Tens of thousands of UK graduates are set to receive student loan overpayment refunds after the Student Loans Company identified errors that mistakenly inflated loan balances for 41,000 people

Thousands of university graduates who studied over a 10-year period are expected to receive refunds after their student loan balances were incorrectly increased.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) is reaching out to impacted students following the identification of two distinct issues affecting particular plan two loans.

Plan two repayment schemes apply to undergraduate courses that began between 2012 and 2022.

The initial issue was a technical fault whereby inaccurate income data was used when calculating interest.

The second issue was an HMRC income reporting mistake, which affected individuals earning through both PAYE and self-assessment. For money-saving tips, sign up to our Money newsletter here

The mistakes have affected 71,000 former students in total consisting of 41,000 whose student loan balances were wrongly inflated and 30,000 whose balances were mistakenly diminished, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The SLC has stated it will contact customers whose balances have increased due to these issues.

Those who have paid too much will be eligible for a refund.

If your balance fell and you did not overpay you will not receive a refund. Instead, your account will be amended with the correct interest applied.

Those who have already settled their loan completely will not be obliged to commence repaying again.

The SLC also verified that both mistakes have now been corrected, stating any adjustments to balances will feature in an individual’s next annual statement, which should be available before the end of September.

It calculates that 1.3% of current plan two loans were affected.

An SLC spokesman said: “We are contacting some plan two customers to inform them we’re correcting their loan balance following technical issues which have now been resolved.

“Those customers affected do not need to take any action and regular repayment amounts will not change. SLC and HMRC are very sorry that this has happened.”

This comes after the announcement in April that interest rates on plan two and plan three student loans will be capped for the 2026-27 academic year.

The 32-year-old charges of disorderly behaviour, common assault and possession of a bladed article

A man accused of assaulting his brother on a West Belfast while carrying an axe is to be barred from returning to the neighbourhood, a judge has ordered.

Michael Mongan, 32, appeared at the city’s Magistrates Court in connection with the alleged attack outside their homes in the Mill Race area on Thursday.

He faces charges of disorderly behaviour, common assault and possession of a bladed article – namely an axe – in a public place.

Police went to the scene amid reports of a man outside the street shouting and making threats. The victim was allegedly punched after he challenged the suspect. Officers also recovered a hatchet from the area.

A PSNI constable did not oppose Mongan’s release from custody under a series of conditions.

But defence solicitor Adrian Harvey disclosed: “This incident involves his brother, they live in the same street so he couldn’t go back to that address.”

Granting bail and adjourning the case to June 24, District Judge Alan White barred Mongan from contacting the injured party or entering Mill Race.

The judge also ordered: “He will reside at an address to be approved by police [outside west Belfast].”

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Ryan McLaverty grabbed her by the throat and started strangling her and also threatened to harm her pet tortoise

A 32-year old man who assaulted his mother and brother was handed a 14-month sentence today.

When he is released from custody, Ryan McLaverty will spend an additional 20 months on supervised licence.

As she passed sentence on McLaverty at Belfast Crown Court, Judge Laura Ievers KC said domestic abuse was a “scourge in our society” and branded his behaviour as “appalling.”

With an address on the court papers as ‘no fixed abode’, McLaverty was sentenced for four offences committed last June.

He admitted charges of non-fatal strangulation and assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his mother as well causing criminal damage to items of hers, while he also pleaded guilty to assaulting his brother.

At around 8.50pm on June 24, 2025 the injured party was in her home when her son McLaverty, who has been staying with her few a few days, arrived at the property after he had been drinking.

McLaverty started yelling at his mother then punched her to the head. He then poured beer over, grabbed her by the arms and trailed her into the hallway.

After she asked him to leave, McLaverty dragged his mother up the stairs and started damaging items in her bedroom.

Following this, he grabbed her by the throat and started strangling her and also threatened to harm her pet tortoise.

McLaverty then took his mother’s phone and went into the bathroom and at this point she was able to run down the stairs and out to her neighbour.

After McLaverty’s brother received a call from a neighbour about the assault on their mother, he went to his mother’s house.

The defendant was aggressive and when asked to leave by his brother, McLaverty punched him to the head.

The incident spilled out into the garden, where McLaverty’s brother detained him until police arrived.

Following his arrest, McLaverty was interviewed by officers the following day when he claimed he couldn’t remember what had happened.

Despite this, he subsequently pleaded guilty to the four charges.

The court heard that McLaverty has 46 previous convictions, some of which are for prior offences against his mother and brother.

In a Victim Impact Statement she made last December, McLaverty’s mother outlined how the incident has resulted in her experiencing nightmare and how she has sought counselling.

In her statement, she said: “The physical injuries have settled but the psychological scars still have not healed.

“The most difficult part of this to accept or to understand is the fact that it was my own son that did this to me.

“He is my own flesh and blood and I find it so difficult to come to terms with the fact that someone I have loved so much would want to inflict such harm and pain upon me.”

Defence barrister Michael Boyd said that whilst his client struggled to recall what happened on the evening in question, he has since expressed genuine remorse.

He added that McLaverty had a history of mental health and addiction issues.

Mr Boyd also spoke of the “significant period of time” his client has been on remand and revealed that whilst in custody McLaverty is attending AA and has enrolled in a number of programmes.

Judge Ievers noted the steps McLaverty is now taking “towards rehabilitation”, the remorse he has expressed and the insight he has shown towards his victims.

Addressing McLaverty as he stood in the dock, the Judge told him: “This was an appalling state of offending against your mother in her own home.

“She’s been helping you in providing a roof over your head and you further attacked your brother when he came to her aid.”

Judge Ievers imposed the sentence and told McLaverty the longer period on Probation would enable him to “benefit from structure and support to ensure effective rehabilitation and to manage the risk you pose.”

She added: “Please do not squander this opportunity.”

In addition to the 34-month sentence, the Judge also imposed a five-year restraining order which bans McLaverty from contacting both his mother and brother either directly or indirectly.

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Marseille could choose to cash in on Mason Greenwood this summer with his future in Ligue 1 in doubt, but Manchester United may not get the windfall they were expecting from a deal

Manchester United will receive a portion of Marseille’s profits should they choose to sell Mason Greenwood this summer, but the windfall could be far less than the Reds will have expected. The 24-year-old broke through the Carrington youth system in 2018, going on to score 35 goals in 129 games.

However, following allegations and charges of rape in 2022 – which were dropped the following year – Greenwood joined Getafe on a season-long loan in 2023, his future in Greater Manchester under speculation. The forward was then sold on to Marseille the following summer for around £26.7million, with United inserting a sell-on clause into the deal.

It means that United reserve the right to take 40 per cent of Marseille’s fee on Greenwood’s sale, should they choose to part ways with him. With 48 goals and 17 assists from 81 appearances since making the move to France, the Bradford-born forward should command a hefty fee for his services.

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However, Marseille could be forced to shift Greenwood on the cheap this summer, given UEFA’s warning over compliance with financial regulations. As per AP, Marseille have been threatened with a one-year ban from European competition and an £8.6m fine should they fail to meet their football earnings target in 2026/27.

That could force the club to take action in terms of moving on some of their biggest stars to ensure that they don’t fall foul of the ruling, Greenwood included.

It is suggested that Roma are the most interested party in the forward this summer, with reports surfacing that the Serie A stalwarts had tabled an offer of £34m.

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That included a £4.3m paid loan, a £21m option to buy, and £8.6m in bonuses. However, Marseille are said to be unconvinced by the offer, with Corriere dello Sport claiming that the club command at least £47m for Greenwood.

That’s still £5m cheaper than the £52m release clause that will be a part and parcel of Greenwood’s contract from July 1, but Roma are understood to be hesitant to pay the full asking price.

In a separate case, Roma were fined £5.2m for missed financial targets of their own in a previous round of settlement talks, impeding their transfer business slightly this summer given that money could have been used for the purchase of Greenwood.

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Should Marseille get the £47m fee they are asking for, United would receive a windfall of £18.8m due to the clause in his current deal.

However, should Marseille hold off and wait for an activation of his £52m release clause which takes effect next month, the Reds would be around £2m better off.

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

The 93-year-old Take That-obsessed grandma, who has been dubbed ‘Super Fan Nan’, will be attending both Etihad Stadium shows tonight and tomorrow with her family.

“You never stop being a fan just because you get older,” Joyce, from Halifax, explains.

She hasn’t missed a Take That in more than ten years, but she never got to the see the Circus tour the first time round. Her and her granddaughter Amanda Laycock have been thinking up their outfits of choice ever since getting tickets to this weekend’s show last September – and they’ve gone all out with their custom-made jackets and hats all fitting in with the Circus theme.

“I know we are lucky to even be able to see them once on this tour, but it’s going to be so special to see it with my gran,” Amanda adds.

“Take That have been a soundtrack to our lives in so many ways. Now Grandma gets to see it with me in person too. Manchester – bring on the Circus!”

Cybersecurity experts say criminals are increasingly targeting internet users through fake adverts, cloned websites and bogus customer service pages designed to look legitimate in search results.

And according to privacy experts, the biggest danger is that many victims are already stressed, distracted or desperately trying to fix a problem when they search online, as reported by creatorzine.com.

Peter Nguyen, privacy expert at Protect My Data, warned scammers are no longer relying solely on suspicious emails or text messages.

Instead, he said fraudsters are increasingly “waiting for people in search results”.

Peter said: “The most dangerous searches are often the ones people make when they are panicked, annoyed or in a hurry.

“If someone is trying to find a bank number, pay a fine, chase a parcel or claim a refund, they are already in problem-solving mode.

“That is when scammers have the advantage.”

Experts warned that searches for bank customer service numbers are among the riskiest – particularly when people fear fraud on their account or a bank card has stopped working.

Fake banking support pages can look almost identical to genuine websites and, in some cases, fraudsters even pay for adverts so their pages appear above official results on Google.

Peter warned victims may then be tricked into handing over security details or transferring money into so-called “safe accounts”.

He said: “No genuine bank will ever ask you to transfer money to protect it.”

Tax refund searches are also increasingly being targeted by scammers, especially during self-assessment periods or when people believe they may be owed money by HM Revenue and Customs.

Fraudsters often create convincing fake government-style websites offering rebates or urgent refunds while requesting bank details, National Insurance numbers and card information.

Drivers are also being warned about fake Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, ULEZ and parking fine payment pages that often request small charges designed to expose card details.

Peter said many victims wrongly assume low-value payments are harmless.

He said: “Someone may think, ‘It’s only £2.99’, but that small payment can expose their card details.”

Parcel delivery scams are another growing problem as online shopping continues to boom.

Fake courier websites posing as Royal Mail, Evri and DPD are often designed to steal personal information and payment details under the guise of rearranging missed deliveries.

Travel-related searches are also increasingly being exploited during busy holiday periods and flight disruption.

People searching for airline refunds, cancellation numbers or hotel booking support may unknowingly land on fake customer service pages operated by scammers.

Cybersecurity experts have also warned against downloading software from unofficial links found through search engines, including antivirus programs, printer drivers, browser updates and PDF converters.

In some cases, victims may unknowingly install malware or spyware onto their devices.

Peter urged internet users to slow down before clicking on any search result involving money, passwords, personal information or government services.

He added: “The simple rule is this: if the search involves your money, identity, password, device or a government service, slow down.

“Do not click the first result just because it is at the top.”

It has taken three years for the station to be built

Transport bosses have given the final seal of approval for the new Cambridge South railway station. It means the planned public opening has been given the green light to go ahead later this month.

Trains will start stopping at Cambridge South – situated beside Europe’s largest medical research facility – from June 28.

It will welcome up to nine trains per hour from Cambridge, with direct services to destinations including London King’s Cross, London Liverpool Street, Birmingham New Street, Brighton, Gatwick Airport, and Stansted Airport. Services will be run by Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink, and CrossCountry.

The station has had its opening pushed back twice. The first was in February last year, followed by a sub-contractor entering administration resulting in a second delay.

GBR Anglia has been working with the independent safety regulator for British railways to ensure the station is fully compliant.

Emily Heria, senior sponsor on behalf of GBR Anglia said: “Gaining the authorisation from the ORR to open Cambridge South is a massive achievement and reflects all the hard work done by everyone involved in the project.

“We are all so excited to open the new station on Sunday 28 June and can’t wait to welcome our first customers and see their reaction to their new railway station. We hope they will be as proud of their new station as we are to have built it.”