Virgil van Dijk’s 100th-minute header to win the first Merseyside derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium will live long in the memory as pressure eased on Arne Slot, who will be hopeful of ending a four-game winless run against Palace that has included three successive losses – including in the Community Shield at Wembley in August. The 13th-place Eagles head to Merseyside unbeaten in four domestically, but with much of the focus now on their quest to reach the Conference League final.

Since the initial warning was issued earlier today, Saturday, April 25, United Utilities has provided residents around Arthur Lane in Ainsworth with a further update this afternoon.

The nature of the repairs means that emergency traffic lights will be put in place while work is underway, but it unclear for how long at the moment.

Arthur Lane in Ainsworth (Image: Newsquest)

In an updated message to residents, the water company said: “We’re sorry if you’re experiencing no water or low pressure.

“We’ve identified the cause to be a burst water main on Arthur Lane.

“Because of the location of the burst we need to put traffic management in place before we can safely begin the repair.

“We’re sorry for any disruption this may cause, we appreciate your patience while we get this sorted.”

It is not yet clear how many properties have been affected.

Engineers are understood to be working to identify and resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

A spokesperson for United Utilities added: “We have a team on site so that repair work can get under way.

“We are very sorry for any inconvenience and hope to have things back to normal as soon as possible. All the latest updates can be found on our website.”

It will close a long and bitter chapter in the story of failed social housing in West Lothian.

The last traces of West Lothian’s notorious Ghost Estate will be gone by the summer of next year.

Springfield Partnerships, part of the wide Springfield Group has agreed a £9m for the final phase of affordable homes at Deans South with the Wheatley group.

The phase of 37 homes will complete the wider transformation of Deans South and will include a mix of one, two and three bedroom homes as well as a new play park.

It will close a long and bitter chapter in the story of failed social housing in West Lothian. The estate inherited by West Lothian Council from Livingston Development Corporation was cleared of tenants in 2004 after crumbling concrete known by its initials RAAC, was identified as the core construction material.

READ MORE: Change to West Lothian rent collection process could be on the way

It left only a handful of homeowners who battled for almost 2O years to achieve a “home for home” when the council concluded a deal with Springfield Homes to demolish their homes and build anew.

Ghost Estate campaigner Kerry Macintosh took possession of the keys to her new home two years ago.

Writing on her social media page A Fair Deal for Deans South Homeowners this week she welcomed the news that the development has been shortlisted for the Homes for Scotland’s Affordable Development of the Year.

She said: “The considerate designs implemented have helped regenerate the local area from a Ghost Town into what is now a thriving community.

“This is in recognition of the regeneration of Deans South estate. Providing a solution to 100% RAAC in homeowners’ buildings to ensure provision of safe and energy efficient homes to replace the condemned existing buildings throughout the local Deans South area. We wish Springfield the best of luck in securing this well-deserved award which is due to be announced in May.”

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The new development will bring a total of 136 affordable homes to the new Deans South once completed.

Springfield Partnerships Managing Director, Tom Leggeat, said: “The transformation of Deans South has been hugely rewarding. Through partnership working with Wheatley, we have already completed 82 high quality, energy efficient homes, with another 18 due to handover in the coming months. With this contract for the final phase in place, construction work can commence on the remaining 37 homes for people who need them.”

After RAAC was discovered in the former properties in 2004, the homes were condemned leaving a desolate eyesore within the community and families trapped in properties with very little market value.

Tom continued: “Our work with Wheatley to bring high quality housing to the area has changed the lives of the families affected by RAAC in their homes and transformed this development from an abandoned “ghost town” into a thriving community.”

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Lindsay Lauder, Director of Development and Regeneration at Wheatley, said: “We’re excited to start this next and final phase of the Deans South development.

“This will bring to a close a complex project that has transformed Deans South into a vibrant community with modern and affordable homes for local people.

“We would like to thank our partners, Springfield Partnership, and West Lothian Council for their support and to the Scottish Government which provided a £6.8million grant towards the development.”

Construction of the final phase of homes at Deans South is under way, with residents expected to move in Summer 2027.

READ MORE: Families come together in Livingston to celebrate Tamil New Year

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Walkers will come across Roman villas, as well as a Victorian railway that is still used today

A circular walk through the Cambridgeshire countryside has some historic sites, including Roman villas and a Victorian railway station. The Emperors Trail between Ailsworth and Sutton offers a step into part of Cambridgeshire’s history.

The walk, which is around 3.6 miles, is one of Nene Park Trust’s ‘walking in time’ trails. These are self-guided walks that explore the heritage and history of the area.

Along the way, walkers will come across Roman roads and Victorian railways. On the Nene Park website, it said: “You will walk in the footsteps of Roman Emperors, discover the medieval village of Sutton, then pass under the Victorian-built Nene Valley railway before returning to Ailsworth along the River Nene.”

Along the walk, people will see the line of Ermine Street, which was a main route that connected Roman London (Londinium) with York (Eboracum), and this is still visible today.

Here are some points you will come across on the walk:

• Walkers start at a railway crossing gate at the end of Station Road, Ailsworth, which was formerly the site of Castor Station
• Walk along Ermine Street and the Roman agger (mound), which was an important route busy with traffic, bringing goods, messengers, soldiers and travellers
• Along Manor Road in Sutton, there is a stone built platform. This dates back to when milk churns were collected from the then dairy
• People will go past Nene Valley Railway’s Wansford Station, which has been open since 1845
• Along the Nene Valley Railway, there are fields that contain evidence of a Bronze Age burial mount or barrows, alongside two Roman villas.

To find out more about the Emperors Trail walk, visit the Nene Park Trust website.

Columnist Dylan Jones Evans argues that Plaid Cymru is trying to address the right questions. But that does not mean the party’s plan will work

So, to the final assessment of the political parties’ plans for the Welsh economy, and it would be fair to say that Plaid Cymru’s manifesto is the most detailed document produced in this Senedd election.

That does not mean that every proposal within it is convincing, but it is attempting to build a recognisable economic philosophy around a simple question that Welsh politics has avoided: not just how much economic activity takes place in Wales, but who benefits from it, and how much of the value generated here actually stays here.

Plaid argues that Wales has plenty of economic capability, but that too much of its economy remains externally owned, too much profit leaks out, and too much of its policy focuses on managing symptoms rather than building long-term strength. Its answer is a more interventionist and more explicitly development-oriented model, built around more strategic public investment, more active use of procurement, and an institutional framework designed to support business growth in ways that reinforce Welsh communities rather than bypass them.

Read Dylan’s assessments of the Tory manifesto, the Labour manifesto and the Lib Dem and Green manifestos

At the centre of this sits the proposal for a new business-led National Development Agency for Wales that can provide a clearer front door for business support, promote Wales internationally, and coordinate regional economic development in a way that Whitehall-style departmentalism and Cardiff Bay fragmentation have often failed to do. In this respect, Plaid is right to recognise that economic development in Wales has too often lacked institutional clarity and sustained focus, although any new body should not be just another rehash of the Welsh Development Agency, as some have suggested.

Plaid is also right to signal that the Development Bank of Wales needs reform because, despite its rhetoric, there is a growing sense that it is not yet performing to the level Wales needs. If Plaid is serious about creating more indigenous growth, stronger supply chains and better-paid jobs, then a review of the bank has to ask harder questions about whether its products are fit for purpose, whether it is taking enough strategic risk, and whether it is genuinely helping to reshape the structure of the Welsh economy rather than simply supporting activity at the margins.

There is a seriousness to the manifesto’s treatment of procurement. Welsh public bodies spend more than £8 billion each year on goods and services, and Plaid wants a much larger share of that spend retained within Wales, from around 55 per cent to at least 70 per cent. That is not a marginal adjustment but a deliberate attempt to use the public pound to strengthen Welsh firms and build capacity in local supply chains.

One can debate whether the target is achievable and whether it will create as many jobs as claimed, but the underlying instinct is sound, as public procurement in Wales has, for too long, been discussed as an administrative function rather than a strategic economic tool.

The proposal for a comprehensive national skills audit is not particularly glamorous, but employers, colleges, schools and training providers have all complained for years that there is insufficient clarity about future skills demand, too much fragmentation in provision, and too little alignment between policy and labour market needs.

The attempt to connect skills, apprenticeships, vocational routes and economic opportunity is sensible, especially when linked to sectors such as renewables, digital technology, medtech, agritech and the creative industries.

On digital and connectivity, there is support for superfast broadband rollout to the rest of Wales, for the semiconductor cluster in South Wales, for digital innovation, and for more coherent transport planning linked to wider economic development.

With regard to rail, they make the case that Wales has been chronically short-changed, particularly in relation to HS2 and wider infrastructure classifications, but (and excuse the pun) the train has probably left the station on this particular issue, and the UK Government is unlikely to change its mind.

The manifesto is less convincing in its assumptions about what follows from it. At times, Plaid seems to believe that if Wales had the right institutions, stronger tax powers and a fairer funding settlement, a stronger economy would naturally emerge.

Yes, Wales has been held back by weak tools, poor institutional design and a settlement that often leaves it underpowered, but stronger institutions are not, in themselves, a substitute for a stronger economy, nor do they automatically solve the harder questions around export intensity, business scale-up, and commercial competitiveness.

Indeed, focusing on structure rather than strategy is one of the most common mistakes that governments make in their approach to economic development and as I’ve said so many times in the past, entrepreneurship, innovation and productivity must be the beating heart of Wales’s future economic direction.

There is also, inevitably, a degree of political optimism embedded in the document and in proposals such as a Wales Wealth Fund, greater use of pension assets for local investment, and deeper fiscal reform. Each depends on institutional capacity, political leverage and execution that should never be assumed, especially given the weakness of a civil service that has served one party for over a quarter of a century.

Even so, it can be argued that Plaid Cymru has produced a manifesto that seeks to grapple with the drawbacks of the Welsh economy. Whether you agree with it or not, at least it understands that the question is not merely how to attract more activity, but how to build an economy that is more rooted and beneficial to the people who live here.

Of course, that does not answer the question, and there will be much more to do if they form a government, but it could present a serious economic offer that is long overdue, although that may also depend on the person they appoint as the economy minister. Certainly, that individual should be totally committed to developing the massive potential within our private sector here in Wales. If not, as we have seen too many times since the start of devolution, the good intentions in this manifesto may lead to nothing.

The UK’s foreign office has advised against all travel to Mali following the attacks, adding that Bamako International Airport is temporarily closed. Meanwhile, the US Embassy there has told citizens to shelter in place and avoid travel, citing explosions and gunfire around the airport and near Kati.

Why has nothing been done to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?

The answer is simple – as his advisers will have told Donald Trump before he attacked Iran, it is almost impossible to clear a passage through a minefield when the shoreline is held by the enemy, without being prepared to take significant casualties. And this, it seems, the US is not prepared to do.

It is one thing to bomb a less technologically sophisticated enemy from the air, but quite another to get involved in a real fight at sea level with an opponent who has been planning this form of asymmetric warfare for a very long time.

History gives a stark lesson on why America needs to tread warily – a page from the First World War.

It was March 1915. The “straits” concerned were the Dardanelles – the narrow passage linking the Mediterranean to the Black Sea and giving access to Istanbul. The Turks were the defenders, the British and the French the attackers.

They were in the middle of a shooting war. A vital waterway, which would normally be open for the world’s commerce, was closed because of the actions of Turkey, the bordering power. The coastline was heavily defended, and there was a high probability that mines had been laid to block the channel.

A decision was made by the British and French that the straits were to be reopened by force – and a very considerable force was assembled for that purpose.

It comprised no fewer than 14 “capital” ships (in those days “battleships” and “battlecruisers”) supported by escorts and a large force of minesweepers.

The plan was a good one. The capital ships would stand off in clear water and bombard the shore defences. When these had been silenced, the minesweepers would go ahead and sweep another clear area.

The capital ships would then move forward again into swept water and recommence their bombardment – successive waves of big ships moving up, but always into water which had been swept for mines. In this way, the whole channel would be cleared, and the straits reopened.

The big push commenced on 18 March 1915. To start with, it all went well. Four capital ships – HM ships Queen Elizabeth, Agamemnon, Lord Nelson and Inflexible – formed the first attacking line.

The second line was composed of four French ships, Gaulois, Charlemagne, Bouvet and Suffren. They, in turn, were to be supported by six more British ships – HM ships Ocean, Irresistible, Albion, Vengeance, Swiftsure and Majestic – which would form a third line to pass through and relieve the French in line two.

The bombardment was started by the RN ships in line one at 11am. By 12.20pm, the French ships of line two had steamed through the first line to take up their advanced positions.

By 1.45pm, the fire from the shore batteries had slackened under the onslaught of the guns of the eight capital ships, and it was deemed safe enough to send in the minesweepers for the next phase. The third line of six ships was also called up to move the force forward.

However, 15 minutes later, everything started to go wrong. FS Bouvet hit a mine, and in a matter of minutes, she capsized and sank. There were only 75 survivors out of a ship’s company of 718.

The action continued. HMS Irresistible of the third wave was bombarding the forts when she, in turn, struck a mine at 3.14pm. She developed a severe list but continued with the action until she hit another mine, and her main engines were put out of action completely.

An attempt was made to take her in tow, but the situation was hopeless, and the order was given to abandon ship. More than 600 men were taken to safety.

Meanwhile, shortly after 4pm, HMS Inflexible struck a mine. She remained capable of steaming slowly and was ordered to withdraw. However, she had a 30ft x 26ft hole below the waterline and had to be beached to save her from sinking. She was later towed to Malta for repairs and was out of action for three months.

After these disasters, Vice-Admiral John de Robeck, the British admiral in charge of the Allied naval forces during the crucial stages of the campaign, finally decided that the waters which had been considered to be safe and swept of mines were anything but.

Accordingly, at 5.50pm, less than seven hours into the operation, he signalled a “General Recall” to withdraw the ships and return to the safe waters outside the straits.

Fifteen minutes later, at 6.05pm, HMS Ocean struck another mine, developed a major list and was deemed not to be capable of being saved. The ship’s company were taken off and she was left to her fate. Both Irresistible and Ocean later sank.

Fourteen major warships had attempted to force the straits. Within four hours, three of them had been sunk and one had been so badly damaged that she was out of action.

This one day of disaster was the end of trying to take the Dardanelles passage by solely naval means. The attempt was never repeated.

From that day on, the focus shifted to “boots on the ground” to conquer the Turks on land – but as is well known, this likewise failed.

A relatively weak opponent had defeated the combined forces of the two largest navies in the world by its use of asymmetric warfare and, most importantly, by the deployment of mines.

A lesson for our times, Mr President.

John Clark is a former Royal Naval Reserve officer who commanded various minesweepers and minehunters during his service

Heaton Fold Garden Centre will welcome back traders, selling an amazing of array of wares.

Stall owners brave the rain at Heaton Fold Garden Centre Image: VQ

Visitors can pick up handmade goods and home-cooked food while picking up bits and pieces for the garden.

And they can enjoy listening to the stories behind the goods.

Abbie Howard, from Heaton Fold Garden Centre, told The Bolton News: “We have got some of the regular stall holders from last year and we have still time to attract new and different stalls.”

Usually sold at the markets is jewellery, knitted items, cosmetics, pens and other handmade unique finds.

The first of the stallholders to come forward is Magari’s, which have a selection of Sourdough bread and other bakes.

A popular feature is a display from Lancashire Hawks & Owls, which was a“massive hit” last time.

Lancashire Hawks & Owls take in rescued birds of prey like falcons and owls to rehabilitate them.

Stall owners brave the rain at Heaton Fold Garden Centre Image: VQ

Returning to the markets once again is That Silver Touch with jewellery and MadGirl Makes with candles and wax melts.

The market runs from 10am to 3pm, with the last market taking place in December last year.

Artisan market dates are April 26, May 24, June 28, July 26, August 23, September 27, October 25, November 22 and December 13.

In a statement Heaton Fold Garden Centre said: “Come and join us as we welcome back an amazing roster of bakers, do-ers and crafters to celebrate all that Bolton has to offer; a truly talented bunch of people, and with free entry and parking, you wont want to miss it!

“Hot food and drink are available to buy both at the market and at our on-site Cafe. Whether you fancy a cheese and onion pie, or a bacon barm, we’ve got you covered.”

The report to the Housing Services Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel came in response to a composite motion by the full council earlier this year.

A change in the way council rent is collected could be on the way as housing officers tackle growing rent arrears.

Housing officers described a range of early intervention measures they use to help tenants stay in their homes and manage debts at a time when many are facing increasing costs.

However the council has still had to evict 45 tenants in the last year, a move which costs the council £800 a time- £36,000 in the last year- on top of the lost rent.

The report to the Housing Services Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel came in response to a composite motion by the full council earlier this year.

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With the current rent arrears figure sitting at more than £4m across the county, councillors called for action.

Council rents have historically been collected over 48 weeks of the year with two weeks “off” over Christmas and at the end of the financial year in March.

West Lothian currently has 14,367 tenancies with an average rent of £95.42 a week. 864 new tenancies were added in the last year.

Housing officers told the committee changes to rent collection could be made when the new five year collection strategy comes into effect beyond 2027.

The council motion suggested making rent collectible over 52 rather than 48 weeks; “could make payment of rent more affordable for the most vulnerable or who are facing deepening financial pressure.”

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In the meeting Councillor Tony Boyle suggested it would work better because it would align with Universal Credit payments.

A senior housing officer Alison Smith told the meeting the 48 week collection model has been in place “for all the time I have been in post and longer. I think it is something that the council could look at as part of a new strategy.”

She added that regular updates on rent collection would be made to the local area committees as well as the Housing Services PDSP.

Rent collection remains well above 90% across the nine council wards of West Lothian.

Officers outlined early intervention with tenants was key to the collection strategy along with engagement with tenants from the day they take up their tenancy.

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Alongside regular contact with tenants and weekly monitoring of rental income to highlight potential problems housing officers also work with tenants to direct them to agencies such as the council Advice Shops for help with finances and benefits.

Officers stressed that their goal was to keep tenants in their homes. The worst cases which end with eviction come only after tenants refuse to engage with staff or attempt to pay rents.

A housing manager Phyllis McFadden said progress to eviction could take four to five months. She added that there “was no one size fits all solution” and that each eviction case was “ complex and challenging”.

Chair of the committee Councillor George Paul thanked officers for the report and praised the work done by teams across the county to ensure rent collection.

Councillor Paul: “ For me eviction is the last thing I ever want to see,it is a costly process and a time consuming process for officers to get an eviction case to the courts.”

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Councillors across the political divide thanked the housing staff for their work. Councillor Pauline Orr (SNP) said: “I was one of the councillors that brought the composite motion. I just want to thank the officers for bringing the report today. It is very very detailed and very concise. There’s a lot of important information today and I understand the very difficult and challenging circumstances and that it’s not an easy job to do and at times incredibly frustrating and upsetting for officers.”

Conservative councillor Alison Adamson said; “We do appreciate the work you guys are doing. The rent collection that has taken place has always been consistently high.

“That’s why I get so frustrated when I hear comments about housing officers not doing enough to collect rent. This is a very concise, well presented report. Thank you very much for all the work you have done to put this work together.”

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The festival will run at the Crescent Arts Centre from June 4-11

Belfast Book Festival is back with a host of events bringing together the best in poetry, fiction and talks from big names such as Jan Carson and comedian Sara Pascoe.

This is the festival’s 16th year and it is set to run its events at the Crescent Arts Centre once again, from June 4-11. This year sees an ambitious billing of poetry, fiction, workshops and lively discussions.

The literary line-up includes Jan Carson, Andrea Carter, Sara Pascoe, Neil Jordan, Sarah Moss, Neil Hegarty, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Katriona O’Sullivan, Nussaibah Younis, Patrick Radden Keefe, Martin Doyle, Miriam O’Callaghan, Stephen Daly, Anne Enright, Will Storr, Mícheál McCann, Rónán Hession, Wendy Erskine, Sínead Morrissey, Forrest Issac Jones and many more.

With a spotlight on Belfast, a special event with Belfast-born writer Bernard MacLaverty celebrates his work for page and screen, whilst writers Wendy Erskine and Phil Harrison join photographer Tolu Ogunware to explore contemporary Belfast through fiction and visual storytelling.

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In partnership with The National Year of Reading, four NI YA authors – Jenny Ireland, Stephen Daly, Kelly McCaughrain and Sue Divin celebrate new book releases and a special screening of Nostalgie, Kathryn Ferguson’s award-winning adaptation of Wendy Erskine’s short story set in NI will be supported by a Q&A.

The festival also celebrates the gothic and dystopian with Director of Interview with the Vampire and The Butcher Boy, Neil Jordan discussing his new literary sci-fi novel, The Library of Traumatic Memory, and Jan Carson shares her new dystopic novel Few and Far Between. Carson will also be in conversation with author Henrietta McKervey on her new gothic novel The Woman in the Water, inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.

Further programme highlights include comedian and writer, Sara Pascoe and her novel Weirdo, a tragicomic story of a young woman navigating life while battling her inner-monologue. Journalist Aimee Donnellan presents Off the Scales, an inside look at Ozempic and Katriona O’Sullivan discusses Hungry, a raw exploration of hunger, trauma, and women’s collective search for self-acceptance.

Broadcaster Miriam O’Callaghan will reflect upon her life and work via her memoir and Books Editor of The Irish Times

Martin Doyle, gives insight into his many interviews with prominent Irish writers across the years. Journalist and writer, Patrick Radden Keefe will also talk about his newly published book London Falling and author Lucy Caldwell will discuss the evergreen lure and popularity of Irish short fiction with panellists Jan Carson, Paul Delaney and Hedwig Schwal.

Sophie Hayles, CEO of The Crescent Arts Centre and Director of the Belfast Book Festival, said: “We’re excited to welcome everyone at The Crescent for BBF26. This year’s Festival offers a wide variety of literary events, workshops and discussions for all ages and interests. As always, BBF champions a combination of emerging writers, NI talent and international voices – feet firmly and proudly in Belfast, inviting the book world in.”

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The winners of the Mairtín Crawford Awards, (which recognise new writers working towards their first full collection of poetry and short stories) will be announced and emerging wordsmiths can attend workshops and industry sessions offering expert advice on pitching, publishing and how to navigate social media as a new author.

Caoileann Curry-Thompson, Arts Development Officer for Drama and Dance, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: “As principal funder, the Arts Council is proud to support The Crescent Arts Centre in staging Northern Ireland’s leading annual literature festival. This Festival caters to all ages and truly shines a light on the extraordinary writing talent we have in Northern Ireland, as well as offering opportunities for those interested in writing and publishing to learn from industry experts.

“The team at The Crescent has curated another terrific programme this year and I would encourage everyone to go along and enjoy this incredible celebration of literature!”

The full Belfast Book Festival programme and event details can be found at: www.belfastbookfestival.com with all tickets available on pay-what-you-decide scale.

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