The closure of the award-winning Queen O’ T’owd Thatch in South Milford, between Leeds and Selby, was announced yesterday (Thursday) on social media.

The statement said the closure was with ‘a heavy heart’ but added there were many factors behind it.

It explained: “Running a pub takes a huge amount of time, effort and commitment, and it also relies on having the right support around it.

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“We have done our very best to keep the doors open and to provide somewhere for people to come together and enjoy. However, over recent months, the challenges have unfortunately become too much to continue as things stand.

“We have been trying since February to employ a new management couple or a chef but the industry is on a decline, we have been unsuccessful due both management couples & chefs are leaving the industry to do other jobs. High overheads are also adding to the hospitality industry decline.”

The statement thanked those who had supported the pub, calling it “incredibly sad” to close the pub until a “suitable tenant can be found.”

The closure, which began today, comes despite the pub earning good reviews on social media.

Google awards the venue 4.9 stars out of five based on 31 reviews.

Tripadvisor awards 4.1 stars out of five based on 56 reviews, ranking it 488th out of 1,979 restaurants in Leeds.

However, the Press has reported the gastropub has previously faced challenges due to higher rents and other costs leading former managers to leave the pub in 2023.

Last month, the pub commented on Facebook that business seemed quitter than usual, which might have been due to the holidays, or festivals.

The post continued: “Well, pubs don’t stay open on good memories and Facebook likes. They stay open because folk walk through t’door, have a pint and put the world to rights and keep the lights on.

“Your local isn’t just somewhere that sells beer. It’s where birthdays are celebrated, friendships are made, darts are argued over, politics get serious, and someone always knows someone who knows your dad!

“So instead of saying, “We really should go,” just go!!

“One pint. One visit. It all helps.

“Because once your local’s gone, all that’s left is everyone saying, “It were a cracking pub, that.”

It added: “We’re open to any suggestions of things you’d like to see other than what we already offer!”

The nine photos from The Bolton News archive were taken in 1974, when flares were very much in fashion and Mud, The Rubettes and Paper Lace released some of the best-selling singles of the year.

Perhaps you were at school in Bolton at this time. You might even be in one of the photographs.

Hopefully they will bring back fond memories for some Looking Back readers who are probably wondering how those five decades have flown by.

To share your memories of schooldays in Bolton, email bygones@nqnw.co.uk and don’t forget to include some photos, as we’d love to see them.

Officers for South Wales Police have released a description of the pensioner and what she was last seen wearing

Police are appealing for help to find a missing 90-year-old woman last seen in Swansea Market. Margaret Gleeson went last seen at the market at around 3pm on Friday.

Officers for South Wales Police have released a description of the pensioner and what she was last seen wearing in the hope that anyone with information will come forward to help with their search. They have encouraged anyone who has spotted her to get in touch.

A spokesperson for South Wales Police said: “Margaret, 90, has been reported as missing. She was last seen in Swansea Market, Oxford Street, around 3pm today.

“She is described as around 5’4, wearing a beige overcoat, jeans, and a peak hat. Anyone who may have seen Margaret, or who has information which will help us find her, is asked to contact us by one of the below means quoting occurrence number 2600283142.”

Police can by contacted online or by calling 101.

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If it’s on your to-visit list, you’ll probably be thinking about what you can do there and where you can grab a bite to eat.

A restaurant in the village (Stydd Restaurant) was described as the “cutest little lunch spot in the world” by a customer, making it a great spot to try out if you fancy it.

From its history to the must-visit spots, here’s what the village has to offer.

History of Ribchester

Ribchester Village Hall’s website explains: “The Village of Ribchester with the outlying hamlet of Stydd is situated in the picturesque Ribble Valley in the heart of rural Lancashire.

“Ribchester grew out of the ruins of the Roman fort of Bremetennacum Veteranorum, which comprised a fort and civilian settlement.

“The earliest Roman fort in Ribchester was established in the early 70s AD as part of a network of defensive forts across northern Britannia.

“The Parish Church of Saint Wilfrid, and the Village Hall itself, stand where the principal buildings of the fort would have been.

“The church, for the most part, dates from the 13th Century.

“Always a farming community the Village grew significantly in the 17th and 18th Centuries through the expansion of the Lancashire cotton industry.

“Around the village can still be found many of the cottages used by the handloom weavers in the early part of the 17th Century – particularly in Church Street – but the weaving industry has all but gone.

“Ribchester is still a busy place although most of its population work in the nearby city of Preston or the town of Blackburn.”

Amenities in Ribchester

Ribchester, located alongside the River Ribble, is home to eateries, including a cafe and a pub.

You can also visit Roman Baths Ribchester or Ribchester Roman Museum to learn more about the village’s history.

Food and drink in Ribchester

There are a few places you can stop for food and drink in Ribchester, including Potters Barn Cafe and the Ribchester Arms.

Potters Barn has a 4.5-star rating on Tripadvisor from 203 reviews, with one customer saying: “Glad I booked a table as it was getting pretty busy even at 10am.

“Delicious brunch and wished that I could have stayed for lunch as specials menu looked delicious.”

This customer enjoyed breakfast at the cafe: “Treated myself to breakfast and this cafe was well worth the visit great value and delicious.

“Dog friendly as well. Going back again for lunch as menu looked appetising.

“Staff extremely friendly and great customer service.

“Open at 9.30am and it was getting busy with customers coming in for hot drinks and cake”.

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Another shared that you can combine a stop at the cafe with pottery painting: “We enjoyed a lovely homemade lunch here, sat out in the garden.

“Great service, tasty food and good coffee.

“The pot painting area looked great and fancy booking when we are in the area again. Lovely gift shop.

“The cakes looked delicious too but we were full!! Next time.”

Have you been to Ribchester? Share your favourite spots with us in the comments below.

By HARRY BAMFORTH, LIVE SPORTS COVERAGE REPORTER

Updated: 19:53 BST, 28 August 2026

The company is planning to use more than 200,000 tonnes of waste products a year to produce energy

A new energy plant could be built right next to an already existing site. Pretoria Energy has submitted plans to build a large anaerobic digestion plant in Chatteris.

The plant would be located west of the existing Mepal AD plant, also run by Pretoria, and south of Grey’s Farm in Chatteris. If approved, Pretoria proposes to use around 220,000 tonnes of feedstock every year, consisting of chicken and poultry litter, straw and blended liquid food waste to produce energy.

The applicant said: “The primary use is to generate energy in the form of biogas which would be exported to the gas network via an existing connection point currently used within the applicant’s existing AD plant.

“The planning agent has advised the thermal output will be more than 50 megawatts, whilst there will be an estimated 100 HGV movements per day during the week.”

The land is currently an agricultural site. Pretoria’s current AD plant produces 120 HGV movements a day, including 60 vehicles in and 60 vehicles out. There could be an overlap in HGV movements between the existing plant and new one. However, the applicant said this would be for a “temporary period”.

If approved, the construction of the site could have the “potential to create noise and light”. Construction is expected to take around 24 months, with work taking place between 7am and 6pm on Mondays to Fridays and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays.

Pretoria has produced a noise assessment for the applicant. This doesn’t provide an assessment on the effects of the construction stage, but it believes there “would not be a significant effect”.

The site is around 2.2km from the Ouse Washes, which is a special protection area and special area of conservation. An ecological air quality assessment submitted with the plans identifies that the site has the “potential to cause changes in pollution levels at sensitive ecological locations”.

However, the screening distance doesn’t include the washes and it’s “not likely to have any significant effects”. A new 530m access road between Blockmoor Drove and Short North Drove Byways has also been proposed.

Pretoria has submitted a similar planning application to East Cambridgeshire District Council for another AD plant in Stretham.

Not even a fortune cookie could have predicted this arrest.

A California man who twice escaped police by running onto a freeway was finally taken into custody after he happened to walk into the same Panda Express where officers were eating lunch.

The unlikely encounter happened July 17 at a Panda Express on the 600 block of West Huntington Drive in Monrovia. Body camera footage released by the Monrovia Police Department Thursday shows two officers sitting down to eat when the suspect they had been searching for walked through the door.

The man, who has not been publicly identified, was wanted on a no-bail felony probation warrant. Officers said they had been trying to arrest him for about a month.

In the footage, the officers are seen eating bowls of beef and broccoli when they spot the wanted man. After giving each other a nod, they quickly move in, tackling him and placing him in handcuffs.

“What did I do?” the man can be heard asking.

One officer responds, “You’ve been wanted. You’ve been running from me for like a month.”

Officers had previously tried to arrest the man while he was walking, but he fled both times, eventually running onto a freeway and getting away, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

This time, the man did not make it to a freeway. Police took him into custody at the restaurant without another chase.

The Monrovia Police Department poked fun at the bizarre timing of the encounter in its Instagram post.

“At this point, we’re not sure if it was good police work, bad timing, or the irresistible smell of chow mein. Either way, an arrest was made,” the department said.

After taking the man into custody, the officers were able to return to the restaurant and finish their meal.

“Priorities,” the department added.

If you’ve ever had a mouth ulcer, you’ll know how much a tiny sore can take over your day. These small, painful patches that suddenly appear inside your mouth make eating, drinking and even talking surprisingly uncomfortable.

The good news is that most heal on their own within a week or two. But understanding why they appear and what you can do to prevent them can make a big difference.

Mouth ulcers are incredibly common. Up to a quarter of the population will experience them at some point in their lives, and they’re especially frequent in teenagers and young adults. Some people get one or two a year; others find they pop up every month. They’re not contagious and they’re usually harmless, but they can still be miserable.

So why do they happen? In many cases, it’s something simple. Trauma to the area – from accidentally biting your cheek, scraping your gums with a toothbrush, or irritation from braces or dentures – can trigger an ulcer. Certain foods, especially spicy, salty or acidic ones, can also irritate the lining of your mouth. Stress, tiredness and hormonal changes play a role too, and some people notice ulcers appear around their monthly period or during times of pressure at work or home.

Sometimes the cause is less obvious. Ulcers may be linked to low levels of iron, zinc, folate, B vitamins or vitamin D, or to underlying conditions such as coeliac disease, Crohn’s disease or a suppressed immune system. If a deficiency seems likely, it’s worth asking your GP for a blood test so that you can get the correct supplements.

Medications, including some anti-inflammatories, heart medicines like beta blockers, and lung medicines like bronchodilators, can also trigger them. And for a few people, recurrent ulcers are simply part of their genetic makeup as they tend to run in families.

People who stop smoking often notice mouth ulcers appearing in the first couple of weeks. They are a withdrawal effect, and around two in five quitters develop them. They’re usually mild and settle within a month.

If you’re unlucky enough to get ulcers regularly, you might be dealing with recurrent aphthous stomatitis, a pattern of repeated ulcers. These ulcers can be tiny and short lived, or larger and more severe, lasting several weeks. They’re thought to involve an overactive immune response in the mouth, which makes the lining more vulnerable to everyday triggers.

How to get rid of them

While there’s no instant cure and most ulcers clear up on their own within a week or two, there are several ways to ease the pain and help them heal faster. Rinsing with warm saltwater can soothe discomfort and reduce inflammation.

Over-the-counter topical treatments can help ease the pain of mouth ulcers and sometimes shorten how long they last. Local anaesthetic gels and sprays, such as lidocaine and benzocaine, numb the area for a short period, making eating and drinking more comfortable.

Antiseptic and anti-inflammatory mouthwashes, including chlorhexidine and benzydamine, can also help reduce discomfort and may slightly shorten healing time. For more stubborn or painful ulcers, you can buy steroid tablets that dissolve in the mouth. Doctors or dentists can prescribe steroid sprays or stronger mouthwashes to reduce pain, swelling and speed up healing.

If you keep getting ulcers, it’s worth looking at your toothpaste. Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), a foaming agent found in many brands, has been linked to mouth ulcers in some people. Switching to an SLS-free toothpaste may help reduce the pain and healing period of ulcers.

Eating softer foods, drinking cool liquids through a straw and avoiding spicy or acidic meals, or rough, crunchy foods like crisps can also make life more comfortable while an ulcer heals.

Prevention is often easier than treatment. Using a soft-bristled toothbrush, keeping up with regular dental check ups and eating a balanced diet can all help protect the lining of your mouth. Managing stress and getting enough sleep may reduce how often ulcers appear. And if you suspect certain foods trigger your ulcers – chocolate, coffee, nuts and tomatoes are common culprits – keeping a diary can help you spot patterns.

If your mouth ulcer lasts longer than three weeks, keeps coming back, or looks unusual, it’s important to get it checked. A persistent ulcer can occasionally be a sign of an underlying condition, including mouth cancer, so don’t ignore anything that feels out of the ordinary.

Mouth ulcers may be small, but they can have a big impact. The reassuring news is that simple changes, from switching toothpaste to managing stress, can make them far less frequent. And next time one appears, you’ll know exactly what’s going on and how to help it heal.

Serious disorder at a balloon release for one of the young men who died in the A66 car crash is “unacceptable”, an MP has said.

Durham Police said a large crowd gathered on a privately owned field near Haswell, County Durham, on Thursday evening where five vehicles were set on fire and balloons, flares, and fireworks were released.

Redcar MP Anna Turley said it put lives at risk, while Assistant Chief Constable Jon McAdam said the force condemned “anyone who would use that tragedy as an excuse for disorder”.

In an update on Friday afternoon, Cleveland Police ACC Dave Sutherland said the force was not currently linking the A66 crash to a house fire which killed a woman and a seven-year-old girl.

It had previously said it could not rule out a link to organised crime in relation to the house fire and the crash.

Turley said the police force had been “at pains to say we shouldn’t think that these are all connected, and we shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions”.

The BBC understands the King has written to the families of two officers killed in the crash to express his deepest sympathies for their loss.

Meanwhile Middlesbrough FC said it would ask supporters to pay their respects to the officers before Saturday’s fixture against West Bromwich Albion.

“We are also showing our appreciation for the dedication and hard work of both men, and to Cleveland police force in protecting and supporting our local community,” the club said in a statement.

Seven people, including PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, died in the crash near Middlesbrough on Saturday. Two people were arrested on suspicion of murder following the house fire in Grangetown on Wednesday.

With regards to Thursday night’s disorder, Labour Home Office minister Turley said it “put lives at risk” and left residents “frightened and angry in their own communities”.

She added: “People have a right to grieve and to pay their respects – but people also have a right to feel safe in their own homes and neighbourhoods.”