Together, Ian and Derek provide an important link between Cowburn’s past and present, helping to preserve the local knowledge, personal service and family values built over generations.

A family connection spanning generations

Cowburn Funeral Service was founded by John Cowburn in 1905. A joiner and builder by trade, John made coffins in his workshop alongside window frames, staircases and doors. Handwritten records show that he arranged his first funeral in November that year.

Albert Worthington joined Cowburn as an apprentice joiner in 1922. He showed a natural aptitude for funeral directing and went on to become John’s business partner, taking control of the business following John’s retirement.

Albert’s son John later joined the business after leaving school in 1955. Together with his wife Lois, he continued the family’s commitment to serving the people of Westhoughton.

That commitment remains at the heart of Cowburn Funeral Service today. For Ian and Derek, its history is more than a name above the door—it represents a longstanding responsibility to treat local families with kindness, dignity and respect.

Personal funerals shaped around each family

(Image: Cowburn Funeral Services)

Cowburn combines its proud heritage with the choices and flexibility families expect from a modern funeral service.

Its telephone is answered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with Cowburn’s caring and experienced team available to provide support and guidance whenever it is needed.

The team has extensive knowledge of the churches, cemeteries and crematoria in Westhoughton and the surrounding areas. This local experience helps Cowburn provide a professional yet sensitive service shaped around each family.

Cowburn can help arrange burials, cremations, attended funerals and simple unattended services. Families can also receive guidance about personal touches, including music, readings, flowers, funeral vehicles and orders of service.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach. The team takes the time to listen, understand what matters and help each family arrange a fitting and personal farewell.

Planning ahead, your way

Cowburn Funeral Service also offers The Independent Way, a bespoke pre-paid funeral plan provided by Golden Charter.

The Independent Way allows each person to create a plan around their own choices, selecting the funeral director’s services they would like to include.

Personal preferences, such as music, readings and other meaningful details, can also be recorded within the plan. The Cowburn team will explain the available options, what is included and any other costs that may need to be considered.

The cost of the funeral director’s services selected and included in the plan is fixed at today’s prices. An allowance may also be included towards third-party costs, such as crematorium, burial or officiant’s fees. These costs may not be fully covered, and an additional payment could be required when the funeral takes place.

A range of payment options is available, subject to eligibility. There is no pressure or obligation—just clear information, thoughtful guidance and time to consider the choices.

Appointments can take place at Cowburn Funeral Service on King Street or, if preferred, a member of the team can visit someone in the comfort of their own home.

Tributes and lasting ways to remember

Families looking for a personal way to remember someone can also visit Cowburn’s online Tribute & Remembrance Shop.

The shop offers urns for cremated remains, keepsake urns, ashes jewellery and urns for much-loved pets. Families can explore the collection privately and in their own time, helping them find a meaningful way to keep the memory of someone special close.

The collection can be viewed through Cowburn’s online Tribute & Remembrance Shop.

Anyone who would like to meet Ian, Derek and the Cowburn team, look around the funeral home or simply ask a question is always welcome to call in.

Cowburn Funeral Service, 1 King Street, Westhoughton, Bolton BL5 3AX

www.cowburnfunerals.co.uk

The nephew of two British 9/11 victims told the Mirror how he was just 15 when they died and said they were ‘still loved’ – 67 British people died on September 11

On the 25th anniversary of 9/11 a group of loved ones, officials and activists gathered for a poignant ceremony to remember all the victims who died, including the 67 British citizens.

The intimate gathering was held next to a memorial sculpture made from steel that fell from the World Trade Center on September 11, which now stands at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Friday’s event, hosted by the UK charity Since 9/11, heard heartbreaking stories from 25 years ago but also called on the importance of keeping the 2001 tragedy in our memories.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham, in a video address, told the ceremony that: “We will never forget these terrible events, but we refuse to be defined by them.”

The PM emphasised the strength of the bond between the UK and US 25 years on, saying: “Time may pass, but I know the grief is still felt just as deeply today. On this anniversary, we must remember that hatred and fear did not have the last word on 9/11.”

Those touched closely by the tragedy of 9/11 were also present at the solemn anniversary ceremony, including Liam McKenna who lost his uncle and aunt.

Liam’s uncle Michael Egan, 51, had moved from Hull to the US eight years before the attack and worked at the professional services firm Aon. Michael’s sister Christine Egan, 55, had been a nurse in Canada and was visiting her brother in New York at the time.

The two Britons were on the 103rd floor and both sadly died during the attack. Liam, speaking to the Mirror, shared how he heard the heartbreaking news as a teenager and said: “I remember I was 15 years old and I had heard the news story on the radio and I heard about planes hitting a tower somewhere in America, and it all seemed very distant to me.

“I remember going down to where my parents were, and they had it on the news there and I remember distinctly my mum saying to me, ‘your uncle Mike works in that tower’. And very quickly it changed from being this distant news story to being this personal family tragedy.”

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Despite living across the pond, Liam said his aunt and uncle used to visit and stayed close with the family. He said: “They always had time for the family, always had time for me as a young boy and my little brother.” Liam remembered Christine and Michael saying “I just really distinctly remember how kind they were.” He added: “They are still well loved.”

Christian Fisher was 13 years old when he survived the 7/7 Tavistock Square bombing, which was near his school. He told the Mirror that on 9/11 he was with his American friend at London Zoo whose dad was at the World Trade Center when the attack happened.

He said: “We didn’t know what was happening in terms of 9/11 but I remember him being very anxious, frightened and being completely powerless to do anything about the situation.” Christian shared that the dad survived the attack but also that he and his childhood pal are still friends 25 years on.

Christian told the Mirror: “One thing I have learnt from over the years, not just from my attack and meeting some survivors of 7/7, but survivors of many attacks including 9/11 is that grief is certainly not an exclusive emotion to have, it is a universal thing.

“There are many ways people can bond although I think shared experiences, surviving a terrorist attack, witnessing being bereaved is such a powerful way to really be understood by someone else.” Fisher helped to set up the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism.

The former National Lead of counter terror policing, Neil Basu QPM, told the Mirror the world was “more dangerous” and argued that intelligence would always be put above politics.

Mr Basu said: “The world is probably more dangerous than it’s ever been, not less dangerous. That is the sobering thing here today.” He added that “America will always be our closest intelligence partner”, adding: “In terms of our operating capability together, we will always put that over and above national interest politics.”

In his speech Mr Basu said: “Our fight is to recognise our common humanity and to teach every child what that phenomenal MP Jo Cox taught us all, that we have far more in common than that which divides us, may she rest in peace. If we fail to listen to her, Bin Laden has won.”

Last Friday’s defeat to champions Larne was a third in five League games for Declan Devine’s side and they’ll be keen to regain winning ways against Bangor at The Oval on Saturday

Marcus Kane says Glentoran must pull together and get their season moving again when they welcome Bangor to the BetMcLean Oval on Saturday (3pm).

Friday night’s defeat away to reigning champions Larne was a third in five league games for the Glens during a stop-start opening to the new Irish Premiership campaign.

The result left Declan Devine’s side eighth in the table, five points ahead of Saturday’s opponents. Kane remains confident that Glentoran can turn their form around but admits they must begin by eliminating the costly mistakes.

“Of course we can turn things around,” said Kane.

“First and foremost, we’ve got to stop giving away poor goals. We’re conceding really poor goals at the minute and that’s obviously disappointing.

“It’s not about any one individual. It’s something we have to address as a team because, as a unit, we’re giving away goals that we shouldn’t be.

“Against Larne last week, we were very disappointed with the manner of the goals we conceded.

“They have a lot of attacking players who can hurt you, so if someone fires one in from 25 yards, there’s not much you can do about it. But we came away disappointed because we felt we gifted them the goals.

“We need to get that right first and foremost and hopefully get a few players back over the next couple of weeks. Then we can start picking up results and moving in the right direction.

“It’s been tough. We have a squad capable of coping with injuries and it gives other players an opportunity, but when you’re missing that many key players at the same time, it’s always going to make things difficult.

“We’re hopefully not too far away from getting Pat Hoban back. Zeno Rossi, Greg Sloggett and Jarlath O’Rourke are all big players for us as well, while Jack Malone has been carrying a little niggle. The sooner we can get them back, the better.”

He added: “We can’t afford to feel sorry for ourselves. We have another game against Bangor coming up and it’s imperative that we turn this run around.

“It won’t be easy. Bangor have shown in their last two games that they’re up for the fight, and they’ll come to The Oval looking to build on getting off the mark against Ballymena United last week.

“We have to roll our sleeves up, produce the performance we know we’re capable of and hopefully get back to winning ways.”

Despite the frustration of dropping nine points from their opening five league games, Kane insists there is no panic within the squad.

“No one likes losing games and I can assure you that we’re all hurting because we don’t want to be in this position, but there’s certainly no panic,” he said.

“We know it hasn’t been good enough and that it needs to change, but the only way we can change it is by picking up results.

“We’re all working hard to turn this around and we know that every one of us can do a little bit more to help achieve that.

“There is a real belief within the squad and coaching staff that we can do that again. We just need to string a few results together.

“You don’t get handed anything in this game. The Irish League is so competitive that anyone can beat anyone on their day.

“Consistency has to be the key word for us now. Picking up points regularly has to be the objective.

“It has been a challenging start, given the games we’ve had and the key players who have been missing, but we won’t use any of that as an excuse.

“The responsibility rests with us as players. We know what we need to do and I can assure the supporters that we’ll be doing everything we can to turn this around.

“It’s vital that we pull together, get ourselves back on track and kick-start our season.”

Elsewhere, Carrick Rangers host Cliftonville at Taylors Avenue while Crusaders are at home to Limavady.

Portadown welcome League champions Larne to Shamrock Park with Dungannon facing Linfield at Stangmore Park in the evening kick-off (6pm).

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The school has continued to be monitored after its previous inspection

Ofsted has issued an update after a follow up visit to a school rated inadequate. The watchdog carried out its latest monitoring visit at Riverside Meadows Academy in St Neots, and outlined some improvements and some concerns which reamin.

The school, which is on Almond Road and part of Horizons Education Trust, has continued to be monitored by Ofsted after it was rated ‘inadequate’ and ‘requires improvement’ in June 2025. During the monitoring visit in June this year, inspectors recognised that the school had now fully established the new curriculum pathways for pupils however, this was not due to be started until September. Therefore, it was deemed too soon to assess the impact of this work.

The report outlines that the school has “not ensured that the curriculum sets out how pupils’ existing knowledge helps them secure new learning” which means teaching does not link new knowledge to what pupils already know.

The report adds: “Consequently, pupils find it difficult to secure new knowledge and do not learn as well as they should. The school and trust must ensure that the curriculum clearly sets out how prior learning links to new knowledge.”

During the inspection, inspectors identified that the school had not ensured its staff had the needed subject and pedagogical knowledge to teach the curriculum as intended. The education watchdog added: “As a result, teaching does not provide pupils with clear explanations of new information, adaptations that help them engage or suitable activities they need to secure learning.”

According to Ofsted, some strategies to support pupils who struggle to regularly attend school “often lack the focus to directly address individual pupils’ needs and barriers”, meaning some pupils “do not feel adequately supported to return to school”.

The monitoring visit also revealed that staff do not understand why changes are implemented which has led to marked provision differences between the two school sites. However, in terms of leadership and governance, inspectors noticed trustees and leaders continue to move the school forward “on its journey of improvement”.

The trust keeps a close eye on standards and holds leaders to account for their work, Ofsted confirmed. The report stated: “Leaders have had a positive impact in a short period of time on the areas of improvement identified at the last inspection. They have done this despite some recent unforeseen challenges.”

Since the last inspection, the school has moved to having one executive head teacher who oversees both sites. Each site now has a head of school and an assistant head teacher.

Executive Headteacher at Riverside Meadows Academy Kate Lovegrove, said she is “pleased” that the watchdog recognised the school’s “significant progress” in a short period of time. She added: “The report highlights the strength of our leadership, the commitment of our staff and the positive improvements in attendance, behaviour and pupil engagement across both sites.

“We recognise that there is still important work to do, but we are excited about the year ahead and confident that the improvements already in place, alongside our new curriculum, will make an even greater difference for our pupils.”

Riverside Meadows caters for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. The school has a capacity of 120, but 119 pupils were on roll at the time of the inspection.

Adam Dabin, CEO, Horizons Educations Trust, said: “We are delighted with the continued progress being made at Riverside Meadows Academy, which has once again been recognised by Ofsted. The commitment and determination of our staff, leaders and trustees is making a real difference for our pupils, and it is particularly encouraging to see improvements in attendance, behaviour and engagement.

“We are proud of the journey we are on and look forward to building on this strong foundation as we work towards making Riverside Meadows Academy a leading SEMH provision in Cambridgeshire.”

Her mum spotted some signs but thought she was ‘being dramatic’

Starting school is a huge milestone for all children – but for one family, their little girl’s first weeks at school came with a devastating discovery. Nina Hinds started in reception at primary school in Peterborough a year ago – but within just a few weeks her mum Sam started to notice some worrying changes.

The family started to worry, but they could have never imagined that just a few tests later Nina would be diagnosed with cancer. Her mum even thought she was ‘being dramatic’ when she took her to see the doctor.

The signs began when Sam noticed large bruises on Nina’s legs, arms and forehead, which she initially thought were normal childhood knocks and bumps. Then, when Nina got an ear infection, she became unusually more tired and pale. Nina’s teacher also raised concerns that she was falling asleep in class,

Sam said: “She just didn’t seem as full of life as she usually is – I couldn’t work out what was wrong with her. I was searching her symptoms and leukaemia kept coming up. But I thought, ‘this doesn’t happen to us, this is what happens to other people’. I thought maybe I was being an overprotective parent and a bit dramatic about it all.”

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After Sam took Nina to the GP blood tests confirmed she had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), which is cancer of the white blood cells. Sam said: “You’d think when you get told your child has cancer you would just burst into tears. But it was such a shock I didn’t cry at all. Daniel (Nina’s dad) was the opposite, he fell to the floor.”

Nina was referred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and began her treatment on her fifth birthday – October 20, 2025. She underwent eight months of intense treatment and now has maintenance chemotherapy treatment until December 2027.

Despite the struggles of her treatment, Sam said Nina never lost her humour. She said: “It was meant to be her birthday party that weekend and she was sad we had to cancel it. The nurses sang happy birthday to her and she replied: ‘Do I look happy?’”

Although her treatment meant she faced restrictions with school, Nina showed remarkable resilience. Sam said: “She’s a really confident little girl and she’s just got on with it. She’s made friends at school and in hospital and will happily talk to people about her leukaemia.

“Now we just want Nina to complete her treatment with as few complications as possible and go on to live her life like any other child. No relapse, no more chemo.”

Nina is taking part in the AllTogether-1 trial, supported by Cancer Research UK. This investigates how to improve survival for young patients with ALL and reduce the risk of long-term side effects.

Sam thought it was “really important” for Nina to take part. She added: “We felt that if we were able to help children in the future by doing these trials, it was very important, because if other children in the past hadn’t taken part in trials, then Nina wouldn’t be on such a good treatment plan.”

Jose Ramos, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the East of England said the charity is “grateful” to Nina’s family for sharing her experience. Jose added: “Cancer is different in children and young people – from the types of cancers that affect this age group, to the long-term effects of treatment. So, it needs a different and dedicated approach.

“Thanks to our supporters, we’re driving discoveries, developing new drugs and transforming clinical trials to help accelerate a new generation of more effective and less toxic treatments.

“That’s why we’re urging people across Cambridgeshire to get behind our scientists’ efforts to ensure more children and young people like Nina live longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer.”

‘We feel so upset that anyone would think or feel that we are discriminatory’

A pub landlady has apologised following a backlash to her social media comment about a “special bus”.

Debbie Jones, who runs Penarth’s St Fagans Castle pub with her husband Huw, denied making fun of disabled people but told us she was sorry for not wording her comment “correctly”.

The row began after Mrs Jones, using the pub’s Facebook page, posted a photograph of graffiti in its toilets. She also shared a CCTV image of the man she suspected of being responsible for scrawling the tag on the wall.

Mrs Jones wrote: “CCTV always catches them out. They must think we are all thick or blind. Maybe it’s a local colouring competition for people with limited abilities that came in on a yellow-coloured special bus if you know what I mean.”

This remark has sparked hundreds of Facebook comments in the last few days, many of which accuse Mrs Jones of being insensitive to disabled people. One woman wrote: “Would rather be around people with limited abilities than people with views like you.”

Mrs Jones then posted a statement addressing the controversy. “I made a comment about the man that did some graffiti here in the pub,” she wrote from the pub’s Facebook account. “It was about his immaturity and being on a yellow bus.

“Now for some reason people think this has to do with a disability. Everyone that knows us knows that this would never lie within our values.”

This failed to calm the situation as some people accused the pub of failing to take accountability. “You literally wrote ‘people with limited abilities’,” commented one woman. “Take ownership of your comment and apologise properly, not deflect it.”

One customer, Sylvie John, told WalesOnline she was a regular at St Fagans Castle but that she would not return, adding: “I believe language of this nature is demeaning to disabled people and contributes to the stigma and discrimination they can face.”

When we called the pub Mrs Jones denied making any reference to disabled people. We then asked what she had meant by the words “special bus” if not a bus for those with special needs.

She said she would reply by email and shortly afterwards sent us this statement: “We feel so upset that anyone would think or feel that we are discriminatory. However I can see why my comment has been taken that way.

“I should have made sure that it was worded correctly and taken my time to understand how it came across. I send my deepest apologies to anyone that has been offended.

“Unfortunately the original post was about a man that had drawn graffiti on our bathroom wall and during the comments on that thread I wrote about his immaturity to do such a thing as it is childish behaviour… I mentioned him and a yellow bus and what I should have taken the time to write was ‘school bus’ not yellow bus.

“So I totally see how this could have offended people. It was a wrong comment to make and as soon as I realised that I submitted an apology on the pub social media, not that this takes away the comment, but an apology was needed from myself.

“Thankfully we have a lot of loyal customers that know the ‘real’ us and know how much we support the community and various local charities in the three years we have been here.”

She pointed to the pub’s fundraising for Reel Minds. The community organisation, based in Pontypridd, helps people improve their mental health through fishing.

One of those to complain on Facebook explained she had been so upset because some families experience supposed “harmless jokes” about disability on a daily basis and “until you’ve lived it you will never understand”.

Another woman offered a different perspective, writing: “At the end of the day it was an unfortunate comment and should never [have] been made… but the people who know you, like you said, know that you would never intentionally insult a special needs person. The way you are with my SEN [special educational needs] son proves that.

“He can’t wait to see you. Not sure he’s bothered about seeing anyone else to be honest.”

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By LAURA FOX, ASSOCIATE SHOWBUSINESS EDITOR

Published: 16:41 BST, 11 September 2026 | Updated: 16:56 BST, 11 September 2026

Four In A Bed has long been compared to Come Dine With Me, and it seems the Channel 4 hit may have finally found a successor to the show’s viral ‘you won Jane’ moment.

Typically the daytime show sees four different hotel or bed and breakfast owners stay at each other’s establishments, before scoring their experience and paying what they think the room is worth.

The hotel that earns the most when compared to the amount they actually charge for the room is the winner.

The show is no stranger to competitive hotelliers, with some petty enough to score down their rivals for factors from the amount of dust on a shelf, to how crispy their bacon at breakfast is.

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But in a clip that’s gone viral, hotel owner Saban delivered a huge plot twist, in a bid to prevent two other owners from spinning the competition in their favour.

In the episode’s final moments, it was revealed that Saban paid £500 for his stay at Mark and Anne’s B&B – overpaying by a huge £220, which is a rare feat on the show.

A clip from the hit Channel 4 daytime show Four In A Bed has been branded ‘absolute cinema’ by fans, after one contestant made a brutal move in a bid to stop a cheating pair from winning

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In a clip that’s gone viral, hotel owner Saban revealed he’d overpaid his rivals by £220 to ensure that Ami and Mark didn’t win, after realising they were deliberately underscoring

Anne was close to tears as he praised the luxury and attention to detail as his reason for his overpayment, but he then revealed the true nature of his payment by turning to contestants Ami and Mark.

Saban said he made the overpayment having realised that Ami and Mark were deliberately underscoring their stays in a bid to win.

He said: ‘The other reason is, there is no way I can allow you two to win.

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‘It was a game play from the start, the way I see it I cheated to stop the other cheaters winning.’

The clip has since gone viral on social media, with one user calling it ‘absolute cinema.’

Another user noted that it was akin to Come Dine With Me’s famous 2016 clip, which saw Pete Marsh launch into a furious rant after finishing in fourth place. 

Other comments included: ‘the BEST episode ever, he humbled them so bad;

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‘This is what British TV is all about. Gimme more of this petty nonsense where everyone hates each other;’

‘This is TV Gold. What an absolute legend. In the same way that the bloke broke Goldenballs as a gameshow, this guy has done the same here.’

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The clip has since gone viral on social media, with one user calling it ‘absolute cinema,’ while another compared to Come Dine With Me’s famous ‘you won Jane’ moment

Kavan has since spoken about the move in an interview with LADbible, admitting he actually wanted to overpay for his room by even more, but was stopped from doing so by bosses.

‘I just thought, look, you’re not really taking this seriously. You know, you’ve got to be in a position where when you do go to places like this, what did you expect? 

‘Emma Louise had cigarette burns on the carpet. She had no smoke alarms. in the room… but it was £75 a night and you can’t complain much about that but I just thought ”that’s not a reason to knock someone who’s actually trying to put some effort.”

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Kavan runs the Stone Court House Hotel in Maidstone, and said he did see an increase in bookings after his episode aired.

With its brain-boosting omega-3s and high protein, tinned mackerel has long been the smart choice for those on a health kick.

But many canned varieties of the oily fish no longer contain any mackerel at all – and nutrition conscious shoppers will only see half the benefit.

Tinned fish giant Princes – which sells its products in supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Lidl and Tesco – has switched the contents of its branded mackerel range to Chilean jack mackerel, which despite its similar name is an entirely different fish.

However, retailers are continuing to sell ‘jack mackerel’ products alongside traditional mackerel under signs that conflate the two very different products, according to the Financial Times. 

Jack mackerel belongs to the Carangidae family, while true mackerel belongs to the Scombridae family. 

Prince’s jack mackerel also contains just half the amount of omega-3 as regular mackerel. 

Sue Davies, head of food policy at Which? said, ‘Tinned fish is an affordable and convenient way for households to add important nutrients to their diets and eat the recommended two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily.

‘It’s a real concern when manufacturers quietly downgrade everyday staples like these as shoppers can end up paying the same price for a product that delivers significantly less nutritional value.’

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for everything from heart health – helping to remove harmful fats from the blood while increasing levels of good cholesterol – to dementia prevention. 

One study found that people who regularly eat oily fish have healthier blood vessels and lower blood pressure, which may help protect against dementia.

Another found that those who have higher levels of omega-3 in their blood perform better on thinking tests. 

Mackerel provides one of the richest sources of omega-3 per 100g and is ahead of fish such as salmon and sardines.

Demand for tinned fish has soared over the last two years, with sales up nearly a fifth – as money-savvy consumers look for cheap sources of healthy, high-protein foods. 

However, some shoppers say they have noticed changes in taste and texture since switching to the canned variety, reporting that the fish is less oily than traditional mackerel.

‘It smells rather metallic… like cheap rubbish tuna,’ canned seafood reviewer Marcus Ansell said in a recent video posted to his 650,000 Instagram followers. 

The move away from true mackerel has largely been driven by sustainability concerns. 

Waitrose halted sales of fresh, chilled and frozen North Atlantic mackerel in April, due to concerns about overfishing. 

Demand for tinned fish has soared over the last two years, with sales up nearly a fifth – as money-savvy consumers look for cheap sources of healthy, high-protein foods 

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Its canned products are also being phased out as stocks last. 

Lidl, meanwhile, has been transitioning to sustainably sourced Chilean jack mackerel – which it sells under supermarket signs that simply read ‘mackerel in olive oil’. 

And despite ‘jack mackerel’ being roughly a third cheaper than true mackerel, supermarkets including Tesco continue to sell the substitute fish at similar prices, with a discrepancy of just 20p. 

However, the switch is not universal. Supermarket own-brand tinned mackerel still  contains true mackerel.

The mackerel catch in the North East Atlantic has remained 39 per cent higher than recommended limits for more than 15 years. 

As a result any mackerel caught in the area no longer holds a Marine Stewardship Council certification – a sustainability badge required by many major retailers. 

Chilean jack mackerel, however, is certified. 

Until last year, the species could not be labelled simply as ‘jack mackerel’ in the UK.

However, weeks after Princes launched its new tins, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs amended its rules to permit the new labelling. 

But the move has sparked outrage among critics, who say the new rules blur the distinction between true mackerel and jack mackerel, potentially catching out consumers 

‘Consumers will be suffering because pure mackerel is a much better species to eat than jack mackerel,’ Stewart Harper, former managing director of North Atlantic Fishing Company, told the Financial Times. 

Authoritarian governments have long drawn ordinary citizens into political surveillance. Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union encouraged denunciations. East Germany’s secret police service, the Stasi, embedded informants in workplaces and neighbourhoods.

From 1960, Cuba’s leaders organised local committees to monitor political dissent. And informant culture is so embedded in everyday Iranian life that there are common Persian terms to describe it. A mokhber or khabarchin is an informant and a zirabzan secretly passes private information to the authorities, often to damage someone.

My latest research sheds light on how Iran’s informant system operates. I interviewed 90 Iranians aged between 17 and 52, including students, teachers, university staff, bazaar workers, and government and energy sector employees. All had been encouraged, pressured or offered incentives to report on people they knew.

Iran’s informant network runs through the intelligence ministry, as well as the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its affiliated Basij paramilitary force. It reaches workplaces, government bodies, universities and private lives through internal security offices known as Herasat and recruitment vetting bodies such as Gozinesh or Salahiyat-e Omumi.

As in other authoritarian settings, these security bodies hold considerable power in Iran. They can act in the name of security with little legal oversight or opposition to their decisions.

Informants may be asked to record conversations or identify people leading critical discussions. They may also be asked to report private parties where alcohol was served or where men and women danced together.

One-third (33%) of my interviewees described how social media and messaging platforms are used to monitor and gather information about others. This often involves saving and passing on screenshots of critical or politically sensitive social media posts or messages.

The process works by encouraging or coercing people to make informing a routine part of their lives. Those who cooperate may receive better scores in annual workplace evaluations, recommendations for promotion or access to institutional support.

One of my interviewees, who was offered money and a promotion in exchange for informing, said it “felt like I had no choice”.

Those who refuse to cooperate often face problems. Almost half (45%) of the people I interviewed described receiving threats if they declined to report on others. These threats included job dismissal, exclusion from education, legal trouble or harm to their families.

As one participant recalled: “They [the security agencies] reminded me what happens to people who refuse. I couldn’t risk it.”

While many people are coerced into informing on others, personal motives are also absorbed into the Iranian state’s surveillance machinery. One-quarter (26%) of the participants in my research mentioned workplace rivalry, jealousy or a grudge as reasons for informing.

A similar amount (24%) described ideological conviction. One of my respondents, an ideological supporter of the regime, believed reporting critics of Iran’s political system was a duty they owed the Islamic Republic.

People can be reported for criticising the regime, questioning its hostility towards the US and Israel or discussing protests. They can also be reported for challenging Iran’s supreme leader, religious institutions, ethical norms and official doctrine.

The costs of informant culture are borne both by those who are reported on and by those compelled to report. My interviewees described some of the consequences. Those who had been reported on spoke of suffering career damage, legal punishment, reputational harm and social exclusion.

Those who provided information to the authorities spoke of guilt, anxiety and fear of rejection by friends, colleagues or relatives if their role became known. One of my respondents described the personal cost: “After I gave them information, I couldn’t face my friends anymore.”

Self-censorship

Informant networks extend surveillance beyond the staffing and technical limits of formal security agencies. But their political value goes further than this. In a climate where anyone might report a personal conversation, people begin to censor themselves.

A recent study based on the outcomes of a survey of more than 5,000 people from Kazakhstan in 2023 has found that awareness of digital surveillance there discourages people from expressing views on politically sensitive issues. The possibility of being watched is often enough to change behaviour, even when no direct intervention occurs.

My interviews suggest that informant networks produce a similar response in Iran by making the source and extent of surveillance difficult to identify. One respondent told me: “I couldn’t trust anyone. I was always afraid someone was reporting on me too.”

This helps explain authoritarian endurance. Collective action depends on trust. Informant systems weaken the relationships through which people share grievances, test ideas and decide to act together.

In Iran, this theory has been tested on a number of occasions in recent years. The nationwide protest movement of early 2026, as well as previous rounds of dissent in 2019 and 2022, revealed opposition to the state strong enough to overcome the fear of surveillance.

But in each case, the authorities responded by using digital surveillance and informant reports to identify participants and organisers. Protesters were subsequently arrested, prosecuted and executed.

Informant culture gives authoritarian rulers an intimate line of defence. When survival depends on caution and citizens fear one another, even widespread discontent and mass protest may struggle to develop into sustained political resistance.

This is especially true when people also depend on the state for jobs and other basic necessities, as is the case in Iran.

Ladybirds are incredibly useful when it comes to controlling aphids, which can suck the sap from plants – and there’s one common kitchen item that may help attract them to your garden this September

Now is an ideal time to draw ladybirds into your garden – and there’s one particular food item that will have them descending on your outdoor space in September.

Depending on conditions, October is typically when these insects begin entering their dormant winter phase. At this point they will be on the hunt for warmth and shelter, frequently in considerable numbers, where they are likely to remain until March or April when temperatures improve once more.

Ladybirds are extraordinarily valuable when it comes to keeping aphids under control, as these pests can drain the sap from plants. A single adult ladybird can consume up to 50 aphids each day, helping to protect vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants from damage.

The insects can also assist in managing other garden nuisances such as mites and small caterpillars.

Horticulturalist Michael Perry, who has featured on ITV’s This Morning and runs the website Mr Plant Geek, says there is one food in particular that could bring ladybirds flocking to your garden. And the chances are most people already have it sitting in their kitchen cupboard, reports the Express.

Writing on his website, he said: “Aphid problem? No worries! Attract predatory ladybirds to your garden by placing raisins in ladybird feeders.”

The method is straightforward. Soak one or two raisins in water for up to five minutes.

Then slice them in half to reveal the moist interior before placing them inside a small wooden box or ladybird hotel. Once the raisins have been consumed, simply repeat the process.

There is one potential downside, however. Raisins are known to attract ladybirds owing to their sweet scent, but unfortunately, they draw ants in as well.

Meanwhile, foxes will visit gardens every evening if you leave one common bedroom item outside.

Foxes are a quintessentially British creature often associated with autumn because of their vivid orange coat, yet they can also prove genuinely beneficial to have in your garden at this time of year. As temperatures drop in September, rats and mice commonly begin seeking shelter in gardens, making it vital to deter them promptly before they develop into a full-blown infestation.

Nobody wants to spot rats darting around their outdoor space and risk them finding their way indoors, but foxes are omnivores well known for preying on rodents, which can go a long way towards keeping them at bay.

Dora Nightingale, founder of the charity Fox Guardians, has revealed that a straightforward way to entice foxes is simply to make them feel at ease by leaving out an everyday household item.

In an online video, Dora said: “This is the foxes’ favourite area. It’s nothing special, really, by our standards, as it’s just a few cold cushions dotted around. What foxes like about this is that it’s comfortable because they are off the ground, and the foxes absolutely love it.”