Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage

A woman is in a critical condition after suffering a suspected medical episode at the wheel prior to a crash in Wythenshawe.

Southmoor Road, between Floatshall Road and Royal Oak Road, was shut at around 10am on Friday (June 5) following the incident.

The driver of a white Ford Ka suffered a suspected medical episode at the wheel before hitting a vehicle in the opposite lane.

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An air ambulance was seen landing near the scene. The driver of the Ford, a woman in her 50s, was taken to hospital and remains in a life-threatening condition.

The force’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit is now appealing for anyone who saw the vehicle before the collision, witnessed the incident or caught it on dashcam footage to come forward.

In a full statement, the force said: “Our Serious Collision Investigation Unit are appealing for information following a collision yesterday (Friday 5 June 2026) on Southmoor Road, Wythenshawe at around 9:55am.

“One vehicle, a white Ford Ka, was seen driving along the road when the driver suffered a suspected medical episode and collided with a vehicle in the opposite lane.

“The driver of the Ford, aged in her 50s, was taken to hospital where she remains in life-threatening condition.

“Officers from the SCIU continue their investigation and are asking for anyone with information to please come forward.

“This includes anyone who saw the vehicle driving before the collision, witnessed the incident itself, or has dashcam footage of the incident.

“You can contact the SCIU directly on 0161 856 4741, contact the police on our Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 925 of 05/06/2026.

“Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”

Across the UK thousands of dogs are searching for their forever homes after experiencing difficult starts in life.

Animal rescue centres and dedicated foster carers work tirelessly throughout the year to provide vulnerable dogs with the warmth, safety, and care they need, helping to prevent animals from ending up on the streets or facing euthanasia. While their efforts transform countless lives their ultimate goal is to find each dog a loving family where they can enjoy a happy and secure future.

Every rescue dog has its own story, personality, and challenges but each also offers the opportunity to welcome a loyal and rewarding companion into your home.

To help these deserving dogs find their perfect match rescue organisations have shared the stories of some of the pets currently waiting for adoption. You can find them all here

The works include repairs to the roof, replacing and restoring window glazing and frames, enhancing the metal work and the installation of LED lighting.

Moorgarth Retail Ltd have argued that the restoration work is needed and could work in conjunction with wider efforts to regenerate the town.

A design and access statement said: “Bolton Market Hall is Grade II listed because of its architectural and historic significance, particularly as a fine early example of Victorian civic market building.

“Its architectural interest lies primarily in the innovative use of cast iron and glass, which was impressive in the mid-nineteenth century.

A range of refurbishments have been approved (Image: Wardell Armstrong)

“The iron columns, roof trusses, and open hall layout of the internal structure also reflect early industrial engineering techniques, placing it firmly in the period of rapid industrial growth in which Bolton played a pivotal role.

“Bolton Market Hall has historic interest as an example of how municipal authorities invested in public infrastructure during the Industrial Revolution.

“It reflects Bolton’s growth as a major mill town, where markets were central to urban life and the local economy.

“Purpose-built covered markets like this were symbols of civic pride and modernity at the time, and it has long been a focal point of Bolton town centre, contributing to the character and identity of the area. Its survival, largely intact and unaltered, adds to its heritage value.”

The refurbishment plans were received and validated by Bolton Council on Friday February 13 this year.

A letter of objection was received raising concerns about the works being carried out during nighttime hours, but council officers said this was not a material planning issue.

The council’s heritage officer was consulted on the plans and said there were no objections to the proposed refurbishment.

A report said: “The works to this Grade II listed building amount to more than just repairs but on the whole they are very welcomed.

“The works would have a neutral to positive impact.”

Bolton Council announced on Tuesday June 2 that the plans had been approved.

Rylan Clark often invites his mother Linda on to his BBC Radio 2 show, but on one appearance she begged her son to “stop” as he told his listeners an “embarrassing” anecdote

Radio presenter Rylan Clark is renowned for having an extremely close relationship with his mum Linda. But she recently begged him to “stop” after he exposed an “embarrassing” moment live on air.

Rylan often invites his mum to appear on his BBC Radio 2 show on Saturdays. On one such occasion Rylan told a hilarious anecdote about the events leading up to a family wedding.

Linda was attending their cousin Christopher’s nuptials and had a very specific request for her son on the day of the wedding. Rylan shared the request with his Radio 2 listeners, causing Linda to beg him to “stop” before he shared the “embarrassing” moment.

As Rylan started to share the story, Linda said: “No, stop it’s embarrassing.” Rylan disagreed, saying: “It’s not embarrassing, I think it’s quite fun.”

He continued: “I want to prelude this with ‘we’re very normal’. This is the world my mum lives in. So she’s going to a wedding yesterday, our cousin Christopher, congratulations to the pair of them.

“And she goes: ‘Are you near a Chanel?’ And I go: ‘I’m at the flat at the minute, what’s wrong?’ ‘You can’t pop in there and pick me up a gold bag?’ I said: ‘Sorry?’ And she went: ‘Yeah, like a little one you bought me last year.’ And I say: ‘The black one that you never use?’ And I say: ‘Sorry, mum do you know how much a Chanel bag costs?’”

Linda then begged her son not to finish the story, saying: “Please don’t tell everyone.”

But Rylan wouldn’t be stopped, as he added: “I think you’re under the impression they just dish them out on the street.” He couldn’t resist ending the anecdote with a joke, quipping that Linda is “letting this Radio 2 and Gogglebox thing go to your head”.

Rylan shot to fame on the X Factor in 2012, when he came fifth. He has since gone on to star on a number of television programmes, including Celebrity Big Brother which he won the following year.

Alongside his BBC Radio 2 show, his other credits include This Morning, Eurovision, the rebooted Supermarket Sweep and Strictly Come Dancing’s spin off It Takes Two.

Rylan has often spoken of his extremely close relationship with his mother, and this was perhaps illustrated by another anecdote on his radio show.

Kicking off the segment, the presenter said: “It’s time to catch up with the woman who pretty much woke me up this morning.

“I was already awake, but what I mean by woke me up is came through my front door like a bulldozer screaming that your car weren’t working.”

Catch Rylan and his mum Linda on Celebrity Gogglebox tonight (Saturday, June 6) from 12.05am to 1.05am on Channel 4.

The officer took to the force’s Facebook page to share practical tips for fans heading to the coastal venue last night, Friday, with a light-hearted social media post packed with the singer’s lyrics.

On a more serious note, the message also advised people to plan a safe place to meet if they lose their group “or The Ones You Love” – and urged people not to venture into the sea if they’ve been drinking: “It Would Take A Strong Strong Man (or woman) to fight the current in the North Bay. We don’t want you having to Sink Or Swim.”

Rick Astley’s Scarborough gig inspires safety message from a North Yorkshire Police officer. (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

The officer whose identity was not revealed is clearly popular among page followers, with several issuing a warm welcome: “Fabulous you’re back”, wrote one, and ‘Yay, you’re back’.

Others joined in the theme with “Sounds like a Cry For Help” and “Ah good to have u back love these posts glad your never gonna give us up”.

One suggested the post must have been vetted by four levels of police management, to which the officer replied “No, it was just me! Wrote it, posted it!”

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To give the officer’s talent the bigger platform it deserves, we’re sharing the post here in full:

“Let’s hope the Angels On My Side look after me for this one!

“There won’t be any Rickrolling tonight, because the man himself, Rick Astley, takes to the stage to open the summer season at Scarborough‘s Open Air Theatre.

“Rick will be joined by The Covasettes and The Lottery Winners. This year, you can meet our team who regularly patrol outside the venue, as we will be getting boots on the ground with our Beat Bus.

“Come and find us round the corner from the Box Office between 5pm and 7pm.

“See if you can find Elizabeth! As It Was in previous years, you will also find us on patrol around the outside of the venue.

“Whenever You Need Somebody, make a Cry For Help whether on 101, 999 or in person and we get to you.

“You might find me Dippin My Feet on the golden sands of the North Bay, as high tide isn’t until just after 8:30pm tonight. Please don’t try to enter the water if you’ve been drinking. It Would Take A Strong Strong Man (or woman) to fight the current in the North Bay. We don’t want you having to Sink Or Swim.

“Now, I Like The Sun, but it has decided not to show up today, with cloudy skies and temperatures to be in the mid-teens, make sure you keep hydrated tho.

“On that note, toilets outside the venue are located in the car park opposite the entrance.

“Please don’t be Slipping Away into the bushes, no matter what you think….we can see you! You can find hospitality venues for food and drink both inside the venue and outside, all within a 5 minute walk.

“Make sure your personal items are not on show in your car before you leave it. You don’t want to make 85 Trips to check.

“In previous years, the mobile phone signal has been a bit sketchy in the area. Check out the Box Office for the Wi-Fi codes to show your digital tickets. When you arrive, plan a safe place to return to, should you become separated with your group, or The Ones You Love.

“When it comes to Lights Out and its time to leave, Keep Singing as you leave the venue, Don’t Say Goodbye! Hearing a sell-out crowd singing… What A Rush.

“If you head towards the roundabout as you leave, you can find buses to town and taxi’s. It’s going to be a bumper year in 2026 for events at the OAT, and when you ask about these posts, I’m Never Gonna Stop! I’ve managed to avoid working the opener this year so I hope you have a great evening and stay safe.”

England head coach Thomas Tuchel says reports about the state of the pitch for his team’s friendly against New Zealand will not influence which players are involved.

The Daily Mail, external said the playing surface for the match at the Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was a ‘plug and play’ pitch laid just a week ago.

Several pitches for World Cup matches are being played in stadiums that usually have artificial surfaces but which have been relaid with grass.

Travelling ground staff from the Football Association were reported to be liaising with the venue over the pitch which appeared in pictures to be slightly disjointed in parts.

England have no injury concerns and despite the start of the World Cup being so close, Tuchel said the condition of the pitch “will not affect my team selection”. He said that he has “heard” it “will be OK”.

“I saw a photo from a journalist which made me a little bit worried and concerned, but let’s decide when we are there,” Tuchel told a news conference on Friday.

“If there are any issues, we can always react to it. The plan is to play 45 minutes with two complete teams, to expose everyone to the same amount of minutes.

“Then we can continue for the next three days with the same load of training. That is the plan and at the moment we are sticking to it.”

England are in Florida for a pre-World Cup camp in West Palm Beach and will play New Zealand on Saturday (21:00 BST).

The game is the first of two warm-ups, with the other being against Costa Rica on 10 June (21:00 BST), before the World Cup officially starts on 11 June.

England trained with 27 players on Friday in a session which did not include Arsenal players Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka as they were involved in the Champions League final on 30 May.

Premier League players Josh King, Rio Ngumoha, Ethan Nwaneri, Alex Scott and Jason Steele have been training with Tuchel’s squad to boost numbers.

Goalkeeper Dean Henderson also trained having joined the squad following Crystal Palace’s victory in the Conference League final.

Kim Jong Un has vowed to accelerate efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy and develop ‘secret underwater weapons’.

The North Korean leader was accompanied by his teenage daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae, while inspecting a new warship ahead of a visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

State media quoted him as calling for ‘rapidly developing’ naval forces capable of playing a larger role in the country’s nuclear deterrent and dealing a ‘deadly blow at the enemy any moment under the water or on the water’.

He said the navy was at the heart of a new five-year defence plan including the building of larger 10,000-tonne-class destroyers and developing unspecified ‘underwater secret weapons’.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) did not report any quotes by Kim about Washington or Seoul amid persistent tensions over his nuclear ambitions and a prolonged freeze in diplomacy.

The report came a day after North Korean and Chinese state media confirmed that Xi would visit North Korea on Monday, the latest sign of Beijing’s efforts to reinforce ties with its nuclear-armed neighbour.

In recent years, Kim has prioritized relations with Russia, notably by sending troop s and military equipment to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Xi’s trip was announced a day after North Korea unveiled what South Korea’s military assessed as a new uranium-enrichment facility for producing nuclear bomb fuel.

While visiting the 5,000-ton destroyer Kang Kon, Kim pledged to expand the country’s nuclear forces ‘at an exponential rate’.

Experts say the move reflects his desire to cement North Korea’s status as a nuclear weapons state ahead of Xi’s visit.

Kang Kon is the second of two destroyers North Korea unveiled last year, following the Choe Hyon, whose development Kim hailed as a major step toward expanding the operational range and pre-emptive strike capabilities of his nuclear-armed military.

State media said the ships are designed to carry a range of weapons systems, including anti-aircraft and anti-ship weapons as well as nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles, though some experts have questioned their effectiveness in active duty.

Kang Kon was damaged during a botched launching ceremony in May last year at the northeastern port of Chongjin, triggering a furious reaction from Kim, who called the failure ‘criminal’.

North Korea said Kang Kon was relaunched in June after repair, but outside experts have questioned whether the ship is fully operational.

Kim has called for building two more 5,000-ton-class destroyers.

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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The ITV programme faced a scheduling change on Saturday, June 6, ahead of a ‘last show’ announcement.

James Martin’s ITV programme has undergone a shake-up, as scheduling was changed.

Saturday Morning usually airs every Saturday from 9.30am, featuring special celebrity guests.

It has been running since 2017, following James’ departure from the BBC and the end of his stint on Saturday Kitchen.

However, this weekend’s show begins at a later time of 10.30am.

Instead, ITV Racing: The Opening Show airs from 9.30am to 10.30am, with James’ shortened appearance on Saturday Morning then airing until 12.15pm.

It’s also the last show before a summer break, with the programme sharing on social media: “Can you believe its our last show before the summer break today?!

“Don’t fret as we have a great show coming up! @jamesmartinchef is joined by singer @natashahamilton, chef @mikereidchef and award-winning chocolatier @mwtchocolate!”

One fan replied: “Can’t wait! I’m a huge fan of Mark Tilling! Hoping to see @paulainsw6rth back on the show soon – always brilliant when he’s on!”

Another said: “Well I will be watching the show later well done for all your hard work and making the show happen see you next season.”

Someone else wrote: “Love this show can’t wait for the next season to come back,” as a fourth said: “Another great lineup so sad it’s your last show enjoy your break.”

The scheduling change comes as James made a “super-sized” announcement at the start of this year.

He returned to screens on New Year’s Day, revealing that the regular Saturday programme would be given an extra 45 minutes, running from 9.30am until 12pm.

This came as ITV faced a series of shake-ups, including those affecting daytime TV, with Lorraine Kelly’s show and Loose Women now running for only parts of the year on a seasonal rota.

James told viewers at the time: “That’s all we’ve got time for today. A massive thank you to my guests Sally, John and, of course, the brilliant Chris Robshaw. Thank you very much. We’ll see you back next Saturday morning, where we will be in the new super-sized slot, that’s where we’ll be. An improved show it says on [the autocue].”

He added: “But until then, enjoy the rest of your day. Happy New Year’s Day everyone, bye for now!”

James Martin’s Saturday Morning airs at 10.30am on Saturday, June 6 on ITV1 and ITVX.

If you’re heading off on holiday soon, you might already have your passport, chargers, and mini toiletries on your packing list. But there’s one final addition you don’t want to forget: a tennis ball.

No, not so you can ward off boredom by playing a game of catch with your aisle mates – it’s actually all to do with avoiding stiffness or aches while in the air. And it certainly won’t take up too much space in your bag, either.

It can also be used to enhance circulation, intended to be used by gently applying pressure and rolling it up and down the thighs, legs, or even shoulders, according to health experts.

Registered osteopath and qualified sleep therapist Tracy Hannigan previously debunked a few viral travel tips as part of a partnership with travel insurance specialist InsureandGo – and recommended using a tennis ball in tandem with another teeny piece of paraphernalia.

She explained: ‘A great tip is to find a hand towel, put the ball in the middle of it and roll it like a sausage.

‘When you then apply pressure using the ball, it’s easier to position and will prevent it from skidding out of position, which can be painful.

‘A tennis ball is small and light and can help you to apply soothing pressure to points you might otherwise not be able to reach.’

She also recommended stretching regularly to help with stiffness, noting that the side of the neck can be extended by ‘turning the chin towards the armpit and gently applying pressure to stretch the opposite side of the neck.’

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‘You can even stretch your lower back in your plane seat, by crossing your legs and leaning forward, as if you’re trying to reach down to the crossed-over foot with your elbow,’ she added.

In a bid to enjoy a slightly comfier long-haul flight, travel aficionados have also got on board with this hack. Posting over in the r/TravelHacks Subreddit, @tmckhar swears by it.

They penned: ‘Place it at the base of your spine near your tailbone. I do this when driving long period, and it helps with back pain.’

@CrapSandwich added: ‘I have a slipped disc in my lower back that tends to go out on long flights. The tennis ball between the seatback and my lower back really helps.’

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This isn’t the first slightly left-field piece of travel advice we’ve seen over the years.

Esther Sturrus, who works for Dutch airline KLM and shares TikToks about her journeys, previously recommended always throwing a water bottle under the bed when you get into a hotel room.

Although unlikely, tourists can be targeted by thieves or intruders, with some travellers choosing to be vigilant in certain countries or in rooms on lower floors.

According to Esther, her hack lets you ‘check that no one is under the bed without looking’, easing your mind if you’re wary.

She advised rolling the bottle under the bed, adding in her video that it ‘has to come out on the other side’. If it doesn’t, you may want to exercise caution.

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Metro puts the ‘tennis ball’ tip to the test

Metro‘s Maria Astardjieva recently flew long-haul from London to San Francisco – and packed a tennis ball in her carry-on luggage to see if it would help with mid-flight aches and pains.

She says of her experience: ‘I’ve seen countless tips promising to make long-haul flights more bearable. But one suggestion kept cropping up: pack a tennis ball.

‘It’s cheap, weighs next to nothing, and, crucially, takes up barely any space.

‘I started by positioning the ball at the base of my spine, just above my tailbone – the epicentre of that dull ache that seems to appear the moment you start approaching your 30s.

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‘Leaning back into the seat, I applied gentle pressure and slowly shifted my weight. Almost instantly, I felt relief…’

Read the full story here

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This article was last published on April 24, 2026.

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However, a three-way battle to sign Morgan Rogers has emerged with Chelsea and Man United said to be interested in the England international, who could cost up to £100million. Man Utd, though, have made a double announcement this week, while also striking an agreement with Atalanta for midfielder Ederson. Spurs, meanwhile, have completed their first signing of the summer with Andy Robertson arriving on a free transfer and he could soon be joined in north London by Marcos Senesi and Savinho.