Ants are common in the spring, and it can be easy for them to get into your home, but two common items will get rid of them in seconds – and will also destroy the nest

You could banish your ant problem in seconds with a hack that uses just two common household items from your kitchen cupboard.

With winter now well and truly over, countless households are opening their windows wide and allowing the crisp spring breeze to flow through their homes. While warmer weather signals an end to cold and gloomy days and ushers in evenings of enjoying the garden, the arrival of spring does bring certain drawbacks.

Most significantly, spring marks the return of insects. Some of these creatures, such as bees and butterflies, are a delightful sight for keen gardeners, but others are far less welcome – particularly when they venture inside your property.

Ants are one pest that nobody wants to discover indoors. While they’re largely harmless in the garden, spotting them crawling across your kitchen worktops first thing in the morning can be deeply unsettling.

Fortunately, there’s a straightforward and effective solution to rid yourself of these uninvited visitors and stop them returning, using just two ingredients you’re likely to already have in your kitchen.

A viral TikTok clip showed how to combine baking soda and sugar to successfully tackle ant infestations. The technique also works on cockroaches, should you encounter them in your property, though they’re far less prevalent in the UK than in warmer nations such as the US.

The man in the video explained: “You’re going to need some baking soda and some sugar. It doesn’t really matter what kind of sugar you use, the sugar is just to attract the ants and the cockroaches.”

He recommended combining one cup of baking soda with one cup of sugar, though you can adjust the quantities depending on the severity of your infestation. The crucial thing to bear in mind is that the 1:1 ratio must be maintained – so if you add more baking soda, be sure to add more sugar as well.

Should the ants’ entry point be visible, he advises scattering the mixture directly over that spot. If the entry point cannot be located, it’s best to spread a layer of the powdery blend along the skirting boards instead.

He explained: “What’s going to happen is the cockroaches and the ants are both going to eat this mixture because they’re going to be attracted to the sugar. But it’s going to have baking soda mixed in with it.

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“They’re going to be completely fine for now, but when they go back to their nest, and they drink water, a chemical reaction will happen inside their stomach, and it’s going to kill them.”

What’s more, the ants will carry the mixture back to their colony, sharing it with fellow ants that never entered your home, ultimately resulting in the complete elimination of the entire nest.

How to get rid of ants in your home

To tackle an ant problem, you first need to make sure there’s no reason for the insects to find your home attractive. This means you need to remove food sources by cleaning up any crumbs, spills, or leftover food in your home. Empty your rubbish bins and wipe down countertops with a mixture of vinegar and water to destroy scent trails.

There are a range of home remedies you can use to try and get rid of ants:

1. Vinegar and water: Mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray this solution directly on ant trails, entry points, and even their nest if it is visible. Repeat daily and ants will lose interest in the area.
2. Lemon juice: Squeezing fresh lemon juice along ant entry points and windowsills can disrupt their scent trails and repel them, as they dislike the smell of citrus.
3. Baking soda and sugar: Mix equal parts baking soda and sugar together and place in shallow dishes near ant trails. The sugar attracts the ants, and the baking soda disrupts their digestive systems, killing them.
4. Ant bait: If these methods have not worked, you can buy commercial ant baits that the insects will carry back to their nest, killing the colony. This may take a few days to get results.

And North Yorkshire Police sent out a message to any other victims of abuse, saying: “It is never too late to tell us – we are here, and we will listen.”

As reported by The Press, Clive Michael Hartley was today (Friday, May 1) jailed for crimes he committed decades ago.

The child he raped didn’t tell police what had happened to her until  2024 – and then had to wait for two years to give evidence against him.

Today Hartley, 68, of Troutsbeck, Rawcliffe, is starting 14 years in jail.

Detective Constable Ebony Wonnacott of York and Selby CID praised the survivor’s bravery in coming forward and encouraged other survivors to get in touch.

She  said: “This has been a long journey for the victim in order to secure her deserved justice.

“I commend the victim’s courage in sharing what happened and her resilience in seeing out justice, despite the long and difficult process to get here.”

Det Con Wonnacott said: “I hope this case shows other survivors of abuse that the police are here for you, regardless of when the abuse took place.

“It is never too late to tell us – we are here, and we will listen.

“We are committed to bringing those responsible for such horrific abuse to justice – please don’t suffer in silence.”

Victims of rape and sexual abuse in North Yorkshire can contact police through the police website or by calling 101.

In an emergency, always call 999.

Support services are also available, including the North Yorkshire Sexual Assault Referral Centre, which can be reached on 0330 223 0362 or via acerhousesarc.co.uk.

If you’re short on time then a day trip can be an excellent way to see the most iconic sights of a city. This sunny destination under two hours from the UK has been named the best for a 24-hour break thanks to its compact centre

Is 24 hours really enough to experience a new city?

For people short on time or those who want to see only the highlights of a city, a 24-hour day trip can be a great way to get a taste of a new destination, if not a full-blown portion of a place.

Transport provider Mozio recently put together a list of the best European cities for a 24-hour holiday, and at the top is Barcelona: an iconic city with a flight time of under two hours from London.

Keen for a city to explore, and without much time to spare away from my busy family life back home, I hopped on a plane to the Catalonian capital to see how much of Barcelona I could take in in a single day.

Lke most visitors to Barcelona, I started off at the Sagrada Família. In fact, it wasn’t that long after I landed before I stood at the foot of Gaudí’s masterpiece, in awe of the way the ornate spires seemed to stretch endlessly towards the sky. Rosa, an endlessly cheerful and knowledgeable tour guide, was on hand to help me navigate this architectural behemoth.

The small group tour meant there was no aimless wandering. Not only did we skip the lines outside, but we also learned so much about the building, its little details, and the fascinating life of Gaudí, whose passion and money were poured endlessly into the project.

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A short walk away is the architect’s Casa Batlló, another attraction that is worth getting skip-the-line tickets for if you’re short of time. On the crowded pavement outside, crowds gather to take photos of the intricate facade, which features colorful mosaics resembling mermaid fins, skeletal columns, and balconies resembling masks with empty eyeholes.

Inside, Rosa led us through each beautifully designed room, explaining the features from the smooth, sleek, curved wood to the ombré tiles on the wall that get progressively darker as you climb the stairs. Every inch of the house has Gaudí’s architectural touches, down to the doorknobs.

A day isn’t a long time to try all the culinary delights that Spain has to offer, but one way to enjoy as much authentic cuisine as possible is to head to Mercat de la Boqueria. It was crowned the world’s best market by the New York Times, and it truly is a foodie heaven. The smell of jamón hangs in the air as you wander round stalls selling cones of cured meat, manchego cheese, olives, and other treats. Grab a bar stool and try some pintxos, a Spanish snack made up of small pieces of bread topped with seafood, meat, or cheese, best enjoyed alongside a cold beer or glass of wine.

For something more substantial, book a table at Can Culleretes, Barcelona’s oldest restaurant that sits off a winding side street near La Rambla. And I’m serious when I say book a table. The queues spill out into the street. Inside this charmingly rustic restaurant that dates back to the 18th century, we were served an incredible array of tapas, including anchovies, huge prawns doused in garlic, and plates of croquettes, washed down with Spanish wine. By the time the crema catalana came round for pudding, most of us were too full to make a proper go of it.

If you’re still standing after all that tapas, and many, many steps, then you may feel like heading somewhere a little more serene. Barcelona’s metro system connects to Funicular de Montjuïc, a short two-minute ride that costs around €3, (£2.60), yet gives you incredible hillside views across the city. From Montjuïc you can watch the sun go down and the lights of Barcelona twinkling below from the bustling city centre to the sandy beach.

Not bad for a day.

Book it

The Sagrada Família small guided tour including tower access starts at £70 per adult (11+), £51 per child (5-10), under 5s go free. A Casa Batilo private tour with skip the line entry for six people starts from £70 per person with early access. Both tours can be booked via TUI Musement.

TUI offers three-night city break packages to Barcelona, staying at the 4* H10 H10 Madison Hotel on a bed and breakfast basis, from £666 per person based on two adults sharing a classic double room, traveling on Ryanair from London Stansted Airport on September 15, 2026. Price includes 10kg of hand luggage.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

With warmer weather on the way, many people will be looking for places to take a dip, and you don’t have to go far to get those summer holiday vibes. This UK lido has been compared to Greece thanks to its Mediterranean style

A lido that has often been compared to pools in Greece and the Med will soon be reopening its doors for the summer season in time for warmer weather.

The pool has been beloved by local families since it first opened in 1896, and now also attracts tourists from further afield. It’s not hard to see why. When you look at the lido with its perfectly blue waters, splashpad, and 300 metre-long lazy river, it’s almost as if you’re at a hotel pool overseas.

However, this shimmering blue pool is actually found in Kent, just over an hour from London, and the Strand Lido in Gillingham also has the distinction of being the only riverside saltwater pool in the UK. The pool is fed from the River Medway, then filtered and chlorinated to make it safe for swimmers to splash around.

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The Lido Guide wrote about the Strand: “Nothing about the exterior gives away what lies within. What lies within is a riot of Mediterranean-resort-style colour and fun. Any children in the party will be completely unable to contain their excitement.

“The whole thing is a freeform riot of bright white painted concrete, edged in royal blue, that gives the treated river water that fills the pool a hue that is more reminiscent of Greece than Kent.”

There are six 25-metrer long lanes for swimming, and you’ll also find a paddling pool for toddlers, as well as fun features such as water fountains. Because the pool is unheated, it only opens seasonally, with the opening date for 2026 confirmed as Saturday, May 23.

The pool will then open at weekends, until the school summer holidays, when it opens daily, before closing sometime in September. Tickets can be booked online via the Medway Council website to reserve a slot at this popular pool.

In addition to the pool, the complex has sunbathing and relaxation areas, a café that serves food, although you can bring a picnic and enjoy it in one of the shaded areas of the park, and play areas. There are changing rooms, poolside showers, and a shop selling inflatables, but feel free to bring your own rubber ring.

The Strand Leisure Park has a miniature railway that also opens seasonally, chugging around the park on sunny days, and lots of riverside walks to explore.

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One positive review said: “We travelled from Suffolk and booked the afternoon session. Stopped for some lunch on the way. Lovely day out. Pool has a lazy river, kids pool and adult pool, changing rooms, toilets, café. Lots of space to set up camp for the afternoon but not a lot of shade.”

Another suggested: “Very good few hours. Looks like we are on holiday. Lazy river all around the outside (take a rubber ring). “

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

Chelsea are not planning to sell Joao Pedro in the summer transfer window following interest from Barcelona, according to reports.

Barcelona have made Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez is first-choice attacking target this summer as Robert Lewandowski’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season.

Atletico, however, are in a strong negotiating position as Alvarez still has four years remaining on his contract, which is protected by a €500 million (£431m) release clause.

Barcelona are now working on alternative solutions and Joao Pedro is on their shortlist.

According to ESPN Brasil, Barca have already initiated initial informal contacts for the Brazil international ahead of the summer window.

The move for the Chelsea forward has been approved by both Barcelona’s head coach, Hansi Flick, and Deco, the club’s sporting director.

However, Chelsea are said to have already communicated through third parties that it will not allow a transfer this summer as the club is aware of the difficulties in finding a suitable replacement.

Joao Pedro joined Chelsea in a £60m deal from Brighton last year and has impressed in his first season at Stamford Bridge with 19 goals in all competitions.

The Brazilian also has the chance to win a second trophy with Chelsea after the team’s World Club Cup success this summer as they will play Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 16.

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We are used to seeing the excellent Adam Scott (Severance, Parks and Recreation) in likeable nice guy roles. In Hokum, however, he plays a curmudgeonly and prickly bestselling novelist called Ohm Bauman. Deliberating over the ending to his series of popular novels, Bauman has decided to take a trip to the rural Irish inn where his parents stayed on their honeymoon, to scatter their ashes.

The remote Bilberry Woods Hotel in the off-season is a fantastically eerie horror location. Irish writer and director Damian McCarthy populates the hotel and its surroundings with excellent, likably eccentric locals who recount the spooky lore of the area to the sceptical writer.

Jerry (David Wilmot) lives in the woods, tinkers with moonshine and psychedelics and says he sees ghosts. Bellboy Alby (Will O’Connell) is a starstruck wannabe author treated with disdain by his hero. Fiona (Florence Ordesh) is the bartender whose disappearance motivates Bauman’s exploration of the twisty hotel and its grounds.

“Hokum,” says Bauman dismissively when he is told about the witch who supposedly haunts the honeymoon suite where his parents stayed. The film performs the neat trick of making us warm to this horribly flawed and unlikeable character as he is inevitably proven wrong.

A film with a fiction writer protagonist set in a haunted hotel inevitably suggests the influence of Stephen King, not just via The Shining but the short story 1408, made into a memorable film starring John Cusack in 2007. That story similarly features a sceptical writer staying in a supposedly haunted guest house who, like Hokum’s Bauman, experiences disturbing visions from his past. Hokum also recalls horror impresario Ti West’s brilliantly eerie New England-set The Innkeepers (2011), with which this film shares the atmosphere of an off-season haunted guesthouse.

Hokum is, at its core, a classic ghost story in the mode of English writer MR James. But it throws a lot of extra horror elements into the pot at the risk of becoming unwieldy and bloated.

McCarthy’s ambiguous film has a witch, a ghost or two, a missing woman, flashbacks of Bauman’s traumatic past and, in the weirdest and scariest scene, a nightmarish televised vision of a half-bunny, half-person creature. With so much in the mix, this could be a formless mess, so it is surprising that Hokum holds together as well as it does. With one or two stumbles where things get a touch convoluted, this is an enormously effective, well-crafted and proudly old-fashioned gothic chiller.

With a focus on character and mood, Hokum is an intelligent and, by the end, emotionally satisfying film. The strength of the film is not in its originality but in the execution of familiar conventions and plot points. How much you will enjoy the film depends on your tolerance and enthusiasm for old fashioned jump scares. An overused device in modern horror that can signal a sub-par film, it is hard here not to admire McCarthy’s commitment to making his audience gasp.

McCarthy’s talent is in building the hotel’s atmosphere of mystery with carefully placed light from lamps and candles that cast long shadows before leading to controlled scares carried out with technical skill and pinpoint timing. Strongly recalling the well-executed horror trickery of the now-classic stage adaptation of Susan Hill’s novel The Woman in Black, shocks are strongly telegraphed and built towards with inevitability. The director is telling the audience clearly what’s about to happen at every turn, but the film is no less effective for it.

The film was made in West Cork, and the Irish countryside is a beautiful, eerie backdrop for the maze-like guesthouse. Nevertheless, there is little in the film’s depiction of ghosts and witches in the Irish woodland that relies on culturally specific mythology or history.

Hokum is Irish writer and director Damian McCarthy’s third horror film after the critically acclaimed low-budget ghost stories Caveat (2020) and Oddity (2024). Those first two films were shown at film festivals before being released on horror streaming channel Shudder. This is McCarthy’s first full cinema release. Each of his films is better than the last, with the filmmaker sharpening his writing and directing a little more each time. Here he is aided considerably by the consistently brilliant Adam Scott.

Hokum is a horror film made by a director working to carry out horror conventions as well as he possibly can. The film is full of tongue-in-cheek, knowing nods to the genre. It doesn’t matter that all the major late-film plot reveals are telegraphed to the audience with a nod and a wink early in the film. Hokum has fun telling you what it’s going to do well ahead of time and remains scary and entertaining regardless.

With Capcom frequently bringing back older franchises from their back catalogue, a reader hopes to see the return of Ghosts ‘N Goblins spin-off Maximo.

With all the doom and gloom around gaming lately it’s been so good to see everyone cheering on Capcom for the achievement of… releasing a load of really good games. They’ve been on a roll for years now but this year they’ve already had Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata and they’ve got a new Onimusha on the way too.

They’ve always been one of my favourite publishers, probably my favourite that isn’t Nintendo, but ever since Resident Evil 7 they’ve barely put a step wrong. That’s great and a thing we should congratulate them on, in my opinion.

One of the best things is that unlike almost any other publisher Capcom actually reinvests the money they make into taking risks with new IP, like Pragmata, and bringing back old franchises that aren’t a guaranteed hit, like Onimusha.

I think they deserve a ton of recognition for this in particular and I’m so glad that Pragmata has been a hit and they’ve been rewarded for taking a risk. I bought it and I think it’s great and I’m very happy to have supported them.

The longer their hot streak lasts the more obscure the games are that they bring back, at least potentially, and while most people seem to want to revive Dino Crisis, I have a different request: Maximo.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love a Dino Crisis remake or new game but I don’t feel Maximo ever gets talked about. For those that don’t know, Maximo: Ghosts To Glory is a PlayStation 2 game from 2001 that is a spin-off from Ghosts ‘N Goblins. It has the same music, and some of the same enemies, but you’re a Roman soldier, for some reason, instead of King Arthur.

It’s a 3D platformer with quite a bit of combat, that I feel worked really well but seemed to get very quickly forgotten at the time. But it had good action, nice cartoony graphics, and for a PlayStation 2 game the camera worked really well.

Unfortunately though, there was only ever one sequel, also only on PlayStation 2. And then that was it, the series never made it off the PlayStation 2 or into the next generation and I’ve literally never heard anyone speak about it since.

I assume that, despite the sequel, that means it didn’t sell that well and it seems obvious to me why: it was stupidly hard. Now I love the game, or I wouldn’t be typing this now, but it is unnecessarily difficult and I don’t know why.

Or at least I didn’t at the time, in later years I looked into the whole Ghosts ‘N Goblins angle, which was a bit before my time, and it seems they were super hard as well and so are the modern games, right up to Ghosts ‘N Goblins Resurrection.

I really don’t know why this is, as all games were super difficult back in the day and it’s not like something like Mario didn’t adapt with the times and try and keep everyone on board.

The difficulty was always the worst thing about Maximo, as far as I’m concerned, so why they think that’s the most important thing to keep in all these games I don’t know. Is anyone really going to complain that it’s too easy? Couldn’t they just have a hard mode instead? I’m not sure why a cartoon platformer game about a guy in his boxer shorts is making Dark Souls look like a kid’s game.

So that’s my hope of what Capcom do next. I don’t think it’s very likely, but I don’t think it’s impossible either, because they do occasionally try to bring Ghosts ‘N Goblins back, just not the version of it I like best.

By reader Terry Gold

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

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The comedian was just 45 minutes into his performance at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham when it was abruptly cut short

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The Utilita Arena has released a statement following the incident at this evening’s Peter Kay concert.

Peter Kay was “bundled off stage” during a show in Birmingham, with police evacuating the venue — which holds up to 15,800 people — after a “suspicious bag” was discovered. The comedian was just 45 minutes into his set at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena when it was brought to an abrupt halt, reports the Mirror..

West Midlands Police confirmed that a 19 year old man has been arrested and the surrounding area is being searched as a precaution.

Audience members reported that no explanation was given at the time of the evacuation. A member of the production team reportedly took to the stage at around 8.45pm to inform the crowd that the show would not be going ahead.

A Utilita Arena spokesperson said: “Utilita Arena Birmingham has been evacuated as a precaution on the advice of West Midlands Police after a potential suspicious bag was found nearby.”

“The safety and security of our customers and colleagues is our highest priority. We can confirm that everyone was safely evacuated and that the venue is secure. Ticket holders will be contacted directly in due course.”

The latest statement from West Midlands Police reads: “We are assisting with an evacuation at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham after a potential suspicious bag was found. A 19-year-old man is in custody and as a precaution the site is currently subject of a search. We will provide further updates when we can.”

Earlier on Friday, Scotch Whisky Association head of strategy and communications Graeme Littlejohn said the tariffs announcement was the result of “months and months of work”, adding: “The King was the royal sparkle at the end of a lot of work to get a deal over the line here, this doesn’t happen overnight.”