There has been a months long dispute between the council and BT over the road damage in Leigh
Action has been promised on long-standing potholes which have been at the centre of a dispute over who’s responsible for fixing it.
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The road surface around a metal utility cover on Twist Lane, close to Parsonage Way in Leigh has been deteriorating for months.
Councillors said ‘what began as a minor defect has now escalated into significant potholes’.
After more than four months of pressing by Wigan council BT, have now agreed to fix the surface. The damaged section of road has been jolting hundreds of vehicles every day since last year.
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Responding to local councillor Dane Anderton’s update on the matter, motorist Philip Yardley said: “During normal traffic it can’t be avoided.
“It’s one of those where you hit it and you grit your teeth after shouting ‘Jeeeze’.”
Earlier this month, after becoming exasperated at the lack of progress, Coun Anderton, on behalf of himself and other Leigh West councillors, wrote to the chief executive of BT.
The letter said: “The defect is positioned on a primary route serving both the town centre and a high-traffic retail park. Because of its location, motorists find it impossible to avoid.
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“What began as a minor defect has now escalated into significant potholes surrounding the frame.
“By failing to act in December, BT has allowed the damage to spread to the surrounding road surface, which will now result in a far more costly and extensive reinstatement.
“Wigan Council is proud to have some of the highest-rated roads in the country, with maintenance standards consistently recognized by the government. “BT’s failure to maintain its assets is now causing a direct negative impact on the safety and quality of our local infrastructure.
“We urge you to override the current ‘non-urgent’ classification and prioritize a full repair of the cover and the surrounding highway damage your asset has caused.”
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In the past few days Wigan council have updated councillors on the issue saying ‘BT has now accepted responsibility for the utility box and are planning the necessary repairs’.
The message added: “As soon as a date is confirmed, we will update you.”
The reporter was bombarded with further adverts for codeine, xanax and oxycodone, among other high-strength opioid medications.
An investigation has uncovered that highly addictive pain pills and prescription medications are among the items being advertised for sale locally on TikTok.
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Our sister title, Glasgow Live, became aware of the items after a reporter started receiving ads on the platform promoting the controlled substances. After clicking on one ad, which the platform was paid to host, the reporter was taken to pages on the messaging app Telegram where users could purchase the drugs.
After closing the page, the reporter was bombarded with further adverts for codeine, xanax and oxycodone, among other high-strength opioid medications, which are illegal to sell in the UK without a prescription. Within minutes of looking at the account behind it, the owner – believed to be from Scotland – messaged asking if they needed ‘benzos, uppers or opiates’, despite the account clearly stating they were a journalist.
Benzos, short for benzodiazepine, are a commonly abused prescription sedative-hypnotic medication used for short-term, acute anxiety, panic attacks, seizures, and insomnia. Uppers can refer to a wide range of drugs, including cocaine, amphetamines and methylphenidate (a stimulant medication used in the UK as a treatment for ADHD). The NHS describes both as addictive.
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It comes as the number of suspected drug deaths in Scotland rose by 8% last year, with Glasgow seeing the highest spike in deaths. Statistics released by the Scottish Government earlier this year showed 1,146 people were suspected to have died from drugs, up from 1,065 the previous year.
National Records of Scotland found that in 2024, the most common drugs implicated in drug misuse deaths were opiates/opioids (80% of deaths), benzodiazepines (56%) and cocaine (47%).
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which regulates the sale of medication in the UK, said that they are closely working with law enforcement partners to stamp out the sales and have warned the public of the risk of buying from illegal online suppliers.
A spokesperson for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said: “Buying any medicine from illegal online suppliers significantly increases the risk of receiving falsified or unlicensed products. We work closely with law enforcement partners, customs authorities, social media and online platforms to remove illegal medicines from sale, block harmful websites, disrupt payment routes, and delist offending domains from search engines.
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“Where breaches of the law are identified in the UK, we will not hesitate to use the full range of our enforcement powers to protect public health, including, where appropriate, prosecuting those who put people at risk.”
Medications being touted on the social media platform also included peptides, which are often marketed for weight loss or muscle gain.
Lynda Scammell, Head of Borderlines, MHRA said: “Peptide products may be sold as cosmetics, supplements and medicines, and depending on their intended purpose, they fall under different regulatory frameworks.
“The MHRA determines whether a product is a medicine on a case-by-case basis. This includes consideration of a number of factors including the product’s effect on the body, the way it is used and takes into account all the available evidence and relevant legal precedents.
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“We disregard claims that products are for ‘research purposes’ if it is clear that such claims are being used as an attempt to avoid medicines regulations. If there is evidence within the promotional material that the products are in fact unauthorised medicines intended for human use, we will take appropriate regulatory action.
“If a product is classified as a medicine and is not appropriately authorised, we take regulatory compliance action. Not all peptides fall under MHRA’s remit, for example, many peptides are sold for body-building purposes and in the absence of medicinal claims, these would not be considered medicines.”
TikTok were contacted about the sale of the medications on the widely used platform. The company said that all accounts found in the investigation have been banned, adding that their community guidelines ban the sale of to regulated, prohibited, or high-risk goods and services. They added that the majority of adverts violating their policies are removed before being reported.
However, moments after receiving their response, two further adverts for pregabalin (a prescription medication used to treat epilepsy, nerve pain and generalised anxiety disorder) and “Royal-225” (a high-dose, illegal tablet containing synthetic opioid tramadol hydrochloride) appeared.
The BBC reports that Royal-225 is “not licensed for use anywhere in the world” and can cause breathing difficulties, seizures and an overdose can kill. The drug is among a dozens driving a public heath crisis in West Africa.
She also told the pontiff the King had “valued” his October visit to Rome, “especially the shared prayer and spirit of fraternity it embodied”, which marked the first time a British monarch, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, had prayed at a public service with the Pope, head of the Catholic Church, since the Reformation.
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard is ready to return to management and he could follow in the footsteps of his former England colleague Frank Lampard by coaching in the Championship
Steven Gerrard is said to have been offered the chance to return to management with Bristol City amid reports linking the former Rangers and Aston Villa head coach with Burnley.
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The Championship outfit named Roy Hodgson as their interim manager last month after deciding to axe Gerhard Struber ahead of appointing a new permanent head coach this summer. And Gerrard, who is unattached after a spell managing Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, is seemingly who Bristol City have their sights set on to fill said vacancy.
The Independent claim that Bristol City want to ‘persuade’ Gerrard to take charge at Ashton Gate and that the Championship club have even tabled an ‘an enticing and attractive project’ to the 45-year-old.
It’s noted that Gerrard is not only open to the prospect of managing Bristol City in England’s second-tier, but also that he is keen to return to management ‘as soon as possible’.
Scott Parker’s position is expected to be reviewed at the end of the season after failing to keep the Clarets in the top-flight.
Gerrard left Al-Ettifaq in 2025 and has not managed in England since 2022. He was sacked after less than a year in charge of Aston Villa after making a bright start to his managerial career with Rangers, whom he guided to the Scottish title in his third season at Ibrox.
Gerrard’s former England team-mate, Frank Lampard, has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance in the Championship after accepting a job with Coventry City back in November 2024 – something which has not gone unnoticed among those from the same era as the two.
The Chelsea legend’s stock had fallen after losing his job at Everton after a little more than a year followed by a disastrous second spell at Stamford Bridge in an interim capacity but won plenty of plaudits for turning the Sky Blues fortunes around mid-season and guiding them to the play-offs.
Though Coventry were ultimately unsuccessful, Lampard and Co blitzed their way to automatic promotion and the Championship title this term.
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Hundreds of towns and cities across the UK could see a new Lidl supermarket open in the coming years, as the discount chain has released its latest ‘wish list’ of 876 target locations for its UK expansion
Brian Dillon and Katie Green Senior multimedia reporter
17:59, 27 Apr 2026
Millions of British households could soon find themselves within easy reach of a brand new Lidl store, as the budget supermarket giant unveils its latest location ‘wish list’, outlining hundreds of sites across the country where it hopes to set up shop.
Announced today (Monday, April 27), the list spans hundreds of locations throughout Scotland, Wales and England. Locations making the list include several Cambridgeshire towns and cities.
Locations in Cambridgeshire include:
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The German retailer confirmed it is actively pursuing freehold, leasehold, or long-leasehold sites in prominent positions with high footfall and good transport links.
Richard Taylor, chief real estate officer at Lidl GB, said: “At Lidl GB, we currently have one of the most ambitious store opening programmes of any supermarket, and we are more committed than ever to bringing our high-quality and low-priced products to even more communities across the country.”
It comes after Lidl GB announced plans to open more than 50 new stores over the next year. This forms part of its £600 million investment. The popular supermarket is also constructing a new warehouse in Leeds as part of its planned UK expansion, reports the Express.
Plans have emerged for a huge new resort in south Wales comprising a futuristic museum, indoor playgrounds and food market, but a proposed site hasn’t been decided. It is estimated it could attract 600,000 visitors a year and would employ 250 full-time staff.
The plans seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service and briefly discussed last week at a meeting of councillors for Torfaen County Borough Council show the visitor attraction would have four core elements.
They would include a Gallery of Marvelous Solutions to showcase exhibits currently in storage in galleries and museums across the world, a Trading Place market space offering food, locally-sourced products and workshops on repairing goods.
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Other attractions would include a playground with a “super-sized helter-skelter, enormous maze” and “life-sized snakes and ladders” to reconnect people with their “creative problem-solving ability”.
The Tomorrow’s World exhibit would work with universities, companies and charities to showcase “groundbreaking innovations and ideas” to the public including through virtual and augmented reality technology. The entire attraction would bring science and art together and be for all ages.
Behind the plans for the site, which would be called Xanadoo, is Gaynor Coley who was one of the founders of Cornwall’s Eden Project which transformed a former clay mine into a botanical garden.
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Ms Coley said Xanadoo would be a world class visitor destination with a major environmental and social impact and an £840 million economic impact, over 30 years, which would support more than 1,000 jobs.
One site near Pontypool is likely to have been ruled out but Ms Coley and partner Susan Hill, who also worked at the Eden Project, are currently looking at sites in Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent and also Swansea.
Their firm, Road to Happiness, which worked with Torfaen council on redesigning Greenmeadow Community Farm in Cwmbran, is in discussions with the council but Ms Coley has also urged anyone with potential sites in mind to contact it.
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Ms Coley, who is originally from Cwmbran, said: “I’m Welsh and grew up in Cwmbran and my partner, Susan Hill, and I think Welsh tourism needs and deserves this fantastic opportunity.
“We believe Xanadoo can do the same for south Wales as the Eden Project did for Cornwall. An economic impact assessment has just been carried out and it has bought £6 billion to Cornwall and the West Country which is more than the whole of European funding and we’d like to do the same for south Wales. It will bring sustainable tourism, support hospitality and creativity, storytelling, digital and health and wellbeing.”
The grade II-listed former Nylon Spinners Factory, at Mamhilad Park in Pontypool, had been under consideration as a potential site but has likely been ruled out as the site owners intend to develop it for new housing, despite the most recently approved plans having been overturned following a judicial review.
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Ms Coley said she and her partners are “still open-minded” on potential sites and are “actively looking for sites” in Swansea, Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent. The two Gwent councils have a formal partnership in which they work together.
She said: “I would encourage anybody who thinks there is a location that could be right for Xanadoo to get in touch.”
A prospectus for the project lists Torfaen Borough Council and the UK Government under those that have further developed and contributed to the feasibility study which cites figures based on research from 2023 and a projected opening in 2028.
As well as a visitor attraction Xanadoo would have space for businesses and universities to work together.
Xanadoo is also highlighted in a report on a proposed Torfaen destination management plan intended to guide the development of a visitor and tourism economy in the borough.
The report reads: “A potential major visitor attraction development such as Xanadoo could help to transform the area”. It adds: “Xanadoo would be a major draw for Torfaen and south Wales.”
When the tourism plan was discussed by Torfaen councillors Reform UK member for Llantarnam, Alan Slade, asked what Xanadoo is.
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Council deputy chief executive Dave Leech said he couldn’t go into details “as they are commercially sensitive” but described it as a “potential tourism product” in “very, very early stages” with sites in the borough being looked at. Make sure you never miss Wales’ biggest updates by getting our daily newsletter.
That run pales in comparison to Brentford’s bizarre run of results. They have drawn six on the spin, including an FA Cup defeat by West Ham which was settled by a penalty shootout after ending level. That spell has seen the Bees slip to ninth in the table, though a win this evening would send them back up to sixth, ahead of Brighton, Bournemouth and Chelsea.
But just as with Attenborough’s filming in the 1970s, things did not go as expected. Over 250 days of filming, Pablo’s descendants were in the midst of a complex battle for supremacy between three adult males that led to beatings, a killing and mourning. Once again, the gorillas were writing the script just as they had in 1978.
Unforgotten star Nicola Walker teams up with Jemaine Clement in the Disney+ comedy-drama Alice and Steve, coming in June
17:46, 27 Apr 2026Updated 17:46, 27 Apr 2026
The premiere date for Nicola Walker‘s eagerly anticipated new series has been confirmed.
The actress, best known for her portrayal of DCI Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Stuart throughout seasons 1-4 of ITV’s acclaimed detective drama Unforgotten, is set to star alongside a stellar cast in Disney+’s Alice and Steve.
The cast and creative team behind the new six-part comedy-drama launched their press tour yesterday (April 26) with a world premiere in competition at CANNESERIES 2026.
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The show, which arrives on Disney+ in June, centres on Alice, portrayed by Nicola, whose life is thrown into turmoil when her closest friend Steve (Jemaine Clement) embarks on a romance with her 26-year-old daughter, Izzy (Topol Margalith). Confronted with the prospect of simultaneously losing both her dearest friend and her daughter, Alice resorts to drastic measures in a bid to separate them.
However, Steve is not prepared to back down, and what begins as an intimate friendship rapidly descends into a bitter and turbulent rivalry, reports the Mirror.
Combining comedy with emotional depth, Alice and Steve delves into the complicated dynamics of friendship, family, and romance.
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This anti-romantic comedy poses profound questions – how far would you go for love or revenge? And can Steve and Izzy’s relationship withstand the consequences? One certainty is that the lives of these characters will be irrevocably altered.
The synopsis for Alice and Steve reads: “Alice tries everything she can to end the relationship. Unfortunately for her, Steve’s more than ready for the attack, and what begins as a perfect friendship devolves into an all-out feud.”
Upon the show’s initial announcement, Nicola declared in an official statement: “I’m thrilled to be stepping into the fabulous world of friendship, motherhood, marriage, frantic revenge and fierce love that Sophie Goodhart has created, and to be doing it with Jemaine Clement is completely joyful!”
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Fellow lead Jemaine was equally enthusiastic about his co-star, commenting: “I really relate to Steve – he’s classy, stylish and an all-round good guy – except for when he isn’t. I’m excited to be working with the wonderful Nicola Walker and seeing how Steve and Alice’s relationship descends into absolute chaos.”
Nicola became a firm favourite amongst audiences in the acclaimed detective drama Unforgotten, though her character’s death in 2021 left viewers heartbroken.
Alongside Nicola in the lead role, the production boasts an impressive creative team, including writer-creator Sophie Goodhart (Sex Education), director Tom Kingsley (Stath Lets Flats), Clerkenwell Films executive producer Andy Baker (Baby Reindeer) and series producer Frances du Pille.
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All six episodes of Alice and Steve will be available to stream from Monday, June 8 exclusively on Disney+
Ever since The Traitors became a near-immediate hit in 2022, networks have been fairly blatantly clambering to come up with their own equivalents.
There’s even an argument that interest in ITV’s Big Brother reboot – announced before The Traitors, but debuting months afterwards – was piqued by the popularity of the BBC franchise.
Last week, ITV unveiled its latest attempt to cash in on The Traitors’ success in The Neighbourhood, a new reality series where teams of households move into a makeshift residential estate, where they’re pitted against one another to try and get their hands on a shared crash prize.
Graham Norton pictured with the cast of ITV’s The Neighbourhood
In a lukewarm two-star review, The Guardian said Graham was The Neighbourhood’s sole “saving grace”, but called for “a moratorium on new reality shows, at least until the frenzied desire for a challenger to The Traitors’ crown is over”.
“Any sense of jeopardy is conspicuous by its absence. Norton lifts the energy when he’s there but is only present for the welcome and removals-voting,” the review explains.
“The contestants are largely a charisma-free bunch, and the only one that isn’t is evicted early, with a suggestion of underlying racism that everyone works very hard to ignore.”
In its own two-star review, The Telegraph agrees that Graham is a “good host, keeping things nice and jolly”, but lamented that The Neighbourhood (referred to as “Traitors-lite” in the piece) may be a case of style over substance, suggesting producers put “more thought into how it looks than how engaging it is to watch”.
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Graham Norton cosies up to a gnome on the set of his new series The Neighbourhood
The Times called The Neighbourhood “mediocre”, “derivative”, “bland” and “boring” claiming: “It tries very hard to be like The Traitors, as do so many wannabes these days, but doesn’t come within a country mile of it.”
Meanwhile, The Irish Independent also referred to it as a “Traitors knock-off” that makes for “tedious” viewing.
It fared somewhat better in The Independent and Metro, who each gave The Neighbourhood three stars, although the former opined that “even Even Graham Norton can’t save this trippy reality show”, and writing that the show doesn’t allow him to play to his strengths.
The latter, on the other hand, called The Neighbourhood a cross between Desperate Housewives and The Traitors, insisting that as the show progresses, it “begins to reveal its true identity – not just as a glossy imitation of The Traitors, but as a slow-burning social experiment with a vicious streak”.
“It may take time to find its footing, but once it does, it becomes brilliantly ruthless television,” Metro’s review concludes.
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Graham previously maintained that The Neighbourhood’s format stands on its own two feet.
The Neighbourhood is the latest collaboration between Graham Norton and ITV
“It properly is a new format,” he told ITV. “It’s not ‘something meets something else’, it’s not, ‘it’s like this, but that’. I really thought, ‘I hadn’t seen this show before’.”
He continued: “It leans into our curiosity about what’s behind closed doors and there’s something really compelling and addictive about seeing the way the existing households interact with each other. I thought, ‘I’d watch that’ – and I’d never want to work on something I wouldn’t watch. I thought, ‘this show would hook me!’.”
The Neighbourhood continues on Thursday night at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Sir Keir received backing from former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who said: “Whatever the parliamentary games at Westminster, what the country expects of everyone in Labour is to focus on the priorities of the British people, which is what Keir Starmer is doing and for which he deserves all our support.”
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