Norton Road (Blackboards) between Norton and Malton is shut to traffic.

The closure is to replace the removable bollards.

Cllr Keane Duncan, who represents Norton said: “I am pleased to be able to confirm that the bollards on Norton Road, many of which are missing or damaged, will be replaced by the highways team.

“The existing bollards are bolted to the carriageway, making them vulnerable to vandalism. The new bollards will be similar – but fixed to sockets below the carriageway and more resistant to vandalism.

“The sockets are “quick release” which means the bollards can be removed quickly in times of flooding, if the road needs to be returned to two-way traffic.

“The work will take place outside of peak hours between March 16 and March 27.”

Britney Spears is ‘terrified’ of the consequences she faces after being arrested under the suspicion of driving under the influence.

Earlier this month the Princess of Pop, 44, was pulled over by police in Los Angeles after ‘driving erratically at high speeds’ on a motorway.

After being stopped, she then ‘showed signs of impairment’ and submitted to a series of field sobriety tests before briefly being taken to jail.

Soon after a representative for the singer said what unfolded was a ‘completely inexcusable unfortunate incident’.

‘Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life. Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time,’ they said.

Referencing her sons and family, they added: ‘Her boys are going to be spending time with her. Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success for wellbeing.’

However, a few weeks on, a friend of Britney’s has given an update as to how she is feeling ahead of her scheduled court appearance on May 4.

‘She’s terrified. She knows there’s a potential for jail time, and that’s got her attention,’ they told The Daily Mail.

‘She’ll do anything to avoid that. But she’s scared that people will think she needs to go back under a conservatorship.

‘Other celebrities have DUIs and nobody suggests they should go into a conservatorship. She feels it’s very unfair. She values her freedom above anything.’

On the evening of March 4, Britney was arrested near her home in Thousand Oaks, just outside of Los Angeles after a police officer allegedly saw her swerving from lane to lane.

Although she wasn’t injured, police took her to hospital to take tests and determine her blood alcohol level and whether there were drugs in her system.

She was then booked into a cell where she was described as ‘emotional and crying’, before being released three hours later.

Police reportedly also found her in possession of the amphetamine Adderall. Although the drug is prescribed to treat ADHD, it is also being tested to see if it has been laced with illegal narcotics, as reported by the Daily Mail.

If convicted, Britney would be facing her first DUI offence and be banned from driving.

Although a friend told the Daily Mail Britney ‘was not a great driver’, having her licence ‘represents freedom’. ‘Yes, she could easily afford a chauffeur, but Britney doesn’t want to be driven. She wants to drive. It’s not about money, it’s about freedom,’ another friend said.

But if there are traces of illegal drugs found following the tests, the judge can impose a prison sentence.

TMZ has recently reported that Britney sacked her ‘sober coaches’ just a few weeks before her arrest, while police have also said to have been summoned to her home 14 times over the past two years. These are said to have been for both ‘welfare checks’ and reports of trespassers.

Following her public mental health struggles in 2008, Britney was placed under a court-ordered conservatorship, which was eventually terminated in 2021.

At the time her father Jamie controlled her estate – with her net worth estimated to sit around $60million (£45million). They are now estranged.

Although the current case will be Britney’s first time facing court, in 2007 she faced four misdemeanour charges after an alleged hit-and-run with a parked car in LA. However, these were dropped after she paid the owner for damages.

But this incident – in combination with other highly public moments that included shaving her head and hitting a car with an umbrella – contributed to the singer losing custody of her two sons.

She shares her children, Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden James, 19, with ex-husband Kevin Federline, who she was married to from 2004 to 2007.

Britney has previously shut down speculation she has an issue with alcohol and drugs, writing in her 2023 memoire The Woman in Me: ‘I never had a drinking problem. I liked to drink but it was never out of control.

‘Do you want to know my drug of choice? The only thing I really did except for drinking? Adderall.’ She said it was the only cure for her depression and insisted she never had any interest in harder drugs.’

However, in the book she revealed that in 2008 she became ‘hell on wheels’ after taking ‘a lot of Adderall’ and was once nearly close to driving off a cliff.

Earlier this week, a source told US Weekly that Britney’s family and team were ‘looking into treatment options for both addiction and mental health’ but shut down claims there had been discussions about reinstating her conservatorship.

Metro has contacted representatives for Britney Spears for comment.

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The highly-rated Hoxton North has operated on Royal Parade for 13 years.

Owner Tim Bosworth posted on social media: “This has not been an easy decision. We have worked hard over the years to adapt and evolve, but the operating environment and increased ongoing costs for small independent hospitality businesses have become increasingly challenging.”

He continued: “Hoxton North has always been about more than just food and coffee. It has been about connecting, sharing stories, and bringing a little bit of London spirit to the North.

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“I am incredibly proud of what we have built and deeply grateful to every customer, team member, supplier, and friend who has supported us along the way.”

Last year, Mr Bosworth opened a pizza bar nearby.

He added: “And while this chapter is coming to an end, we’re still exploring what comes next. In the meantime, the spirit of Hoxton North continues just up Cold Bath Road at North Slice, and we’d love to see familiar faces there too.”

Hoxton North earned plaudits online with Google awarding the venue 4.7 stars out of five, based on 540 reviews.

The most recent review gave five stars and said: “Gorgeous brunch, lovely coffee! The beans were so good, poached eggs perfect.”

Tripadvisor gave Hoxton North 4.6 stars out of five, based on 377 reviews, ranking it 29th out of 296 Harrogate restaurants.

The most recent review here also gave five stars and said: “Small, which is not detrimental, cafe. Tasty food, excellent service. Gets busy and rightly so, worthy of return visits.”

Scores of customers have reacted to the news on Facebook, with one branding the café an ‘institution.’

Another said: “So sorry to hear this and also shocked as the restaurant always seems to be packed. We love eating with you but often turned away as you are full. Beautiful food, good luck for the future.”

Another posted underneath: “A very sad indictment of just how impossibly difficult it is to run a small business in the modern environment.

“Despite being constantly busy.

“If a brilliant business can’t justify existence, what future for others?”

“This must have been a tough decision. All the luck in the world to you and the family.”

“Although this ownership and board don’t deserve it, we feel duty bound to stand with other supporters’ groups and the fan collective generally at the Nottingham Forest game and have made the difficult decision to postpone any potential protest for this game,” said a CFT statement on Monday.

Criminals have secretly hijacked more than 14,000 devices worldwide in order to carry out attacks that are almost impossible to protect against, security researchers have warned.

The majority of devices infected by the sophisticated new malware, dubbed ‘KadNap’, are Asus routers, which are being used to route malicious traffic to carry out large-scale cyberattacks.

Details of the KadNap botnet were shared by the cybersecurity firm Lumen in a new report, which revealed that it is using a decentralised peer-to-peer system to avoid network detection.

A botnet is created by compromising the security of internet-connected devices, which can range from routers to smart fridges.

These devices are then covertly hijacked and linked together to carry out distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which overwhelm websites and online services with traffic to knock them offline.

“As modern society increasingly relies on internet-exposed Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the opportunities for malicious actors to exploit vulnerabilities continue to abound,” Lumen’s report stated.

“Threat actors are building large-scale botnets specifically designed to hijack devices in this growing pool of targets, using them to route traffic and evade detection by network security systems.”

The majority of KadNap victims are located in the US, though security researchers have identified infected devices in the UK, Australia, Brazil, Russia, and across Europe.

For the average owner of an Asus router infected with KadNap, the malware would be undetectable beyond internet speeds feeling slightly sluggish at times.

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Its decentralised design means there is no central server that could be easily shut down by law enforcement, making the KadNap botnet incredibly resilient to attempts to dismantle it.

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Using traffic from household routers means the attackers can bypass conventional security filters, as it looks like the traffic is coming from the average person browsing the web.

“Their intention is clear: avoid detection and make it difficult for defenders to protect against,” Lumen’s report concludes.

“KadNap’s bots are sold through Doppelganger, a service whose users leverage these hijacked devices for a range of malicious purposes, including brute-force attacks and highly targeted exploitation campaigns.

“As a result, every IP address associated with this botnet represents a significant, persistent risk to organisations and individuals alike.”

A Premier League statement said: “As a result of the Premier League’s investigation, it was established that between 2011 and 2018, undisclosed payments by third parties associated with the club were made to players, unregistered agents and other third parties. These payments were not disclosed to the football regulatory authorities at the time, including the Premier League.

The Boeing E-6B Mercury, which serves as the President’s emergency operations hub, was seen conducting mock landings in Fresno, California as global tensions rise

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The so-called Doomsday plane, designed to safeguard the President of the United States in a crisis, has been sighted in the sky for the second time in two months.

This colossal aircraft is a Boeing E-6B Mercury, serving as the president’s emergency operations centre, intended to remain airborne while the president manages any apocalyptic situations.

It was seen flying over Fresno, California, last weekend. Airport officials reported it was performing approaches at the site and spent two hours executing simulated landings.

Onlookers were captivated by the spectacle, as reported by the New York Post.

While the president always carries a nuclear control platform, this acts as an alternative location for the US to strategise any nuclear response in the event of escalating conflict, reports the Mirror US.

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There are concerns that the recent sightings of the doomsday plane, amidst rising global tensions following Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran, serve as a chilling barometer of the worrying state of international affairs.

The aircraft functions as a nuclear control platform and strategic command post. If the plane had to be deployed, it could signify the world is on the brink of full-scale nuclear war.

The platform can direct bombers, missiles and ballistic missile submarines and stay aloft, safe from terrestrial threats, for up to 12 hours without refuelling. Moreover, it has the capability to refuel mid-flight, extending its airborne duration even further.

The aircraft is designed to sustain global communications and function even if terrestrial command centres are incapacitated, serving as a sort of airborne Pentagon.

Major General Garrison informed Fox 26: “They can control the bombers, if the bombers are on alert, they can control the missiles, because the missiles are always on alert, and obviously they can control our ballistic missile submarines. It’s all combined into one.”

Earlier this year, the plane sparked alarm when it was sighted at Los Angeles International Airport. However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had been utilising the aircraft for his “arsenal of freedom” tour.

Right-wing internet commentator Laura Loomer was also present on the aircraft.

President Donald Trump and Hegseth suggested Tuesday would witness the most severe day of bombing in Iran.

“Today will be yet again, our most intense day ⁠of strikes inside Iran: the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes, intelligence more refined and better than ever,” Hegseth announced during a Pentagon briefing.

Donald Trump has advised Iran to steer clear of this summer’s World Cup ‘for their own life and safety’ amidst the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. With less than 100 days until the esteemed international tournament commences, the scrutiny surrounding the competition continues to escalate.

The conflict has witnessed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed in the wake of strikes on the area. Hostilities have intensified after American and Israeli forces persisted with their offensive against Iran, which has since responded with missile attacks targeting nearby Gulf states.

On Monday, the US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) disclosed that 1,761 individuals had lost their lives, including 1,245 civilians, 194 of them children since the war commenced on February 28.

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Scottish Child Payment forms part of the best cost-of-living support package in the UK.”

The families of 19,395 children across South Lanarkshire are benefiting from Scottish Child Payment (as of 31 December 2025), a payment only available in Scotland and already proven to help reduce child poverty.

Scottish Child Payment provides families with £27.15 a week, rising to £28.20 from April 2026, for every eligible child under 16. It can help with buying essentials such as food and clothing as well as activities to support children’s health and wellbeing.

And more help is on the way. An increase to Scottish Child Payment to £40 a week for children under one will be introduced during 2027/28. This boost is estimated to benefit around 12,000 children across Scotland and could be worth an extra £500 a year for each eligible child.

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Scottish Child Payment forms part of the best cost-of-living support package in the UK. It has helped ease the pressure on thousands of family budgets and is playing a key role in ensuring Scotland is the only part of the UK to see relative poverty rates fall.

“Scottish Child Payment, and our other family payments, could be worth around £25,000 by a child’s 16th birthday — compared with less than £2,000 in England and Wales, where support ends at age four.

“Our package of family support demonstrates the Scottish Government’s ongoing commitment to eradicating child poverty and providing children in Scotland with the best start in life.”

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Campaigner and mum of two girls, Angie Bird, comments on her own experience receiving Scottish Child Payment. She added: “As a single parent, Scottish Child Payment is making a real difference to my family. It means I can afford opportunities that would otherwise be a struggle to pay for, like gymnastics for my youngest, and the local water sports for my eldest daughter. The skills my children are gaining from these activities are helping to broaden their horizons beyond our day-to-day life to give them the chance they deserve.

“What I value most is that the financial support gives families like mine the opportunity to choose what will benefit our children, rather than being limited to a set list of services — it’s a boost that helps us remove financial obstacles to make our lives better.”

For more details on Scottish Child Payment, eligibility and how to apply visit: Scottish Child Payment – mygov.scot

For more details on Best Start Foods and Best Start Grant and how to apply visit: Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods – mygov.scot

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