To this day, I still remember the colour of the cream envelope, embossed with the insignia of Cambridge University – and how I felt opening the letter that, I knew then, would determine my future.

I only had to read the initial three words inside before I let out a yell of relief and jubilation.

‘We are pleased…’ ran the start of the first sentence from the Admissions Tutor, indicating that I had won a place at Sidney Sussex College at Cambridge. It was the proudest moment of my young life.

I adored Cambridge. So much so that, after I graduated in 1985, I felt that I should give something back in the form of an occasional donation.

But pride has now given way to regret, due to the University’s immersion in the creed of political correctness. Once a renowned seat of learning, Cambridge is in real danger of becoming a citadel of fashionable groupthink.

As a result, in the past decade, I have abandoned my role as a minor philanthropist. In fact, I now would not dream of giving a penny to my old university. The money would just be squandered on more gesture politics and achingly right-on social justice initiatives.

Tragically, the institution that produced figures such as the biologist Charles Darwin, the mathematician Sir Isaac Newton, and the novelist EM Forster is now more interested in parading its political virtue than in upholding academic rigour.

No longer a byword for excellence, Cambridge now represents the worst kind of posturing vanity.

The institution that produced figures such as the biologist Charles Darwin is now more interested in parading its political virtue than in upholding academic rigour, writes Leo McKinstry

That decline is encapsulated in the extraordinary case of Jason Arday. Readers will now be aware that his appointment in 2023 as Cambridge’s ‘professor of the Sociology of Education’ sparked a wave of self-congratulation among the university’s smug ruling hierarchy. For Arday was not only the youngest black professor in Cambridge’s history but also seemed to have overcome a remarkable series of obstacles to reach the top.

His ‘autism’, he claims, meant that he did not speak properly until the age of 18, while he claimed to have suffered from a brain tumour when he was completing his PhD.

Woke propagandists portrayed him as the intellectually dazzling, record-breaking neuro-diverse son of Ghanaian immigrants, brought up on a housing estate in Clapham, south London, before he conquered the groves of academe.

Garlanded with honorary degrees, shortlisted three times for a ‘Pride of Britain’ award, he was even commissioned to write his autobiography – which is coming out in September – another milestone on the path to becoming an icon of modern Britain.

His amazing achievements, however, inevitably provoked suspicions, though until recently he was protected by his rottweiler lawyers issuing libel threats and his allies inevitably accusing his critics of racism.

But his defences are now crumbling, due to the sheer weight of allegations against him, including credible charges of plagiarism.

Amid calls for a full inquiry, Cambridge is struggling to hold the line against Arday’s critics. The university describes the attacks on him as a ‘vile smear campaign’. But that dismissal no longer convinces.

Dogma has been prioritised above the quest for the truth – and not for the first time in recent years.

Cambridge has displayed this ideological partisanship before. This is the same organisation that, in 2019, withdrew an offer of a visiting fellowship to the globally renowned psychologist Jordan Peterson, just 48 hours after first making it, after woke staffers complained about his views on gender.

That same year, Cambridge research fellow Noah Carl – who defended the right of intelligence researchers to examine whether IQ is genetically influenced – had his contract terminated at St Edmund’s College after a letter by academics accused him of ‘racist pseudoscience’, despite failing to produce any evidence to back up that charge.

‘Diversity and inclusivity are fundamental values of the college. There are lessons we must learn about how we demonstrate the importance of those values’, said Matthew Bullock, the Master of the College; nothing there about the importance of academic freedom.

And take Jesus College’s bid to rip out a 300-year-old memorial to Tobias Rustat – a benefactor and courtier of Charles II – based on spurious claims that it was an odious memento of the transatlantic slave trade and ‘incompatible with the chapel as an inclusive community and a place of collective wellbeing’.

Mercifully, the Consistory Court concluded in 2022 that the attempt was based on a ‘false narrative’ that ‘Rustat had amassed much of his wealth from the slave trade, and that it was moneys from this source that he used to benefit the college’.

Worse still, Cambridge has failed to learn the lessons of a similar sordid affair at another hotbed of academic wokery, University College London, which failed to protect the Nobel Prize winner Professor Tim Hunt – a pioneer in the discovery of the protein cyclin which is key to cell division – when he was engulfed by controversy after a lecturer in science journalism, Connie St Louis, reported that he made allegedly sexist remarks at a conference in South Korea in 2015.

He was said to have told the conference that his ‘trouble with girls’ was they ‘cry’ when you criticise them and ‘fall in love’ with their male counterparts. He later stressed he was being ‘sarcastic’ – but that was completely lost on St Louis, who sensed a golden opportunity for global media attention.

Despite his distinguished record and a profuse apology, Sir Tim was forced to resign from his honorary fellowship, claiming he was ‘hung out to dry’ by his employer, University College, and other institutions such as the Royal Society. Shattered by this lack of support, Hunt moved with his wife to Japan.

But his destroyer, Connie St Louis, was also hit by the fallout from the row she generated. As the spotlight of inquiry was shone on her own record, she was exposed as another dodgy academic with a habit of exaggeration – including a claim on her CV that she ‘present[ed] and produce[d]’ a range of programmes for BBC Radio 4, which was demonstrably false. Meanwhile Mrs St Louis claimed she had an ‘upper second’ BSc (Hons) in applied biology – although it was not clear where this was awarded.

Soon after the Hunt affair exploded, her City University course was dropped.

The Establishment’s shameless cheerleading for Arday, compared to its cruel abandonment of Hunt, says everything about the ethos of the modern university sector, where all decisions are viewed through the prism of identity politics.

Only a culture warped by dogma would accept Jason Arday’s bogus claims. In fact, his so-called research into the sociology of education is almost worthless.

Even if he is not found to have been a plagiarist – something I highly doubt on current evidence – his output, riddled with obscure jargon and meaningless pap, is itself an exercise in academic navel-gazing, compared to Professor Hunt, who genuinely advanced the frontiers of human knowledge.

Cambridge speaks of its ‘pride’ in Arday. Shame would be a more appropriate word given what we’ve learned in the past fortnight.

By SONIA HORON, US ASSISTANT SHOWBIZ EDITOR

Published: 04:01 BST, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 04:47 BST, 5 August 2026

Officers were dispatched to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton’s Miami home on Tuesday after receiving reports that he was broadcasting alarming behavior on a TikTok livestream.

The Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office told the Daily Mail that deputies rushed to the residence following ‘multiple’ emergency calls regarding an individual engaging in alleged self-harm on the platform.

Clips taken from the video, which the Daily Mail will not publish, appeared to show Hilton covered in blood while brandishing a knife. 

Deputies spoke with family members on the scene and confirmed Hilton was alone inside before making the decision to ‘tactically disengage’ while monitoring the situation.

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‘In many incidents involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis or actively harming themselves, deputies prioritize de-escalation by creating time, distance, and opportunities for communication,’ the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office told the Daily Mail.

‘Unless there is an immediate threat to others, slowing the situation and utilizing crisis intervention techniques can reduce the likelihood of a suicide-by-cop encounter and minimize the risk of injury to the individual, deputies, and the public.’

Officers were dispatched to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton’s Miami home on Tuesday after receiving reports that he was broadcasting alarming behavior on a TikTok livestream

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‘At this time, deputies have tactically disengaged while continuing to monitor the situation and providing the needed support to his family.’ 

The Daily Mail has reached out to Hilton’s representatives for comment. 

The video has been taken down and Hilton’s account has since been suspended by TikTok. 

It’s unclear who was home at the time the video was filmed before police arrived, but Hilton is father to three children he welcomed via surrogacy. 

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His eldest son was born in 2013, followed by two daughters in 2015 and 2017.  

Hilton’s representatives, Golden Artists Entertainment Co-CEOs Dante Rusciolelli and Rebekah Kochan, told TMZ in a statement, ‘We are aware of the concerning content circulating online involving our client, Perez Hilton.’

‘At this time, we have not been able to make direct contact with him, despite our ongoing efforts to reach him. Our primary concern is Perez’s health and well-being, as well as the well-being of his family. Until we have confirmed information, we will not speculate or comment further.’

‘We appreciate everyone’s concern and ask that his privacy be respected during this time.’ 

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The Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office told the Daily Mail that deputies rushed to the residence following ‘multiple’ emergency calls regarding an individual engaging in alleged self-harm on the platform

Clips taken from the video, which the Daily Mail will not publish, appeared to show Hilton covered in blood while brandishing a knife

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Celebrity friends and fans of the blogger – born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. – took to social media to send him messages, begging for him to seek medical help

Celebrity friends and fans of the blogger – born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. – took to social media to send him messages, begging for him to seek medical help. 

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Former politician George Santos wrote on X, ‘Please pray for Perez Hilton folks. He needs the power of prayer and the strength of our Lord and Savior.’ 

Hilton revealed in March that he had been hospitalized for 21 days as he battled sepsis – the result, he said, of taking flu medication on an empty stomach that triggered a cascade of health problems. 

If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org 

Four incidents were reported between 1am and 8.30am on Tuesday morning

A number of burglaries in a Co Down town in the early hours of this morning are being treated as “potentially linked.”

Four burglaries were reported to police in the Golf Links Road, Golf Links Crescent, and Bryansford Avenue areas of Newcastle in the early hours of Tuesday, August 4.

PSNI Detective Sergeant Emerson said: “We received a report that at approximately 3.45am a male gained entry to a property in the Golf Links Road area of the town through a window.

“The suspect was disturbed and made off through the front door. At this time, we understand nothing was taken from the home, however, a number of drawers were rummaged through.

“Then at 4.25am it was reported a man was disturbed while attempting to gain access to a home in the Golf Links Crescent area through a window.

“Additionally, we’re also investigating a further burglary in the Bryansford Avenue area between the hours of 1am and 8.30am this morning.

“An unknown intruder entered the property and stole a number of items costing hundreds of pounds, these included electrical goods, clothing and sentimental pieces.

“We understand the suspect entered via a window at the front of the property. At 6.35am we received another report of an attempted burglary in the Golf Links Crescent area.

“The intruder was disturbed prior to entry and made off from the scene empty-handed. A description of the suspect provided by a number of the victims is that of a male approximately 5’9” tall, of slim build, and wearing a grey tracksuit. He may also have been wearing gloves with his face covered.

“Our enquiries are continuing, and we’re investigating the strong possibility that all these reports are linked – with the same suspect involved.

“We are especially keen to hear from anyone who may have CCTV, dash-cam or other footage of these areas or noticed any suspicious vehicles or individuals. Please phone us on 101, quoting reference numbers 135, 144, 149, 286, 191 04/08/26.”

A report can also be made using the online reporting form via https://reporting.psni.police.uk/appeals. Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

A widow in her 80s said the spread of HMOs in her estate has left her with “no one to call on for support”

Residents living near Addenbrooke’s Hospital say they fear being left out as Cambridge City Council considers restrictions on HMOs.

HMOs, or houses of multiple occupancy, are properties housing at least three people where each room is rented individually with shared facilities such as kitchens and bathrooms. Currently planning permission is not needed to convert a house into a HMO for six people or fewer, but the council is preparing to introduce new restrictions.

Red Cross Areas Residents Association (RARA) represents people living near Addenbrooke’s Hospital where there is a large concentration of HMOs – many housing hospital workers. The group has asked the council to go even further and introduce a numerical threshold and a ban on HMOs “sandwiching” family homes between them.

Jane, one of their residents, said she brought her children up in her family home before the estate began to change as more HMOs popped up leaving her “isolated and alone” when her husband passed away.

She said: “What I hadn’t expected was that many would leave so quickly, meaning eventually I knew no one there. Many live in these circumstances of not knowing their neighbours so I put it out of my mind, but then I noticed one by one the houses from my street to the next cul-de-sac all underwent these changes, leaving me now in my 80s with no one to call on for support for me when I needed it most.”

She continued: “The Residents Association reached out to all and found the only permanent residents on the next road knew my husband had passed away and presumed as all the people in the HMOs now reaching from my house to the next cul-de-sac never mentioned me anymore that I was dead.”

She said the association started up to “address the increasing issues of poor waste, rats and rubbish strewn around my road, parking stress and arguments, people blocking each other in, something never experienced in previous years”.

Keith Mookai, neighbourhood watch coordinator for Red Cross Lane, said that HMOs can lead to more antisocial behaviour and conflict as people from different backgrounds come together.

The 40-year-old said: “People have different values and there’s the capacity for misunderstandings and conflict. It’s difficult to find accommodation close to the biomedical campus and more expensive than similar properties further out so there’s an acceptance of HMOs.

“There’s not enough accommodation for everyone so people make extra space in properties – it’s a necessary evil if you like – but there has to be some regulation.”

He said workers in Cambridge, one of the most expensive places in England to live, should get a similar wage bump to those in London to help with the higher cost of living.

Chris Panetsoudis, who has lived in a HMO since 2021, said that health workers face London prices for renting “without the wages”. The 32-year-old said: “You can have lower rent which is nice if you can do it – the bills are included too which is another benefit.

“You don’t really have direct contact with the landlord, it’s always through an agency and agencies can change. The one we have at the moment is actually doing quite a good job but that wasn’t the case when I moved in. I think we need to have some person to talk to on the council, and that should be quite clear, in case landlords refuse to make any repairs or changes.”

Councillor Karen Young, of Queen Edith’s, said they have quite a lot of HMOs in the area. She’s not aware of any plans to limit the proposed restrictions to certain areas of Cambridge, rather than covering the whole city.

The Liberal Democrat councillor said: “I think they’re an important part of the housing offering in Cambridge, it’s often the only way people can live somewhere sensible related to their work. But they have to be nice and they have to be safe for residents.”

A young man travelled to Somalia to join ISIS after asking an AI chatbot how to make contact with members of the terror group, a court heard.

Mohamed Mohamoud, 22, was said to be ‘longing for martyrdom’ when he was ‘welcomed’ to the organisation by an AI chatbot on Telegram. 

He had initially messaged a recruiter for Islamic State on TikTok before being added to propaganda channels on encrypted messaging service Telegram, a jury heard.

There he was allegedly sent videos of beheadings and executions with rocket propelled grenades meant to ‘glorify IS soldiers and inspire violence’. One video was ‘high quality’ and 30 minutes long, the court heard.

He had sought advice from the AI chatbot before travelling to Somalia in a failed attempt to get to one of terror group’s strongholds, it is alleged. 

Jurors at his trial were told speaking to AI chatbots was now part of the vetting process for joining ISIS.

Mohamoud is on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of preparing for acts of terrorism between October 1 2024 and March 5 2025.

The court heard he is originally from the Puntland area of north Somalia and moved to the UK in 2020 to join his mother and brother who were living in Bristol.

Naomi Parsons, prosecuting, said he became radicalised while living in the UK and ’embraced the ideology of Islamic State’.

She told the jury: ‘And with this came a strong desire to return to Somalia and join Isis, to join the Mujahideen, it literally means one who struggles or a fighter, who operate in the mountainous areas near a city called Bosaso, in the north of the Puntland region.

‘Indeed, not only was it a strong desire, but Mr Mohamoud viewed it as his duty.’

Ms Parsons said he then tried to find a contact to help him join the terrorist group.

‘By late 2024 Mr Mohamoud had resolved to join Islamic State in Somalia and bring that into effect,’ she said. 

‘The process is not easy. It is not transparent. You don’t just fill out a form and pay a fee.

‘It takes connections. It takes AI bots and humans working together to find those who are ideologically aligned, the real deal, to join Islamic State.’

‘He went online to speak to AI bots and real people.

‘He found a contact online and told them: ‘I am a Somali boy living in England. I want to travel to Bosaso to join the Mujahideen. Do you know the process on how to migrate?’

He failed to find a guide but booked a flight to Somalia anyway and flew on January 30 2025.

He had booked a return flight for March 3 but had no intention of returning to the UK, she said.

‘As messages show, Mr Mohamoud had no intention of returning to the UK. Indeed, he aspired not simply to join Isis, but he aspired to martyrdom,’ she told the court. 

‘It seems the return ticket was simply to put his family members off the scent – his family were suspicious of him, his mother told him she thought he had been ‘brainwashed by Al-Shabaab’, another terrorist organisation operating in Somalia’.

He is said to have told a contact: ‘God willing I am ready to leave here and I will not return.’

Mohamoud stayed in the country with his grandmother and continued to regularly speak to two contacts within Islamic State, it was heard.

He told one: ‘I am sincere. Only God knows what’s in my heart.

‘I’m longing for martyrdom honestly. There’s no better time than now.’

The court heard his constant use of his phone to send messages, take photos and speak to AI bots has provided a wealth of information on his goings-on in the country and his attempts to join Islamic State.

Islamic State in Somalia, also known as IS-Somalia, is a militant group founded in 2015 from a splinter group of another Al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group.

It aims to overthrow the government in the East African country, establish an Islamic fundamentalist society and act as a support network for ISIS globally.

However because of an ongoing military operation against Islamic State by the Somali government, roads were closed off to the organisation’s bases and Mohamoud was unable to join them.

Ms Parsons said the counter-terrorism operations meant ‘getting into Isis territory was incredibly difficult’.

She said Mohamoud had taken enough money to live on in Somalia and was concerned if he had not reached ISIS by the time of his return ticket he would be reported missing and action would be taken to find him.

He had bought supplies for his mission including hiking boots and a solar-powered battery pack, but struggled to find a ‘guide’ to joining Isis.

Ms Parsons said that after arriving in Somalia, Mohamoud sent a message to a bot used to facilitate contact with ISIS saying he had come from the UK and wanted to ‘join the Mujahideen’.

She said he was then put in contact with two recruiters but was told by one called Abu Ali: ‘Did you realise we’re actually in the middle of a war? You realise how dire things have got. Air strikes keep pounding and there’s fierce combat happening as we speak. You’re following all this?’

Ms Parsons said that Mohamoud replied: ‘Yeah brother, I am fully aware. I’m longing for martyrdom, honestly, there’s no better moment than right now.’

But he was told that the ‘roads’ were closed to joining Isis because of the ‘war’. He was offered a role spying on local communities in the country but it was not in the military as he had hoped and he returned to the UK on his flight on March 3. He was arrested in January when his mobile phones were seized.  

Detective Constable George Reed, who specialises in counter terrorism and was the officer in the case, explained how Mohamoud used the chatbot.

He explained that Mohamoud said ‘translation #start’ in the chat, which activated the bot.

DC Reed said: ‘This is a command prompt for people to access a bot and start chatting with a bot and getting messages from that bot.

‘It’s a programme on Telegram to give pre-determined messages to people in that chat.’

The bot told the young hopeful ‘Welcome’ and he replied: ‘I’m happy to be here.’

DC Reed said that Mohamoud continued to pester his contacts in Somalia about meeting Abdul Qādir Mūmin – the head of IS-Somalia.

He messaged another prospective militant who lived in the country: ‘Hey brother if you are in the country shall we go to Sheikh Mūmin and meet him there.’

Mohamoud was warned by his recruiters that the UK was a ‘bad country’. 

One told him: ‘Brother the country you’re in is a bad one. My advice is to use a Somali number and not your one.

‘Even me in the motherland I’m not safe and you being in their home it is a risk.’

At one point the recruiter referred to a chatroom exclusively for migrants who want to join IS.

He said: ‘Brother I will take you to the room where the migrants are sent if you’re ready.’

DC Reed explained that Mohamoud received his information about Somalia from online sources on Facebook, TikTok and Telegram.

Mohamoud, who was assisted in the dock by a Somali interpreter, denies the charge and the trial continues.

Calvin Buckley’s partner Frankie Jules-Hough was killed in a crash on the M66 in Bury in May 2023.

She had been travelling with her two children and her nephew and all four were taken to hospital by air ambulance.

Tragically, 38-year-old Frankie died from her injuries a few days after the horror crash.

Now, it has been confirmed that driving offenders are not among those blocked from the early release scheme.

The scheme will see thousands of prisoners in England and Wales have their sentences reduced.

Today, after a review of the scheme by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, it was confirmed that those convicted of rape, child sex abuse, and grooming would be excluded from the scheme.

The scheme means that prisoners with sentences of over four years could be freed at their halfway point and less serious sentences could be released after a third of their time.

On Tuesday, August 4, Calvin told BBC Breakfast he was “quite shocked and disappointed” to hear the news.

He told the TV programme he received a letter in June saying the driver of the car might be up for early release.

Calvin said: “I did hope that people who’ve caused death by dangerous driving, serious offence like that were excluded from it.

“Now I’m having to deal with the fact that he could be released.

“Maybe it would be three years, which is something I wasn’t prepared for, and it was not what I was hoping to hear at all.”

The driver, Adil Iqbal, was originally sentenced to 12 years behind bars, but after an appeal, this became 15 years.

The court heard how Iqbal, 22, from Accrington, reached speeds of around 120mph as he swerved from side to side and he weaved in and out of the traffic.

He recorded himself on his phone in the process.

However, he crashed into the barrier, and he careered into the car of Frankie Hough, 38, from Chadderton, who was stranded on the hard shoulder with a puncture alongside her two sons and her nephew.

Iqbal admitted one count of causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

When Frankie died, she was pregnant with their child, and on the day their daughter should have been born, Calvin was in court to appeal the driver’s original sentence.

Calvin told the BBC they believed the defendant would serve a minimum of two-thirds of the sentence, but this might now only be 50 per cent.

This would mean the driver would serve less time than before the appeal.

Calvin said: “We’ve been through all the trauma, the stress, still trying to heal from what’s happened and then we’re finding out, well, that sentence doesn’t actually mean anything.

“For me, it’s another example of road victims not being treated the same as other offences.”

He went on: “I understand there’s a crisis, I agree it needs to be addressed, but not at the expense of the victims.”

Calvin explained he had celebrated Frankie’s birthday this past week with her two sons in her absence and said: “It’s heartbreaking to think that the government are not seeing it as serious.”

CHICAGO (AP) — Tarik Skubal made his Los Angeles Dodgers debut on Tuesday night, pitching six effective innings against the Chicago Cubs.

It was the first start for Skubal since he was acquired in a trade with Detroit on Saturday night. The two-time Cy Young Award winner was booed when he was introduced with the starting lineups and once again when he went out to the mound for his first career appearance at Wrigley Field.

Skubal struck out three while retiring his first six batters. He surrendered a leadoff homer to Dansby Swanson on his first pitch of the third, and Chicago put two runners on with two down. But Skubal retired Alex Bregman on a flyball to center fielder Andy Pages, ending the inning.

Skubal allowed a second run on Nico Hoerner’s infield chopper with two down in the sixth, giving the Cubs a 2-1 lead. He struck out six and walked two while throwing 85 pitches, 51 for strikes.

The NL West-leading Dodgers backed Skubal with a couple of stellar defensive plays. Pages robbed Seiya Suzuki and Pedro Ramírez with two terrific catches, and Kyle Tucker made a lunging grab on Nico Hoerner’s sinking liner to right in the second.

Los Angeles was hoping Skubal can play a key role in its third consecutive World Series championship. The left-hander went 4-1 with a 1.95 ERA in his last six starts for the Tigers, striking out 50 in 37 innings.

“He just does everything right,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And I’ve vetted him a lot with coaches and players, and in between the lines, he’s a dog. Outside the lines, he’s humble, respectful, does and says the right things, and it’s like, that’s what you want. Just fortunate that he’s pitching for us.”

Skubal’s arrival cemented the Dodgers’ status as the majors’ most imposing franchise and public enemy No. 1 for fans of other teams. A plane flew over Wrigley hours before his first start with a banner that read “THE DODGERS RUINED BASEBALL,” but the message appeared to be upside down.

“I don’t really sympathize with people that blame the Dodgers for anything they’ve done,” Skubal said Monday. “They’ve developed a really good organization. They draft well, they acquire talent really well, retain talent. It’s a winning organization.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Collaboration between firm and Google will showcase residents can use AI tools already in their pockets to give them more time to focus on the tasks that they find most rewarding.

Tradespeople in Airdrie and its surrounding areas are invited to learn how artificial intelligence could help them work smarter, reclaim their time and grow their businesses, as Google and Screwfix bring practical AI upskilling to stores across the country.

The collaboration will showcase how Airdrie and North Lanarkshire residents and firms can use the AI tools already in their pockets to give them more time to focus on the tasks that they find most rewarding.

At Screwfix Airdrie on Thursday, August 13, Google’s experts will share helpful AI hacks in the time it takes trades and customers to replenish their tools, from using AI to turn sketches into 3D renderings and handwritten notes into client proposals, at a pop-up event.

Construction is emerging as one of the UK’s leading sectors for AI adoption with 86 per cent of workers using the technology on the job.

Yet, a major guidance gap holds the industry back from unlocking its full potential.

While 71 per cent of construction professionals are eager to expand their AI skills, 54 per cent simply don’t know who to turn to for advice on using the technology in their day-to-day life.

As a result, only 16 per cent of this group are advanced users extracting significant value from the technology.

AI has the potential to increase the average UK SMB’s productivity by 20 per cent – the equivalent of completing an extra day’s worth of work each week – according to Google’s ‘AI Works’ report.

Max Britten, Screwfix MD of UK and Ireland, said: “At Screwfix, we know that time is money for our customers.

“While they’re busy getting the job done, admin and paperwork can quickly pile up.

“That’s why we’re partnering with Google to show how AI can be a practical addition to the toolbox, helping tradespeople save time, work more efficiently and focus on growing their businesses.”

Kate Alessi, MD and VP, Google UK and Ireland, added: “Every tradesperson knows the value of the right tool, and AI is fast becoming another one in their kit.

“Yet, only a small fraction of time-strapped trades are using the technology to unlock a vital productivity boost.

“That’s why we’re excited to partner with Screwfix to put practical AI skills right on the counter, and help more tradespeople use AI to work more effectively and drive their businesses.”

Beyond the stores, Screwfix Rewards customers will have the opportunity to sign up for Google’s AI Professional Certificate for free.

This self-paced course offers the two million members of Screwfix’s loyalty programme a chance to gain in-depth guidance on using AI to solve real business challenges, from research support to content creation.

The AI Professional Certificate comes with three months of access to Google AI Pro at no cost, equipping participants with premium, productivity-boosting tools as they learn how to use the technology to help them grow their businesses.

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St Nicholas Street in Norton is partially closed while Yorkshire Water deal with the repairs.

The road is closed between the junction with Welham Road and St Nicholas Street car park.

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A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said: “The repair has been completed today (Tuesday), and full reinstatement of the excavation will take place tomorrow. Thank you to everyone in the area for their patience. 

“We’re currently dealing with more leaks and bursts than usual as a result of the dry weather.

“As soil loses more and more moisture, the ground shrinks and shifts, which can cause fractures to pipework.

” We’re finding and repairing them as quickly as we can, with teams working 24/7.”

Mayor of Norton Cllr Di Keal, posted earlier this week that the water leak was getting worse with water now across the road.

She said: “There is an obvious crack between the white lines in the centre of the road with water bubbly out in addition to the manhole cover – goodness knows what is happening beneath the road AND how many gallons of water are being wasted.

“It is appalling that this has now been leaking for several weeks when the country is facing drought conditions.”