Nine cannabis factories containing drugs worth around £600,000 were discovered by police in a Cambridgeshire village. Cambridgeshire Police worked with the Ministry of Defence to carry out a series of warrants at a site in Middle Drove and Ugg Mere Court Road, Ramsey Heights, on Monday (February 9).
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As part of the operation, officers discovered nine cannabis factories at these addresses. As a result, a 54-year-old man from Ramsey was arrested on suspicion of burglary and possession of an offensive weapon. He has since been bailed until May 8.
A 26-year-old man from Ramsey was also arrested on suspicion of production of cannabis and possession with intent to supply drugs and a 73-year-old man from Ramsey was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods, concealing criminal property, possession with intent to supply drugs and possession of firearms. Both remain in custody while investigations continue.
While carrying out the warrants, officers also found suspected stolen property. These include: a suspected stolen Audi and BMW; a JCB believed to have been used in criminal activity; stolen firearm and ammunition; a large quantity of suspected stolen tools and plant machinery; car key cloning device, a stolen skip and cable cutting equipment.
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Police also found copper cabling and stripped outer casing, multiple stolen number plates and two suspected stolen metal stags. This was a part of the force’s ongoing work to target organised criminal activity linked to cannabis production and recent metal thefts across Huntingdonshire.
Neighbourhood Inspector Colin Norden said: “This operation is another clear example of our commitment to disrupting drug networks, tackling organised criminal activity and safeguarding the wider community. We will continue to act on intelligence and strike at any moment to protect our communities.
“We want to make Huntingdonshire a safer place for everyone, and the public play a vital role in helping us do that. If you see anything suspicious, no matter how small it may seem, please report it to us.”
Ten people have died and dozens have been injured in a fatal shooting at a secondary school in Canada – with students instructed to close classroom doors as the building went into lockdown
08:10, 11 Feb 2026Updated 08:10, 11 Feb 2026
A student has recalled the terrifying moment he barricaded himself inside a classroom during a fatal shooting that left 10 dead and dozens injured in a remote Canadian town.
Darian Quist, a Grade 12 student at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, said he got to class at around 1:30pm local time when an alarm began blaring through the hallways with instructions to close the doors as the school was plunged into lockdown. Darian said the doors were closed for a while before he and his classmates realised something was wrong.
Darian says he was receiving photos on his phone from the scene. “We got tables and barricaded the doors” for over two hours, he told CBC Radio West. Police later arrived to escort the students out of the building. Once outside, Darian met with his mother Shelley at a local community centre.
Shelley was at work when a colleague asked if she knew what was happening at the high school. From her office, she could see “RCMP everywhere, fire, ambulances”. The mum said colleagues had to stop her from running to the school herself. “There was an RCMP crouched down in our parking lot with his gun drawn,” she added.
Shelley immediately called Darian and could hear police “kicking” her son’s classroom door down. “That’s when I left home,” she said. “We live very close; a block away from the community centre. I literally almost ran over there.” The mum said she didn’t accept that her son was okay until she actually saw him.
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Six of the victims were found dead inside Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, while a seventh person died on the way to hospital, police said. The suspect’s body was also found at the school with a self‑inflicted injury.
Two more people were found dead at a nearby home in an incident police believe is connected to the shootings, but “are not in a position to provide that definitively”. Authorities say they know the attacker’s identity but have not revealed their identity for privacy reasons and to protect integrity investigation.
School District 59, where Tumbler Ridge Secondary School is located, said the school will remain closed for the rest of the week.
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“Due to the tragic events that unfolded in community of Tumbler Ridge today, Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and Tumbler Ridge Elementary School will be closed for the rest of the week,” a statement read.
“The district will make supports available and once we have the locations for where the supports will be we will put that information on social media.”
Following the tragedy, Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney offered his condolences in a post on X. “I am devastated by today’s horrific shootings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. My prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and friends who have lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence,” he wrote.
“I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens. Our ability to come together in crisis is the best of our country — our empathy, our unity, and our compassion for each other.”
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“I have connected with Premier Eby to express my condolences, and with the Minister of Public Safety, Gary Anandasangaree, who is coordinating the federal response.”
“Our officials are in close contact with their counterparts to ensure the community is fully supported as best we can. The Government of Canada stands with all British Columbians as they confront this horrible tragedy.”
It’s All About The Cake has announced it will shut its Peterlee shop on Sunday, April 19, bringing to an end ten years on the high street.
The decision was shared in a statement posted on the It’s All About The Cake Facebook page.
The business said the move had not been taken lightly, pointing to changing shopping habits and a steady decline in people visiting the town centre.
The It’s all about Cake shop in Peterlee (Image: GOOGLE)
The statement read: “Important Announcement – After ten amazing years, we’ll be closing our Peterlee shop doors on Sunday, April 19 2026.
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“This has been an incredibly difficult decision. Unfortunately, like many town-centre businesses, footfall in Peterlee has steadily declined, with more people choosing to shop elsewhere and online. Alongside this, our current lease is coming to an end, and we’ve decided not to tie ourselves into another long-term agreement within Peterlee at this time.”
Despite the closure, the business stressed that it is not shutting down altogether and will continue operating in a different way.
The statement added: “Despite this change, we want to reassure everyone that this is not the end of our business. While we will no longer be operating from the Peterlee shop location, we will be focusing on our continued delivery of products to other businesses across the North East, with more details to be shared in due course.”
The post also paid tribute to customers who have supported the shop since it opened, adding: “Most importantly, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to every customer who has supported us over the last decade – from regular faces to those who travelled just to visit us.
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“Your loyalty, kindness, and support have meant everything. We’d love to see as many of you as possible before we close. Please pop in, say hello, and help us celebrate ten incredible years.
“Thank you for being part of our journey – It’s All About The Cake”
Customers will still be able to order celebration cakes after the Peterlee shop closes, with collections moving to the bakery in Wingate.
The family-ran cake shop previously closed a site at Durham’s Riverwalk in 2022.
The latest rugby news from Wales and around the world
Here are your rugby morning headlines for Wednesday, February 11.
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Biggar lays down harsh truth to Wales rugby fans
Dan Biggar has delivered a blunt assessment of where Wales currently stand and warned supporters to accept some uncomfortable truths ahead of Sunday’s daunting clash with France.
Speaking on The Rugby Pod after Wales’ hammering by England, the former fly-half admitted his old side were “quite a bit short” of the required standard and said the contest was effectively over inside the opening 20 minutes.
“There comes a certain responsibility to at least perform at a certain level. And there’s a minimum standard, isn’t there?” Biggar said.
“And I thought Wales were, as I said after the game, I thought Wales were quite a bit short of that in that first 40 in particular. And that’s when the game ultimately was done, inside 20 minutes, wasn’t it?
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“Whether that was self-inflicting wounds, like not tapping the ball, penalties at lineout, penalties for obstruction, yellow cards, low phase count, high error count… very little to be positive.”
Biggar admitted he wanted to find positives in a young squad and inexperienced coaching group, but struggled after what he saw in the first half at Twickenham.
“I’ve tried, and I want to be positive about Wales, but it was very difficult to be positive after that first 40,” he added.
“You hope that there’s going to be a massive reaction, but then you think, ‘OK, well they’re playing France on Sunday with the roof closed,’ where France looked amazing.
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“But I think you’ve got to accept as well, as Welsh fans, players, supporters, whoever you are… these are not the games Wales can almost win at the minute.”
That acceptance, he suggested, is part of the current reality. However, he stressed there are still standards that must be met — even in defeat.
“But there has to be ways in which you lose,” he added, contrasting the senior side’s display with the under-20s’ fighting performance against England.
“They rolled their sleeves up, threw a few shots. Like the team on Saturday, it was really disappointing.”
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For Wales, the immediate focus now is on preventing the situation from spiralling further — and Biggar issued a rallying cry to supporters not to abandon the team at a critical time.
“You have to get back to the Principality on Sunday. Almost forget that you’re playing France. You have to try and get the crowd in there,” he said.
“That now is not the time to walk out on the team. This is when almost the team, and this young group and inexperienced coaching group, need the support of the nation.
“Because they can’t be that bad again. And if they are, then they’re in big, big trouble.”
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Borthwick: Scottish rugby fans should back Townsend
By Duncan Bech, Press Association Rugby Union Correspondent
England head coach Steve Borthwick is surprised by the scrutiny of Gregor Townsend’s position as Scotland boss ahead of Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash at Murrayfield.
The Scots are reeling after being ambushed 18-15 by Italy in Rome, plunging them to 10th in the global rankings behind the Azzurri and placing doubt over Townsend’s ability to continue until the 2027 World Cup as contracted.
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Former national team captain John Barclay declared this week that if they fail to finish in the top three then it “becomes a necessity to see a change”.
Townsend was unable to guide Scotland out of the group stage of the 2019 and 2023 World Cups and has never finished higher than third in the Six Nations during his nine years in charge.
But Borthwick said ahead of England’s attempt to claim a first win at Murrayfield since 2020: “I think Gregor Townsend is a wonderful coach.
“I was told recently that he has the best win record of any Scotland coach in the professional era. Sir Ian McGeechan had two spells and Gregor sits above that.
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“The way he has coached the attack they have and the way they move the ball, when they do that they look terrific.
“I have immense respect for him as a coach and I find it surprising that people are not spending more time talking about Scotland rather than not supporting their coach.
“He’s a phenomenal coach and they should spend more time supporting him.”
In an indication of the rivals’ contrasting fortunes, England head to Murrayfield as odds-on favourites to retain the Calcutta Cup despite the ground being the graveyard of their title ambitions in recent times.
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A 12-Test winning run means they march north of the border full of confidence and they have captain Maro Itoje back in the starting XV after he was picked on the bench for the 48-7 rout of Wales following the recent death of his mother.
Luke Cowan-Dickie is promoted at hooker in the only other change to the starting XV with Jamie George and Alex Coles dropping to the replacements, where Fin Smith ousts Marcus Smith having recovered from from a calf injury.
Henry Pollock continues in his super-sub role after being given license to roam by Borthwick as England look to build positional flexibility for the 2027 World Cup.
The Northampton flanker continues to be seen as an option for the wing during matches.
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“Henry’s got incredible pace and super handling skills and you see not just his ability to make breaks, but how he supports breaks,” Borthwick said.
“How often do you see him on somebody’s shoulder taking an offload and then running on and scoring or potentially giving another offload for somebody else to score?
“His skill set and the way he plays the game is less within a structure and more within having a freedom roam to go and find the ball and find where he needs to be. I’m very confident with him in that position.”
International calls for Six Nations intervention after TV ‘bias’
Former Scotland international Jim Hamilton has called on Six Nations organisers to step in after claiming French television coverage impacted key decisions during France’s win over Ireland.
While France were widely praised for a superb performance in their Six Nations opener at the Stade de France, debate has continued around two first-half tries that some felt should not have stood.
There were suggestions of a forward pass in the build-up to Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s opening try, while Antoine Dupont also appeared to knock the ball on at the base of a scrum before France’s second score. Neither incident was reviewed in detail during the broadcast, with limited replay angles shown.
Speaking on The Rugby Pod, Hamilton questioned why neutral television directors are not used in major tournaments, arguing that the lack of replays can influence the TMO process.
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“Because the replays are so bad because it’s French TV, we never got the angles on it,” Hamilton said.
“I can’t believe in 2026 that with the amount of money, that was the most viewed game and it broke TV records. They’re not getting the true experience because some TV director… is like ‘no I’m not doing this’.
“I think that’s mental! That needs to be called out and needs to be looked at.”
Hamilton stressed that he did not believe the incidents ultimately altered the outcome, with France dominant for large parts of the contest, but warned that similar situations in bigger matches later in the championship could have serious consequences.
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“It didn’t have an effect on the game but as we go through the gears here, if that is England-France for the Grand Slam decider at the end of the tournament and these things ain’t being checked… that is a fair point,” he said.
Concerns around host broadcasters controlling replay output in France have surfaced previously, with critics arguing that failure to show certain angles can limit the TMO’s ability to intervene.
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The Six Nations is running from February 5 to March 14 and Wales Rugby fans can get the latest jerseys, hoodies and more at Fanatics.
Scotland coach says beating England can change everything
By Anthony Brown, Press Association
Pieter de Villiers is adamant a victory over England on Saturday can “turn everything around” for Scotland after a dire start to their Guinness Six Nations campaign.
Gregor Townsend and his players have come under heavy fire since Saturday’s grim 18-15 defeat by Italy in Rome.
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But scrum-coach De Villiers still believes they can get back into championship contention by winning this weekend’s Calcutta Cup showdown at Murrayfield.
“It’s only the second game of the tournament, any team in the tournament can still win it,” he stressed at a press conference on Tuesday.
“Italy will go out and surprise other teams as well, they’re a really good outfit and I think it’s going to be tight all around this tournament.
“It’s important that we get that enthusiasm back to go and deliver a great game.
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“England are a team who have had good results recently, they’ve been consistent.
“A result against England obviously will turn everything around and put us on the right track to win this tournament.”
De Villiers insisted the magnitude of this weekend’s match against their bitter rivals will ensure there is no lingering deflation in the Scottish camp.
“On Sunday everyone needs a pick-up because it’s obviously a big disappointment, but I think everyone is squarely back on the horse,” said the South African-born coach.
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“With such a big game coming up, the passion that is around this game ignites everyone to the top level. The concentration levels are there and the excitement is there.
“There will always be outside noise going on, that’s the nature of this game.
“It’s high-stakes, it’s Six Nations, and if you don’t get results, fans out there will be disappointed and people will obviously look into things and maybe want change.
“But for us nothing changes in terms of what we do on a day-to-day basis.
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“Yes, we would have liked a better result but this weekend is a perfect opportunity to go and do it in a high-stakes game where both teams will be very passionate and driven to deliver a result.”
It was the first day of Jurgen Klopp’s last pre-season as Liverpool manager, and his players were charged with doing laps of pitches on their Kirkby training ground. At the end, Klopp, with a huge grin, said: “And the James Milner award goes to…” Mohamed Salah was the exhausted recipient but only, probably, by default, because Milner had left. He had won Liverpool’s lactate test every year he was at Anfield, even into his mid-thirties. Liverpool had shown the footage in 2019; Joe Gomez, 11 years Milner’s junior, was his last rival, but inexorably, the running machine dropped him, the defender falling ever further behind.
As Milner stands one game away from equalling Gareth Barry’s record of 653 Premier League appearances, it is because he has kept on running for longer than anyone else. Since 2002, he has played top-flight football for 24 seasons, at 16 and at 40 and every age in between. His first-team bow was closer to the 1970s than to today. When he debuted, he had sat on the Leeds bench along with Nigel Martyn, who was born in 1966. He has been a Brighton teammate of Harry Howell, born in 2008, after Milner had made 226 senior appearances. He has played for managers born in 1933 and 1993, in Bobby Robson and Fabian Hurzeler.
James Milner, seen here aged 16 and 40, is both the second-youngest and second-oldest goalscorer in Premier League history (Getty)
Milner has straddled eras or, perhaps more accurately, kept running through them. The rest of the football world has changed but one man has remained the same. Precociously mature, forever grounded, always teetotal, Milner was the oldest 16-year-old in the business. Now his fitness levels may make him the youngest 40-year-old.
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He is almost three years older than the next oldest to take the field in the Premier League this season, in Seamus Coleman. But then his current manager, Hurzeler, was only nine when Terry Venables brought Milner on against the West Ham of David James, Nigel Winterburn and Paolo Di Canio to play the first of those 653 games. Venables, by the way, is one of four England managers Milner has played for at club level, along with Robson, Kevin Keegan and Sam Allardyce.
There have been 22 in all. Most valued him, some marvelled at him – Klopp, who said years ago that Milner would play until he was 40, more than most – and one famously underestimated him. Graeme Souness once declared that “you won’t win the league with James Milners”. Manchester City did, and Liverpool. Liverpool won the Champions League with him, too.
And the chances are that most managers would have preferred multiple James Milners to just the one. His remarkable versatility is a reason why. Milner has played every outfield position except centre-back. During a City injury crisis in 2014, Milner stood in as a striker, used his formidable fitness to drag defenders out of position and allowed his teammates to be prolific. A year and a half later, Klopp reinvented him as a left-back for a season.
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Milner brought creativity as well as work ethic to Manchester City’s first two Premier League title-winning sides before becoming Mr Reliable for Liverpool (Getty)
Each was a sign of a player who, perhaps without a defining characteristic beyond his running, could nevertheless do virtually everything to a high level. Manuel Pellegrini benched Milner too often but called him “England’s most complete player”. It made him the ultimate odd-job man, never hiding his preference for a central-midfield role, spending much of the first half of his career on either flank and some of the second half deputising as a full-back on either side. When Liverpool beat Barcelona 4-0 in 2019, a result so seminal even the normally stoical Milner was in tears at the end, he played the second 45 minutes as a stand-in left-back against Lionel Messi.
The Argentinian called Milner a “donkey” during the game, perhaps not realising he spoke Spanish. It is not the only time he has been undervalued. His ordinariness can be deceptive, given how extraordinary his career has been. He has been sent off by his former PE teacher, Jon Moss, in the Premier League. He has been nutmegged by Messi, but got the better of him.
Milner and Messi locked horns during the 2019 Champions League semi-finals… (Getty)
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… but Milner had the last laugh as Liverpool went through and he became a European champion (Getty)
He got a Champions League assist record: nine in a season in 2017-18. Milner has rarely been called a flair player – as a paragon of Yorkshire common sense, flair might feel a frippery – but the quality of his crossing still makes him creative. He can seem the least stylish or spectacular of the footballers with the 10 most assists in Premier League history but, aided by longevity, he is on the leaderboard. His penalty-taking was characteristically matter-of-fact but very effective. Klopp tended to send him up first in a shootout, seeing a guarantee of a goal in Milner.
Now, Milner is first in another respect. Thousands of footballers have appeared in the Premier League, but none have made more appearances. He has emulated Barry, a teammate for Aston Villa, City and England, another great constant, another whose dull public persona perhaps blinded too many to his talents for too long. Barry’s record seemed safe when a knee injury last season left Milner wondering if he would be able to walk properly again.
Instead, he has kept on going, to 653 and presumably beyond. The more prestigious James Milner award, with apologies to Liverpool players who knacker themselves with their pre-season running, may be for anyone who can break Milner’s record. Because, with no current player within 190 appearances of him, it won’t happen for at least five years. And probably not for rather longer.
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Milner stood above the rest with his performances in Liverpool’s pre-season fitness tests, as he makes Premier League history, it is because he has kept on running for longer than anyone else (Getty)
Liverpool and Sunderland face off on Wednesday night as the Reds battle to stay in touch with the top teams
Abbie Meehan Sports Writer U-35s
07:30, 11 Feb 2026
Bruce Grobbelaar claimed that he was told to stop criticising Simon Mignolet during the Belgian’s time at Liverpool. The Reds will face off against one of the goalkeeper’s former teams in Sunderland, who he left in 2013 to head to Anfield.
Mignolet spent six years at Liverpool, making 204 appearances and keeping 66 clean sheets between the sticks. The Belgian international had positive spells during his time at Anfield, keeping the joint-most clean sheets in the 2013/14 season alongside Joe Hart and Fraser Forster.
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However, there was one former Red who wasn’t convinced by Mignolet. Ex-shotstopper Grobbelaar claimed he was once told by the club’s hierarchy to stop criticising the ‘keeper in public.
The Zimbabwe international, who spent 13 years with the Reds, said in 2015 that Mignolet was ready to be replaced. Grobbelaar said: “I’ve had my criticism of Mignolet for two or three years, I even got pulled in and asked not to criticise him so openly.
“But I think he [Klopp] is looking at it [buying a replacement for Mignolet].
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“There are a couple of goalkeepers in the German league that he is looking at so I can see that might be one of his first signings.”
At the time, it was reported that then-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was looking at Bernd Leno and Loris Karius. Both goalkeepers ended up in the Premier League, with Leno appearing for Arsenal and Fulham and Karius joining the Reds in 2016.
Karius did try and replace Mignolet that season but the pair went on to share responsibilities until Alisson Becker arrived in 2018. He took over as the no. 1 choice and the Belgian moved to Club Brugge – where he still stars to this day.
Grobbelaar was clearly not a big fan of the goalkeeper during his time with the Reds and even claimed that he saw better goalkeepers at Ottawa Fury, where he had been working as a coach at the time.
Speaking to talkSPORT, he added: “I’ve said that he is a goalkeeper who is a great shot stopper, but he is not the overall package. The overall package is good with your feet and coming out and commanding your area.
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“I’ve got a goalkeeper in Canada, a 24-year-old, who does this better than Mignolet does and is just as good of a shot stopper. He is more of a package than Mignolet is.”
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
The deal will see the council acquire the properties from Realm Homes, adding a mix of houses and flats to its housing stock.
06:50, 11 Feb 2026Updated 06:50, 11 Feb 2026
South Lanarkshire councillors have approved a £9.4 million plan to add 43 affordable homes in Cambuslang.
The decision was given the go-ahead at the council’s Executive Committee on Wednesday (February 3) and will see 43 completed homes at New Road being brought into council ownership.
The deal will see the council acquire the properties from Realm Homes, adding a mix of houses and flats to its housing stock.
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The homes will be purchased for a total of £9,387,735, with funding supported by a Scottish Government grant through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme. The development includes two- and three-bedroom terraced houses as well as one- and two-bedroom flats.
Councillor Andrea Cowan (Rutherglen Central and North) questioned if there could be considerations given to increase the number of accessible homes.
She said: “I say this every time we build or acquire new council stock, it’s always very welcome.
“I do just have one question, from the plan it looks to me as though there are 19 houses, so two- and three-bedroom properties and 24 flats, and it’s the flats that I want to talk about. I’m just wondering why all of the flats have stairwells as opposed to elevators. Now I appreciate there is a cost implication in putting a lift shaft in and that it is more expensive. But, there are only going to be eight ground floor flats which would be fully accessible. These would be the only fully accessible properties out of 43. And, I’m just wondering if perhaps it’s worth a wee bit more investment to make all of the flats accessible?”
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Council officers stated that it would be difficult to make it viable due to the costs involved and they need to look at the wider need for housing, which, in this area is family houses – the development has included 19 family houses which council officials have said is the optimum mix.
Councillor Katy Loudon (Cambuslang East), asked if the council were satisfied that there were enough homes to meet demand.
She said: “It’s always very welcome to hear about new housing, especially as this housing is in my ward as well, which I’m delighted about.
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“Its about getting the mix right, in terms of casework and people that come to us in that part of Cambuslang, its very often people looking for accessible housing, or people looking for big properties, like family housing, three-bed plus.
“So I was a wee bit disappointed when I saw on the map that we’ve got there that it was only nine units that were down as three-bed plus, and the rest were two and one, so it’s only a quarter.
“Just in terms of what I see people looking for bigger housing. Are we confident that we’re getting the mix right for the demand that’s in the area of that three and four beds housing?”
Council officers confirmed that they are confident that they are achieving the correct mix of homes to meet demand.
The acquisition forms part of South Lanarkshire Council’s wider efforts to address growing housing demand. Under its Local Housing Strategy, the council has committed to delivering an additional 1300 affordable homes by March 2027 through a combination of new builds and acquisitions.
New Road in Cambuslang has already been identified within the council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan as a potential site for new council housing. The most recent plan, approved in December 2025, sets out capacity for up to 2408 affordable homes across South Lanarkshire by March 2031.
Realm Homes brought forward the Cambuslang site in response to a Prior Information Notice issued by the council in 2023, which invited developers to propose affordable housing opportunities.
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Council officers confirmed the proposal met all required criteria and represented value for money.
The deal remains subject to planning consent and confirmation of Scottish Government grant funding.
Construction will proceed under a development agreement, with payments released in stages as work progresses and a ten-year warranty provided on completion.
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PSNI have confirmed that the road has been reopened following the incident
07:11, 11 Feb 2026Updated 07:11, 11 Feb 2026
A road has reopened in Newtownards following an earlier incident.
The Belfast bound side of the A20 Kempe Stones Road in the vicinity of Mountpleasant Drive, has now been fully reopened following a serious road traffic collision.
A police spokesman said: “Road users are advised the A20 Kempe Stones Road in Newtownards has reopened this morning following a serious road traffic collision on Tuesday evening.”
Husband and wife Victoria and Chris Rothwell have taken on the ownership of the Luxury Ice Cream Company (LICC), in Back Swinegate.
The pair, who live in Appleton Roebuck, are set to re-open the shop – known for its award-winning homemade gelato – at the end of this month.
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Victoria said: “This will be our very first business.
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“We want to take on this stewardship – maintaining the shop’s quality homemade gelato, style and excellent reputation among residents and visitors of York alike.”
Victoria, who has spent 26 years working as an accountant for corporate firms, will be serving customers and running the LICC day-to-day.
Meanwhile Chris, who originally hails from California, will handle the business’s marketing – strengthening the brand and its presence in York.
The couple are renovating the interiors before opening day later this month (Image: Supplied)
The exterior of the LICC, which stands out along the street for its attractive bubblegum pink entrance, will essentially remain the same, Victoria confirmed.
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It comes as the pair work to paint and decorate the shop’s interiors, giving them a fresh lease of life.
As reported by The Press, the LICC’s previous owners Steph Blair and her partner had announced that they were stepping back from the company after more than six years.
A statement online read: “We couldn’t be happier with the people we have decided to sell to and know that they will continue the legacy of LICC to the best of their abilities.
“It’s been in the works for some time now but we’re adamant we sold to the right people.”
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‘We’re so excited to get started’
Victoria said that Steph and her partner “couldn’t have been more supportive” through the sale – even helping Victoria and Chris create some customer-favourite ice creams.
Victoria added: “They’ve been such an enormous help and we’re fortunate to have such a wonderful relationship with LICC’s previous owners.
“Aside from the classic LICC flavours, we do plan on introducing some new ones, so you may see some peanut butter-inspired creations – inspired by Chris’s Californian roots.
“We’re so excited to get started.
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“While renovating, we’ve had many people come to LICC enquiring about its re-opening.
“A few even popped in while we had the door open, thinking it was running still.
“It certainly is popular and we hope to maintain this in the years to come.”
Ellis, 19, was fluent before the crash but ‘forgot’ the language and felt isolated at university
07:02, 11 Feb 2026Updated 07:04, 11 Feb 2026
A student who crashed his car and suffered concussion, temporarily lost his fluency in Welsh, leaving him cut off from friends and feeling like a “foreigner” at his Welsh-speaking university, while also enduring flashbacks, anxiety, and brain fog. Ellis Pears, 19, a law student at Aberystwyth University, said he was driving down a muddy country road in November 2024 when another car drove on to the wrong side of the road, forcing him to swerve and causing his car to flip over, leaving him concussed.
A few days later, Ellis, whose first language is English but who had always been fluent in Welsh and attended Welsh-medium schools, said he suddenly struggled to speak Welsh. This left him feeling isolated, as a third of his university course is in Welsh and many of his peers spoke low-level English, making it hard to keep up with both his studies and social life.
He believes the concussion triggered his language difficulties, and his low mood and daily nightmares and panic attacks made it even harder to concentrate. Over time, as his mental health improved, so did his Welsh, and he can now speak the language at university level again, and panic attacks typically occur only when he sees a car crash.
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Ellis, who is from Cardiff, said: “I felt like a foreigner in a different country because I couldn’t understand people around me, and not many people knew English so didn’t understand me. I stayed in my room and I didn’t go to lectures for four weeks after my language got worse, then I’d be surrounded by people in my flat that I couldn’t understand.
“I went from being able to do university essays on human rights laws to not being able to build a Lego set.” Ellis began studying at Aberystwyth University in autumn 2024, and after a few months he was “starting to settle in”.
That was until November, when his day-to-day life “completely changed”. One morning he was driving his 2013 Ford KA to a friend’s house down a country road about five miles outside Aberystwyth.
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After a storm the previous night, he was being especially careful because of the amount of mud on the roads. But, he said, a car came around a corner and drove on to his side of the road and he had to “choose between” being hit by the oncoming 4×4 or swerving, so he swerved.
He recalled losing control on mud and spinning several times, before hitting a bank. He said the car then flipped over three times before it was finally stopped by a fence post going into the car’s wheel arch, “wedging” his car into the ground.
“In the moment, I remember it spinning and thinking ‘Crap, this is out of my control’ – there was nothing I could do,” Ellis said. “I was shouting and shouting but there wasn’t a house for two miles either way.”
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Ellis then “went into survival mode” with “so much adrenaline” – he said he climbed out of the car through a window and began searching for his phone. After 20 minutes he found it in a field next to the lane, rang the police and used what3words – a geocoding system that divides the world into 57 trillion 3m by 3m squares, assigning each a unique, fixed three-word address – to give them his location, which was listed as “///passion.cobras.toasters”.
He said: “It completely saved my life – I was in the middle of nowhere, and without it, I’d be walking about two miles before I found a road sign, let alone a house. It was an absolute godsend – I would urge any driving instructor to instruct your pupils to download it, any parents, and just everyone to get it.”
Police arrived to secure the road and check Ellis over. He only had a cut on the back of his head from a piece of glass, but went to Bronglais Hospital the same day to be checked.
He had CT and MRI scans, and tests on his heart, blood and bones, and was “surrounded” by nine specialists while he was “poked and prodded”. He said: “I don’t think I had a single thought in my head, I was just in shock – the only thing I remember saying is that I didn’t want my little sister seeing me with all the machines around me.
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“I felt guilty that my family was so worried too. I only moved to university two months before, I hadn’t even been to all the pubs yet, and I was already in hospital.”
He was diagnosed with a concussion and, about 24 hours later, “once the adrenaline wore off” he “completely mentally crashed”.
He said he had “brain fog” and could barely follow the instructions of a simple Lego set. A few days after the crash, he noticed he was also struggling to speak Welsh. He believes this was because of the concussion, and his low mood made his ability to concentrate even harder.
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Ellis had been in Welsh-medium education since nursery and could speak the language fluently to university standard. At university, one third of his course was in Welsh, including essays and lectures, and all of his friends and housemates spoke Welsh “constantly” to each other.
Ellis added that he would speak Welsh around Aberystwyth, whether he was in a shop or “ordering a pint”.
According to the 2021 Census, 17.8% of the population in Wales speak Welsh, and in Ceredigion, the county where Aberystwyth is located, 45.3% speak Welsh. Ellis said: “I was just sat there and didn’t write a thing during the entire lecture – I couldn’t comprehend any of it.
“I tried emailing my lecturer in Welsh but I couldn’t get the words together, couldn’t do the formalities and the grammar or even the most basic Wenglish, which is slang Welsh. “A lot of my mates at university only speak Welsh, it was their first language and their English is poor so I suddenly couldn’t have conversations with my friends.”
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Since the crash, Ellis had been suffering from low mood, anxiety and flashbacks. He was not formally diagnosed, but also believes he was experiencing PTSD.
Despite this, he was given a replacement car and decided to take it on short journeys to “feel in control”, despite his family being “so worried”.
He said: “My general mood was terrible – I was a right miserable sod. I wouldn’t smile, I was riddled with anxiety, permanently exhausted. I wasn’t sleeping properly – it would take me hours to get to sleep, and even then, I would be up every half an hour.
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“I’d have panic attacks before bed every single night, my whole body would shake and my neck and knees would jerk and I’d be physically in pain.”
In December 2024, he tried taking antidepressants but felt they numbed his emotions and did not work well for him. He found that going to a piece of land, in the fresh air, shouting and chopping wood “genuinely helped”.
By June 2025, he noticed a significant improvement in both his mood and his language skills. Ellis believes that as his mental health improved, his ability to concentrate increased, which in turn helped his language skills recover.
He achieved a third in some modules at university, but was reassured that this would not affect his final grade “too much”.
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His flashbacks reduced to about once a week, or when he saw anything related to a car crash. Now, he said, his Welsh has “gone back to normal” and he only has panic attacks when driving past another car crash.
He thinks his comprehension is still “a little slow” and that he struggles with reading instructions. Looking back on his experiences, he said: “It made me think a lot about my priorities – so going home and spending time with family and going out with mates instead of focusing so much on work.”
