An overcrowded mega-dinghy carrying around 50 migrants has set off for England from a beach near Bayeux in France – with a full escort.

The oversized inflatable cast off from Port-en-Bessin, along the Normandy coast, on Monday. 

Ouest France reported that another 11 people boarded the boat at Cote Fleurie, 30 miles east along the coast before it then headed into the Channel.

Under the authority of the French maritime prefecture, four lifeboats from the SNSM – France’s answer to the RNLI – were dispatched to monitor the boats alongside the tugboat Abeille Liberté after it set off shortly before 10am yesterday.

More than 24 hours later, it is still at sea – and still heading for Britain. 

‘This dinghy is monitored by assets coordinated by MRCC Gris-Nez within its search and rescue region, as part of its search and rescue mission and in response to the obligations of international law and the law of the sea,’ a spokesman for the maritime prefecture told the Daily Mail today.

The authorities in the area provide full escorts because the voyage to the UK is far longer than it is from traditional launch beaches around Calais and Dunkirk: as much as 100 miles, four times the length of the stretch from Dover to Calais.

A spokesperson for local rescue services said of the migrant dinghy: ‘The boat was in a very bad way, and very low in the water, with just a single small outboard motor to power it.

‘The sea was calm, and weather conditions were good, but the decision was taken to escort the boat, without intervening.’

The source said the focus was on ensuring maritime safety, and not on preventing the boat reaching the UK.

Because of currents and winds, the boat first began heading along the French coast, rather than out to sea, he added. 

‘Gendarmes were also involved in monitoring the boat from the shoreline, and – at around 3pm – there was a movement towards English waters,’ said the source. 

The departure from Port-en-Bessin – some 160 miles from Calais and 180 miles from Dunkirk, the traditional setting-off points for migrant journeys – confirms authorities’ suspicions that people smugglers are moving west to avoid detection. 

By first light on Tuesday morning, there were no more reports about the location of the boat, but it was believed to still be at sea. 

Daniel Thomas, the hard-right anti-migrant activist who calls himself ‘Danny Tommo’ online, claimed on social media he was heading into the Channel to find the boat.

He posted a YouTube livestream on Tuesday of himself on a high-speed boat at sea.

‘We’re going track it, we’re going to get to it, we’re going to document that handover, see who it is that’s picking them up,’ he had said earlier. 

He suggested that activists from anti-migrant group Patriot Platform would be mobilised to meet any boat bringing migrants back to Britain.

He labelled the action ‘Portsmouth 2.0’ – after masked activists clashed with police in the city earlier this month as a dinghy carrying 140 migrants was escorted in by the Coastguard and Border Force.

‘Our boys and our ladies will be headed in that direction,’ he said. ‘There comes a time where you’ve just got to get things done and this is about getting things done.’ 

The crossing comes after a dinghy carrying up to seven migrants evaded French and Home Office patrols in the Channel and landed on a rocky shoreline near Folkestone, Kent yesterday.

Five people were detained and passed to Border Security Command. It is the first undetected landing in a year. The Home Office has labelled it an ‘isolated’ incident.

Defence minister Luke Pollard dismissed suggestions the government had lost control of the border.

‘Our borders are secure, but we want to make them stronger,’ he said this morning (Tuesday).

Asked by LBC Radio how the boat slipped through, Mr Pollard said a Home Office investigation was under way to determine what had happened, without going into detail.

He also said: ‘We’re aware that the boat that got through, everyone has been detained on it.

‘But because crossings are the lowest in six years, because asylum backlog is being cut, and because we’re closing asylum hotels, we know what we’re doing is working.

‘But where there are challenges in that system, we need to get it right because this is not just a matter of public confidence.

‘This is a clear political objective that we have set as a government to secure our borders, and where there are gaps in that, we will close them.’

Police in France are continuing to crack down on attempted migrant crossings: action yesterday saw officers slash a dinghy with a knife and drag its outboard motor from the water.

On Friday, a press briefing was held in which the prefect of Seine-Maritime and Normandy, Jean-Benoît Albertini, confirmed a ‘significant’ rise in dinghy departures along the north-west coast of France.

The migrants are most often from Sudan, Syria, Kurdistan and Iraq, BFM reported. Additional resources are being allocated, funded by the bilateral agreement between Britain and France to fund French border policing along the coast.

Smugglers’ desperate searches for new routes in order to stay under the radar have consequences for Britons greeted by the unexpected arrivals. 

Enforcement action along established casting off points around Dover and Calais has seen police slash dinghies to thwart migrants’ journeys 

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Efforts by law enforcement to disrupt the supply chain for smaller boats have forced smugglers to load more people onto bigger craft. 

As well as moving west, those putting migrants onto boats bound for Britain – charging around £2,000 to each one – have also turned to ‘mega-dinghies’, some capable of carrying more than 100 migrants at a time.

Earlier this month, a mega-dinghy carrying 140 migrants reached the UK from Normandy after what was believed to be the longest-ever migrant Channel crossing.

The 46ft craft was shadowed by five French rescue boats and two helicopters in case it got into difficulty.

It completed a then-unprecedented 70-mile English Channel voyage to Britain in around 14 hours, before reaching Portsmouth.

Scores of anti-migrant protesters tried to prevent the boat landing on Eastney Beach, but failed.

The launch site, close to Utah beach, where thousands of Allied troops landed in France on D-Day in 1944, was some 170 miles from Calais as the crow flies.

Some 17,480 migrants have arrived after crossing the Channel by boat so far this year, including 5,011 since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister. The 2026 total is down 46 per cent on the same point last year.

Online personality Clavicular has been charged with rape and could face up to 20 years behind bars if convicted.

Real name Braden Peters, the 20-year-old streamer rose to prominence in the ‘looksmaxxing’ community on TikTok.

Charges against him have reportedly been filed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, for one count each of rape, drugging a person for sex, and providing alcohol to a minor.

New court documents, obtained by The Bulwark, show the charges were filed on September 8 with an arraignment set for October 14.

In response to the claims, Peters’ reps told The Hollywood Reporter: ‘Clavicular has not been physically served. As usual, the Bulwark is exaggerating the status of a case to boost traffic.’

It’s believed the case is related to an incident that happened on May 23, 2025, which was previously filed in a civil court.

A Miami civil case was filed by 18-year-old Alorah Ziva, real name Aleksandra Vasilevna Mendoza, who accused him of battery, fraud, and sexual misconduct.

She claimed that he had injected her face with Aqualyx, an unapproved fat-dissolver, on a livestream without her consent, while she was still a minor.

The lawsuit also alleged that the substance was mixed with methamphetamine and she had been left disoriented on camera.

It also accuses Peters of non-consensual sexual encounters at his family home while she was intoxicated.

In July, he filed a motion to dismiss several counts in the civil case and has since posted about Mendoza.

‘Trying to get my attention in any way possible, a lawsuit? Seriously… really petty of you,’ he wrote on X on Monday.

Peters has a TikTok following of over 1.1million, having gained notoriety for his controversial stunts, including singing along to Kanye West’s Heil Hitler song.

In December 2025, he went viral after hitting a man with a Tesla Cybertruck while on a livestream and stated he ‘hoped’ the victim had died.

Earlier this year, the looksmaxxer – who advocates ‘bonesmashing’ to create a ‘more masculine’ jawline – was hospitalised for an overdose.

He had been using a combination of drugs, including ketamine and ADHD medication Adderall but later denied he’d overdosed.

‘I didn’t overdose or anything,’ Peters claimed. ‘I mean I just, literally, had not eaten that day, consumed too much alcohol, and just knocked out a little bit.’

He has previously stated he regularly takes testosterone and has done so since he was 14, telling the New York Times he suspects he is sterile.

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

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Residents reported seeing and hearing a police helicopter over several areas, including Haughton, from about 12.30pm on September 21.

A spokesperson from the National Police Air Service (NPAS) confirmed they were looking for two suspects.

NPAS said: “At 11.54am on Monday, September 21, a police helicopter crew from NPAS Newcastle was deployed to Darlington to support Durham Constabulary in locating and apprehending two suspects on an electric bike.

“Total flying time on the task was 58 minutes.”

Pictures taken in the area show the aircraft hovering overhead as people took to social media to alert others.

Helicopter seen above Darlington (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

One resident said: “It’s all over the place, I live near the train station and can hear and see it.”

Another added: “I can see it from my garden, it’s been going on for half an hour now.”

Several police cars were also seen rushing along Neasham Road near Darlington railway station while the helicopter remained overhead.

The Northern Echo has contacted Durham Police for more information.

Corendon Airlines, a Turkish carrier, will no longer operate from Birmingham, Newcastle, or Gatwick in 2027 as part of changes to its summer schedule.

The airline will now only offer flights between Antalya and three UK airports:

• Glasgow (two weekly services)
• Manchester (three weekly services)
• London Stansted (three weekly services)

Why is Corendon Airlines reducing its UK flight schedule

The decision follows a “difficult trading year” for Corendon Airlines, which it attributed to the impact of the conflict in the Middle East.

UK country manager for Corendon Airlines, Matthew Carpenter, said: “Corendon Airlines is an agile private company that has the ability to respond to the market quickly to maintain a strong business.

“In response to a difficult trading year owing to the impact of the Iran conflict, we’ve therefore decided to reduce the number of UK airports we serve.

“We have also decided to end some aircraft agreements, with a consequent reduction in the overall fleet, which has a natural impact on our UK schedule and capacity.”

The airline also cited geopolitical uncertainty, rising fuel costs, and changing consumer demand as contributing factors.

However, Mr Carpenter suggested the changes may not be permanent.

He said: “This is a short-term reaction and we plan to review the trading conditions again in January and hope to re-introduce flights to Birmingham, Newcastle and Gatwick as soon as oil prices stabilise and trading conditions improve.”

Corendon Airlines said it remains committed to the UK market and will continue offering direct flights to Antalya from its remaining UK airports.

Mr Carpenter added: “For 2027, our focus is on disciplined consolidation and strengthening our operational and financial resilience.”

Do you have any upcoming flights booked with Corendon Airlines? Let us know in the poll above or in the comments below.

The incident took place in Pavilion Square, Westhoughton, on September 8 at around 5.30pm.

Police released the image on social media, requesting that anybody with information as to his identity or contact details to get in touch.

A spokesman for Bolton GMP said: “We would like to speak to this man as we believe he can help with our investigation into an assault of a teenager at Pavilion Square, Westhoughton on 8 September 2026 at 5:30pm.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact us on 101 or via Live Chat on our website, quoting log 2363 of 10/09/2026.

“Alternatively, call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”

Pavilion Square is located in the centre of Westhoughton, just behind Market Street.

A British father has pleaded guilty over the death of his two-year-old son, who died after falling from a hotel window in Cyprus. 

The City executive, 37, from Essex, was arrested hours after his son plunged from a fourth-floor balcony on July 12, on suspicion of causing death by ‘a rash, dangerous or reckless act’.

Having appeared at Paphos District Court today, he could now face a maximum sentence of four years in prison. The minimum he could receive is a fine.

The KPMG director may be able to serve a suspended sentence in the UK if he is given less than three years.

The man placed his son on a windowsill at the five-star King Evelthon Hotel while waiting for a lift believing it was closed.

To his horror, the boy fell backwards and plunged 33ft. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Paphos General Hospital.

The toddler was the third British tourist to die at the hotel in four years. 

The father was initially held on remand without charge for eight days in what local press described as Cypriot police’s ‘cruellest act’.

The father placed the toddler on a windowsill at the King Evelthon Hotel, near Paphos, while waiting for the lift not realising the window was open.

Authorities focused their inquiries on him, rather than the hotel where three British guests have now died in four years, and which is owned by an influential Cypriot family.

Stuck behind bars, he was forced to tell his surviving five-year-old daughter of her brother’s death over FaceTime. Her and her mother – a 38-year-old health professional – returned home to the UK at the end of July.

Toxicology reports found a very small quantity of alcohol, equivalent to one or two drinks, in the man’s blood.

Once he was formally charged, he was forced to pay a total of €30,000 (£25,750) in bail and was banned from leaving the island – though this was temporarily lifted on August 5 to allow him to bury his son.

Of the toddler, a family member told the Daily Mail: ‘He was a truly special, easy-going little boy who brought so much joy to everyone around him.

‘He was deeply adored and his infectious smile, warm cuddles and kind heart are already so deeply missed and always will be.’

The father’s conviction today came after he was informed last week on what would have been his son’s third birthday that Cyprus attorney general George Savvides had rejected an appeal for the case to be dropped.

His lawyer Alexandros Alexandrou asked for the case to be thrown out on humanitarian grounds, arguing there was no public interest in continuing the prosecution. Any prolonged criminal process, he added, would only deepen the family’s trauma.

Speaking to reporters, he said: ‘Last night he decided to plead guilty in order to end this story, to face whatever is going to be the penalty.

‘To go back to his family which is the most important thing in his mind, to support, grieve and stand with his family.’

Mr Alexandrou said that before the guilty he had told his client what the procedures in Cyprus were and that a trial would have taken ‘many days’ and involved ‘pictures and evidence’ that would have been disturbing for the family.

He said his client was a ‘father who found himself in an unfortunate situation’, and that there was no intent.

Friends previously told the Daily Mail they were worried about how the family would survive if the legal proceedings continued. One said: ‘His main worry is about his daughter and his wife.

‘Obviously, he needs to go back to his job as soon as possible. I imagine his employer can’t keep his job open forever…’

Ruaridh Nairne, six, from Inverness, Scotland, tragically drowned in the hotel’s pool in 2023

Ben Woods, 21, from Leigh in Greater Manchester drowned while playing volleyball in the hotel’s pool in July 2022

When the Daily Mail visited the King Evelthon Hotel, where the British toddler fell to his death, it found the large fourth-floor window was still open.

UK health and safety guidelines state hotel windows large enough that children can fall through should be restricted to an opening of 4in or less.

But in Cyprus the window must simply be above a ledge at least 3.5ft tall – which King Evelthon complies with.

The resort’s safety record has come under scrutiny after it emerged the child was the third British tourist to die there in four years.

Ben Woods, 21, from Leigh in Greater Manchester, drowned while playing volleyball in the hotel’s pool in July 2022. 

Only the following year, six-year-old Ruaridh Nairne, from Inverness, also drowned.

And another woman reportedly died while swimming there in 2024.

The British father is set to be sentenced on October 5 at Paphos District Court.  

With energy bills putting pressure on household budgets, many Brits are searching for simple ways to stay warm this winter without spending a fortune – and Martin Lewis has a surprisingly easy tip

With energy bills continuing to put pressure on household finances, many Brits are looking for simple ways to keep their homes warm without sending their bills soaring. Thankfully, Martin Lewis has shared a simple trick that could help households keep their homes warmer for cheaper this winter – and it involves making one small change at around 4pm.

The MoneySavingExpert founder regularly shares advice designed to help people cut their household costs, from his website and social media channels to his appearances on ITV’s Martin Lewis Money Show Live and the BBC. One of his winter tips is easy to follow and could even help delay the moment you need to switch your heating on.

Martin Lewis’ 4pm rule

Lewis previously shared his advice on his ITV show, explaining how households can use their curtains strategically to help keep heat inside their homes. His advice is simple – keep your curtains open while the sun is shining, then close them once it gets dark.

Speaking to viewers, he said: “Use tactical curtains. When the sun is shining, it is letting light and heat into the house, so you want the curtains open.

“When it gets dark, it’s not, so you want to keep the heat in by closing the curtains. I know we all know that, but doing it rigorously can help insulate, especially if you line it with a fleece.”

The tip was originally shared in November 2022, but MoneySavingExpert has confirmed that the advice remains relevant.

Why you should close your curtains at 4pm

As the days get shorter, darkness arrives increasingly early, meaning there’s less natural warmth coming through your windows. For example, sunset is around 4.14pm on November 15, while by November 30 it is closer to 3.55pm.

That means getting into the habit of closing your curtains as daylight fades could help prevent some of the warmth inside your home from escaping through the windows. Curtains act as another barrier between the warm air inside your home and the colder glass.

Warm air naturally moves around a room through convection. Air next to a cold window cools down, becomes heavier and sinks, while warmer air is drawn towards the window.

Closing the curtains helps create another layer between the room and the cold glass, reducing the movement of warm air around the window.

How to make your curtains more effective

You don’t necessarily need to splash out on expensive thermal curtains to try the trick. Lewis has previously suggested using inexpensive fleece as a lining for existing curtains, which can provide another insulating layer.

He said there are plenty of guides online showing how to do this cheaply yourself, but households should make sure any fleece or other material used is fire-resistant before attaching it to curtains.

For those who can afford to invest, thicker or thermal-lined curtains are another option. Fleece works in a similar way to layers in a winter coat, creating pockets of air that can help slow down heat transfer.

Other ways Martin Lewis suggests saving energy

The 4pm curtain trick is just one of a number of energy-saving suggestions associated with Lewis and the MoneySavingExpert team. Other tips include fitting reflective panels behind radiators to help direct heat back into the room and tackling draughts around windows and doors.

Lewis has also regularly promoted the idea of “heat the human, not the home” – using targeted ways to keep yourself warm rather than heating the entire property when you’re only sitting in one or two rooms.

Simple changes such as wearing extra layers, using blankets or heating the room you’re actually using can potentially help households avoid wasting energy on empty rooms.

With colder weather approaching and household budgets still under pressure, making small changes to how and when you use energy could help keep some of that expensive heat inside your home.

Your advice

Sharing their own tips for keeping heating costs down, one user on Reddit’s Life Hacks thread suggested using clear packing tape to tackle draughty windows.

They wrote: “If you have a draft coming from an old double hung or sliding window, simply take some clear packing tape and try to cover up the gaps that make it drafty. It’s not going to completely keep the cold out, but it will certainly slow it down considerably.

“Did this a few times to some apartment windows where the landlord was too cheap to fix the windows and you could feel the room warm up almost immediately.”

Another added: “If your home doesn’t have central heating, you can heat only the most insulated rooms where people spend most of their time.

“The first month in my house, I heated every room and spent 4x the energy I’ve been using since. Invest in a couple pairs of thermal hiking socks.

“If you’re sitting at the computer, stand up and bounce every once in a while to keep the blood flowing in your legs and feet.”

A third Reddit user suggested making the most of the heat produced when cooking, writing: “Electric ovens are not vented (not sure about gas) therefore the heat from your oven will radiate into the room whether or not the door is open.”

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested after at least 11 people were injured in a shooting outside a high school in Turkey.

Two people were left in critical conditions after a gunman opened fire before fleeing on Tuesday morning,

The incident happened at the Inci Uzmez Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Turkey’s western province of Manisa.

The suspect’s mother, father, and grandfather have also been detained, according to the country’s justice minister Akın Gürlek.

It is the third school shooting in Turkey this year and comes as the government continues to grapple with how to address the recent spate of violence.

CCTV footage appeared to show the suspect walking through empty streets checking a shotgun, which is clearly visible. He is casually dressed and appears unhurried.

Later footage showed the apparent suspect, who is reportedly a student at the school, running from the scene with the weapon still in hand.

The motive behind the attack was not immediately clear.

According to Turkish law, the teenager is required to appear before a court before being officially arrested.

In a statement, Turkey’s education ministry said the incident had “deeply saddened our nation, and our educational community in particular”.

It said that three national investigators from the ministry had been sent to Manisa.

Two deadly school shootings in April caused outrage in Turkey and led to new security measures for the 2026-2027 academic year, including tighter gun controls.

Before then, the country did not have a history of school shootings.

In an attack in Kahramanmaras, a 14-year-old killed nine students aged 10 and 11, and one teacher. The gunman died at the scene.

Police have released the above image, who they believe can help them in their investigations into the incident.

The theft is believed to have happened on August 16 shortly after 7:30am.

Salford Police said: “Can you help? We would like to speak to the man pictured as we believe he can help with our investigation into the theft of some tools from a building on Longshaw Drive, Salford.

“This is believed to have happened shortly after 7.30am on 16 August 2026. Anyone with information is asked to contact us on 101 or via LiveChat on our website quoting CRI/06FF/0022136/26.”

Longshaw Drive is located in Little Hulton, just off Manchester Road East near Little Hulton Health Centre.

The L-159E ‘Honey Badger’s were spotted in the skies above the town after taking off on Tuesday morning (September 22).

The Czech-built aircraft are operated by aviation and defence company Draken and are used to help the RAF practise defending UK airspace during exercises with Royal Air Force fighter pilots.

Flight data shows the jets flew towards Croft after take-off, then over Darlington Railway Station and along the railway line before turning towards Sedgefield.

The Honey Badgers have become a familiar sight since a fleet began operating from a purpose-built hangar at Draken’s Teesside Airport base in 2022.

Draken regularly flies the jets against RAF Typhoons and F-35 Lightnings over the North Sea, acting as an enemy force in realistic combat training.

Honey Badger’ fighter jets

The RAF introduced the service in 2022, saying the aircraft allow its fighter crews to practise against a different type of jet flown by experienced former military pilots using unfamiliar tactics.

Draken later strengthened its presence at the airport after securing a £173 million Ministry of Defence deal in 2025 to run its Teesside operation for another four years.

The company is also developing a new £7 million hangar at the airport which is expected to house its combat aircraft and support further adversary and electronic-warfare training.

The latest sighting comes amid Exercise Cobra Warrior 26-2, a major RAF and NATO exercise that has been described as its “largest test of UK homeland defence”.

There is no confirmed indication that the aircraft photographed over Teesside were taking part in Cobra Warrior, which is due to end on October 2.