Police and paramedics were called to Marsh House Avenue in Billingham, near the Knole Road junction, around 7.30pm on Saturday (April 11). 

An off-road bike collided with a grey Peugeot at the junction, flinging the 25-year-old rider from the bike. 

He was treated by paramedics before being taken to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough for treatment for punctured lungs and a broken arm and leg, Cleveland Police said.

Police in Billingham following a ‘serious’ crash (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

The male driver of the car was left with whiplash and was checked over at the same hospital before being discharged. 

The road was closed for several hours on Saturday evening, with officers erecting a cordon across the busy road and nearby Knole Road. 

Pictures taken from the scene showed several officers standing on Marsh House Avenue beside the damaged grey Peugeot. 

Police in Billingham following a ‘serious’ crash (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

The car can be seen with its main driver door off and bonnet up, and it appears as though its airbags have been deployed.

Cleveland Police says enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are now ongoing and is appealing for witnesses. 

The force said it wants to speak with anyone who saw the bike being ridden prior to the crash, or anyone with relevant footage is asked to contact Cleveland Police via 101, quoting reference 007485.

Former Premier League forward Jan Age Fjortoft criticised two Arsenal players after the Gunners suffered a disappointing Premier League defeat to Bournemouth.

Mikel Arteta’s side had the chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to 12 points as they welcomed Bournemouth to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The Gunners are chasing a first Premier League title since 2004 and beating Bournemouth would have put even more pressure on Manchester City ahead of their trip to Chelsea on Sunday.

But Arsenal fell to a 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth, meaning they have now lost three of their last four games and could see their lead in the title race cut to six points come the end of the weekend.

Man City will have another game in hand to potentially reduce the gap to three, while they can pull even closer to Arsenal when the two title rivals meet at the Etihad Stadium next weekend.

Viktor Gyokeres scored Arsenal’s goal against Bournemouth but also missed a number of chances and Norwegian football legend Fjortoft has questioned if the £64m striker’s form is ‘good enough’ to fire the Gunners to the title.

Gyokeres has been widely mocked in the aftermath of the Bournemouth setback after he said Arsenal were not helped by the ‘dry pitch’ at the Emirates Stadium.

‘I guess the best strikers in the world will score on dry pitches, wet pitches, snow, rain, wind, everything,’ Fjortoft said on ESPN.

‘I don’t want to re-open that debate over Arsenal lacking a top, top striker because Gyokeres just sent Sweden to the World Cup but he did miss some chances today.

‘If you see last season with [Erling] Haaland and [Mohamed] Salah, have there been any champions without that player who can save them on a bad day?

‘Gyokeres scored today and his form is okay but it seems it’s not good enough to shoot you to a championship.’

Fjortoft also criticised Declan Rice’s performance against Bournemouth and said Arsenal are ‘desperately missing’ injured captain Martin Odegaard.

‘I want to mention another name: Declan Rice,’ Fjortoft added. ‘I see he gets the captain’s armband and I talk to English pundits and apparently he’s the biggest leader since Lord Nelson.

‘He was the captain today but I didn’t see that, I didn’t see him doing that. I’m not saying this because he’s Norwegian but I think they miss an in-form Martin Odegaard.

‘Unfortunately he’s having some problems with injuries this season but they’re desperate to get him back because at the moment Declan Rice, the big hope for English football, isn’t producing either.’

Meanwhile, Arteta described Arsenal’s third defeat in four games as a ‘big punch in the face’.

‘It’s a big punch in the face and it’s about how we react now,’ Arteta said. ‘They are a team who haven’t lost for 11 games for a reason, they did a lot right.

‘We were far from efficient. The first chance they had to attack the box, it’s a deflection, a bad defending action and it’s a goal. That’s something we have to recover from.

‘The second half you expect a different game. We did a lot of strange things today. We have been very consistent. This can happen, this is football.’

Asked if his players were ‘hurting’ after losing to Bournemouth, Arteta added: ‘A lot. It has to hurt. They have to take it on the chin. You stand up and go for the fight or you’re out.

‘It’s a big week. A lot at stake. We’re still in a good position in both competitions.’

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Leaders of the Scottish National Party, Scottish Labour, Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Greens, Scottish Liberal Democrats and Reform UK Scotland will take part in Debate Night on the BBC.

The leaders of Scotland’s main political parties will take part in the first TV election debate of the campaign on Sunday.

Leaders of the Scottish National Party, Scottish Labour, Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Greens, Scottish Liberal Democrats and Reform UK Scotland will take part in Debate Night on the BBC. They will be asked questions by a live studio audience, with issues such as the cost-of-living, energy crisis and the NHS likely to come up.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has made calls for SNP leader and First Minister John Swinney to apologise at the start of the televised debate for the Scottish Government’s handling of the NHS. Mr Sarwar said: “Our NHS is not safe with John Swinney and the SNP. They have now broken Scotland’s NHS treatment law 918,594 times, leaving patients waiting in pain because they failed to run the NHS properly.

“Tonight on television, right at start of the debate, John Swinney should apologise to every single patient who has suffered because the SNP could not get the basics right. My first priority as First Minister will be to cut waiting lists and put our NHS first so it is there when you need it.

“That means using all available capacity to get patients treated faster, breaking down barriers between health boards, and making sure funding follows the patient so the NHS focuses on getting people care on time.

“After two decades of broken promises, our NHS cannot survive another SNP government. On May 7, vote Scottish Labour on both votes for the change Scotland needs.”

However, polls are showing that the SNP are looking likely to stay in office, with the first YouGov MRP survey of the election season suggesting they are set to win 67 seats. The poll projects that Reform UK are on course to win 20 MSPs with Labour estimated to win no constituency seats at all, picking up just 15 seats from the regional lists.

The Greens are projected to win 11 seats and the Lib Dems are set to win nine, showing gains between them. The poll suggests the Conservatives could be looking at a sixth place finish and are projected to win just seven seats.

SNP candidate for Rutherglen Clare Haughey responded to Mr Sarwar’s comments, saying: “Of course there are challenges, just as there are across these islands, but the fact is John Swinney has a plan for our NHS and it’s working.

“While Anas Sarwar talks our NHS down, under our plan operations are up, waiting lists continue to fall, we have more GPs per head than England and our GP walk-in centres are springing up across Scotland.

“Labour-run England is paying doctors £20 per person to divert people away from their NHS and faces yet another NHS strike – not a single day has been lost to strikes in Scotland’s NHS thanks to the SNP in government.

“Only the SNP can be trusted with Scotland’s NHS – that’s exactly what you get from John Swinney’s strong leadership and that’s what’s on the ballot on 7th May.”

The debate will be moderated by Stephen Jardine who wrote in the Scotsman on Saturday that the debate may be dictated around which lines will end up being popular on social media.

He said: “Often they have spent days preparing, trying out attack lines, testing defensive positions and thinking about how they can cut through and make an impression. Nowadays another factor is also in play. Increasingly, political debates are less about the whole show and more about what ends up being a short clip on social media.”

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Located in a rustic spot at 1448 Chorley New Road, between Bolton and Bottom O’ Th’ Moor, this historic, stone-built pub has been serving up its range of lunches, nibbles, and dinners for many years.

With great food and panoramic views of the West Pennine Moors, close to Rivington and Smithills Country Estate, Bob’s Smithy Inn is popular with both locals and ramblers stopping in for a pick-me-up.

The outdoor area (Image: NQ)

The pub bills itself as a gastropub, so food is very much at the forefront of its offering.

The menu has a little bit of something for everyone – soup-of-the-day starters and prawn cocktails giving way to sirloin steaks and lamb shanks.

Salt and pepper squid, lamb koftas, Cajun chicken wings with garlic mayo, king prawns in garlic butter – all these can be found on the Smithy Inn menu as starters.

(Image: Bob Smithy’s Inn Country Pub & Dining)

Grills and pasta dishes flesh out the mains, whether you want to keep it traditional (though elevated!) with a chicken, leek, and bacon pie, go all in for an 8-oz sirloin steak, or fancy a splash of seafood with the pan-fried seabass.

Classic salads and burgers round out the menu, with special daily desserts available on request, though there is also a luxurious selection of specials available, including lamb shank, red snapper, or duck leg.

Jordan with his parents Lorraine and Stuart. (Image: Martini Archive)

Drinks-wise, the pub tries to keep things traditional, stocking a selection of ales both locally- brewed and sourced from further afield, as well as wines and soft drinks.

Bob’s Smithy Inn is no stranger to awards, maintaining a TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award for several years due to consistently high ratings.

The pub was also awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award in the 2025 Food Awards England, also making the finals in 2022 and 2023.

To vote for the venue in this year’s The Bolton News award, buy a copy of today’s newspaper.

Prof Sir John Curtice said the result forecast in a YouGov poll would make it “more difficult” for Keir Starmer to resist Swinney’s indy drive.

Britain’s top pollster has said a shock poll showing the SNP on course for a historic majority would give John Swinney a mandate to demand IndyRef2.

Prof Sir John Curtice, of Strathclyde University, said it would make it “more difficult” for Keir Starmer to resist Swinney’s independence push although cautioned many Scots still need to be persuaded.

Coming ahead of the first TV leaders debate tonight, YouGov’s MRP poll of the election campaign shows John Swinney’s party could take 67 of 129 seats. Only once before have the Nats achieved a majority, in 2011 which led to the 2014 independence referendum.

If the poll results were replicated on May 7, Prof Curtice said: “The SNP would say precedent suggests they have a mandate.

“We can probably anticipate the UK Government will say no. Swinney says he’s got something up his sleeve, but we don’t know what it is.

“It would certainly present them with an opportunity to say, in response to the usual cry from the unionist side this was a once in a generation event, the people of Scotland have now clearly indicated they do want another referendum.”

He added polls suggesting Plaid Cymru will win the Welsh election would mean “nationalist first ministers in all three devolved jurisdictions” – with Sinn Fein in charge at Stormont – creating a huge headache for Westminster.

YouGov’s poll also shows Labour and the Tories staring down the barrel of historic losses, with Reform set to win second place with 20 seats.

Labour would win 15 seats in its worst ever Holyrood performance, while the Greens would make gains to win 11, followed by the Lib Dems on nine, while the Tories reduced from 31 to a rump of seven MSPs.

Tonight, Swinney, Labour’s Anas Sarwar, the Tories’ Russell Findlay, Reform’s Malcolm Offord. Greens co-leader Ross Greer and Alex Cole-Hamilton of the Lib Dems face off in a 90-minute BBC leaders debate in Paisley, the first televised setpiece of the campaign.

Labour leader Sarwar, who yesterday was out campaigning with deputy chief Jackie Baillie in Balloch, called on Swinney to use the debate to “apologise to every patient” stuck on NHS waiting lists.

YouGov’s poll found Baillie is at risk of losing her Dumbarton seat to the SNP which the Labour veteran has held since 1999.

Speaking to our sister title The Sunday Mirror, Sarwar said: “I accept that we go into the election as underdogs, but this is an election I believe that Labour can win.”

Despite the positive poll for the SNP, one constituency which is at risk, according to YouGov, is Culture Secretary Angus Robertson’s Edinburgh Central seat, where Lorna Slater of the Scottish Greens could defeat him by “wafer-thin” margin.

Robertson, who is also the SNP campaign director, said: “We are on the verge of a historic majority that would unlock the fresh start of independence.”

Reform chief Offord said: “The Tories and Labour are finished in Scotland. It is clear that the only way to keep the SNP out is by voting Reform.”

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“Fans just let him be himself, he was speaking and dancing with everyone.”

Scotland has more pubs than you could ever hope to visit, and while all have their own charm there are a few that are a cut above the rest. For the Daily Record’s latest Pub of the Week, we are journeying to a Dundee bar that recently caught the attention of none other than global superstar Justin Bieber.

Abandon Ship is a vibrant bar situated on Whitehall Crescent that has earned a loyal following thanks to its off-the-wall decor and energetic ambience. Together with its friendly staff and the wide selection of cocktails available, it is a popular destination amongst Dundee’s students.

While students are a common sight at bars, it is not every day you spot an A-list celebrity at a Scottish pub. However, that is exactly what happened when Justin Bieber was seen partying with locals at Abandon Ship in 2025—and even bought everyone drinks.

As reported by the Daily Record, Bieber shocked punters at the bar last October when he used Abandon Ship as a filming location for an impromptu music video. The global superstar filmed the visuals for his song ‘BAD HONEY’ at the venue, with the video receiving more than 12 million views since it was released on October 7.

Those enjoying a drink at the colourful bar couldn’t believe their eyes as the ‘What Do You Mean?’ hitmaker chatted, danced with, and got to know fans during the one-of-a-kind shoot. However, only around 15 lucky fans actually made it inside the exclusive bash.

Speaking to What’s The Jam, local administrator Chelsey McQuillan said: “He was so kind and genuine, asking about our lives. Fans just let him be himself, he was speaking and dancing with everyone. He was genuinely so kind, he bought everyone drinks. I think he enjoyed himself.

“The bar did not advertise, it was a surprise to them as well. My friend had seen him about half an hour earlier and I was out so I decided to go along, it was a very small party of around 15 people and they weren’t just letting people in.

“I saw the door open and I made a run for it and his security let me in, then they shut the door behind me so I was just lucky.”

While it is always a novelty to spot a celebrity in a Scottish venue, it is far more important that locals enjoy spending time there. Fortunately, that is certainly the case with Abandon Ship as the bar currently has an impressive rating of 4.6 out of five on Google based on 259 reviews.

One punter shared: “Blink and you’ll miss it but it’s a cracking wee place for a beer. Brilliant decor and would be a great atmosphere when busy. Music was decent too. More places should be like this!”

A second agreed: “Amazing cocktails, such a good vibe, the best music, what more could you want. Highly recommend for drinks in Dundee.”

More information can be found on the Abandon Ship Facebook page. Meanwhile, see below for the Daily Record’s previous Pubs of the Week:

The 53-year-old was sacked by the BBC shortly before it emerged the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into him in 2016 over allegations of serious sexual offences involving a teenage boy under 16 between 1997 and 2000.

Mills was due to perform a DJ set at the Ibiza Symphonica summer concert at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate on August 15.

An Ibiza Symphonica statement read: “We have carefully considered the serious nature of matters in the public domain concerning Scott Mills and have decided to move forward without Scott as part of our line-up.

“We feel this is the most appropriate way to maintain the focus on the spirit of Ibiza Symphonica which is an event rooted in enjoyment, celebration and positivity.

“We cannot wait to welcome audiences to what promises to be a joyful and memorable evening on August 15th.

“Further line-up announcements will be made in due course.”

It comes after Channel 4 announced it would not show the final episode of The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer, which features the DJ as a celebrity contestant, because of allegations against Mills – saying the show would be replaced by an alternative episode.

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Following his sacking, Mills stepped back from his role as an ambassador for MS Society UK on Tuesday (April 7), while children’s cancer charity Neuroblastoma UK has decided to “part ways” with Mills, who had been a patron since 2021.

He has also been dropped as the host of the BBC’s new Race Across The World spin-off podcast.

Since Mills’ sacking, the BBC has admitted it knew about a police investigation into allegations of a historical sexual offence in 2017, but said it “acted decisively” after receiving “new information” in the weeks before his sacking.

On Wednesday last week, Mills released a statement through his lawyers saying he had been the subject of “rumour and speculation” since he was fired, and that he “co-operated fully” with the police investigation into allegations of a historical sexual offence.

From world-class theatre to community showcases and live music, there’s plenty happening across the town.

Here are five of the best events to check out this week.

See a Classic Reimagined: Waiting for Godot

Waiting for Godot (Image: Octagon Theatre)

Samuel Beckett’s iconic play arrives at the Octagon Theatre in a major new co-production running from Wednesday, April 15 to Saturday, May 2.

Starring Matthew Kelly and George Costigan, this fresh staging places audiences in the round, immersing them in Beckett’s stark and darkly humorous world.

Tickets start from £15, making this a great opportunity to catch a landmark piece of theatre close to home.

Support Local Performers at the Albert Halls

Dawsons Academy of Dance & Stage celebrates 35 years with Tonight’s The Night on Wednesday, April 15.

The show promises an energetic mix of dance, singing, and musical theatre, showcasing the talents of local young performers.

It’s a feel-good community event where, as the organisers say, “every pupil feels like a star for a night.”

Experience the Energy of K-Pop Live

K-Pop fans won’t want to miss K-Pop Party at the Albert Halls on Thursday, April 16.

Described as the UK’s first touring K-Pop concert experience, the show features hits from global superstars including BTS, BLACKPINK and TWICE, alongside music inspired by Netflix’s K-Pop Demon Hunters.

With immersive staging and high-energy performances, it’s designed for both dedicated fans and newcomers alike.

Enjoy a Stadium-Style Tribute to Coldplay

Rounding off the week, Coldplace, widely regarded as the world’s leading Coldplay tribute act, perform at the Albert Halls on Sunday, April 19.

The show features all the biggest hits, from Yellow and Fix You to Viva La Vida and A Sky Full of Stars, complete with LED wristbands for a full stadium-style experience.

It’s the only Greater Manchester date on their April tour, making Bolton a key stop for fans.

Explore Local Talent at Bolton Museum’s Open Art Exhibition

Bolton Museum is celebrating the very best of local creativity with its 2026 Open Art Exhibition, running until Sunday, May 17.

Featuring more than 240 works from artists who live, work or study in the borough, the exhibition spans painting, photography, textiles, sculpture and digital art. Visitors can also vote for the Visitors’ Choice Award.

With free entry, it’s one of the most accessible cultural events in Bolton this spring.

The protests – which involved blockades of streets in the capital, Ireland’s only oil refinery, and key depots – strangled fuel distribution across the country and prompted an escalated policing response that resulted in several arrests and public order gardai deployed in Cork, Galway and Dublin.

Away from film sets, Duhamel, who is based primarily in Minnesota, gravitates towards a simpler life away from Hollywood, spending time outdoors with his wife Audra Mari, 32, and growing family. He reflects: “Running around, exploring the woods, jet skiing, tubing… it’s just, it’s such a great way for them to just see… a simpler life.”