Three famous paintings worth millions have been stolen from a museum in northern Italy.

The works by French artists Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri Matisse and Paul Cezanne were taken in an operation lasting less than three minutes, police said.

The thieves targeted the Magnani-Rocca Foundation villa, south of the city of Parma, on the night of 22 March.

According to sources close to the investigation, the stolen masterpieces were Renoir’s Les Poissons, Cezanne’s Still Life With Cherries and Matisse’s Odalisque On The Terrace.

The value of the three is worth “tens of millions euros”, an investigator said.

However, Italian public broadcaster Rai reported the stolen works were worth €9m (£7.8m).

There has been no official confirmation on the combined value of the paintings.

The paintings were on the first floor of what is called the Villa of Masterpieces in the Sala dei Francesi – the Room of the French.

The thieves, wearing balaclavas, gained entry by forcing open a door and were described as an “organised group”.

They were disturbed by the museum’s alarm system and escaped before they could take more paintings, “which was their intention”.

Investigators are assessing museum security footage.

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The Magnani-Rocca Foundation is a private museum which lies in the heart of the countryside 12 miles from Parma.

Established in 1977, the foundation hosts the collection of the art historian Luigi Magnani and also includes works by Durer, Rubens, Van Dyck, Goya and Monet.

It comes after a series of high-profile heists at major European museums, including last October when thieves stole jewels and other items worth £76m from the Louvre in Paris.

The incident happened at a bus stop on the A64, at Tout Hill, near Whitwell-on-the-Hill, at around 12pm on Thursday (March 12).

The suspect is described as a white man in his 40s, approximately 5ft 10 inches tall, of stocky build, with a bald head and grey stubble.

He was wearing a short-sleeved, white T-shirt with a grey print design and blue jeans at the time.

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A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: “We’re particularly appealing for any witnesses to the incident.

“Please email olivia.harrison@northyorkshire.police.uk if you have any information that could help our investigation.

“Alternatively, you can call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and ask for PC 444, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website.

“Please quote reference 12260044587 when passing on information.”

The property on Beech Grove, in Dipton, had become a long-standing concern within the community after a spate of incidents. 

The condition of the property was brought to the attention of the Neighbourhood Wardens, who issued a Community Protection Warning, requesting the homeowner complete essential works within a set timeframe or contact them so we could work with him.

However, Stephen Breadin ignored the warning, and as a result, a Community Protection Notice (CPN) was issued. 

The 38-year-old did not engage with either Durham County Council or do the required works, and the matter was sent to the magistrates’ court.

Breadin, of Rose Street in Gateshead, was found guilty last week of failing to comply with a CPN.

He was ordered to pay a £440 fine plus £330 in court costs and a £176 victim surcharge.

The court also granted a order requiring Breadin to complete the necessary works within 28 days, or face being brought before the court again.

The chief magistrate has insisted 74,000 fines for alleged fare dodging on the railway should be quashed. The decision has focused attention on the extent of fare dodging.

Often rail passengers are guilty only of a misunderstanding. Thousands of people have inadvertently made journeys they assumed could be paid for by contactless card – only to discover they could tap in but had strayed across an invisible “tariff border” and could not a tap out. Others get impatient after queuing for ages for a ticket and jump on a train without one, intending to pay on board or at the other end.

At the other extreme, some commuters deliberately set out day after day to travel without paying, robbing the railway of revenue and increasing the financial burden on the majority of law-abiding passengers.

The cost to the rail industry of people travelling without a ticket is an estimated £330 million per year – about 3.2 per cent of rail revenue. This figure correlates to the estimate from one train firm, TransPennine Express, that 3.5 per cent of passengers travel without a ticket.

A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), representing train operators, said: “Fare dodging is unfair because it means less money to invest in improving services and increases the burden on fare-paying passengers and taxpayers.”

In 2023, the standard Penalty Fare increased from £20 to £50 (or £100 if the errant passenger has not paid within 21 days). This applies in England and Wales.

In Scotland, a “minimum fare” of £10 is being rolled out from July 2026, designed to crack down on faredodging.

These are the key questions and answers.

What does the law say?

The Regulation of Railways Act 1889 requires the rail passenger to produce “a ticket showing that his fare is paid” on request by a staff member.

The rather more modern National Rail Conditions of Travel from April 2024 specify “you must purchase, where possible, a valid ticket before you board a train” and use it “in accordance with the specific terms and conditions associated with it” – for example, if it is a ticket with time restrictions or has been bought with a railcard discount.

A 21st-century ticket takes rather more forms than in the Victorian era, and can include:

Why wouldn’t everyone simply buy a ticket?

About 29 out of 30 passengers do so, according to data from TransPennine Express. ScotRail says one in 27 passengers on its network is ticketless. But if you plan to buy a ticket at the station and can’t do so, you may board a train if the ticket office is closed (or there isn’t one) and the ticket machine is either broken or won’t accept your preferred method of payment (card or cash).

You should buy a ticket from the guard on board if there is one, or at an interchange station if time allows. If you can’t do either, you can pay at your destination.

Some stations still have “Permit to Travel” machines. You can pay a small sum in return for a receipt that shows the issuing station and the amount paid, which will be deducted from the ticket you eventually buy. Alternatively, a standard ticket machine may dispense a “Promise to Pay” for free. This indicates to staff on the train or at the gateline at the end of your journey where exactly you started.

Or, of course, you could book a ticket on your smartphone – as, on TransPennine Express at least, three-quarters of passengers do.

What if the queue is just too long?

You are expected to wait as long as it takes. As one insider posted on a rail forum: “Even if it was the second coming of Christ, as long as the ticket office is open a passenger must buy a ticket or be given authority to travel by an officer of the railway without one.”

If you have allowed reasonable time to buy a ticket but can wait no longer, you could ask station staff – or, in an “open station” the train guard (if there is one) – if you can buy a ticket on board.

Such authorisation may be granted if, for example, ticket machines are not working. Otherwise, if you decide to board a train without a ticket you will be breaking the law.

Train operators take fare dodging very seriously and employ revenue protection officers to catch passengers who fail to pay. These staff work on trains and at stations.

What about travelling with “the wrong sort of ticket”?

Revenue protection staff will also take interest in passengers who do the following:

What is the penalty for travelling without a ticket – or the wrong sort of ticket?

Railway staff can choose from one of three options, which are progressively more serious and expensive.

How do they decide which penalty to apply?

All passengers will come up with an excuse when challenged about why they do not have a ticket. From experience, rail staff can usually tell if a tale about running late and foolishly hopping on a train just before it left is true. If so, they may simply apply the full single fare.

The Penalty Fare is the standard response to an offence. But if the revenue protection officer believes that the individual is a repeat offender – perhaps a passenger who simply “pays when challenged” – they may report the traveller for prosecution.

Can I appeal a Penalty Fare?

Yes, but if you were travelling without a ticket it is unlikely to succeed. For example, the many people who fondly imagine that they can pay with a contactless card or smartphone to travel between London and Stansted airport are routinely issued Penalty Fares.

They “tap in” with a contactless card for the Stansted Express at London Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale, only to discover on reaching the airport that their card is not valid.

Warning signs have now been posted, meaning that anyone who is issued with a Penalty Fare is unlikely to succeed in an appeal.

What happens if a case goes to court?

If convicted, the passenger can be fined up to £1,000 or jailed. This will no longer be under the Single Justice Procedure, with a single magistrate working behind closed doors. Instead, there will be a proper court hearing.

What’s the story with those 74,000 quashed convictions?

Six rail firms – Northern, Transpennine, Avanti West Coast, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway and Merseyrail – used the procedure.

All the convictions will be quashed after the chief magistrate for England and Wales, Judge Paul Goldspring, declared them all to be invalid. The people involved will see their convictions overturned and be handed their money back.

The government says: “If you think you may be affected, you should wait to be contacted directly and told what will happen next including if you have paid some or all of a financial penalty.

“For those who haven’t yet paid anything relating to their offence we will be writing to them is the conviction is declared invalid to confirm the court record has been corrected.”

The cases will be regarded as nullified – as though they have never taken place.

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Dave’s Hot Chicken is a worldwide hit for its seven-level spice scale from Not Hot to Reaper – the latter for which you have to sign a waiver

The globally popular hot chicken chain that started as a car park stall in LA is finally opening its first Welsh location. Dave’s Hot Chicken will open on St Mary Street in Cardiff at 11am on Good Friday – Friday, April 3.

And to mark its first spot in Wales it’s being renamed – the new store will be called “David’s Hot Chicken” in a nod to the Welsh patron saint. Cardiff’s store will be the first Dave’s worldwide to be named in honour of a new location.

Cardiff’s diverse and well-established food scene makes it a natural home for Dave’s Hot Chicken, whose menu is built around juicy chicken with a hot, Nashville-style seasoning and quintessential side dishes like mac and cheese, cheese fries, and kale slaw. For the latest restaurant news and reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here

The new restaurant will offer a fast-casual space designed for everything from quick lunches to late-night meals, paired with Dave’s signature oldies playlist and laid-back West Coast feel.

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The Cardiff menu will feature Dave’s cult favourites, including chicken tenders and sliders cooked fresh to order, the brand’s seven-level spice scale from Not Hot to Reaper (waiver required), and classic sides such as mac & cheese and top-loaded fries.

The menu is completed by a range of creamy shakes and fruity slushers.

Keyana Mohammadi, head of marketing at Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, said: “We’re so excited to finally land in Cardiff. It’s a vibrant and buzzing city, full of culture with an epic foodie scene.

“Changing the name to David’s is a mark of respect for the Welsh patron saint and a bit of fun. We are considering other changes for other Welsh venues such as Dayfdd Hot Chicken or even Dai’s Hot Chicken.”

She goes on to add: “This isn’t just another opening, it’s a big moment for us. We’re here to become part of the community, and we’re beyond excited to welcome Welsh fried chicken fans and bring the heat with our bold take on Nashville-style hot chicken.”

Find Dave’s Hot Chicken at 52-54 St Marys Street, Cardiff, CF10 1FE. Opening Friday, April 3.