The sinkhole emerged on Eston Rec towards the end of 2024 and was later cordoned off by Redcar and Cleveland Council to ensure the safety of the public.

Last year the local authority contracted specialist consultants costing £30,000 to advise on how the risk of any further collapse could be prevented and to assess long-term measures which could be put in place.

The council previously said it hoped to restore the area to how it was before, although it has proved far from a straightforward task.

A Facebook post from cabinet member for neighbourhoods, Neil Bendelow and his ward colleague Sue Jeffrey said the sinkhole had been identified as being above an old gypsum mine shaft dating back to the 1860s.

They said: “As the ground around it isn’t stable enough to cap it, a repair plan has been worked up with geotechnical engineers to fill and stabilise the shaft.

“The work is expected to start after the school summer holidays and should take around ten weeks, so the area could reopen by the end of October.”

No explanation was given for the timescale and the council has been contacted for comment.

Sinkholes are a naturally occurring or human activity-related depression in the ground caused by the dissolution of underlying rock or removal of supporting material. 

Eston Rec is in line for much needed public realm improvements, including new lighting, CCTV, footpaths, play equipment and landscaping with designs and planning permission having previously been agreed.

Commenting on the councillors’ post, former Teesville ward councillor Vince Smith said: “Will be great to have the [sinkhole] problem solved as the other work to improve the Rec begins as well.”

The final two bodies from a group of Italian divers have been recovered from an underwater cave network in the Maldives, authorities said.

Five Italian divers died last ⁠week in a scuba diving accident after entering a deepwater cave for an exploration mission, in what was the deadliest diving tragedy in the island’s history.

The first body was recovered the same day and two more on Tuesday from a cave at a depth of 60m. Maldivian National Defense Force rescuer, Mohamed Mahudhy, also died from decompression complications over the weekend.

The Maldivian government said the remains of the last two divers, identified as Giorgia Sommacal, 22, and Muriel Oddenino, 31, had been recovered from the cave and brought to the surface.

Mahudhy’s death led to the suspension of the mission and prompted the Italian authorities to launch an international recovery effort.

The government on Monday said three Finnish diving experts, assisted by police and military personnel, located the bodies in the deepest section of the cave.

All the bodies have been moved to a mortuary in the capital Male, an official from the president’s office said.

The Italian diving group was ⁠led by Monica Montefalcone, 51, a University of Genoa professor and marine ecologist who was a regular diver in Maldivian waters in the Indian Ocean, and included her daughter Giorgia, biomedical engineering student Muriel Oddenino, research fellow Federico Gualtieri, and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti.

The divers had entered ⁠a deepwater cave for exploration ​last ⁠week after being granted the necessary permit to research soft corals in the Devana ⁠Kandu site. The university, however, claimed that the scuba diving activity during which the accident occurred “was not part of the activities envisaged by the scientific mission, but was carried out in a personal capacity”, according to Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

The group disappeared after entering the cave system located about 50m below the surface. In the Maldives, standard recreational diving is restricted to depths of 30m, with deeper dives requiring technical training and specialised gear.

Authorities said the coast guard was alerted around midday on Thursday, and later that evening rescuers recovered one body from nearly 60m underwater, significantly deeper than the divers were believed to have intended to reach.

Alfonso Bolognini, president of the Italian Society of Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine, theorised that two things could have happened after the group was potentially sucked into the cave where they ran out of oxygen.

“Either everyone was sucked in or one was sucked in and the others attempted a rescue,” he told the Italian outlet Adnkronos.

Maldivian authorities are investigating multiple possible causes, ⁠including whether the ‌group descended far deeper than expected.

The government said it had suspended the operating licence of the dive boat the Italian divers were using.

Mohamed Hussain Shareef, a spokesperson for the Maldives president’s office, said the investigation would focus on whether those in charge of the fatal expedition “took the correct precautions”.

“We believe that the retrieval of the bodies will itself reveal a lot, as far as that part of the investigation is concerned,” he said. “But that doesn’t take from the fact that cave diving in itself is very, very dangerous.”

Meanwhile, prosecutors in Rome opened a culpable homicide investigation into the diving tragedy.

Carlo Sommacal told Repubblica that his wife “would never have put our daughter’s life at risk”.

He hailed his wife as being “among the best divers on the face of the earth”. “If there really was a yellow alert, they would have dived first and something must have happened down there,” he said.

“Maybe one of them ran into trouble, maybe the oxygen tanks, I have no idea. But I’m ready to swear anything about Monica’s behaviour.”

The Ripon Group, one of the largest agricultural machinery and ground care dealerships in the UK, has recruited Chris Northway, who will also join the company board.

Over his 18-year career, Northway, a chartered accountant who started his career at KPMG, has held a number of senior finance roles in capital-intensive, stock-heavy, multi-site organisations.

His most recent role was, including most recently at Barrett Steel, a Bradford-based steel supplier and stock controller, where he was director of financial control.

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Ripon Farm Services reveals annual report for year to Jan 31

In his new role, Northway, who graduated from the University of York, leads Ripon’s finance function.

Reporting to the CEO, he will play a crucial role in financial planning, strategic decision-making, and building financial models to inform growth plans and business performance.

John Deere tractors is one of the company’s top brands (Image: Pic supplied)

The recruitment was supported by Headstar, a financial recruitment company based in Leeds.

Richard Simpson, chief executive officer at Ripon Group, said: “Headstar provided fantastic support in identifying exceptional finance leaders, with Chris standing out as the clear choice from a strong shortlist.

“His experience in complex, multi-location businesses, combined with his technical expertise and commercial acumen, makes him a superb addition to our leadership team, and I’m excited to be working closely with him to advance our growth and transformation plans.”

Established in 1982, the £160m turnover business says it is one of North Yorkshire’s largest and most successful companies.

It retails high-profile brands including John Deere, Kuhn, Bailey and Kramer, across 13 depots in Yorkshire, Teesside, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

The depots include Stockton-on-Tees, Ripon, Keighley, Malton, Tadcaster, Darrington, and Market Weighton.

The company employs 270 staff and its headquarters are located on Dallamire Lane, Ripon.

Earlier this year, in March, The Ripon Group signed the Armed Forces Covenant in support of service leavers who can resettle into roles within the agriculture and turf industries.

The move complements John Deere’s Military Hiring Programme, which offers service leavers new career opportunities to work on some of the world’s most advanced machinery used by farmers and turf professionals.

BEIJING (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin praised his close ties with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and said their countries are partners in trade and international affairs as they opened bilateral talks Wednesday on his trip to Beijing.

Xi welcomed Putin with a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People only days after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. The quick succession of Trump’s and Putin’s visits highlighted Beijing’s growing role as an international superpower, experts say.

Putin greeted Xi warmly as they met for bilateral talks at the Great Hall of the People.

“My dear friend,” Putin said. “We are truly delighted to see you. We keep in constant touch, both personally and through our aides in the government.”

Xi also stressed the “political mutual trust and strategic cooperation” between the countries, according to Chinese state media. The two leaders have praised each other profusely in the past, with Xi at one point describing Putin as his “best and most intimate friend.”

Energy purchases top meeting’s agenda

Xi and Putin were set to focus on energy and security as well as their overall ties. The two sides agreed to extend a friendship treaty first signed in 2001, Chinese state media reported.

China became Russia’s top trading partner after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Beijing has said it is neutral in the conflict while maintaining trade ties with the Kremlin despite economic and financial sanctions by the U.S. and Europe.

China is the top customer for Russian oil and gas supplies, and Moscow expects the war in Iran to increase the demand.

In his meeting with Xi, Putin stressed their countries’ economic ties.

“The driving force behind economic cooperation is Russian-Chinese collaboration in the energy sector,” Putin said. “Amid the crisis in the Middle East, Russia continues to maintain its role as a reliable supplier of resources, while China remains a responsible consumer of these resources.”

Xi stressed the need of “complete cessation of hostilities” in the Middle East, according to Chinese state media.

“An early end to the conflict will help reduce disruptions to energy supply stability, the smooth flow of industrial and supply chains, and international trade order,” Xi said.

A Russian presidential aide said earlier Russia’s oil exports to China grew by 35% in the first quarter of 2026 and that Russia is one of the biggest exporters of natural gas to China.

Xi and Putin show a united front on international affairs

Putin also stressed China and Russia’s cooperation in foreign policy as “one of the key stabilizing factors on the international stage.”

“In the current tense situation on the international stage, our close cooperation is particularly in demand,” he said.

In February 2022, just weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China and Russia announced a “no limits” partnership during a trip by Putin to Beijing.

Beijing says it is neutral in the conflict, though in practice it supports Moscow through frequent state visits, growing trade and joint military drills. China has also ignored demands from the West to stop providing high-tech components for Russia’s weapons industries.

Image-making visit

The two leaders are scheduled to sign cooperation agreements during Putin’s two-day visit.

But regardless of specific deals, the primary purpose of the visit is to reaffirm the countries’ ties as well as project Beijing’s image as an influential superpower, experts say.

“The optics matter,” said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London.

“The message is clearly one that China maintains friendship and strategic partnership with whichever power it likes, and the USA is just one of them.”

Putin and Xi both need to use their close ties in order to prop up their images at home, said Willy Lam, a senior China fellow at the Jamestown Foundation.

Putin “needs to tell his countrymen and the world that Russia has China’s support in terms of buying its oil and gas and other tangible and intangible financial support,” Lam said.

Meanwhile, for Xi, having both Trump and Putin visit in such close succession is a major source of credit with the country’s top Communist leadership.

Putin noted earlier this month that Moscow and Beijing have reached “a very substantial step forward in our cooperation in the oil and gas sector.”

“Practically all the key issues have been agreed upon,” he said. “If we succeed in finalizing these details and bringing them to a conclusion during this visit, I will be extremely pleased.”

Putin also praised their bilateral relationship as a crucial, balancing force in international relations.

“Interaction between such nations as China and Russia undoubtedly serves as a factor of deterrence and stability,” he said.

Moscow welcomes China’s dialogue with the U.S. as another stabilizing element for the global economy, Putin added.

“We stand only to benefit from this, from the stability and constructive engagement between the U.S. and China,” he said.

___

Mistreanu reported from Bangkok.

Newlyweds Clare Robinson-Wall, 30, and her husband, Harry, 29, celebrated their marriage by travelling on a Northern train from Leeds station to New Pudsey with 80 guests.

The couple, originally from Teesside and now living in Farsley, tied the knot at The Leeds Library on Sunday, April 12.

Mrs Robinson-Wall said: “We regularly travel on the train to Leeds, and on our wedding day, we wanted to incorporate parts of our everyday lives, so on ordinary days, we would be reminded of the extraordinary.

“It was something a bit different, and we thought it would be really fun to have everyone walk through the city centre together and catch the train from Leeds.

“The train left promptly, and there was a great atmosphere on board. We had a lot of people congratulating us.

“It was definitely unusual, but everyone enjoyed the journey. We have caught the train quite a few times since then, and we always think about our wedding day.

“We also liked that it was with Northern. Harry and I are from Teesside originally and moved to Leeds about five years ago, so we love a bit of Northern pride.”

The couple, who met at school 13 years ago, aimed to keep everything local for their wedding day.

The reception took place at The Old Woollen, which organised a bingo night with personalised prizes for the guests.

Local businesses, including Sabroso Street and Cargo Wines, provided the food and drink.

Jason Wade, Northern’s director of service delivery in West Yorkshire, said: “We’d like to congratulate Clare and Harry and commend them for their good taste in transport.

“We’re delighted that we could play a small part in their big day and ensure their journey was memorable for all the right reasons.”

Northern operates 2,650 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.

The couple’s unique celebration highlighted their love for local culture and their appreciation for the everyday moments that make life extraordinary.

“Further tests, specialist reviews and medical processes are still ongoing, and my doctors are continuing to assess my condition.

“On medical advice, I am not currently medically cleared to train or play at the required level, and I will be stepping away from those duties while I focus fully on my health, treatment, and rehabilitation.”

MND affects nerves in the brain and spinal cord, which tell your muscles what to do.

This leads them to weaken and stiffen over time and usually affects how you walk, talk, eat and breathe.

Scientists are not sure what causes MND, but it is likely to be a combination of the genes – or biological traits – you get from your parents when you are born, and other lifestyle factors.

Fellow former Queensland player Carl Webb died of MND at 42 in 2023, while former England rugby league half-back Rob Burrow died in 2024, five years after diagnosis.

Former Scotland rugby union international Doddie Weir died in November 2022, and World Cup-winning former England international Lewis Moody was diagnosed in September 2025.

“Thank you for the support I’ve received over what has been an incredibly difficult and uncertain period in my life,” said Arrow.

“Over recent months, my symptoms have affected different parts of my everyday life.

“I want to sincerely thank everyone at the South Sydney Rabbitohs for the personal support they have shown me and my family throughout this process.

“The South Sydney Rabbitohs, my team-mates, staff, and everyone behind the scenes have made an incredibly hard situation much easier to face.

“What I need right now isn’t sympathy or sadness. What I need is support, understanding and privacy while my family and I navigate this difficult time.

“This is only part of my story, and when the time is right, I’ll share more. But for now, I ask everyone to respect my privacy while I continue working with my doctors and my family.”

Arrow made his NRL debut in 2016 for the Broncos, before joining the Titans in 2018. He joined South Sydney in 2021, for whom he made 98 NRL appearances.

“We all know how difficult the past few months have been for Jai, but we also know that he will fight this illness with the same bravery, passion and character that was the hallmark of his playing career,” said Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly.

“Jai and his family will always be Rabbitohs and they will be part of this club for many years to come.”

The airport in Lithuanian capital Vilnius was closed and an air raid warning was issued – this is a breaking story

Fighter jets were scrambled in Lithuania and the capital’s airport was shut amid reports of drone incursions from Russian ally Belarus.

The chaos came as Russia and Belarus’ armed forces took part in nuclear weapons drills in Belarus, which are set to run until Thursday. Russia said on Wednesday that it has brought its nuclear weapons units and formations “to the highest levels of combat readiness” in military drills.

The Belarusian Defence Ministry announced on Monday that it was carrying out nuclear weapons drills together with Russia “to improve the readiness of the armed forces to use modern means of destruction, including special ammunition”.

This is a Breaking News story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by simply by clicking this link. You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads – or visit The Mirror homepage.

The celebrations continue in north London, and beyond, after last night Arsenal were crowned Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years. After a season filled with knife-edge matches and, at times, crippling tension, the title-winning moment came while they were sat at home as Manchester City fail beat Bournemouth and take the title race to the final day of the season. Erling Haaland’s 95th-minute equaliser was not enough to deny Arsenal, after Eli Junior Kroupi’s first-half wondergoal at the Vitality Stadium.

Residents have slammed dangerous cracks and subsidence on Cambridgeshire’s Fenland roads as ‘absolutely lethal’, sparking a debate over who should pay for urgent repairs

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Cambridgeshire Live readers have been voicing strong opinions about deteriorating and subsiding roads across the Fens. Many described the surfaces as hazardous and poorly maintained.

Others argued that cautious driving is all that is needed to be safe, and that motorists should not expect non-drivers to foot the bill. There were also calls to reassess council spending priorities and to reconsider who should bear the cost of repairs.

One particularly uneven Cambridgeshire road, riddled with deep cracks, has been branded “absolutely lethal” by frustrated drivers. Rural roads across the county are frequently in poor condition, particularly those running through the Fenland district.

Forty Foot Bank in Ramsey is one such route, regularly used by drivers who say it is in ‘desperate’ need of attention. Local resident Ryan Wilson, from Ramsey, suffered two burst tyres due to the road’s severe cracking.

He believes the “whole road” requires urgent repair, stating: “Having a double tyre blow out could have put me in the water. We have to make our cars roadworthy, so they should make the roads carworthy. I use this route every day for work. I would cycle, but it’s too dangerous for cars, so biking would be more dangerous.”

Freddly says: “Forty Foot Bank is safe if driven at 35mph. If local drivers want to go faster, they need to set up a crowdfunding page. Why should people without a car pay for the endless wants of car drivers?”

Nocyclinganywhere replies: “Tyres can split and blow out at 10 mph if the road surface is damaged or not fit for purpose, so your speeding and anti-car comments are not true, nothing unusual there.”

MickJones2 believes: “All roads going out of March are not fit for purpose and dangerous to all who use them, many a time me and my partner drive in the middle of the road as long as there are no cars behind or oncoming and safe to do so, it’s far too long since the roads have been maintained properly instead of just throwing a bit of tarmac in. The cracks and subsidence need to be done with proper money invested in it so that it lasts.”

Garyblowpants says: “The roads are sinking because the cars, or their occupants have become too heavy. We need an additional tax based on the weight of the vehicle to fund damage repairs. I think you will find the amount you pay towards cycle lanes is insignificant compared to what people who don’t have cars pay towards roads.”

Creda1 adds: “You forget that HGVs have been pounding this road for decades and are far heavier, so blaming cars is a bit poor.”

John037 feels: “Just cut the councillors’ expenses until all the roads are in good condition, yes, I know. But I remember the days when councillors acted in good faith and accepted it as a public duty not paid, perhaps we should demand the money back until the old standards are back with us!”

Are the roads in Cambridgeshire really that bad? Comment HERE or below to have your say.