The council’s bid was recently longlisted for the prestigious title due to be awarded for 2029.

Speaking at a meeting, Councillor Ian Morrish said he hoped, if the council was successful, there would be investment in a town-wide clean up.

He said: “We have all seen the photos of piles of rubbish around the tents of the homeless on Bridge Street West, who have nowhere else to go that is safe.

“We need a concentrated push on rehoming these people and all similar in the borough, where possible, and clearing the waste on a more frequent basis if we are to stand any chance of winning the City of Culture title.

“A clean up needs to happen, not just on that one road, there are lots of areas that need it.”

He said the council’s homelessness team and its partner, homelessness charity Depauls UK were doing a “great job” in engaging with the individuals affected, but asked: “What more do we need to be doing?”

Images of a makeshift camp referred to by Cllr Morrish first circulated online last month showing empty tents, bedding and piles of litter on a strip of land a short walk away from Middlesbrough Railway Station.

Some rough sleepers were then moved on with another encampment subsequently emerging on a grassed area close to Cleveland Police’s Middlesbrough HQ.

Referring to the City of Culture bid, Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke said a “united front” was needed and any additional funding which came with such an award would be of massive significance.

He claimed the town was “utterly deserving” to have such recognition.

Mr Cooke said  later in the year the council would publish a new homelessness strategy.

Two further members of staff had also been recruited as part of efforts aimed at helping those who were most vulnerable and sleeping rough.

Meanwhile, a recorded increase in homelessness in the town was a “shocking sign of the times”, he said.

The mayor said: “We need to get moving on making sure people have quality homes, alongside supporting those furthest away from the housing market and unable to gain a tenancy themselves.”

Cllr Morrish, an independent member for Marton West, asked if it would be possible to find and set aside a “secure area” for those living in tents.

Mr Cooke warned that could lead to more issues and people coming from out of the area.

He added: “We need to make sure that we provide adequate provision for those identifying as homeless before they get to the point of having to sleep in a tent.”

He said the council had employed new neighbourhood caretakers and a back alley cleansing team, which would add to the clean-up picture in the town.

Middlesbrough Council says staff regularly offer support to people sleeping rough to help them move to suitable accommodation, but individuals can face a range of complex issues requiring help from multiple services.

Mr Cooke, in a previous statement, said that some individuals were choosing to sleep rough, while others found themselves evicted from different housing solutions.

He said the local authority was “always striving to balance the needs of those who find themselves homeless and the impact their actions have on others”.

So, before you go on, there are spoilers ahead.

Grimshaw has been a mainstay on the cobbles since 14 January 2001.

Originally played by Bruno Langley, Gareth Pierce took over the role from October 2020.

In tonight’s (Thursday, 9 April) episode, Todd suffers domestic abuse at the hands of his partner.

Sarah Platt catches Todd outside the flat as he asks her to leave him alone, though she expresses fear that Theo will read the messages that she sends to Todd.

Todd covers the door camera with his back and silently ushers her in.

Tonight’s Coronation Street episode

It has been described as ‘terrifying’ by Digital Spy.

In the flat, Sarah notes that Todd didn’t reply to a message about George Shuttleworth selling the undertakers, asking whether he’s scared about Theo seeing him reply.

“I think you’re hiding, I think that’s what you’re doing,” she suggests.

Sarah then also picks up on Todd’s behaviour, noticing he “doesn’t sound” like himself.

“Who does it sound like?” he retorts, before telling her to leave.

Sarah pleads with him not to shut her and George out, and Todd notices she is subtly checking his arms for bruises.

“I love you so much, you know that,” she tells him, “and if this was the other way round you know you would do exactly the same thing for me.”

Their fear spikes when they hear Theo returning. In a panic, Todd urges Sarah to hide in the bedroom.

But Theo quickly realises someone else is in the flat after spotting two cups of tea, and coldly accuses Todd of lying. Before he can search, Sarah steps out and reveals herself.

Later, as the three of them sit sharing a tea, Theo turns on the charm, insisting Todd and Sarah should “never ever feel” they have to hide their friendship from him, and asking: “What kind of monster would I be to even think about keeping you apart?”

How will Todd react in next week’s Coronation Street?

Once Sarah has gone, his pleasant façade vanishes, and he rounds on Todd, accusing him of betrayal.

A shaken Todd insists Sarah forced her way in, but Theo tells him he will do “absolutely nothing” to him – before chillingly adding, “for now”.

The scenes set up a pivotal week in the dark storyline, as a bloodied Todd faces the agonising decision to go to the police and report the abuse he has endured.

Coronation Street airs on weeknights at 8.30pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.

Who’s your favourite Coronation Street character? Let us know in the comments

First Lady Melania Trump has denied connections to Jeffrey Epstein, telling reporters at the White House that any claims linking the two “need to end today”.

In a surprise announcement on Thursday, the first lady called for congressional hearings for survivors of Epstein’s sex trafficking.

Read more here.

It comes after temperatures plummeted following a recent hot spell

Wales is set for some very unsettled and potentially stormy weather after a recent hot spell came to an abrupt end. Mona on Anglesey was officially the hottest place in the UK on Tuesday, reaching a maximum of 24.8C. This is the highest temperature recorded in Wales so far this year.

The glorious sunshine continued on Wednesday, with Bute Park in Cardiff also seeing temperatures above 24C. However, the Met Office warned the hot spell would only be short-lived, with temperatures in some places dropping by as much as 10C on Thursday.

The weather is only set to get worse as we head into the weekend, with plenty of gusty conditions in the forecast. The Met Office said there is a possibility heavy showers will be accompanied by thunder and coastal gales as wind speeds ramp up.

Here are the Met Office weather maps showing the parts of Wales which will be hit by bad weather this weekend:

Friday, April 10

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Friday will start off dry, but cloudy. Make sure you never miss Wales’ biggest updates by getting our daily newsletter

A band of rain will slowly move across from the west.

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The rain will move across the country in the afternoon. Winds will also strengthen as the day goes on.

Another heavy band of rain will start to move across late on Friday.

Saturday, April 11

This is the forecast for midnight. Up to 16mm could fall in an hour in some places.

The rain will be particularly heavy overnight, and will also be accompanies by gusty winds.

Most people will wake up to wet weather on Saturday morning.

The heavy showers will gradually move eastwards.

By Saturday afternoon, the rain showers will become more scattered with some areas enjoying dry spells.

As we head into Saturday evening, more rain showers will move in from the west.

This is the forecast for 8pm.

Sunday, April 12

There will more heavy rain overnight on Sunday.

There will be showers in the south as people wake up on Sunday.

This is the forecast for 4pm.

The full Met Office forecast for this weekend reads: “Unsettled through the weekend and Monday with sunny spells and showers or longer spells of rain. The showers locally heavy with thunder. Windy with coastal gales possible, temperatures near average.”

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During an extraordinary press conference, First Lady Melania Trump emphatically denied any connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. After her comments, President Donald Trump reportedly told MS NOW reporter Jacqueline Alemany that he did not know the first lady would be speaking about Epstein.

“I’ve never been friends with Epstein,” she said during a brief televised address from the White House Thursday afternoon. “I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims.”

She condemned “unfounded and baseless lies” and demanded apologies from publishers, naming The Daily Beast and Harper Collins UK.

The first lady went on to say that she met Epstein as a result of “overlapping in social circles” in 2000 and that she only kept a “casual correspondence” with his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. The disgraced British socialite is serving 20 years in federal prison for sex trafficking.

“I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors,” Mrs. Trump said.

Republicans and Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, which is investigating Epstein, echoed her calls for a public hearing.

The first lady’s remarks appeared to come out of the blue and surprised many, partly because public attention on the Epstein files scandal had subsided amid the ongoing war in Iran.

Humberside Police says that two suspects have been arrested after a vehicle – which had a stop marker placed on it by North Yorkshire Police – was stopped in their area.

RECOMMENDED READING:

A spokesperson for the force said: “The same vehicle had previously been captured on CCTV in the York Market area, where two individuals were seen stealing used cooking oil from nearby businesses.

“It is suspected that the vehicle may have been visiting a number of villages and towns across the county.

“High‑quality CCTV footage clearly showed the suspects and the vehicle registration. When the vehicle was stopped by Humberside Police, officers seized the van along with a quantity of suspected stolen oil found in the rear compartment.”

Both people inside were arrested and have since been released on police bail while the investigation continues, with police adding they are unable to release further details about the vehicle or suspects while the investigation is ongoing.

All businesses are strongly encouraged to report any thefts and if you need to report an incident, please call 999 in an emergency or 101 for non‑urgent matters, or you can also submit a report online via the police website.

Former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a MAGA ally who has rejected President Donald Trump, suggested the Republican Party needed to start over entirely because too many lawmakers were loyal to Israel.

Speaking with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on his podcast InfoWars Wednesday, Greene said the current state of the Republican Party could not survive with Trump as its “cult” leader, nor the lawmakers who are “controlled by [the American Israel Public Affairs Committee].”

“Here’s what we have to do: we have to be realistic about the Republican Party,” Greene said. “The Republican Party needs to burn to the ground. It’s completely controlled.”

Greene, an “America First” advocate, has accused the president of abandoning the U.S.’s interests to pursue war with Israel in the Middle East. She’s also criticized those who continue to support Trump’s agenda, despite his campaign promise not to engage in wars.

“We want to cheer and root for America, but you don’t have to be in a cult where you can’t call it out,” Greene said. “That is what this has turned into. It’s turned into a cult.”

The former Georgia congresswoman claimed Trump’s history of being attacked by lawmakers, faced with legal battles and impeached had created a base that felt undying loyalty to the president. She accused Fox News of “spewing propaganda” to keep people, specifically baby boomers, loyal to Trump by misrepresenting information.

“That’s absolutely wrong,” she said of Trump supporters who do not criticize the president’s actions.

Greene was once one of Trump’s loudest supporters, but her position has changed since the two had a falling out earlier this year that led to her resigning from the House of Representatives. Trump said he would no longer support Greene as a Republican representative after she pushed for the release of the Epstein files.

Since then, she’s accused the president of being mentally unstable – particularly after Trump threatened to wipe out the Iranian civilization unless the Iranian regime reopened the Strait of Hormuz.

“The truth is, look, you may have supported President Trump for 10 years like I did and like you have. But this is not the same man,” Greene insisted. “This is not the same man that we supported.”

Other former Trump allies, such as Jones, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and political commentator Candace Owens, have also taken a step away from the president and criticized his decision to go to war against Iran.

Greene and Jones said Wednesday they would continue criticizing Trump in the hopes of drawing supporters away.

Greene said a new Republican Party could emerge, but that those candidates should not take money from AIPAC or “AIPAC-adjacent donors.”

The former congresswoman insisted her comments were not antisemitic because they were not about Jewish people but rather “the secular government of Israel.” However, Greene also has a long history of making antisemitic remarks –from promoting a conspiracy theory about Jewish people controlling a space laser to start wildfires to comparing the Holocaust to wearing masks during Covid.

Greene pushed forward the idea of a new Republican Party on X Thursday when she told Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, “We need a strong populist coalition of the right and left that can come together on the most important issues for the future generations of Americans.”

”For the sake of my children’s generation, I’m willing to come together, go to the whiteboard, and begin to try to sketch something new,” Greene said.

“Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony, each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public, if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the Congressional Record, then and only then we will have the truth.”

Police are appealing for information after a child is believed to have died as a result of a dog bite

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A child is believed to have died as a result of a dog bite. Cleveland Police were called to Hardale Drive in Dormanstown, Redcar shortly after 1.30pm on Thursday following reports over concerns for a child.

But upon arrival at the property, officers found the child had sadly died. The child is believed to have died as a result of a dog bite.

Armed officers attended and one dog was destroyed on the street while another dog at the property has been recovered by police, Teesside Live reports.

District Commander, for Redcar and Cleveland, Emily Harrison said: “Understandably this is a distressing and tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the child’s family.

“There is a scene in place at the address while an investigation into the child’s death begins. I would encourage anyone who has concerns or information to please speak to an officer.”

Paramedics also attended the scene. A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called to an incident at a private address in Redcar on Thursday, April 9 shortly before 1.30pm.

“We dispatched three ambulance crews, one clinical team leader and one duty officer to the incident. One patient was transported to hospital for further treatment.”

If you have information, please contact Cleveland Police on 101 or by visiting the website quoting reference number 066204. Information can be provided anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A smiling Fury made his entrance in typical fashion – dancing onto the stage and playing to the crowd before crossing immediately to shake Makhmudov’s hand.

There has been little animosity between the pair during fight week. Fury even blew a kiss at his opponent during a promotional appearance earlier in the week.

The news conference itself felt at times like a rerun of the previous launch news conference when the fight was first revealed. Makhmudov rarely engaged in any back-and-forth despite the host’s attempts to spark a war of words.

Makhmudov spent most of the time glancing at his phone, drawing criticism from heavyweight great Lennox Lewis who was part of the TV broadcast.

The 36-year-old did address one unusual training method – wrestling a bear. “But I don’t want to try this anymore because it was so scary,” he added.

Eventually, Fury – whose record stands at 34 wins from 37 fights, with 24 knockouts, alongside two defeats and one draw – seized the spotlight.

He described himself as “speedy, skilful, handsome and destructive”.

“I’ve never lost my speed of reactions. I’ve still got it – 100%,” he added. “I’m looking for as good a performance as it can be after [nearly] 16 months out. I must have done 500 rounds of sparring to prepare.”

The ‘Gypsy King’ later wandered over to join the broadcast team, where he could be heard shouting: “I’m on top of the world, baby.”