内容摘要：Councillor Williams said: "I think that reflects the rise in pressure and this funding forms part of the government's £1bn commitment to ending homelessness."

Councillor Williams said: "I think that reflects the rise in pressure and this funding forms part of the government's £1bn commitment to ending homelessness."

"We were told on several occasions that the police had the wrong man."But we didn't have evidence, we didn't have anything to offer, we just knew what we'd been told and the people are adamant that you've got the wrong person.

"But without any evidence, without names, without people willing to come forward which is a really big deal, seriously what could be done?"Ms Wood said some deprived areas around Birkenhead at the time had "tribal" and "tight-knit" communities that made it difficult for people to come forward."If something had happened in that estate it would be really hard for someone to actually come forward and say 'we know who this is', for fear of repercussions, for fear of what might happen," she said.

"I would like to think that maybe 40 years down the line we can actually now go back to those people and say 'come on tell us what you know'."Tell us what happened, you must feel safer now, you must feel a way that you can come forward, because if this guy hasn't done it somebody else has and we need to find out who that was."

After Mr Sullivan's acquittal, Merseyside Police issued an urgent appeal for anyone who had any suspicions about someone they believed could have committed the crime in 1986 to get in touch.

Det Ch Supt Karen Jaundrill, head of investigations at the force, told the BBC she wanted the communities of Birkenhead to "try and reflect on any individuals that you weren't happy with at the time"."I did a pie and pasty challenge in Exmouth, I dressed in a stem cell for that. I was the only person dressed in fancy costume."

Ms Cato said she has been watching the London Marathon "since it's been on telly"."I just feel really emotional about it," she added. "I really want to do well and do my family proud."

An 87-year-old man is setting out to prove that age is just a number by completing a 50km (31-mile) ultra marathon.Paul Youd, from Taunton, Somerset, is a seasoned runner and has earned a reputation for taking on crazy challenges in the name of charity.