Wolfgang, it is impossible to say whether this number is more than for a normal day. It's higher than average, but about 50% of days will have a higher than average number of deaths (if its a normal distribution). I know the average is something like 1.5 people killed per day, but I have no idea of how wide the distribution is normally, or whether 7 people killed in a day would be unusual - I suspect not.. By just looking at the numbers for one night, we can't draw any conclusions about whether the strike affects the death rate, the sample is too small to draw any conclusions simply by the numbers. The real info will come when (and if) we hear about people killed who were attended by the army but would have had a much better chance if they were attended by the fire service.

Guest - everyone chats about the perks of their job - but how much does he tell you about the harrowing and dangerous nature of the job when he is called out? And surely the shift patterns they have are a good thing if it means they are not overtired and stretched and therefore liable to make mistakes. Something the NHS could learn from especially as regards junior doctors.

Bagpuss