The Causeway Coast settlement has been rated Northern Ireland’s top seaside town in the annual Which? reader survey, beating off competition from well-known rivals

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Northern Ireland’s top seaside destination has been revealed – and it’s not Ballycastle, Portrush or Newcastle.

This summer has been an absurdly hot one across the UK. Last week, Northern Ireland entered its fourth heatwave of the season. Temperatures exceeded 25C in several spots on Thursday, while Armagh had three consecutive days of 25C or more, meaning it is officially a heatwave.

According to the Met Office, the mean temperature this summer in Northern Ireland is 15.4C, which is 1.38C above the long-term average. The country is on track to record its hottest summer ever.

While this has (and should) make us concerned about the worsening impacts of climate change, it has also presented some good opportunities to head to the beach. And Northern Ireland has one of the best.

Every year, Which? readers cast their votes to determine their preferred coastal location across the UK. England’s Bognor Regis had another year to forget, finishing bottom of the rankings for the second year running, with visitors criticising its high costs and dilapidated appearance.

Fortunately, none of Northern Ireland’s seaside towns featured among the worst 30. In fact, one secured a place on the ‘best’ list.

Several local contenders were in the running. Portrush in County Antrim is arguably the province’s most famous coastal town, sitting on a rugged peninsula with three expansive sandy beaches. Newcastle in County Down is another firm favourite, nestled between the Irish Sea and the Mourne Mountains and offering a fine combination of mountain trails and coastal walks. Then there’s Ballycastle, also in County Antrim — a historic market town that consistently ranks among the finest places to live, with a stunning Blue Flag beach and a thriving traditional harbour.

Yet none of these made the Which? list. That accolade belongs to Portstewart in County Derry.

Portstewart ranks among the most picturesque destinations along Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast, and its appeal is easy to understand. Portstewart Strand is the headline attraction — a two-mile Blue Flag beach managed by the National Trust and backed by a spectacular dune system. What sets it apart is the rare ability to drive directly onto the sand, making it ideal for families with young children or those travelling with lots of kit. Whether you fancy swimming, surfing, paddleboarding or simply a stroll through the dunes, there is something for everyone.

The town itself has plenty more to offer. The Promenade retains its charming Victorian-era seafront character, lined with cafes, ice cream parlours and sweeping sea views. During the summer months, it becomes the beating heart of the town’s social scene.

Much like Broadstairs in Kent, Portstewart has its own ice cream institution in Morelli’s. A beloved fixture on the Prom, it has been serving locals and visitors alike since the early 1900s.

Golf enthusiasts are equally well catered for at Portstewart Golf Club, which features three courses including a championship links course that hugs the coastline. The world-renowned Royal Portrush is also within easy reach.

For those with a cultural appetite, Flowerfield Arts Centre — housed within a grand Victorian mansion — hosts exhibitions and events throughout the year. The town also serves as an excellent base for exploring the wider coastline, with convenient access to the Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, Dunluce Castle and Mussenden Temple. The area has long attracted Game of Thrones fans too, thanks to its proximity to a number of filming locations used in the series.

In contrast to its livelier neighbour Portrush, Portstewart maintains a calmer, more residential atmosphere — making it an ideal base for those who want easy access to the region’s attractions without the bustle of the crowds.

The town itself has plenty more to offer. The Promenade retains its charming Victorian-era seafront character, lined with cafes, ice cream parlours and sweeping sea views.

Much like Broadstairs in Kent, Portstewart boasts its own ice cream institution — Morelli’s. A beloved fixture on the Prom, it has been serving locals and visitors alike since the early 1900s.

For those with a cultural appetite, Flowerfield Arts Centre — Northern Ireland’s first such venue — is housed within a grand Victorian mansion and hosts exhibitions and events throughout the year. The town serves as an excellent starting point for discovering the broader coastline, offering convenient access to the Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, Dunluce Castle, and Mussenden Temple.

Paul Kemp has sold the Last Drop Inn to the Ilkley-based White Wells pub company.

As previously reported, Paul acquired the Last Drop Inn from the Black Sheep Brewery after it entered administration in 2023 and transformed the venue into a much-loved, award-winning success.

However, earlier this year, the 51-year-old announced plans to sell the pub mainly for health reasons and to seek a new ‘adventure’ whilst he was young.

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White Wells Pub company was formed earlier this year and bar at 20 and spent the last 15 years in brewingis made up of Ian Fozard of Harrogate-based Roosters Brewery; Paul Betts of Roosters Brewery and the Ilkley Brewing Company, Graham Smith and Luke Raven.

Luke says White Wells was formed out of a love for pubs, to see them thrive, not just survive. The company seeks ‘pubs with purpose’, aiming to put quality first, be it beer or service.

Luke has worked in hospitality since he was 15, starting out as a pub bottlewasher. He opened his first bar at 10 and then spent 15 years at the Ilkley Brewery, rising to becoming its managing director until recently. He also co-owns The Ilkley Tap, which opened in 2024.

Luke Raven of the White Wells Pub Company getting the keys from Paul Kemp (Image: Darren Greenwood)

He left the brewery to set up the White Wells Pub Company, which aims to have an estate of ten pubs in the next couple of years.

Luke told the Press: “This won’t be a chain, with one-size-fits-all branding or approach – each site we find will be unique and will have its own identity.”

Luke says the Last Drop Inn is ‘fantastic’ noting Paul Kemp “transformed it from a tired and unloved pub into a cask beer haven.”

He continued: “When we found out it might be available, we didn’t hesitate. Just before the sale went through, the Last Drop was awarded City Pub of the Year by York CAMRA, and so we see ourselves as proud custodians more than anything else.”

Already, Luke says the basics are in place, with loyal regulars, who will be sought their views.

The number of handpull cask lines will be increased from 8 to ten, ensuring there is alcohol free beer, and expanding the local craft beers, with an emphasis on Yorkshire.

Luke continued: “We’re planning a little facelift at the beginning of September, to freshen up the place and also to increase the seating options. York is such a vibrant city, and Colliergate always bustling and busy, but our little pub is easy to miss, so we want to add some subtle touches that draw people in. We are also looking to utilise additional space in the upstairs rooms.”

The venue continues with its cask club, its Wednesday pub quiz, pies from from the Sambles Pie & Sausage company, and is planning to relaunch live music very soon. There is also a Last Drop loyalty card, plus a locally-brewed Last Drop Lager and Blonde

All the former staff were kept on and the only new member is a returning staff member Nat, who was recommended by Paul Kemp and is back as manager.

Luke added his company has offers for a number of pubs across Yorkshire and having “fallen in love” with York, could acquire a second venue in the city.

He added on Thursday September 10, the Last Drop will celebrate its mini-refit  and “would love to welcome faces new and old for a drink that evening.”

At the time, the true extent of the violence and its racial motivations were not fully exposed. Senior Metropolitan police officers attempted to dismiss the violence as the work of “ruffians, both coloured and white” hellbent on hooliganism. But confidential police files only released in 2002 confirm what many in the black community already knew to be true: that the unrest was overwhelmingly instigated by 300 to 400-strong “Keep Britain White” mobs, many of them Teddy Boys armed with iron bars, butcher’s knives and weighted leather belts, who went on a rampage among the West Indian residents of Notting Hill. The files, which were closed under the 75-year rule but were released early, show that senior officers tried to convince the then home secretary, “Rab” Butler, that there had been no real racial element to the rioting.

The victim was found at his home

A man who stabbed his father in a “horrific act of violence” pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Adam Merritt stabbed 60-year-old Robert Merritt 16 times at home in Orton Malborne, Peterborough, in June 2022.

Mr Merritt was found at his home in the early hours of June 29, 2022. He was found with injuries and was declared dead shortly afterwards. A post-mortem examination concluded that Mr Merritt died from stab wounds.

His son, Merritt, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and was taken to Thorpe Wood Police Station. He was since charged with murder.

Merritt had lived with a chronic psychiatric disorder since 2008, according to the BBC. He reportedly stopped taking his anti-psychotic medication two weeks before the attack but had taken a dose of medicine the day before stabbing his father to death, the jury heard.

On Friday, August 14, Merritt pleaded not guilty to murder, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He was handed a Section 37 hospital order and Section 41 restrictions order.

Detective Superintendent Iain Moor, from the Beds, Cambs and Herts Major Crime Unit, said: “What Adam Merritt did that day was a horrific act of violence, which saw a man who was a father, a grandfather, a friend, and a neighbour tragically lose his life. The whole case is terribly sad and my thoughts and sympathies are with the family.”

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for help to identify a man following a racially aggravated incident in Harrogate.

The incident took place in Ripon Road, where a man was racially abused and had his car attacked as he drove along.

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“We believe the man in the image will have information that could help our investigation,” said a spokesperson for the force.

Anyone who recognises him or can help identify him is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police by emailing Sam.Raw@northyorkshire.police.uk, calling 101, or contacting Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Please quote reference 12260140563 when providing information.

Chris Appleton showcased his very muscular frame on Sunday as he worked out in a London park ahead of making his Strictly Come Dancing debut next month.

Kim Kardashian’s hairstylist, 43, looked on fine form as he was put through his paces by a personal trainer in Hyde Park.

The hunk, who recently shaved and dyed his hair blond, was sure to garner plenty of attention while showing off his ripped six pack in black shorts.

He also donned white trainers and a grey hoodie, which was promptly removed as he worked up a sweat while skipping. 

While his professional dance partner will no doubt whip him into shape in rehearsals, his trainer ensured that Chris will be physically prepared for training, with the conceptual hair stylist seen sprinting through the park.

He was also seen doing lunges during the workout, with things intensifying as dumbbells were added. 

Kim Kardashian’s hairstylist, 43, looked on fine form as he was put through his paces by a personal trainer in Hyde Park

Chris, who is currently flat hunting in the capital, was also seen picking up a kettlebell while an agility ladder was laid out ahead of him.

Amid the gruelling workout, the soon-to-be Strictly star stopped for a well-earned break as he hydrated with a bottle of water. 

Chris is a world-renowned hairstylist and is best known for working with Kim Kardashian. 

Named a ‘Hair Star’ by Vogue UK, Chris’s work has been showcased on covers and in major features for publications including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, Grazia, L’Officiel Paris and more. 

His other celebrity clients include Jennifer Lopez, Sofía Vergara, Ariana Grande and Katy Perry. 

Back in June, during an appearance at Wimbledon, Kim’s pal looked ahead to his Strictly stint and revealed his dream pro partner is US dancer Alexis Warr, 26. 

He told the Daily Mail: ‘I’d love to be with Alexis. She’s amazing and I think our personalities would work really well together.’

Alexis made her Strictly debut last year and finished as runner up with her partner, TikTok star George Clarke.

The hunk, who recently shaved and dyed his hair blonde, was sure to garner plenty of attention while showing off his ripped six pack in black shorts

Chris put on a head-turning display as he worked up a sweat in the London park

Chris donned white trainers and a grey hoodie, which was promptly removed as he worked up a sweat while skipping

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While his dance partner will no doubt whip him into shape in rehearsals, his trainer ensured that Chris will be physically prepared, with the hair stylist seen sprinting through the park

Chris showed off his form as he sprinted alongside a woman while his trainer watched on

He was also seen doing lunges during the workout, with things intensifying as dumbbells were added

The hair stylist pushed himself during the workout

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Chris, who is currently flat hunting in the capital, was also seen picking up a kettlebell while an agility ladder was laid out ahead of him 

The soon-to-be Strictly star was full of concentration as he watched his trainer

Amid the gruelling workout, Chris stopped for a well-earned break as he hydrated with a bottle of water

She also has a big presence back home in the US where she first achieved fame by winning So You Think You Can Dance in 2022.  

Chris is part of the 2026 Strictly line-up which also includes Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best, Dame Sarah Storey, Jaime Winstone, Bethany Antonia, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Graeme Hall, Lawrence Robb, Tabby Stoecker, John Nellis and Melanie Walters.  

The cast for the upcoming 2026 series is complete but disappointed fans of the BBC‘s flagship show have criticised the ‘weak’ line-up, with fans claiming there aren’t enough ‘household names’. 

An insider has revealed the BBC has a casting strategy as part of its major overhaul of the show, which has been running for 22 years.

This year the series has been deliberate in its targeting of celebrities with big social media followings in a ploy to attract younger viewers to the show.

It has been suggested this is to follow a similar, hugely successful social media strategy employed by its US counterpart Dancing With The Stars. 

‘Although your traditional Strictly audience might not know who some of the signings are, that’s not as important as bringing in new viewers who are more than familiar with them,’ the source revealed.

‘Their followers are vast in numbers, enthusiastic and, by sharing content on Strictly, raise the profile of the show massively.

Chris is a world-renowned hair stylist and is best known for working with Kim Kardashian  

‘And, in time, the viewers who don’t know these people get to know them. If anything they end up going on much more of a “Strictly Journey” than the stars you’d describe as “household names,”‘ the source added to The Sun.

Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian’s hair stylist Chris might not be a household name, but he does boast a huge social media following with 4million fans on Instagram.

Dancing With The Stars has used their celebrity contestants’ followings to their advantage, introducing a TikTok Night last year – an episode which saw the contestants perform viral dance routines, sparking an uptick in interaction from younger viewers.

The Dancing With The Stars TikTok account now has more than 5million followers, in comparison to Strictly’s 670,000.

The insider has explained that the BBC struggles to attract big-name celebrities these days because the landscape has changed.

The source continued: ‘Crucially the pipeline that used to feed these big shows has changed.

‘Boyband and girlband stars aren’t as prevalent any more and, once upon a time, getting someone from a soap or a big drama was a massive deal, but now even that has diminished somewhat.

‘Now, though, social media is continuing to boom and big stars from the world of TikTok, YouTube and Instagram are known to a vast section of society.’

STRICTLY COME DANCING 2026: MEET THE CONTESTANTS

LACEY TURNER 

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AGE: 38

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Playing Stacey Slater on BBC’s EastEnders 

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’m so excited and terrified at the same time but I’ve had so many friends do Strictly and I thought it was about time that I plunked up the courage and made my way onto that dance floor.’

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DELTA GOODREM

AGE: 41

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Played Nina Tucker in Neighbours and has released eight music albums

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WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’ve been incredibly honoured to perform on many different stages throughout my career – from tv, theatre, film sets, to touring my own shows around the world, there is however one stage I’ve never stepped onto and that is the ballroom floor!’

CACH MERCER

AGE: 25

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BEST KNOWN FOR?: Won Love Island 2025 and is a TikTok influencer

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I have grown up watching the show with my family and am so excited to now be part of the cast. Dancing is a huge passion of mine and I can’t wait to learn Ballroom and do the Foxtrot for the first time!’

DAME SARAH STOREY

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AGE: 48

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Britain’s most successful Paralympian 

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘Embarking on a new challenge so soon after stepping down as an athlete is hugely exciting.’

BETHANY ANTONIA 

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AGE: 28

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Plays Lady Baela Targaryen in House of the Dragon

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I have grown up watching Strictly, and I am so excited to take the challenge on and (hopefully!) learn a new skill.’

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GRAEME ‘THE DOGFATHER’ HALL

AGE: 59

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Hosts Channel 5 series Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly

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WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I have watched the show for years, so to be a part of it feels like a very exciting challenge, albeit more than a bit nerve-wracking!’

TABBY STOECKER 

AGE: 25

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BEST KNOWN FOR?: Olympic champion skeleton racer

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’ve had the wildest year of my life so far, so to be rounding it off with a childhood dream of dancing in the Strictly ballroom is surreal and I can’t wait to get stuck in!’

MELANIE WALTERS 

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AGE: 64

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Playing Gwen West in BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘Performing in Pantomime for the last 15 years, my Strictly ‘fix’ has always been watching in a dressing room rather than my front room.’

DANI DYER

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AGE: 30

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Winning Love Island and being the daughter of actor Danny Dyer

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I am so excited to be back in the ballroom this September! I just cannot wait to get my dancing shoes back on and hopefully this time around I can actually make it to week one!’

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CHRIS APPLETON

AGE: 43

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Hairdresser to the stars – including Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez

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WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’m thrilled to be joining Strictly and coming home to the UK for this incredible experience. I’ve always believed that the best things happen when you take a chance and try something new.’

WILL BEST

AGE: 41

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BEST KNOWN FOR?: Hosts Big Brother and previously TV

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’ve been lucky to do lots of live telly before, but absolutely nothing like this. And I cannot wait!’

JAIME WINSTONE

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AGE: 41

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Starring in films such as Kidulthood and Tomb Raider

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I am no stranger to a dance floor, but the ballroom is a whole new world for me.’

SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS 

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AGE: 44

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Footballer who played for the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘Strictly is definitely outside my comfort zone, but I’m super excited to get started and really looking forward to the challenge!’

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LAWRENCE ROBB

AGE: 34

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Plays Mackenzie Boyd on ITV’s Emmerdale

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WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I can’t quite believe that I am going to be getting my dancing shoes on this September on one of my favourite shows of all time!’

JOHN NELLIS 

AGE: 33

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BEST KNOWN FOR?: Face of a popular football-focused YouTube channel

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I can’t wait to meet everyone, learn a new skill and, hopefully, be much better at family parties by the end of it!’

 

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Jeremy Clarkson has described how he keeps the grass at his Cotswolds pub green despite facing a hosepipe ban amid the country’s crippling drought.

Mr Clarkson, whose Diddly Squat farm was made famous by his Amazon Prime series, shared a tactic he used at his Farmer’s Dog pub to access water.

Aerial images from above the pub on Monday showed much of the grass remaining lush green while some patches and the neighbouring fields were parched brown.

The former Top Gear host, who has been filming for the sixth series of Clarkson’s Farm in recent months, revealed the trick while speculating on the health of Sir Rod Stewart‘s lawn in Essex.

Sir Rod, 81, has managed to keep the sprawling gardens at his Grade II-listed Essex mansion in rude health despite being covered by Affinity Water’s hosepipe ban.

There is no evidence the singer has breached the ban at the ten-bedroom property he bought for £4.65million in 2013 and moved into with wife Penny Lancaster three years later – he may have an exemption or use a workaround such as watering cans.

Mr Clarkson added to speculation, which he said had been led by ‘the nation’s bitter people’ in a column last week.

He asked readers: ‘Could it be, perhaps, that Rod, here with wife Penny, probably has a borehole?’

Mr Clarkson said he used a borehole to access groundwater from the rock under the Farmer’s Dog pub in Oxfordshire, speculating Sir Rod Stewart may keep his grass healthy using a similar method

Mr Clarkson, who fronts Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime, has said managing a pub is ‘more stressful than running a farm’

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The former Top Gear host shared his thoughts in a column about Sir Rod’s Grade II-listed mansion, which has maintained lush green grass despite the dry weather

Writing in The Sun, the former Grand Tour presenter explained: ‘You dig a hole maybe 100 metres down into the ground, put a pump in it and water comes out. Water that’s not subjected to any kind of government interference.’

Referencing the Farmer’s Dog, he added: ‘That’s what we did at my pub, which is why the lawns there are also weirdly verdant.’

Mr Clarkson’s boozer, which he bought for £1million, appeared surprisingly lush in pictures taken on Monday as healthy grass sprang up from much of the outdoor dining area.

There also appeared to be a yellow hose snaking around the garden from a grey box-shaped structure near the pub.

Hoses can run from boreholes, which are narrow, deep shafts drilled into the earth to draw underground resources including water, oil or natural gas.

According to comparison site AquaSwitch, boreholes can cost tens of thousands of pounds to install and work by drilling down to access natural groundwater.

Boreholes can produce around ten thousand litres of water a day, which AquaSwitch said was ‘more than enough for homes, farms and small commercial properties’.

Drawn from the natural rock layers – known as aquifers – underneath land, the groundwater drawn from boreholes begins as rain before filtering through soil, sand, chalk and other rock. 

The bright green grass at Mr Clarkson’s country pub stood in stark contrast to the parched neighbouring fields

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But even the pub’s borehole-backed grass has suffered from the baking conditions this summer, as images from before last year’s heatwaves showed 

Mr Clarkson’s pub has been consistently booked-out since he bought the site in 2024 for around £1million 

In a Times column from 2020, Mr Clarkson said he had installed his borehole earlier that year and had drilled down 300ft (91m) into the ground.

He wrote that 30 times more water on Earth is stored as groundwater as in lakes, inland seas, rivers, soil and atmosphere combined, which led him to turn to the ground to fuel his irrigation system.

But after two months the system became jammed and Mr Clarkson said the borehole was drawing a ‘curious and possibly lethal cocktail’ of manganese, sodium and sulphates.

He added: ‘The levels were so far beyond legal limits that if anyone even stepped in a puddle of it, they’d immediately grow two heads.’

His water had been passing through ‘dirty’ and ‘diseased’ rock as it settled under his Cotswolds land – he soon abandoned the method and began using the natural springs on his farm instead.

It is not known whether Mr Clarkson still uses the borehole to irrigate his fields or how much water he draws from the source.

The Farmer’s Dog operates from Tuesday to Saturday each week and has been flooded with bookings since opening two years ago.

In December, the Daily Mail revealed food in the country pub was prepared in a kitchen unit in an industrial estate in a town ten miles away.

Mr Clarkson rented a shiny kitchen unit in Eynsham to prepare food before having it sent to the booked-out pub. 

The water main on Birchington Road has burst for a second time

A burst water main which was fixed by engineers has burst for a second time, leaving residents with more time to enjoy their own ‘bubbling mountain spring’.

The Manchester Evening News reported yesterday how engineers cordoned off the burst water main on Birchington Road, just off Mauldeth Road West, in Withington on Sunday afternoon.

United Utilities (UU) said repairs were being planned and would begin ‘soon’. Today UU said repairs were completed last night only for the main to burst a second time today.

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Yesterday one on-looker described the leak, saying it seemed as though Withington, about 30 metres above sea level, appeared to have suddenly acquired its own bubbling mountain spring.

Today the same on-looker said not much had changed when they walked by this morning.

He said: “When I went past the barriers on Monday morning, it was still the same as the day before, but the gushing bubbling pool had now been replaced by a more browny looking liquid that I assume was mixing with the mud. It was still spilling out and overflowing onto the road and pavement, making it very muddy as you walked around it. I hope it gets sorted soon, it must be a good amount of water that’s gushing out and it’s quite hot right now.”

A UU spokesman said earlier today that a repair was ‘completed last night’, adding: “However, unfortunately a further burst has since occurred. Our teams have attended the site and will carry out additional repairs later today. At this stage, there is no impact to customers.”

In an update posted on its website at just after 4pm, UU said: “Good news, we’ve now fixed the problem on the water main. We will fill in the hole, remove the barriers and get the road back to normal as quickly as we can over the next few days.”

UU says it fixed around 32,000 leaks every year, saving the equivalent of 17 Olympic sized swimming pools per week. About 20% of the water it supplies each day is lost through leakage on its network and another eight per cent from pipes belonging to customers.

Research by Greenpeace UK reportedly found that 2.87bn litres of water a day leaks from pipes in England and Wales.

Time restrictions will be lifted on concessionary pass holders from next April, as part of the government’s plans to tackle the cost of living crisis

Disabled passengers will get free bus travel every day starting from next April, as part of the government’s plans to ease the cost of living crisis.

At the moment, disabled bus pass holders can only travel for free from 9.30am to 11pm on weekdays. The new plans will lift those time restrictions so they can travel for free all day, seven days a week.

In March, while mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority removed the time restrictions for concessionary pass holders.

This will now be extended across the whole of England, Mr Burnham has announced.

The £60 million to fund the move comes from existing budgets – with £40 million from the Department for Work and Pensions and £20 million from the Department for Transport.

Mr Burnham said: “Buses are a lifeline for so many people – making it easier to get to work, education and healthcare.

“It’s simply not right that many disabled people cannot travel using their pass during certain times of the day. So we’re fixing that. Disabled people will now have unlimited free bus travel 24/7.

“I did it before in Greater Manchester and I’m proud to do it now for the whole country. This is part of our ongoing action to bring back hope and give people some much-needed breathing space on the cost of living.”

Since becoming Prime Minister, Mr Burnham has announced several moves aimed at tackling the rising cost of living including capping bus fares at £2, cutting business rates for pubs and scrapping VAT from electricity bills.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: “For too long, disabled people have held a free bus pass in their pocket that didn’t always get them to work.

“Now we’re changing that. By removing these time restrictions, we’re helping disabled people access jobs, training, and other opportunities at any time of the day.

“Alongside our £3.5 billion investment in tailored employment support, this change shows we’re serious about breaking down the barriers that have held disabled people back for too long.”

However, opposition figures have claimed the government’s measures don’t go far enough.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch previously accused the Prime Minister of ‘behaving like he’s still the mayor of Manchester’.

In the Daily Express last week, she wrote: “A bit of money off bus fares and bills might sound nice, but the real reason life is too hard for too many right now is because taxes are too high, and the weekly shop is too expensive.

“The tax burden is the highest it’s ever been. Conservative governments must share some of the blame for this, but they had the Covid furlough scheme to pay for.”

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey previously said the VAT cut on bills didn’t go far enough to help people with the cost of living.

“I don’t think it’s the best way to help people with energy bills and it doesn’t go far enough, but at least it’s something isn’t it,” he told the BBC.

The university’s chancellor Lord Chris Smith of Finsbury told the BBC: “I do believe it is possible to hold to two principles at the same time: to believe in the importance of academic integrity, and where criticisms of plagiarism arise, about any academic, whoever they are, ensure that they are rigorously investigated.