A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman in her 30s was found dead at a property in St Helens

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A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a woman in St Helens.

North West Ambulance Service alerted police at approximately 2.55am on Sunday, May 24 after a woman in her 30s was found dead at a property on Brook Cottage Close.

A 63-year-old man was detained at the scene on suspicion of murder and has since been taken to a police station for questioning. Investigations are continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and to formally identify the deceased woman.

The case is currently being treated as unexpected while these enquiries are under way.

Residents of Brook Cottage Close revealed they had heard arguing in the early hours and awoke to find police present on the street, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Merseyside Police has urged anyone with information to get in touch via @MerPolCC or by calling 101, quoting reference 26000410495.

Reports can also be submitted through their website. Alternatively, members of the public can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website.

The leaders of Reform UK and Restore Britain have clashed ahead of the pivotal by-election that could return Labour’s Andy Burnham to Parliament

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Nigel Farage has criticised tech billionaire Elon Musk over his support for Restore Britain, warning he could “split the right” in the upcoming Makerfield by-election.

The SpaceX and Tesla boss posted a series of messages backing Restore Britain on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Labour’s Andy Burnham hopes to use the Makerfield contest to return to Westminster, which could potentially see the Mayor of Greater Manchester potentially launch a bid to replace Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.

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Reform’s UK Robert Kenyon came second in the seat in 2024 and an opinion poll suggested Mr Burnham has a lead of just three percentage points over him.

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But with Restore Britain’s candidate picking up support, Mr Farage said Mr Burnham would be “delighted” by Mr Musk’s intervention.

Speaking to the Telegraph, the Reform UK leader said: “Elon Musk has decided he will try to split the right of British politics as best he can.

“This is supporting a party that’s one man with a social media account. Quite what he’s trying to achieve, I have no idea.”

The Survation study in Makerfield had a sample size of just 504 respondents of whom 369 said they were likely to vote but is the first survey of the constituency since the by-election was called and the pollster said it should be treated as an “indicative early look”.

It put Mr Burnham on 43%, Mr Kenyon on 40% with Restore Britain’s Rebecca Shepherd on 7%.

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Responding, Restore Britain UK leader Rupert Lowe, a former Reform UK MP, said: “Farage has just gone to the media to attack Restore Britain, again.

“He says that Elon Musk is supporting a party ‘that’s one man with a social media account’.

“This is where Farage is so very wrong.”

He said there were “millions of Brits who are with us” and “Farage can arrogantly insult me over and over, but he has never been more wrong”.

Mr Lowe, who has a long-running feud with Mr Farage said: “This party isn’t about me, it never has been.

“It is about our members, our people, our home. Not me. Them.

“That is something he will never understand, and ultimately it’s why he will lose.”

On Sunday, Mr Musk reposted a message from Mr Lowe with the comment “Restore Britain”.

He also posted “Restore Britain” in response to an interview by Reform’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick.

Perhaps more significant than beating him in a straight fight in the sprint was the robust (but fair) way he defended the lead from Antonelli, who ended up finishing third in the final reckoning. Antonelli was not happy, said as much on the radio repeatedly before being publicly told to stop moaning about it by his race engineer first and then by team principal Toto Wolff.

It is unlikely there will be any lasting bad blood in this race, but you never know. I doubt it will be the last time the pair clash and have a disagreement. In any case, it is a good thing for the neutral that Russell has stiff competition. Long may it continue, hopefully in the form of Mercedes being challenged by McLaren and Ferrari.

Anyway the race starts at 9pm BST and we will be here for all of the build-up, live updates and reactions from what could be another intriguing race. 

Parts of Wales are set to see highs of 31C on Bank Holiday Monday

Temperatures across Wales soared on Sunday (May 24) as the UK basked in conditions more commonly associated with the Mediterranean. However, forecasters warn it’s going to get even hotter on Bank Holiday Monday.

Cardiff and Llysdinam recorded the highest temperatures in Wales at 27.5C on Sunday, while Usk closely followed on 27.0C as the country enjoyed one of the hottest May weekends in recent memory. Even the coolest parts of Wales remained exceptionally warm for late May, with Aberdaron reaching 19.2C, Valley 18.8C and Aberporth 17.8C overnight.

Forecasters say the heat is still building, with temperatures expected to peak on Monday when parts of south and mid Wales could hit 31C.

Cardiff, Newport, Abergavenny and Hay-on-Wye are all forecast to experience the highest temperatures in the country outside of southern England, while much of the rest of Wales is expected to remain in the mid to high twenties. Coastal areas including Pembroke and St Davids are likely to be slightly cooler at around 26C thanks to sea breezes.

The Met Office has described the conditions as “historic”, warning that temperatures will near 35C in England which is exceptionally rare for May in the UK. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here

A Met Office spokesperson said: “We rarely see temperatures above 35C, even in the summer months, so to see temperatures getting close to 35 in May is pretty historic.”

Saturday had already marked the hottest day of the year so far after temperatures reached 30.5C in Kent – the first time the UK has passed 30C this year and the first occurrence of such heat in May since 2012.

The Met Office confirmed heatwave conditions have officially been met in eight parts of England, including Heathrow in Greater London, Benson in Oxfordshire, Brooms Barn in Suffolk, High Beech in Essex, Kew Gardens in London, Northolt in London, Santon Downham in Suffolk and Writtle in Essex.

Santon Downham became the first location to meet the official heatwave threshold at around 11.30am on Sunday after recording temperatures above 27C for three consecutive days. Heathrow followed shortly afterwards at around 11.50am after exceeding its 28C threshold for a third consecutive day.

Forecasters also warned overnight temperatures may stay above 20C in some areas, creating uncomfortable sleeping conditions and potentially setting further records.

The Met Office said: “For many areas, this will feel more like mid-summer than late May, with temperatures rising well above average and the potential for some notably high values as the weekend progresses.

“The bank holiday Monday is expected to bring the peak of the heat. Temperatures may reach around 33C across parts of southern and central England, with the potential to challenge or exceed existing late-May records.”

An amber heat-health alert has also been issued for the East of England amid concerns over pressure on health and social care services. Officials warned indoor temperatures, including in hospitals, may rise above recommended safety thresholds.

Many made the most of the good weather today, as thousands of people across Wales headed to beaches, parks and beauty spots to enjoy the sunshine, prompting South Wales Police to issue safety advice to parents. This came after a noticeable increase in reports involving missing children. Officers confirmed all children involved were later safely reunited with their families.

Police are urging parents to take precautions in busy public places by taking an up-to-date photo of their children before leaving home, placing contact details in their pockets or writing a phone number on their arm, and establishing a clear meeting point upon arrival.

Officers are also encouraging parents to teach children to “stop and wait” if they become separated rather than continuing to wander, while reminding them to seek help only from uniformed staff, police officers or families with children nearby.

South Wales Police further urged the public to contact officers immediately if a child goes missing, especially in crowded locations such as beaches and parks where officers and PCSOs are often nearby.

Police were called to Swanholme Lake on Sunday after reports a boy had entered the water

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The body of a 15-year-old boy has been found after he got into trouble in a lake in Lincoln on Sunday.

Emergency services were called to Swanholme Lakes at 2.30pm after reports that Declan Sawyer had entered the water and was missing.

Lincolnshire Police said in a statement on Sunday evening: “We can update that our dive team have sadly found a body in the water at Swanholme Lakes, Lincoln.

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“With agreement from the family we can share that the boy who died is 15-year-old Declan Sawyer.

“Our thoughts are with his family and we send our condolences at this incredibly difficult time.

“This is such a sad incident that will no doubt also affect many of Declan’s friends and the local community as well.”

Officers had scoured the lakes for the boy with the help of their underwater search team.

“As we are starting half-term week, we ask our community to make sure that anyone affected is looked after and that people are encouraged to seek help and support where they need it,” a force spokesperson said.

Lincolnshire Police asked people not to speculate or share information that had not come from an official source.

Raducanu losing to Sierra was not a surprise in itself, even though the Briton is ranked 29 places higher in the world.

Since Indian Wells in early March, Raducanu has only played one match – and that only came last week in a straight-set defeat by France’s Diane Parry in Strasbourg.

The post-viral issues have continued to have lingering effects and she was struggling with a cough in Paris.

A healthy Sierra, on other hand, has plenty of matches in her legs and more rhythm in her racquet.

The difference was clear in a woeful first set from Raducanu.

The 23-year-old’s tactic of aggressively hitting early in the rallies, and a reluctance to patiently wait for chances to attack, underlined her keenness to swarm her opponent.

Her lack of court time, plus the 30C heat in Paris, meant it made sense for Raducanu to try to end the points quickly.

However, her timing was well out and led to a high volume of unforced errors.

“I felt like the conditions were extremely lively, and I felt like I wasn’t able to kind of trust my shots in that and didn’t feel like I had control over the ball,” Raducanu said.

“It was a really difficult set-up for me to step into, having not had many matches.

“I think probably just a bit light on matches, a bit light on confidence coming into the tournament.”

Sierra was always going to provide a tricky test, especially at this early stage of Raducanu’s latest comeback.

Having started playing on the red dirt aged three, 21-year-old Sierra demonstrated her ability by recently pushing reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff in Rome.

An RAF jet carrying the defence secretary had its signals jammed as it flew near the Russian border this week, according to a report.

John Healey was travelling back to the UK from Estonia, where he had been visiting British soldiers, when the electronic attack happened, according to The Times.

It is thought Russia was behind the incident on Thursday, which meant that smartphones and laptops were unable to connect to the internet and pilots had to use a different navigation system as the plane’s GPS was disabled for the entire three-hour flight.

It is not known if Mr Healey was deliberately targeted, but the flight path was visible on aircraft tracking websites, the newspaper reported.

Passengers, who included photographers and a reporter, were told the Dassault Falcon 900LX aircraft could still operate safely.

The incident comes just days after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) revealed two Russian jets had “repeatedly and dangerously” intercepted an RAF spy plane above the Black Sea.

A Russian Su-35 jet flew so close to the British reconnaissance aircraft that it triggered its emergency systems, including disabling the autopilot.

One of the nation’s Su-27s also flew six metres from the unarmed Rivet Joint’s nose and carried out six passes in front.

The MoD said it was the most dangerous Russian action against a British Rivet Joint aircraft since a plane fired a missile over the Black Sea in 2022.

In March 2024, an RAF plane carrying the then-defence secretary Grant Shapps had its GPS signal jammed while flying near Russian territory.

The satellite signal was interfered with for about 30 minutes while the flight was heading back to the UK from Poland.

The Independent has contacted the MoD for comment.

An ITV comedy series that received backlash from The Police Federation of England and Wales has not been greenlit for a third season after it failed to take off the way producers hoped

ITV comedy Piglets has reportedly been axed after just two series following disappointing ratings and backlash surrounding its controversial title.

The police sitcom was created by Victoria Pile, also known for Channel 4′s Green Wing and Smack the Pony. It was launched with hopes of becoming a breakout comedy hit for ITV2. However, after a muted response to its second series earlier this year, bosses are said to have decided against commissioning another run.

An insider has claimed the channel initially stayed optimistic despite receiving mixed reactions to the first season of the show. The source told The Sun : “Bosses believed it deserved a follow-up…unfortunately, the second series didn’t set the world alight – which made it even harder for ITV to give it another chance.”

The second instalment of the show aired in January 2026, but was already noticeably less heavily promoted than the first season, which fuelled speculation that behind the scenes ITV bosses were already becoming unsure about the future of the comedy.

Piglets is set inside a chaotic police training academy, and follows a group of rookie recruits as eccentric senior officers attempt to prepare them for life on the force.

Comedy favourites Sarah Parish and Mark Heap starred as the academy’s supervisors. In the second season Maddy Smedley was introduced to the cast after her popularity on The Traitors, but unfortunately her arrival reportedly failed to boost viewing figures.

ITV told The Mirror there are no plans for the sitcom to return, in a statement which reads: “There are currently no plans for a third series of Piglets.

“We would like to thank all the cast and crew for their hard work in bringing these unforgettable characters and stories alive on screen. Viewers can watch the adventures from series one and two by streaming all episodes on ITVX.”

Even before its debut, the series sparked fierce criticism over its name, which references the slang term “pig” which is sometimes used to describe police officers.

The Police Federation of England and Wales blasted the title for being “highly offensive”, “disgusting” and “inflammatory”, arguing it risked increasing hostility towards officers at a time when violence against police was already rising.

Acting national chair Tiffany Lynch previously said she found it “incredulous” that the title had been approved, warning officers deserve “respect, not humiliation.”

Despite the backlash, ITV comedy boss Nana Hughes was firm about her decision not to rename the show. “We just wanted to have a bit of fun, we certainly didn’t set out to offend anyone,” she explained ahead of the programme’s launch.

She added: “Comedy is subjective so some people will like it and others won’t but hopefully most will. We thought Piglets was just a funny, cute name for our bunch of trainees.”

ITV also defended the sitcom at the time, insisting the title was intended as “a comedic and endearing play on words”. In a statement released by the broadcaster, they described the show as a fictional comedy designed to highlight the innocence and inexperience of its trainee police characters rather than mock real officers.

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Lawrence Shankland is set to join Rangers on a free transfer after the Light Blues triggered a clause in his Hearts contract, with his Ibrox unveiling dependent on passing his medical

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Lawrence Shankland is heading back to Glasgow to finalise a stunning move to Rangers. As Reach Sport disclosed, the Hearts captain has been presented with a two-year contract – with an option for a third year.

Now, provided there are no eleventh-hour complications with his medical examination, he will be confirmed as Danny Rohl’s first summer acquisition later this week, having reached agreement on personal terms.

The positive development for Ibrox chairman Andrew Cavenagh is that the transfer will be completely free, after the Light Blues discovered a clause in the 30-year-old’s Tynecastle contract permitting him to depart Gorgie without a fee this summer.

Shankland guided the Jambos to the verge of championship success after being convinced to remain in the capital by manager Derek McInnes last summer, reports the Daily Record.

However, significantly, the Scotland forward secured a release point at the conclusion of the first year of that agreement, enabling him to terminate his contract and transfer elsewhere.

Rangers officials are now seeking to capitalise on this opportunity and are optimistic they will secure his signature after years of rumours – without any financial outlay.

Shankland has interrupted a family break in Portugal to complete his desired transfer, though his medical assessment may be postponed due to Monday’s bank holiday.

Nevertheless, new Ibrox CEO Jim Gillespie is hoping to conclude the extraordinary transfer coup before the boyhood Gers supporter joins up with Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad on Tuesday. His formal introduction will hinge on whether the national team manager approves his visit to Rangers’ Auchenhowie training complex for the traditional photoshoot with the club scarf.

While this development will thrill the Rangers fanbase, it represents a devastating setback for McInnes and Hearts supporters, coming just days after watching their title aspirations collapse.

Shankland netted 20 times to push the Tynecastle side to the brink of championship glory before enduring a heartbreaking final-day defeat at Celtic.

However, Rohl and the Ibrox board are confident they’re securing a forward many feel Rangers ought to have recruited long ago.

Previous Gers manager Russell Martin had the opportunity to bring Shankland in without a transfer fee last summer but declined the opportunity.

Yet Rohl looks set to rectify that mistake after identifying him as his priority signing for the transfer window.

It seems he’ll be the first of several Scottish additions, with chairman Andrew Cavenagh stating last week that the club intends to recruit more Scottish talent in the coming weeks.

Following the conclusion of a third-place finish, Cavenagh had said: “Our focus is on what is ahead of us and we are very clear that we need to add chemistry, leadership, guile, football IQ.

“We have a pro-Scottish bias in the club today – meaning if you have two players roughly equal and one is Scottish, we will take the Scottish player.

“When we look at what positions we are filling, we don’t start with people – we start with profiles.

“What positions is it, what type of person is it. An athletic centre-back or a ball-winning centre-back for example. How big, how fast?

“We are always asking who is Scottish that fits that profile. Every time we are looking at that.

“That’s not to say we can just go out and grab 11 Scots off the street and win the title.

“It is a bias towards Scottish players but that doesn’t mean that’s the only criteria we look at to build a winning team. I would say we equally look at an SPFL bias.

“If we’re looking at two players who are roughly similar and one has extensive SPFL experience against one who does not, we would take the SPFL experienced player.”

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Eight caravans had been parked at Longsight Park last Thursday (May 14), before Bolton Council served a legal notice ordering those on the site to leave.

The authority carried out welfare checks before beginning legal proceedings and confirmed no health concerns were identified among the occupants.

Attention has now turned to preventing similar incidents from happening again, with councillors and council officers reviewing security at the park.

Proposals being considered include upgraded metal barriers, stronger locks and pull-up bollards at entrances to the site.

Caravans and tents spotted on Longsight Park. (Image: NQ)

Cllr James Moller, of Bradshaw ward, said: “They’ve now left and they are locking the gate today [May 21].

“They’re updating the metal barrier and putting a new lock on. The council is also looking at what other measures they can put in place to stop people cutting it off.

“We’ve proposed improving the barriers and putting in pull-up bollards as well. We want to make it secure but still easy to access.”

Bolton Council said it had followed the appropriate legal process after becoming aware of the unauthorised encampment at the park.

A Bolton Council spokesperson previously said they were “aware of an unauthorised encampment at Longsight Park”.

They added that “all the appropriate welfare checks” had been carried out, and they “started the legal process to have the encampment removed”.

The discussion around extra security measures also follows previous concerns about quad bikes damaging the land earlier this year.