weapons.

Nigeria's intelligence agency said it had seized firearms during a raid on his properties in July.
Mr Dasuki pleaded not guilty to the charge and was given bail.
He is the first senior official of the former government to be charged since President Muhammadu Buhari was inaugurated in May.
Mr Buhari is the first opposition candidate to be elected president in Nigeria.
The judge ordered the agency to return Mr Dasuki's passport to the court as part of his bail conditions.
Mr Dasuki appeared calmed and relaxed, reports the BBC's Nasidi Adamu Yahya from the court.
Some associates of former President Goodluck Jonathan were present in solidarity to the retired army officer, he says.
President Buhari replaced Mr Dasuki and other security chiefs in July in a renewed effort to end a six-year insurgency by militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
This has been a swift change of fortune for the man who was an extremely powerful figure in the immediate past administration.
As the National Security Advisor, he oversaw the fight against Boko Haram and as a sign of how influential Col Dasuki was, it was on his advice that this year's elections were postponed - a move which some believed was aimed at buying time to give Mr Jonathan a boost.
Apart from the accusation of possessing illegal weapons, Mr Dasuki may have bigger problems ahead.
He may be asked to help explain where the $5bn (Â£3.3bn) annual security budget went, especially as it became clear that for some time the Nigerian military did not have the weapons it needed to fight the jihadists.
Some Nigerians accuse President Buhari of pursuing a personal vendetta. Thirty years ago Sambo Dasuki was reportedly amongst a group of officers who arrested Gen Buhari who was then the military head of state.
He has however denied that he was present when the arrest took place and Mr Buhari was toppled.


Vigilantes in Mexico have clashed with soldiers deployed in the western state of Michoacan to disarm the groups, who last week launched an offensive against the Knights Templar drug cartel.

Most groups have ignored a government order to lay down their weapons.
In the town of Antunez, they say soldiers shot dead at least three people from the community, including an 11-year-old girl.
Vigilante groups have now taken control of large areas of Michoacan state.
There is a strong police and military presence in the town of Apatzingan, considered the stronghold of the Knights Templar cartel.
Most businesses around the town are closed in a form of self-imposed curfew, says the BBC's Will Grant in Michoacan.
By Will GrantBBC News, Apatzingan
With a heightened military and police presence in the area, locals enjoyed a rare night of relative calm following several days of clashes between the vigilantes and the Knights Templar.
The governor of Michoacan reiterated the government's intention to restore order. But the fact he was talking in a heavily guarded building in Apatzingan, a town under virtual lock-down, illustrates the extent of the cartel's power here.
The pseudo-religious gang controls the methamphetamine, opium poppy and marijuana trade and is unlikely to relinquish its control lightly.
But the self-defence forces insist they have the backing of local people, and have vowed to keep fighting until the Knights Templar are flushed out for good.
The vigilantes have been accused of either working in tandem with the government or at the behest of a rival cartel. They robustly deny those allegations.
"There is no law here. The decisions are taken here in the mountains, in the hideouts of the Knights Templar leaders," Apatzingan Catholic priest Gregorio Lopez told the BBC.
"They are the ones who decide. Here the public institutions are mere puppets," said Father Lopez.
On Monday, Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong had a meeting with the state governor in the regional capital, Morelia, and announced the deployment of federal troops to quell the violence.
Mr Osorio Chong said the vigilante groups should either join the police force or disarm.
Soldiers and marines have moved into towns seized in the past week by the vigilantes - Nueva Italia, Paracuaro and Antunez.
Leaders of the "self-defence groups" have given contradictory statements as to whether they would disarm.
Some of them initially indicated that they would follow the government orders, but most of the groups have now rejected orders to disarm.
"We're here to the death, all of us," warned Estanislao Beltran, who heads a vigilante group in the town of Tepalcatepec.
The vigilante groups first emerged in early 2013 as response to the violence perpetrated by the drug cartel, which ranges from extortion to kidnappings.
Local citizens said that they had no choice but to arm themselves as federal troops failed to guarantee their security.
"How does the federal government imagine that we would lay down our arms when they haven't detained a single leader of the Knights Templar? How is that fair?" asked a vigilante leader in Michoacan.
"It's illogical. Because if we're left without weapons, they will immediately come and kill us."
The Knights Templar, which controls much of the methamphetamine trade to the United States, says the vigilantes have sided with their rivals of the New Generation cartel, from neighbouring Jalisco state.
The "self-defence groups" fiercely deny involvement with any criminal organisation.


Joe O'Connor hopes the experience of taking on Neil Robertson at the 2014 UK Championship will help him for the equally daunting challenge of playing world number one Mark Selby this year.

O'Connor faces his fellow Leicester man in the first round, which starts in York on Tuesday, 24 November.
"I really wanted to play Mark," O'Connor, 20, told BBC Radio Leicester.
"Playing Neil was brilliant. Unfortunately I lost 6-0 but the crowd and the experience was amazing."
Former pool champion O'Connor is still an amateur and looking to win a place in the main tour.
And he knows facing 2014 world champion Selby is more about learning at this stage of his career.
"Coming up against Mark is very exciting." O Connor added. "Hopefully I can nick a couple of frames off him. If you get a good start then it can put pressure on.
"I've not done as well as I would have liked since playing Neil last year, but it's all experience.
"Neil is is a great player and it was just good to play someone of that level. I was very nervous. It was my first time in front of a big crowd and with the TV cameras there it was hard but it was still good.
"Since then I have also played Judd Trump on television so hopefully that will help against Mark."


Thousands of people face a deadline of the end of Sunday to renew tax credits and pay tax owed, or face losing payments or being hit with penalties.

Up to a million people still needed to complete their tax credit renewals in the final week before the deadline.
They would have received information about their annual review notice in a white A4 envelope, but they can renew online up until Sunday night.
Separately, many of those in the self-assessment system must pay a tax bill.
This so-called payment on account is the equivalent of half the previous year's tax bill, as an advance payment on their next bill. The other half is paid on 31 January.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) warned that anyone who failed to renew their tax credits could be in danger of having payments stopped, or find themselves paying more than they needed to.
"It is great that millions of people have renewed their tax credits or reported changes so far, but anyone who has not done so yet should take action now - it only takes a few minutes to renew online," said Nick Lodge, of HMRC.
Renewals can now also be completed via smartphone apps. The tax credit helpline - 0345 3003900 - is open until 20:00 BST on Saturday and Sunday.
To renew, they will need their renewal pack, their National Insurance number, their and their partners total income for the tax year to April 2016, the 15-digit number on their renewal pack, and details of any changes to their circumstances, such as working hours and children.
Claimants who received notices in a brown A5 envelope will see their tax credits renewed automatically and are only required to contact HMRC if they need to make any corrections or notify HMRC of any changes to household circumstances.
Those whose notices came in a white A4 envelope must renew, even if their circumstances have not changed.
The tax payment deadline affects everyone in the self-assessment system unless:
There are various ways of paying but those leaving it to the weekend are likely to be limited to paying via online or telephone banking, or via the HMRC website using a debit or credit card.
Interest is charged if the payment deadline is missed. After 28 days without payment, following the deadline, a surcharge is 5% of any unpaid tax is levied. This surcharge is repeated after six months.
"This is a massive amount given the era of near zero interest rates," said Chas Roy-Chowdhury, head of taxation at ACCA accountancy body.
An HMRC spokesman pointed out that there was some wriggle room for those who contact HMRC if they are struggling to pay the tax owed.
"If a taxpayer can't pay and calls us before the due date and we agree a time to pay arrangement, they will not incur a surcharge," he said.
"Our reasoning being the taxpayer is making an effort and it would not be fair to hit them with a surcharge, where a time to pay arrangement is in place."
HMRC has been criticised by MPs and the National Audit Office for waiting times for those trying to call at key times, but the tax authority said the service had now improved.


A yellow "be aware" warning of high winds issued by the Met Office remains in place across Wales for the weekend.

A "blustery weekend" is expected with westerly and south-westerly winds of up to 60mph (97km/h) hitting on the coast on Saturday, the Met Office said.
Saturday's Irish Ferries fast craft sailings from Anglesey have been cancelled, and a speed limit is in force on the A55 Britannia Bridge.
Gusts around western coasts could reach 70mph (113km/h) on Sunday.
Irish Ferries said adverse conditions for Sunday also mean its Rosslare-Pembroke ferry crossing are "in doubt", and passengers are advised to check with the operator before travelling.
Highways officials say the A477 Cleddau Bridge at Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, has been closed to high-sided vehicles due to the wind.
The Met Office warning runs until 18:00 on Sunday, with further yellow alerts issued for rain on Monday 30 November, and on 1 December.


The man who broke into the White House on Friday evening had 800 rounds of ammunition, a machete and two hatchets in his car, authorities have said.

Omar Gonzalez, 42, was carrying a knife when stopped by Secret Service officers just inside the building.
On Monday officials said he was also arrested in July with two rifles and a map marking the White House.
The Secret Service says it has stepped up security and launched a comprehensive review of procedures.
Mr Gonzalez, a US military veteran who was decorated for his service in the Iraq war, faces charges of unlawfully entering a restricted building carrying a "deadly or dangerous weapon".
During his court hearing on Monday, federal prosecutors also said Mr Gonzalez was stopped but not arrested in August after he walked past the White House with a hatchet.
Assistant US Attorney David Mudd said that the accused intruder was a danger to the president, and a judge agreed to hold him in jail until a hearing in October.
Video footage showed Mr Gonzalez running across a White House lawn after scaling a fence on Friday.
Mr Gonzalez was only stopped after entering the North Portico doors, the Secret Service said. He was later found to be carrying a 9cm (3.5in) folding knife.
The president and his daughters had just left the White House by helicopter before Mr Gonzalez entered, but White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Mr Obama was "obviously concerned" about what happened.
Immediately after Friday evening's incident the Secret Service increased foot patrols along the perimeter fence, deployed additional surveillance resources, and changed the procedures for ensuring the entrance to the building is secure, Mr Earnest said.
"The president is confident the changes will be properly implemented," he said.
The review of security was initiated by Secret Service director Julia Pierson, who also ordered "the immediate enhancement of officer patrols and surveillance capabilities" around the White House.
In July, police found two powerful rifles, four handguns and other firearms and ammunition in Mr Gonzalez's vehicle along with a White House map when he was stopped in south-west Virginia, a local prosecutor told the Associated Press news agency.
He served in the military from 1997 until his discharge in 2003, and again from 2005 to December 2012, when he retired due to disability, the AP reported.
Family and friends told the Washington Post Mr Gonzalez was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving as a sniper in Iraq.
An apparently unrelated incident on Saturday saw a man drive up to a vehicle gate in the complex and refuse to leave.
Secret Service agents shut down nearby streets and searched the vehicle for explosives.
Officials said Saturday's incident was an "everyday occurrence".


Sir Ian Botham has never been a man to mince his words.

The former England all-rounder, appointed as Durham's new chairman last November, has been clear in his message about the north east county's predicament - it is time to stop whinging and look towards the future.
The club are preparing for life in Division Two, having been relegated in 2016 and handed a 48-point deduction after seeking financial help from the England and Wales Cricket Board.
"It's two wins," Botham said at his first official news conference in the role. "The team are more than good enough to get those two early wins and then in Division Two they'll be the best side by a distance."
With just one day to go until the start of the new County Championship season, BBC Sport takes a look at Durham's chances and some of the main talking points elsewhere.
BBC Radio Newcastle's Martin Emmerson has witnessed every one of Durham's highs and lows from the commentary box over the past 17 years - from their title wins in 2008, 2009 and 2013 to last season's turmoil off the field.
While it may have been a tough winter at Chester-le-Street, Emmerson believes Botham has brought a new buoyancy to the club.
"It is just the sort of lift Durham needed," said Emmerson. "He also said the club is now in a good position financially and should have a secure future.
"It's been a long hard winter though. A winter of anger and disbelief. A winter in which players, staff and supporters could not understand why the club had been dealt such an awful hand by the game's governors. But now it is time to move on."
Supporters are also getting behind the county ahead of their Championship opener against Nottinghamshire on 14 April.
"Membership has increased by 5% as fans rally around the club. It's the first rise for eight years," added Emmerson.
"The fans are coming out fighting and everybody wants to 'Bounce Back Together', which is the new mantra in Chester-le-Street.
"There is an awful lot of resentment in the north east towards the ECB and I feel it will remain for a long time. Some supporters are already planning their methods of protest.
"The day they relegated Durham they issued a statement talking about how they had saved first-class cricket in the north east. And, while this may be true in part, there was no acknowledgement whatsoever from the ECB about how they were also partly responsible for the financial problems that befell the club.
"The relegation was beyond anything the ECB had in its statutes at the time and therefore beyond anything Durham expected. The 48-point deduction in a new 14-game season also seems draconian and tough to overcome, even with a good squad in place."
The 2016 County Championship saw arguably the most enthralling climax in its 126-year history, with three teams still in with a chance of claiming the title going into the last few overs.
At Lord's, Middlesex and Yorkshire were going at it blow-by-blow in search of a victory that would make the crown theirs. Somerset's players, meanwhile, watched nervously on television screens in Taunton, knowing a draw in the capital would hand them their first-ever title.
The Tykes were set 240 to win in 40 overs on the final day and, following a frantic evening session, it all ended in the most dramatic way possible - a Toby Roland-Jones hat-trick sealing Middlesex's first County Championship trophy in 23 years.
The county have not made any new signings this summer but, with a pace bowling unit of Roland-Jones, Steven Finn, Tim Murtagh and James Harris, they will trouble any batting side once again.
So who are the pretenders to Middlesex's crown in 2017?
Yorkshire begin life under new first-team coach Andrew Gale looking for their third title in four years.
They are once again likely to be depleted by international call-ups, with Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid and Liam Plunkett all part of England's one-day side - and former captain Gale has swapped his whites for a tracksuit.
Plenty will rest on the shoulders of new skipper Gary Ballance, as they will surely require a stack of runs from the left-hander.
Somerset need to get over the heartbreak of last season quickly and the retirement of Australian run-machine and captain Chris Rogers will not help their cause. Talented wicketkeeper Steven Davies has arrived from Surrey, and young opener Tom Abell will lead the side. It seems a tough ask for the Taunton club to repeat their fine 2016 campaign.
Ex-England captain Michael Vaughan has tipped Surrey as his champions - and on paper they look formidable. The close season signings of Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick from Durham has strengthened the batting considerably and they have two of the best young seamers in the game in Tom and Sam Curran.
Lancashire and Warwickshire cannot be ruled out, but the Bears will lose their best player, Chris Woakes, for the majority of the season with England.
Hampshire have been something of a yo-yo club in recent seasons, although James Vince's England Test career appears to be on hold at the moment, so the south coast side look set to have their captain available.
Division One new boys Essex are strong in the batting department, with Alastair Cook likely to play plenty of matches in the early summer, but they have an inexperienced bowling line-up until Pakistan's Mohammad Amir arrives for the second half of the campaign.
Cook is set to miss Essex's first game against Lancashire on Friday with a hip injury. However, the 32-year-old is expected to be available for his county side for the majority of the first half of the season until England's first Test of the summer against South Africa in July.
"For the first three months of the season it will be great to be around," Cook told BBC Sport.
"We've got a good squad and we want to test that squad against the bigger boys of the four-day stuff. If we play well we've got a chance.
"It is going to be tough - we're probably the bookies' favourite to go back down. One thing we have got is a lot of strength in depth in our batting. We've got some good players, people like Tom Westley, Nick Browne - it's our first opportunity back in the first division and they'll be desperate to make their point and move on to bigger things."
The ECB says the injury is "left hip soreness" and he is to have an injection.
"It's frustrating," added Cook. "I've been fairly injury free in my career, so to pick up a niggle now, it is frustrating - and the chance to play against Jimmy (Anderson) is not happening. But it is what it is."
This summer will see several overseas players turn out for counties under Kolpak deals.
A number of South Africa internationals have turned their backs on their country and former West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul has joined Lancashire as a 'non-overseas' batsman.
Kolpak contracts allow sportsmen from countries that have associate trade agreements with the European Union, including South Africa and some Caribbean nations, the same right to free movement as EU citizens without being classed as "foreigners".
In cricket, such contracts render the player ineligible to represent their country at international level.
Kolpak players
The ECB have only confirmed player availability into May, but Ben Stokes (Durham), Jos Buttler (Lancashire) and Chris Woakes (Warwickshire) are the only players involved with the England Test side over the winter who will be absent at the start of the season because of their IPL contracts.
Because of the Champions Trophy, there will be no Test cricket in England this summer until July, and counties with players in their ranks who are solely involved with the national team for five-day cricket can probably expect to see a lot more of them.
Last summer, Cook scored 523 runs in Essex's first four matches of the summer, at an average of 130.75, and now free of the England captaincy he will be back at Chelmsford and looking to fill his boots once again.
Lancashire and Durham will also be hoping to reap the benefits of having Haseeb Hameed (1,198 Championship runs in 2016) and Keaton Jennings (1,548 in 2016) available early season when the pair may be fighting it out for one spot in England's top order against South Africa on 6 July.
Steven Finn (Middlesex) and Mark Wood (Durham) are fast bowlers with eyes on a similar prize, should the selectors decide that Anderson-Broad-Woakes is not their preferred pace line-up for the Tests.


Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers claimed victory for either side at Arsenal would deliver an early psychological advantage in the battle for places in and around the top of the Premier League.

In a thriller at the Emirates that belied its goalless scoreline, Arsenal and Liverpool traded blows from first whistle to last without either being able to land the decisive shot to put down a marker against a close rival.
How the scoreline remained blank was a mystery amid madcap defending, brilliant goalkeeping, rattled woodwork and two halves divided between Liverpool's supremacy for the first 45 minutes and Arsenal's recovery after the break.
It was hugely entertaining - if flawed - fare and left plenty for Rodgers and his Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger to pore over after a frenetic 90 minutes.
Petr Cech's £10m arrival from Chelsea ticked every box for Wenger. He solved a goalkeeping problem by luring a world-class goalkeeper away from a clearly reluctant Jose Mourinho as Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich showed his softer side by rewarding Cech for his service, and loyalty when replaced by Thibaut Courtois last season, by allowing him to join a rival.
It seemed the perfect signing for Arsenal - and then West Ham United happened.
Cech was at fault for both goals in Arsenal's shock home defeat in their opening game, misjudging a free-kick as Cheikhou Kouyate scored, then going down too slowly when Mauro Zarate added a second.
The rush to suggest Arsenal may have erred in signing Cech was as unedifying as it was hasty - and this high-quality keeper and model professional put matters right in a game that contained 34 shots and no goals.
From the opening seconds the old command was on show and it needed to be, making a stunning save from Liverpool striker Christian Benteke when he seemed certain to score, then showing great elasticity at 33 to turn Philippe Coutinho's shot on to the post.
Cech's handling was sure and he gave an air of reassurance to a vulnerable defence robbed of first-choice central pairing Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny through illness and injury.
This was exactly what Wenger brought Cech to do - give reassurance, experience and quality when Arsenal are under the cosh, make the big saves when needed. The errors of West Ham seemed an age away.
Cech made eight saves in all, only the fourth time he has made eight or more stops in his Premier League career.
It was said he would save Arsenal 10 points a season with his mere presence alone when he signed. It is fair to say he delivered the first two of that tally on Monday.
When Liverpool's season went into sharp decline in April, one of the starting points was a 4-1 thrashing at Arsenal, where they were completely outclassed by an Alexis Sanchez-inspired Gunners.
The campaign ended with the Merseysiders conceding a half-dozen in the league for the first time in 52 years when they were thrashed 6-1 at Stoke City.
Liverpool's fans vented their fury at manager Rodgers and his players at the Britannia Stadium and there was even speculation the manager would lose his job before an end of season review saw him receive continued support from owners Fenway Sports Group.
The Stoke humiliation was avenged with a 1-0 win on the opening day of this season and it was a much improved Liverpool that took one point and could have had three from Arsenal on Monday night. Quite a difference in a matter of months.
Rodgers will have been pleased at how his reshaped Liverpool side have adapted to the new season, with seven points from three games and an equally pleasing statistic of three clean sheets.
It is early days but there is cause for cautious optimism in a side that is now more direct thanks to the presence of £32.5m striker Christian Benteke, while still sticking to their manager's passing principles.
Liverpool's possession figure of 34% was the lowest under Rodgers in the Premier League but it did not stop them creating a host of chances, especially in the first half.
Arsenal were hit on the counter attack with pace with Benteke as the spearhead and Coutinho acting as both creator and marksman, the little Brazilian twice hitting the woodwork.
Liverpool are a team in transition, getting used to life without their iconic former captain Steven Gerrard, but if they want to lay their hands on a sign of progress these two improved results at Stoke City and Arsenal are a good starting point.
It is the old refrain from Arsenal fans as they urge Wenger to go the extra mile in the transfer market. And it is easy to understand their frustration.
After a fine end to last season that saw Arsenal ensure Champions League qualification again and retain the FA Cup by taking Aston Villa to the cleaners with a 4-0 win at Wembley saw optimism levels rise to their highest for years.
And why not as Wenger made what many saw as the signing of the summer in Cech? There was, however, surely the need for more. The platform was in place and the time was ideal to add the crucial building blocks.
A start to the season even the eternal optimist Wenger describes as "very average" points up the need to strengthen the squad in key areas - but will he meet the wishes of the fans?
Olivier Giroud is a good striker but the suspicion remains he is just short of the highest class, especially against the close rivals Arsenal will need to eclipse if they are to challenge for the title.
Arsenal desperately need a class striker to deliver power and goals, not only to aid Giroud but offer another focal point for the more diminutive Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Danny Welbeck is on his way back from injury but he has never been a prolific goalscorer.
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, long linked with Arsenal, has made it plain he is staying at the Bernabeu so Wenger's options are limited but he will face criticism if he fails to address this one and his side fall short of goals.
Paris St-Germain's Edinson Cavani is another possibility and a powerful midfield man would not go amiss to take some of the load off youngster Francis Coquelin, who will be charged with a very heavy responsibility this season as things stand.
He was not showing huge enthusiasm for doing so after the Liverpool game - but those Arsenal fans who are starting to despair already will hope for a repeat of the business that saw him pluck Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid for £42.4m on deadline day two years ago.
If he does not and Arsenal falter, then those voices of criticism will get louder.


England bowling coach Ottis Gibson is set to leave his position to become head coach of South Africa.

The former West Indies international, 48, would replace Russell Domingo, who has been asked to reapply for his job.
After South Africa fell to a 3-1 series defeat against England on Monday, captain Faf du Plessis confirmed the tourists' interest in Gibson.
"I have asked the England team for their thoughts and they have given me positive feedback," said Du Plessis.
"They are good judges and they will be honest in their reflections of the guy.
"If he is going to be the guy, we have to learn about each other and that will take time."
England head coach Trevor Bayliss said his team were aware of the interest in Gibson, who has previously coached West Indies.
"Nothing has been finalised," said Bayliss. "We haven't heard for sure that it's going ahead. But by all accounts, it sounds like it.
"We look at it as a positive that someone in our set-up is being looked at for a higher job somewhere. You have to look at the positives, rather than the negatives."
Former Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie is already being tipped to become Gibson's replacement should the deal go through.


Nintendo has announced a deal with Activision to let its Amiibo toys be used in the Skylander series of games.

At E3 it gave a first look at toys that have a switch on their base that flips them from one game system to another.
The toys will work with the forthcoming Skylanders Superchargers game that is due out in September.
Nintendo also announced plans for a new Super Mario game that will let people create their own levels for the plucky plumber to bounce around.
The first two toys in the dual-purpose Amiibo figures will be Turbocharged Donkey Kong and Hammer Slam Bowser. Both will have cars they can drive around and special abilities in the expansion which brings vehicles to the Skylanders universe.
Both figures will also work in Nintendo games such as Super Smash Bros.
The Amiibo toys have been very successful for Nintendo and have helped to drive sales for its Wii U console and 3DS handheld. Skylanders has also been a big seller for Activision and the tie-up between the two firms could put pressure on Disney and its Infinity line of game toys.
Separately, Nintendo showed off the Super Mario Maker game that is based around the in-house tools its designers use to make levels for the Super Mario games.
"The more we worked with it the more we realised we could turn it into something everyone could enjoy," said Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto.
Mr Miyamoto also revealed that in the early days of Nintendo, level designers used to draw out plans on paper before giving them to programmers to turn into working parts of a game.
In the Wii U game, people will be able to decide where to position blocks, bricks, traps, enemies and characters from the Super Mario world to make their own environments they can then try out. The levels that people create can also be shared with other players. Super Mario Maker is due out on 11 September.
Nintendo's digital presentation at E3 began with puppet versions of its three senior executives, Satoru Iwata, Reggie Fils-Aime and Shigeru Miyamoto, slowly transforming into the main characters of Star Fox to introduce a new game called Star Fox Zero.
You can follow all of the BBC's coverage from E3 2015 via the hashtag, #e3bbc


A new farmers' market is to open in one of Belfast's oldest areas.

Folktown market will be held behind Primark in Bank Square.
It is described as a farmers', food and artisan market and will run every Thursday from 16 April.
The market will feature up to 40 traders, with a focus on locally grown produce.
The Department of Social Development recently spent Â£3m renovating Bank Square, an area dating back to the 1600s.
Improvements included the installation of natural stone paving, landscaping, improved lighting, free wi-fi, street furniture and art work.
Social Development Minister Mervyn Storey MLA said the new market would bring increased footfall and activity to the Bank Square area and "act as a catalyst for the regeneration of this historic part of the city centre".
Local community group, Folktown Community Interest Company (CIC), said the market would bring "new life" to an underused city centre space.
"This market will help to connect all areas of the city and to breathe vitality and vibrancy into this space," said Folktown CIC director Joby Fox.
"Bank Square is a part of Belfast that many people haven't been to and some weren't even aware that it existed."
Folktown CIC said they were involved in lengthy negotiations to obtain a licence for the market as under the original charter granted by King James I, the historic rights to operate markets in the city, including those held on private property or indoors, belong to the city council.
One of the traders who will operate at Folktown market is Mark Douglas, founder of Krazi Baker.
"When I started my business I found that it was very hard to get somewhere to trade," he said.
"This is a fantastic opportunity, unlike anything else, for arts, crafts, artisan and shoppers alike to express their talents. Belfast just keeps getting better."
The project has received support from the DSD, Awards for All and The Ireland Funds.
The market will be held in the shadow of two of the oldest churches in Belfast, Berry Street Presbyterian Church and St Mary's.
Organisers said the name Folktown came from discussions with local people reflecting on the area, which is rich in music, pubs, cuisine, arts groups, faith groups and small traders.