Durham County Council is planning a major redevelopment of the former Fyndoune Community College site in Sacriston as part of its investment in specialist education.

The new facility will cater for pupils with special educational and medical needs, including secondary school-aged children who require additional support.

A pre-application for the redevelopment has now been submitted to the council, with letters to be delivered to nearby residents from Monday, August 17.

The council said the revamped site would provide a “dedicated, high-quality specialist educational curriculum” designed to prepare young people for life in their local communities.

Councillor Cathy Hunt, the authority’s cabinet member for children and young people’s services, welcomed the plans.

She said: “We are delighted that plans are in place to redevelop Fyndoune.

“As part of our commitment to invest in services that are vital to our communities, these proposals will help us to support even more of our young people.

“The redevelopment of Fyndoune will allow for secondary pupils with additional needs to stay closer to home, as well as supporting those across the county who are unable to attend school for medical reasons, to make the transition back into mainstream school.”

The council also said the new facilities would benefit the wider Sacriston community, with residents able to access both indoor and outdoor facilities.

Councillor Hunt added: “We will also make sure that the updated facilities will benefit the community, offering access to both indoor and outdoor facilities for residents, promoting positive health, wellbeing and community engagement.

“We look forward to work getting underway to redevelop the site in the new year.”

Fyndoune Community College closed in April 2021 following a merger with Durham Community Business College for Technology and Enterprise in Ushaw Moor.

The announcement comes after the Reform-led administration launched a new capital programme earlier this year, aimed at improving schools, children’s and adults’ social care, and infrastructure. 

Among the investments is £33.5 million in special educational school provision, including a £13.5 million investment in new facilities at Fyndoune and £26 million for a new special school at Villa Real, Consett. There are also plans to invest £7 million towards Durham Cares, aimed at alleviating pressures on children’s services.  

A public consultation event will be held in the school hall at Fyndoune on Thursday, August 27.

The event, which will take place between 4pm and 7pm, will feature a display of the proposed plans.

One month after The Salt Path was released in cinemas, an exposé claimed that author Raynor Winn had lied about many aspects of her alleged life story. Now, the film is about to be released in the US – and bizarrely, its lead stars are expected to do press interviews about the project.

Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs previously remained silent on the controversy, but the latter, best known for Harry Potter and The White Lotus, has addressed the scandal for the first time.

Isaacs appeared on Kermode on Film podcast, when host Mark Kermode asked him: “You made The Salt Path, which is only now coming out in America?”

The actor replied: “It’s going to be interesting doing publicity for The Salt Path now that there’s been… I said, ‘Are you sure you want us to do publicity?’ They went, ‘Absolutely.’”

Isaacs said he was fine with the decision as he thinks “it’s a beautiful film” and “that much of it is still completely valid”, but levelled: “Obviously, some of the things have been questioned. It’s going to be an interesting experience.”

The Salt Path, which was published in 2018 and has sold over two million copies worldwide, details how Raynor Winn and her husband Moth lost their house after a friend invested their money poorly. It charts their fall into homelessness and the long walk that miraculously eased symptoms of Moth’s rare, terminal neurological disease (corticobasal degeneration or CBD).

However, the Observer investigation put this whole narrative into question. It was alleged that Winn had stolen large amounts of money from her place of work, gone into hiding, lost the house after borrowing around £100,000 from a family member, and owned land in France where she and her husband could have lived.

Winn has strongly denied the allegations against her, stating they are “highly misleading”.

“The Salt Path lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives,” she said in response. “This is the true story of our journey.”

She also called the investigation “grotesquely unfair” and shared photographs of redacted clinic letters, addressed to her husband, that appear to show that he was “treated for CBD/S [corticobasal syndrome] and has been for many years”.

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The film was originally set to be released in the US and Canada on 22 May, but has been pushed back to 4 September. It’s being distributed by Rialto, whose CEO, Kelly Rogers, described the project as “a film of quiet power” and said that it “speaks to something deeply human”, according to Variety.

The film was a box office hit in the UK, where it earned £7.6m, making it one of 2025’s most successful British indie movies.

When the Salt Path scandal broke last summer, the book’s publisher, Penguin, said that it “undertook all the necessary due diligence” before releasing the book in 2018, and said that it had “not received any concerns about the book’s content” before the investigation was released.

Winn had been due to release another book, her fourth non-fiction title, On Winter Hill, in October 2025, but its publication has since been delayed to January 2028 after the author suffered “considerable distress”.

Dakota Ditcheva says she has “cried non-stop” after breaking both of her hands in the win over Denise Kielholtz – just months after recovering from similar injuries.

The Briton outclassed Kielholtz at PFL New York earlier this month to win by unanimous decision in her first fight in just over a year.

The 28-year-old had not fought since July 2025 as a result of breaking her left hand – then suffered a fracture in her other hand five months later.

Despite comfortably beating Kielholtz on her return, Ditcheva says she fought the majority of the contest with two broken hands.

“I broke my hands in the fight. I could feel it from the second I started the second round,” she said on YouTube., external

“I didn’t tell my corner. I didn’t tell anybody. I didn’t show it this time, and I didn’t actually tell anybody until I got out of the cage.

“I am back in splints until my surgeon has decided what the next steps are going forward, which will be in the next few days.”

Ditcheva, who extended the unbeaten start to her career to 16 fights, said one of her injuries occurred after opting not to have surgery on it last year while the other is a “small break on the other finger that didn’t hold up so well”.

“The good thing is I have no new breaks. It’s just the hand that wasn’t operated on that I broke at the end of last year,” added Ditcheva.

“I was told that if I didn’t go ahead with surgery at that time, there was a possibility it could break again. I took the risk in not doing the surgery because I was hoping it would hold strong, and it didn’t.

“So therefore I’m paying the price for it now and I will be out for a little bit.”

‘Dear Football Family, 

‘Football is the world’s greatest shared passion. It belongs to no individual and no institution.

‘It belongs to the players, the fans, the clubs, the Member Associations and every institution entrusted with safeguarding its future.

‘It is in that spirit, as confederations representing its members, that we speak collectively today.

‘The growth over the past decade has been real. But that progress was never the work of one individual. It was the product of FIFA, the Confederations, the Member Associations, and the thousands of people who dedicate their lives to the game.

‘The expanded tournaments, the awarding of the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups, the distribution of resources to associations. These were shared achievements, agreed together, delivered together.

‘This is not about money. The Confederations have already called for the responsible distribution of FIFA’s vast existing reserves to further strengthen investment in the development of Member Associations.

‘Nor is it about any Member Association losing the support it has earned, despite the fearmongering directed at our membership to suggest otherwise. Nor is it about revisiting the expansion of competitions, World Cup allocations, or any other decisions reached collectively. Those decisions were made together, and they must stand.

‘This is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it.

‘Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it.

‘When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned.

‘FIFA’s recent letter to its Vice-Presidents and 211 Member Associations acknowledges that mistakes were made in the process. It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment. A proposal advanced on a compressed timeline, without meaningful consultation, and pushed toward a deadline before Member Associations could properly review its terms is not the product of an oversight — it is the product of a design intended to limit scrutiny.

‘It did not acknowledge that the proposal itself was inherently wrong. There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgment — not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions FIFA exists to serve.

‘FIFA has also committed to presenting a full report on these events to the FIFA Council, once again failing to recognize that proper governance in the face of such a profound lack of judgment would require that such a review be conducted by a fully independent third party, not by FIFA itself, its staff, or by any stakeholder within football. The FIFA administration should play no role in conducting the review.

‘As per previous correspondence, all relevant documents and records must be preserved in accordance with UEFA’s communication on preservation of documents.

‘FIFA’s own letter also confirms that only one elected official was present at the leadership meeting in Morocco. No FIFA Council members or Member Associations were invited to participate. Only the management committee, composed of FIFA-employed senior staff, was present.

‘This recent meeting, where a select number of members of the FIFA Management Committee—not the full Committee—were summoned abroad, rather than leadership going to Zurich to address the heart of FIFA, its staff, only reinforces these concerns and represents a continuation of the very pattern of conduct that brought us to this moment. It is not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes the game is answerable to him.

‘There is silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness.

‘These are not the qualities football deserves in its leadership. That is why we have taken this stance: not lightly and not alone, but together, and out of duty to the game we serve.

‘Football’s strength has always been its unity. We call for that unity to be honoured now, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it.’

As the heart and hub of the home, the kitchen is widely seen as a room that can either make or break the value of a property.

But with interior trends ever-changing, it can be hard to keep up with which materials, furniture and latest pieces of technology are truly worth adding to your beloved kitchen space.

According to interiors expert Deirdre McGettrick, CEO of the UK’s leading furniture finder website uFurnish.com, the wrong kitchen renovations can be detrimental to a home’s value and can quickly lead to a room becoming ‘dated’ and grimy’.

Indeed, research conducted by Which? earlier this year found that a sophisticated kitchen refit can increase a property’s price by between five and 15 per cent, while even a straightforward non-structural update can add between five and 10 per cent.

‘It’s true – kitchens really do sell homes,’ Deirdre told the Daily Mail. ‘Keep worktops clear and let the long summer light flood in, because a bright, open kitchen always feels bigger and more inviting.

‘Bar stools and a coffee bar cabinet doesn’t need to take up too much space and, of course, a plush fruit bowl piled high and a vase of fresh flowers elevates the room.’

From islands to appliances, shelving and even sink style – read on to discover the ultimate ways to make your kitchen look instantly more luxurious…

1. Avoid double islands if space is short 

Marking her 45th birthday last week, Meghan Markle enjoyed a dance around the kitchen at her luxurious Montecito mansion… and shimmied around not one, but two islands.

Indeed, having a ‘double island kitchen’ appears to have become a true status symbol for discerning homeowners on both sides of the Pond in recent years – loved by A-listers including domestic goddess Martha Stewart. 

But Deirdre warns that if space in your kitchen is limited, then a double island may not be such a sensible move. 

‘A second island eats into circulation space, so if the kitchen isn’t large enough, buyers viewing the property may see it as impractical rather than aspirational – a kitchen that’s harder to move around in day to day, not easier,’ she said.

‘It can also read as a highly personal, trend-led choice rather than a flexible layout, which may make buyers mentally price in the cost of ripping it out and reconfiguring the space to suit their own needs.’

2. Reconsider old-fashioned integrated appliances  

While integrated appliances were once seen as a smart and effective way to store appliances in smaller kitchen spaces, Deirdre warns that buyers may be concerned that ‘repairs and replacements are typically pricier’. Pictured: Stacey Solomon in her kitchen 

While integrated appliances were once seen as a smart and effective way to store appliances in smaller kitchen spaces, Deirdre warns that buyers may be concerned that ‘repairs and replacements are typically pricier’.

‘An engineer often has to remove surrounding cabinet panels to access the appliance,’ she explained. 

Deirdre noted that prospective buyers may see an integrated appliance as a ‘hidden cost rather than a selling point’.

Noting that some may look ‘dated’, she added that modern freestanding appliances can often help keep a buyer at ease – ensuring they can ‘easily verify their condition or age during a viewing’.  

3. Swap open shelves for proper storage

According to Deirdre, opting for ‘open shelving over closed cabinets’ is ‘one of the biggest mistakes’ homeowners can make when it comes to decorating their kitchen. Pictured: Mollie King, 39, showed off a sleek, ivory-hued kitchen 

According to Deirdre, opting for ‘open shelving over closed cabinets’ is ‘one of the biggest mistakes’ homeowners can make when it comes to decorating their kitchen.

She added: ‘It looks appealing in photos and shows off nice crockery, but in everyday life, all your clutter ends up on display too, and the kitchen can quickly start to look messy rather than tidy.’

Instead, Deirdre advises opting for ‘drawers rather than shelves’ in a bid to try and keep the mess at bay. 

‘Choose bigger, closed cabinets that hide away countertop clutter. It keeps the kitchen looking – and functioning – better, and it’s far more practical for day-to-day family life.’

4. Add shelving into cabinets

Not only can cabinets help hide clutter, but they can also offer vast amounts of storage that will add vast value to your property. 

According to Deirdre, incorporating ‘cabinets with ridges inside them’ are a highly sensible option as they allow you to ‘move the shelf heights up and down as needed’. 

‘It sounds like a small thing, but it means you’ll never have to squash the top of a cereal box in again just to get the door shut,’ she explained. 

‘And those viewing your home will be able to change these to suit their needs.’

5. Ditch high-gloss cabinets 

While glossy cabinets may look sleek and dignified, they almost instantly show fingerprints and watermarks much more easily. Pictured: Geri Halliwell in her kitchen 

While glossy cabinets may look sleek and dignified, they almost instantly show fingerprints and watermarks much more easily.

‘You’re wiping them constantly,’ Deirdre added. 

‘The same goes for any cabinet with ridges or grooves in the design – dust and grime collects in every groove over time.’

To avoid the cleaning complications that come with these cabinets, Deirdre recommends investing in an ‘easy-to-wipe matte finish’ instead. 

‘When selling your home, potential buyers want to see your kitchen as clean and low maintenance, rather than grimy,’ she added. 

6. Keep things simple with delicate sink materials

One of the most important parts of the kitchen is undoubtedly the sink, with prospective buyers keen to take on a sink that is as practical as possible. Pictured: Molly Mae in her kitchen 

One of the most important parts of the kitchen is undoubtedly the sink, with prospective buyers keen to take on a sink that is as practical as possible.

To avoid lowering the value of your home, Deirdre recommends not investing in ceramics or delicate materials, but instead considering the day-to-day usage of the sink. 

‘While white ceramic looks lovely, it’s much more delicate than stainless steel – you can’t use wire wool or anything abrasive to clean it without risking damage,’ she explains. 

‘When buyers are looking for a new home, that’s a real practical consideration – as it could be something they’d need to replace. 

‘I’d say think about how the sink will actually be used day to day, not just how it looks in the showroom, before choosing the material.’

7. Don’t forget about plug sockets

In the modern day, plug sockets are a hugely important factor in any room – including the kitchen.

Describing limited plug sockets as a ‘setback that could cost you money,’ Deirdre notes that while older kitchen units may not include plug sockets, it could well be worth investing in a few in and around the kitchen to avoid any further losses. 

‘People plan sockets around the big appliances – the cooker, the dishwasher, the fridge – and then forget everything else,’ she added. 

‘However, in this smart world, having plugs for devices and routers is a must.’

Experts have warned that so-called eclipse glasses that do not carry the safety standards, or ordinary sunglasses, no matter how dark, should never be worn to view an eclipse, as they reduce glare, making it feel more comfortable to look at the Sun for longer, but still allow harmful solar radiation to reach the retina.

In the summer months, they can grow between cracks in your paving slabs or through your lawn.

Many people suggest using vinegar, baking soda, or chemical sprays to get rid of weeds.

A gardening expert has shared a hack using a common household item that might surprise you.

The cardboard helps block the sunlight from the weeds. (Image: Getty)

How to get rid of weeds in your garden

For the hack, you only need one thing, which is cardboard.

Chris Bonnett, horticulturalist and founder of GardeningExpress, said: “Using leftover cardboard is an eco-friendly method that allows you to recycle old boxes while helping the soil as the cardboard naturally decomposes.

“Laying cardboard over problematic areas helps suppress weeds by blocking out sunlight, which is crucial for them to grow.”

All you have to do is cut a piece of cardboard to fit any area that has a problem with weeds and place it over the top.

You need to make sure you remove any tape or stickers from the cardboard, as these are not biodegradable.

You should press it down to stop there from being any gaps between the pieces of cardboard.

Chris added: “If smaller pieces of cardboard are all that are at hand, overlap them by around 15cm to stop weeds creeping through the edges to reach the sunlight.”

The hack is also great, as it helps to nourish the soil underneath.

After placing the cardboard down, cover it with some mulch or compost to hold it in place and help the soil to retain some moisture.

The weeds will decompose, and the cardboard will slowly break down naturally.

Chris said: “After a few months, the cardboard will begin to decompose, benefiting the soil as brown matter, helping to create a healthier growing environment for the rest of your plants.”

This method is better than using harsh chemicals in your garden, as they can disrupt the balance and heath of your garden and create problems for other plants that you might want to grow.

Did you know about this chemical-free hack to get rid of weeds from your garden? Let us know in the comments.

Provisional Home Office figures for the number of people who have crossed the Channel to the UK this year so far is 14,819 – 43% lower than the number recorded by this time last year, and down 16% on the same period in 2024.

Earlier this month, more than 170 people were rescued after the boat they were using to make the crossing caught fire.

On X, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “At 2.30am this morning a boat carrying 230 people was taken into Dover.

“This is a record number in a single vessel.

“It’s yet more proof that this illegal invasion is a national security emergency.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020.

“But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40% more boots on the ground on French beaches.”

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1) Your dog wants to be near you, especially when they’re stressed

2) They raise their eyebrows at you

3) Your dog is a petty thief

4) They hate to see you stressed

5) They keep soft, relaxed eye contact with you

Reform UK plans to deport foreign criminals to hellhole jails in El Salvador if Nigel Farage becomes Prime Minister. 

Lee Anderson, the party’s chairman, is expected to travel to the Central American country within months for talks with President Nayib Bukele’s government. 

Mr Farage has reportedly held initial discussions with Salvadoran officials about the possibility of renting places at the country’s prisons, which are known worldwide for their tough, spartan regimes. 

Unveiling Reform’s prisons policy last night, the party’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf vowed to ‘change the law so that those who commit serious crimes such as murder, manslaughter, rape and serious violence serve their full sentences’.

He said: ‘Unbelievably, there are over 10,000 foreign nationals in British jails.

‘We will deport all foreign nationals from our jails. If their home countries won’t take them back we will send them to serve their sentences in countries like El Salvador and Kosovo.

‘We will use the space created to ensure that serious criminals stay where they belong. Behind bars.’

Inmates at El Salvador’s Counter-Terrorism Confinement Centre (Cecot) are crammed behind floor-to-ceiling bars with nothing to do

The plans echo a US policy in which Donald Trump struck an agreement with El Salvador to deport migrants from the United States.

The Sun reported Mr Farage will today pledge to create 12,000 new prison spaces through the construction of pop-up nightingale prisons.

Temporary nightingale hospitals and courts were introduced during the pandemic to provide additional space for treatment and hearings.

Mr Farage is also expected to promise an end to early release for dangerous offenders and reintroduce short sentences for shoplifters.

It comes as the Government has faced pressure over its early release scheme, which starts in October in a bid to tackle prison overcrowding.

Some 5,000 people are expected to be released early under sentencing changes, down from 6,000 after the exemptions announced as part of an urgent review of the scheme.

Under current plans, PC Andrew Harper’s killers remain eligible to be freed halfway through their 13-year sentences after they were convicted of manslaughter in 2020 following Mr Harper’s death in 2019.

More than 850,000 people have signed a petition calling for Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers to remain in jail, with a Government source saying the Prime Minister is prepared to ‘explore every option’ to block their early release.

El Salvador’s most famous prison is the Terrorism Confinement Centre (Cecot). 

A cornerstone of Mr Bukele’s war on drug cartels, it houses thousands of shaven-headed inmates who sit in silence in windowless concrete cells where they are kept locked up for 23-and-a-half hours a day.

There are no family visits, no recreational spaces and no rehabilitation programmes at the jail

Good Morning Britain host Richard Madeley visited the prison earlier this year and described its regime. 

‘They just sit on their bunks, day in day out, and the prison lights stay on 24/7, never dimmed. All will die in this prison. It’s a living death,’ he said. 

The 57-acre facility was built to hold up to 40,000 prisoners and currently houses an estimated 15,000 inmates. 

Many are suspected members of rival gangs that terrorised the country for decades, alongside convicted murderers and rapists.

Mr Madeley said: ‘Nothing, absolutely nothing, can prepare you for the sight of 3,000 shaven-headed men crammed behind floor-to-ceiling bars. No doors. No screening.

‘They sit there in permanently open view through the bars, on tiers of metal bunks four-high – no mattresses, just thin cotton sheets – staring out. It’s one hell of a sight’

President Bukele ordered the mega-prison to be built in March 2022 as part of his campaign against El Salvador’s gangs, and it opened a year later.

There are no workshops, libraries, opportunities to learn kitchen skills and no visitors.

Mr Madeley added: ‘All meals must be taken in their cells, inside which they spend 23-and-a-half hours every day, with just 30 minutes outside for brief, heavily guarded exercise.’

A Labour Party spokesman said: ‘Keeping the public safe is and always will be Labour’s first priority. The Government has already made clear we are working at pace to deport foreign criminals and we’re building more prison places to deliver justice for victims and keep criminals behind bars.

‘Reform have no serious answers to the Tory prisons crisis and would lead the system to collapse. This would result in a free-for-all for dangerous and violent offenders, including murderers and rapists.

‘Nigel Farage and Reform simply can’t be trusted to keep Britain safe.’