Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward

A man has been taken to hospital after he was hit by a car at the Asda superstore in Bangor, Co Down.

Emergency services were called to the scene at the supermarket on Market Square in the city on Saturday afternoon.

The area was closed off for a time but has since reopened.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “Police in Bangor are investigating the report of a collision involving a car and a pedestrian in the Market Square area of the city at approximately 12.50 pm today, Saturday 22^nd August.

“Officers and colleagues from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene, and the male pedestrian was later transferred into the care of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service for treatment of injuries.

“Part of the road was closed for a time as emergency services dealt with the scene, but has now reopened.

“Anyone with information about the collision or who has dash-cam footage of what happened is asked to contact police using the witness appeal form at www.reporting.psni.police.uk/appeals quoting reference 608 22/08/26 or call 101.

“You can also submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form at www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.”

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

Seven people have died, including two police officers, after a VW travelling in the wrong direction crashed into a police vehicle following a chase.

Fourteen ambulance crews were sent to the devastating incident involving two serving officers in a marked police car and five members of the public in a Volkswagen Passat.

The Passat was travelling the wrong way along the A66 and collided with a police armed response vehicle that was travelling in the right direction at about 3.39am in South Bank, near Middlesborough in Teesside, Cleveland Police said.

Sadly, all occupants of both vehicles were pronounced dead at the scene.

The two police officers were named as Pc Matthew Blades and Pc Tom Clough by Cleveland Police chief constable Victoria Fuller, who said it was “an incredibly sad day for Cleveland”.

“These were brave officers protecting our communities and serving our residents who didn’t return home to their families at the end of their shift,” she said in an emotional statement delivered outside the force’s Middlesbrough headquarters.

“My thoughts and thoughts of everybody here at Cleveland Police are with their family, friends, colleagues and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.

“Earlier today, the deputy chief constable and I visited Matthew and Tom’s families to offer our condolences, support one another and begin to come to terms with this unimaginable loss.”

She added that all occupants in the Passat had now been identified and family liaison officers were being deployed to support the bereaved.

The police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed it has launched an investigation into the fatal crash.

Officers from Cleveland Police spotted a suspicious vehicle and a pursuit began before the car travelled onto the A66 and collided with a police car, the watchdog said.

IOPC director of investigations Nicola Marfleet said: “This is a tragic incident, and my thoughts are with family and friends and all those affected, including the emergency services in attendance.

“Our investigation is in the very early stages, we have sent investigators to the post incident procedures to begin reviewing evidence.

“When someone dies following police contact, it is mandatory that the matter is referred to the IOPC. Our role is to establish and examine the circumstances of what happened; this work is already underway, and Cleveland Police is cooperating with our enquiries.”

Prime minister Andy Burnham said he was “devastated” by news of the tragedy.

“My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of everyone involved, and with everyone at Cleveland Police,” he said in a post on X.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood paid tribute to the officers, who were on active duty, adding: “Police officers put their own safety on the line to protect their communities every single day.

“The two officers were on active duty, serving the people of Cleveland. My thoughts are with all those affected, their families, friends, the emergency services who attended the scene and the wider police family.”

Anna Turley, MP for the Redcar constituency where the crash happened, said she was “deeply saddened” and warned people against speculating online.

“Cleveland Police have confirmed that seven people have sadly lost their lives,” she added. “Their families and loved ones are now facing an unimaginable loss that will be felt forever.

“Two of the seven people who have lost their lives were Cleveland Police officers, on duty serving our community. They went to work to keep people safe and they should have come home to their families.

“Their loss will be felt deeply by their loved ones, fellow officers and right across the communities they served.”

The MP thanked emergency services for their “courage, care and professionalism” responding to the shocking crash, adding: “Cleveland Police are investigating the accident, alongside the Independent Office for Police Conduct. It is crucial that we respect that process and avoid speculation at this deeply painful time.”

The road is closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane. The stretch is bordered by large industrial units to the north and is close to the major Teesworks site.

There is significant emergency response at the scene and people should use alternative routes as the road “will remain closed for some time”, Cleveland Police said.

Chief constable Victoria Fuller said: “First and foremost, our thoughts are with the families of everyone involved in today’s incident.

“No one should leave their home and not return safely, including police officers serving their communities and protecting the people of Cleveland.

“This tragic incident will be felt across Cleveland, within our communities and throughout the entire policing family. We are providing specialist support to all families involved at this extremely difficult time.

“The investigation has been referred to the IOPC, which is the standard approach when a death occurs following police contact. We will cooperate fully with their investigation.

“While this investigation takes place, we strongly urge people to avoid speculation.”

The chairwoman of Cleveland Police Federation, Lauren Somerville, said “words cannot describe the pain” of losing two officers.

“Our colleagues who should have been going home to their loved ones at the end of their shifts are not. And that is just unfathomable,” she said.

Cleveland police and crime commissioner, Matt Storey, paid tribute to all seven victims.

“There are few words that can bring comfort to the family, friends and colleagues of the seven people who have lost their lives in this tragic incident,” he said.

“Our thoughts are with everyone affected and with those who are continuing to come to terms with this unimaginable loss, including colleagues at Cleveland Police, who will feel the profound loss of two of their serving officers.”

David Taylor and Stephen Martin, councillors for the Eston ward, said they were “deeply saddened” by the “unimaginable tragedy”.

A North East Ambulance Service spokesman said they sent 14 ambulances resources to the scene, including emergency ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, our Hazardous Area Response Team and a doctor from Great North Air Ambulance Service.

“Sadly despite the best efforts of everyone attending, a number of patients died at the scene,” the spokesman added. “We send condolences to all of those affected by such a tragic event and thank everyone for all they did to help.”

More follows on this breaking news story….

The palm-fringed resort of Two Seasons on Tokeh Beach in Sierra Leone offers privacy, seclusion and plenty of accommodation for a retinue of staff and security.

The mountains behind are topped with lush tropical greenery, and to the west, there’s only the Atlantic, next-stop South America.

Everything, in fact, that a fugitive drugs kingpin with a price on his head could ask for.

But Dutch cocaine baron Jos Leijdekkers, 35, has found a lot more to his taste in this deeply corrupt nation than the clutch of upmarket beach villas he now calls home.

Since the dramatic arrest of ‘cartel leader’ Daniel Kinahan in Dubai earlier this month – and his extradition to face charges in Ireland – the mantle of ‘world’s most wanted ‘drug smuggler’ has now passed to Leijdekker along with increased global interest in how he is hiding out.

Remarkably, he is believed to be married to the daughter of Sierra Leone’s president, and the couple are said to have a child together.

Leijdekkers, now officially the world’s most wanted man, is said to glide on the 20-minute drive between Tokeh and the capital Freetown in a blacked-out Mercedes, escorted by his own motorcade, whose armed members may or may not be in the employ of the government.

For the past few years Liejdekkers has lived high on the hog in Sierra Leone, where he has been photographed both with the President’s daughter, Agnes Bio, 31, and on his own on the fringes of a nightclub brawl.

But Mr Liejdekkers is safely out of reach for the Dutch law enforcement and living with impunity in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown

Mr Liejdekkers reportedly calls this home – the palm-fringed resort of Two Seasons on Tokeh Beach in Sierra Leone where he is understood to have purchased two villas

Advertisement

Mr Liejdekkers is believed to have been the brains behind this recent attempt to export £700million worth of cocaine into Spain on a freight ship called ‘Arconian’

He has adopted the pseudonym Omar Sheriff, but everyone knows him as ‘Bolle’ Jos (Dutch for chubby, though he has clearly toned up since that moniker was bestowed).

Though he may be on the run from the Dutch and Belgian authorities, who have sentenced him to more than 100 years in his absence, in the appropriately named Freetown, he apparently has nothing to fear.

But last week, news of a dramatic attempt to seize him by Dutch special forces in international waters emerged when he was believed to be planning a rare trip by sea to nearby Ivory Coast.

The top-secret mission was aborted twice at the 11th hour, whether because of a leak, or a change in Leijdekkers’ plans is not clear.

But it is no coincidence that he has chosen Sierra Leone to ‘hide out’ in plain sight.

The country is now a pivotal link in the international drugs trade between South America and Europe and some believe that under Mr Leijdekkers’ insidious influence, this former British Colony risks becoming a ‘narco state’ itself.

Now the Netherlands is intensifying its legal and political efforts to flush out Mr Leijdekkers from Sierra Leone, where he has become untouchable thanks to his seat at the top table.

The campaign to ‘Get Jos’ gained fresh impetus this May after Spain’s Civil Guard seized more than 30 tons of cocaine, the largest single seizure of the drug in history, from a cargo ship organised, police say, by Mr Leijdekkers himself.

The Comoros-flagged Arconian was intercepted in international waters after leaving Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital and biggest port, with an illicit drugs cargo worth an estimated £700million.

The ship was due to meet smaller speedboats at sea that would have distributed the drugs towards the Spanish coast in a delivery said to have been personally arranged by Mr Leijdekkers.

Guardia Civil Spanish police pulled up to the Arconian for cocaine seizure. The ship was due to meet smaller speedboats that would have distributed the drugs towards the Spanish coast 

Advertisement

As well as vast amounts of drugs, weapons were also found by police on board the Arconian (pictured)

The plan was for smaller speedboats to meet the Arconian and take the cocaine in smaller shipments on to the Spain coast – before it was to be distributed more widely through Europe

Mr Leijdekkers, born in Holland, has close ties with drugs networks from all over the world, including the fearsome Kinahan cartel whose leader Daniel Kinahan has just been arrested 

The Dutch government is now pressuring the European Union to threaten to cut off aid to beleaguered Sierra Leone to persuade its government to hand over the fugitive.

Mr Leijdekkers, born in Holland, has close ties with drugs networks from all over the world, including the newly leaderless Mr Kinahan cartel – after figurehead Daniel’s life of luxury in Dubai was dramatically curtailed by a police raid. 

But the Dutchman – sentenced in his absence to more than 100 years in Holland and Belgium and a record fine of £82million for drug trafficking – need fear no such sanction from the government of Sierra Leone thanks to his close association with the President’s daughter Agnes – who enjoys her own diplomatic immunity as a United Nations representative of her father, President Julius Maada Bio’s government.

The couple were videoed sitting only two rows behind the President and first Lady, Fatima Maada Bio, Agnes’s stepmother in January 2025.

Leijdekkers raised eyebrows in Sierre Leone by attending a New Year’s church service with Agnes Bio (circled left) with Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone (circle right)

Advertisement

The Dutchman need fear no such sanction from the government of Sierra Leone thanks to his close association with the President’s daughter Agnes (pictured) 

Several Bio family members and top government officials were at the New Year’s Day thanksgiving service in the President’s home village of Tihun, Southern Province.

Initial reports that the wanted criminal was seeing his daughter were denied by President Bio, who insisted he did not know Mr Leijdekkers.

The Mail approached the Sierra Leone government for comment.

Footage obtained by Dutch media also shows Mr Leijdekkers at a private birthday party in March 2024 for Alusine Kanneh, Sierra Leone’s immigration chief, where he presented a gift during the celebration.

US magazine New Lines discovered that Mr Leijdekkers had recently taken legal control of the villas at Two Seasons through a Lebanese business associate.

The article into Mr Leijdekkers’ life in Freetown painted a picture of a man frequenting nightclubs and casinos accompanied by his driver and bodyguards, always teetotal, but also flush with cash, bestowing tips of ‘$500 to $1,000 for all the staff each time he visited’.

Mr Leijdekkers is seemingly enjoying the high life in West Africa, having been seen with friends at a nightclub on the coast called Scarlet and getting into a row with revellers 

Advertisement

Mr Leijdekkers is mixing in influential circles in Sierre Leone. Here he is at a private birthday party for Alusine Kanneh, the country’s immigration chief, presenting the politician with a gift 

Such amounts are unheard of in Sierra Leone, where the average monthly wage hovers somewhere between $40 and $150.

Agnes Bio is a particular favourite of her father’s, who has promoted her career in the foreign service.

After serving as an ‘advisor’ in the foreign ministry, she is now accredited to Sierra Leone’s permanent mission to the UN in New York and is therefore immune from arrest or detention or having her bags searched on entry or exit from the United States.

In Freetown, the convicted Dutch criminal Mr Leijdekkers reportedly moves freely around with his own security detail and gave expensive imported 4x4s and limousines to several of the most influential ministers.

The extent of his influence in the former French colony is nothing short of chilling, according to local journalist Kandeh Sesay. In an interview with crime reporter John van den Heuvel, for Dutch newspaper Panorama.nl, Mr Sesay spoke of deep-rooted criminal influence extending to the highest echelons of government.

Mr Sesay, who reported on Mr Leijdekkers for years, eventually found himself forced to flee the country. He continues his investigative work from the United States because, he says that returning to Sierra Leone could be fatal.

The threats he received left nothing to the imagination: journalists were reportedly offered thousands of dollars to stop writing about the Dutchman. Those who refused were warned: shut up or die.

‘Leijdekkers is everywhere,’ says Mr Sesay. ‘From the president’s family to the immigration service and customs at the port. Wherever you look, he is the man calling the shots.’

According to the journalist, the cartel Leijdekkers is part of is so powerful that whistleblowers or troublesome journalists disappear without a second thought – through kidnapping, torture, or false accusations.

The alleged aftermath of the video clip of the nightclub brawl involving Mr Leijdekkers certainly lends weight to those threats.

In the footage a Lebanese reveller at Scarlet, a coastal club near Freetown, was apparently angry that Mr Leijdekkers and his entourage were being allowed to jump the queue snaking outside the nightspot on New Year’s Eve, 2023.

A fight erupted and the Lebanese, called Fawaz, smashed a bottle over one of Mr Leijdekkers’ bodyguard’s head.

Hours later, as Fawaz left the club, he was brutally attacked in the underground car park.

Seven shots rang out and Fawaz crumpled to the ground with both his kneecaps shattered.

Mr Leijdekkers –  from the son of a sex club boss in Breda, Holland – comes from a criminal family. His elder brother Wilhelmus was arrested in Istanbul on cocaine trafficking charges

Advertisement

A police report said the bodyguard fired the shots but according to sources in the country, others believed Mr Leijdekkers himself was responsible.  

Journalist Josef Skrdlik, based in west Africa, investigated Mr Leijdekkers and firmly tied him to the Arconian shipment.

He told the Mail: ‘Our investigation has linked the Arconian to two other similar voyages by small cargo vessels from Freetown to North Africa in recent years, both organised by Leijdekkers‘ network. All three vessels were previously owned and managed by companies headquartered at the same German address, and had the same ship safety manager in Turkey.

‘The two previous voyages were characterised by repeated loitering events near the Canary Islands, Morocco and Spain. Such activity may indicate potential drop-offs at sea, where cocaine is typically picked up by smaller boats and brought to shore. According to Spanish authorities, this is how the Arconian’s cargo was to be offloaded.

‘This modus operandi is becoming increasingly prominent in West Africa-Europe cocaine trafficking, and Leijdekkers’ network appears to be a major player.’     

In May 2026, Mr Leijdekkers’ elder brother Wilhelmus was arrested in Istanbul on cocaine trafficking charges, and extradited to the Netherlands the following month.

Extraditing Leijdekkers to the Netherlands has proved to be virtually impossible. 

There is no extradition treaty between the two countries and widespread corruption casts a shadow over any potential co-operation.

While the Netherlands attempts to recover millions and continues a global manhunt, the image is growing in Sierra Leone of a man who has entrenched himself deep in the political and economic infrastructure through power, money, and fear.

For the time being, ‘Bolle Jos’ seems untouchable, and some observers believe Sierra Leone is in danger of unwittingly being turned into a narco state.

Mr Leijdekkers’ tentacles stretch much further from his west African bolthole to Turkey and Dubai and his organisation’s turnover is estimated at up to £145million per month – or £1.7billion a year – by the Dutch Public Prosecution Service.

His rise, from the pudgy son of a sex club boss in Breda, Holland, to one of the most influential ‘narcos’ in the world, appears to have relied on two factors – his uncanny ability to stay one step ahead of the law, and the ruthlessness with which he despatches anyone who dares cross him.

By 2019, he was operating at the centre of an international cocaine network moving consignments through the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp.

Intercepted Sky Encrochat messages gave investigators an extraordinary insight into the scale of the operation and, prosecutors say, Mr Leijdekkers’ position as one of its principal organisers.

Before fleeing to West Africa, he was operating at the centre of an international cocaine network moving consignments through the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. Here Belgian customs officers are pictured using a mobile scanner to inspect a container

He has adopted the pseudonym Omar Sheriff, but everyone knows him as ‘Bolle’ Jos (Dutch for chubby, though he has clearly toned up since that monicker was bestowed)

Advertisement

The Dutch police say the seven tons of cocaine involved in the case for which he was eventually convicted may have represented only a fraction of the drugs passing through his network.

And increasingly, violence became part of his business model.

In one case, a consignment intended for Finland ended up at a company with no connection to the drugs. Leijdekkers responded by sending men to recover it.

According to prosecutors, messages showed him directing his men to dominate the occupants, hold a driver at gunpoint and take control of the shipment. One employee was injured during the resulting robbery. A Rotterdam court later convicted Mr Leijdekkers of the offence and described the ease with which he organised violence as ‘almost frivolous’.

There were even more chilling allegations.

In early 2020, prosecutors said, Mr Leijdekkers commissioned the killing of Utrecht gym owner Robin van Ouwerkerk, offering €200,000 for the job.

Intercepted messages included the victim’s address and a photograph, according to Dutch reports. The planned assassination was never carried out, but the Rotterdam court convicted Mr Leijdekkers of ordering the murder.

His name has also been linked by Dutch investigators to the disappearance of Dutch-Moroccan Naima Jillal, a woman involved in the drugs world who vanished in Amsterdam in October 2019.

Police say encrypted communications indicated that Mr Leijdekkers had a role in her disappearance, while photographs recovered from a seized phone appeared to show a naked woman’s mutilated body whom investigators believe may have been Ms Jillal after she had been tortured.

She has never been found. Mr Leijdekkers has not been convicted over Ms Jillal’s disappearance, and the Dutch police continue to describe it as an investigation.

The most revealing evidence of Mr Leijdekkers’s rise may be found not in the streets but in the extraordinary quantities of money and valuables investigators say passed through his hands.

The Dutch Public Prosecution Service has calculated that he derived at least £190million in unlawful benefit from his criminal activities.

The investigation has uncovered evidence of a man who did not simply spend his drug profits on cars, watches and nightlife, but attempted to turn them into an international portfolio of assets including property.

According to prosecutors, encrypted communications revealed that Mr Leijdekkers bought an astonishing 975kg of gold, paying more than £40million for it in less than six months.

He is believed to own proerty in Sierra Leone, Turkey and Dubai where he apparently has a place at The Grandeur Residences, a six-storey block on The Palm Crescent, Palm Jumeirah

 Mr Leijdekkers is said to glide on the 20-minute drive between Tokeh and the capital Freetown in a blacked-out Mercedes. Pictured, the Two Seasons in Tokeh Beach

Advertisement

The mountains behind are topped with lush tropical greenery, and to the west, there’s only the Atlantic, next-stop South America 

Investigators also uncovered evidence concerning property, including an apartment at the luxury Vogue Hotel Supreme in Bodrum, Turkey.

Dutch police have long known that Mr Leijdekkers travelled between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, and in 2023 investigators searched the homes and offices of members of his family after his parents and sister had travelled to Turkey, where they were suspected of having contact with him.

Cash was found in euros, Turkish lira, Swiss francs and UAE dirhams, alongside expensive watches, jewellery and designer handbags.

More recently, prosecutors have identified apartments in Dubai belonging to him and associates at the Grandeur Residences on the Palm Jumeirah, not far from a villa owned by David and Victoria Beckham.

Two Bentleys and a Rolls-Royce were also among assets allegedly connected to Mr Leijdekkers’s family.

The picture that emerges is of a fugitive who built not merely a drugs business but an elaborate financial infrastructure around it – moving between Turkey and Dubai, buying gold and property and surrounding himself and his family with luxury goods.

And while Dutch investigators have been trying to dismantle that empire from afar, Mr Leijdekkers has continued to enjoy the protection of distance.

His move to Sierra Leone appears to have taken him from the familiar world of European ports and criminal networks into something potentially far more valuable to a fugitive: a hiding place in plain sight where, despite his convictions and international notoriety, he can live openly in the very heart of the political elite.

Guy Weski, Mr Leijdekkers’s lawyer in Rotterdam, was approached for comment.

A study commissioned by Cazoo found that nearly half (48%) of UK families experience disputes over shared vehicle use.

The findings highlight how common tensions are in families with only one car, particularly around issues like seat adjustments, rubbish left behind, and empty fuel tanks.

Siblings are the most frequent source of conflict, with 57% reporting arguments at least once a month about the car – nearly three times the rate seen among partners (21%).

The survey of 1,500 people in one-car family households found that 28% of those who share a vehicle with an adult child say running out of fuel is their biggest frustration, compared to 18% who share with a partner.

For those looking for advice on sharing a car, Cazoo’s Ultimate Shared Car Guide helps buyers understand the features that matter.

How to prevent arguments over sharing a car

Katherine Cavallo, Family and Couple Psychotherapist, has shared some advice on how to prevent these disagreements.

She said: “A car is much more than a mode of transport; it is directly tied to our sense of identity and independence, which naturally differ among family members.

“Because a vehicle is a major financial and personal investment, sharing it easily triggers anxiety around money, responsibility, and trust.

“The way these differences are managed frequently brings deeper, pre-existing family tensions right to the surface.”

Ms Cavallo also offered practical tips for easing these disputes.

She said: “Set ground rules before problems start.

“Agreeing on clear boundaries for scheduling, cost-splitting, and running late eliminates daily friction.

Recommended reading:

“If the same row keeps happening, address the underlying relational habit rather than arguing over the latest messy seat or empty tank.”

She also advised that if tempers rise, it’s best to wait for a calm moment to talk things through and to acknowledge each other’s frustrations to help reduce tension.

Have you faced arguments over sharing a car with multiple members of a household? Let us know in the comments.

By JOSHUA HAINING, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 15:12 BST, 22 August 2026 | Updated: 16:06 BST, 22 August 2026

A 27-year-old man has died just days after he was punched in an ‘unprovoked attack’ while cycling.

George Glover died on August 20 following the attack in Leicester three days earlier which left him with life-threatening injuries.

Mr Glover was found by a member of the public on Narborough Road at around 6.30am before he was rushed to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.

A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder last night and a man, 31, and a woman, 39, remain in custody after they were arrested on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy to commit murder.

Advertisement

Mr Glover’s family have since paid tribute to their ‘much-loved son and big brother to his three siblings’ after his death.

They said: ‘His loss is already felt so deeply. He was a hardworking, focused young man who worked so hard to get a job he loved and enjoyed. 

‘George lived a simple life. He went to work then came home to enjoy his gaming or putting bike parts together. He very much kept himself to himself.

‘His siblings looked up to him and as soon as he arrived home, the banter with them would start. 

Advertisement

George Glover 27, died from injuries he sustained when he was attacked while riding his bike in Leicester 

He was found by a member of the public on Narborough Road at around 6.30am following the attack

‘He was loving, loyal and had a good sense of humour. He enjoyed Anime, Lego and Pokémon cards.

Advertisement

‘He had a tough start in life with physical challenges but we’re so proud of the young man he’d become. 

‘We know there are so many people who’ll miss him as he was held in such high regard.’     

Detective Inspector Kevin Hames said: ‘From what we’ve been able to determine, this was a violent and unprovoked attack that’s sadly led to a young man losing his life.

‘We owe it to his family to identify those responsible and bring them to justice – and I’m appealing for public help ensuring this happens.

Advertisement

‘Narborough Road is a busy route in and out of the city. Please cast your mind back to Monday morning. Were you there? What did you see?

‘I believe there are people who can help but have not yet come forward. Any information or footage you can provide could assist with our investigation.’

For parents, keeping children safe is not only instinctive but a priority. We
babyproof the house, we check the car seat twice, we wake up in the middle of the
night at the smallest sound.

As technology has evolved, it also offered a promise to help parents watch over our kids even when we are not in the same room as them.

Throughout the different stages of kids’ lives, parents now rely on different technology to help keep kids safe. This tech now includes trackers, location-sharing apps and parental control apps. But at the earliest stages of our kids’ lives, we rely on baby monitors.

Monitors allow parents to keep an eye on babies without having to be in the same room. The first model was the Zenith Radio Nurse, released on sale in 1938.

More recent products have many advanced features, including contactless breathing and vital signs monitoring, AI-powered sleep analytics, cry and sound analysis, and environmental monitoring. However, these new levels of functionality depend on ever more sensors, more cloud processing, and more data being collected on children.

Parents now have to weigh up the privacy of the data these devices collect, as well
as the security risks they bring into the home. In May 2026, a security researcher in France named Sammy Azdoufal decided to probe some of the weaknesses behind budget smart cameras.

Azdoufal discovered that he could pull up other people’s live and recorded footage without needing to guess a password or do anything that really counts as “hacking”. His findings, reported by CyberNews, traced back to a shared system used behind the scenes by more than 300 different camera brands sold on retailers such as Amazon.

He estimated that more than one million devices were affected, many of them baby monitors in bedrooms.

Shared vulnerabilities

What most parents don’t realise is that the brand on the box is rarely the company
that built the camera or wrote its software. Many monitors, even from well known
sellers, come out of a small number of factories. They get sold under dozens of
different names, so one weakness underneath can affect them all.

The cybersecurity operations company Rapid7 published some of the first well known research into these cameras years ago, and a 2026 academic study found the same pattern repeating in newer devices and their apps.

Regulators have started responding. Updated in 2022, new cybersecurity rules under the EU’s Radio Equipment Directive have applied to any internet-connected wireless device sold in the EU. These new rules require manufacturers to protect users’ data, stop devices being hijacked and guard against fraud.

Some manufacturers are taking steps to improve security. For example, the baby monitor manufacturer Owlet announced in late 2025 that its newest model was the first baby monitor awarded the SGS Cybersecurity mark. This mark requires manufacturers to include encryption, a unique passwords and a channel for researchers to report flaws. The certification gives parents something concrete to look for.

Security is only half of it. Even a monitor that’s never hacked can still raise data privacy issues. Many collect more than video. They gather information on feeding times, as well as sleep and growth data, and share it with third parties for analytics or advertising under vague “partner” clauses.

Sleep pattern data from a baby monitor isn’t classed as medical information under GDPR, so companies can use it for analytics or advertising unless parents opt out.
This data often isn’t as anonymous as companies claim once combined with other details.

Cry detection and sleep analysis add to this, since both usually mean sending audio
and video to the cloud, where it may also help train a company’s algorithms.

Because these features depend on cloud processing rather than staying on the
device, the data often leaves the home network, increasing both privacy and security exposure.

Privacy and long-term protection

The UK has rules covering both sides of this. The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act, in force since 2024, bans default passwords and forces manufacturers to say how long they’ll support a device.

On the data side, the UK goes further than most countries through the Information Commissioner’s Office Children’s Code, which applies to any connected device likely to be used by children.

The code requires the highest privacy settings by default, and gives parents a genuine right to see, or delete, what’s been collected, backed by fines of up to 4% of global turnover. Most parents just don’t know to ask.

None of this means every camera monitor is dangerous, or that the reassurance they
offer isn’t real. But the trade-off keeps showing up in the research. Internet-connected monitors carry more risk than simple closed ones that talk directly between two devices in your home.

Treat the password like a banking one, keep the app updated, and check how long the manufacturer will support it. The bigger issue isn’t something one password can fix. The underlying issues in the industry mean new vulnerabilities will keep appearing, so the safest path is staying informed and choosing devices with transparent security and support policies.

Collections have been disrupted in some areas because of what Bolton Council described as unavoidable circumstances.

Residents affected by the delays have been asked to keep their bins outside while crews work through the missed rounds. They have also been told to check the council website for updates.

Bolton Council said via social media: “In some areas of Bolton, our normal bin collection schedule has been disrupted due to unavoidable circumstances.

“We have 7 bin wagons out tomorrow collecting missed rounds from the week.”

The message was issued on Friday, August 21, and collections are continuing today, Saturday, August 22. The council said its crews were also providing waste collections at weekends to deal with the delays.

A Bolton Council spokesman said: “Please continue to leave your bins out and check the council website for information.”

The council’s missed-bin page was last updated on Friday, August 21 at 3.41 pm. It lists streets where the authority is aware that collections have not yet taken place, meaning residents do not need to report the missed collection.

The list includes collections missed because of operational issues and other entries marked as no access.

It covers grey bins for general waste, beige bins for paper and card, burgundy bins for glass, cans and plastic bottles, and green food and garden waste bins.

Council records show 158 operational-issue entries between Wednesday, August 19 and Friday, August 21. These entries relate to 63 grey bins, 19 beige bins and 76 burgundy bins.

The largest number was recorded on Thursday, August 20, when the council listed 98 operational-issue entries.

These included 36 grey bins and 62 burgundy bins.

A further 54 entries were recorded on Friday, August 21. They included 27 grey bins, 14 beige bins and 13 burgundy bins.

Six operational-issue entries were recorded on Wednesday, August 19. They involved five beige bins and one burgundy bin.

Streets listed include Academy Way, Chorley New Road, Gilnow Road, Ladybridge Lane, Manchester Road, Mornington Road, Park Bank, Shurdington Road, St Helens Road and Wingates Grove.

Some streets appear more than once because different bin types were affected.

Residents whose street appears on the council’s list are advised to leave bins out for collection.

The authority says it aims to return to missed collections within two working days.

The council added: “Our crews are working hard to empty your bins, including providing waste collections at weekends.

“Thank you for your patience and understanding while we manage any temporary delays to services.”

Travellers are being urged to fully charge their electronic devices before heading to the airport, as flat batteries could cause unwanted hold-ups at security.

UK airport rules require passengers to demonstrate that devices can be switched on if requested by security staff, meaning a dead phone or laptop could lead to delays.

Daniel Frost, product manager at Destination2, said: “Always charge everything at least the night before – don’t count on a top-up at the gate, as airport sockets are often in short supply, faulty, and let’s face it, you’d rather be in duty free than searching the terminal for the opportunity to plug in.

“I’d always recommend packing a portable power bank in your hand luggage as a backup, but just double-check your airline’s limits as this can vary and will impact any chargers you wish to bring.

“Switch devices on and off again to confirm they’re working as intended.

“It’s such a simple thing to check, but it can be easily forgotten in the chaos of getting to the airport and the last-minute packing we’re all guilty of.”

The advice comes as Google searches for ‘airport security rules’ have risen by more than 1,000 per cent in the past year, suggesting growing confusion or concern among travellers.

Passengers are permitted to carry most electronic items in hand or hold luggage, including mobile phones, laptops, tablets, hairdryers, straighteners, and electric shavers.

Mr Frost said: “Charging your devices should be as automatic as packing your passport – a two-minute check means one less thing to think about at security.”

He also emphasised the importance of checking airline restrictions on portable chargers, as rules can vary between carriers.

Will you be trying this hack? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Manchester United started their Premier League campaign with a whimper, as Michael Carrick’s side fell to a woeful 2-0 defeat away to newly promoted Hull on Saturday

Alan Shearer has labelled Manchester United’s players ‘unfit’ after they produced a dire display in their 2-0 loss against Hull. Michael Carrick’s side got their Premier League season off to the worst possible start, with first-half goals from Hull defenders Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy – both from set pieces – making the difference.

But beyond the scoreline, there was plenty to separate the sides. United lacked intensity throughout and couldn’t break Hull down, as the newly promoted hosts held on to claim all three points.

Shearer gave a scathing assessment post-match, saying on BBC Radio 5 Live: “I haven’t seen Manchester United in pre-season. I saw them in this game and they didn’t look fit.

“They didn’t look ready to play 90 minutes of intense, high pressure, high energy football. There was only one team that looked fit there and it wasn’t Manchester United.”

FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE! Latest United news and more on our dedicated Facebook page

The Red Devils found themselves behind inside 17 minutes, with Ajayi pouncing on a rebound after Senne Lammens denied Oli McBurnie from a corner. Hull doubled their lead before-half time when Mendy converted an excellent free-kick from Regan Slater.

United captain Bruno Fernandes laid into his team’s performance, telling TNT Sports: “Same mistakes as we did last season, every away game we give too much of the ball to them. In the first 20 minutes, the goalkeeper was the one with the most touches.

Advertisement

“We needed to press more, be more aggressive, and then again we need to work on set-plays and not concede these type of goals. Against these types of teams, they are waiting for that moment.

Where will Manchester United finish this season? Have your say in the comments section.

“We knew before the game set-pieces would be a big part of their game. They played all pre-season with a back four but had a five against us for some height, for these moments. The most frustrating thing is that we lost the game.”

Advertisement

Carrick was less critical of the performance but vowed to ‘learn’ from it ahead of next Sunday’s home game against Ipswich, another newly promoted outfit. “I’m not going into areas [to improve] now, it’s for us to know and we’ll improve through the week and in the games,” Carrick also told TNT Sports.

“When we keep getting stronger as a group, that’ll come. Today’s a game we can’t ignore, we have a lot to learn from it – but we will.”

Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Countdown to Kickoff: The Essential 26/27 Sky Sports Bundle

Advertisement

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

£51

£35

Sky

Get the deal here

Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle includes at least 215 live Premier League clashes across the 2026/27 season, with more than 1,500 games from the EFL and beyond, plus F1, golf and darts.

This introductory offer saves £384 compared to the standard price, with every package also providing 100 regular channels alongside free Netflix and discovery+ subscriptions.

Advertisement