James, was last seen via video message on Friday, August 21, 2026, at around 10.45am.

His last location is unknown, but he has connections to the Hindley area.

James, 29, from Wigan (Image: GMP)

James is described as a white male, about 5ft 10in, stocky, with short light brown hair and a short ginger beard.

He is believed to be wearing a red top and a black jacket.

Anyone with information should contact Greater Manchester Police on 0161 856 7145, quoting MSP/06LL/0001826/26.

Plans have been submitted to Bolton Council to convert The Royal Hotel, at the junction of Vernon Street and Davenport Street, following its closure in March this year.

The two-storey pub opened for the final time on Sunday, March 22, after its operator announced the venue was to close and be sold.

Now, a planning application is seeking permission to turn the prominent building into accommodation for 12 people.

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Documents submitted today (August 24) with the application show the plans would create six en-suite bedrooms on the ground floor and a further six en-suite bedrooms upstairs.

Shared kitchen and living facilities would also be provided, while the existing car park at the rear would be used for amenity space, parking, secure cycle storage and waste storage.

The site of the former Royal Hotel

The planning statement describes the former pub as a prominent feature of the street scene and says it is “most likely known as a local landmark”.

Under the proposals, there would be no significant changes to the exterior of the building, with its existing doors, windows and distinctive architectural features retained.

Pub advertising would be removed, but the words “The Royal Hotel” on the stone parapet would remain.

The application argues that finding a new use for the building would help secure its future.

The planning statement says: “Due to a downturn in the general pub trade over the past years it is unlikely that the building will be secured again for long-term use as a public house and as such it is reasonable that an alternative use be found.”

A crime impact assessment produced by Greater Manchester Police’s Design for Security team has also been submitted as part of the application.

It confirms the proposed change of use to a 12-bedroom HMO and says the currently vacant building could otherwise give rise to problems including fly-tipping, criminal damage, loitering and drug or alcohol misuse.

However, the assessment identified a number of security measures which would need to be addressed for Design for Security to support the scheme.

These include measures to protect the privacy and security of ground-floor bedroom windows next to the pavement, burglary-resistant doors and windows, secure post arrangements and an audio-video entry system.

A separate noise assessment was commissioned to examine whether the building would be suitable for residential use.

It found road traffic on Vernon Street and the surrounding road network was the dominant source of noise.

The assessment concluded that required indoor noise levels could only be achieved with windows closed and an alternative means of ventilation.

It said alternative measures, such as mechanical or hybrid ventilation, may therefore be needed if overheating occurs.

Despite this, the acoustic consultants concluded that noise “should not be a limiting factor” in the planning application.

The Royal Hotel had been operated under Admiral Taverns’ Proper Pubs division before its closure.

When the closure was announced, the company said it had taken the decision to sell after concluding the pub did not have a viable long-term future.

The pub held a farewell party before its closure.

The planning application will now be considered by Bolton Council.

Share your memories of the pub in the comments.

The Geneva conventions, which were signed in August 1949 in the aftermath of the horrors of the second world war, are generally accepted as the gold standard of international humanitarian law. They set the rules for the treatment of both combatants and civilians during wartime. But they were preceded by more than 12 centuries by a law drawn up by a monk amid the violence of seventh-century Ireland.

Adomnán, the Abbott of Iona, the great Columban island monastery off the western Scottish coast, was a man of many talents. Noted for his biography of St Columba, he was a scholar, teacher, mentor, poet, calendarist and negotiator. He was also known for his efforts to obtain legal guarantees from Pictish, British and Irish kings granting protection from violence to women, children, clerics and others, especially in wartime.

Conflict was commonplace in early medieval Britain and Ireland, we know that much from contemporary written sources, such as the Annals of Tigernach, Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of England and the Chronicon Scotorum. Civilian populations routinely ended up on the receiving end of military violence.

Adomnán knew only too well the effects of war trauma on non-combatants. He and his mother Ronnat had once encountered the horrific sight of a battlefield strewn with the mutilated corpses of mothers and babies. It was actually Ronnat who urged her son to do something about the murder of innocents in war.

While on a diplomatic mission in the northern British kingdom of Northumbria, Adomnán convinced its king, Aldfrifth, to release civilian prisoners of war into his care. Adomnán no doubt heard their survivor testimony as he accompanied them back to Ireland. Experiences like these led Adomnán to try to effect a change in attitudes among the powerful towards the defenceless and the innocent – not just during war but across society in general.

Lex Innocentium

And so, in AD 697, at a church synod in Birr, Co. Offaly, Ireland, Adomnán campaigned successfully for his vision of protection for civilians to be accepted. Called the Lex Innocentium (Law of the Innocents), it became known as Adomnán’s Law, or Cáin Adomnáin. According to surviving texts, the Lex Innocentium received the backing of approximately 91 Irish, Pictish and northern British kings, bishops, abbots and other senior figures. All present were required to swear oaths that they would uphold the law.

The Lex Innocentium is preserved in two manuscripts, a 15th-century copy held at Oxford’s Bodleian library and a 17-century version kept in the Bibliothéque Royale in Brussels. Biographical material had been added to the original text by the 11th century, but the guarantors list and legal stipulations themselves are accepted as authentic.

Among its rulings, the Lex Innocentium decrees a range of penalties for anyone found guilty of violence against women, children or clerics. Mostly, these penalties are fines of varying amounts, depending on the type of violence involved, but execution, bodily mutilation and forced penance in a monastery are also given as options.

Not everyone accepted Adomnán’s proposal. A group of Irish kings threatened to kill him rather than cede anything resembling freedom to women. The Ireland of Adomnán’s day was deeply patriarchal and organised by rank, status and wealth. The legal system was biased in men’s favour, mainly men of means.

Although women had some agency in situations such as marriage and divorce, their legal rights were very much restricted.

Adomnán is likely to have anticipated opposition to his Lex Innocentium but he dealt with dissenters quickly by cursing them and their families with divine retribution. This might seem strange to the modern mind, but the medieval world was rife with superstition, something Adomnán understood he could use against his adversaries.

Speaking truth to power

He was also unafraid to speak truth to power and it helped that King Aldfrifth of Northumria had once been Adomnán’s student, as had other kings. With friends like this, small wonder Adomnán had the confidence and poise to move amongst elite circles, seeking to form a coalition of the willing.

It is unclear how exactly the Lex Innocentium was enforced or even for how long it was observed. It was renewed at least once after Adomnán’s death and it was mentioned appreciatively in later sources. But no actual legal proceedings associated with it survived.

It may well be that the Adomnán’s Law represented an ideal that was never truly attainable, at least not at the time in which it was drafted. What does stand out from the story of the Lex Innocentium is Adomnán’s remarkable feat in getting buy-in for his proposal from so many prominent people.

Adomnán’s Law has sometimes been described as an medieval Irish forerunner to the Geneva conventions, a comparison that has been dismissed as wishful thinking. Yet what are the conventions if not a series of initiatives born in response to a time of darkness – a collection of efforts by conscientious individuals determined to make conditions that little bit better for human beings trapped in conflict.

If anything, the Lex Innocentium offers us a lesson in the impermanence of progress if it is not sustained and respected. That, perhaps, is the true legacy of Adomnán’s Law.

On Saturday, PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, died when a Volkswagen Passat, which officers had been pursuing until seconds before, collided with their marked armed response car on the A66 near Middlesbrough.

All five of the Passat’s occupants – Saddington, Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Theo Rae, 17, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17 – also died.

A video posted on the TikTok account believed to belong to Saddington in March 2025 showed him and four other young people involved in what appears to be a police pursuit. The video has since been deleted.

BBC Verify analysed the 94 second-long clip, which showed the car driving on footpaths and parkland in Ormesby, Middlesbrough, with Saddington a rear-seat passenger.

Another video posted by the same account, also since deleted, appears to show a joyride where a passenger is smoking, with the speedometer showing 100mph.

Then, later in the video, a different car is set on fire. The passengers in this video are not identifiable.

Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey said: “Without being able to say whether that was anything like involved in this case, it’s absolutely idiotic for anybody to be doing anything other than being completely 100% focused on the road when they’re behind the wheel of a vehicle.”

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that someone filming themselves or others driving dangerously is “absolutely ridiculous, and of course nobody should be doing that”.

“It is a worrying situation if that’s becoming more prevalent because it is incredibly dangerous”, he added.

Miniso, a global lifestyle brand known for collectables and fan-favourite brands including Star Wars and Hello Kitty, will be opening in the former Luxe Company premises at 40 Coney Street.

The 12-noon opening will feature a goodie bag giveaway to the first 200 customers who spend £5 or more.

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The retailer has posted on its website: “Get ready to discover all your favourites: Hello Kitty cuteness, Disney treasures, plushies, lifestyle gems, tasty snacks, plus new collabs like Star Wars and Hello Kitty.

“Be among the first customers on opening day and enjoy a FREE £25* goody bag packed with treats and surprises!

“We can’t wait to welcome both familiar faces and new friends — come celebrate with us!”

Miniso promises to be  a “playground of endless fun and excitement.” (Image: Pic supplied)

The Chinese company has almost 8,000 shops worldwide, 61 of which are located in the United Kingdom, the closest being in Leeds, according to the company website.

It also said: “MINISO isn’t just a store; it’s a playground of endless fun and excitement!”

“MINISO is your go-to destination for all things vibrant, quirky, and downright delightful. Life is for fun, and at MINISO, we take that mantra seriously.”

Will you be going there to see the ‘excitement’ on offer? Have you been to one of their other branches? What did you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Beefeater has confirmed the closing date of all its restaurants across the UK.

The mass closures are part of Whitbread’s major restructuring plan.

The company announced in April that it would shut its remaining Beefeater and Brewers Fayre sites as part of a strategy overhaul, placing around 3,800 jobs at risk.

Whitbread revealed plans to close all of its Beefeater sites as part of a major restructuring (Image: Getty Images)

UK restaurant chain Beefeater to shut all 106 sites in coming weeks

Customers were informed of the closure in a letter sent to Beefeater reward club members.

It stated: “As you may have seen, we have recently announced changes to our business, which is resulting in the closure of our Branded Restaurants.

“This means that on Thursday 10 September 2026 your local Beefeater and all other UK Beefeaters will close.”

In the letter, the company also said it would close the loyalty scheme on August 31.

Whitbread was contacted for a new comment.

The restructure is part of Whitbread’s new five-year growth strategy, which aims to re-focus the business and reduce costs by £250 million.

This includes a shift towards an integrated food and drink model that the company believes is more efficient and better suited to Premier Inn guests.

Dominic Paul, Whitbread’s chief executive, said previously: “We always challenge ourselves to improve and, in light of significant cost increases in the form of business rates and national insurance, as well as the implied market discount to our inherent value, we’ve looked hard at the options open to us to maximise value creation over the medium and long-term.

“This has been a rigorous process and we’ve approached all options with an open mind.

“Our new five-year plan builds on our strengths and drives a significant acceleration of our strategy.

“This plan will transform Whitbread into a higher-margin, higher-returning pure-play hotel business.

“We’re going to go further and faster to deliver a great experience for our guests and high-quality growth and returns for our shareholders.”

Whitbread’s restructuring strategy explained

Under the new strategy, Whitbread plans to convert some restaurant sites into additional Premier Inn rooms and sell off around £1.5 billion worth of freehold properties to fund further growth.

The group currently owns approximately 86,600 hotel rooms and intends to increase this to 96,000 by the 2031 financial year.

Whitbread said that although it expects to redeploy many affected employees within its wider business, the restructure will still result in significant job losses.

A statement said previously: “We recognise the impact of this proposal on colleagues who work at the affected sites.

“As a business which recruits around 15,000 people every year, we expect to be able to retain a significant proportion of those affected and will be looking to redeploy as many of our impacted colleagues as possible.

“However, we do anticipate that the proposed changes, which are subject to consultation, would result in a reduction of around 3,800 roles of a total UK and Ireland workforce of around 30,000.

“We will do all we can to support those colleagues affected.”

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The company believes the integrated food and drink model is better aligned with the requirements of Premier Inn guests, who account for a large portion of restaurant trade in Whitbread-owned venues.

Brewers Fayre, which is also owned by Whitbread, will also be closing, but does not yet have confirmed closure dates.

Will you be sad to see your local Beefeater restaurant close? Let us know in the comments.

Number 10 has described the glorification of dangerous driving on social media as “utterly disgraceful” as the government ordered TikTok to take down videos “celebrating” a trend to drive in the wrong direction.

The intervention comes after two police officers – Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38 – died when the vehicle they were driving was struck head-on by a Volkswagen Passat travelling on the wrong side of the A66 in Teesside on Saturday night.

Five young men travelling in the Passat – Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak – were pronounced dead at the scene. One of the teenagers killed was involved in filming dangerous driving for TikTok before the fatal incident took place.

On Monday, No 10 condemned the practice, hitting out at those posting such videos “for clips and entertainment”. It is understood the government has contacted TikTok, which is already under investigation by Ofcom as part of a probe into whether the platform’s age checks are effective in preventing children from seeing harmful content.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The glorification of dangerous driving for clips and entertainment is utterly disgraceful and that is why we have raised the issue of this appalling content with social media companies since the tragedy, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy) is clear that it should be removed in line with their legal obligations.”

Earlier on Monday, defence minister Luke Pollard said social media platforms should act to remove posts showing people driving the wrong way down roads, saying they would need to “step up”.

“There’s lots of content online on social media platforms of people celebrating dangerous driving, celebrating driving inappropriately on our roads down the wrong side of the roads, behaving incredibly badly,” he told BBC Breakfast.

“Now that’s a decision that social media companies have now. They’ve argued for many years they don’t need to be regulated, that they can police themselves. So this is a challenge for them. Remove that content.

“They know exactly what content is on their site. They know how their algorithm works. They also know that people post content to get views.

“The more views you can get, sometimes you get money for it. So it’s a financial incentive for people to post outrageous content that gets more people watching it.”

He also told BBC Radio 5 Live that the government will be using powers in the Online Safety Act to compel platforms to take dangerous driving content down.

“But if the social media platforms were to regulate themselves and remove it in the first place, not allow their algorithm to share this type of content, because they know exactly what type of content that algorithm is designed to share, then I think we’d be in a better place,” he said.

The online safety regulator has said social media platforms are required under the Online Safety Act to minimise children’s exposure to content that encourages dangerous stunts and challenges.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must minimise children’s exposure to violent material and content promoting dangerous challenges.

“In July, we launched an investigation into TikTok’s compliance with its child safety duties, and we’ve shown we’ll take action if evidence suggests companies are falling short.”

TikTok has said its policies strictly prohibit content that could cause significant physical harm, including dangerous driving, and that it actively removes any videos and accounts that break its rules.

Meanwhile, court records show that Saddington was accused of assaulting a police officer and of causing racially aggravated alarm or distress to another in Middlesbrough on 9 June.

He had appeared before Teesside Magistrates’ Court on 17 July charged with the offences and was awaiting trial.

Cleveland Police had launched a pursuit after spotting the VW acting “suspiciously”, the force said in the aftermath of the fatal crash.

Officers began following the car in South Bank, near Middlesbrough in Teesside, before it joined the A66 in the wrong direction.

Officers ended their pursuit, but just 10 seconds later the VW collided with an oncoming police armed response unit at 3.39am. The police car, which was travelling in the right direction, was not part of the pursuit.

In tributes released by Cleveland Police, the two officers’ families said they had died “in the line of duty” and that their lives will “never be the same”.

“He was our hero with a fantastic sense of humour,” PC Clough’s family said. “Jumped into action whenever needed, and willing to help anyone for any reason. Proudly fought for his country to make the world a better place. Always on public duty throughout his short life.”

In a separate tribute, PC Blades’ wife said he was a “devoted” father and her “best friend”.

Donations to a fundraiser set up by Cleveland Police to support the families of the two police officers have now reached more than £250,000. Organisers said funds raised would be split equally between the two officers’ families and the federation would continue to provide support.

Barriers have been erected outside The Brow Lounge on Newgate Street after unconfirmed reports of a smash. The business appears to have suffered severe structural damage with smashed windows and a destroyed shop front.

The path has also been partially closed off to pedestrians.

The aftermath of the building after a car reportedly drove into it (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

The Brow Lounge on Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

The aftermath of the building after a car reportedly drove into it (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

It comes just two days after the shop took to Facebook after their windows were damage and their Lego trial “ruined”.

The business claimed the windows were smashed with a rock, although this has not been confirmed by emergency services.

The Northern Echo has contacted Durham Police and the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) for comment.

• We will bring you updates as we receive them.