A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a teenage boy died following reports of a possible burglary, police said.

Officers were called to initial reports of a possible break-in in Soulbury Road, Linslade, near Leighton Buzzard, at around 10.25pm on Thursday, Bedfordshire Police said.

A 17-year-old boy was found unresponsive when emergency services attended the scene.

First aid was provided but he was pronounced dead shortly after, the force said.

A man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and is in custody.

Three other men were also arrested in connection with the incident, which is being investigated by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit.

Enquiries have so far found “no evidence whatsoever that the victim was carrying out, or attempting to carry out, a burglary”, Bedfordshire Police said.

A 76-year-old neighbour, who did not want to be named, told the Press Association (PA) she heard “a lot of noise and shouting going on” on Thursday evening, and “a bit of a bang”.

She thought it was “just drunkards walking home” or a burglary as “there was a bit of movement in gardens”.

She said: “All I knew was there’s a lot of noise and shouting going on.

“And, to me, I thought it was some young lad drunk and looking over gardens, because there was a bit of movement in gardens, and looking for bikes or something to steal.

“But it obviously was not that, it was a lot worse than that.”

She added: “I thought it was just drunkards walking home, and, you know, I thought I heard a bit of a bang, and I think ‘oh my god, my car’s up there’.

“So I went to look out, and then it carried on around the back, and people’s lights were coming on.

“I think I’ve got security lights coming on, and I was a bit worried because I was on my own, so you know you don’t want to go down and look into anything.

“Next thing is a lot of police presence, a lot of people out there, and I just didn’t go down because, well, I just didn’t want to be down.”

Asked if the area was usually safe, the neighbour said: “Yes, there was an incident probably four years ago, maybe about that, not long ago, where again somebody had gone over the gardens between these houses at the back view and taken someone’s lawnmower.

“And, I mean, my sheds weren’t even locked. They are now, I always lock now since then.”

She said the area around a house on Soulbury Road remained cordoned off on Friday evening, with police and forensics outside.

The victim’s next of kin have been informed about the incident, Bedfordshire Police said.

Detective Inspector Caeva Taylor said: “This is an incredibly tragic incident in which a 17-year-old boy has lost his life and our thoughts are with his loved ones at this unimaginably difficult time.

“We currently have one person in custody on suspicion of murder, and three other men are also assisting us with our enquiries.

“Our team is working hard to establish what has led to the boy’s death and we understand the concern this will cause in the community.

“The initial 999 call to police was to report a possible break-in in progress, however our enquiries so far have found no evidence whatsoever that the victim was carrying out, or attempting to carry out, a burglary.

“We have been carrying out a number of enquiries today including reviewing CCTV and speaking to people in the area, and we’re urging the public to help us by letting us know any information they may have. In particular, we’re urging anyone with any doorbell or CCTV footage to get in touch immediately.”

Anyone with information can visit beds.police.uk/ro/report, call 101 and quote reference Operation Breakwater or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or on crimestoppers-uk.org.

It was a 20th anniversary special show when the Government alert interrupted

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The One Show was in the midst of celebrating its 20th anniversary special when the episode was interrupted just minutes later with a blaring alert from the Government.

At about 7pm this evening, mobile phones were issued with an alert about the risk of wildfires. It urged people not to start any fires, such as disposable barbecues or fireworks, to combat the issue that has gripped the country in recent weeks.

The BBC chat show was mere minutes into the start of its extended hour-long anniversary special when hosts Alex Jones and Roman Kemp were drowned out by the loud alarm.

When introducing the segments set to air across the episode, Kemp was explaining how former host Christine Lampard was returning to the studio when the alarm could be heard on the broadcast.

While Kemp pushed through and kept speaking, Jones shook her head and raised her hands, before she said: “You couldn’t make that up could you. Is that a fire alarm?”

Kemp then faced someone off camera and asked: “Is there some sort of fire alarm?”

“We continue,” they both said, before running through the rest of the segment introductions before the alarm cut out and Kemp said: “Ok, it’s stopped”.

The noise was an emergency alert sent out to the phones of people across England and Wales to warn communities from the growing threat posed by wildfires.

The alert, which were sent on a rolling basis from 7pm, warned people not to light anything that could spark a fire, including barbecues, campfires, and fireworks.

Recipients have also been urged to report any fire immediately by calling 999.

Following the airing of a segment, Kemp then told viewers: “As you will probably be aware that was actually a wildfire alert on everyone’s phones.

“You would have heard it on the opening of our show, but as always we hope everyone is staying safe, of course.”

At around the same time, theatregoers taking their seats ahead of a performance of Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium gasped as the alert rang out on phones across the auditorium.

Later in the show presenters Clara Amfo and Angellica Bell also faced disruption.

When presenting a segment outside, an ambulance could be heard driving past with its sirens on, nearly drowning the presenters out for about 15 seconds as they tried to speak.

Elsewhere during the episode, the event celebrated the long-running show, speaking to former presenters, guests and people who have been assisted by the programme.While being reunited with some people she helped in past episodes, Bell broke down in tears, with Jones declaring: “Angellica doesn’t cry often, so that’s a result!”

The episode also looked back at celebrity interviews and past musical performances from artists including Harry Styles, Elton John, Olivia Dean, Stormzy and Take That.

Wrapping up the show, Jones then asked to share a message with viewers, in which she said: “A huge thank you to the team and crew who work relentlessly hard on this programme to make it a brilliant show for all of you every day.

“Thank you for all of the guests for entertaining us, being so generous with their time and just being all-round nice people. Thank you to all of my co-hosts over the years. I’ve been so lucky to sit next to all of them.

She added: “Lastly, thank you to all of you at home. You are the most important people in all of this. Thank you for being with us every weekday. It’s a real privilege for us all to be with you all at seven every night.”

The episode then ended with a performance from Tom Grennan.

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Jason Arday recently quit his role at the University of Cambridge and cancelled his upcoming memoir

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Controversial university professor Jason Arday has reportedly been found dead at his home address. The Metropolitan Police said officers attended Daley Thompson Way in Battersea, where the academic lived, on Friday afternoon.

It was there a 41-year-old man was found “unresponsive” and later pronounced dead at the scene. The force said “Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 15:12hrs on Friday, 14 August following a report that a man had been found unresponsive inside a property on Daley Thompson Way, SW8.

“Sadly, a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.

“At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious. The case is being investigated by officers from the Met’s Central South Command Unit. A file will be prepared for the coroner.”

A London Ambulance Service spokesman added: “We were called at 3.06pm on Friday 14 August to reports of an incident on Daley Thompson Way, SW8.

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“We sent a number of resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic in a fast response car and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team. Sadly, a person was pronounced dead at the scene.”

In a statement, University of Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said: “We are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news. Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.”

Prof Arday, a professor of sociology of education who became Cambridge’s youngest black professor in 2023, quit following a series of media reports alleging he plagiarised his PhD thesis – completed at Liverpool John Moores University – and other research.

Further questions were asked in the press about the truth of other claims he made, including saying he ran 600 miles in six days and that he had raised £5.5 million for charity.

An investigation at Liverpool John Moores University cleared Prof Arday of wrongdoing. Durham and Glasgow universities are investigating the circumstances around Prof Arday’s appointment to academic posts there and Cambridge’s Jesus College has accepted his resignation from his fellowship, according to Prof Prentice.

Prof Arday said in his open resignation letter that the “only way to bring this chapter to an end is to step away”.

He said: “This decision should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship or in the values that first brought me to Cambridge. Nor should it be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me.

“It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure.”

Over the weekend, he cancelled events promoting his forthcoming memoir. Publisher Simon & Schuster previously said that the book, Great And Unfortunate Things, would be published in the UK on August 27.

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The row first erupted when accusations were voiced by Nathan Cofnas, a US researcher whose own role at Cambridge was terminated after he said that, in a true meritocracy, black people would “disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment”.

American Pie star Shannon Elizabeth is making more money than ever before, and it’s not through her acting career.

Despite starring in some of the biggest hits of the late ’90s and early 2000s, the 52-year-old is now a multimillionaire thanks to OnlyFans.

After joining OnlyFans in April, Elizabeth tells Variety that she earned her first million dollars within just nine days on the adult-oriented platform.

The actress already confirmed that her OnlyFans income has surpassed the money she made on her biggest films, which include American Pie, Love Actually, Scary Movie, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

Before signing up for OnlyFans, Elizabeth was living off her savings and had barely acted in years.

The star hadn’t done TV work since 2013 and her film work across the last decade has been a few low budget streaming flicks, with the exception of a rebooted Jay and Silent Bob movie in 2019.

The actress, 52, is best known for her racy role as Nadia in the American Pie franchise

She’d also left Hollywood for South Africa, where she’s focused on wildlife conservation.

‘For the last ten years I’ve been living off of my savings for the most part because I haven’t been as focused on work,’ she explained.

‘To be able to get myself back to the point where I’m not struggling and am able to choose projects because I like them and not because I need the money — it’s definitely giving me more freedom to do that.’

Elizabeth currently doesn’t post nude or sexually-explicit content on her OnlyFans page, although she says that could change soon.

‘I do all kinds of content, but I don’t even know what my boundaries will be,’ she said.

‘I’m still exploring it and as I become more comfortable with it, I’m going to push those boundaries.’

Elizabeth’s income officially makes her one of the highest-earning actresses currently on OnlyFans. 

Shortly after she signed up, My Name Is Earl actress Jaime Pressly took the plunge just weeks before her 49th birthday, but she has yet to reveal her income. 

The star doesn’t currently doesn’t post nude or sexually-explicit content on her OnlyFans page, although she says that could change in the future

My Name Is Earl actress Jaime Pressly took the plunge and joined OnlyFans not long after her American Pie star pal did 

Wild Things star Denise Richards joined the site in 2022 and reportedly raked in several million dollars in her first few months.

And according to recent court filings, Richards is still pulling in almost $300,000 a month from her racy page, meaning that she’ll never have to take another acting job again if she doesn’t want to. 

Another world famous star to join the platform is Drea de Matteo, best known for her role on The Sopranos.

The 54-year-old turned to OnlyFans in 2023 after struggling to find work during the Covid pandemic.

The venture was such a success that she earned $75,000 in her first 75 minutes on the site and used the money to get out of debt and to save her family home. 

The actress and Ultrafree designer had just $10 in her bank account when she joined OnlyFans.

Wild Things actress Denise Richards is believed to be the biggest-earning actress on OnlyFans to date

Another world famous star to join the platform is Drea de Matteo, best known for her role on The Sopranos

While she originally stuck to more tame content, the actress recently told People magazine that she’s now started posing fully nude. 

‘I’d never even taken my clothes off for television, but I actually went for it, and it was fine,’ she said.

Other actresses on OnlyFans include Carmen Electra, Amanda Bynes, Whitney Cummings, and even 85-year-old Knots Landing legend Donna Mills.

Mills announced her OnlyFans venture last month, explaining that she was ‘excited’ to cultivate ‘a more personal and direct connection’ with her fans.  

While the soap veteran isn’t doing any nude or sexually-explicit content just yet, that hasn’t stopped her from getting pretty suggestive with her subscribers.

In one image, Mills stares seductively into the camera while posing inside of a gym while wearing skintight black activewear.

‘In case you needed to test your stamina,’ she cheekily captioned it.

When I met Lissie Harper in No10 Downing Street in November 2021, we didn’t discuss the way in which her husband lost his life at the hands of three teenage thieves exactly seven years ago tomorrow.

We didn’t go into the details – because they were just too horrific.

Lissie had come to see me, as PM, to discuss her proposals for Harper’s Law – how to ensure that in future we properly punish criminals who kill members of the emergency services.

The widow of PC Andrew Harper was dignified, brave and determined. There was no need during the course of our conversation to ask her to relive the cruelty of her husband’s suffering. But it is important for readers to recall the essentials.

PC Harper lost his life late that August evening in 2019, in a narrow rural lane in Berkshire, after heroically trying to stop three members of the ‘travelling community’ from stealing a quad bike.

He tried to grab one of them, who dived through the rear window of the getaway Seat Toledo, shouting to his accomplices to ‘Drive, drive!’. As Henry Long, then 18, floored the accelerator, the 28-year-old police officer was tragically entangled in the towrope used to steal the quad.

For just over a mile, they dragged him behind the car, furiously weaving from side to side in an effort to shake him off. By the time they finally stopped, he was unrecognisable.

Another driver mistook the police officer’s body for the bloodied carcass of a deer.

PC Harper lost his life late in August 2019, in a narrow rural lane in Berkshire, after heroically trying to stop the theft of a quad bike

Of course, the criminals later claimed that they did not realise they were dragging a 14st human being behind their car; and, even if you think their denials implausible, that point was hard to establish in court – at least beyond a reasonable doubt.

But whatever exactly they knew or believed, it seemed to Lissie Harper, and it seemed to me, as I listened to her, that they were still morally culpable for his death.

They were habitual criminals who had set out to commit a serious and dangerous crime, with crowbars and other equipment in the boot. They had disabled the rear lights of the Toledo to avoid pursuit.

They had discussed what to do if the police nabbed them, and the importance of fleeing the scene at top speed. Even if – which I seriously doubt – they were initially unaware of what they were doing, they were guilty of killing a police officer in the course of criminal activity. That is, in my view, a particularly heinous crime.

A police officer – or a firefighter or a paramedic – is unlike the rest of us in that they have no choice but to go towards danger. They must deliberately put their own lives at risk – as Andrew Harper did – to protect the rest of us, the public.

That is why the law has always tried to give special protection to the police, in recognition of the risks they run every day. Indeed, it remained a capital offence – a crime that can be punished by the death – to kill a police officer until 1965, years after the death penalty was generally abolished.

So, I agreed with Lissie and the family of PC Harper, and his many supporters, that the sentences for his killers who were found guilty of manslaughter in July 2020 were too soft: only 16 years for the driver, Henry Long, and only 13 years for the two passengers, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole. It did not seem enough, either as a punishment or a deterrent, and the killers seemed to know that they had got off lightly.

That picture of them leaving the court smirking and laughing has become shockingly familiar to us all.

Five months later we passed Harper’s Law, so that anyone who engages in a dangerous and criminal act and kills a police officer or other member of the emergency services would get a life sentence. I know that Lissie and her family took pride and comfort in their achievement – for the benefit of all families of police officers, and other emergency workers, who may lose their lives to criminals.

Jessie Cole (left) and Albert Bowers were sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter after a trial in 2020 following PC Harper’s death

I know that Lissie and her family took pride and comfort in their achievement passing Harper’s Law – for the benefit of all families of police officers, writes Boris Johnson

But of course Harper’s Law is not retrospective. We could not change the way the court had interpreted the law as it previously existed; and for years Andrew Harper’s relatives have had to face the sickening fact that his killers would be out relatively soon.

It was infuriating but unavoidable. Nothing, however, can have prepared the Harper family for the farce that is unfolding now.

Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that a Labour government would come in and change the law – as Starmer did – to allow the release of offenders after serving only half of their sentences.

And it seems utterly incredible that this early-release scheme could apply to people like the killers of PC Harper. But that is what Labour has done.

The new PM, Andy Burnham, was specifically given the option of keeping prisoners with longer sentences in jail. He was told explicitly that this was the way to avoid releasing the killers of PC Harper.

He rejected that option. He knew exactly what that decision entailed – that Bowers and Cole would be among the thousands of serious offenders who would be prematurely disgorged on to the streets of this country, where about 25 per cent of them are statistically bound to reoffend within the first year.

He knew what he was doing, and yet he went ahead. It is only in the face of public outcry that he has backed down.

Having glibly taken the decision to release them, he now says, with equal glibness, that he could not live with his conscience if they were released. My message to Burnham is that the voters may be able to forgive your open-toed sandals – but they simply can’t stomach the flip flops.

He vamoosed for a holiday to somewhere foreign and instructed his hapless Justice Secretary to ‘find a solution’.

Find a solution? How can Alex Norris find a solution? The Prime Minister’s view of the early-release scheme is completely unintelligible. How is Norris supposed to find a solution when Burnham seems to be simultaneously in favour of the early-release scheme – and against it?

It’s Burnham who is PM, not Norris – a man who is probably not even a household name in his own household.

When you get problems like this, with officialdom saying you have no alternative, it is only the Prime Minister who can break the logjam.

Andy Burnham should scrap the early-release scheme, fast, and if he wants to show he cares and understands he should make time to meet Lissie Harper, says Boris Johnson

As Kemi Badenoch has said, there are in fact plenty of solutions. Burnham could make space in our prisons for thousands more UK criminals if he got rid of the Human Rights Act, and deported foreign offenders.

Labour could overcome their Lefty squeamishness and revive our plans to rent prison places abroad. Or they could get a grip and build pop-up prisons.

The truth is that Labour is actually indifferent to the strength of public feeling on this issue – as of yesterday, one million people had signed a petition to keep PC Harper’s killers in jail – because in their hearts they don’t care.

Burnham has specifically rejected Blair and Blairism, and it is clear that in rejecting a tough penal policy we are back to the worst of soggy old Labour – soft on crime and soft on the causes of crime.

The PM is failing his first big test. He should scrap the early-release scheme fast and, if he wants to show he cares and understands, he should make time to meet Lissie Harper.

A mayor in Massachusetts was taken into police custody on Friday after being accused of fraudulently securing a pandemic relief loan to settle personal tax obligations, cover high-interest mortgages on multiple properties, and support his own election campaign.

Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena faces single counts of both wire fraud and money laundering following his Friday arrest.

The 61-year-old is accused of fraudulently obtaining a $1.5 million COVID-19 small-business loan meant for his tire sales operation. Rather than using the funds for the business, DePena allegedly spent over $880,000 on high-interest mortgages for several businesses and funneled $90,000 into his mayoral campaign ahead of the 2021 election.

He has been mayor since 2021, having previously served on the Lawrence City Council.

Ted Docks, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, accused DePena of “cashing in on a public health crisis and blatantly defrauding a government program meant to keep businesses afloat during the pandemic.”

“When elected officials misuse federal funds for personal gain, they’re breaking the trust of their constituents — and breaking the law,” Docks said in a statement. “Together, with our partners, the FBI will continue to doggedly pursue anyone who defrauds the federal government. You’ll be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and that ‘easy money’ won’t seem so easy after all.”

DePena made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston Friday afternoon. DePena was released after agreeing to several conditions, including turning over his passport and not seeking any loans without court approval.

After leaving court, DePena’s lawyer Carlos Apostle repeatedly responded with “no comment” to questions. DePena, who is a citizen of the United States and Dominican Republic, responded with “God bless” when asked if he would resign. He made no other comments.

In 2020 and 2021, DePena obtained a government disaster loan for Tenares Tire Services Inc., a tire sales and automotive services in Lawrence. During the pandemic, the Small Business Administration offered loans to qualified business that were suffering financial losses.

He used a loan of $150,000 for the business. A year later, prosecutors say, DePena’s mayoral campaign was running short of cash, he owed back taxes and was under pressure to pay back high-interest loans on several of his properties in Lawrence. He then requested several increases to the government loan and allegedly used $1.5 million to cover those expenses unrelated to his tire business.

If convicted on the wire fraud charge, DePena faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. He faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 if convicted on the money laudering charge.

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, which spearheaded the Kerry dolphin rescue operation, have thanked members of the public for their help after 12 dolphins were saved from an Irish beach stranding

Twelve dolphins stranded on an Irish beach have been successfully rescued.

The pod became trapped on a beach west of Daingean Uí Chúis, in Kerry, on Wednesday.

Of the 21 dolphins in total, nine sadly died before rescuers could reach them.

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, which led the operation, has expressed gratitude to members of the public for their assistance.

A member of the public initially alerted Oceanworld Aquarium Dingle, who then contacted the IWDG to help return the dolphins to the sea, reports the Irish Mirror.

Gardai, tourists and locals from the surrounding area all played a part in the rescue effort.

In a statement, the IWDG said: “Through the incredible teamwork of both locals and visitors to the area, 12 dolphins… were successfully refloated.

“This is no small achievement and it was all hands on deck including the local Garda who came down to help carry some of the individuals back to sea.

“We would like to extend our most heartfelt thanks to all those that dropped everything to come and help us today.”

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Keely Hodgkinson was forced to settle for European silver as Switzerland’s Audrey Werro denied the Briton a third consecutive title in a thrilling women’s 800m final in Birmingham.

The most eagerly anticipated event of the championships culminated in the expected three-way battle for supremacy between Hodgkinson, Swiss 22-year-old Werro and Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol in front of a captivated sellout crowd of 23,000 inside Alexander Stadium.

Seeking to reassert her dominance in the event, Olympic champion Hodgkinson was roared on in pursuit of Werro by her home support but was unable to overhaul her new rival in the closing stages.

Having this season become the fastest athlete since the world record was set 43 years ago, Werro finished strong to land her first major international title in a championship record one minute 54.81 seconds.

While not the medal Hodgkinson had hoped for, silver represented the 24-year-old’s 12th senior international medal since she claimed her first as a teenager at the European Indoor Championships five years ago.

Hodgkinson allowed Werro to take charge on the opening lap before attempting to make her move on the final bend – just as the Swiss had done to her when she prevailed in Stockholm in June – but her rival would not relent.

Her silver, in 1:55.01secs, was the British team’s 10th medal in five days at their home championships, after Zharnel Hughes earlier took silver in the men’s 200m.

Hughes, world 100m bronze medallist in 2023, led coming off the bend but was overhauled by Germany’s fast-finishing Owen Ansah, who took victory in 19.95 seconds.

More to follow.

The all-electric EV9 SUV is available with a choice of trim levels and rear or all-wheel drive.

In this instalment of Drive Time, John tries out the very large Kia EV9 – the company’s all-electric flagship and discovers why it has won so many awards – and finds out Dacia has reduced prices on its hybrid Duster and Bigster models.

Big and very bold, the all-electric EV9 SUV is the flagship of Kia’s range and it has collected numerous global awards since it was launched.

It is available with a choice of trim levels and rear or all-wheel drive and it takes the Korean manufacturer into competition with the luxury European brands.

The latest model to arrive is the GT version which I recently sampled and it cost a whopping £83,845 on the road.

All models share a 99.8kWh long-range battery pack which gives the AWD GT a range of 316 miles and up to 408 miles of city or town driving.

I sampled the EV9 in GT specification with six seats and you can also have it with seven seats if you wish.

At more than five metres long and almost two across, it is a very substantial car with lots of road presence.

The design is boxy but nice lights front and rear help its looks as do the roof rails, flush door handles, privacy glass and large 21-inch alloys.

Kia has also taken the cabin quality up a notch and it features a lot of recycled materials and a huge amount of tech and kit.

The comfortable seats are powered and can be heated or ventilated and the steering wheel can also be heated to make things feel good even in very cold mornings.

Second row passengers are also spoiled with heated and cooled seats.

A three-screen layout that merges into one includes a 12.3-inch driver display, a 5.3-inch climate control touchscreen and a 12.3-inch touchscreen navigation system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Thankfully, switches are provided for the temperature controls.

A good sound system features Bluetooth with voice recognition, a digital key, fingerprint recognition, ambient lighting and OTA software updates, streaming via Kia Connect Store.

The huge cabin offers stacks of space for driver and passengers and all the controls, dials and readouts are perfectly positioned for ease of use.

The high driving position provides good all-round visibility and cameras mean there are no blind spots.

This version is good for a sprint time of 0-62mph in just 4.6 seconds with a top speed of 136mph.

That is impressive for a huge SUV that weighs in at 2.6 tonnes.

The EV9 is a comfortable and quiet motorway cruiser but it does feel very large in town centres where the many parking assist systems become very useful.

Four levels of regenerative braking can be controlled from steering wheel paddles and make it possible to achieve single pedal driving.

The single-speed automatic transmission is smooth and responds quickly and provides rapid injections of pace when you need to overtake.

Surprisingly agile for its size, the EV9 offers a selection of driving modes called Eco, Normal, Sport and My Drive.

And there are also modes to tackle more challenging conditions named Snow, Mud and Sand.

Very practical for family use the EV9 offers 333 litres of luggage space even with all seats in use.

An additional 52 litres is available under the bonnet and this is an ideal spot for charging cables.

The tailgate is powered and there is a huge amount of storage space inside the cabin with many neat features.

Six USB ports along with a wireless charging pad up front mean smartphones and other electronics can stay charged during journeys to keep all the family happy.

When it comes to charging the 99.8kWh battery, it can be boosted from 10 to 80 per cent in one hour 23 minutes if using a 50kW charger or in just 24 minutes via a 350kW unit if you can find one.

Home charging takes just over nine hours on a 11kW charger.

All the latest safety systems are standard and include the likes of blind spot collision warning, rear cross traffic alert, dynamic brake control, trailer stability assist, forward collision avoidance assist, parking collision avoidance and much more.

This means the SUV has a five-star NCAP safety rating.

This flagship model with great performance and crammed with technology and practical features along with a more than decent range takes the Korean brand to a new level.

Big on size, style and performance it is easy to see why the EV9, spoiled with equipment and tech has collected so many awards and even badge snobs should give it a close look.

FAST FACTS:

Price: £83,845 with special paint.

Mechanical: 501bhp,two electric motors driving four wheels via automatic transmission.

Max speed: 136mph.

0-60mph: 4.6 secs.

Range: 316-408 miles.

Insurance group: 45.

CO2 emissions: Zero.

Warranty: Seven years/100,000 miles (eight years battery).

BIK rating: Two per cent.

Overall rating (out of five): 4.5.

In other motoring news, Dacia is cutting prices for Duster and Bigster hybrid 155 models by up to £1750, making two of the UK’s toughest, most useful SUVs even better value for money than before.

Across the Duster range, prices for hybrid 155 models have been lowered by £1750, while Bigster hybrid 155 models have been reduced by £1475.

That means a Duster hybrid 155 is now available from £23,345, while Bigster hybrid 155 now starts from £26,715.

There’s good news for Britain’s hard-working businesses, too, with Duster Cargo hybrid 155 now priced from £22,495 ex VAT.

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Both SUVs continue to be offered in a choice of Expression, Journey and rugged Extreme trim levels, making it easy for customers to choose the version that suits them best.

Expression gives drivers everything they need day to day, Journey adds more comfort and convenience, while Extreme brings a tougher look and feel for those who like to get out there and make the most of the weekend.

As a result of these changes, the jump into hybrid power is now smaller than before, while Dacia’s straightforward approach stays exactly the same: everything drivers need, and nothing they don’t.

Lina Ribeiro, Dacia brand director for the UK, said: “Dacia has always been about giving customers the best value for money, and these new prices make Duster and Bigster hybrid 155 even more appealing.

“At a time when people are watching what they spend, cutting prices by this much makes a real difference.

“It means even more customers can enjoy hybrid power, strong equipment levels and the space and versatility these two SUVs offer.”

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