Plenty of opportunities to impress

A fly-tipper was caught in the act dumping waste by a secret GPS tracker hidden in a discarded hot tub.

Kacper Kruk was fined almost £2,500 after being tracked discarding waste next to household bins by council officers in a sting operation.

The 26-year-old was investigated by Wakefield Council after people reported paying what they believed to be a legitimate waste company, only for Kruk to illegally dump their rubbish.

Kirklees Magistrates’ Court heard that officers deliberately set up Kruk by posing as a customer and asking him to pick up rubbish from a property in Castleford, West Yorkshire in April.

Investigators hid a tracking device in the lid of a hot tub to be disposed, marked so it could later be identified.

Kruk accepted £200 for the job after he and another man collected the waste in a white van, providing officers with his business card before driving off with the hot tub.

His vehicle was tracked to Wakefield where he was found to have disposed of the rubbish next to standard household wheelie bins.

A second sting operation saw Kruk quote £400 for another waste removal, only to be apprehended by officers when he arrived.

Kruk admitted he did not have a waste carrier’s licence needed to carry out his work.

He leaded guilty to charges of depositing controlled waste without an environmental permit and transporting controlled waste without a licence.

The rogue businessman was ordered to pay a total of £2,421, including a £480 fine, £1,456 court costs and £292 compensation to the council.

Illegal waste dumping has become a organised criminal business across the UK, with more than 10,000 reports of suspected waste crime received by the Environment Agency last year.

Yorkshire received the second largest number of complaints at 1,068 suspected crimes reported, surpassed only to the West Midlands on 1,542 reports.

Among high profile cases in the county was a huge illegal dump of several thousand tonnes of mixed household and commercial waste on a piece of land on Midland Road in Bradford.

Waste crimes are thought to cost at least £1billion to the UK economy each year, with some £150million in landfill tax avoided by fly-tippers annually.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: ‘Stunning’ new nature trail set to launch this weekend up in West Yorkshire

MORE: England ‘needs seven months of rain to end drought’ after record-breaking summer

MORE: Driver who killed teenage dad as she filmed at the wheel has sentence increased

Twenty women have undergone unnecessary mastectomies, while others suffered significant harm while under the care of an NHS trust. 

Patients have described the shock they felt when they were told the removal of their breast could have been avoided, leaving them with both psychological and physical pain.  

Out of 514 cases reviewed by the County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust (CDDFT), 315 have been found to have suffered harm, with 77 of them significantly harmed. One patient is known to have died. 

Steve Russell, who has recently taken over as CDDFT’s chief executive, told the BBC he apologises ‘unreservedly’ for the harm caused by the trust.

‘There are no words I could use to convey how personally distressed I am and my colleagues are for those outcomes and the harm that those women have experienced,’ he said. 

‘What happened was utterly unacceptable.’

The trust has also identified missed or delayed cancer diagnoses that led to some of the patients subsequently seeing their cancer spread, said Mr Russell.    

Denise Howarth, 51, from Consett, County Durham, is one of several women who have been notified by the NHS that their mastectomy was unnecessary.

She said: ‘I was just in shock, then ended up in tears on the phone. I can’t believe what you’re saying. It’s all good and well an apology. It can’t give me my breast back’.

After discovering a lump in her breast, Ms Howarth was diagnosed with grade 1 cancer in 2023. 

She underwent a lumpectomy, then a mastectomy, as well as eight rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

However, in September 2025, she received a call from the NHS, which was quickly followed by a letter from CDDFT, to tell her she could have been offered a second lumpectomy rather than full breast removal.

Another woman, who wished to remain anonymous, contacted the trust’s helpline about a mastectomy she had undergone in 2021 after being told earlier this year that the procedure could have been avoided.

The former NHS worker said she had trusted the people she considered colleagues to make the best decisions for her. 

‘You go to work to do your best, don’t you?,’ she said. ‘So why would I think that anybody else wouldn’t?’

She added that she now feels ‘mutilated’ by the operation and says the mistakes made are ‘absolutely unforgivable’. 

The consultant overseeing the pair’s cancer was Amir Bhatti, the CDDFT’s clinical lead for breast services between 2013 and 2024. 

Mr Bhatti has now been suspended from carrying out clinical practice but is still employed by the trust on full pay.

CDDFT is carrying out an internal review of breast cancer cases between January 2023 and February 2025, alongside the cases of 640 former patients who contacted a dedicated helpline.

It is understood that a decision on whether to extend the scope of the review to look at cases dating back to 2015 is imminent. 

This means that up to 10,000 medical records could be reopened.  

The National Crime Agency says it is now working with Durham Police to investigate the allegations by former patients to determine if criminal offences have taken place.

Last year, the BBC reported that the trust had been paid almost £6million to breast cancer diagnostic clinics and surgery companies run privately by Mr Bhatti.

Amir Bhatti, the CDDFT’s clinical lead for breast services between 2013 and 2024, has now been suspended from carrying out clinical practice but is still employed by the trust on full pay

However, concerns were raised in a 2025 review, in which governance specialist Mary Aubrey said outsourcing patient appointments had created financial incentives which were potentially ‘a risk to clinical standards’. 

Mr Russell argued that payment per service is not uncommon in healthcare but said that the trust has ended this arrangement for breast cancer services. 

The review also suggested patients were potentially treated by locum consultants who were not competent.

It noted that Mr Bhatti had repeatedly voiced his concerns about trust delays in obtaining vital diagnostic equipment.

When approached, Mr Bhatti said: ‘I am grateful for the opportunity to respond, but I remain committed to the ongoing trust investigation, and it would be inappropriate for me to discuss this whilst proceedings are ongoing.’ 

Concerns were also raised by the Royal College of Surgeons in a report last year, which claimed that breast cancer cases had not been discussed properly in multi-disciplinary team meetings. 

The trust said it is fully cooperating with the investigation by Durham Police and the National Crime Agency.

A support group where women can share their experiences is meeting at  Beamish Football Centre in the town of Stanley, with the group now putting its focus on calling for a public inquiry.

One of the group’s organisers, Lynn, says she has been told by the trust that her breast removal was unnecessary.

‘I didn’t realise how many ladies lived so near me that had been affected,’ said Lynn. ‘I’m just totally overwhelmed.’

The Department of Health and Social Care said their thoughts are with the women and families affected by these unacceptable failings in care. 

It said the trust was working urgently with NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and independent experts to address what had happened and to ensure that all future patients receive safe care. 

• Breast Cancer Scandal: Exposing the Harm will be available on BBC iPlayer and broadcast on BBC One in the North East & Cumbria at 7:30pm on Friday September 18 

There are few Cardiff City players who can divide opinion quite like Ollie Tanner.

When things are going well, there are few more entertaining sights. The nonchalance, the sudden change of pace, the ability to take an opponent on from seemingly impossible angles and the moments of genuine quality can make Tanner look like one of the most gifted players on the pitch.

But when things are not going well, those same characteristics can work against him.

Tanner’s style is unconventional. There is something raw or unhoned about the way he carries himself, whether he is in possession, chasing back or waiting for the ball to come his way. It can look effortless when it works, but when it does not, it can appear languid, careless or even disinterested.

That makes him something of a lightning rod when Cardiff are struggling.

And, with the Bluebirds now seven league games without a victory, Tanner has once again found himself under scrutiny. It is perhaps inevitable given the way he plays, although there is an argument that the 24-year-old receives a level of criticism that others do not when they produce similarly underwhelming performances.

The irony is that the very unpredictability which can frustrate supporters is also one of Tanner’s greatest assets.

Footballers at the highest level are increasingly coached to understand precisely where they should be, when they should move and what they should do with the ball. Tanner still has a rawness about him. He can attack in ways that are difficult to predict, and that can leave defenders guessing.

It can also leave Tanner guessing himself. When a full-back gets his measure, he can struggle to find a way through. But when he does find that spark, the results can be dazzling.

That is the conundrum Cardiff have been trying to solve.

Tanner was excellent in League One last season, contributing 15 goals and assists across 28 appearances despite missing a sizeable chunk of the opening half of the campaign through injury. His 12 assists were particularly notable as Cardiff surged back into the Championship at the first attempt.

The step up, however, has brought a rather different set of demands.

Tanner has now made 72 Championship appearances, with four goals and four assists to his name. Those numbers are some way short of the kind of output you would ideally want from your No.1 right winger.

Ultimately, the numbers do need to improve.

Tanner has been given his opportunity. He has started all seven Championship fixtures this term and there is a responsibility on him to turn his talent into more tangible production in the second tier.

But there is another side to the argument.

Look beyond the goals and assists and there are plenty of indicators suggesting Tanner is having more influence than his critics might believe. His FotMob rating currently sits at 7.08, while his wider statistical output compares favourably with many of his peers in the division.

That perhaps helps explain why Brian Barry-Murphy continues to trust him.

The Cardiff manager was asked by WalesOnline whether Tanner’s perhaps casual style meant his mistakes were more noticeable than those of other players.

“Yeah, possibly!” Barry-Murphy said. “I think sometimes his appearance can look that way.

“He can be a bit stroppy in training sometimes, but he’s one of the best lads you’ll ever meet and a brilliant player for us, hugely valuable.

“You will go a long way to find somebody as talented in the Championship to replace him, so we’re very grateful to have him and we’re trying to improve all those aspects of his game that are important, including body language and attitude.”

There is a lot packed into that answer.

Chancellor John Healey will urge EU finance ministers not to exclude the UK from measures protecting European industry against unfair competition when he meets counterparts in Dublin on Friday.

He is set to call for stronger partnerships spanning technology, defence and manufacturing during the Ecofin summit.

According to Treasury sources, he will request that the EU shapes its Made in Europe procurement strategy so that it “lands a good deal for all” rather than “erecting new barriers”.

He will further tell fellow ministers that it is vital to “learn lessons” following the breakdown of talks regarding UK participation in the EU defence loans scheme, security action for Europe (Safe).

The Made in Europe scheme, which is progressing through the European Parliament as part of its industrial accelerator act, is designed to protect the continent’s manufacturing from global competition, especially from China.

It would give EU firms priority for public contracts and subsidies.

Mr Healey said: “The next chapter of Britain’s growth story will be written in more places.

“To me, closer ties with the EU means British businesses – wherever they are based across the UK – get better access to both the supply chains and the customers they need to grow.”

Concerns have been raised that UK industries including car manufacturing and steel would suffer if the plan shut out British firms that trade across the UK-EU border.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told French president Emmanuel Macron earlier this month that the “buy European” programme “could pose significant challenges” for UK industry.

It comes ahead of a UK-EU reset summit set to take place in the autumn.

It was originally due in the summer but was postponed after Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister.

The summit is aimed at settling deals on food and drink, linking carbon trading schemes and closer defence co-operation, as well as on a youth mobility scheme, where Brussels is seeking lower tuition fees for EU students at UK universities.

Mr Burnham has said he wants closer ties with the bloc, building on his predecessor Sir Keir’s work to reset the relationship.

But he is sticking with the 2024 Labour manifesto’s “red lines” of not returning to the customs union or the single market or allowing free movement.

Mr Healey will also meet his Ukrainian counterpart Sergii Marchenko for the first time at the informal talks in Dublin and reaffirm UK support.

Will Ponter was seriously injured after diving into a swimming pool on the final night of his holiday

A British man is back home after a horrific accident in Turkey paralysed him. His girlfriend said their ‘faith in humanity was restored’ as the family thanked the public for their support.

Will Ponter suffered life-changing injuries after diving into a swimming pool on the final night of his holiday. Echo reports his girlfriend Becky pulled him from the water before he was rushed to hospital for urgent treatment, according to his family.

The 24-year-old subsequently underwent a gruelling 13-hour emergency operation for a broken neck in Antalya. Doctors confirmed that as a result of his injuries he would be paralysed from the neck down.

His devastated family faced the enormous challenge of bringing him back to the UK while also meeting the costs of his medical bills in Turkey. A fundraiser was launched with a £150,000 target to help cover his medical care, repatriation and future needs, reports the Manchester Evening News.

That target has now been met and Will, who grew up in Holme, Cumbria, and now lives in Carnforth, Lancashire, was flown back to Britain by UK aeroplane ambulance charity Lia’s Wings. He made the journey home aboard a specialist air ambulance.

A spokesman for Lia’s Wings said: “After being contacted by Will’s family, Lia’s Wings arranged a specialist air ambulance to bring him safely back to the UK. Will arrived home on Sunday and is now in the care of specialist clinicians.

“This has been an extremely distressing time for his family, and we will continue to provide ongoing support for as long as they need us. We’re also deeply moved by the community support that has helped make his journey support possible.”

Charlotte Young, chief operating officer at Lia’s Wings, said: “Will, and his friends and family, have shown true bravery, and the kindness shown by the public continues to be truly life-changing for this family. We are glad Lia’s Wings could play our part in Will’s journey and will stay with his family for as long as they need us.”

Will’s girlfriend Becky Francey said everyone who donated had ‘really restored my faith in humanity. ‘ She revealed Will was stable in hospital in Lancaster following ‘a really long 10 days trying to get him back’ and would be transferred to the Royal Preston Hospital for further treatment.

She noted that visiting hours were more favourable there, meaning the family could spend considerably more time with him. They still ‘don’t know’ what lies ahead until he is no longer sedated and comes off ventilation so ‘they can assess the damage he’s done.

‘ “The doctors at Lancaster are amazing at keeping us informed,” Becky said. “Now we can just concentrate on letting the doctors do what they need to do.”

She added: “It is definitely a relief to be back in England but it’s also tough being home, I haven’t spent much time at our house because he’s not there. While he’s intubated, he can’t talk to me and I miss him so much.”

The fundraising page set up by Will’s relatives has collected £152,452.

Ensure our latest news and sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source.

The first international break of the season is just around the corner – but it will look and feel a lot different than normal.

Traditionally, international breaks have lasted for two weeks with each country playing two games during the fortnight of action.

But this international window will last for three weeks, from September 21 until October 9, with European teams each taking part in four Nations League group stage games.

Given the unusually long length, the October international break has effectively been scrapped and has been merged with the September window instead.

The next round of international matches after this will be in November, with countries playing twice across two weeks. For European teams, the November window will see them play the final two games of their Nations League group campaigns.

The move was made, in part, due to the late finish to the World Cup, which concluded on July 19 – making it the latest date the tournament has finished on since 1966.

With player welfare a primary concern, it was deemed that one break, instead of two, would help to reduce the stresses and strains of international travel.

This will be particularly welcome for players who have to travel between continents to play for their national sides, such as European-based players who represent South American and African teams.

Crucially, countries will not be playing more games than they otherwise would have done – six games will still be contested between now and Christmas.

This new international calendar, which was approved by FIFA back in March 2023, will remain in place until at least 2030.

When do England play?

England’s first game will be against world champions Spain at Wembley on Saturday, September 26.

The Three Lions will then head to Prague to face Czechia on Tuesday, September 29, before travelling to play Croatia on Saturday, October 3.

Thomas Tuchel’s men will then wrap up the international break with a return clash against Czechia at Wembley on Tuesday, October 6.

Their remaining games will take place in November against Croatia (H) and Spain (A) on the 12th and 15th respectively.

The top two teams in each group from League A will qualify for the quarter-finals, with semi-finals and a final to follow.

The knockout-round matches will be held in the summer of 2027.

MORE: Thomas Tuchel makes bizarre admission about eating World Cup grass

MORE: ‘I’ve lived on the Falkland Islands all my life – this is what it’s really like’

MORE: Chelsea like England star ‘immensely’ as possible Enzo Fernandez replacement

“He had a withered leg from an injury sustained back from when he’d been in the army.

“The victim had apparently reported that the attacker had had brown eyes. Our brother had very clear blue eyes.

“He had a prominent military tattoo on his forearm, which understandably would have been visible because the runner was wearing a T-shirt.”

They also said their brother lived in Notting Hill, had no connection with Putney and they had evidence to suggest he was in his Bond Street office at the time of the attack.

“So this came completely out of the blue, off effectively an allegation which must have been either malicious or mistaken.”

In further criticism of the Met’s investigation, the sisters said Brandram never received DNA test results.

They said he “willingly” provided a sample two months ago in the hope of eliminating himself from inquiries and pleaded with police to speed up the results.

Paying tribute to their brother, they said he was warm, enthusiastic and charming.

They said: “He was a gentleman.

“He was our very, very, very loved brother and uncle, father, son. He was a real family man and we’ve always been a very close family and didn’t deserve any of this happening to him.”

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, external, X, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk, external