Andrew Husband, Reform leader at Durham County Council, urged the government to protect “valued landscapes” and change its planning policies to create a “fair and balanced” approach to solar farm applications. 

The Chester-le-Street councillor wrote to Luke Akehurst MP after plans for a large-scale solar farm near Burnhope were overturned at appeal last month.  

Durham County Council initially turned down the application due to its size and impact on the landscape after hundreds of objections and a High Court appeal in July last year.  

But in a new ruling in April, the government’s Planning Inspectorate said the need to tackle climate change and achieve Net Zero targets outweighed the concerns.  

Cllr Husband said it is “very frustrating” that the concerns were “set aside as a result of the government’s overly permissive policy approach to solar development”. 

In a letter to the North Durham Labour MP, he added that other parts of the region are also at high risk of being used for similar schemes. 

He said: “I would invite you to now support your residents by using your undoubted influence in Government to request that urgent action is taken to review the currently overly permissive National Planning Policy Framework policy wording to ensure a more fair and balanced approach to solar development is applied. 

“Until government policy is amended in this manner – to introduce a more balanced approach to include one which seeks to protect valued landscapes and respect residents’ quiet enjoyment of the same – I fear that we will be subjecting our communities to yet more unwarranted commercialisation of our splendid countryside.”

Up to 14 fields near the County Durham village will be overlaid with panels, including areas near the Chapman’s Well nature reserve. 

Lightsource bp, the applicant, added that the solar farm would have “a significant positive impact on the surrounding area, both environmentally and economically”.  

The Planning Inspectorate conceded that the development would “harm” the local area, but the solar farm will only be working for up to 40 years. 

Its report concluded: “The adverse landscape impacts identified would be temporary, reversible and highly localised.”

Are solar farms changing the countryside too much? Let us know in the comments.

It comes just a day after the railway bridge was hit by a tractor

Another vehicle has crashed into the railway bridge on Stuntney Road in Ely. Network Rail was called at around 3.40pm on Tuesday (May 19) with reports that a van had hit the bridge

The crash caused minor delays on some services with trains going through Ely running at a reduced speed. People travelling in the area were told to leave up to 20 minutes of extra time for their journeys.

An inspection of the area was carried out by engineers to check if any damage had been done to the bridge. Network Rail confirmed services ran as normal from 4.45pm.

The railway bridge was also hit by a tractor on Monday evening (May 18). This incident also caused disruption to train services.

The railway bridge is regularly named one of the most bashed bridges in the UK. In October 2025, the bridge was hit three times in just one week.

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The trio will take over from Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, who announced they would be leaving Strictly at the end of 2025. 

Reports previously suggested they had been offered deals after the BBC held rounds of auditions. 

Now, the BBC has confirmed that they will step into the ballroom as new Strictly hosts this autumn. 

BBC: Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdecombe are the new hosts of Strictly Come Dancing.

— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) May 19, 2026

Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe confirmed as new Strictly hosts 

Announcing the news, Kate Phillip, BBC’s Chief Content Officer said: “Emma, Johannes and Josh’s chemistry is undeniable.

“There’s been so much speculation and hype, so I’m relieved we can share the news with the public at last!

“I’d like to thank all the brilliant people we saw before making this tough decision.

“But the most beloved ballroom in the UK always leads the way, and in a Strictly first we have chosen three outstanding hosts to take up the mantel.

“Along with our amazing Strictly team, who are busy planning fabulous and unforgettable treats for this new series, I know this terrific trio can’t wait to join our judges and pros to bring us must-see TV on the BBC this autumn.”

In the comments section of Strictly’s official Instagram post, fans of the show have shared their thoughts on the new host line-up, including big names like Alison Hammond who said: “This is wonderful, three truly beautiful people . You will all smash it”.

Former Strictly host Tess Daly commented: “Can’t wait to tune in, the ultimate trio”.

Professional Strictly dancer Dianne Buswell said: “This is so exciting. Particularly excited for our fellow pro @johannesradebe babe you are a true star and this role is made for you. We love you”.

What are Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe known for? 

Presenters Willis and Widdicombe have both hosted TV and radio shows. 

Willis is best known for her work on Channel 5’s Big Brother, The Voice UK, Love is Blind: UK, Cooking with the Stars and The Circle. 

She’s also been featured in documentaries, Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, Swiped: The School That Banned Smartphones and Change Your Mind Change Your Life. 

She is married to musician Matt Willis, who, as well as presenting and acting roles, is notably the co-founder, bassist and co-vocalist of the pop-punk band Busted. 

Widdicombe is a popular comedian, presenter and actor, having appeared on shows such as The Last Leg, Fighting Talk and Mock the Week. 

He also has a podcast with fellow comedian Rob Beckett, Parenting Hell, about bringing up children, experiences, tips and face-palm moments. 

The comedian has featured on Strictly before, as part of the 2024 Christmas special. 

He scored 36 after dancing a Charleston with pro partner Karen Hauer, but lost out to drag artist Tayce, who scored 40. 

Meanwhile, Johannes Radebe is a professional dancer who has worked on Strictly for several years.

Are you happy with the choice of the new Strictly Come Dancing hosts? Let us know in the comments. 

The world’s major oil and gas companies claim they are leading the energy transition. They spend billions on PR to brand themselves as part of the solution. The data we’ve reviewed tells a different story.

Where a rapid transition to renewables is taking place, incumbent fossil fuel firms have almost nothing to do with it. Analysis by one of us shows that the largest 250 oil and gas companies only own 1.42% of global renewable energy, and just 0.01% of the energy they extract comes from renewable sources.

For decades, many Indigenous peoples and environmental activists have accused the fossil fuel industry of offering “false solutions”. These are projects that amplify the industry’s green credentials while leaving its core business model untouched. Our research supports their case.

We argue that fossil fuel companies’ deployment of renewable energy, biofuels, carbon capture and storage (CCS), green hydrogen and carbon offsetting isn’t designed to oppose decarbonisation, but to manage the conversation around renewables. False solutions signal compliance while helping to mute calls for a systemic transformation.

Mapping the delay

Drawing on the Global Atlas of Environmental Justice, the world’s largest environmental conflict database based at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, we mapped and analysed 48 projects run by fossil fuel firms. These ranged from biofuels to CCS and forest restoration schemes, as well as some renewable energy projects that are owned and used by these firms.

Crucially, we found that these were rarely displacing fossil fuels. Instead, they justify further use of oil, gas or coal.

For instance, CCS facilities are often linked to “enhanced oil recovery”. That involves CO₂ captured from a power plant or factory being injected into wells to squeeze out more fossil fuels from underground reservoirs – an approach that actually extends the lifespan of oil fields. The industry’s own documents back this up: the Global CCS Institute’s 2025 status report lists 77 commercially facilities in operation around the world. Of these, it notes 33 were developed to enhance oil recovery.

Likewise, “clean hydrogen” is often used to greenwash projects that are actually built on continued gas production. Even renewables can become false solutions. We found solar and wind farms built specifically to power refineries and oil and gas drilling. These projects don’t decarbonise the grid, they simply make it easier and cheaper to extract fossil fuels.

New tech, old injustices

False solutions do more than lock in fossil fuel dependence. Across the 48 cases there were examples of land conflicts. Carbon offset schemes often involve high emitters paying to protect or restore a forest or other ecosystem, to “make up” for their emissions. But in practice, they can lead to the enclosure of previously common land and the loss of communal or Indigenous rights. Biofuel plantations can displace smallholders, replacing local food systems with industrial-scale farms.

Indigenous and traditional communities are disproportionately affected by false solutions. Many projects are sited on ancestral or sacred land without meaningful consultation or consent.

Resistance to these projects is often framed by the fossil fuel industry and its supporters as hostility to climate action or a form of nimbyism. But our data suggests that, in many cases, these communities are opposed to projects that perpetuate the fossil fuel economy.

We also found evidence of governments channelling public subsidies to fund many of these projects. Such cases amount to a direct cash transfer from taxpayers to private companies for promises that deliver minimal emissions reductions.

They are, therefore, in effect helping to delay the end of the fossil fuel era.
Yet these projects have enabled politicians to claim they are climate leaders without having to confront a powerful industry.

After examining these 48 conflicts, one lesson becomes unmistakable: false solutions are not experimental missteps. They are in effect helping to delay the end of the fossil fuel era.

The buzzard was found with shotgun pellets in its wing in the Bransdale area on May 4.

The bird was also found to have a broken leg, and was taken to a vet, were sadly, it had to be euthanised due to its injuries.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: “The bird was x-rayed, and pellets from a shotgun were found in its wing.

“It is believed the broken leg occurred up to 48 hours before it was found, and may have been caused by a hard landing – so the buzzard could have been shot within that same 48-hour period.

“Buzzards and other birds of prey are legally protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. To intentionally kill or injure one is a criminal offence.

“Anyone with any information about how the bird came to be injured is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference 12260080894.”

The Ely bridge is one of the most-bashed in Britain

A tractor struck a railway bridge in a Cambridgeshire city causing disruption to train services on Monday, May 18. Network Rail received a report of a vehicle striking a bridge at Ely just after 6pm.

The crash caused minor disruption to some passenger services using the freight line and platform three. Following an inspection of the bridge, it was deemed there was no damage reported. Train services resumed at 6.40pm the same evening.

A previous Freedom of Information (FOI) submitted by CambridgeshireLive to Network Rail revealed the bridge had been struck 80 times over the last five years. In October 2025, the bridge was hit three times within one week.

A spokesperson for Network Rail said: “We received a report of a vehicle striking a bridge at Ely yesterday at around 18:07. This caused a minor impact on some freight and passenger services using the freight line and platform 3.

“After inspection of the bridge, no damage was reported and services resumed at 18:40pm.”

Over 630,000 customers and employees had their data leaked onto the dark web – and the company has since been fined nearly £1 million

The owners of a Cambridge water company have been fined nearly £1 million after thousands of customers and employees had their data leaked. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined South Cambridgeshire Staffordshire Plc £963,900.

The company owns Cambridge Water. The fine follows a serious cyber attack that led to the information of 633,887 customers and employees, including those in the Cambridge Water area, having their data leaked on the dark web.

In its Monetary Penalty Notice, the ICO confirmed the cyber attack traced back to September 2020. It mostly took place between May and July 2022.

Elena Karpathakis, managing director at Cambridge Water said: “We are sorry for the worry and disruption this cyber attack caused. We know that customers place their trust in us to protect their information. As soon as we became aware, we worked to contain the cyber attack, support those affected and put additional protections in place.

“Since 2022, we have continued to invest significantly in our cyber security, including strengthening governance and monitoring, and we will continue this focus as threats continue to evolve. We remain focused on doing the right thing for our customers and learning from what happened.”

The cyber attack on South Staffordshire Water began with a phishing email. The recipient of the email opened an attachment which allowed the scammer to install software onto the company’s system.

This remained undetected for nearly two years. In May 2022, the hacker then moved through the IT network. The breach was identified in July 2022 when IT issues prompted an internal investigation.

The company discovered a ransom note that the hacker had unsuccessfully tried to send to members of staff. Between August and November 2022, the company detected that more than 4.1 terabytes of stolen data had been released on the dark web.

This included: personal details including full name and email addresses, HR information from employees, and customer account information. The ICO investigation found South Staffordshire failed to implement a range of UK controls.

These included:

• Inadequate controls that led to the hacker being able to escalate to administrator privileges;
• Inadequate monitoring and logging;
• Use of obsolete and unsupported software on some devices;
• Inadequate vulnerability management, including unpatched critical systems and the absence of regular internal or external security scans.

Law firm Leigh Day is now representing around 6,500 people impacted by the data breach. Sean Humber, Leigh Day partner and group claims data breach specialist, said: “This significant fine recognises South Staffordshire’s serious failures that resulted in the personal information of hundreds of thousands of its own customers being stolen, leaving them at a huge risk of being targeted by fraudsters.”

Gene Matthews, Leigh Day partner and group claims data breach specialist, added: “Those personally affected by the data breach are likely to have strong claims for compensation for the distress caused by the breach, as well as any financial losses suffered.

“While the amounts are likely to vary from individual to individual, given the sensitivity of the information, many of the claims for compensation are likely to be substantial.”

Falling on Channel 4 is Adolescence creator Jack Thorne’s “first ever love story”.

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Falling premieres on Channel 4 tonight with fans eager to know where the romantic drama was shot.

Channel 4’s Falling delves into the forbidden love story of nun Anna (played by Keeley Hawes) and Catholic priest David (Paapa Essiedu), forcing them to wrestle with their vows and relationship with God.

The six-part series is not only brought to life by an all-star cast but by its award-winning creator Jack Thorne, famed for writing Adolescence on Netflix.

Channel 4 Falling filming locations

Filming for Falling on Channel 4 primarily took place in Bristol, Wales, specifically Cardiff, and the wider South Wales region.

Shooting for the new series reportedly began in April 2025 and continued throughout the year.

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Bristol served as a key location as much of David’s storyline within the local community meant Falling was shot across residential districts and inner city areas.

4Filming reported that community centres and neighbourhood streets were used to portray his work in different environments.

Channel 4’s official production also talks about his connection to the “Bristol community that surrounds it”.

On the other hand, Cardiff and the surrounding parts of South Wales were also heavily used during filming, particularly to do with Anna’s life in the convent.

4Filming adds: “Several historic properties and quiet religious-style locations around the city reportedly doubled as the secluded convent where Anna has spent most of her adult life.”

Production also took place at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol, one of the largest film and television studios in England.

It’s been reported that interior sets for the convent, rectory and other indoor scenes were shot here.

The Bottle Yard Studios is no stranger when it comes to hit series either with other popular shows like Poldark, Sherlock, The Buccaneers and Wolf Hall, also filmed at this location.

Talking about Falling ahead of its premiere, Thorne said: “I never thought I’d write a love story, but I am very excited to be making one with the brilliant Peter Hoar.

“We feel so lucky we have persuaded the mighty (and lovely) Keeley Hawes, the brilliant (and also lovely) Paapa Essiedu and the most amazing company of (lovely) actors to come make this with us, The Forge and Channel 4.”

Falling premieres on Tuesday, May 19, at 9pm on Channel 4.

‘You think this is hard? Try being waterboarded, that’s hard.’

It’s the utterly bonkers – and yet somehow pitch-perfect – opening line to the pilot episode of Ryan Murphy’s magnum opus: Glee season one (yes, even over American Horror Story, argue with the wall)

Jane Lynch’s acerbic Sue Sylvester’s megaphone-touting declaration to her cheer squad kicks off 50 minutes of television so absurd and yet so compelling that it’s a masterclass in how to open a TV show with a bang.

If you were living under a rock in May 2009 and somehow missed the launch of this cultural phenomenon, then let me catch you up.

Much like Marc Jacobs-clad teen Kurt (Chris Colfer) is unceremoniously chucked into a bin by high school jocks Finn (Corey Monteith) and Puck (Mark Salling) in the first minutes of the episode, we viewers are plunged into the cutthroat world of American high school in the late 00s.

Enter Mr Schue (Matthew Morrison), a Spanish teacher who can’t speak Spanish with a passion for show choir and a hankering for his own high school glory days, where he no doubt peaked in life.

After the current choir teacher, Sandy, is kicked out over child predator accusations from the ambitious and slightly unhinged Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), Mr Schue launches his bid to set up the brand spanking new Glee Club.

Oh, and this is all in the first four minutes.

Then, we get the auditions – the perfect vehicle to introduce us to our main players. There’s Kurt with his baffingly deadpan delivery of Mr Cellophane, the birth of Tina Cohen-Chang’s (Jenna Ushkowitz) ‘stutter’ and Mercedes’s (Amber Riley) overlooked powerhouse vocals.

Then we have the aforementioned Rachel, whose musically infused monologue about being a star holds up as some of the best character exposition in TV history.

It includes the show’s first of many slushee throws, her dramatic fake crying, and the revelation she isn’t homophobic as she has ‘two gay dads’ – it’s a fever dream.

And just when you think the show can’t possibly go even more leftfield, Mr Schue threatens to expose high school heartthrob Finn’s non-existent drug stash unless he agrees to join the club.

What’s perhaps most impressive is that Ryan manages to plant the seeds for so many wild dynamics fromMr Schue and Sue’s ever-escalating rivalry to his wife Terri’s ‘pregnancy’ and flirtation with fellow teacher Emma.

That’s not even to mention the students’ own plethora of problems. One thing is for sure: there’s trouble in paradise for the school’s power couple, cheerleader Quinn and our plucky protagonist Finn.

You would think the episode would feel ridiculously overstuffed, but somehow every thread seamlessly merges into a glorious hotpot of high camp nonsense you can’t stop watching.

This all culminates in the final number of the show, Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing with Rachel and Finn leading the powerful cover that is now synonymous with the show.

I’m not afraid to admit that to this day, hearing those opening notes makes me misty-eyed with nostalgia (and remains a karaoke staple for my sister and I).

And I’m far from alone.

The splash this made at the time cannot be overstated. As one Reddit user, LiveFromNewYork95, put it: ‘It’s hard to explain just how much that pilot episode of Glee moved the needle.’

This was the show to watch; it changed the game for LGBTQ+ TV in the years leading up to same-sex marriage being legalised in the US and reinvented the wheel when it came to meta coming-of-age shows that haven’t quite been replicated since.

Only Glee could get away with the storylines and whiplash-inducing dialogue it puts on screen.

‘One of the best pieces of television ever aired,’ Metro reporter Danni rightfully declared.

‘Somehow the most progressive yet the most offensive show at the same time. There’ll never be another one like it,’ Ana shared on X.

‘Made me who I am and I’m so serious,’ martymauser echoed. ’17 years ago herstory was made,’ Brooke agreed.

The bold humour, perfectly tempered satire and genuine levels of musical talent exuding from this show created the perfect storm and, even 17 years on, it’s a standout pilot episode and is showrunner Ryan at his very best.

Since that shining first episode, the show has taken a more sour turn, tainted by the real-life loss of cast members, behind-the-scenes controversy and a truly terrible final three seasons.

But none of what came after can take away from the brilliance of the pilot.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a Glee rewatch I’ve accidentally started.

Glee is available to stream on Disney Plus now.

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LONDON (AP) — Police in the UK say they are investigating two allegations of decades-old child sex abuse after looking into potential crimes revealed in documents from the U.S. Justice Department’s investigation into the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Police in Surrey, the county immediately southwest of London, said in a statement Tuesday that they are investigating two separate allegations. One relates to locations in Surrey and Berkshire in the mid-1990s to 2000. The other relates to the mid- to late 1980s in West Surrey.

No arrests have been made.

“We take all reports of sexual offending seriously and will work to identify any reasonable lines of enquiry to verify information or establish corroborating evidence,’’ police said in a statement.

Surrey is among several U.K. police forces that have worked together to assess potential crimes revealed in documents linked to the late financier and sex offender. The National Police Chiefs’ Council, which brings together police leaders from across the U.K., said in February that it had set up a national coordination group to support forces looking into issues arising from the more than 3 million pages of documents released earlier this year.

While the council didn’t specify the police forces involved in the effort, at least eight have said they are “assessing” information in the files. They are looking into issues ranging from concerns that Epstein’s private jet may have been used in sex trafficking to allegations that the former Prince Andrew sent confidential reports to the financier when he was Britain’s international trade envoy.

The Epstein scandal has rocked the royal family and British politics in recent months because of his links to Peter Mandelson, the U.K.’s former ambassador to Washington, and to the former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

King Charles III in October stripped his younger brother of his royal titles, including the right to be called a prince, in an effort to insulate the royal family from the continuing revelations about his friendship with Epstein.