Airport chaos has left thousands of passengers facing an ‘absolute nightmare’ after an issue with the UK’s air traffic control’s ‘flight processing system’ yesterday.

National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which provides air traffic control services to 15 airports across the country, suffered a major technical failure on Tuesday, leading to mayhem at hubs including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham.

Some 600 flights were cancelled yesterday, with disruption quickly spreading to all major British airports and also hitting transport centres across Europe.

Although NATS said yesterday it had identified and implemented a fix for the issue, the chaos continued this morning with around 250 flights cancelled at Heathrow alone by 6am.

Among those stranded was former F1 driver and broadcaster Martin Brundle, who reported being stuck on a plane for nine hours at Heathrow.

Taking to social media, Mr Brundle said: ‘Great work BA and Heathrow. Nine hours and counting sitting on a plane which has travelled nowhere. 

‘At a remote parking bay, no food throughout, and mother/baby and a person with a medical condition desperate to get off. As is everyone else. 

‘Toilets no longer available as blocked. No sign of steps or buses. And that’s before the wait for luggage. Pathetic and dangerous lack of corporate contingency and responsibility.’

Julia Kobrin and her daughter Daniela are stranded in Milan, Italy, after originally planning to return home yesterday.

The pair told the Daily Mail they were on a BA flight on Tuesday and were stuck on the tarmac for six hours before passengers were finally informed it had been cancelled.

They have still heard nothing from BA despite being on the phone to the airline until 3am.

Fortunately, the pair were able to find a hotel room overnight and Mrs Kobrin’s husband has booked them alternative flights – albeit on a circuitous route.

Assuming they go ahead as scheduled, the mother and daughter will return to Britain via Menorca – travelling an extra 700 miles in the process.

Julia Kobrin (pictured) and her daughter Daniela were stranded in Milan, Italy, after originally planning to return home yesterday, and were stuck on a plane for six hours before the flight was cancelled

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Holidaymakers trying to return to Britain queue outside Rhodes airport in Greece on Tuesday night

Passengers faced four-hour queues to exit Gatwick yesterday after hundreds of flights were cancelled amid problems with e-gates

In Rhodes, Greece, traveller James Finch shared photographs with the Mail of a lengthy queue outside the airport as Brits tried to return to the UK.

After waiting outside all night, Mr Finch said he and around 120 people – including babies, elderly people and those with disabilities – were given access to a conference room to sleep in at around 5.30am.

‘We are all just sitting in the conference room with no information,’ he said. Mr Finch added those stranded had been rebooked on an alternative flight for early Thursday morning.

Back at Gatwick, Marcus Wareham photographed chaotic scenes as people were stuck for hours inside the airport, unable to leave.

Large crowds were seen queuing as they tried to get through immigration to return home.

Mr Wareham had already waited for his flight for eight hours before it was cancelled.

‘It now appears as though we cannot leave the airport at the passport e-gates don’t seem to be working either,’ Mr Wareham said yesterday.

‘You couldn’t make it up. Gatwick is a national embarrassment. The head of NATs should be fired immediately.’

He added it took a further four hours to leave Gatwick and he has rebooked himself on a flight today.’

‘Back home from Spain after a complete nightmare and stressful journey,’ Mark Houghton wrote on social media. He arrived at Barcelona Airport on Tuesday to be told his flight was cancelled. 

In the end, he was offered tickets for a flight to Gatwick which was delayed by five hours when he arrived at the gate. 

‘We were on the edge of the runway, and then the captain announced ‘I’m afraid we are not allowed to take off we have to sit here for another hour and a half’,’ he recalled.

Eventually, the passenger arrived home at 3.30am. Mr Houghton added: ‘Glad to be back to home sweet home, but feeling sorry for some of my friends who won’t be able to get home for 2 days because of the backlog.’

Louise Jarvis revealed how a group of eight travellers found themselves stuck at Gatwick for 16 hours due to the chaos and ‘will now lose two precious days of their holiday through no fault of their own’.

‘Their flight was cancelled this morning. They rebooked onto another flight this afternoon themselves — only for that flight to be cancelled late this evening too,’ she wrote.

Ms Jarvis described baggage claim as ‘absolute chaos’ and explained how the group booked an alternative flight from Bristol ‘to try and get away and salvage what they can of their holiday’.

Passengers sleep at Gatwick airport on Wednesday morning after an evening of travel chaos

Holidaymakers scramble for accommodation at a hotel at MIlan’s Malpensa airport in Italy

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‘Two cancelled flights. 16 hours at Gatwick. Two days of their holiday lost. And passengers left to sort themselves out,’ she fumed. 

Sarah Holt explained how the delays have prevented her from getting home from her trip to Portugal altogether: ‘Yesterday I arrived at Lisbon airport in good time for my 4.30pm flight to Heathrow expecting to land around 7.30pm and head to my pre-paid for hotel for the night.

‘A few minutes after arriving at the airport I was informed by BA that my flight was delayed. Then there was another update that the delay had been extended, then extended again, then finally, at 7pm, cancelled.

‘There were queues to leave the airport, as so many people had had their flights cancelled. Lines were snaking away from lost luggage as miserable let down passengers tried to locate the bags they had checked in a few hours before. 

‘BA told me to pay for my own hotel in Lisbon for the night and to claim it back. I finally got to my room at 10pm. BA have rebooked me onto the next available flight, which isn’t until Thursday. So I’m stranded here.

‘I’m lucky I don’t have children with me, but I have missed two days of paid for work. There are currently displaced passengers all over Lisbon!’ 

Paige and Omar Iannarino told the Mail: ‘We had a layover at Heathrow after traveling from Albania. We live in the US and have been traveling for more than two weeks, and at this point, we just want to get home to Texas.

‘To make matters even worse, there are no hotels available, leaving us with no choice but to spend the night at the airport if we’re eventually allowed off the plane. There is still no clear end in sight.

‘After more than six hours trapped on the runway, exhausted and completely helpless, this has been an absolute nightmare.’

At Heathrow’s terminal 4, hundreds of passengers are sleeping on yoga mats on the ground after a long night of travel chaos.

Flights are running but some have been cancelled and there are delays on many of the ones which are due to take off today.

Patrick Weston, 45, was planning to fly out to Gothenburg in Sweden this morning but it has been cancelled.

Mr Weston, of Enfield, said: ‘It’s absolute chaos here. You cannot believe this can keep happening in Britain in 2026 with all the technology we have.

‘It was a minibreak for me. I have no idea what is happening. There’s just a feeling of helplessness. It shouldn’t be like this in this day and age. That’s the frustrating part. Of course, things go wrong. But this is just a regular occurrence now.’

Meanwhile Carolyn Pearson told the Daily Mail how she was delayed for over four hours yesterday heading from Jersey to Leeds Bradford. 

‘The airport was generally chilled out there was good passenger camaraderie and there was food to buy and free water filling stations. I felt sorrier for passengers who had sat in the airport for 7 hours only to have their flights eventually cancelled,’ she said. 

According to the passenger, crew members on her flight ‘looked exhausted’ but they ‘soldiered on’ and provided a food and beverage service. 

‘Given the high safety risk associated with air traffic, I applaud NATS for getting things operational as quickly as they did,’ Ms Pearson added.

Martin Rolfe, the chief executive of NATS, has promised there would be a ‘very, very thorough investigation’ into the incident, as Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s chief operating officer, called on Mr Rolfe to resign.

Ms McMahon saidL ‘How many more failures do passengers have to suffer before overpaid failure Nats CEO Martin Rolfe accepts responsibility for his repeated mismanagement and resigns?

‘Over three years after Nats’ catastrophic 2023 system meltdown, it’s clear that nothing has changed, with UK passengers once again suffering avoidable ATC (air traffic control) delays of up to eight hours today due a critical Nats ATC system failing.’

Mr McMahon said Tuesday’s incident was caused by ‘exactly the same issue’ as an incident in 2023.

Mr Rolfe told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘We will be doing a very, very thorough and full investigation. We have at this point ruled out cyber, we don’t believe it was a cyber attack.

‘My focus and that of the team has been on both getting our system operating back up normally, which it is now, but there’s obviously a huge tail to the disruption and we’ll be working on that through the course of today.

‘And then our attention will turn to exactly what’s happened in this particular incident. What I will say is I don’t believe we’ve ever seen an incident happen more than once, so this will be something different that we’ve never seen in 50 years of operation.’

Mr Rolfe also apologised for the disruption, adding: ‘Inevitably, things do go wrong in complex systems. We never want them to. We always hope they won’t, but we absolutely plan for them to and make sure we handle them properly.

‘I would say the UK has one of the best reputations in the world for its air traffic control service, both from a safety perspective and from a resilience perspective.

‘NATS was actually a partial privatisation 25 years ago, and since that point, it’s had access to funding. We’ve invested way more than a billion in technology over that time, our service has consistently improved. Our safety is consistently improved from a very good base.

‘But all of those things don’t detract from the fact that when these things happen, it is disappointing and upsetting, for which I apologise.’

To make matters worse, those caught up in the disruption might not be entitled to compensation from their airline according to Which?.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel said: ‘These air traffic control disruptions will leave many travellers feeling concerned about flight delays or possible cancellations.

‘If your flight is cancelled or delayed, you’re unlikely to be owed compensation by the airline as the technical issue is considered an ‘extraordinary circumstance’ and out of the airline’s control.

The technical problem has led to thousands of cancelled and delayed flights, and the choas has continued into today (Wednesday)

‘However, you do have a right to food or a hotel stay depending on the length of the delay, but be sure you keep the receipts as you will need to claim this back from the airline.

‘If you are due to travel today or tomorrow, check the advice from your airport, tour operator, airline apps, or airport social media feeds for the most up to date advice.’

Alicia Hempsted, travel insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, echoed this and explained that passengers are ‘only entitled to compensation if your flight is delayed for more than 3 hours and if the airline was at fault’.

Technical issues, such as the one seen currently, are not usually covered by this policy. Ms Hempsted said: ‘It’s highly unlikely that an unprecedented technical issue with air traffic control would qualify.’

Travel insurance may cover passengers for any delays or cancellations, depending on the policy. 

‘If your policy includes travel disruption cover, then it may be possible to claim for disruption or financial losses incurred as a result of your trip being delayed or cancelled,’ she said.

‘However, it’s worth noting that not all policies cover this as standard, and cover levels, conditions, and exclusions can vary between providers, so it’s important to check with your insurer first to understand what support may be available.

‘If your travel plans are affected, check your policy documents to understand what could be covered. Be sure to save all receipts for any costs incurred, as you may need these to make a claim.’

Luke Petherbridge, director of public affairs at ABTA said: ‘If your flight has been delayed or cancelled, customers will have rights, which will vary depending on whether they booked their flight separately or as part of a package.

‘ABTA members will be supporting those booked with them, to help make alternative arrangements, and we have advice on abta.com to help people understand their rights.

‘While the immediate priority is supporting customers, as this isn’t the first NATS outage to cause widespread disruption, the industry and the public will want answers as to what has gone wrong, what lessons are being learned, and how the system will be made more resilient to avoid this happening again.’

Passengers at Gatwick were left stranded after mass flight cancellations 

Some took to sleeping on the floor in the hub as the disruption continued

In an update on X this morning, Gatwick said: ‘Flights have now resumed from London Gatwick. However, we still anticipate that it will take time for our operations to fully return to normal. 

‘Passengers should continue to check with their airlines for more information regarding their flights.’

Meanwhile, a Heathrow spokesman told the Mail: ‘Following yesterday’s technical issue affecting NATS air traffic control, Heathrow’s operations are recovering.

‘Flights are operating today, but we are expecting knock-on impacts as aircraft and crew reposition. We advise passengers to check with their airline for the latest flight information and to only travel to Heathrow if they have a confirmed flight operating today. 

‘We know how frustrating this situation is and apologise to those affected. We have extra colleagues on hand to support across our terminals and are working closely with our local NATS team and airline partners to recover normal operations as quickly as possible.’

While President Donald Trump confronts real-world political challenges—struggling to curb inflation, defeat the Iranian government, and revive American manufacturing through tariffs—his online presence tells a drastically different story.

Across social media platforms over Labor Day weekend, Trump and the White House released an unusually heavy barrage of memes portraying the president as a figure of singular power.

In one shared video, Trump was depicted as a superhero wielding Green Lantern’s ring, effortlessly constructing a border wall to keep out migrants while erecting busy manufacturing facilities.

Another digital post showed him wearing a U.S. hockey uniform, looming ominously on the ice over Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as Carney cowered before him. A third upload featured Trump aboard a military vessel actively bombarding an enemy naval fleet.

Throughout his career, from his starring role on “The Apprentice” to his tenure in the White House, Trump’s public appeal has frequently leaned on a mythical self-image.

However, the disconnect between digital fantasy and everyday reality has become sharply apparent ahead of the crucial midterm elections.

Surveys indicate that most American adults are dissatisfied with Trump’s management of the economy and view the conflict in Iran as an unproductive effort. In response, Trump has leaned further into online caricatures that depict him as unstoppable and omnipotent.

Using digital memes risks sidestepping tangible issues. Some of these online posts are crafted using artificial intelligence. The administration has previously defended the imagery as harmless humor, calling critics who take issue with it lacking a sense of fun.

Yet the political consequences are significant for congressional Republicans, many of whom have tied their electoral chances to a president facing low approval figures. To energize the party faithful, Republican leadership is putting Trump center stage at an unusual midterm convention held Wednesday and Thursday in Dallas.

Republican strategist Kevin Madden explained that while Trump’s social media activity can successfully rally his core base of “Make America Great Again” supporters, it fails to engage with voters concerned about economic relief.

Voters likely to determine control of Congress in the midterms “are not going to be won over with memes,” Madden said. “The affordability voter is driving this election cycle and the issues they care about are anchored in the economy.”

The White House press office did not respond to requests seeking comment on the messaging strategy. Memes are periodically sourced directly from a sprawling network of conservative online creators, while other digital content is produced directly by White House staff as official communication.

The administration recently released a series of retro-styled video games, including a “Tetris” variant named “Build the Wall.”

Kaelan Dorr, a member of the White House communications team, recently reaffirmed the strategy on social media, writing: “The memes will continue. The winning will continue.”

However, voters are increasingly forming impressions based on physical realities rather than online graphics. Motorists nationwide are facing average gasoline prices of $4.15 per gallon—a rise of nearly 30 percent compared to last year, driven largely by the conflict in Iran.

At the same time, social media platforms are frequently filled with speculation regarding the 80-year-old president’s physical health and vigor, fueled by images displaying bruised hands and video footage appearing to show him nodding off during meetings.

White House officials have attributed the hand bruising to an aspirin regimen and “frequent handshaking,” while firmly dismissing claims that he has fallen asleep during official discussions.

Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, was three years older and faced persistent public scrutiny over his age throughout his presidency. In response, Biden’s White House eventually embraced an online meme featuring him with laser eyes to project authority and sharp focus rather than physical weakness.

Andrew Bates, a former deputy press secretary for Biden, suggested that Trump’s digital posts seem designed to evade the responsibilities of office, warning they risk alienating voters who see the president as prioritizing White House decor over resolving the military engagement in Iran.

“When a president who ran on bringing gas prices under $2 a gallon is now saying, ‘You’re at four dollars, it’s OK,’ it unfortunately makes sense that he’s also posting fever dreams,” Bates said.

Some of the shared content has sparked controversy before. In April, Trump posted an image presenting himself as Jesus, an upload that created unease among certain supporters. The president later claimed he believed the picture portrayed him as a medical doctor wearing Biblical robes with light shining from his hands.

In February, his account shared a racist video portraying former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, as primates; the post was deleted following widespread public outrage. Last October, Trump shared a video showing him inside a fighter jet dumping waste on citizens demonstrating against his policies.

Thus far, the meme strategy has failed to lift his broader standing with the public. A July poll conducted by AP-NORC showed that only 33 percent of U.S. adults approve of his performance in office.

The data also offers insight into why he continues targeting his core supporters: just 15 percent of American adults strongly approve of his presidency, down slightly from 22 percent shortly after he assumed office.

Liverpool are reportedly expressing a strong interest in Lamine Camara and Manu Kone after Chelsea pursued the two midfielders towards the end of the transfer window.

As the summer deadline came into view, Chelsea turned to the transfer market and ramped up their efforts to tie down a top-class replacement for the Manchester City-bound Enzo Fernandez.

A host of high-profile names were understood to be on the Blues’ shortlist of potential solutions, including Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott.

But this wishlist was soon whittled down to just two and reports emanating out of Italy indicated the west London giants were on the verge of a total agreement for Roma and France star Kone, 25, on deadline day.

However, throughout the summer, Roma made it clear they had been extremely reluctant to lose Kone given his central role in Gian Piero Gasperini’s plans for the new season.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that Kone’s proposed switch to Stamford Bridge had been ‘very close’ to completion before Chelsea ‘pivoted’ to Monaco’s Camara.

In a remarkable turn of events, Chelsea shook hands with Monaco over a £47million fee for Camara, only for the Ligue 1 outfit to renege on their agreement at the eleventh hour as they had not successfully renegotiated a deal to sell Folarin Balogun to Everton.

It’s claimed Liverpool have also held a genuine interest in Camara, even before Curtis Jones departed Anfield to join Serie A champions Inter Milan this summer.

Ornstein suggests a move from Liverpool for Camara down the line would likely hinge on Alexis Mac Allister’s future, with the Argentine out of contract on Merseyside in 2028.

In the report, Ornstein states that Liverpool were also among the many clubs keeping tabs on Chelsea’s other deadline-day target Kone, along with Manchester United – who looked at the France international ‘very heavily’.

Kone and Camara have three years remaining on their respective deals with Roma and Monaco.

After Camara’s move to Chelsea broke down in spectacular fashion, the player’s agent took to social media to unleash a furious rant against Monaco’s treatment of the Senegal international.

‘The cases of Ismaila Sarr and Lamine Camara must all interrogate us,’ Diomansy Kamara – former West Brom and Fulham striker – wrote on his Instagram page.

‘We have to get out of this logic where the African player can sometimes give the feeling that he is just a commodity: you buy it, you set its price, you negotiate its future and, too often, your will seems to go to the background.

‘Our African players deserve respect. The respect of their work. The respect of their career. Respecting their ambitions. The respect of their voices.

‘A transfer shouldn’t just be a matter of two clubs and numbers. Behind every contract, there’s a man, a career, dreams and life choices.

‘The fact that clubs can sometimes have the final word is a reality of professional football. But one question remains: what about the career and the will of the player?

‘The player must be able to be heard and respected in the decisions that determine his future.

‘Let’s never forget what’s important: behind every success, it’s the players who write history first.’

While they were keeping tabs on developments surrounding both Camara and Kone, Liverpool’s hierarchy concentrated their efforts on wrapping up a deal for Bradley Barcola in the back-end of the transfer window.

The Reds would go on to reach a £123m agreement with Paris Saint-Germain to land Barcola, making the two-time Champions League winner the club’s second most expensive signing in history – behind Alexander Isak.

The Merseyside giants also completed permanent deals for Osasuna winger Victor Munoz and Genk goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans this summer, though the latter returned to the Belgian club for the remainder of the season.

Ronald Araujo, meanwhile, joined on a temporary basis from Barcelona and Jeremy Jacquet officially became a Liverpool player after agreeing a move to Anfield back in February.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

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The travel chaos follows a major system failure at the National Air Traffic Service (NATS), which left thousands of passengers facing cancellations and delays.

More than 1,300 flights to and from UK airports were cancelled on Tuesday, with further disruption expected as airlines tackle the knock-on effects.

Newcastle Airport has also been hit, with cancellations and delays continuing today.

But what should you do if your flight is cancelled?

easyJet

easyJet passengers with cancelled flights can choose from several options through the airline’s Manage Bookings service or app.

You can switch to another easyJet flight free of charge, subject to availability.

If no direct flight is available, easyJet says passengers can search for flights to or from nearby airports in the same country, or take an indirect flight on its network.

Your checked-baggage allowance will stay the same, and easyJet will keep you in your paid-for seat or as close to it as possible.

easyJet said: “Your checked luggage allowance will remain the same and we’ll apply this to your new flight. If you’ve paid for a seat, we’ll keep you in the same one or as close to it as possible.”

If you are already at the airport, collect your checked luggage and clear customs before starting your journey again.

You must then check in for the new booking and go through security again.

easyJet says passengers can select only flights to or from the countries in their original booking.

British Airways

British Airways passengers can rebook on the next available BA flight free of charge through Manage My Booking.

Passengers can also call British Airways to ask about a flight with another airline.

Passengers can discuss alternative transport if BA cannot offer a suitable flight within 24 hours.

Passengers can also request a refund.

If the next available flight is the following day, BA says it will provide a hotel overnight.

Passengers who booked through a travel agent or tour operator should contact them directly about their options or a refund.

BA says passengers can also use its live chat service for help.

TUI

TUI passengers should check for updates and monitor flight departures for delay information.

Passengers should continue to check in as normal unless TUI has contacted them with different instructions.

If you are denied boarding, or your flight is cancelled or delayed by at least three hours, speak to TUI staff about your rights, including compensation and assistance.

More disruption expected

NATS warned that the aviation network would take time to recover from the disruption.

On Tuesday night, it said: “Work is continuing to assist airlines and airports recover from today’s disruption.

“This has been a very complex recovery and has created difficulties for the whole aviation network, from which it will take time to recover. We apologise again for the disruption caused. Passengers should check with their airline on the status of their flight tonight or tomorrow.”

NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe said the system was operating normally again but warned of a “huge tail to the disruption”.

He said there would be a “thorough” investigation and ruled out a cyber attack.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called the disruption “frankly unacceptable” and said Britain could not allow Tuesday’s problems to happen again.

Newcastle Airport said its operations had not been affected to the same extent as some southern airports, although some departures were delayed.

A 46-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene following the crash on the A8 on Tuesday evening.

A man has died and three others taken to hospital after a crash between a car and three cyclists in Inverclyde. Emergency services were called to the A8 Glasgow Road between Port Glasgow and Langbank at around 7pm on Tuesday, September 9.

A blue Ford C-Max Zetec was involved in a collision with three cyclists on the westbound carriageway between the Langbank and Woodhead roundabouts. One of the cyclists, a 46-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The two other cyclists, a 27-year-old man and a 37-year-old man were taken to hospital. The 33-year-old man driving the Ford was also taken to hospital but has since been released.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “A man has died following a crash on the A8 in Port Glasgow. Around 7.10pm on Tuesday, September 8, we received a report of a collision involving a blue Ford C-Max Zetec and three cyclists on the westbound carriageway, between the Langbank and Woodhead roundabouts.

“Emergency services attended and a male cyclist, aged 46, died at the scene. Two other male cyclists, aged 37 and 27, were taken to hospital.

“The male driver of the Ford vehicle, aged 33, was also taken to hospital but has since been released. The A8 has reopened and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.”

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An eight-year-old girl had to be rushed to hospital after she was infected with dangerous bacteria during a family trip to the beach.

Keeva Hollow was swimming with her twin sister at Dorset’s Avon Beach when she was hit by a wave and swallowed sea water.

The next day she was lethargic, with a high temperature and no appetite, and her mum realised something was wrong.

Aisling Mccarthy said: ‘It has been a terrible time; Keeva was so ill. She used to swim all the time, a real water baby. But now I can’t see her ever going in the sea again; she is so scared of becoming sick again.’

‘To be honest, I don’t want her going back into it anyway until I know it is totally safe.’

Aisling had taken Keeva and her twin sister Cornelia to Avon Beach on August 3.

‘I was watching the girls swim when I saw a wave hit Keeva and she started spluttering,’ she said. ‘She came out and said she had swallowed a lot of water. Cornelia had not at all, and I didn’t worry too much at the time.

‘But the next morning Keeva would not eat her breakfast. We were going to London, and she slept the whole journey. Her temperature was going up, and she just was not herself.

‘We were supposed to be going to Ireland to see my mother who was ill. But the next morning Keeva would not get out of bed, and her temperature was really high.

‘She had declined really fast. I found an out-of-hours doctor and took her to him. He asked for a urine sample; by then Keeva had really bad diarrhoea and I noticed there was blood in it.’

‘I had seen a documentary about sewage pollution in water, and I realised that Keeva’s symptoms were similar to those of a girl who died from polluted seawater. I told the doctor I was taking her to A&E and rushed there.

‘Keeva was put on a drip while tests were carried out. She was so ill by then, she had deteriorated so quickly it was frightening.’

Keeva spent two days in hospital where she was diagnosed with a campylobacter infection.

Aisling said: ‘The hospital said it can be food poisoning as well but Keeva does not eat meat which is one of the main sources of that bacteria.

‘Her illness happened straight after the sea-swallowing incident at Avon Beach, and Cornelia has not been ill at all.

‘I have a very clear memory of that moment when the wave hit Keeva, seeing her spluttering from swallowing the water. I am convinced that was what caused her to become so ill.’

Aisling says Keeva is still not back to full health. ‘She was always a very sporty girl but she now gets out of breath quickly. She used to keep up with me on a 5km run, but now she struggles to do 1km,’ she added.

‘She has lost a ton of weight, and her clothes are hanging off her. But the saddest thing is her fear of going into the sea.’

Aisling contacted Wessex Water, which manages wastewater and environmental protection for the River Stour, notifying them about Keeva and asking for any information on recent sewage leakages. But she has not received a reply yet.

BCP Council sent a letter to Aisling, having been notified by the hospital of Keeva’s infection.

‘But the letter was all about food poisoning and was asking where Keeva had eaten,’ she said. ‘I replied saying I believed it was seawater, not food, but they claimed they had had no other reports of people becoming ill from swimming in the sea.

‘I was shocked by their attitude because surely, as a huge tourism area due to its beautiful beaches, BCP should be concerned about what has happened to Keeva. But they don’t appear to be.’

‘I want Wessex Water and BCP Council to be completely upfront with people and tell us if the water is safe.

‘I am very angry, it was awful to see my child suffering and I don’t want anyone else to become ill. I have lost my trust in the people responsible for our sea and waterways.’

Recent tests of the River Stour, which flows into the sea at Christchurch, showed ‘extremely unsafe’ levels of E. coli.

Martin Stewart, managing director of Stewarts Garden Centres and chair of the Christchurch Harbour & Marine Society, said testing on August 19 showed E.coli levels of 300,000 – the safe bathing level is 1,000.

He also found several other ‘concerning’ levels of bacteria in his samples.
Aisling says her family’s idyllic life of living by the ocean has now been shattered.

‘My husband is from this area and has always loved the sea,’ she explained. ‘We moved here from London to be by the ocean a week after the twins were born.

‘We bought a house within walking distance to the beach, and the sea has been our life – but now I’m too scared to let the girls in it.’

Councillor Andy Hadley, BCP Council Cabinet Member for Climate Response, Environment and Energy, has now met with the family and said he was pleased to see that Keeva had recovered.

‘Very many people regularly use local rivers and coastal waters for recreation,’ he said. ‘We encourage everyone to follow public health guidance, which is to avoid swallowing water and to practice good hygiene after water-based activities. 

‘If you see any evidence of pollution in these waters, please contact the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60 as soon as possible to report it. This helps them to investigate the source.

‘If you have been in the water and subsequently feel unwell, you should seek advice from your GP or NHS 111. Where appropriate, healthcare professionals may request further testing to help identify the cause of illness.

‘We cannot comment on individual cases, but it is very difficult to trace back the cause of infection. We have had no notification from the UKHSA of other cases.’

Councillor Andy Hadley, BCP Council Cabinet Member for Climate Response, Environment and Energy, said:  “I did meet the family last night, and I’m pleased that Keeva has recovered from her illness.

‘Very many people regularly use local rivers and coastal waters for recreation,’ he said. ‘We encourage everyone to follow public health guidance, which is to avoid swallowing water and to practice good hygiene after water-based activities. 

‘If you see any evidence of pollution in these waters, please contact the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60 as soon as possible to report it. This helps them to investigate the source.

‘If you have been in the water and subsequently feel unwell, you should seek advice from your GP or NHS 111. Where appropriate, healthcare professionals may request further testing to help identify the cause of illness.

‘We cannot comment on individual cases, but it is very difficult to trace back the cause of infection. We have had no notification from the UKHSA of other cases.’

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This was a fitting race with a thrilling finale to end Zandvoort’s six-race stint on the F1 calendar, though home hero Verstappen’s participation ended before he crossed the finish line at the end of the first lap.

Exiting the final corner, still damp from a heavy shower 30 minutes before, he put a tyre onto the white lines on the inside. He lost control of his Red Bull, smashing into one barrier at the top of the track before rolling to a standstill, destroyed, at the bottom of it. The race was stopped for more than 30 minutes.

As for the championship leader? This was arguably Antonelli’s poorest weekend in recent memory, yet he managed to find a way to finish ahead of Russell for the eighth time in 12 rounds in 2026. That, too, sums up his season. His hopes of a home victory at Monza, though, will be dented by the news that he will take a hefty grid penalty for a power-unit change.

“In theory our calculations say that’s the best track to take it – obviously algorithms do not take nationality into consideration, but we are here to fight for the championship and not get the most PR,” Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, joked after the race.

The way this season has gone, the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will be cancelled, and, as rumoured, the finale will be held in Imola. It could be that Antonelli is crowned champion – or enjoys a victory lap – at a track just 25 miles from his Bologna birthplace. How fitting that could be.

Verstappen ‘caught out’ by conditions in front of home crowd

Behind the baseline inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, the clocks ticked beyond 2:50am. It was Wednesday morning. A school day. Sunrise was only a few hours away. And yet? With the help of several thousand New Yorkers – some drunk, some asleep, the rest simply delirious – Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton dragged the US Open into uncharted waters.

Never in history had a match here finished this late. Never before had these two put on such a spectacle. But after four and a half sets and nearly four hours, the curtain refused to fall on this quarterfinal. 

It was exhausting. It was intoxicating. And for Alcaraz, it was sickening. Before the start of the deciding set, the defending champion appeared to vomit into his towel. But still it went on. All the way until road’s end: a fifth-set tiebreak. 

All the way until 3:33am, when after four hours and 28 minutes, Ben Shelton fired down an 146mph ace, stuck out his tongue, pulled Alcaraz into a long embrace and then – at long, long last – soaked up the biggest moment of his young career. 

The scoreline – 6-7 6-1 6-3 1-6 7-6 – spoke to the undulating chaos of the occasion: as night gave way to morning, this match swung back and forth between two of the most electrifying talents in tennis. In the end, it was Shelton and his hammer serve that won out.

What a player. What a night. What a shame someone had to lose. And what a travesty most of the world slept through it. Forget, for a moment, the incredible theater on this long night in New York. What are we doing? Who wins from starting a game after 11pm – beyond a few insomniacs, TV viewers on the other side of the world, and Shelton’s semifinal opponent Frances Tiafoe? 

Alcaraz was clearly struggling during the match – which ended in defeat at 3.30am local time

An ecstatic Ben Shelton celebrates beating Alcaraz in the latest ever finish at the US Open

‘I am just hoping that my best friend and my sister over there don’t have to be at work at 6am – in three hours,’ Shelton said. ‘It would be huge for their employers to let them have the day off today.’

The American added: ‘I am so grateful, so blessed. God has blessed in so many ways… sharing the court with Carlos is an absolute honor and I cherish every moment I have out here.’

Alcaraz has now played in the two latest finishes in US Open history. Back in 2022, en route to his first title in New York, the Spaniard beat Jannik Sinner at 2:50am. How we missed him over those four months when his wrist betrayed him. 

With this defeat, Alcaraz’s title defense is over. With this win, Shelton ended a run of 17 matches without victory over a top-three player. He has ensured an American will be in the final and a new name will be on the trophy.

It was at 11:05pm local time – after more than 13 hours of action and a final plea to influencers not to use Arthur Ashe Stadium for a personal photoshoot – Shelton and Alcaraz were finally ready to bring the curtain down on Day 11.

They had just over three and half hours to wrap this up or risk breaking new ground. They failed. Of course they failed. This showdown with Shelton had all the ingredients to be a blockbuster, another marathon tug of war.

But the 23,000 fans who forked out for this night session – including Seal, Simone Biles and Kevin Hart – knew the risk they ran. Unlike at Wimbledon, there is no 11pm curfew here. Only last week, Venus Williams’ first-round match kicked off at 12:13am – a US Open record – and on his way to the quarterfinals, No 1 seed Alexander Zverev has already clocked off at 1:55am and 2:15am.

Shelton had played beyond 2am in the second round and there was nothing sleepy about the way he began this match. 

For 12 games and most of a breathless first-set tiebreak, the American went toe-to-toe with Alcaraz. Time and again, this contest delivered on its promise of swagger and vicious shot-making.

And yet it felt so predictable, so ominous, when – at 5-5 – Shelton was broken to love. How often do we see the very best find a way just when a set teeters on a knife edge? This time, though, Shelton did not yield. At least not immediately. He broke back before taking control of the tiebreak. 

Shelton’s girlfriend Trinity Rodman stayed until the bitter end as her partner beat Alcaraz

But some members of the crowd were less engaged with the late finish in the quarter-final

One astonishing rally, in which the American pulled Alcaraz from back to a front like a yo-yo, sent Arthur Ashe into a frenzy. Only one member of the crowd was not lost in rapture: Shelton’s father, Bryan, who gestured for his son to calm down.

The 23-year-old heeded his advice and looked set to steal the set when he led 5-3 in the tiebreak. But then, Alcaraz found something from somewhere. Four points later, he had drawn first blood.

That was the trigger for many inside Arthur Ashe to call it a night. Who could blame them for thinking the dye was cast? Thankfully Shelton didn’t see it that way – even after squandering four break points in the opening game of the second set.

The American’s pressure finally told two games later and, this time, Alcaraz had no immediate answer. So Shelton turned the screw, breaking three times in succession to take the set 6-1. It was 12:56am, we had a game on our hands and the stadium speakers blasted out Jay Z’s reminder that this ‘city never sleeps.’

You’d do well to doze off in earshot of ‘DJ Mode’ at the best of times. Let alone with this quarterfinal so finely poised. 

And yet, by the time Alcaraz and Shelton climbed out of their chairs, more and more fans were on their way home. At this point, nowhere was more sparsely filled than courtside where a single seat can cost up to $5,000.

Those who remained in the posh seats were treated to more majesty at either end of the third set: first, a remarkable rally that saw Shelton stretch and contort every fiber of his 6ft 4in frame. 

After 18 shots, Alcaraz eventually claimed the point before cupping his hand behind his ear. And then, half an hour later, the Spaniard won a battle of touch around the net. Even Shelton’s girlfriend – soccer star Trinity Rodman – rose to her feet to applaud.

With this win, Shelton ended a run of 17 matches without victory over a top-three player

Alcaraz recovered from two sets to one down to force a decider, only to lose on a tiebreak

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Unfortunately for Alcaraz, neither made a difference as Shelton held firm to take the third set. This time, his father was his biggest hype man. At the other end, Alcaraz bent at the waist. It was 1:43am and those four-and-half months off appeared to be catching up with the No 2 seed. He was grimacing and chuntering and soon Alcaraz faced more break points.

This time, though, he saved them and then, out of nowhere, he put dent after dent in Shelton’s serve. Alcaraz won five of the next six games to send this to a decider. It was 2:20am and we were headed toward more history on Arthur Ashe.

How much had that taken out of the defending champion? As thousands of fans – many of whom had migrated from the nosebleeds to the lower bowl – bayed for more, Alcaraz appeared to vomit into his towel.

And yet, as this match ticked towards a fifth hour, the Spaniard seemed to find a second – third? fourth? – wind. He opened up a break-point opportunity and repelled Shelton as the American banged at the door. By the time Alcaraz sent this to a tiebreak, it was 3:21am. At long, long last. Something had to give. In the end, it was Alcaraz who broke and Shelton who marched into a second US Open semifinal. After this, who would bet on him stopping there?

For over a decade, children in year six – the final year of primary school in England – have taken the grammar, punctuation and spelling test as part of their Key Stage 2 Standard Assessment Tests (Sats). This GPS test has shaped how grammar is taught in primary schools.

It is mostly a multiple-choice questionnaire test with some short answer questions. It tests pupils’ knowledge of grammar, punctuation and spelling rather than their ability to write.

The GPS test was introduced in 2013 as part of wider curriculum reforms to raise writing standards. It focuses on a vast array of grammatical terms, and uses decontextualised examples that do not represent the complexity of everyday language. For example: “The lion approached silently as the zebra rested in the grass.”

This test has been criticised for narrowing the curriculum. Because the results affect how schools perform in league tables, teachers prioritise GPS content, rather than teaching grammar in context to reading and writing.

It also risks encouraging “teaching to the test” – children learn how to answer test questions, rather than the wider uses of grammar. This finding is supported by a number of studies including my recent thesis.

Rote learning

While the GPS test improves pupils’ ability to talk about grammar and spot grammatical features, it does not necessarily improve the quality of their writing. Pupils are not applying their grammar knowledge in writing.

This is important, given the government’s proposal to change the test. The Department for Education’s 2025 review of the the national curriculum and assessment states that the GPS should include “new tasks to more effectively assess writing composition and the use of grammar and punctuation”. The government therefore accepts that the GPS test isn’t doing its job.

Spanning a ten‑year period, my research adds to the limited amount of analysis on the GPS test. It explores the gap between what pupils can identify about language and what they can do in writing, highlighting the wider tension between policy expectations and classroom reality.

I analysed 29 pupils’ GPS scores, alongside a sample of their writing, at Key Stage 2 (age 10-11) and Key Stage 4, before they took their GCSEs. While the test boosts pupils’ knowledge of grammar and punctuation, this doesn’t automatically lead to better writing. I found common errors in pupils’ writing, such as basic errors with full stops, capital letters and commas.

Both samples included many run-on sentences and sentence fragments. This shows that pupils have a lack of understanding of clauses and sentence structures, despite the same pupils having little difficulty answering questions related to these aspects in the test.

One way the GPS test has been successful is in bringing grammar back into the curriculum. Teaching grammar can no longer be avoided – which is what previously led to the “grammarless generation” after the 1960s, when grammar disappeared from the English curriculum due to research at that time calling its usefulness into dispute. This led to decades of confusion over the usefulness of grammar teaching.

Training needed

Despite the requirement to teach grammar, training for teachers is lacking. Many have reported being self-taught since the implementation of the test.

PGCE programmes are not obliged to teach grammar, unlike phonics, despite its statutory requirement. Subject knowledge enhancement courses, designed to help trainee teachers gain skills before beginning a teacher training course, are not currently available in English language. The system assumes trainee teachers have mastered this knowledge before they start their training.

Teachers have gained skills as a result of the GPS test, but the test itself is not an effective means of helping pupils to become better writers. It leads to teaching for the test and teaching grammar in isolation, taking away opportunities for teaching grammar in context to reading and writing through exploration, discovery and playing with language.

The government’s call for evidence has found that the content at primary level is too “theoretical”. More advanced content could be covered at secondary level.

This suggestion was supported by linguist Michael Halliday, who was a major proponent of the idea that grammar should be a source of “making meaning” – a creative tool for making linguistic choices, rather than a set of prescriptive rules to be learnt by rote.

Primary education should focus on discovering grammatical features through a process of exploration and experimentation. Pupils would be introduced to the basics at meaningful and relevant points.

Ten years of the GPS test has shown that pupils can learn grammar without becoming better writers. As the government rethinks how grammar and writing should be tested, it has an opportunity to bridge the gap between knowledge and application.

It is not enough to test knowledge. Pupils must understand how to apply the tools of grammar to crafting a piece of writing.