A chartered Titan Airways flight transported the passengers from the Canary Islands, landing at Manchester Airport on Sunday evening.

The 20 British passengers, who were tested for hantavirus before getting on the flight, will be taken to isolate at the UK’s initial Covid quarantine site at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside.

Emergency services in the North West said they expected the passengers to be housed and provided with clothes at the “managed setting” for up to 72 hours.

The Arrowe Park facility has six storeys of self-contained flats with their own bedrooms, en-suite bathrooms, kitchen and lounge facilities.

Janelle Holmes, chief executive of Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, told the media that Arrowe Park would do “welfare checks on each individual”.

She added: “There’s nobody being transferred to us that has been symptomatic in any way.

“There’s no impact on the hospital. Services are running as normal, patients should still attend their appointments.”

The hospital leader said if passengers develop symptoms, they will be taken to Royal Liverpool University Hospital, which houses the regional Tropical and Infectious Diseases Unit.

Ms Holmes said hantavirus is “very different” to Covid and the risk to the general public is “really low”.

She added: “You’ve got to have really, really close contact. It’s not like Covid or flu or those types of viruses.”

After their isolation, public health specialists will assess whether passengers can isolate at home or at another suitable location based on their living arrangements.

Britons returning to the UK will stay in self-isolation for 45 days and will not be allowed to take public transport to their homes.

In a post on X, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Thank you to all those who worked around the clock to get passengers from MV Hondius back to the UK by special flight this evening with public health protections in place.

“The UK has worked with Spain, South Africa, the Netherlands and the WHO to coordinate safe returns.”

The MV Hondius arrived in Tenerife on Sunday morning, with Spanish authorities beginning evacuations of the cruise ship by nationality and ferrying passengers to a port by small boat.

While they were being bussed from the port at Granadilla de Abona to Tenerife South Airport, some British passengers, clad in blue PPE, waved and gave thumbs up as they passed watching media.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said its goal was to finish the ship’s evacuation, with the exception of 30 crew members remaining on board, by 7pm on Monday.

Passengers were told to leave their luggage on the ship and were only allowed to take a small bag with essential items such as their phone and passport.

The Spanish health ministry said on Sunday that 94 people of 19 nationalities had been taken off the cruise ship.

One of five ‌French passengers showed symptoms during their ‌repatriation ⁠flight, French Prime ⁠Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Sunday.

In a post on X, he said all five were “immediately placed in strict isolation until further notice” where they will receive medical care and undergo further testing.

Some 30 crew members and a nurse from the Netherlands, as well as the body of a passenger who died on board, will remain on the ship, which will sail to Rotterdam in the Netherlands where it will undergo disinfection, the WHO said.

The WHO said on Saturday there had been six confirmed hantavirus cases linked to MV Hondius and four patients were in hospital.

It added that eight cases, including three deaths, had been reported – with one previous suspected case being reclassified after testing negative for hantavirus.

The UKHSA said three British nationals are included in the eight cases – two involve confirmed hantavirus and another is suspected.

The two confirmed British cases are in hospital in South Africa and the Netherlands, while the third British national with a suspected case is being supported on the British overseas territory of Tristan da Cunha where they live.

Six paratroopers, an RAF consultant and an Army nurse from 16 Air Assault Brigade were parachuted onto the South Atlantic island, while oxygen supplies and medical aid were also dropped on Tristan da Cunha, which is normally only accessible by boat.

The Ministry of Defence said it was the first time medical personnel had been parachuted in to provide humanitarian support.

Police sealed off an area of Broughty Ferry Beach in Dundee on Sunday.

A body has been found in water near where a teenager vanished last month. Phoenix Birkett, 17, was last seen on the Tay Bridge in Dundee in the early hours of April 8 and was reported missing to Police Scotland the same day.

On Sunday May 10, officers sealed off part of Broughty Ferry Beach after a body was discovered in the water. A large cordon was put in place as detectives carried out their investigation.

Locals said they also saw forensic teams in the area just after 12pm. No formal identification has been made, but Police Scotland say the family of the teenager, from Guardbridge, Fife, have been informed.

Officers do not believe there to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 12.30pm on Sunday, 10 May, 2026, a body was recovered from the water on Broughty Ferry Beach.

“Formal identification is yet to take place however the family of a 17-year-old male, who was reported missing in Dundee on Wednesday, April 8, has been informed.

“There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal in due course.”

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Outline planning permission was previously granted in 2023 paving the way for potential development of the former Empire Theatre, on the corner of Deepdale Road and Cowscote Crescent, for new apartments.

A new ‘reserved matters’ application submitted to Redcar and Cleveland Council gives further detail of plans to demolish a derelict building replacing it with 20 flats, consisting of one and two bedrooms, along with parking.

A statement prepared by consultants Hartlepool-based Origin Planning Services on behalf of applicant Peter Hall said the proposed layout followed the principles agreed as part of the outline permission.

It said: “The proposed layout has been carefully developed in response to the site’s prominent corner position and sloping topography. 

“The scheme comprises a single apartment building accommodating 20 no 1 and 2 bed units, arranged to make efficient use of the site whilst maintaining a logical and legible form of development. 

“Adequate separation distances are achieved between the proposed development and adjacent properties, ensuring that privacy, outlook and residential amenity are preserved.”

The new development would be three storeys high with the statement explaining: “The scale of the development has been carefully considered in the context of the surrounding built environment, which features a mix of building heights and land levels. 

“The sloping nature of the site has been utilised to reduce the perceived scale and massing of the building, with elements of the lower ground floor partially set into the site. 

“This approach ensures that the development does not appear overly dominant within the street scene.”

It said the appearance would be of a “contemporary architectural approach”, while the combination of materials, detailing and façade treatment proposed “serves to break up the massing of the building and create visual interest, resulting in a high-quality and cohesive appearance”. 

Vehicle access would be from Deepdale Road with 21 car parking spaces provided.

The Empire Palace of Varieties as it was first known originally opened in 1911 showcasing variety acts and films. 

It was rebuilt and expanded in 1937, becoming known as simply the Empire Theatre.

The application site, a short distance away from Loftus Leisure Centre, later hosted the Regent Bingo Club, before re-opening as a cinema in 1977, closing for good six years later and subsequently being utilised for storage purposes.

The Jardine Gallery & Workshop has welcomed its first visitors to its studio in Colliergate.

Set up by owner Julian and his partner Ali, the gallery hosts many talented artists’ work, including paintings, sculptures, photography, glasswork, woodcraft and jewellery.

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Julian, who relocated from Perth, Scotland – where he owned a gallery for 18 years – said much of the inspiration behind his new studio came from creative spaces in Scandinavia.

Ceramicist Julian Jardine owns the studio with his partner Ali (Image: Newsquest)

He explained: “I found that studios in Scandinavia had a little bit of everything, from sculptures to landscape pieces.

“I wanted to emulate that – hosting a variety of art, even if I find it difficult to sell – it adds to the experience for people.”

Julian and Ali purchased the three-storey building – formerly Saskia & Co – after being enchanted by York and its proximity to art shows in the UK.

The gallery shows talented local and international artists’ work, from paintings to sculptures, photography, glasswork and more (Image: Newsquest)

The owner is a ceramicist himself with over 30 years of experience.

Speaking about this, he said: “After graduating from the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, I became self-employed with the aid of the Prince’s Trust in 1993.

“I supplied galleries in the UK and abroad while tackling a variety of freelance sculpting jobs before starting my art gallery in Perth in 2008.

“We then opened up a workshop, where we would host a variety of art and sculpting classes for both adults and children to help fund the studio, in 2012.”

A Stella Mays landscape piece (Image: Newsquest)

But it was a need for a change of pace and new scenery which drew the artist to York.

His studio is lined with international and local artists’ work, including Stella Mays – the recipient of the BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year and the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year awards.  

While browsing, customers can also catch Julian sculpting in real time.

‘Here’s one I made earlier’ – Julian and the giant tortoise sculpture (Image: The Julian Jardine Gallery)

He said: “Currently, I am working on a giant tortoise for a collector.

“My last one took me three days to sculpt and a further five days to dry, fire, rest and paint.

“I also have moulds of previous ceramic sculptures to save time and to make it more affordable for the customer, as I would like to show art of varying prices and styles.”

The large ceramic octopus by Julian features in the gallery window (Image: The Julian Jardine Gallery)

Eventually, Julian said he would like to convert a snug space outside the studio into an area for his electric kiln, along with more space for art on the building’s top floor.

He added that in the coming months, a weekly workshop for York visitors and residents may be put on for up to 10 people.

For more on his work and the studio, please visit here.

Britons evacuated from a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak have arrived in the UK and have been taken to an isolation facility after being repatriated from Tenerife.

A chartered Titan Airways flight which transported the passengers from the Canary Islands landed at Manchester Airport on Sunday evening.

The 20 British passengers, who were tested for hantavirus before getting on the flight, will now isolate at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral.

The Merseyside hospital was the nation’s initial quarantine site for British citizens returning from Wuhan, China, at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in January 2020.

Emergency services in the North West said they expected the passengers to be housed and provided with clothes at the “managed setting” for up to 72 hours.

The Arrowe Park facility has six storeys of self-contained flats with their own bedrooms, en-suite bathrooms, kitchen and lounge facilities.

Janelle Holmes, chief executive of Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, told the media that Arrowe Park would do “welfare checks on each individual”.

She added: “There’s nobody being transferred to us that has been symptomatic in any way.

“There’s no impact on the hospital. Services are running as normal, patients should still attend their appointments.”

The hospital leader said if passengers develop symptoms, they will be taken to Royal Liverpool University Hospital, which houses the regional Tropical and Infectious Diseases Unit.

Ms Holmes said hantavirus is “very different” to Covid and the risk to the general public is “really low”.

She added: “You’ve got to have really, really close contact. It’s not like Covid or flu or those types of viruses.”

After their isolation, public health specialists will assess whether passengers can isolate at home or at another suitable location based on their living arrangements.

Britons returning to the UK will stay in self-isolation for 45 days and will not be allowed to take public transport to their homes.

It comes after the MV Hondius arrived in Tenerife in the early hours of Sunday, triggering an evacuation operation with passengers ferried to a port by small boat, not before medics in full PPE checked all remained asymptomatic.

Some 22 British nationals were taken to shore – with 20 getting on the repatriation flight and two dual-nationals heading elsewhere.

While they were being bussed from the port at Granadilla de Abona to Tenerife South Airport, some British passengers, clad in blue PPE, waved and gave thumbs up as they passed watching media.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said its goal was to finish the ship’s evacuation, with the exception of 30 crew members remaining on board, by 7pm on Monday.

Passengers were told to leave their luggage on the ship and were only allowed to take a small bag with essential items such as their phone and passport.

Spanish authorities said on Sunday that no passengers on the ship were showing symptoms of the virus, with 14 Spanish nationals who formed the first group to be evacuated from the vessel being flown to a hospital in Madrid.

Eight people are suspected to have fallen ill with hantavirus, including three who died – a Dutch couple ‌and a German national. Of the eight, six are confirmed to have contracted ‌the virus, with another two suspected cases.

A joint statement from NHS England North West, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB, Merseyside Police, North West Ambulance Service, and Wirral Council said: “In line with advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), on arrival [in the UK] they [British passengers] will be taken to a managed setting for clinical assessment and testing. We expect this initial stay to be up to 72 hours.

“Following this, public health specialists will assess whether they can isolate at home or at another suitable location, based on their living arrangements. The risk to the general population remains very low.

“Our partner organisations are working together to ensure that all returning passengers are welcomed, comfortable and well supported throughout their stay.”

Following their isolation, public health specialists will assess whether passengers can isolate at home or at another suitable location based on their living arrangements.

The two confirmed British cases are in hospital in South Africa and the Netherlands, while the third British national with a suspected case is being supported on the British overseas territory of Tristan da Cunha where they live.

Six paratroopers, an RAF consultant and Army nurse from 16 Air Assault Brigade were parachuted onto the South Atlantic island, while oxygen supplies and medical aid was also dropped on Tristan da Cunha, which is normally only accessible by boat.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it was the first time medical personnel had been parachuted in to provide humanitarian support.

The police is appealing for the public’s help to find the 57-year-old man

Police are appealing for help to find a man missing from Peterborough. Michael Underwood, 57, was reported missing from Stanground at around 6.20am on Saturday (May 10).

Cambridgeshire Police is concerned for his welfare and is appealing to the public for help or information. A police spokesperson said: “Officers are becoming increasingly concerned for Michael’s welfare.

“Searches are being carried out in the Peterborough area as part of efforts to locate him. Michael, who is from Ipswich, is described as 5’4”, medium build and bald. He is believed to be wearing a black jacket, black jeans and trainers.”

Anyone with information should call Cambridgeshire Police on 101 and quote 72 of May 10.

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