The first-round group fixtures for the Scottish League Cup have been confirmed, with the opening game taking place on the evening of 15 July.

The Friday match, Arbroath v Dundee United, will be followed by 15 ties the following day, including Motherwell v Rangers.
There will be four further rounds of fixtures, with the eight group winners and four best runners-up progressing.
Scotland's European representatives enter in the second round.
And the tournament is a knock-out competition from round two onwards, with the final on 27 November.
At the group stage, a win is worth three points and a draw worth one but drawn matches will go straight to a penalty shoot-out, the winner of which will gain a bonus point.
Friday, 15 July
Group C
Arbroath v Dundee United (19:45)
Saturday, 16 July (all 15:00)
Group A
East Fife v Dundee
Forfar Athletic v Dumbarton
Group B
Elgin City v St Johnstone
Stirling Albion v Falkirk
Group C
Cowdenbeath v Inverness CT
Group D
Cove Rangers v Raith Rovers
Montrose v Ross County
Group E
Airdrieonians v Partick Thistle
Queen's Park v Queen of the South
Group F
Annan Athletic v Stranraer
Motherwell v Rangers
Group G
Ayr United v Hamilton Academical
Livingston v St Mirren
Group H
Albion Rovers v Greenock Morton
Clyde v Kilmarnock


Children are reading less as their lives become more crowded with other activities, new research suggests.

They are reading fewer novels, comics, magazines and websites, according to a National Literacy Trust study of 21,000 children and teenagers.
While many enjoyed reading, some 17% said they would be embarrassed if a friend saw them with a book.
A government spokesman said the findings showed the need to help young people develop a love of reading.
Half of those questioned said they enjoyed reading very much, or quite a lot, almost the same as in 2005 when the figure was 51%.
But the findings showed that just three in every 10 youngsters read daily in their own time, down from four in 10 in 2005.
More than a fifth (22%) said they rarely or never read in their own time and more than half (54%) said they preferred watching television to reading.
In 2005 more than three quarters (77%) of children read magazines, but now only 57% do.
Comic reading has dropped from 64% to 50%, and reading on websites from 54% to 50%.
The researchers said the figures highlighted "a clear issue with children's leisure time with many children enjoying reading but pushing it out in favour of other activities".
Jonathan Douglas, director of National Literacy Trust, said: "The fact that children are reading less than in 2005 signals a worrying shift in young people's literacy habits. We are calling for the Government to back a campaign to halt this reading decline and to give children time to read in their daily lives.
"We need to make reading irresistible. We want to call on families and professionals working with children and young people to make ten minutes in their day for reading."
The report said it was "essential" for children to make time to read because reading outside lessons was linked to strong academic achievement.
It added that young people who read outside class on a daily basis were 13 times more likely to read above the expected level for their age.
A spokesman for the Department for Education said: "The findings of this survey come as no surprise and shows that we need to continue our drive to encourage young people to develop a love of reading. In a world of so many distractions for young minds, the place of literature is more important than ever.
"Children need to master the basics of reading as early as possible in primary school so they can then go on to explore magical and powerful books such as Private Peaceful, Harry Potter, and, in good time, books such as Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm and those by Charles Dickens.
"That's why we've introduced a short and simple phonics check at the end of Year 1 to make sure children have mastered the basics."
The study, which coincides with International Literacy Day on Saturday, comes as the World Literacy Foundation called on world leaders to tackle a global literacy crisis.
Chief executive Andrew Kay said: "Globally, almost 800 million people are illiterate and 100 million children don't attend school each day".


New Zealand judge Lowell Goddard, who has resigned as the head of the independent inquiry into historical child sex abuse in England and Wales, was not the first person to be appointed as its head.

She was the third chairwoman of the inquiry since it was set up last July, before resigning on 4 August in a letter to Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
She is a serving judge of the High Court of New Zealand and UN committee member who has experience of working with victims of sexual assault.
In 2007, she was appointed chairwoman of New Zealand's Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) - the first woman to hold the position - and was in post when the authority released a report on the outcome of its inquiry into police handling of child abuse cases.
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1948, Justice Goddard studied law at the University of Auckland, and started practicing as a barrister in 1977.
In her earlier years as a barrister she worked as a member of the steering committee which helped establish the HELP Clinic, a facility for victims of sexual abuse.
In that role, she assisted police to establish a better approach to the examination and interviewing of sex abuse victims.
Justice Lowell Goddard was made Queen's Counsel in 1988 - one of the first two women to be appointed to the role - and deputy solicitor-general for New Zealand in 1992.
She became the first woman of Maori descent to be appointed as a High Court judge in 1995, and has also sat as a member of the criminal division of the country's Court of Appeal.
The BBC's home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw â€


Edinburgh University generates £2bn every year for the Scottish economy, according to new figures.

An independent financial study also found the institution supports more than 30,000 jobs across the country.
It estimated its students contribute £177m to the Scottish economy.
Authors of the report highlighted how the university benefits the community through a range of activities such as medical research and the creation of start-up companies.
The economic impact study for 2013/14, carried out by Biggar Economics, also underlined the contribution made to the local economy through students' spending, part-time work and voluntary activity.
Income generated by visits to the Scottish capital from friends and relatives of students is also included in the figures.
The study states that for every £1 the university receives from the Scottish Funding Council - in the form of awards and grants - it generates £9.53 for the Scottish economy.
University principal Professor Sir Timothy O'Shea said: "As a world-leading centre of academic excellence, we aim to make a significant, sustainable and socially responsible contribution to Scotland, the UK and the world.
"This study strongly indicates the hugely important economic role that the University of Edinburgh plays within Scotland and beyond."


Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, whose death has been confirmed by the French government, was one of the most senior leaders of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

As with other militants operating in the Sahel desert region that crosses the borders of Algeria, Mali, Niger and Mauritania, details of his life were hard to confirm.
But he gained a reputation as one of AQIM's most feared and radical commanders, held responsible for murdering hostages, and for imposing ruthless Islamist rule on the historic Malian city of Timbuktu.
He was said to be close to AQIM leader Abdelmalek Droukdel, and was given a prominent role in the group's activities in the Sahara.
Thought to be in his late 40s, Abou Zeid sometimes used an alias, Mosab Abdelouadoud, and also had a nickname, the little emir, that referred to his short stature.
The Algerian media raised doubts over his legal name, identifying him as either Abid Hamadou or Mohamed Ghedir.
Abou Zeid fought in the Islamist insurgency in the 1990s in his home country, Algeria. He became a member of a Salafist organisation known as the Group for Call and Combat (GSPC), which in 2007 changed its name to AQIM.
In recent years AQIM, suffering setbacks at the hands of the Algerian military in the north, focused more of its efforts in southern Algeria and across its desert borders.
Abou Zeid was reputedly involved in the smuggling networks that proliferate in the area, as well as playing a key role in a series of kidnappings of Western hostages that raised tens of millions of dollars in ransom money.
He has been linked to the killing of British hostage Edwin Dyer in 2009 and that of Frenchman Michel Germaneau the following year.
One hostage who was released, former Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler, recounted in a book how Abou Zeid refused to give medicine to two other hostages who were suffering from dysentery, and one of whom had been bitten by a scorpion.
After Islamist groups seized control of northern Mali in 2012, Abou Zeid is said to have taken command of Timbuktu.
The Islamists sought to impose an extreme form of Sharia, destroying Sufi shrines and carrying out amputations.
They were forced back after the French military launched an operation to retake northern Mali in January.
As Abou Zeid retreated, he reportedly took a number of blindfolded Western hostages in his convoy.
His death in the mountains of northern Mali was initially reported by an Algerian TV station at the end of February.
Chadian President Idriss Deby said troops from Chad, who were searching for militants in the area alongside French forces, had killed Abou Zeid.
But France delayed confirming the death until it formally identified Abou Zeid through DNA samples, French newspaper Le Monde reported.
"The elimination of one of the main leaders of AQIM marks an important stage in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel," said French President Francois Hollande.


A tribunal will examine whether senior Irish police officers reacted to whistleblowers' allegations  with malice, its chairman has said.

The Disclosures Tribunal is chaired by Supreme Court judge Peter Charleton.
It will examine allegations that senior Garda officers were involved in a smear campaign against Sgt Maurice McCabe.
In his opening statement, the judge said the tribunal would examine how top officers react when concerns about police performance are raised.
The centre of concern, he said, was whether such reaction had possibly not only been one of distaste, but of "active and thought-through malice".
He said there was also a question as to whether those who air concerns had been targeted in their family life.
Sgt McCabe had claimed there was corruption in the Republic's driving licence penalty points system.
He was investigated by the child and family agency, Tusla, following allegations of abuse, that were later found to be untrue.
Mr Justice Charleton said there would be two modules in the tribunal - the first will concern the responses of Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan, former commissioner Martin Callinan and others at the highest command level to disclosures made by Sgt McCabe.
The second module will deal with members of the force who have made protected disclosures and whether they were mistreated as a result, he said.
The tribunal will abide by existing court rules, but rules of evidence will not apply, and hearsay is admissible, Mr Justice Charleton said.
He said the tribunal was expected to get on with its work and deliver results rapidly, adding that there were no preconceived notions as to "who is a villain and who is a victim".
"This tribunal is a drain on the resources of the Irish people, and it is paid for by their submission to the democratic structures of which taxation has been a central part in our tradition," he added.
"Every lie told before this tribunal will be a waste of what ordinary men and women have paid for through their unremitting efforts. Every action of obfuscation, of diversion of focus, and of non-cooperation is unwelcome for that reason."
It is expected to be some time before the tribunal begins to hear testimony from witnesses.


Republican Steve King has blamed Barack Obama for fuelling divisions that led to an attack on Republican lawmakers, when Mr Obama was president.

He "focused on our differences rather than our things that unify us", the Iowa congressman said.
A gunman ambushed Republican lawmakers during baseball practice at a Virginia field, injuring four people.
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise remains in a critical condition following Wednesday morning's attack.
He had a third operation on Thursday morning at a Washington DC hospital, where he has been visited by President Donald Trump.
The shooting has sparked some introspection in the US capital, with calls for Republicans and Democrats to turn the heated rhetoric down a notch.
Mr Trump himself has been accused of increasing the war of words, both on the campaign trail and in some of his strongly-worded tweets lashing out at opponents since taking power.
But the White House spokeswoman on Thursday denied he bears any responsibility, saying he is the one who has been attacked.
"But I think, as a whole, our country certainly could bring the temperature down a little bit," she added.
Earlier, Mr King told radio station WHO in his political heartland of Iowa: "I do want to put some of this at the feet of Barack Obama.
"He contributed mightily to dividing us. He focused on our differences rather than our things that unify us. And this is some of the fruits of that labour."
Fox News host Sean Hannity also laid the blame on Democrats for the Virginia shooting, arguing the left had "de-humanised" Republicans and painted them as "monsters".
"When Democrats continue to dehumanise Republicans and paint them as monsters day in and day out, year in and year out, well the climate around the country, it becomes more than toxic, and the tragic results, of course, follow," he told his viewers on Wednesday night.
He also claimed that "virtually no one on the left has denounced this vile behaviour".
However, leaders of both parties were quick to condemn the attack, which elicited a rare spirit of unity on Capitol Hill.
Republicans and Democrats have used the attack to point out the toxic rhetoric that has led to deep political divisions across the US.
The suspected gunman, James T Hodgkinson, succumbed to his injuries from the firefight with police and died.
Police said on Thursday the 9mm handgun and 7.62 rifle believed to have been used by the suspect were purchased legally.
It has emerged he was a former volunteer for Senator Bernie Sanders' 2016 Democratic presidential campaign and posted incendiary anti-conservative rhetoric on social media.
Mr Sanders immediately denounced the attack and investigators have said it is too early to determine a motive.
In the wake of the attack, Republican congressman Thomas Massie introduced a bill on Thursday that would allow those with gun permits in their home states to carry weapons in Washington, DC.
Mr Massie said the measure is aimed at helping lawmakers, who are exposed in the nation's capital, to protect themselves and "avoid a tragic situation".
Mr King has previously raised eyebrows for his controversial statements.
He once promoted the "birther" conspiracy claiming that Mr Obama was not born in the US and suggested some undocumented immigrants have large calf muscles because of drugs he said they were smuggling across the border.
On 'subgroups'
"This whole 'old white people' business does get a little tired, Charlie. I'd ask you to go back through history and figure out where are these contributions that have been made by these other categories of people that you are talking about? Where did any other subgroup of people contribute more to civilisation?" - on MSNBC, July 2016
On undocumented immigrants
"For everyone who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there that, they weigh 130lb and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75lb of marijuana across the desert." - 2013
On black men
"You know that statistically the greatest danger to a black man in America is another black man." - to Buzzfeed in July 2016
On lawnmowers
"I had a strong, Christian lawyer tell me yesterday that, under this decision (gay marriage legalisation) that he has read, what it brings about is it only requires one human being in this relationship - that you could marry your lawnmower with this decision. I think he's right." - to Dickinson County News in July 2015


Celtic prepared for their Champions League trip to Kazakhstan next week by losing a friendly 6-5 on penalties to Leicester after a 1-1 draw.

Brendan Rodgers' side - who play FC Astana on Wednesday - dominated possession for large periods against the Premier League champions.
Riyad Mahrez put Leicester ahead with a superb goal only for Eoghan O'Connell to curl in from 25 yards.
Kasper Schemichel then saved a James Forrest penalty in the shootout.
Celtic still have potentially four qualifiers to play before reaching the group stage of the Champions League, beginning with a 3,000-mile trip to Astana, in Kazakhstan, this week. But Rodgers played a strong side for this International Champions Cup friendly.
Mahrez won the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award last season and the Algerian showed his qualities again by cutting inside from the right wing and curling superbly into the top corner in the 46th minute.
Leicester - who named three new signings in their starting XI - will be desperate to keep Mahrez at the King Power Stadium. He has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal, but manager Claudio Ranieri says "it will be better for him to stay with me".
Mahrez, 25, was signed by the Foxes from Le Havre for £400,000 in 2014 but reports in France on Saturday suggested he was set to join Arsenal for up to £50m.
He was the outstanding player on display in Glasgow, and after the match Ranieri again repeated that the winger would be staying.
"Did you see how Riyad is happy?" said Ranieri.
"He played so well, worked so hard for the team, he scored a goal and he stays with us.
"It is very important (to keep him); he is one of our stars.
"Other teams maybe have more stars and maybe he doesn't play at the same level, because maybe is on the bench so it is much better he stays with me."
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers saw 20-year-old centre-back O'Connell guide in off a post in the 59th minute after Scott Brown's shot had been blocked to level the game, which went straight to penalties after 90 minutes.
The first 10 spot kicks were converted before Forrest saw his effort saved and Daniel Amartey scored to give Leicester a bonus point in the competition.
Celtic have their important Champions League tie in between a friendly game with Barcelona in Dublin next weekend, while Leicester face Paris St-Germain in California next Saturday.
Rodgers was impressed with his side's display and is also confident of finalising the signing of former Liverpool defender Kolo Toure this weekend.
"It was an excellent game," he said. "For a pre-season game, it was at a good level and good intensity. Leicester looked fit and strong and ready for another challenge.
"We were excellent. Mahrez scored a fantastic goal but our reaction was really good. The mentality we have tried to create is a winning one. Even in pre-season, that's important.
"We came from a goal behind and that is important."
Rodgers also indicated that a deal is close to sign former Arsenal and Manchester City defender Kolo Toure, released by Liverpool at the end of last season.
"Hopefully Kolo Toure will be signed by Sunday and he will be great for us," Rodgers said. "I bought him to Liverpool and he did great. He looks after himself and is in good condition. He will be a valuable player for us."
Celtic: Gordon (Fasan 62); Janko, Lustig (Ambrose 46), O'Connell; Roberts (Forrest 62), McGregor (Johansen 62), Brown (Allan 75), Armstrong (Rogic 75), Izaguirre; Griffiths (Christie 75), Dembele (Ciftci 62).
Leicester: Zieler (Schmeichel 46); Amartey, Hernandez (Okazaki 62), Morgan (Wasilewski 62), Chilwell; Mahrez (Fuchs 70), Mendy (Simpson 46), Drinkwater, Albrighton (Schlupp 46); Ulloa (Huth 62), Gray (Musa 46)


England's Under 20 team have returned home triumphant from their win in the Fifa Under-20 World Cup.

It's an important victory for the team, as it's the first time an English side of any age has been able to call themselves football world champions, since England won the World Cup in 1966.
The Under-20 World Cup is one of the biggest global tournament in youth football, and has been an important launch-pad for a lot of big names in football.
Famous players like Lionel Messi, Luis Figo, and Paul Pogba have all been part of winning sides in the tournament in the past.
So which players should you be keeping an eye on? - we've been finding out...
One of the heroes of the tournament, Freddie's saves against Sergio Cordova and Adalberto Penaranda in the final helped the team win the cup.
He is also the winner of the coveted Golden Glove award, for his skills as a keeper.
Rumours that United's boss Jose Mourinho is interested in Freddie have also been circulating.
However a move to a Championship club seems more likely for the rising star.
Another Fifa U20's World Cup hero, Dominic scored the winning goal in the final against Venezuela.
He's made a big impression over the last 12 months in the football scene.
His current team Everton have even offered him a new contract at the end of last season.
He 's got the goal-scoring skills and many have said he's got a promising future.
JonJoe was one of the only members of the England U20 squad to play every minute in the World Cup.
He was captain of the Everton Under-23 side which won the Premier League 2 title last season.
He has a strong tackle, and good defensive skills, as well as excellent awareness of what's around him on the pitch.
His current team is Everton, and he is set to have lots more opportunities over the next year.
Known for his technical skills and possession, Josh has cemented himself as a solid midfielder.
Onomah has made 31 appearances over the last two seasons with his club Tottenham Hotspur.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino sees his potential to remain within the club, but only if his strength and endurance can match that of Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama.
His current club Everton were prepared to pay Â£11m to sign him from Charlton - meaning they think he's pretty good!
Ademola is quick, precise, energetic and hard-working.
His reputation in the football world is growing, and many think he has the ability and the potential to go all the way.
He's already played eight senior games and has more on the cards next season.


The girlfriend of missing airman Corrie Mckeague has announced the birth of their baby in an online post.

April Oliver, from Norfolk, uploaded an image of her cradling a baby on her Facebook page on Father's Day.
She told the BBC she would not be releasing any more details. Miss Oliver announced her pregnancy in January, four months after Mr Mckeague vanished.
The RAF gunner, 23, went missing on a night out in Bury St Edmunds, with a search of a landfill site ongoing.
Miss Oliver said she discovered she was pregnant with Mr Mckeague's baby two weeks after his disappearance and said in January: "I've had to make a massive decision by myself.
"I was hoping and praying that he'd come back so we could make the decision together."
The pair met on a dating site and had been in a relationship for five months before Mr Mckeague - originally from  Dunfermline in Fife - went missing from his base at RAF Honington in Suffolk.
The personal trainer told the BBC when she announced her pregnancy that her partner is "just the sweetest and most outgoing person I've ever known".
In May, Miss Oliver posted a black and white image of her holding her bump and a pair of boots, like the ones Mr Mckeague was wearing when he went missing, alongside a message on Facebook.
"Your daddy would be proud of you my little one and would love you as much as I do," she wrote.
Mr Mckeague had been out with friends in September when he went missing and was last seen entering a bin loading bay known as the "horseshoe" at about 03:25 BST.
A waste disposal lorry collected a bin from that area less than an hour after Mr Mckeague was spotted on CCTV.
Specialist officers began sifting through waste in March at the landfill site in Milton, Cambridgeshire, where they believe his body may be.
The search so far has cost more than Â£1m.
Police initially estimated the search of the vast landfill site could take 10 weeks.


The UK government has pledged an extra £500m for the Northern Ireland Executive after Sinn Féin and the DUP reached a deal.

How does the £500m add up?
Most of the new money is dedicated to issues that are Northern Ireland specific.
A total of £188m will be made available for security-related spending.
The PSNI will get an unconditional £160m over the next five years to tackle dissident republicans and other paramilitaries.
A further £25m will be released if the executive comes up with matched funding from its own resources.
The remaining £3m relates to the cost of establishing a new monitoring and implementation body.
'Shared future' cross-community issues will benefit from an additional £60m over five years.
Some of this money will go towards projects aimed at leading to the removal of Belfast's 'peace walls'.
There will be £125m for the Social Security Agency to tackle fraud and error.
But here is where the final number becomes a bit less certain.
The assumption is that the investment will allow the Social Security Agency to detect up to £300m of additional fraud and error over the next five years.
Stormont will be allowed to keep half of that money.
In the last financial year, the Social Security Agency detected losses of £17.4m from official error, £9.3m from customer error and £25.2m in customer fraud.
That's a total of £51.9m .
So the assumption is that the new investment will increase detection of fraud and error by more than 100% per year.
The politicians seem confident that is achievable but if it isn't the financial package could come up short.
The other thing to bear in mind is that the DUP and Sinn Féin have decided they will fund measures to mitigate the impact of welfare reform.
Those mitigating measures will remove £585m from departmental spending - more than is being gained in this financial package.


A Leeds United employee "ruled the roost" in work due to her relationship with the club's head coach, a tribunal has heard.

Lucy Ward says she was sacked because she was Neil Redfearn's partner, and is claiming unfair dismissal and sex discrimination.
Giving evidence on the third day of the hearing, Leeds United secretary Stuart Hayton said "people closely linked can cause difficulties in a club".
The club denies any improper conduct.
In 2015, Ms Ward, who worked as the club's education and welfare officer, travelled to Canada to work as a BBC pundit at the 2015 Women's World Cup.
The club claims Ms Ward, who worked at the club's academy, was dismissed for exceeding her annual leave entitlement while away with the BBC.
Live updates on this story and others from West Yorkshire
Mr Hayton, a witness at the tribunal, said Ms Ward was a strong character who "intimidated" her line manager and "was ruling the roost".
He said: "When you work in football, people closely linked can cause difficulties in a club."
He later said "it always would have been difficult for her to remain at the academy when Mr Redfearn had left", and described their relationship as a "potential conflict of interest".
The club also claimed Ms Ward consistently took Wednesdays off work, despite no specific authorisation.
But Ms Ward's legal team said she worked from home on Wednesdays, and had "worked this pattern" for 11 years without question.
Ms Ward previously told the hearing she had been "treated like a piece of meat" in the way she was sacked by the club.
The tribunal continues.


A Londonderry man who ran an internet piracy scam from his bedroom has been sentenced to four years, two of which will be spent in prison.

Paul Mahoney, 29, from Carnhill in Derry, had pleaded guilty to a number of offences.
Last month, a court heard that Mahoney put the movie industry at risk of losing £120m.
He made almost £300,000 through advertising revenue generated from illegal sites.
These offered access to the latest films and television shows, many before general release.
Mahoney, who is partially-blind, operated the online racket for six years. In one instance, more than one million films were illegally streamed over a period of six months.
A lawyer described the money involved in his sophisticated fraud as "quite staggering".
During this period he claimed more than £12,000 in state benefits. Almost £82,400 was also found hidden at the home he shared with his parents.
The judge described Mahoney's operation as cunning, clever and complex and added that Londonderry Crown Court had to impose the sentence to show that offending of this nature did not go unpunished.
The investigation against Mahoney was led by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact) in conjunction with the PSNI.
The director general of Fact, Kieron Sharp, welcomed the judgement.
"Financially, it had the potential for causing great loss to the film and television industries in the UK," he said,
"This is about the people who work within those industries, who make those films, who need the funding to be able to make film and television programmes in the future.
"The message it sends out is that it's not a victimless crime. When people take films for free, somebody is suffering somewhere and also that if you are going to make money out of it and cause such loss, you will pay the penalty and go to prison."


Patients are getting lost in hospitals across the UK because they are constantly being switched from ward to ward amid pressures on A&E, nurses say.

The situation has got so bad staff are carrying out what have been dubbed "safari rounds", where consultants go searching for their lost patients.
Figures show it is common for patients, particularly elderly ones, to get moved four or five times during their stay.
One nursing union representative said it was a "constant juggle" of patients.
Nurses at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) conference in Liverpool said the issue was created by pressures on A&E.
Latest data in England shows the number of patients waiting more than four hours is rising.
In the week ending 17 March more than 27,000 patients waited longer than four hours in accident and emergency - double the number from the same week the year before.
The RCN said the problems have been building for years and exacerbated by problems with the rollout of the new non-emergency 111 number, although the bad weather is also likely to have been a factor.
Delays are also being experienced discharging patients from hospital because of the lack of social care support, it said.
In turn staff have to move patients from ward to ward so patients waiting in A&E units can be admitted, nurses said.
Karen Webb, the RCN East of England representative, said it has resulted in what has become known as "safari rounds" in her region.
"The pressure leads staff to move people off the A&E department. They then get lost in the hospital.
"Consultants aren't sure where they are so they have to go looking for their lost patients. It is widespread."
Other delegates described how some hospitals had started creating jobs known as "queue nurses" solely to look after people waiting to get seen.
RCN general secretary Peter Carter said: "This is where you get chaos in the system.
"It takes time [finding them] and is very concerning for patients. It is the system not working."
Neil Evans, an A&E nurse from south Wales, broke down as he described how he had seen patients left waiting on trolleys for 24 hours at a time.
"It is heart-breaking seeing what our patients are putting up with."
Norman Provan, the RCN's associate director for Scotland, added: "This is happening everywhere up-and-down the country."
Mark Drakeford, health minister for Wales, said he recognised hospitals were under pressure with steep rises in A&E demand coupled with the need for older patients, with more complex conditions, needing to stay in hospital for longer.
"All parts of the UK are experiencing these pressures but Wales has the highest proportion of people over 85."
Meanwhile, NHS England has already announced a review of emergency and urgent care.
Janet Youd, the RCN's emergency care association chairman, said it was a "constant juggle" to accommodate patients appropriately.
"Because of the pressures we have to move them out of the MAU [medical assessment unit], they can get put on an inappropriate ward and then when there is more time they will get transferred to somewhere better.
"But after a while there could be more pressures to move them as more patients get admitted."
Research by the Royal College of Physicians suggests it is common for a patient, particularly an elderly one, to be moved four or five times during their stay.
"No-one comes to work wanting this to happen, we all want to do our best but that is not always possible," said Ms Youd.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "The NHS needs to ensure it has proper plans in place to deal with high demand on A&E.
"But it's obvious that this isn't just about A&E services in isolation, it's also about how the NHS works as a whole and how it works with other areas such as social care."


A scene in which the hero of BBC drama Poldark apparently commits rape has been toned down for its second series.

Both Winston Graham's fourth Poldark book, Warleggan, and the 1970s TV adaptation saw Ross Poldark force himself upon an old flame.
However the new series will rework the liaison between Ross and Elizabeth as "a charged encounter".
"It seems consensual," star Aidan Turner told The Sun. "He goes to talk, [not] to commit a crime."
"Graham's version of events is open to interpretation - ours is not," a spokesperson for Mammoth Screen, the production company behind Poldark, said.
"We invite all viewers to watch the episode when it comes out and then make up their own mind."
The passage in Graham's book describes the Cornish mine owner "pinioning" Elizabeth's arm and kissing her "with intense passion".
It goes on to describe him taking "no further notice" of her demands to stop, and he subsequently "lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bed".
The second series of Poldark begins airing on BBC One next month, while a third is currently in production.
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German business confidence has rebounded to a two-year high in September, according to the closely-watched Ifo survey.

The index, which measures the morale of some 7,000 firms, rose to 109.5, from an upwardly-revised 106.3 in August.
"The German economy is expecting a golden autumn," said Ifo head Clemens Fuest.
In August, confidence plunged sharply in the wake of the UK's vote to leave the European Union.
Those concerns seem to have dissipated for now.
"Companies are clearly more optimistic about the months ahead. They are also more satisfied with their current business situation," said Mr Fuest.
Improved confidence was seen in manufacturing, wholesaling and retailing, and the services industry. Morale in the construction industry was particularly strong, with the construction index reaching a new record high, Ifo said.
However, some analysts were sceptical about the report.
"In all, we doubt that growth will be as strong as the Ifo now suggests," said Capital Economics economist Jennifer McKeown.
"But it does suggest that the German economy will continue to outperform its peers and reduces concerns raised by the latest hard data that growth could be grinding to a halt," she added.
Growth in the German economy slowed to 0.4% in the three months to June, from 0.7% expansion in the first quarter. However, the slowdown was less sharp than had been expected.


Hamilton Academical and Kilmarnock shared the points from a hard-fought draw at New Douglas Park.

Sean Longstaff gave the visitors an early lead as Killie dominated for much of the first half.
However, Accies equalised with two minutes of the first half remaining through Eamonn Brophy.
Both sides created chances in the second half, Kris Boyd going close for Killie and Danny Seaborne for Accies, but neither side could find a winner.
Kilmarnock started the game brightly and took the lead on seven minutes when Longstaff picked up the ball 22 yards out and drilled a low shot past Gary Woods for his second goal in two matches.
The visitors were passing superbly from the back with Celtic loanee Kristoffer Ajer outstanding in central defence, but his mood was in contrast to that of Boyd up front. The former Scotland striker was increasingly frustrated by the lack of a killer pass to capitalise on the early ascendancy.
That failure was compounded as Accies got into the game more, and substitute Brophy, who had come on for Alex D'Acol, should have done better from a good Danny Redmond pass.
But Brophy more than made up for that with two minutes to go to the interval, a sublime turn and shot from 20 yards flowing past Freddie Woodman for the youngster's second goal of the season.
The second period did not bring as many chances, especially as Accies got closer to their men and did not give Killie the same space in which to play.
Rory McKenzie did set up Boyd two minutes after the break but the striker hooked his shot wide before Redmond caused all sorts of confusion in the home defence from a corner.
The visitors brought on January loanee Conor Sammon for Boyd, but it was McKenzie who had the last chance to win the game in injury time, with his header saved by Woods.
Hamilton Academical manager Martin Canning: "I think a point was just about right. Kilmarnock started better than we did but we changed it and I was pleased with our second-half performance.
"I will take a point, it is four out of six and while I would have wanted six out of six, this is still valuable.
"This league is so tight, it only takes two or three wins in a row for people to push themselves into the top six. I have not spoken about totals or targets to stay in the division, but we are looking up the way rather than down and it has been a good few days."
Kilmarnock manager Lee Clark: "It was frustrating in the end because I thought we were outstanding in the first half-hour and so dominant. But we had to scrap and fight for a result all the same.
"We have had four games against Hamilton this season and they have all been extremely tight which shows you how close we all are. These are the games, though, it would be good to take points from.
"We shot ourselves in the foot a bit, but we are really young and I'm excited about the future, especially when you see the quality on the bench today.
"I want to find a way of getting two strikers on the pitch and Conor Sammon will play a big part in that.
"I am looking upwards and that is why I am frustrated. It is not arrogance, but we have to have that belief that we can get in their further up the table."
Match ends, Hamilton Academical 1, Kilmarnock 1.
Second Half ends, Hamilton Academical 1, Kilmarnock 1.
Attempt saved. Rory McKenzie (Kilmarnock) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner.
Gary Dicker (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Rakish Bingham (Hamilton Academical).
Attempt missed. Dean Hawkshaw (Kilmarnock) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
Corner,  Kilmarnock. Conceded by Rakish Bingham.
Corner,  Kilmarnock. Conceded by Darian MacKinnon.
Substitution, Hamilton Academical. Steven Boyd replaces Daniel Redmond.
Conor Sammon (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Daniel Redmond (Hamilton Academical).
Foul by Darian MacKinnon (Hamilton Academical).
Dean Hawkshaw (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Hamilton Academical. Conceded by Greg Taylor.
Substitution, Hamilton Academical. Ronan Hughes replaces Massimo Donati.
Attempt missed. Darian MacKinnon (Hamilton Academical) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top left corner.
Kristoffer Ajer (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Michael Devlin (Hamilton Academical).
Foul by Josh Umerah (Kilmarnock).
Blair Adams (Hamilton Academical) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Josh Umerah (Kilmarnock) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Josh Umerah (Kilmarnock).
(Hamilton Academical) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Kilmarnock. Conor Sammon replaces Kris Boyd.
Foul by Luke Hendrie (Kilmarnock).
Rakish Bingham (Hamilton Academical) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Sean Longstaff (Kilmarnock).
Darian MacKinnon (Hamilton Academical) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Iain Wilson (Kilmarnock) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Iain Wilson (Kilmarnock).
Daniel Redmond (Hamilton Academical) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Kris Boyd (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Michael Devlin (Hamilton Academical).
Attempt missed. Kris Boyd (Kilmarnock) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the left.
Substitution, Kilmarnock. Josh Umerah replaces Jordan Jones.
Foul by Sean Longstaff (Kilmarnock).
Massimo Donati (Hamilton Academical) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Rory McKenzie (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Grant Gillespie (Hamilton Academical).
Foul by Greg Taylor (Kilmarnock).


Police have released the name of the victim of a fatal single-car crash on Belfast's Westlink on Wednesday.

He was 69-year-old Victor Shaw from north Belfast.
Police are appealing for anyone who was travelling on the Westlink around this time and who witnessed the collision to contact them.
The crash happened on the country-bound lane close to Roden Street shortly before 15:00 GMT.


Thomas Muller and Thiago Alcantara both scored twice as Bayern Munich thumped Werder Bremen 5-0 to go eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

Thiago turned in a cross from outstanding winger Kingsley Coman to put Bayern ahead after nine minutes.
Coman set up Muller to volley in his 26th goal of the season before Muller steered in the third after the break.
Substitute Robert Lewandowski raced clear for the fourth before Thiago tapped in from another Coman assist.
Second-placed Borussia Dortmund play at home to Mainz on Sunday (16:00 GMT).
Bayern, who rested Arjen Robben, Arturo Vidal and Douglas Costa, are at home to Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday night with the last-16 tie level at 2-2 from the first leg.
Pep Guardiola's side will go into that game on course for a fourth successive domestic title as they won for the first time in three Bundesliga games.
Werder Bremen had won their previous two league games and lost just one of their last five to enhance their prospects of avoiding relegation.
But they were also below full-strength, notably missing former Bayern striker Claudio Pizarro, and were no threat to the champions who had chances to make their 12th league home win in 13 attempts more emphatic.
The two sides meet again in the semi-finals of the German Cup in April.
Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola:  "People think it's easy to win 5-0, but every game is like a final for us to stay ahead of Dortmund."
Bremen coach Viktor Skripnik: "No matter what team comes here, if they have 20 or 30 per cent ball possession, it looks like they don't want to (compete). We did everything. Bayern are Bayern."


Former Olympic downhill champion Lindsey Vonn is set to return to competition just nine weeks after severely fracturing her right arm.

Vonn, 32, had surgery after injuring her arm in a training crash in Colorado in November.
She will compete at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee in Austria on 14 January.
"It's been a tough three months with over 300 hours of rehabilitation but being able to compete again makes it worth it," she told Eurosport.
"I have already missed a few races but hopefully I can overcome that and still make a run at some World Cup titles," she added.
In February 2016 she raced with a hairline fracture of her knee, before the injury subsequently forced her to stop competing.
She also suffered a serious knee injury in 2013 which caused her to miss much of the season in both that year and 2014.


Computing giant Microsoft has pledged to provide $1bn-worth (£700m) of cloud computing resources to organisations it deems to be working for the "public good".

The resources will be shared out over the next three years to about 70,000 non-profits and 900 university research projects.
In simplest terms, cloud computing is the term given to storing data on the internet, rather than on a local computer.
As well as making data more easily accessible, the added promise for non-profits is that the resources will provide vast amounts of computing power that would ordinarily be out of reach for all but the biggest businesses.
In a blog post explaining the initiative, Microsoft's chief legal officer Brad Smith wrote: "Cloud services can unlock the secrets held by data in ways that create new insights and lead to breakthroughs, not just for science and technology, but for addressing the full range of economic and social challenges and the delivery of better human services."
The crunching of so-called "big data" is seen as a major opportunity for non-profits dealing in social issues that pose a cumbersome problem without the kind of processing power cloud computing can provide.
In that respect, Microsoft's pledge isn't for a tangible product, or cash, but instead access to servers and services that normal businesses would need to pay considerable fees for.
The money will also be spent on improving "last mile" internet connectivity - the hope is countries that are under connected will begin to enjoy some of the luxuries more developed internet nations have - such as broadband at home.
Other companies, particularly Facebook, have pursued similar goals.
Facebook's Internet.org project is investing in connectivity technologies - such as drones - to fill that last mile, helping what founder Mark Zuckerberg refers to as the "next billion" people to access the web.
However, initiatives such as this aren't always so well received. Facebook's Free Basics scheme, in which certain mobile sites were accessible for free, has caused uproar in India, where local businesses say Facebook is giving itself an unfair advantage over local competitors.
Microsoft will invariably be hit with the same accusation - that a donation over three years will be made in the hope that organisations will become ingrained in the Microsoft cloud ecosystem for many more years to come.
That said, Microsoft boss Satya Nadella has gained considerable applause for his continually expressed desire to use Microsoft's immense size and wealth in developing countries, including his native India.
As well as being a guest of Michelle Obama at the recent State of the Union address, the 48-year-old is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, seeking to stress Microsoft's potential to provide computing power for initiatives beyond big business.
In a blog post published on Wednesday, he wrote: "If cloud computing is one of the most important transformations of our time, how do we ensure that its benefits are universally accessible?
"What if only wealthy societies have access to the data, intelligence, analytics and insights that come from the power of mobile and cloud computing?"
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook


Russia's defence ministry says it has used a base in western Iran to carry out air strikes in Syria.

Tupolev-22M3 long-range bombers and Sukhoi-34 strike fighters took off from Hamedan on Tuesday, a statement said.
Targets were hit in Aleppo, Idlib and Deir al-Zour provinces, it added. Local groups said 27 civilians had died.
It is reportedly the first time Russia has struck targets inside Syria from a third country since it began a campaign to prop up Syria's president last year.
Iran is Bashar al-Assad's main regional ally and has provided significant military and financial support since an uprising against him erupted in 2011.
The US State Department said Russia's use of an Iranian base was "unfortunate but not surprising".
Asked about moves towards a possible agreement with Russia to co-operate in fighting so-called Islamic State (IS), a spokesman, Mark Toner, said closer Russian-Iranian ties would not necessarily preclude a deal. But he added: "We're not there yet."
In recent months, senior Russian and Iranian officials have discussed boosting their military co-operation, reports the BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Moscow.
Last week, Russia asked Iran and Iraq to allow Russian cruise missiles to fly through their airspace for attacks on terrorist targets in Syria.
Russia has been operating jets and helicopters from bases in Syria for the past year, but this is the first time that Moscow has deployed aircraft to a third country in the region.
Reports indicate that up to six Tupolev Tu-22M3 bombers - known by the Nato codename of "Backfire" - are now operating from an air base in western Iran.
These planes - originally designed as a long-range strategic bomber - have already been engaged in the Syrian air campaign but operating from bases in southern Russia. Placing them in Iran dramatically reduces the duration of their missions. The Russian defence ministry says that an unspecified number of Sukhoi-34 strike aircraft have also been sent to Iran.
Their deployment marks an intensification of the Russian air campaign - perhaps a reflection of the scale of the fighting in and around Aleppo - and it is a demonstration of the growing warmth in ties between Moscow and Tehran, the Syrian government's two closest allies.
The Russian defence ministry statement said Tuesday's air strikes had killed a "large number" of militants from IS and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, a rival jihadist group previously known as al-Nusra Front.
They had also resulted in the destruction of five warehouses filled with weapons, ammunition and fuel, and jihadist training camps in the northern provinces of Aleppo and Idlib, it added. Three command centres in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour were also hit.
The Local Co-ordination Committees in Syria said 15 civilians had died in Russian strikes in the Tariq al-Bab district of Aleppo and a further two in the Daret Izza district.
Another 10 people died in air attacks in the Ommal neighbourhood of Deir al-Zour, the committees said.
The strikes came a day after Russia's defence minister suggested Moscow was close to an agreement with the US on collaborating in attacks on IS around the divided city of Aleppo, where fighting between Syrian government and rebel forces has escalated in recent weeks.
"We are moving step by step closer to a plan - and I'm only talking about Aleppo here - that would really allow us to start fighting together to bring peace so that people can return to their homes in this troubled land," Russia's RIA news agency cited Sergei Shoigu as saying.
The US has conducted hundreds of air strikes against IS and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham militants in Syria since September 2014, but it backs the rebellion.
Also on Tuesday, Human Rights Watch alleged that Russian and Syrian government aircraft had been using incendiary weapons in civilian areas in violation of international law - something Moscow has denied.
A review of photographs and videos indicated there were at least 18 incendiary weapon attacks on rebel-held areas in Aleppo and Idlib between 5 June and 10 August, the US-based group said. Witnesses and emergency workers reported at least 12 civilians wounded in five of the attacks.


One of Scotland's biggest environmental organisations has escaped prosecution despite felling woodland in the Flow Country without the necessary licences.

RSPB Scotland said the issue was the result of an "administrative error".
The work was carried out at the Dyke and Forsinain commercial forestry plantations in Sutherland.
It was part of a long-running deep peatland restoration project which was removing conifer plantations from the Flow Country.
The vast peat bogs of the far north of Scotland are seen as internationally important.
They store large quantities of carbon and support a wide range of plant and animal species.
Felling at Dyke was halted in March 2015 when it was discovered that licences had lapsed the previous month.
In addition, a licence application for the felling operations at Forsinain had not been completed.
Forestry Commission Scotland referred the matter to the procurator fiscal but it has now been decided no further action should be taken.
RSPB spokesman Dr Pete Mayhew said: "We welcome the decision by the procurator fiscal and look forward to moving ahead with our important peatland restoration work under a forest plan agreed with Forestry Commission Scotland.
"To ensure there is no repetition of this unfortunate incident, we have undertaken a complete and thorough review of our operating procedures and strengthened them significantly so that we can focus on our work restoring the internationally important peatlands of the Flow Country."
The removal of conifer plantations on the deep peatland of the Flow Country has long been seen as a priority by conservationists.
The RSPB says that since the mid-1990s, more than 2,000 hectares of conifers have been felled and the land restored to blanket bog.
Similar work has been carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland and private landowners.
Dr Mayhew added: "RSPB Scotland is proud of its record in removing thousands of inappropriately planted trees over the last two decades and we deeply regret that, in this instance, felling took place without the proper documentation in place."
A spokesman for Forestry Commission Scotland said: "We take a very serious view of any offence against the felling requirements of the Forestry Act.
"In line with normal practice when there is an unauthorised felling of this scale and significance, a thorough report was produced and submitted to the procurator fiscal.
"It is for the procurator fiscal to decide whether or not to take forward any prosecution and in this case they decided not to do so.
"We have issued formal warning letters to the parties involved and met senior staff from both RSPB and their contractors to ensure their procedures are revised to avoid such incidents in the future."
A Crown Office spokesman said: "Following full and careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of this case, including a number of mitigating circumstances, the procurator fiscal decided that there should be no criminal proceedings at this time.
"The Crown reserves the right to proceed in the future."


From the start of April, the UK government raised the threshold for those paying the 40p rate of income tax to £45,000, and aims to up it to £50,000 by 2020/21.

The claim: The Scottish Conservatives have repeatedly claimed that under SNP policies, Scotland has become "the highest taxed part of the UK".
Reality Check verdict: Changes to thresholds mean 370,000 Scots pay more income tax than those earning the same amount south of the border. However, council tax is generally lower in Scotland, and the SNP say the country has a more generous benefits system.
But Scottish Finance Secretary Derek Mackay, using new tax powers devolved to Holyrood, froze that threshold at £43,000.
As a result, in the current year more than 370,000 Scots who are in this bracket will pay more tax than those earning the same amount south of the border - that's one in seven taxpayers.
For those earning £45,000, the difference is about £400.
The Scottish government is also exploring whether a 50p top rate of tax could be introduced in future years. The SNP's 2017 manifesto backs this UK-wide, but they have previously rejected using the rate in Scotland alone unless power over tax avoidance is devolved to Holyrood.
The rates of other major taxes, such as VAT and National Insurance, are set by the UK government and are the same north and south of the border.
While some pay more income tax, after a succession of freezes under agreements between the Scottish government and local councils, most people in Scotland pay less council tax than those in England.
The average Band D property in Scotland pays £1,162 in council tax, while the average Band D property in England pays £1,591.
The multiplier which calculates the higher bands, from E to H was recently changed in Scotland, meaning people in these properties saw their bills rise regardless of what their local councils decided to do in their budgets.
However, the average bill for each of the eight bands is higher in England than it is in Scotland, with the average of bands A-H at £1,551.33 in Scotland and £1,922.46 in England.
The SNP also say Scotland has a more generous benefits system including free prescriptions and free personal care for the elderly, as well as free tuition for Scottish and EU students.
However, their opponents argue that Scotland has been relatively generously funded compared to other parts of the UK - although with its new tax powers Holyrood is now responsible for raising much more of its own money.
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Cliftonville moved back into third place in the Irish Premiership as goals from Jay Donnelly and Stephen Garrett sealed victory away to Glentoran.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Donnelly struck in the sixth minute, latching onto a George McMullan through ball to slot past keeper Elliot Morris.
Cliftonville, who had lost their last two, doubled their lead in the 57th minute when Daniel Hughes played in Garrett who chipped over Morris.
This defeat leaves Glentoran with only six points out of a possible 24.
Cliftonville leapfrog Glenavon in the league table but remain 10 points behind leaders Crusaders.
Reds manager Gerard Lyttle will be a happier man after his side's first league win at the Oval since 2011.
Lyttle had been critical of his players' workrate following their 3-1 home defeat at home to Coleraine on Saturday.
Donnelly's 15th goal of the season gave the League Cup winners the perfect start on six minutes.
Curtis Allen twice went close for Glentoran but they were hit by a second Cliftonville goal skilfully finished by Garrett.
Glentoran manager Alan Kernaghan: "We gave away an early goal but responded well and if it had not been for their goalkeeper we could have been 3-1 up at half-time.
"But in the second half we were spectators and were taught a real lesson.
"I cannot fathom the differences in our performances. It is frustrating because I know I have a good set of players here."
Cliftonville manager Gerard Lyttle: "The players' attitude was brilliant and I have to applaud them.
"We were disappointed with Saturday's performance and we wanted to show that we care."


Safety failures led to the the death of a crewman who was thrown from a North Sea trawler, a report has said.

Nuertey Annang, 47, from Ghana, was knocked from the Banff-registered Aquarius off Aberdeen, near Girdleness Lighthouse, in August last year.
He was not wearing a lifejacket, and sank out of view.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report said the vessel's crew had not been adequately prepared to deal with emergency situations.
Mr Annang was struck by a piece of equipment and thrown overboard.
A major air and sea search was only launched after the alarm was raised when he disappeared from view.
The MAIB said the accident could have been avoided if risks had been properly assessed, and the catching of fish had not been a priority over safety.
The report said: "The energy with which the crewman was lifted off the deck and catapulted overboard would almost certainly have severely stunned and disorientated him, and was probably sufficient to cause internal injuries.
"Nevertheless, Annang was alive when he entered the water and was able to keep himself afloat for several minutes.
"When the crew raised the alarm the skipper's initial reaction was to focus on monitoring Annang's position in the water, and manoeuvring Aquarius astern towards him.
"The crew threw lifebuoys towards their crew mate in the water and shouted encouragement, but despite these efforts Annang soon succumbed and sank below the surface of the water."
The MAIB said that about 15 minutes after the crewman landed in the water, having realised the attempts to rescue him had failed, the skipper used his mobile phone to raise the alarm.
The report explained: "The actions taken by the skipper and his crew to recover the casualty were not in line with the guidance provided by the MCA for a man overboard situation, and fell well short of standard responses taught on training courses.
"Of particular note, the alarm was not raised until after the crewman had sunk below the surface of the water."
It went on: "The Maritime and Coastguard Agency had surveyed and inspected Aquarius on numerous occasions during the previous nine years.
"It had identified Aquarius as a poorly run vessel and issued it with 137 deficiencies; many of these related to safety management and were of a repetitive nature.
"The underlying factors that contributed to this accident included: a total lack of proactive safety management; a poor level of onboard safety culture; and the crew suffering from tiredness and fatigue.
"Recommendations have been made to the owners of Aquarius, the vessel's manning agency and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
"These are aimed at improving the levels of safety management and emergency preparedness on board Aquarius; the working conditions and hours of rest for non-UK nationals on board UK flagged fishing vessels; and the capability of the electronic systems used by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to manage and monitor deficiencies and poor performing fishing vessels."
More than 10 vessels were involved in the search, including tugs, rig vessels, merchant vessels and fishing boats.


A motorist who died after a crash involving a lorry and a car in Aberdeenshire was a "loved" father of two.

Ben Abrahams, 32, died after his red Toyota Yaris was involved in the collision on the B979 Westhill to Peterculter road on Thursday morning.
He lived in Torphins with his wife Kate and two young sons.
Relatives said in a statement: "He is loved and respected and will be sadly missed by all his friends and family."
Mr Abrahams had worked as a petroleum engineer for Schlumberger for the past five years.
The driver of the lorry was not injured.
Police Scotland appealed for anyone with possible information about the crash to come forward.


Plans for 1,200 new houses to be built in Newmarket have been rejected by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles.

Mr Pickles decided to refuse Lord Derby planning permission for the development on Hatchfield Farm on the advice of the planning inspector.
A public inquiry was held last year after Forest Heath District Council rejected the proposals.
Rachel Hood, of Save Historic Newmarket Action Group, said she was "incredibly grateful" for the decision.
Lord Derby said he would be "taking the time to digest more fully the inspector's report, before deciding on any future course of action".
Mrs Hood, chairman of the action group, said the development, which would also have included office space and shops, would have turned Newmarket into a "nondescript clone town".
"These plans, which were turned down unanimously two years ago by the district councillors, would have increased the size of Newmarket by a third and would have led in time to the destruction of Newmarket as the home of international horse racing," she said.
Lord Derby said: "Though disappointed with the secretary of state's decision, I am pleased that both he and the inspector concluded that the proposal would not have had an adverse impact on the horse racing industry, despite what has been repeatedly claimed.
"Similarly they found no fault with the scheme's highway proposals.
"They also confirmed that Newmarket is the most sustainable town in the district, the housing needs of which could still, I believe, be served by Hatchfield."
Mr Hancock, Conservative MP for West Suffolk, welcomed the secretary of state's decision.
"The inspector has upheld the decision of the council that 1,200 houses is wrong for Newmarket, and would harm its economy, which is intertwined with its role as the global home of horse racing," he said.
"Now we need to put aside differences and work together to improve the future of a town for the benefit of all."


A group of amateur fishermen have landed what they believe to be a record-breaking thresher shark.

The men spent over an hour dragging the 368lb (167kg) beast on board the boat off the coast of Cornwall on Sunday.
One of the men, Nick Lane, said they had submitted a record application after the Shark Trust calculated the weight based on the shark's dimensions.
"I was jumping up and down like a little school girl", Mr Lane said. "All hell broke loose."
Thresher Shark latest
"Suddenly the rods took off, they were absolutely screaming," he said.
Mr Lane, a garage owner from Washford in Somerset, said when they got the shark on board they measured it and took photographs before letting it back into the water.
John Richardson, Shark Trust conservation officer, praised the anglers for putting the shark back into the sea.
He said: "Here in the Northeast Atlantic Threshers are listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
"The Shark Trust applauds the anglers for returning the shark alive to the water, especially as it may well have been a potential record."
Mr Richardson said normally anglers would need to bring a shark to shore to be formally verified for a record, although sometimes informal records can be recognised.
To be the largest shark caught in British waters it will need to break the previous record set in 1982 by a 323lb (147kg) thresher shark.
Nick Simmonds, secretary of the British Record Fish Committee (BRFC), said he had been unable to verify if a claim had been formally made yet.
Mr Richardson said he did have a record of their catch but the Shark Trust did not confirm or verify catch records.


Years & Years and Catfish and the Bottlemen have been added to the line-up for Radio 1's Big Weekend in Norwich.

The station's flagship event will be held at Earlham Park in Norwich on 23-24 May.
Taylor Swift and Florence and the Machine are also performing at Europe's biggest free ticketed music event.
The full line-up will be announced in April with 50,000 tickets available from next Tuesday.
Lead singer from Catfish and the Bottlemen, Van McCann, told the Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw: "I never really got onto [festivals] until we did Reading and Leeds, T in the Park and Big Weekend last year.
"That was the when we realised how serious people were into the band and how much people had invested into it.
"So I love 'em. I can't wait. It's going to be so good."
They'll be performing on the In New Music We Trust stage on Sunday 24 May.
They will be available on a first-come-first-served basis but will include a booking fee of Â£3.50.
You'll need to register in advance, with 25,000 tickets available for each day of the event.
Olly Alexander from Years & Years also talked to the Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw.
Talking from LA, he said: "It's going to be amazing. We're going to hunt down Taylor [Swift] and we can go shopping in Norwich. That's not going to happen.
"I'm excited. It's going to be really, really good."
Years & Years will be performing on the In New Music We Trust stage on Saturday 23 May.
Tickets will be available online at Radio 1's website and once booking opens, a link will appear to a secure site hosted by See Tickets, which is handling the ticketing process on the BBC's behalf.
There will also be a phone number to call for anyone without internet access - 0844 858 9071 (calls cost 6p a minute plus standard network charges) - but don't call before 8am on 31 March otherwise you'll be charged anyway.
Big Weekend this year will feature three stages including the Main Stage, In New Music We Trust Stage and the BBC Introducing Stage.
Fifty-five per cent of tickets will be reserved for people living within the area covered by Norwich City Council.
Another 20% will be reserved for residents with a Norwich (NR) postcode, but outside the area covered by the City Council.
Then another 20% will be reserved for residents in the surrounding East Anglian region with Ipswich (IP), Colchester (CO), Cambridge (CB) and Peterborough (PE) postcodes with the remaining 5% for other audiences across the UK.
In the lead up to Big Weekend, for the fourth year running, Radio 1 and BBC Learning will also open the doors to Radio 1's Academy.
The station hopes to inspire local 16-19-year-olds to take the next step in their careers by inviting them to attend a series of radio shows, masterclasses and Q&As.
Radio 1's Big Weekend will also host a number of acts who've come through BBC Introducing.
Big Weekend, which will be will be produced in partnership with Norwich City Council, will be broadcast live on Radio 1, 1Xtra and streamed on the Radio 1 website.
Highlights will also be broadcast live on BBC Three.
Last year's Big Weekend was opened by One Direction and headlined by Coldplay and Katy Perry.
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The history of a Scottish castle which played a key role during the Wars of Independence may have to be rewritten.

Tibbers Castle in Dumfriesshire occupied an important site defending Nithsdale, one of the main routes into Scotland, during the 14th century.
A new geophysics survey has uncovered an enclosure, invisible to the naked eye, within the current castle.
It has led historians to conclude that the original fortification was much smaller than first thought.
The findings have given experts a more detailed understanding of the site.
Richard Oram, professor of medieval and environmental history at Stirling University, said: "The results of this research are very exiting and greatly help our understanding of this important site but of early castle building in Scotland."
The castle, near Thornhill, was initially thought to have consisted of a mound, known as a "motte", and two large "baileys", or fortified enclosures.
However the new research reveals that the original castle was built with just a single bailey, densely populated with timber buildings.
Historians believe that as tensions between Scotland and England led to war, the castle was rebuilt and expanded.
The survey was carried out by a team backed by funding from the Castle Studies Trust and Historic Environment Scotland.
Dr Piers Dixon, of Historic Environment Scotland, said: "Thanks to the funding received by the Castle Studies Trust we have been able to shed new light on this important castle of the Wars of Independence."
Tibbers Castle was taken by Robert the Bruce in 1306, before being quickly regained by the English.
This occupation finished in 1313, with the resurgence of Bruce's campaigns against the English.


London's Gherkin skyscraper has been placed into receivership by its creditors after one of its owners was placed in insolvency.

Germany's IVG Immobilien, which co-owns the 40-storey Gherkin with private equity firm Evans Randall, filed for insolvency last year.
Evans Randall said it was willing to buy a bigger stake in the tower.
But it had been unable to agree a new ownership plan with IVG.
Deloitte has been appointed a receiver of 30 St Mary Axe, the building's more-formal title, it said on Thursday.
"Adverse interest rate and currency movements" added to the building's debt burden, said Deloitte, which led to defaults on the debts dating back to 2009.
The skyscraper, designed by Foster and Partners, was built by reinsurer Swiss Re in 2004 and was sold to IVG and Evans Randall in 2007 for Â£600m.


Women in Northern Ireland have the worst survival rates in the UK and the worst chance of having access to a clinical trial, according to the charity Target Ovarian Cancer.

Just 30% of those diagnosed with the disease survive for five years or more.
The charity said early diagnosis of ovarian cancer is key to survival, and women need to know the symptoms in order to visit their GP with concerns.
The charity said awareness of symptoms also differed across the UK.
Ovarian cancer symptoms
Target Ovarian Cancer also warned that women with ovarian cancer were at risk of delayed diagnosis, worse treatment and even lower survival outcomes, depending on where they live.
Alexandra Holden, from Target Ovarian Cancer, said: "It really is down to who you meet, where you live, whether your clinician believes in clinical trials, whether there is a trial near you, which there might be, but there might not be.
"It is absolutely just down to chance and that's not acceptable when we're talking about people's lives."
The charity said early diagnosis was key to survival.
Women diagnosed at the earliest stage of ovarian cancer have a five-year survival rate of 92%, but the five-year survival rate in the UK is just 36%, amongst the worst in Europe.
NICE (The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) also recommend that any woman aged 50 or over who has had symptoms within the last 12 months which suggest a new diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) should have tests for ovarian cancer.
IBS rarely presents for the first time in women of this age and may be confused with ovarian cancer.
Experts say 500 lives a year could be saved through earlier diagnosis of the cancer, if the UK could match the best rates in Europe.


Scotland coach Gordon Strachan insists the 'must-win' nature of Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Slovenia will bring the best out of his side.

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The Scots lie fifth in Group F, four points adrift of their opponents, who are second behind leaders England.
Strachan admits anything less than victory will spell the end of another bid to end Scotland's finals drought.
"There's no grey areas to it. It's must-win. That's dealing with reality. We have to win," said the 60-year-old.
"But sometimes when you have a challenge like that in life, it brings the best out of you so we will have a team ready for that challenge of 'must win'.
"What we don't have to do is win it in the first five or 10 minutes. You never know in big games when your opportunity will come along.
"However, what we do have to do is make opportunities and the players we pick will make those opportunities.
"But if we don't score, we must get back into our shape that allows them very little opportunities."
Strachan admits there are "a couple of knocks" in his squad, with Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser again forced to sit out training on Saturday with a knee injury that prevented his involvement against Canada.
But the head coach has decided on his line-up that will face the Slovenians, who are ranked 58th in Fifa's world rankings, above Scotland in 67th.
The visitors have drawn 2-2 with Lithuania and won 1-0 in Malta in their two away matches to date, and beaten Slovakia and drawn with England at home.
"What we have done is pick a team that is feeling good about themselves," said Strachan, who is likely to lean on up to six of Celtic's players, who are unbeaten in domestic competition this season.
"It might be completely different from the England game but I am hoping we get the same commitment, the same bravery on the ball.
"If we can get it together then we will be fine. We can compete with most teams.
"We have got the shape right. We've got the players now. We've given them the information and we're ready to go now."
After the misery of Wednesday's friendly draw against Canada in cold and wet conditions, Strachan says the balmy spring temperatures have buoyed his players ahead of Sunday's encounter.
"One thing for sure is it's going to be a great day, the weather is fantastic and there is a spring in the players' step after what we had in Edinburgh at the beginning of the week," he added.
"I think it will be a tremendous place to see football tomorrow, and I think it's going to be a tremendous game."


An undercover Met Police officer was stabbed by a group of teenagers in east London while on an operation, the force has said.

Three boys and a girl allegedly attacked the plain clothes officer in an alleyway near The Bow Bells pub in Bow on Tuesday night.
The officer, in his 40s, suffered three stab wounds and remains in hospital.
A 17-year-old held on suspicion of attempted murder has been released on police bail.
A knife has been recovered from the scene.  Scotland Yard said the stabbing was not being treated as terrorist related.
The Met said the group, all believed to be in their late teens, may not have been aware the victim was a police officer.
The teens may also have been involved in another incident outside Devons Road Docklands Light Railway Station, where a motorist was threatened with a knife, the Met said.
The stabbed man, who was with the Met's specialist crime and operations unit, was one of four Met officers injured in separate attacks on Tuesday, BBC London has learned.
One police officer sustained a broken hand and another was punched in the face in different incidents in Lambeth.
Another officer was attacked with a needle in Croydon, south London.
On Tuesday, the Met revealed two officers were attacked by a mob of around 30 schoolchildren in New Cross a fortnight ago.
One of them was punched in the face several times then kicked in the head repeatedly after he tried to search a boy suspected of concealing a knife.


A man in a clown mask has stabbed a teenager in western Sweden, police have said.

The youth was left with minor injuries following the attack, which happened when he went outside for a cigarette in Varberg, south of Gothenburg.
It came the day after two people in clown costumes threatened to kill a woman in the centre of Sweden.
The reports are the latest in a wave of "creepy clown" sightings in Europe and the US.
The craze involves adults in frightening outfits scaring passers-by.
Police are still searching for the Varberg clown, but are not yet willing to definitely link it to the craze, which began in the US over the summer.
The teenager suffered minor injuries to his shoulder.
"We do not know what prompted this. It was not a robbery, and I do not know if they had fought before," spokesman Ulla Brehm told Gotesburgposten  (in Swedish).
"It's hard to say if this is something that has to do with the trend that has come from the US, but there was a clown mask on the site."
However, Swedish Interior Minister Anders Ygeman has called for calm as more and more sightings of scary clowns are made across Sweden.
"We don't want to see a situation where a person gets into real trouble because someone, perhaps half joking, puts on a clown mask," Mr Ygeman told the TT news agency.


More than 45 million people are living in modern slavery, with Asia accounting for two thirds of the victims, a new report says.

The 2016 Global Slavery Index, from the Walk Free Foundation in Australia, defines slavery as "situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, abuse of power or deception".
Modern forms of slavery can include debt bondage, where a person is forced to work for free to pay off a debt, child slavery, forced marriage, domestic servitude and forced labour, where victims are made to work through violence and intimidation.
The BBC looks at five examples of modern slavery.
Human rights groups say thousands of people are trafficked and forced to work on fishing boats, where they can be kept for years without ever seeing the shore. Victims say those who are caught trying to escape can be killed and thrown overboard.
Thailand, which is the third largest exporter of seafood in the world, has been accused of crewing fishing boats with Burmese and Cambodian men who have been sold and forced to work as slaves. The authorities are trying to crack down on people traffickers.
Many victims say they were tricked by brokers who promised them factory jobs, and then put them on fishing boats where they were forced to work.
One Burmese man who escaped his traffickers said he was forced on to a tiny boat in the open sea where he fished 20 hours a day, with no pay.
"People said, anyone who tried to escape had their legs broken, their hands broken or were even killed," he told the BBC.
Forced to fish: Slavery on Thailand's trawlers
Figures suggest there could be between 10,000 and 13,000 victims of slavery in the UK, trafficked from countries including Albania, Nigeria, Vietnam and Romania.
About 3,000 children from Vietnam alone are thought to be working in British cannabis farms and nail bars.
Many victims are told their families will be hurt if they leave.
One victim was 16 years old when he came to the UK, hoping to earn money to send home to his family. Instead, he was forced to work in a cannabis factory.
"I remember asking the man who took me there if I could leave because I didn't like it but he threatened to beat me or starve me to death," he said.
He was arrested when police raided the house, and charged with drug offences - but was eventually helped by the NSPCC child trafficking advice centre.
UK slavery: Victims 'need better support'
The International Labour Organization estimates that there are 4.5 million victims of forced sexual exploitation.
Shandra Woworuntu, an activist against human trafficking, was forced into sexual slavery in the US in 2001.
She left Indonesia when she was promised work in the hospitality industry in the US, but the agents who met her at the airport passed her on to armed traffickers, who forced her to carry out sex work.
"They told me I owed them $30,000 and I would pay off the debt $100 at a time by serving men," she said.
She eventually managed to escape, and helped the FBI locate a brothel with other trafficking victims.
Shandra Woworuntu: My life as a sex-trafficking victim
The report highlights that many children across Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East are forced to beg on the streets by criminals.
One victim told researchers: "Though I am begging I am not paid a single amount. I have to deposit all to them. I am deprived of food and good sleep. I am not paid my wages only working as a bonded labour."
Another said: "I can't say anything to you because I am in constant fear. I am threatened by my employer not to open my mouth to anybody otherwise I will be punished severely."
Much modern slavery isn't visible in public. It takes place in homes and private farms.
Last week, three men from the same family in the UK were jailed for forcing a man to do heavy labour for next to no money.
Michael Hughes, 46, was forced to work for the family for more than 20 years, doing building work and road laying.
He said he was made to live in a 1.2m (4ft) wide garden shed with no heating or running water for two years.
And last month, a UK man was jailed for two years in the first case of a man holding his wife in domestic servitude.
The wife was tortured, forced to do all the chores, and not allowed to leave home, prosecutors said.


Life changing operations for epilepsy have stopped in Birmingham over the past 14 months because of a row over money, a surgeon has claimed.

One patient had his brain surgery cancelled less than two hours before he was due in hospital.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital apologised, saying the procedure is not currently commissioned by NHS England.
However, NHS England claims it is working with the hospital on plans to further develop the service.
David Knowles, 32, was due to undergo a procedure in April that could cure or significantly reduce his epilepsy.
Known as lesion resection, it involves inserting electrodes into the brain to detect electrical activity and carefully removing abnormal brain tissue.
Just 45 minutes after confirmation that he was to come into hospital, however, he was told that the operation had been cancelled.
In a letter to his GP, the surgeon Ramesh Chelvarajah wrote: "Due to funding and commissioning changes that have arisen with the advent of NHS England taking over from the old PCTs, the service has effectively been suspended since February of last year."
Mr Chelvarajah also told the BBC that he has a horrendous waiting list and if and when funding is agreed, it could take up to a year to work through the backlog.
The disagreement is over the tariff - the amount the trust gets paid for the operation.
Mr Chelvarajah said: "The tariff is still a football match between the trust and NHS England."
Mr Knowles, who is having more frequent and severe attacks because his medication is becoming less effective, has, according to the surgeon, up to an 80% chance of a complete cure.
The software engineer is bitter because it is the third time that he has failed to obtain surgery.
Aged 16, he was taken to theatre with a metal cage already implanted in his head, but the procedure was inappropriate. At 21, he was rejected as not suitable for surgery at the last minute.
"To have your hopes raised and dashed is hard," he said.
"I was told that surgery was pretty routine at the QE. Then all of a sudden to find out that it had been cancelled due to funding is pretty diabolical."
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust said it had apologised to Mr Knowles for the cancellation of his operation and recognised that it had not met its usual standards of care.
It said that it was not currently commissioned by NHS England to provide this procedure as part of its epilepsy service, but is working towards being able to offer this in the future.
A spokeswoman said: "The Trust is in the process of finalising an agreement with NHS England to fund the capacity for 10 intercranial telemetry procedures per year at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham."
A spokesperson for NHS England said: "Although we cannot comment on individual cases, NHS England does routinely fund epilepsy surgery such as lesion resection and diagnostic work in line with our national specification for neurosurgery care.
"We are currently working with the hospital on their plans to further develop this service for the small number of patients each year with complex and specialised epilepsy needs


A Minnesota police force has threatened to punish drink drivers with Justin Bieber's dance moves if they get behind the wheel while intoxicated.

Police in Wyoming, Minnesota, tweeted on Sunday that drink drivers would be forced to watch Bieber's Super Bowl advert "the entire way to jail".
The pop star is seen performing celebratory end zone dances in a tuxedo during the mobile phone commercial.
Fortunately, no drink driving arrests were made on Sunday night.
Canada police to punish drink-drivers with Nickelback
Bieber's advert aired during the Super Bowl, in which he is heard saying: "This guy's got the shimmedy sham-sham shimmedy shake right there".
Twitter users lauded the police for the tongue-in-cheek tweet, which was retweeted nearly 10,000 times.
Wyoming Police Chief Paul Hoppe told the Pioneer Press that the tweet helped push the public service announcement about responsible drinking during the Super Bowl.
"It gets people to actually stop and read the message," Mr Hoppe said.
After the New England Patriots won the game in a historic 34-28 comeback, the Wyoming police changed their message, poking fun at the way many Americans love to hate the Patriots.
The alternative punishment is not the first time police have turned to Canadian artists to help deter drink driving.
Last November, a Canadian police force threatened to force festive drink-drivers to listen to Nickelback, a local band often derided as the world's worst band.


Ministers have backed plans that would give them powers to make non-payment of the TV licence fee a civil rather than criminal offence, the BBC understands.

A Conservative MP proposed immediate decriminalisation - but ministers are backing a revised amendment giving them power to make the change in the future.
The amendment also proposes a review of penalties for non-payment, which must be completed within 15 months.
The BBC says decriminalisation could cost it £200m through greater evasion.
A TV licence, which is required if a user watches or records live broadcasts on any device in the UK, costs £145.50 per year.
By Dominic CascianiHome affairs correspondent, BBC News
The difference between a criminal and civil offence is that one leads to a criminal punishment because it is an offence against all of society, while the other seeks to redress a wrong committed by one person on another.
In practice, magistrates don't jail people for criminal failure to pay a TV licence unless they have refused to pay a previous fine. That's because prisons are a last resort - reserved for the worst offenders.
If someone commits a civil offence, there will be a finding against them in court which can include an order to make amends, including damages. If that person fails to comply with that order, that's an offence against the court which can lead to jail.
In English law, civil damages are more limited than myth would have it - so a future civil penalty could be no more than the price of a licence fee plus legal costs.
Those who refuse to pay face a £1,000 fine and a criminal record, as well as the prospect of jail if fines are not paid.
A senior Downing Street source said Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, who tabled a proposal in the House of Commons to decriminalise non-payment, had "genuinely changed government thinking on the matter".
Mr Bridgen's original proposal - which was among amendments to the Deregulation Bill going through Parliament - aimed at forcing a vote on immediate decriminalisation. It was signed by 150 MPs.
Mr Bridgen has now tabled a revised proposal calling for a review of the "appropriate" sanctions for non-payment of TV licences. The review would have to be completed within 15 months of the Deregulation Bill being passed.
His amendments would also give ministers power under "statutory instrument" - meaning no further Act of Parliament was needed - to "replace the TV licensing offences with civil monetary penalties".
This power could be used only during a two-year period, starting from the completion of the proposed review. After that it would require approval by both Houses of Parliament.
The revised proposal will be considered at a parliamentary committee meeting on Tuesday.
A BBC spokeswoman said: "The BBC is content that this proposal balances a timely examination of this issue with a proper review of the options, while not taking any decisions prior to charter review."
The BBC's royal charter, which sets out the corporation's purposes and the way it is run, is reviewed every 10 years and the current one runs until the end of 2016.
The BBC Trust - which is the governing body of the BBC - said the licence fee issue should be "discussed in the round", taking account of the possible effect on BBC output.
It said any decisions should be made "as part of the charter review process".
"This amendment appears to be in line with that," it said.
Earlier this month, the corporation's strategy director, James Purnell, warned BBC channels could close if non-payment of the licence fee was decriminalised.
He said it would be a "huge risk" which would increase non-payment and cost the BBC £200m a year in lost licence fee revenue.
The sum is the equivalent to the costs of BBC Four, CBBC and CBeebies, which would have to be taken off air, he said.
His comments followed a decision to make BBC Three an online-only channel as part of ongoing cost-cutting measures.
On Friday, Mr Purnell said: "We do some research quite regularly and one of the things that people know is that at the moment it [non-payment of the licence fee] is a criminal offence and that does seem to be a deterrent. So we want something that is just as effective in future."
He said it could be "the current system under the amendment that has gone down", a civil system or a completely different system looked at in the context of charter review.
Culture Secretary Maria Miller has previously said "decriminalisation of the licence fee should be on the table" during the charter review.
With TV licensing cases accounting for 180,000 - or more than one in 10 - criminal prosecutions in 2012, decriminalisation could ease pressure on the courts system, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has said.
Of those prosecuted in 2012, about 155,000 people were convicted and fined for non-payment.


The families of two men killed in a blaze at a fireworks warehouse say they are still are seeking answers one year on.

30 October 2015 Last updated at 07:41 GMT
Simon Hillier, 41, and Stewart Staples, 57, died in the fire at SP Plastics in Stafford on 30 October 2014.
BBC Midlands Today reporter Liz Copper spoke to family and friends as police submitted a file to prosecutors.
Mr Hillier's brother, Mark Hillier said: "I just hope we find out what it is that caused it, why it was caused, and what can be done about it."
A friend of Mr Staples, Adrian Sullivan said: "Until there is closure we can't get over it."


The father of a 17-year-old girl who fell to her death from a multi-storey car park ten years ago has called on police to reopen the investigation.

Ron Eley said Northamptonshire Police had been too keen to dismiss his daughter Lauren's death as a suicide.
He also criticised officers for handing him a bag full of Miss Eley's blood-stained clothes before he had been told she was dead.
Last week an open verdict was recorded in an inquest into her death.
Police have yet to comment on Mr Eley's criticism, but the force accepted notes taken down after her death, which were destroyed seven years later, could have assisted the hearing.
Coroner Anne Pember said she could not presume her death was accidental.
Miss Eley died at Northampton Hospital on 11 December 2004 after falling from the town's Grosvenor Centre multi-storey car park.
Her father said he felt police had never investigated his daughter's death as a crime.
He said: "I had to look into evidence myself. Some of it was pretty graphic and pretty horrific.
"The police should be accountable for the lack of work that was put into this.
"I want the police to recognise the pain and frustration they have put us through."
Mr Eley said officers had given him and his wife a bag full of his daughter's bloody clothes on the day she died.
He said they did not find out she was dead until they went to the hospital, even though she had died 40 minutes before the officers had called round.
"They gave us a big brown bag and suggested we didn't look into it. Of course, our first reaction was to look in the bag," he said.
"The clothing was dirty. Her tights were ripped and there was blood all over some of the clothes."
Police have yet to comment, but last week said: "An officer's notebook was stored and destroyed after seven years in line with national guidelines.
"It is regrettable that, due to an oversight, a copy of the notes made within that book that relate to this investigation were not retained with the case papers.
"We accept this would have assisted at inquest."
The police spokesman said the force had considered several possible causes of death, including "that of accident, misadventure and the involvement of a third party".


MPs are to review the process that has been used to find a name for the UK's new polar research ship.

Members of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee want to discuss whether the public engagement project around the search for a name has been a success or a failure.
A website inviting suggestions attracted huge interest, with "Boaty McBoatface" being the big favourite.
But science minister Jo Johnson is reportedly cool on the idea.
He has said there are "more suitable" names.
Now, the chief executive of the Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc) has been called before the Commons committee to give evidence next Tuesday.
Prof Duncan Wingham's agency is responsible for polar science in the UK and ran the online poll. He will be joined by Nerc's head of communications, Julia Maddock.
"Hundreds of thousands of people took part in Nerc's competition to name a new polar research vessel. And they'll want to know whether there's going to be a 'Boaty McVolte-face' on the name," said committee chair, Nicola Blackwood MP.
"My committee wants to explore this as an example of science communication.
"Was it a triumph of public engagement or a PR disaster? We'll also want to know how Nerc intends to build on the mass coverage they've attracted and engage people with the vital polar science that Boaty will be enabling."
The "Name Our Ship" campaign was not a straight competition. From the outset, it was made clear that the final decision would be Nerc's and that the chosen name should be inspirational and fit with the ship's mission.
The names put forward by the public would be regarded as "suggestions" only.
No-one foresaw that so many people would want to get involved or that a humorous suggestion would prove so popular. James Hand, the former BBC presenter who originated Boaty, even apologised for his idea.
Nonetheless, the reaction to the campaign was immense. More than two million visitors went to the website. The short video detailing what the vessel would do was viewed some 50,000 times.
Commentators have been divided on what should happen next - whether Nerc should honour public sentiment, or settle on a name that will outlive the social media frenzy.
The council had asked a special panel to convene next week to choose the name, but this group was disbanded before it even had a chance to meet.
A final decision on the name of the polar ship is due to be announced by Mr Johnson in the next few weeks.
Nerc will want the matter settled before it begins publicising the construction of the vessel, and in particular before the ship's keel is laid in October.