What the papers say - July 31, 2007

Just as summer has finally returned, Britain is facing the prospect of a severe ice cream shortage after the country's biggest ice cream factory was forced to close because of the devastating floods in Gloucestershire. Unilever, the food giant that owns Wall's, has been forced to close its Barnwood facility in Gloucester, which makes a staggering three million ice lollies, cones and ice cream tubs every day - Telegraph​

Consumers face price increases of 3p on a pint of milk because of a shortage caused by the wet weather. The threat of high prices was signalled yesterday when First Milk, Britain's largest dairy cooperative, said it would fail to meet its contract on August milk prices - The Times​

Smoking a single cannabis joint does as much damage to the lungs as several cigarettes, a study from New Zealand suggests. The drug reduces airflow into the lungs, damages the functioning of the large airways, diminishes the number of small airways and forces the lungs to work harder - The Times, Daily Mail, The Sun​

Drinking two large glasses of wine a day increases the risk of getting bowel cancer by a quarter, medical experts said yesterday. Even drinking one large glass can increase the risk of getting the disease by 10 per cent, according to the study by Cancer Research UK - Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Daily Mirror​

Smoking enforcement officers in London have visited 6,000 pubs and clubs since the ban came in and so far have only found 13 people lighting up illegally. None of the 13 people caught smoking and no premises have received anything more than a verbal warning from officials. Officials from Islington council made the most visits by any borough - around 1,200 - and found just three breaches - Evening Standard​