Four schools in Middlesbrough closing early before the funeral of one of the men killed in the A66 crash have been accused of giving in to ‘thugs’.

The schools will send children home at lunchtime in a decision the Shadow Education Secretary said was ‘wrong’.

Laura Trott, who retained her brief in Kemi Badenoch‘s Conservative frontbench reshuffle, said the Government should ensure ‘criminal gangs don’t get their way’.

Two police officers and five young men were killed on August 22 when a Volkswagen Passat, which had been chased by police, hit a marked armed response car while driving the wrong way down the A66 dual carriageway.

PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, died in the crash, as did Jakub Matusiak, 23, Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and Michael Cahill, 23.

Four of the young men in the vehicle had criminal convictions, including for assaulting a police officer and vehicle offences.

It is understood today’s funeral is Matusiak’s, with crowds, motorbikes and quad bikes expected to gather in Normanby Road in the South Bank area of the town.

The service is due to be held at the St John the Evangelist Church in South Bank – where a silent prayer vigil was also held for PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough last month.

A memorial for Matusiak last month in South Bank, Middlesbrough, saw flares burned and balloons released

PC Tom Clough and PC Matthew Blades were killed in the A66 crash

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At a ‘memorial’ for Matusiak last month, close to the crash site in South Bank, orange balloons were released, fireworks set off and balaclava-clad bikers intimidated residents.

South Bank primary school will close at 12pm ‘to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our pupils,’ it said.

Headteacher Tammy Cooper said in a Facebook statement that the school expected ‘large numbers of people in the area which will inevitably cause congestion and transport disruption’.

She said: ‘This decision has been reached after careful consideration of the potential impact on the departure of pupils, staff and families.

‘We recognise the inconvenience this may cause and thank our families for their understanding and co-operation.’

Ms Cooper said the school also recognises ‘some pupils may feel upset or anxious about the funeral taking place locally’ and the pastoral team would be available for support.

And Mark Robinson, head of Outwood academy in Normanby, said in a letter to parents that his school would also close at midday after discussions with the council.

Archway Academy Teesville and St Margaret Clitherow’s Catholic Primary School will also close early. Mackenzie Thorpe Centre will be closed all day.

Last week a vigil for Cahill was criticised by MPs and police after a crowd set fire to cars in Haswell, County Durham.

A ‘memorial’ for Michael Cahill, who was also killed in the crash, led to cars being set alight in Haswell, County Durham

A spokesman for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said: ‘Following discussions between local headteachers and the local authority, a number of schools in the South Bank area will close earlier than usual on Friday afternoon due to anticipated traffic congestion and transport disruption associated with a local funeral taking place in the area.

‘The decision was made after careful consideration of the potential impact on home-to-school transport and the departure of pupils, staff and families at the end of the school day.

‘Schools have worked with the local authority and transport providers to consider arrangements for pupils, including those who travel to and from specialist educational settings.

‘We recognise that early closure may cause inconvenience for some parents and carers, and we thank them for their understanding and co-operation.’

But Ms Trott urged Education Secretary Lucy Powell to intervene, telling the Labour minister she had a ‘duty to ensure that this does not impact on the honest and decent pupils, parents and teachers in the area’.

She added: ‘Children should not be kept out of school because of the behaviour of thugs on the streets.’

Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott said schools closing early meant giving in to ‘thugs’

She said the Education Secretary Lucy Powell should ensure officers had the resources needed to keep schools open

‘If schools are closing because of concerns about disorder, intimidation or criminality in the surrounding area, then those responsible should be held to account by law.’

‘Intimidation must never be tolerated. No child should lose out on their education because criminal gangs have brought fear and lawlessness to their community.’

The Education Secretary responded saying she trusted headteachers to ‘make judgments that they need to make to keep their school community safe’.

Lucy Powell told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘As Education Secretary, I want schools to be open. I want pupils attending schools all the time.

‘And these headteachers of these small number of schools have taken a very difficult decision with the local authority and the police for the safety of their school community to close early.

‘What I would say is that there are huge anxieties and worries in the communities.’

She added: ‘I trust headteachers to make the judgments that they need to make to keep their school community safe. I hope this doesn’t have to happen again.’

And Ms Powell said it was not a time for ‘party political point scoring’.

‘This is a very, very difficult and delicate situation, as you say, and I will always put the safety and wellbeing of children at the forefront of anything I do,’ she said.

BANGKOK (AP) — The leader of Myanmar’s military-backed government is visiting Vietnam for talks with its leaders in his latest effort to normalize relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and attract foreign investment.

Min Aung Hlaing has stepped up diplomatic engagements since he was sworn in as president in April following an election that critics say was designed to cement the military’s hold on power.

Since taking office, he has traveled to India, China, Laos, Thailand and most recently Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia, where he met with leaders and sought to draw foreign investment through business forums.

Vietnam has maintained longstanding military ties with Myanmar, including defense cooperation and the involvement of Viettel, Vietnam’s military-run telecommunications group, in Mytel, one of Myanmar’s major telecom operators, which has military-linked ownership.

Economic ties, however, have weakened, with bilateral trade falling from $853 million in 2020 to $590 million in 2025 and $335 million in the first half of 2026, figures Min Aung Hlaing shared with Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung when they met in Myanmar in late August, according to Vietnam’s foreign ministry.

State-run MRTV television said Min Aung Hlaing departed on a flight from the capital, Naypyitaw, Friday morning.

In Hanoi, Min Aung Hlaing is expected to meet Vietnamese President To Lam and other senior officials and attend a business forum with members of his Cabinet.

The diplomatic outreach is the latest in a series of moves to reengage with countries in the region and the international community after relations became frayed or frosty following Min Aung Hlaing’s ousting of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in February 2021 while serving as army chief.

Friday’s visit marks Min Aung Hlaing’s third visit to an ASEAN member state as he seeks to restore his standing within the 11-member bloc, of which Myanmar and Vietnam are members.

He faced years of diplomatic isolation following his 2021 takeover and was barred from top-level ASEAN meetings for failing to comply with a peace plan agreed upon in April 2021.

The crash happened at 10.37 am on Thursday on Chorley New Road and involved an MG HS Trophy after it veered off the road.

The car, which police say was travelling at relatively low speed, appeared to steer off the road before hitting the bus stop.

The driver, who was the only person in the car, sustained serious injuries.

The road was cordoned off and motorists were diverted as emergency services were on the scene.

Greater Manchester Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit is appealing for information.

A GMP spokesperson said: “As part of the investigation, our Serious Collision Investigation Unit are asking anyone with information to please come forward.

“This includes anyone who witnessed the incident, or has CCTV, dashcam, doorbell or mobile phone footage from the area.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 4741 or via the Live Chat service at https://orlo.uk/2D5Ba, quoting log 982 of 03/09/26.

Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Two key Nigel Farage aides have stepped down pending a probe into an ‘illegal’ donation sting.

James Orr and Dan Jukes are standing aside from their jobs as head of policy and assistant to the leader while allegations are looked into.

The furore is threatening to overshadow Reform’s annual conference taking place in Birmingham, where Mr Farage is hoping to revive the party’s fortunes amid flagging polls. 

A report broadcast by Channel 4 News claimed Reform took funding from a US firm for three polls it commissioned earlier this year costing £32,500.

The purported donors were in fact undercover reporters from investigative group Verbatim posing as an American financier and his UK-based son.

Senior officials including Mr Farage are also said to have discussed a £500,000 donation from the fake businessman through his son. 

A Reform spokesman said: ‘Reform UK has launched an investigation following the broadcast of a Channel 4 News programme.

‘Both individuals involved have stepped down from their respective positions pending the outcome of the investigation.

‘The party believes it is important that the investigation is allowed to proceed independently and without prejudice. No further comment will be made while the investigation is ongoing.’

Reform UK chairman Lee Anderson told Sky News there was ‘no chance’ of them returning to the party. 

However, deputy leader Richard Tice refused to rule out a comeback, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘Let’s wait and see what the investigation says.’

Farage and his senior aide Dan Jukes were filmed meeting a US businessman and his son, who lives in the UK, and discussing donations. The men were both undercover members of Verbatim, a group of investigative journalists

Foreign political donations are banned in the UK. The donation was never made.

The Lib Dems have written to the Metropolitan Police and Electoral Commission about the issue. 

Labour has also reported the allegations to the police, and the Greens have called for a probe.

In a letter to the Met Police, Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokesman Lisa Smart wrote: ‘The breach raises alarming questions about whether there has been a wider complacency toward foreign interference by the individuals involved.’

Mr Anderson told Sky News of Mr Jukes and Mr Orr: ‘They’ve stepped down. They was told, you know, they had to step down, they have stepped down, and that’s got to be the right thing to do on the day, the first day of our conference.

‘Let’s remember, we’ve got 5,000 members coming through the door today to listen to what we’ve got to say about our first 100 days in government and how we’re going to change the course of this country.

‘So it’s right to get rid of this distraction straight away. The pair concerned have gone, and the investigation starts today. It’s as simple as that.’

He added: ‘There’s no chance of them coming back. They’ve stepped aside.

‘You know, we’re a serious party, you know, and sometimes in politics, you have to make tough decisions, harsh decisions.’

Mr Farage is expected to give the first of his two conference speeches on Friday afternoon, in which he will promise to declare a ‘national emergency’ on his first day in government, introducing a flood of legislation and doing ‘anything and everything’ to deliver his party’s policies.

He will say: ‘Within days of winning the general election, we will introduce dozens of Bills and force Parliament to sit all through summer for seven days a week to pass them.

‘Britain is in serious trouble. We don’t have time to wait around to fix it.’

The two-day conference in Birmingham is expected to hear from other senior Reform figures setting out their own pledges for their first 100 days in office, as well as an address from Jordan Bardella, leader of the French National Rally.

Mr Farage is expected to announce that any frontbenchers who fail to deliver on their pledges ‘will be sacked’.

He is also due to make his own promise to focus on reducing the cost of living and lead on efforts to end small boat crossings in the Channel.

Originating across the Atlanic, this popular breakfast side dish is made from finely shredded, grated or diced potatoes, fried in a pan or on a griddle until they are golden brown and crispy on the outside.

The term ‘hashed brown potatoes’ first appeared in American cookbooks in the 1880s to describe chopped and fried boiled potatoes, later evolving into the grated patty popular in diners. They were introduced here much later via fast-food chains

Now they are popular in the UK, I thought I’d give them a go.

Cooking could either be oven bake – which I did – or air fryer. Some can be deep-fried.

*Iceland Hash Browns, 800g, £2.00

This was an appetising golden colour, which was a good start. A bit greasy on the outside, inside it was fairly solid in consistency – I could see a few small chunks of potato and onion. Strangely, it had a slightly cheesy taste – cheese is not among the ingredients. I tried another to make sure and again it tasted cheesy. I didn’t like them at all and they left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.

Pros: appearance.

Cons: taste, price.

Mark: 1/5

*M&S Food Hash Browns, 750g, £3.50

Neatly shaped, this one was a darker brown in colour and thicker than the others. With a lovely crisp exterior, it was finely mashed and had a soft consistency. I liked the mild potato/onion flavour. I enjoyed it. The bag was, however, a lot more expensive than the others.

Pros: consistency, taste.

Cons: price.

Mark: 4/5

*Morrisons Hash Browns, 750g, £1.75

An appetising brown colour, this one were a little thinner than the others and didn’t crisp up too well on top. Inside it were finely mashed, with a nice soft consistency. The taste, though, wasn’t great – it was very potatoey and reminded me of oven chips. They are a reasonable price, but that’s where it ends.

Pros: consistency, price.

Cons: taste.

Mark: 2/5

Hash browns are a breakfast staple in the USA

Morrisons Hash Browns

Hash Browns from M&S Food (Image: Newsquest)

Hash Browns from Iceland

Tesco Hash Browns

*Tesco Hash Browns, 750g, £1.75

A good colour and neat shape, with visible pieces of potato and onion in the mix. The outer coating crisped up nicely, and the inside was suitably soft and well-mashed. I loved the taste – they were nicely seasoned and reminded me of the potato and onion rissoles my mum used to make. They are a budget-friendly price too – I’d definitely buy these again.

Pros: appearance, consistency, taste, price.

Cons: none.

Mark: 5/5

*Four Seasons Hash Browns, Aldi, 750g, £1.75

This one had a neat triangular shape and cooked to a crisp golden brown on top. It contained a few chunks of potato within the mix, giving me something to get my teeth into, and I could pick out the taste of onion. I liked it, and the affordable price.

Pros: appearance, taste, price.

Cons: none.

Mark: 4/5

*Harvest Basket Hash Browns, Lidl, 750g, £1.75

A decent size and triangular shape, this was an unappetising yellow in colour and didn’t brown on cooking. Sadly, there was barely any flavour other than potato, and salt – it was far too salty for me. Three of these make up 20 per cent of your recommended daily salt intake, which was far higher than any of the others.

Pros: none.

Cons: taste.

Marks: 1/5

Four Seasons by Aldi

Harvest Basket from Lidl

Asda Hash Browns

Sainsbury’s Hash Browns (Image: Newsquest)

*Crispy Hash Browns by Asda, 800g, £2.25

A bit like Harvest Basket, this were a pale yellow colour. It crisped up on the outside, but didn’t go brown. Things didn’t improve as I bit into it – it was soft verging on soggy in the middle, like mashed potato. I did not pick up any onion taste at all. A bit more expensive, but it’s a bigger bag.

Pros: none.

Cons: appearance, consistency, taste.

Mark: 1/5

*Sainsbury’s Hash Browns, 1.2kg £3.10

A neat shape, this one baked to a light brown colour. It crisped up nicely on the outside, while the inside was soft, with shredded potato and onion combining for a lovely flavour. I enjoyed it. This was more expensive, but it was a bigger bag.

Pros: appearance, consistency, taste.

Cons: none.

Mark: 4/5

A new podcast from The Crime Desk forensically unpacks historic crimes, working to solve the unanswered questions that still linger over them centuries later.

Hosted by historian Rebecca Rideal and Time Team archaeologist Professor Raksha Dave, Buried Evidence will take you inside the lives of victims of the most barbaric crimes whose names have been mostly forgotten by time.

In the first episode, available on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts, Rideal and Dave dissect the St Brice’s Day massacre and its connections to a sinister archaeological discovery.

In January 2008, a routine dig at St John’s College, Oxford, carried out so new student accommodation could be built, uncovered a horrifying scene.

The bodies of 37 men and boys, aged between 12 and 45, dumped in a ditch over a thousand years ago. As Professor Dave explained, it quickly became obvious to archaeologists at the scene that this was no ordinary burial site.

‘Normally, when we look at burials, they are kind of uniform,’ she said.

The bodies of 37 men and boys, dumped in a ditch over a thousand years ago. As Professor Dave explained (L), it quickly became obvious that this was no ordinary burial site

‘People are laid to rest really nicely. They’re either put in certain positions or prone, straight on their backs. But this was a higgledy piggledy mess.

‘We had a decapitation, skulls and arms everywhere. I mean, you name it, it was a mess… it’s what we would call a deviant burial. Things were not quite right, and it looked as though these men were literally just tipped in there like rubbish.’

Archaeologists were struck by another detail. Many of the men’s wounds were to the back, suggesting they were running from something when they were killed.

Some of the bones had also been burned. It was the fire, more than anything else, that would eventually point investigators towards a single night in Oxford’s history.

Documented in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, on 13 November 1002, King Ethelred the Unready ordered the deaths of all Danish people in his realm, having been warned they were plotting to kill him and seize his throne.

Townspeople turned on the Danes living among them, hunting them through the streets and killing them where they stood. The event became known as the St Brice’s Day massacre, because the king’s order fell on the saint’s feast day.

In Oxford, a group of Danes broke into St Frideswide’s church and barricaded themselves inside, believing sanctuary would save them. It did not. Unable to force them out, the mob set fire to the roof and burned the building down with them inside.

Many of the men’s wounds were to the back, suggesting they were running from something when they were killed

Although matching the bodies to the massacre seems plausible, some details don’t quite fit the historical record

Although matching the bodies to the massacre seems plausible, some details don’t quite fit the historical record, as Dave explained.

‘Oxford was very much a wild west town in the early medieval period,’ she said.

‘There were groups of mercenaries living there… if we actually look at who’s buried there, there are no women or children, not a single one.

‘It could have just been an act of mob violence. All the injuries are to the back, so they’re obviously being chased.’

The bones themselves also hint that these men were soldiers, not Danish townsfolk rounded up on the orders of a fearful king.

Dave added: ‘When they actually did more analysis on the bones in a lab later, they discovered older wounds.

‘If you break something, you actually see where the bone mended itself. It’s almost like an extra bone growth on top of it… they found a lot of these trauma wounds where the bone had been reworked.

‘So from that evidence, it’s highly likely that these were trained, professional soldiers… the bones were also very robust, compared to the Anglo Saxon population. So, they appear to have been big beefcake fighters with huge muscles.’

Whatever happened at Oxford, the pattern did not end there. In Dorset, a second mass grave was discovered a year later. Radiocarbon dating placed it in the same period as the St John’s College massacre, and these men, too, were likely Scandinavian soldiers or mercenaries.

Two mass graves, hundreds of miles apart, both filled with slaughtered Nordic men from the same narrow window of history.

Listen to Buried Evidence in full to hear Rideal and Dave’s verdict on what really happened. Subscribe to The Crime Desk to access new episodes one week early.

Cambridge City Council approved the Market Square plans but details of the gates must still be provided before they are installed

Plans to reimagine Cambridge’s Market Square could include nine-foot tall security gates branded “fundamentally tragic” by traders. Cambridge City Council approved the refurbishment at a planning meeting on Wednesday (September 2), but further details of the gates must be submitted before they are approved.

A design and access statement by Cartwright Pickard said the gates were part of plans to tackle antisocial behaviour alongside better lighting, CCTV, and an extension of market opening hours. Plans submitted in November 2025 show the proposed four gates, which would be locked every evening, with a height of 2.751m or around nine feet.

Council planning officers told the meeting they weren’t convinced the gates would be in the right place, as they block the north-south main route. They proposed the condition that no gates will be installed until further details are submitted and approved.

Zoe Harding, a market trader, called the gating of civic spaces “fundamentally tragic” and expressed concerns the current design could “destroy” the market. She sent councillors an alternative plan which would create and maintain “desire lines” and remove “the need for the gates”.

Councillor Tim Bick said he supported the wider scheme as a compromise, but would prefer all the stalls be removable to create open space in the market at night.

The Lib Dem councillor said: “Partly because of the effect of empty stalls in the evenings when the market is closed, the square is then prone to much antisocial behaviour by the provision of multiple concealed areas.

“I have instead assurances on antisocial behaviour that additional deterrence will come from better lighting, more natural surveillance through the design through better CCTV, from the gating of new fixed stalls and regular security visits.

“We can’t simply address those uncertainties and concerns by never adapting the market square or refurbishing it while the infrastructure falls further behind modern standards and the growth in the footfall that we see. Especially when we have the chance of significant investment that many city centres would look on with envy.”

The plans include a number of removable stalls at the Guildhall side to allow for events to be held but there will be a number of fixed stalls, including where the gates are proposed.

Cllr Dave Baigent raised concerns the plans could harm the heritage of the city’s market. The Your Party councillor said: “It will no longer be a street market, there will be sheds all over – that is a real matter of heritage. People will look back I’m sure in 20 years time and go, ‘where’s the market gone?’ because this is the beginning of an erosion of our city’s heritage.”

Cllr Robert Dryden said: “Our policy is it should be public open space and not obstructed by anything – if it’s got locked gates it’s not open public space any more.” The Labour councillor said he would not be voting to approve the plans because of the reasons for refusal given by officers.

The council approved the refurbishment plans but under the condition that no security gates are to be installed until details about their location, design, and colour have been submitted and approved.

The 81-year-old pensioner was killed in a deadly attack by an ostrich on his daughter’s exotic-animal farm — after making one crucial mistake he had been warned against.

In a truly devastating and bizarre animal death, an 81-year-old man was killed by a 28stone (400lbs) ostrich on his daughter’s exotic animal farm.

Fred W Parker from Winlock, Washington, USA, was killed by the aggressive bird and found dead inside the ostrich’s cage on the farm in Park Road. His daughter, Linda Carter, said she could not comprehend why her father went into the bird’s pen in the first place, as they usually fed the ostrich by throwing food over the fence.

The Chronicle reported Linda as saying: “We knew that he (the ostrich) was aggressive, but we never dreamed that he would take anyone’s life.”

The incident occurred on June 27, 1999, and Linda had shared at the time that she had ‘no intention’ of culling the ostrich because of her father’s death.

Fred’s daughter said: “I have no intention right now of destroying my ostrich because of my father’s death. The ostrich was protecting his domain. It’s just like any wild animal. You don’t go in a bear’s pen, you don’t go in an ostrich’s pen.”

The pensioner’s family shared that he had heart trouble, and in a cruel irony, Fred was afraid of ostriches.

The octogenarian was found dead by his daughter on a Sunday night inside a male ostrich called King Tut’s pen on Linda’s exotic-animal farm. Linda had reportedly been at a loss to explain why her father had decided to make the fatal decision.

Fred lived on his daughter’s farm in a recreational vehicle, and had been alone when he was feeding the deadly flightless bird. He had been left in charge of feeding the ostriches, emus, potbellied pigs and llamas that weekend, however, according to his daughter Linda, the task didn’t involve entering King Tut’s pen.

According to The Seattle Times, Linda explained: “He knew to throw the food over the fence.” Chief Criminal Deputy Joe Doench shared that the case has been referred to the Lewis County prosecutor.

Coroner Terry Wilson shed some light on the circumstances surrounding Fred’s death, sharing that the pensioner’s neck had been broken, and as per him, the 81-year-old’s bad heart probably contributed to his demise.

Coroner Terry suspected it wasn’t a peck that killed Fred, sharing: “It wasn’t a peck. This was footwork.” While Fred’s daughter Linda decisively said that she had no plans to kill the bird, Chief Criminal Deputy Joe explained that it was ostrich mating season, a period known for male ostriches becoming aggressive.

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This wasn’t the first time King Tut had shown signs of aggression, as the previous year in 1998, the deadly bird had kicked Linda 10.5 feet.

Fred’s daughter shared she had been raising ostriches for over two years when the fatal incident occurred, and the world’s largest and heaviest bird had been extremely profitable for her, with ostrich meat selling for $9 a pound.

In July that same year, Lewis County Prosecutor Jeremy Randolph ruled that King Tut the ostrich would not face the death penalty and no action would be taken against the bird, or Fred’s daughter Linda.

This owed to the fact that Linda had already instructed her father that he could throw the ostrich’s food over the fence, which clearly meant that Fred hadn’t needed to enter the pen to feed King Tut and the two female ostriches.

According to The Spokesman-Review, Lewis County Prosecutor Jeremy said: “As far as we could see, what more could a person do?”

The prosecutor also said that the male bird had been aggressive due to it being ostrich mating season, and shared that King Tut was considered livestock and was thus protected as the bird was in its pen. The prosecutor added: “It was just doing what ostriches do at this time of year when there’s a man in their pen.”

Fred’s daughter Linda on the other hand, said she would be building a new and more secure pen for her ostriches, with railroad ties secured by a padlock. Linda aimed to have King Tut in the new pen by September that same year.

After it was decided that no action would be taken against the deadly bird, Linda said: “I’m very, very pleased. I’m glad I defended my bird. Losing my father is a very big loss, and I didn’t want to lose my bird, too.”