A total of 800 homes have been identified for upgrades by Darlington Borough Council, which include installing external and cavity wall insulation, upgrading doors and windows, installing low-energy lighting, and providing roof extensions.

The local authority said the scheme is designed to reduce the amount of energy residents use and cut down on carbon emissions. 

Council officials hope the changes will improve the comfort and health of our tenants in their homes and the wider community of Darlington.

A total of 800 homes have been identified for upgrades by Darlington Borough Council (Image: Darlington Borough Council)

Councillor Matthew Roche, cabinet member for health and housing, said: “This is one of the biggest council home capital programmes ever undertaken in Darlington. 

“Thanks to choices made by the council, and with the support of Government funding, it will make hundreds of homes more energy efficient – lowering energy bills for tenants. 

“I’m really happy this is underway.”

Funding for the scheme has been provided through several Government grants. 

As part of its climate change strategy, the council aims to achieve Net Zero across its housing stock by 2050. 

It also hopes to meet the national requirement to achieve a minimum energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of C in all homes by 2030. 

New properties being built by the council across the borough include solar panels, air source heat pumps, and electric vehicle chargers. 

That includes new homes at the council’s Neasham Road housing development, which has been described as the largest new-build project in decades, and will see 150 new homes built. 

What do you think about the scheme? Have your say in the comments.

The 30-year-old was last seen around the Cardowan Road area of Glasgow, the same time police were called to the “suspicious” death of a woman in the area.

Police have launched a hunt for a missing man who has been classed as “dangerous”.

Grant McKinnon disappeared around 4am on Saturday, April 18. The 30-year-old was last seen around the Cardowan Road area of Glasgow, the same time police were called to the “suspicious” death of a woman in the area.

Police Scotland have not confirmed if the two incidents are linked.

He was last sighted wearing a black jacket with a red hood, or red hood lining, and blue jeans. Mr McKinnon has been described as white, 6ft tall in height, of slim build and with a shaved head.

Police Scotland released an appeal to help trace the man this evening in which officers labelled him “dangerous”. The force has asked the public not to approach him and to contact the police immediately.

Detective Superintendent Gary Ferguson said: “Grant is considered to be dangerous and I’m appealing for information from the public to help us trace him as soon as possible.

“If anyone sees Grant, they should not approach him but contact police immediately.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson added: “We are appealing for information to trace 30-year-old Grant McKinnon. He was last seen in the Cardowan Road area of Glasgow around 4am on Saturday, 18 April, 2026.

“Grant is described as white, 6ft tall, of slim build, with a shaved head. When he was last seen he was wearing a black jacket with a red hood, or red hood lining, and blue jeans.

“Anyone with information on where he may be, or anyone who thinks they’ve seen him since the early hours of Saturday morning, should call 999 urgently quoting reference 0523 of 18 April. Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Earlier, Police Scotland said the death of a woman who was injured in Cardowan Road was being treated as “suspicious”.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and detectives launched an investigation.

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE

Sir David Davis, who was born just off Walmgate in the city and spent some of his childhood in London slums, was at Woldgate School.

Recommended reading:

The school, which is part of the Wonder Learning Partnership, welcomed Sir David as part of a personal development careers visit.

Sir David, who is MP for Goole and Pocklington. spoke to Year 9 pupils followed by a Q&A session with sixth form politic students.

Sir David Davis dropped in to speak to pupils at Woldgate School in Pocklington (Image: Supplied)

Head Lauren Adams said Sir David delivered an engaging talk to pupils and students on the role of parliament, the importance of debate and how MPs need to challenge government decisions in order to represent the best interests of their constituents.

He drew on examples from his own work to illustrate how MPs can support local people, particularly those who have suffered miscarriages of justice or struggled to get the help they need trying to navigate complex public services. She said Sir David also emphasised the value of thorough research in achieving positive outcomes.

 Following the main presentation, Sir David met with Year 12 and Year 13 A Level politic students for a more in-depth question and answer session.

Students asked a wide range of thoughtful and challenging questions including asking for his thoughts on the fragmentation of politics and the pros and cons of referendums. The session led to some fantastic insights into political life, public service and the realities of working within government.

Sir David speaking with pupils (Image: Supplied)

Mrs Adams said: “Opportunities like this are invaluable for the personal development of our pupils and students. Through providing real-world insight into how national decisions can affect local communities and how the work of those in public service can make a difference is fascinating.”

 Personal development Lead, Paul Barrett said: “Thank you to Sir David for taking the time to visit and provide such insight for our pupils. We look forward to continuing to offer similar opportunities that connect our learners with professionals.”

 Sir David said he also enjoyed seeing learning in action during a tour of the new school building which he last visited for the steel signing ceremony in October 2024.

He said: “It was a pleasure to visit Woldgate School and meet such engaged and thoughtful students. I was particularly impressed by their questions, which demonstrated a real interest in how our democracy works and the challenges facing modern politics.”

Sir David met with sixth formers (Image: Supplied)

Commander Helen Flanagan, of CTP London, said earlier on Saturday: “At this stage last night’s arson is not being linked to other incidents in the north-west London area over the last week or last month’s arson in Golders Green, but counter-terrorism officers are leading due to the similarities of each attack.

Heaton’s Kim Tserkezie will once again play Penny Pocket in the much-loved CBeebies series, which originally aired more than 20 years ago and was inspired by the real-life town of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull.

Julie Wilson Nimmo will return as Miss Hoolie, Andrew Agnew as PC Plum, and Juliet Cadzow as Edie McCredie.

The BBC said viewers can expect a “joyful mix of stories, comedy, songs and adventures,” combining returning cast members with new characters.

The official trailer has been released for all new #Balamory, with the first episode airing 5pm next Monday on @CBeebiesHQ and iPlayer.

Will you be watching? ✨ pic.twitter.com/vsBGesav25

Advertisement

— Balamory Updates (@BalamoryUpdates) April 13, 2026

Ms Tserkezie said: “So many brilliant memories, we just had an absolute blast working on that show.

“The scripts were great, they were so funny, to get to work and act with those other brilliant cast members and crew, all the hard work that went into creating the magic that is Balamory.

“Penny Pocket was so important to me because it was great to play a character and have fun with everyone else.”

Other returning cast members have also spoken fondly about the show’s comeback.

Julie Wilson Nimmo told the BBC she was especially excited by “new stories in Balamory”, while Andrew Agnew said “it’s such an honour to be back doing something that we love so much.”

New faces joining the cast include scientist and inventor Ava Potts (Danielle Jam), local vet Dr Ollie (Carl Spencer), and the harbour master (William Andrews).

All 10 episodes of the new series will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer from Monday, April 20, with episodes also airing on CBeebies on the same day.

For Michael Carrick’s United, there are no such worries. This was a welcome return to form after one victory in four matches, and though they offered little of their own threat besides the goal and Chelsea hitting the crossbar twice, they were sufficiently organised and determined to frustrate their hosts.

Delap and Fofana’s chances were identical: Pedro Neto’s crosses from the right met in the air but the underside of the crossbar keeping both players’ headers out. Cole Palmer, anonymous for so much of the game, fashioned a volley out of a Malo Gusto delivery, but that stayed out too.

As the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran squeezes global oil supplies, travelers have valid reasons to worry about the cost and availability of flights as they plan their late spring and summer trips.

The head of the International Energy Agency has warned that European countries could run low on jet fuel within weeks, forcing the continent’s airlines and carriers that fly to Europe to significantly reduce flights. Many airlines have already raised checked bag fees or added fuel surcharges as the global price of jet fuel increased from about $99 per barrel at the end of February to as high as $209 a barrel at the beginning of April.

In a sign of the conflict’s ongoing repercussions for travel, Air Canada said Friday it planned to suspend its service to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport from June 1 until Oct. 25 to lower its fuel costs. Other airlines, ranging from U.S. carriers like United and Delta to Air France-KLM, SAS, Philippine Airlines and and Cathay Pacific in Europe and Asia, have reduced routes and either increased ticket prices or said they would hike them if the war keeps oil from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

“It’s very hard for the airlines to make predictions in this environment, so they’re going to be conservative, and that’s why it’s likely that their prices will remain elevated for some time until things really stabilize,” said Shye Gilad, a former airline captain who now teaches at Georgetown University’s business school.

With airfares and fees on the rise, consumers still can make choices that determine how much of their travel budgets will get taken up by paying to get to and from their destinations.

Act quickly

While consumers may be tempted to see if the war ends before buying airline tickets, the “wait-and-see” approach to booking flights is riskier this year, travel experts say, especially the longer the war goes on and the closer to summer and other peak travel periods it gets.

“Presuming there is a lasting ceasefire — or better yet, peace agreement — it will take a few months for normal levels of jet fuel production and delivery to resume,” airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group, said.

Iran’s reversal on Saturday of its decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and President Donald Trump’s insistence on maintaining a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports illustrated the shakiness of prospects for oil flowing reliably again from the Persian Gulf and with it, an easing of the price pressure on airlines and their customers.

“My advice to travelers is this: If you find a flight whose schedule fits yours, with a fare you can afford, and on an airline you can at least tolerate, book it,” Harteveldt said. “But — and I cannot emphasize this enough —do not book a Basic Economy fare,” the cheapest but also the most restrictive airline ticket class.

Along with charging for checked bags and seat selection, most North American airlines do not give refunds or travel credits to passengers with Basic Economy tickets if they don’t cancel their trips within 24 hours of purchase. Policies may vary, but spending more for a Standard Economy ticket provides more flexibility, according to Harteveldt.

Sticking to a carry-on bag, when possible, can help avoid the higher fees for checking luggage that many major U.S. airlines introduced recently, including Delta, American, United, Southwest and JetBlue.

If packing light is not an option, plan ahead because airlines typically charge more to add bags closer to departure, especially within 24 hours of a flight.

Redeem your points

While fares are going up, the number of airline points needed for many flights has not increased at the same pace, said Adam Morvitz, CEO of points.me, a loyalty rewards redemption search platform.

Airlines still need to fill seats, Morvitz said, and offering more of them for fewer points is one way to do it.

Customers without enough frequent-flyer miles or credit card points for a round-trip ticket still can redeem their travel rewards for one leg of a journey and free up cash for other travel expenses.

Many travelers redeem points directly through their credit card’s booking portal, where they’re typically worth about 1 cent each, Morvitz said. Transferring points to airline loyalty programs often unlocks significantly better value because most major credit card issuers partner with a range of airlines.

Take American Express, whose points can be transferred to Air France’s Flying Blue program. Travelers who don’t want to book with Air France still can use those points with the airline’s partner carriers, such as Delta, Morvitz said.

“Points are a form of wealth, and consumers should recognize that those points increase spending power,” he said.

Explore travel credit cards

For those new to travel credit cards, sign-up bonuses may yield benefits that can be put to use as soon as this summer. Some bonuses are large enough to cover a flight after meeting a minimum spending requirement.

“Even if you were to travel the entire year, taking one trip per month, you would still earn more points simply by signing up for the card than actually sitting on a seat and flying,” Morvitz said.

Points and rewards can add up through everyday spending on groceries, dining and gas. Some cards include perks like free or discounted checked bags.

___

AP writers Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit, Mae Anderson in New York and Lisa Leff in London contributed to this story.

Hampton’s performance was not a clean one as she fumbled several crosses and was not convincing on set-pieces.

She almost dropped the ball into the path of Sveindis Jonsdottir late on too, but rescued it just in time to spare her blushes.

Hampton’s has been patchy of late for Chelsea, but like all world-class players she delivers when it really matters.

She did it against Spain on Tuesday, as England held on to a significant 1-0 win in part thanks to her acrobatic save, denying Edna Imade late on.

At Wembley, her predecessor Mary Earps was being celebrated for her Lionesses career before kick-off, but Hampton has taken her gloves seamlessly, shining at Euro 2025 and now impressing as England look to seal their spot in next year’s World Cup.

Despite the spotlight, Hampton was humble at full-time in Iceland, joking about the simplicity of the game and her role within it.

“Alessia [Russo] puts the ball in one end and I stop it going in at the other. It’s a simple game when you break it down,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I am just glad I get to be involved. It means I don’t freeze to death! I’m always willing to put my body on the line.”

But there was no downplaying by England manager Sarina Wiegman, who said Hampton’s saves against Iceland were “crucial” to securing the victory.

“It is always a team effort and a team performance but it’s really nice to have a goalkeeper that stops the ball going in – especially when it’s really hard for the team and they are struggling,” added Wiegman.

“That’s called teamwork. She showed again that she is a world-class goalkeeper.”

Arsenal striker Russo added: “She was amazing. Big moments kept us in it and she showed up three or four times to get us the three points.

“Sometimes you need someone to step up like that.”

With the wedding of their dreams just around the corner, Carla Connor (Alison King) and Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) are forced to bid a heartbreaking farewell to a beloved family member.

Damn you, Corrie. Swarla was in a good place. Carla had forgiven Lisa for being seduced her Fatal Attraction On A Budget ex-wife Becky Swain (Amy Cudden). She got over the whole being locked in an airing cupboard’ debacle and accepted Lisa’s romantic proposal in the Rovers.

They were happy! Us viewers were happy! We had a wedding to look forward to. Okay, said wedding was somewhat overshadowed by the grim portent of a flashforward where Betsy Swain (Sydney Martin) discovers a body at said wedding, but hey. A wedding is a wedding.

Then, back in late February, the Corrie writers threw Swarla another curve ball when they found an unexpected delivery on their doorstep – a baby.

This wasn’t a case of the stork making a stop at the wrong house. This was Connie, the daughter of the daughter of Carla’s murdering brother Rob Donovan (Marc Baylis).

Rob made a name for himself in the Corrie Villain Hall Of Fame by murdering Weatherfield icon Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan)to protect Carla from the fallout of Peter Barlow’s (Chris Gascoyne) affair. 

Although Carla initially promised to keep his secret, she couldn’t live with the guilt and ultimately called the police on her own brother, leading to his 25-year prison sentence.

However, Rob managed to cause even more chaos from inside by fathering a child with prison guard Mandy Waring (Rebecca Atkinson), then pretending to be Carla’s kidney donor only to use the surgery as an opportunity to bust out of jail. Cue a violent hostage situation ending in the tragic accidental shooting of Betsy Swain, leading to Rob’s recapture and return to the nick where he belongs.

However, it turns out that Mandy was pregnant and gave birth to Baby Connie. This was a surprise to viewers as much as it was to Carla and Lisa, who discovered that Connie’s grandmother had left them to care for the infant while she was in hospital.

Don’t miss a Soaps scoop! Add us as a Preferred Source

As a loyal Metro Soaps reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for stories. We have all the latest soaps news, spoilers, videos, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.

Click the button below and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.

Add us as a Preferred Source

Advertisement

Initially, Carla was not too keen on the idea of taking Connie in. Not just because the little mite was the daughter of her psycho baby bro, but due to own trauma from a tragic miscarriage in 2014. But Lisa pointed out that without their help, the poor kid would have ended up in care. So with Lisa’s help, Carl agreed to take on the baby.

Caring for a little girl was the perfect bit of sweet comic relief audiences needed after an unhinged ex spent months trying to split up their favourite soap couple – even if it was slightly spoiled by bunny-boiling baddie Jodie Ramsey taking a weird interest in bonding with the baby and randomly stealing Lisa’s police badge.

But all good things must come to an end – on Corrie, anyways. Upcoming episodes will see Carla get some heartbreaking news about the newest addition to their family.

As Ryan (Ryan Prescott) shows Carla around the hotel while they discuss wedding plans, she suddenly gets a call from a social worker… and her face falls.

Soon enough, there’s long faces all around at No.6 as Carla and Lisa pack up Connie’s things and explain to Betsy that the social worker has been in touch and Connie will be returning to her grandmother’s. Sob!

Poor Carla and Lisa! Why Corrie? Why torment them like that?

Oh well. At least the girls have a wedding to look forward to. Surely nothing could go wrong there. Right? Right?!

If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.

Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage.

MORE: Coronation Street spoiler videos reveal extremely touching Roy and Carla wedding moment

MORE: All Coronation Street spoilers for next week as it’s finally all over for Megan and Carl amid death twist

MORE: Coronation Street stars Alison King and Vicky Myers drop huge details on wedding of the century for Carla and Lisa