Police in Middlesbrough had five pleas for help ignored by the government before an outbreak of gang violence which led to the fatal A66 crash. 

Matt Storey, Cleveland’s police and crime commissioner, had written at least seven letters to the government since July 2024 warning that officers were ‘woefully underfunded’ and struggling to protect the public. 

Only two received a response, his office said, while more requests for additional support were ignored. 

The most recent warning, sent to Andy Burnham last month, said shrinking recruitment was driving ‘concern about whether help will be there when it is needed most’.

Cleveland police was forced to call in 200 officers from nearby regions last week after the crash – which killed two officers and five youths – ignited chaos in the south of Middlesbrough. 

PCs Matthew Blades, 37, and Tom Clough, 38, died alongside five occupants of a VW Passat that was travelling on the wrong side of a dual carriageway in the early hours of Saturday, August 22. 

Theo Rae, 17, Cole Worthy, 17, Michael Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18, were named as the five young men. 

Four of the five youths had previous criminal convictions, and were believed to be associated with another car which was seen ramming properties earlier that morning. 

PC Matthew Blades, 37, was killed when his police vehicle was struck by a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough 

PC Tom Clough, 38, also died in the crash, which occurred around 10 seconds after a police pursuit of the Volkswagen was called off 

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Middlesbrough and County Durham have been gripped by a wave of violence since their deaths, which has left some residents too intimidated to leave their homes. 

The Home Office said the government is ‘grateful to Cleveland police, who have delivered a robust response in very difficult circumstances’. 

It added: ‘We have been in regular contact with the force and local leaders, ensuring they have the support they need and engaging on their financial concerns. 

‘The force will receive up to £197.8 million in funding in the 2026/2027 financial year – a 3.7 per cent uplift in cash. Alongside this, we are reviewing the funding formula as part of our wider programme to reform policing, working with forces to build consensus around a future model.’ 

Police are investigating whether the spate of violence, including the fatal A66 crash, is linked to organised crime. 

Middlesbrough, which has the highest crime rate in England bar central London, was rocked again when a seven-year-old girl, Valentina Foster, and her aunt, Natalie McDonald, 34, died in a house fire. Two men were arrested on suspicion of murder. 

Although police did not link the blaze to the A66 crash, they did not rule out a connection to wider organised crime.

Makai Saddington, one of the five killed in the Volkswagen, posted videos on TikTok of him being chased by police and was awaiting trial for racially abusing and assaulting officers

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Jakub Matusiak, another occupant of the car which hit the officers, also posted videos of himself driving recklessly

Close friends Theo Rae (left) and Cole Robert Worthy both died in the crash on Saturday

Michael Robert Cahill was one of the five in the VW Passat

A home in the South Bank area of Middlesbrough was rammed by a car in the early hours of Thursday 

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Barely 24 hours later, armed police were responding to another serious incident in Middlesbrough, with claims of a machete attack that left a man with stab wounds.

Seven more men were later held as part of a broader operation to disrupt organised crime, taking the total number of arrests to 24.

In a statement, Mr Storey said previously: ‘I have always been very vocal that Cleveland Police does a brilliant job of handling the level of demand it faces with the resources at its disposal. Sadly, the frequency and severity of recent incidents has now brought Cleveland to national attention.

‘Today, I met with the policing minister to once again raise my serious concerns about the outdated and ineffective funding system that disadvantages this force. 

‘I have reiterated my request for a better long-term funding deal to enhance Cleveland’s response to serious and organised crime.

‘People in Cleveland have the right to live without the fear of crime and I understand the concern, anger and grief recent events have caused. 

‘I want to assure them that I will continue to fight for the funding needed to improve Cleveland Police’s ability to prevent crime, bring offenders to justice and keep our communities safe.’

The Daily Mail has contacted the Home Office for comment.  

By HARRY BAMFORTH, LIVE SPORTS COVERAGE REPORTER

Updated: 12:38 BST, 30 August 2026

If you’re fond of a cheeky takeaway, you might have noticed something strange happening on your favourite delivery app.

Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat are being flooded with seemingly delicious dishes that are really nothing more than AI–generated fakes.

Unnaturally perfect burgers, strangely spherical rice, and physics–defying snacks are popping up on restaurant menus all over the country.

But what do these artificial fakes really look and taste like?

The Daily Mail’s reporters put their stomachs on the line to order food from some of the worst offenders.

And some of the dishes that arrived were barely recognisable compared to the glossy images that looked so enticing on the menu.

Although a disappointing lunch break might not be the end of the world, experts say that this growing trend threatens to undermine trust in the entire restaurant industry.

Some food photographers have even called the practice ‘dishonest’ and accused the restaurants involved of ‘false advertising’.

This AI–generated image of pancakes was so far from the actual product that it was genuinely laughable. Left: AI–generated menu. Right: The food as delivered

The Daily Mail’s reporters put their stomachs on the line to order food from some of the worst offenders 

What is striking about some of the AI–generated images clogging up our favourite delivery apps is just how obviously fake they are.

Although I assessed each image with an array of ‘AI checker’ tools to be sure, it didn’t take an expert eye to spot that these couldn’t be real food.

Scrolling through a selection of food apps, the first pictures that caught my eye were the mozzarella sticks from a restaurant called Pasta Bowl and Feast.

At first glance, they looked like a standard deep–fried snack you might find on any menu, but even a moment of examination revealed that something was deeply wrong.

What was meant to be a satisfying pull of oozing cheese was strangely looped in on itself like a mind–bending twist in an M.C Escher painting.

This is such a classic tell of AI interference that most modern image generators are sophisticated enough to avoid it, making its appearance on a delivery menu even more surprising.

When the food arrived, it wasn’t wildly different from the image that appeared on the menu and wasn’t even all that bad – it was still mozzarella sticks after all.

However, the food that we received simply looked blander, less crisp, and less appealing than the image that had first grabbed my attention.

Some of the food items had clear AI ‘artefacts’ such as physics–defying cheese. Left: AI–generated menu. Right: The food as delivered 

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The same pattern was repeated with a nearby Chinese restaurant named Mimi Noodle and Tap.

Although the total lack of reviews was slightly unnerving, I was amazed at just how good all the food appeared to be in the photos on Uber Eats. 

Sauces were glistening, the vegetables chopped to an almost impossible uniformity, and everything looked steaming hot and freshly made.

And, when my ‘Chinese Pork Ragù Rice Bowl’ arrived, it wasn’t miles off the AI–generated image (and was actually a very nice lunch), but it just looked less polished than what I’d been sold on.

In other cases, however, my disappointment was significantly more severe.

Although the picture of my rotisserie chicken burger, ordered from Five Rivers Rotisserie, already looked like a bit of an AI–generated mess, the actual product was far worse.

The burger was flat, floppy, and came wrapped in the single wettest piece of bread I have ever touched, almost like someone had dropped the food in a mayonnaise–flavoured puddle along the way.

In fact, as we looked through more and more restaurants across the most popular delivery apps, it became clear that the AI–generated images often looked far tastier than the real food ever would be.

Often the food was always that bad and sometimes matched the AI–generated image quite closely. Left: AI–generated menu. Right: The food as delivered 

But this isn’t just a quirk of my own personal taste, as studies now show that people actually prefer fake food to the real deal.

Dr Giovanbattista Califano, a behavioural scientist from the University of Naples Federico II who has investigated this effect, told the Daily Mail: ‘AI–generated food images are consistently rated as more visually appealing than real photographs.

‘The reason is that generative models tend to idealise food: images come out glossier, more symmetrical, better lit and more flawless than a real dish photographed under normal conditions.

‘So an AI image can look “better than real” simply because it strips out the imperfections a camera would normally capture.’

Researchers say that AI images are something called a ‘superstimuli’, meaning they possess exaggerated characteristics that amplify the effects of their real counterparts.

Dr Alexander Diel, a psychologist and cognitive neuroscientist from the LVR University Hospital Essen, told the Daily Mail: ‘Food superstimuli have been used for food advertising long before AI, via photo editing.

‘But AI has the potential to create such images with ease.’

However, there is a stark difference between editing an image of real food using AI–powered tools, and dreaming up a food item that never existed.

The food that arrived was far soggier and much less appealing that its picture on the menu implied. Left: AI–generated menu. Right: The food as delivered

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‘An AI–generated image of a food served by a specific restaurant will likely not correctly represent the actual food dish, as the AI is not trained on that restaurant’s food images,’ says Dr Diel.

‘So what the customers see will not be the dish actually served.’

In some cases, this leads to some AI–generated menus being not just disappointing, but outright misleading.

For example, I was very intrigued by a restaurant boldly named ‘SPARTA!!!’ which offered a dish called ‘Falafel Bombs’.

While I wasn’t expecting to be blown away, the food that was delivered simply looked nothing like the picture on Just Eat.

Rather than round, herby balls that are ‘golden on the outside, soft inside’ as promised, I received a cardboard cup filled with brown, cardboard–like pucks.

And yet, that still wasn’t the worst AI mixup out of the restaurants operating across popular apps.

The fact that ‘Taste of China’ operated out of a pizza restaurant probably should have been my first red flag.

Although some of the AI images were harder to spot, they were obvious in comparison with the real food. Left: AI–generated menu. Right: The food as delivered

However, its menu was such a baffling mix of obviously AI–generated mashups that I simply couldn’t resist seeing what the food was really like.

Dishes looked as if they had been carved out of wax, and the menu was packed with mysterious spheres of all shapes and sizes.

But the most wonderfully incongruous item of all was the pancakes; listed as an accompaniment to roast duck, and yet proudly showing a steaming stack of fluffy, American–style pancakes.

Ever the optimist and in need of some dessert, I ordered myself a stack of suspiciously cheap pancakes and some ‘Sweet and Sour Prawn Balls’ that looked like Ikea meatballs stuffed with cake batter.

I knew I was probably in for a disappointment, but I did not anticipate just how bad it would be.

After an hour of calling to try and track down my errant delivery, the food finally arrived.

I received a bag of deep–fried prawns so greasy that oil literally poured onto my desk when I opened the bag and – worst of all – a small, sad plastic bag of plain duck pancakes.

It might be easy to laugh this off as the stupid consequences of deliberately ordering dodgy takeout, but people in the food industry are genuinely concerned.

The fact that these ‘pancakes’ were listed as a side for roast duck should have been a hint that something was wrong 

Brent Herrig, a New York–based commercial food and drink photographer, says that restaurants are being driven to use AI due to ‘cost and appetite’.

He told the Daily Mail: ‘Social platforms want new images constantly, and a restaurant running on thin margins can’t shoot every week. It’s a rushed phone snap versus AI, and AI wins that fight easily.’

Mr Herrig says he has nothing against using AI to enhance aspects of an image such as lighting or expanding the background, but says there is a ‘clear’ line that shouldn’t be crossed.

‘The problem is when the image depicts a specific dish the customer is being asked to buy, and that dish was never cooked,’ says Mr Herrig.

Just Eat, Deliveroo, and Uber Eats all have guidance for restaurants advising that menu images should accurately represent the dish.

Just Eat and Deliveroo both specifically forbid pictures that are entirely made by AI and use an automated tool to filter out fakes, but as my disastrous lunch clearly shows, that isn’t always easy to enforce.

Meanwhile, the UK Food Standards Agency requires that food businesses label, advertise and market food accurately, and not mislead people about the quality, ingredients or processes used, but don’t specifically prohibit using AI.

Food photographers like Mr Herrig aren’t worried that AI will put them out of a job, but rather that these sorts of AI–generated images will undermine the whole basis of having pictures on a menu.

These mysterious spheres were advertised on the menu as sweet and sour prawn balls. Left: AI–generated menu. Right: The food as delivered

‘Food photography works because there’s an implied promise behind it: someone stood in that kitchen, that plate existed, a person made it. Take that away at scale and the whole category gets discounted,’ Mr Herrig said.

Likewise, Lindsay Kreighbaum, Los Angeles–based food photographer and director, told the Daily Mail that using an AI image was ‘totally misleading if it’s not a photo’.

She adds: ‘I am worried about the false advertising and the implications that come with that.

‘I don’t think customers should have to use their imaginations when deciding on a meal. They should know what they’re getting without question.

‘It’s dishonest, and it’s going to sever any trust between customer and business if they’re not receiving what is pictured.’

A Just Eat spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘We support our tens of thousands of independent restaurant partners to ensure the images they use accurately represent to customers the food they sell, including by funding local professional photographers. 

‘We don’t currently allow partners to upload AI images and the examples shared with us have been removed.’

Uber Eats and Deliveroo did not give a statement in response to the Daily Mail’s questions, and all referenced restaurants were approached for comment.  

Police Constable Richard Peak failed to show up to work and hasn’t been found since

More than 150 years ago, PC Richard Peak left his late night duties but failed to return to work; never to be seen again. The sudden disappearance came as quite a shock in the Burwell, Wicken, Soham and Fordham areas.

According to Capturing Cambridge, on the evening of August 17, 1855, the Wicken Police Constable had performed his duty according to the usual routine. PC Peak’s job was to police a crop auction at the Red Lion Inn in Wicken, which was due to finish at 9pm.

However, at the end of the sale, between 40 to 50 people were left in the pub so PC Peak remained there until the early hours of the next morning. He was helping to make sure there was no disturbance.

At about 2am on August 18, PC Peak, known as the ‘village bobby’, asked to go home but the landlord pressed him to continue on duty as he feared a disturbance among the people inside the inn, Capturing Cambridge said. Following the landlord’s pleas, PC Peak stayed to keep watch for rowdy residents and eventually kicked out two ‘parties’ who were being noisy.

The Red Lion was cleared at about 3.15am. PC Peak reportedly said to the landlord: “Good morning; I’ve got an hour and a half’s walk, and then I will go to bed”. Sadly, this is the last that was ever heard of him.

During the evening, the officer was spotted getting drinks at the bar out of uniform. Although, it is thought that the drinks were consumed over an extended period of time and that he was “perfectly sober when he left”, reports Cambridge Chronicle and Journal.

When PC Peak left Wicken, he was dressed in a brown straw hat, a brown coat, a check coat, dark cloth vest and a pair of coarse uniform trousers with a black neck tie and wellington boots. The officer was reportedly supposed to attend a neighbouring police conference at 4am that morning but failed to report to work.

Rumours soon spread that he must have met with foul play due to the circumstances under his disappearance and the strenuous exertions of the other members in the force. As the weekend passed, the mystery grew and PC Peak hadn’t uttered a word.

Residents in towns and villages in the area searched for the missing officer but there was no success. Even stranger, in 1880, a skeleton was pulled from a pond in Wicken which appeared to have a damaged skull. Later, another skeleton was recovered during renovation work at the Anchor in Burwell. However, neither of these remains belonged to PC Peak.

PC Peak was from Caxton and he joined the police force in 1851, aged about 20. He was stationed at Burwell and was given the responsibility of keeping order in Wicken village. Cambridgeshire Police described him as the “village bobby” for Wicken.

They weren’t always enemies. Before William of Normandy and Harold Godwinson were deadly adversaries on the battlefield at Hastings in 1066, vying for the throne of England, they were comrades and brothers in arms.

It’s a tragic journey from unlikely allies to mortal enemies. And it’s one of the lesser-known stories in the Bayeux tapestry, which opens for viewing at the British Museum in London this September.

As a medieval historian, I’ve seen the tapestry several times in Bayeux, and this is the often-overlooked story that brings me to tears. At its heart, there’s an extraordinary episode near Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, where Harold and William once stood shoulder to shoulder.

The year is 1064 and Harold Godwinson, one of the most powerful nobles in early medieval England, is shipwrecked at Ponthieu in northern France. William, Duke of Normandy, immediately demands that Harold is handed over to him.

There’s already a dispute about who will take the English crown after the death of the reigning King Edward, who has no children of his own. William’s motives, no doubt, are bound up with his ambitions for the throne.

But then the story takes a surprising turn.

William and his warriors ride out on a military campaign against Duke Conan of Brittany, taking Harold with them. It’s an uneasy position for Harold: a tense and complicated mix of hostage, guest and fellow fighter.

Near Mont Saint-Michel, William and Harold reach the border between Normandy and Brittany. The Bayeux tapestry depicts Mont Saint-Michel as a stylised abbey on top of a craggy hill. The river Couesnon itself is the border – notorious for its treacherous, shifting mud and quicksands.

Next, disaster. The tapestry shows the Norman army floundering in the quicksand. Men wading through the stream, their shields hoisted over their heads, then stumbling into the water and mud. A horse sinking, throwing its rider. Panic and chaos.

Astonishingly, it’s Harold who comes to the rescue. “Here, Duke Harold dragged them out of the sand” (“hic Harold dux trahebat eos de arena”), the tapestry tells us. Harold – distinguished from William’s men by his luxuriant moustache (the Normans preferred to be clean-shaven) – grips his shield with one hand, with the other pulling a wretched soldier out of the quicksand. Another Norman foot-soldier clings to Harold’s back as he’s carried to safety. Harold is the hero of the hour.

This summer, I followed in the footsteps of William and Harold, retracing their journey across the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel at the mouth of the river Couesnon, from the mudflats to the quicksand. Even today, it’s too risky to walk without an expert guide: the tides and sands are capricious and deadly.

Our guide told us to “dance” or paddle our feet to awaken the quicksand. As it began to shift and open, swallowing my legs and tugging me down, I understood how the tramping feet of the Norman soldiers would have been exactly what it took to set the “sables mouvants” (quicksands) in motion. All too fast, the quicksand has you in its grip, and you can’t get out.

The Norman chronicler Orderic Vitalis later wrote that Harold was “very tall and handsome, remarkable for his physical strength, his courage and eloquence, his ready humour and acts of bravery”. But it’s not all praise. Orderic adds: “But what were all these gifts to him without honour, which is the root of all good?”

If you want to know what’s really going on in the Bayeux tapestry, always look at the borders. These decorative edges, at the top and bottom, include bird and animal motifs, details from moral fables, narrative sub-plots, and symbols that offer wry and pointed comment on the action in the main embroidered panel.

In the borders of the quicksand scene, there are birds and fish – just like the rich natural life of the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel that I saw this summer. But there’s something more. The edges are alive with writhing, twisting eels. The figure of a man reaches out, trying to grasp them, but they slip through his fingers. Is this a comment on Harold Godwinson? Charismatic and charming, but as slippery as an eel? Next to the eels, eagles and a wolf hint at violence and predation. In the midst of Harold’s heroism, there’s a chilling premonition.

The Bayeux tapestry tells the quicksand story with the benefit of hindsight. All that conflict is still to come. On the Brittany campaign, Harold helps William defeat Duke Conan, chasing him from the fortified town of Dol to the clifftop citadel of Dinan, where Conan surrenders the keys to the city, held out on the tip of a lance (another wonderful detail in the tapestry).

Harold is rewarded richly for his bravery and service: the tapestry shows the two men in a near embrace as William gifts him arms. But that’s not all. William brings Harold back to Normandy (Bayeux) to celebrate – and to extract that momentous oath of loyalty. The tapestry shows Harold swearing on holy relics (though there’s still controversy about whether he knew exactly what he was promising, or what he was swearing on). It’s the moment that seals the future conflict between the two men, and sows the seeds for the Battle of Hastings.

The brutal aftermath of the Battle of Hastings is what I focused on in my book A History of England in 25 Poems. But don’t forget this tale of surprising friendship, courage and shared endeavour. When you reach the end of the Bayeux tapestry – the arrow in the eye, the stripped and mutilated corpses, the English fleeing in defeat – remember the remarkable backstory and that lost comradeship between William and Harold: once, two brothers in arms.

This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something, The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

I have travelled to 28 European countries, and I’m not sure I have been rewarded with such inviting beaches, beautiful nature and consistently good food as on my recent visit to the Baltic coast of Lithuania.

A most wonderfully underrated place.

This discovery started in the UK, where I found regular flights to Palanga, from £88 return. Yet many don’t even realise that Lithuania has a coastline.

Granted, it’s small (just over 90km in total). But once there, I could see that the town’s sweeping stretch of immaculate white sand just sells itself.

There are several charming sea view bars, a public toilet and access is via paths with wooden planks, so shoes do not get full of sand.

Of course, it doesn’t get the heat of the Mediterranean.

But summer temperatures of a pleasant 23°C attracts local crowds, though even at the height of the season I am told it is easy to find quiet spots on the sand.

The main pedestrian drag, Jonas Basanavičius Street, is alive with cafes and bars, especially in the summer from late May to September.

Palanga itself has the feel of a classic seaside resort with a distinctly Baltic twist.

Elegant wooden villas are ensconced among trees, flower-filled streets lead towards the sea and a long pier draws revellers at sunset.

Understandably, Palanga was a favourite holiday destination for 19th century aristocrats, whose legacy is still found in some of the architectural highlights.

One of these, Tiškevičiai Palace, a grand Neo-Renaissance style building, is now an Amber Museum and is surrounded by Birute Park’s botanical gardens which is free to visit.

Inside, the magnificent displays include pieces that are over 50 million years old, some with insects trapped inside.

Huge prehistoric forests, ancient river systems and a unique geological quirk, means that even today in the colder months, pieces of amber can float right into the hands of beachcombers.

Locals tell me that after storms, amber hunters head to the beaches at first light hoping to find newly deposited treasures among the seaweed and driftwood.

Still, what really caught my attention about this stretch of the Baltic coast was the cost.

At a time when many European destinations seem determined to empty your wallet before you’ve even unpacked, Lithuania feels wonderfully affordable.

A cup of coffee: £3.50, and it is quite possible to get a hearty restaurant meal under £10.

The speciality here is a cold pink soup known as Šaltibarščiai made with kefir, shredded beetroot, cucumbers, fresh dill, and hard-boiled eggs, usually served with a side of warm, buttered boiled potatoes, all for about £5.

Unsurprisingly, fresh fish is eaten everywhere.

I tasted a delicious fillet of sturgeon for the first time in restaurant Melynasis Karpis, surrounded by its own fishponds.

Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union on March 11, 1990, becoming the first Soviet republic to break away.

Today, it seems to be flourishing as a spirited country.

It has a lot of pride in itself for many things, including fast internet connections which can be a real boon for tourists.

The largest city in this area, Klaipėda has one of the few ice-free ports in northern Europe.

Because of this, it has been fought over many times and has a complicated history, becoming first part of Prussia, but more recently forging its Lithuanian identity.

Known for its German-influenced architecture, its ancient castle and tower built as early as 1252 had been totally destroyed, but it’s just been restored.

I was lucky enough to visit before it officially opened.

It is beautifully constructed with modern materials but maintaining the dimensions of the original. The plan is for it to be used for cultural events.

Next door and an excellent museum explain the city’s dramatic and fascinating past.

My favourite part of our whirlwind tour was the Curonian Spit, a 60-mile finger of land separating the Baltic Sea from the Curonian Lagoon.

This UNESCO-protected strip forms a narrow ribbon of dunes, forests and traditional fishing villages.

It’s just a 10-minute car ferry ride from Klaipeda but seems like another world.

It is mostly a National Park and the whole district goes by the name ‘Neringa’.

The writer Thomas Mann, author of ‘Death in Venice’ was so captivated by its beauty that he and his wife built a house overlooking the sea.

As he explained, ‘this fantastic world of shifting dunes, the birch and pine tree groves with grazing elk between the lagoon and the Baltic, the wild magnificence of the beach’ struck such a chord that they decided to build a permanent residence.

The house is now the Thomas Mann Museum.

I joined a National Park ranger for a walk across some of the largest shifting sand dunes found on this continent at the Nagliai Nature Strict Reserve.

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Climbing up a viewpoint, we were rewarded with extraordinary views: vast waves of sand rolling towards the horizon with the Baltic shimmering in the distance.

It felt more like a desert than a part of northern Europe.Over hundreds of years, 14 villages have been totally lost by shifting sands.

More lesser-known Europe inspiration

Bird-watching paradise

If recent statistics about Gen Z’s interest in bird-watching are to be believed, the Curonian Spit could see an influx of young travellers in the next few years.

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Millions of migratory birds pass through this narrow corridor every year, making it one of Europe’s most important routes.

Our captain, Egidijus, took some of us in a small boat on a bird-watching trip across to the Nemunas Delta, where we were able to spot bearded tits, terns and eventually, white tailed eagles, among an immense wetland landscape of rivers, reed beds and flooded meadows.

It was a special experience.

Afterwards, at the Ventė Cape Ornithological Station, I met one of the most memorable characters of the trip, Vytautas Jusys, a cheerful, ornithologist who bore an uncanny resemblance to the comedian Bob Mortimer.

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Jusys is recognised as one of the most prolific bird ringers in the world, having worked with over a million during his remarkable career and his work has significantly contributed to the development of ornithology in Lithuania and beyond.

Watching him gently examine tiny migrants before releasing them back into the sky was really fascinating.

Even for someone who wouldn’t normally describe themselves as a dedicated birdwatcher, it was impossible not to be captivated by his enthusiasm.

By the end of my trip, I was left wondering why Lithuania’s coast remains such a secret.

For British travellers searching for somewhere different this summer, it may just be Europe’s best-value, varied and most enjoyable, beach escape.

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This article was originally published June 6, 2026.

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The Getaway Expert

Your exclusive seven-day guide to travelling with confidence from Metro’s resident travel expert, Alice Murphy.

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Iceland has voted to stay out of the European Union in a major blow to Brussels’ expansion plans. 

With just a few referendum ballots left to be counted, the island’s 400,000 people rejected the chance to join the 27-strong bloc despite government claims it was a ‘now or never’ moment that would shield it from trade wars and Arctic rivalry.

The EU was said to have been keen to welcome a new ‘wealthy member’ and had even outlined a willingness to compromise on thorny issues to facilitate accession, including access to Iceland’s productive fishing waters.

Officials in Brussels viewed the island as a low-risk case which could have helped to ease scepticism toward EU enlargement and strategically strengthen the bloc when Arctic security is in focus. 

But early this morning the country’s ‘No’ camp had accrued 52.5 per cent of the vote with just a few ballots left to be counted in one of the six voting districts. 

The key points of contention ahead of the referendum centred around Iceland’s sovereignty and fishing, over which Reykjavik wanted to retain exclusive control.

The war in Ukraine and President Trump’s ambitions for neighbouring Greenland – a nation which he has confused for Iceland on multiple occasions – also featured in discussions. 

Reform leader Nigel Farage was among those who congratulated Icelanders for voting ‘to keep their independence’.

Icelanders gathered across the country on Sunday morning as the results of the vote came in

Early this morning the country’s ‘No’ camp had accrued 52.5 per cent of the vote with just a few ballots left to be counted in one of the six voting districts

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The key points of contention ahead of the referendum centred around Iceland’s sovereignty and fishing, over which Reykjavik wanted to retain exclusive control

As a member of the European Economic Area the country is already in the EU Single Market which allows freedom of movement.

‘Yes’ campaigners claimed joining Brussels could ease interest rates and offer the island greater security, while voters of the conflicting persuasion were keen to maintain Iceland’s independence. 

However, barring a major last-minute turnaround, it appears as though the country will remain out of the EU.

Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir told voters in August that a ‘no’ would put all EU speculation aside. 

Ms Frostadottir said ahead of a government press conference later on Sunday: ‘This is a great day. We’ve been waiting years to have a vote.’ 

Iceland first applied to join the EU in 2009 when a financial crisis hit its small, exposed economy. A Eurosceptic government later called a halt to talks in 2013. 

The EU was however said to have been keen to add another wealthy member, and even appeared willing to compromise in a bid to facilitate Iceland’s accession. 

The fisheries sector had been fiercely opposed to joining the bloc – 90 per cent of companies in the industry are against the idea – and the EU had tried to woo them with a conciliatory approach ahead of the vote. 

‘Iceland’s unique specificities on fisheries and agriculture are well known. They would have to be carefully considered,’ EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos had said.

‘I’m confident that, together with EU member states, we would find creative solutions.’

Only months ago Trump’s special envoy Jeff Landry touched down in Greenland for talks amid the US’s push to acquire the Arctic outpost. 

Trump had, however, confused Iceland for Greenland on a number of occasions, sparking fears over the nation’s sovereignty.

Iceland has a 1951 Cold War-era defence treaty with the US, guaranteeing its security in return for access to military bases but some worry Trump’s unpredictability could threaten its survival. 

President Donald Trump has confused Iceland for Greenland on more than one occasion

Brussels had hoped to be able to present Icelandic membership as an example of positive enlargement that could also make it more palatable for member states to agree to take in poorer countries like Montenegro.

It would also have enabled it to enlarge its presence in the strategic Arctic region, and perhaps helped change some minds in ultra-wealthy non-EU member Norway.

Yet the impending result means that Iceland will stay out of the EU until at least 2028, when the current Prime Minister’s mandate comes to an end. 

The country of 400,000 is already a member of the European Economic Area and part of the free-movement Schengen zone, both of which will remain unchanged by the vote.

Though the referendum was non-binding, Ms Frostadottir’s coalition government – led by her pro-EU Social Democrats – promised to respect the result.

The government will hold a press conference on Sunday at 1pm to present its plans.

The Met Office has put the warning in place for Darlington, Durham, Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and Teesside from 11 am until midnight.

According to the Met Office: “Showers will become widespread, heavy and thundery later Sunday morning, lasting through the afternoon and into Sunday evening.

⚠️ Yellow weather warning issued ⚠️

Thunderstorms across Wales and much of England

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Sunday 1100 –2359

Latest info 👉 https://t.co/TfU9Ok8qZD

Stay #WeatherAware⚠️ pic.twitter.com/C0JcwN3Ot6

— Met Office (@metoffice) August 30, 2026

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“While some areas may miss the heaviest showers, where they do occur, 10-15mm of rain is possible in an hour or so, with 25-35mm possible in several hours. Lightning and hail will be additional hazards.

“Heaviest of the showers will ease from the west through the evening.”

What should people expect?

• There is a good chance driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus
• Delays to train services are possible
• Some short-term loss of power and other services is possible
• Some flooding of a few homes and businesses is possible, leading to some damage to buildings or structures

Advice from the Met Office

According to the Met Office: “Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.

“If you find yourself outside and hear thunder, protect yourself by finding a safe enclosed shelter (such as a car). Do not shelter under or near trees, or other structures which may be struck by lightning. If you are on an elevated area, move to lower ground.

“People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance.

“Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area.”

What is the forecast for today and tomorrow?

Today: Outbreaks of showery rain at first, perhaps heavy in places, and some drier intervals. Perhaps briefly becoming drier more widely around midday. Further heavy showers and thunderstorms then developing through the afternoon with a risk of hail. Maximum temperature 22 °C.

Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms continue during the evening, before easing into Monday. Staying rather cloudy, with hill fog across the Pennines. A few showers remain possible by dawn. Minimum temperature 11 °C.

Monday August 31: Early cloud breaks, with sunny spells but also a few showers developing, the odd one perhaps heavy and thundery. These easing through the afternoon, but turning rather cloudy and breezy. Maximum temperature 21 °C.