Photographer Kieran Delaney had his camera handy to capture the towering dark clouds as they gathered above the city, with one or two flashes of lightning cutting through the gloom to the backdrop of rumbling thunder.

Storm closes in on York in dramatic photo by Kieran Delaney – pictured. (Image: Kieran Delaney)

Kieran, 27, is a member of The Press Camera Club and lives in Heworth. He studied photography at sixth form at All Saints RC School and works as a photographer and at Tommy Hilfiger at York Designer Outlet.

Kieran shoots on a Nikon D5500, with a 35mm lens, a standard kit lens 18-55mm and a 55-200mm lens and he also has a drone.

Garry Hornby captured this scene slightly earlier at the ‘Coppergate Brolly walk’. (Image: Garry Hornby)

According to the Met Office, unsettled weather is expected to continue across North Yorkshire over the coming days.

Forecasters suggest a mix of sunshine and scattered showers, with a risk of further thunderstorms, particularly in the afternoons. Temperatures are likely to remain around the mid-teens, with occasional gusty winds accompanying heavier bursts of rain.

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More than 3,000 readers have joined The Press Camera Club, which launched in June 2017 and brings together talented photographers from across York and North and East Yorkshire to share their work, swap tips and take part in themed monthly prize competitions.

To join the free club, simply search for ‘The Press Camera Club’ on Facebook – we’d love to see what our region looks like through your lens.

We will feature pictures from our camera club in The Press and online regularly.

If you like seeing photos of York, please follow us on Instagram too @york.press.

The teenager was so concerned that Michael Cullen would make good on his threat that he fled from his home

A man not long out of prison threatened to chop off a teenager’s fingers with an axe, a court has heard. The teenager was so concerned by the menacing phone call that he fled his home shortly before the defendant turned up at the property armed with a hammer.

Swansea Crown Court heard that the background to the threat was money owed for damage done to a borrowed car, with Cullen volunteering to take the role of debt enforcer.

The defendant’s advocate said his client had been “trying to secure compensation for a friend” but accepted he shouldn’t have acted in the way he did.

Brian Simpson, prosecuting, told the court that the victim in the case borrowed a car from a woman known to Cullen, and then let a friend of his drive it. The friend subsequently crashed the car and the two men abandoned the damaged vehicle.

The court heard the woman asked the Swansea teenager – who cannot be named due to his age – for compensation for the damage done but none was forthcoming. The woman later mentioned the incident to Cullen who took matters into his own hands.

The prosecutor said on the night of April 13 this year the defendant called the teenager, telling him to pay compensation to the woman and telling him he had recently been released from prison.

Cullen then told the teenager that he would be attending his home that night, and would cut off his fingers with an axe.

The court heard the complainant ended the call before ringing the police, and that he then left the house as he was concerned Cullen would make good on his threat. For the latest court stories sign up to our crime newsletter

The prosecutor said that at 2.30am the following morning Cullen and the owner of the damaged car arrived at the teenager’s house in a taxi. He said the defendant knocked on the front door, and after getting no answer produced a hammer from the pocket of his hoodie.

The court heard Cullen then broke the video doorbell on the property before walking into the rear garden and taking a children’s motorbike. The 44-year-old defendant was riding off on the stolen bike when police arrived on the scene, and officers tracked him down and arrested him a short time later.

In a statement read to the court by the prosecution barrister, the victim said he was concerned for the safety of his family.

Michael Cullen, of Clyne Court, Sketty Park, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to sending threatening communications, criminal damage, possession of an offensive weapon, and driving while disqualified when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 11 previous convictions for 41 offences including “serious violence”, dangerous driving, and aggravated vehicle taking.

Andrew Evans, for Cullen, said his client had been “trying to secure compensation for a friend” but accepted he shouldn’t have taken matters into his own hands in the way he did, and shouldn’t have made unlawful threats – though he said in his submissions the threats had been “empty” ones.

The advocate said the defendant had come out of prison drug free shortly before the incident and was disappointed in his behaviour and the position he had now put himself in.

Judge Huw Rees said he suspected that in the cold light of day the defendant now realises he went about things in the wrong way and now understands he should not have got involved in the dispute.

With a one-quarter discount for his guilty pleas Cullen was sentenced to 18 months in prison. He will serve 40 per cent of the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

The final pieces are falling into place for one of the most consequential by-elections in modern British history.

Next month, the people of Makerfield – a constituency covering the area south of Wigan in Greater Manchester – will choose who they want to be their new MP.

The contest was triggered by the resignation of Josh Simons, who said explicitly he wanted to give Andy Burnham an opportunity to win a seat in the Commons and possibly launch a leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer.

This afternoon, it was confirmed that the Mayor of Greater Manchester will indeed be running as the Labour candidate.

We also now know the identity of the man likely to be his biggest threat: Robert Kenyon, a local plumber who is running for the second time as the candidate for Reform UK.

Both men have emphasised their community credentials. Burnham grew up a 20-minute drive away in the town of Culcheth, while Kenyon says he was born and bred within the constituency boundaries.

In a speech yesterday, Burnham apologised to the area for ‘the circus that’s about to arrive in town and the inconvenience that will result’.

But he added: ‘I hope you feel it’s a good thing as well that the places that make up this constituency, long forgotten by national politics, finally are at the centre of the national debate.’

What you should know about Makersfield

The first thing is that ‘Makersfield’ is not a town, and never has been.

It is an area containing several settlements large and small – including a few that incorporate the name, such as Ashton-in-Makersfield and Ince-in-Makerfield.

If you were to draw a line on a map connecting Manchester and Liverpool city centres, Makersfield would be almost exactly in the middle and a little to the north.

At the time of the last general election, just over 100,000 people lived in the constituency and they were almost 97% white.

The child poverty rate was more than 5% lower than that for the broader north-west of England, but house prices were also lower than the average for the region.

Like many other places in this part of England, Makerfield was once dominated by two industries: cotton and especially coal.

Burnham has focused heavily on the impact of deindustrialisation in the area, saying Margaret Thatcher’s government in the 1980s drained away ‘economic, social and political power’.

What are Makerfield’s politics?

This is a seat with strong, historic links to the Labour Party.

In fact, its residents voted Labour at the first opportunity in 1906, when the constituency was called Ince and the party was called the Labour Representation Committee.

They continued voting for the red rosette until 1983, when the constituency’s boundaries and name were changed. From then on, it was Makerfield rather than Ince that kept choosing Labour MPs.

There was never much of a threat to the party’s dominance until 2019, when Boris Johnson’s Conservatives came within 5,000 votes of taking the seat. This counted as a close call.

In summer 2024, it was Reform UK that posed a threat to new Labour candidate Josh Simons. More people voted for Nigel Farage’s party in Makersfield than any other seat won by Labour.

As Sir Keir Starmer’s government has grown ever more unpopular, it has looked more like a dead cert that Reform would bag the constituency at the next election.

But Andy Burnham’s candidacy changes the calculations. Not only is he a popular mayor, he is also positioning himself in opposition to the Prime Minister.

His unspoken message to voters is: ‘Vote for me, and you’ll make sure Starmer is replaced by a strong northern voice.’

For Robert Kenyon and Reform, the spoils of victory are irresistible – demonstrating they can beat Labour’s most popular figure in the country on his doorstep, while also keeping an unpopular PM in power.

They might be buoyed by the fact Makerfield voted 65% leave in the Brexit referendum, which took place almost exactly ten years before the constituency will go to the polls in June.

Luke Tryl, the boss of pollster More in Common, says attitudes have shifted to the extent it would likely now narrowly vote to remain. However, the landscape that led to that high percentage – such as concern over levels of immigration – remains.

He said: ‘Andy Burnham definitely wants it to be Andy Burnham versus Reform, rather than Labour versus Reform.

‘If it’s Labour versus Reform, Reform win. If it’s Andy Burnham versus Reform, it’s much closer.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Cambridgeshire County Council is facing calls to sort recycling locally but says the process is not straightforward

A council faces calls for a new recycling centre to end a “ridiculous” agreement to send waste 400 miles away for sorting. Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council’s recycling waste has been transported to Newry in Northern Ireland since March 2025.

Susie Williams, a member of the public, asked Cambridgeshire County Council how likely it is that a recycling centre could be built in Cambridgeshire and when this could happen. She said: “The trucks generate considerable amounts of carbon emissions and particulates, which is not really acceptable for two councils who are aiming to become net-zero.”

Cllr Ros Hathorn, chair of the county council’s environment and green investment committee, said that the waste market and providers “do not serve the East of England particularly well” and don’t have “sufficient capacity” to take their recycling.

The Liberal Democrat councillor said the waste partnership, Recycling in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (RECAP) which includes all local authorities in Cambridgeshire, is starting to look at other solutions.

She said: “It is not as straightforward as just building an industrial unit, putting some kit in there and switching it on – it’s a long, expensive process. It requires a licence from the Environment Agency, which is not straightforward to get.

“It needs to get planning permission and, as a new facility would create significant traffic in its area, there is likely to be objections to it.”

Cllr Hathorn said that the upcoming local government reorganisation “has slowed down the prospects of any big project being started in the near future”.

The council was asked to approve a new strategy document for RECAP. Cllr Darren Green said he was “very encouraged” to see it recommended recycling take place locally.

The Green Party councillor said: “I think this council must do everything it can to change this. Other counties can process their blue bin recycling locally – why can’t Cambridgeshire?”

Cllr Mike Black said that “everyone can see that this looks ridiculous”. He called it an example of market failure and “privatisation not working”.

The Labour councillor said: “I don’t like hearing local government review as an excuse for doing nothing or delaying things. We have a new government after 15 years of the same, we have a vast need for change – and we need to change quickly.

“I don’t think we should be saying that local government review stops councils from being innovative and planning for the future. Indeed, I think on these sorts of issues, we should be trying to get things done as quickly as possible.”

Cllr Steve Tierney disagreed, saying “things aren’t always as simple as they appear”. The Conservative councillor said: “It’s not market failure when markets don’t deliver the outcome you want – that’s market reality – it would only be failure if they simply couldn’t do it.

“It’s not ideal to send things to Northern Ireland, I accept that. I would like to see a change that changes that, but only if it’s cost-effective for the taxpayer.

“If this works out to be the cheapest way to do it for the taxpayer, then I’d carry on supporting doing it – for the simple reason I don’t think we need to be layering costs upon the tax payer for virtue projects.”

Surrey Police are investigating two separate allegations of historic child sexual abuse following the release of the Epstein files.

The force said that one relates to locations in Surrey and Berkshire in the mid 1990s to 2000, while the other report relates to west Surrey in the mid to late 1980s.

In a statement, the force said: “Following the release of files relating to Jeffery Epstein by the US Department of Justice, we are investigating two separate allegations of non-recent child sexual abuse.”

It said that no arrests had been made in relation to the allegations.

“We take all reports of sexual offending seriously and will work to identify any reasonable lines of enquiry to verify information or establish corroborating evidence,” the force added.

“There is no further information at this time.”

In February, Surrey Police called for witnesses to come forward after a redacted report released by the US Department of Justice in December, set out allegations of human trafficking and sexual assault which allegedly took place in Virginia Water between 1994 and 1996.

Multiple UK police forces have been reviewing information contained within the millions of pages of files released earlier this year.

Surrey Police have followed separate investigations by Thames Valley Police and the Metropolitan Police, who have arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Lord Peter Mandelson respectively for alleged misconduct in public office.

Epstein, a convicted paedophile, was arrested in 2019 and was found dead in his cell months later while awaiting trial on human trafficking and sexual abuse charges.

His case continues to be in the public eye for his alleged ties to the famous – and names that are found in his alleged contact book, including Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson and former Prince Andrew.

Those named in the book have not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Strictly Come Dancing have announced their new hosts

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The BBC has announced their new Strictly Come Dancing hosts. Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe have been confirmed as the hosts. And former Strictly pro dancer and fan favourite Johannes Radebe will also present the show.

The BBC announced it in an Instagram post, where all three appeared. “Quiet please, Strictly host reveal 2026, please take your positions,” a voiceover said.

Emma Willis sat down first before she was joined on a stool by Johannes. As they posed for photos in front of a purple backdrop, Emma called Josh over, teasing: “What are you doing over there? We can’t do it without you”. In the caption, they said: “It’s official…September 2026”.

Emma and Josh had both become frontrunners for the role in the last week, with Josh being quizzed about it on Good Morning Britain just hours before the announcement. Josh coyly refused to answer, but said he would “love to do it”.

Many fans had also been calling for Johannes to be a presenter as he has long been a fan favourite. It’s been over a decade since there were last three presenters on Strictly. The last time was in 2013 when Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman both hosted alongside Bruce Forsyth, reports The Mirror.

Tess and Claudia have both been involved in the hit BBC dance show since 2004. Back then, Tess was the host alongside Bruce and Claudia fronted spin off show It Takes Two. In 2010, Claudia joined the main show, where she and Tess both remained until last year, when they announced their exit in a shock Instagram post.

In the comments of the BBC’s announcement about the new hosts, there were many positive reactions, including from Tess herself. Tess wrote: “Can’t wait to tune in. The ultimate trio.”

Zoe Ball, who was tipped to join Emma until she revealed she ‘failed’ her audition, commented: “CREW. congrats Emma Jojo and Josh. You’re gonna ROCK IT.”

Judge Motsi Mabuse cheered: “Let’s go @johannesradebe I am crying at this point. So proud of you!!! Welcome @emmawillisofficial & @josh_widdicombe can’t wait for the season !!!!!!! Can it not be September already.”

Her sister and former pro dancer Oti Mabuse yelled: “We are screaming.” Fellow professional dancer Neil Jones added: “Omg this is brilliant news. Welcome, welcome and @johannesradebe welcome to the role you are made for.”

“Yassssss. This is going to be amazing! What a day! What a series ahead! Xxxx,” pro Amy Dowden said. Likewise, the BBC bosses were highly complimentary of their choices. Sarah James, Strictly Come Dancing executive producer for BBC Studios, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to finally share this wonderful news. The combination of Emma, Josh, and Jojo was unexpected, but their magic was undeniable the moment they came together.

“Emma brings a wealth of presenting experience and a natural warmth — she truly belongs in the ballroom and will guide our new celebrity cast through their Strictly journeys with love and care.

“Josh had us all in stitches with his unique style of self-deprecating humour and razor-sharp wit — and let’s not forget, he got a 10 from Anton in the Christmas Special, so I think he already considers himself a pro dancer, and then there’s Jojo – a one-of-a-kind talent who’s been a beloved part of the Strictly family for eight years and will bring all his experience and knowledge to this new role – plus of course his legendary wardrobe.

“Most importantly, what truly shines through is the love and passion all three share for this show. That’s the key ingredient and we hope our audience will love them as much as we do.”

Kate Phillips, the BBC’s chief content officer, said: “Emma, Johannes and Josh’s chemistry is undeniable. “There’s been so much speculation and hype, so I’m relieved we can share the news with the public at last! I’d like to thank all the brilliant people we saw before making this tough decision.

“But the most beloved ballroom in the UK always leads the way, and in a Strictly first we have chosen three outstanding hosts to take up the mantel.

“Along with our amazing Strictly team, who are busy planning fabulous and unforgettable treats for this new series, I know this terrific trio can’t wait to join our judges and pros to bring us must-see TV on the BBC this autumn.”

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Romanian F-16 jet deployed with NATO air policing forces in the Baltics shot down what is believed to have been a Ukrainian drone over southern Estonia on Tuesday, authorities said.

Ukraine apologized for the “unintended incident,” and Russia warned of retaliation if Ukrainian drones are launched from Baltic countries.

Given the trajectory of the drone, “we decided that we need to take it down,” Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said.

“Most probably, today we can say that it was (a) drone which was, let’s say, meant to hit some Russian targets,” he told The Associated Press.

It was the latest in a string of incidents in recent months in which Ukrainian drones aimed at Russia have crossed or come down in NATO territory, with Western officials blaming what they say is likely Russian electronic jamming of the weapons.

Those incidents have come as Kyiv has steadily ramped up its drone raids, focusing on energy facilities and arms factories deep inside Russia as its domestic technology and scale of production improve.

On Sunday, authorities in Russia said that one of the largest Ukrainian drone strikes on the country killed at least four people, including three near Moscow, and wounded a dozen others.

Long-range drone attacks are a hallmark of the war, which began more than four years ago when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

Experts from Ukraine and Estonia were working on measures to prevent such occurrences in the future, Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said.

Ukraine apologizes “to Estonia and all of our Baltic friends for such unintended incidents,” Tykhyi said in an X post.

Estonia’s defense minister said that Ukraine has been advised to be careful.

“Our messages have not changed,” Pevkur said. “We’ve said to the Ukrainians all the time that if you’re attacking Russian positions or Russian targets, then these trajectories have to be as far from the NATO territory as possible.”

The strikes have caused some tensions within the Baltic states, which are supporting Ukraine’s war effort, and between them and Russia.

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, known by its acronym SVR, said in a statement Tuesday that Ukraine is preparing to begin launching drone attacks against Russia from the territory of the Baltic countries and warned of retaliation.

It said that the Ukrainian military personnel had already deployed to Latvia and warned that the country’s membership in NATO wouldn’t protect it from “just retribution.”

“Modern surveillance systems allow precise determination of the coordinates of the drone launch site,” the SVR said.

Last week, Latvia’s government collapsed, with the prime minister resigning after the defense minister was forced to quit over the handling of multiple incidents involving stray drones suspected to be from Ukraine, and his party withdrew its support.

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs posted on X that “Russia is lying about Latvia allowing any country to use Latvian airspace and territory to launch attacks against Russia or any other country.”

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a statement following Tuesday’s incident that Ukraine has every right to strike Russian military targets.

“Estonia has not permitted its airspace to be used for attacks against Russia,” he said. “Incidents such as this are linked to Russian jamming activities.”

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Geir Moulson contributed to this report from Berlin.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

The vote was prompted by the resignation of Labour MP Josh Simons, who stepped down to make way for Mr Burnham to contest the seat.

In a statement, Mr Burnham said: “I am proud and humbled to have been selected as Labour’s candidate for Makerfield.

“These proud working-class communities represent the very best values of our country and they deserve so much better.

“It would be my honour to work for them every day, if elected as their MP, to achieve that. Many people here feel Westminster isn’t working for them and they are right.

“I am standing to change that and get the voice of these communities heard loud and clear.

“I am glad that this by-election has finally put the places that make up the Makerfield constituency into the national spotlight.

“They have been neglected by national politics for too long.

“It is a good thing that all political parties are now on the hook to tell the voters here what they are going to do for them.

“More than anything, people need life to be more affordable again.

“As Mayor, I have brought in changes which are helping, such as the £2 fare cap, free bus travel for our 16-18 year-olds and removing the 9.30am restriction from older and disabled people’s bus passes.

“But there is only so much I can do from Greater Manchester.

Congratulations to @AndyBurnhamGM – Labour’s candidate for Makerfield. pic.twitter.com/avag1HJon3

— The Labour Party (@UKLabour) May 19, 2026

“If elected, I will have a relentless focus on reducing people’s everyday costs and bills and well as securing the investment these communities need.

“I have been an elected representative in Greater Manchester for 25 years.

“Throughout that time, I have fought for the people of the North West of England on so many fronts.

“I am now ready to bring the whole weight of that experience to fighting for the communities of the Makerfield constituency and would be privileged to be given that opportunity.”

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is giving back a bit more of its record-setting rally on Tuesday.

The S&P 500 fell 0.5% and was on track for a third dip after setting its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 397 points, or 0.8%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.6% lower.

That followed mixed movements for stock markets abroad, while oil prices eased in their latest yo-yo move. Falling technology stocks in Asia dragged South Korea’s Kospi down 3.3%, but Germany’s DAX returned 1% for two of the world’s bigger moves.

Tech stocks are slowing following huge runs made because of excitement around artificial-intelligence technology, runs that critics said made them too expensive. Uncertainty is hanging over all kinds of markets, from how long the Iran war will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed for oil tankers to whether bond markets worldwide have seen yields climb enough to drag on economies and all kinds of other financial markets.

The wait is on, meanwhile, for Nvidia to report its latest quarterly results. The chip company is due to report on Wednesday, and it’s routinely blown past analysts’ expectations each quarter. Not only that, it’s provided forecasts for future growth that have consistently topped Wall Street’s.

How it does could determine whether technology stocks and the larger U.S. stock market can keep up their rally. Nvidia slipped 0.7%.

“Every flow has its ebb,” Rex Feng, Venu Krishna and other strategists at Barclays Capital wrote in a report. They said investors have been pumping more money than usual into U.S. stock funds, which helped fuel “the fastest rebound in decades; now the pendulum could swing backwards.”

Akamai Technolgoies dropped 3.9% for one of Wlal Street’s sharper losses after the cybersecurity and cloud computing company said it wants to raise $2.6 billion through a convertible note offering.

Home Depot fell 2.2% after its results for the latest quarter edged past analysts’ expectations. An important measure for retailers, how much revenue grew at stores open more than a year, came in below some analysts’ expectations.

CEO Ted Decker said Home Depot saw similar demand from its customers as it did throughout last year “despite greater consumer uncertainty and housing affordability pressure.”

So far, many big U.S. companies have been reporting stronger-than-expected profits for the latest quarter as their customers keep spending even with high gasoline prices and other challenges weighing on them.

In the bond market, Treasury yields climbed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.66% from 4.61% late Monday and from less than 4% before the war with Iran began.

It rose even as oil prices eased. The price for a barrel of Brent crude fell 0.7% to $111.39.

Oil prices have swung sharply but largely remained above $100 with the unofficial U.S. driving season beginning Monday. Brent’s price was around $70 before the war with Iran began.

The average price for a gallon of gasoline rose again overnight to $4.53, according to the AAA motor club, or about 43% more than it cost last year at this time.

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AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed to this report.