A man who regularly walks his dog in the woodland has said it is ‘disgusting’

Part of a woodland next to a recycling centre has become a “dumping ground” for scrap metal and other rubbish. Andy Jones, who lives in Arbury, enjoys walking his dog in the woodlands next to Milton Recycling Centre.

However, Andy says part of the woodland is “disgusting” as it is a hotspot for fly-tipping. Every time he goes past this part of the woodland, there are hauls of scrap metal dumped, as well as fridges in ditches and other electrical items.

“I love the woods but it’s so bad – it’s getting worse,” said Andy. “I think it’s always been like that. I think it’s known as a dumping ground. There is all kinds of stuff there. There are ditches filled with stagnant water because the fridges in them are blocking the flow of water.”

Andy finds it “sad” that the area has been left like this. He added: “It’s a nice area, but all of this illegal dumping is ruining the environment. I don’t think many people go there now because of all of the stuff there.”

The woodlands are located next to Milton Recycling Centre, which is used for household waste.

Andy added: “All of this stuff looks like it’s for business use. Maybe people are dumping it there because they don’t want to pay the cost of getting rid of it?”

South Cambridgeshire Council oversees waste collection and fly tipping for the area. However, a council spokesperson said the woodland was privately owned.

A council spokesperson said: “While we understand how upsetting dumped waste can be for residents, the land in question is privately owned and not within our control. Under national government guidance, responsibility for clearing waste on private land rests with the landowner, regardless of the type of waste or how it came to be there.

“We would encourage the landowner to seek advice from the Environment Agency or get in touch with us on the appropriate next steps.”

CambridgeshireLive was unable to contact the private landowner.

United Airlines Flight 169 was landing when it struck a light pole on the adjacent turnpike and footage has emerged which shows the plane also struck a bakery truck

Terrifying footage has captured the moment a passenger jet hit a truck while coming in to land and a major US airport.

United Airlines Flight 169 was landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday, May 3, when it struck a light pole on the adjacent New Jersey Turnpike, as previously reported by the Mirror. New footage has emerged which shows the plane also struck a bakery truck.

The flight, which was arriving from Venice, Italy, was approaching Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey to land. The United Airlines Boeing 767 was travelling more than 257km per hour when it crossed over the turnpike, just outside of the airport, according to flight tracking site Flightradar24.

A preliminary investigation found that a tyre from the plane’s landing gear and the underside of the plane “collided with a pole and a tractor-trailer. The pole then struck a Jeep,” New Jersey State Police spokesman SFC Charles Marchan said in a statement.

“The driver of the tractor-trailer sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital.”

Dashcam footage from within the bakery truck showed the driver travelling. The truck was travelling north on the turnpike to deliver bread products to a Newark airport depot when the incident occurred.

The plane’s landing gear tires suddenly strike the truck, shaking the vehicle and shattering glass.

Driver Warren Boardley was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and was later released.

Nobody on the flight was injured.

The pilots and air traffic control did not appear to be aware of the incident, an Australian news site reported.

The aircraft was instructed to taxi to the gate while other aircrafts continued to land on the runway.

Air traffic controllers reported a “hole in the side of the aeroplane” to an operations vehicle preparing to inspect the runway about half an hour after the landing.

A spokesperson for United Airlines said its maintenance team was evaluating damage to the aircraft and promised “a rigorous flight safety investigation into the incident”.

The plane’s crew has been removed from service as part of the investigation.

The victim also received a photo and a video of a male masturbating

A Co Down man who used his girlfriend’s Facebook profile to send explicit images and messages to one of her friends has been handed a four-month prison sentence.

On Friday at Newtownards Magistrates’ Court, a prosecuting lawyer outlined that the victim received multiple messages, a photo, and a video, purportedly from her friend, on 16 July 2024.

She described how the messages included asking the woman “if she shaved,” how many times she has had intercourse and “what’s the biggest she’s had.”

After the victim also received a photo and a video of a male masturbating, she contacted police and their enquiries led them to 33-year-old Liam Faloon.

At an earlier hearing Faloon, with an address on the Ballyrainey Road in Ards, admitted two charges including sending an unwanted sexual image and sending material which was “grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing nature.”

The charges disclose that Faloon sent images to the complainant without any reasonable belief she was consenting, while either intending to cause her “humiliation, alarm or distress” or intending to gain sexual gratification for himself.

Faloon was due to be dealt with last Tuesday, but defence counsel Sean O’Hare revealed that at that time, the 33-year-old was appearing in Dungannon Court for breaching his Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

In that case, the court heard that Faloon moved from Ards to live with relatives in Tempo, but he failed to alert his Designated Risk Manager and failed to seek permission for the move.

He also failed to get permission to have the mobile phone he was found in possession of.

On Tuesday, Faloon was handed a two-month prison sentence after he admitted the SOPO breaches.

The SOPO was put in place in August 2023 when Faloon was sentenced for offences of sexual communication and sexual assault of child.

When he was sentenced at Belfast Crown Court in August 2023, the court heard how Faloon and the 16-year-old victim had been at a Christening and that he had made “inappropriate jokes” in the chapel.

At a function after the event, Faloon hugged the girl and French kissed her but when she tried to push him away, he held her tight for a few seconds before letting her go.

The court also heard that before that incident, Faloon had sent the child sexualised social media messages.

For those offences, Faloon was handed a 30-month prison sentence but he walked out of court when Judge Paul Ramsey KC suspended it for two years.

In Ards Court on Friday, Mr O’Hare conceded that Faloon is in breach of that suspended sentence, which will now be referred back to the Crown Court for review.

Imposing a four-month prison sentence for sending the explicit material, District Judge Peter Magill told Faloon “this was revolting behaviour.”

“This must’ve been very offensive to this lady,” said the judge, also imposing a three-year restraining order.

The 33-year-old remains on the police Sex Offenders Register for an indefinite period.

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YORK readers have been split down the middle after a letter called for traditional butcher’s shops to return to Shambles – the city’s most famous historic street, now synonymous with Harry Potter-inspired stores, ghost merchandise and wizarding window displays.

While some mourn the loss of food traders and everyday shops for locals, others argue that nostalgia alone cannot reverse economic reality – and that the street’s modern success should be celebrated, not dismantled.

One reader recalled a time when specialist food shops still had a foothold on the Shambles. “Dewhurst’s was still there until about twenty years back,” wrote one commenter. “They couldn’t compete with supermarket butchers. More is the shame.”

Others were far less sentimental. One bluntly dismissed the idea altogether, arguing that “people are eating less meat and go to supermarkets”, suggesting the call to bring back butchers was out of touch with how people shop today.

But for many, the issue runs far deeper than sausages and steaks.

Subscriber John Henderson launched a stinging attack on what he described as the hollowing out of York city centre, blaming decision‑makers for prioritising tourism over residents.

“Yes, we need quirky commercially proven shops,” he wrote, “but this is still York city centre and should be there to provide for the people of York.” He argued that traditional businesses such as butchers and bakeries have been “priced out”, replaced by student accommodation, hotels and novelty shops aimed squarely at visitors.

Several readers agreed that locals are being sidelined – but disagreed on who is to blame.

Shambles in York. Image: Dylan Connell

One pointed out that no single body decides what opens on Shambles. “The market chooses,” they said, adding that once planning consent is in place, it comes down to who can afford the rent.

Another commenter was more scathing about calls for a return to the past. “You want old‑fashioned butchers and bakeries? Get off your backside and open them,” they wrote – a sentiment repeated more than once.

Others argued that Shambles’ transformation should be seen as a success story. One reader said the street had been losing its traditional identity decades ago, long before wizard shops arrived, citing poor parking and “soulless out‑of‑town shopping” as the real culprits.

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“We shouldn’t dismiss the modern recreation of the Shambles,” they wrote. “It is now highly successful and those that have brought this about deserve much praise.” In contrast, they criticised City of York Council for wider decline elsewhere in the city centre.

The debate also reignited strong feelings about the so‑called Harry Potter shops themselves. One reader defended the original wizard‑themed store, describing it as a clever and legally savvy idea that became an instant hit when it opened in 2017.

Under a free‑market system, they argued, the shop has every right to be there.

“This isn’t a political issue,” the commenter added. “It’s pure economics.”

Others injected a dose of historical reality into the discussion, questioning whether people really want Shambles to return to its original form. One asked whether today’s shoppers would tolerate carcasses hanging outside shopfronts, or animals being slaughtered on site – practices that were once commonplace on the medieval street.

Several readers also noted that traditional food traders haven’t disappeared entirely. “There is a perfectly good butcher stall… in Newgate Market within 50 yards of the Shambles,” one pointed out.

In the end, the comments reveal a city wrestling with a familiar question: should York’s most famous street serve daily life for locals, or capitalise on the tourism that keeps it thriving?

For now, Shambles remains what the market has made it – and York’s readers remain anything but united on whether that should change.

What do you think?

Feel strongly about an issue? Write us a letter. Please write no more than 250 words and you must provide your full name, address and mobile number. Send your views by email to: letters@thepress.co.uk

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Too often, women are told to ‘sit like a lady’, which usually results in one knee being crossed over the other.

If I had to bet on it, I’d guess you’re sitting in this exact position now, while reading this. Am I right?

For some, sitting this way is just comfortable, but for others, it’s about modesty. And a few will have had it drilled into them that it’s the most ‘lady-like’ way to sit. Sigh.

Some celebs, such as Billie Eilish and Lady Gaga have rebelled against this notion, being praised for adopting more ‘masculine’ seating positions during interviews.

If you’re thinking of doing the same and spreading out on your seat, we’ve got even more reason for you to do so, as experts warn this ‘lady like’ position could actually be damaging your health.

Why is sitting with one knee over the other bad for you?

Anisha Joshi, an osteopath with two decades of clinical experience, tells Metro that the reason this particular position is considered harmful is because of one primary reason: ‘asymmetry.’

She explains: ‘Sitting cross-legged on a chair rotates one hip while the other stays relatively neutral, which means one side of your pelvis, hip, and lower back is working differently to the other.

‘Over time, that imbalance may contribute to tightness in the hip rotators, uneven load through the lower spine, and discomfort that people often can’t immediately trace back to how they’ve been sitting.’

Another thing to consider is blood flow.

When you cross your legs, particularly at the knee, it can temporarily increase blood pressure as the top leg exerts pressure on the veins of the bottom leg.

What is the best position to sit in?

If you’re going to be seated for a long stretch, there’s an alternative option for you.

Anisha says: ‘A good starting point is both feet flat on the floor, knees roughly at hip height or lower, and your lower back lightly supported.’

However, she adds that ‘movement is really what matters most.

Anisha continues: ‘More important than getting the ‘perfect’ position is changing it regularly. Even if that means shifting your weight, stretching your legs out, or standing up for a couple of minutes every 30 to 40 minutes.’

While Anisha recognises the specific impact the ‘ladylike position’ can have, she notes that when we when we hold any position for a long time, the muscles supporting that posture start to ‘fatigue, circulation slows in the areas under pressure, and the joints aren’t getting the fluid movement they need to stay healthy.’

‘That’s true whether you’re sitting upright, slouched, or cross-legged, the problem is the stillness, not just the shape.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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It’s a big year for Manchester Airport. As well as emerging from a decade-long £1.3 billion makeover, it’s got a slate of new routes that bring more choice to passengers than ever before.

The UK’s global gateway in the north already offers a network unparalleled outside London, with more than 200 destinations served by 50 airlines.

But that network is expanding further in 2026, with several new services confirmed from the likes of easyJet, Jet2and Ryanair.

Of most interest to Metro readers is likely to be Jet2’s inaugural route to Samos, which left Manchester for the first time on Friday, May 1.

The Greek island, which lies just off the coast of Turkey in the Aegean Sea, is renowned for its golden beaches and lush, mountainous landscape.

Like every part of Greece, Samos is steeped in history. The Ancient Greeks considered it to be one of the most spiritual places in the Mediterranean.

Beyond its low-key resorts and the lively capital, Vathy, there are off-the-beaten-track beaches and quiet spots in the forested inland mountains where traditional life continues.

Jet2 will operate twice-weekly services on Tuesday and Friday until the end of October.

The Manchester flight will be followed by one to Samos from Birmingham Airport on May 4, and another from London Stansted on May 7.

Elsewhere, Manchester Airport has announced a first-ever route to North Africa that bosses say will ‘make a huge difference to thousands of people’.

Algeria will soon be added to the list of more than 60 countries the airport offers direct flights to.

Air Algérie has announced a new twice-weekly service to the Algerian capital Algiers starting this summer, with the inaugural flight pencilled in for Sunday, June 14.

The airport said it would be the first ever direct flight from Manchester to Africa’s largest country.

Manchester will become the only UK airport outside of London with a direct link to Algiers.

And there’s never been a better time to visit.

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Lonely Planet included Algiers as one of its top off-the-beaten-track Mediterranean destinations for 2026.

Home to grand Roman ruins, historic cities and otherworldly landscapes, Algeria has all the ingredients for a classic bucket list adventure.

It’s just a short hop from Europe, with snow-flecked mountains and stunning coastline in the north, and surreal sand seas in the south.

It’s one of the few places in the world where you can go skiing in the mountains in the morning and hiking in the desert at night.

Travellers have previously been deterred by its famously complex visa system, but now, the ‘sleeping beauty’ of African tourism is finally waking up.

In recent years, Morocco has become popular with British holidaymakers.

But just two hours east lies comparatively undiscovered Algiers, the coastal capital known for its fascinating history, richly textured architecture and labyrinthine streets that spill down into the Bay.

We recommend a twin-city break that takes in Constantine, which featured in Metro’s places to visit for 2026.

Dubbed the ‘City of Bridges’, it is built across a deep gorge (a bit like Ronda in Spain) and connected by a network of walkways that earned the UNESCO-listed ancient city its name.

Enjoy the lot with barely another tourist in sight.

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When Emmanuel realised his university course wasn’t the right fit for him, he decided to take a ‘leap of faith’. Years after first starting up his YouTube channel during the Covid lockdown, he decided to pursue it full-time.

His videos were filmed on a smartphone and only garnered a few thousand views. He performed rap battles with friends, asked people to show off their talents in the street, and knocked on random houses asking for their WiFi password before having doors slammed in his face.

Posts were titled “Can I have your WiFi password????”, “Shocking try not to laugh challenge!!!” and “Fake employee prank” showing perplexed staff as he toured a supermarket dressed in their uniform.

The 26-year-old later pivoted to street interviews with no agenda. He ventured out to see ‘what the public had to say’. But it was when one of his clips rapidly went viral on Tik Tok, that he knew he’d found a winning formula.

“I didn’t think anything of it,” he told the M.E.N. “I was just going around chatting to people and wanted to see what the public had to say in general.

“I randomly asked someone a general knowledge question and they gave me a funny answer. When I posted it, it went viral and got over 10 million views. I’d asked someone what Queen Elizabeth’s surname was, and they said Princess Diana.

“I had started my social media in lockdown when we weren’t doing anything. It was just videos on YouTube with my friends and it was on and off for a while. I’d ask people if they had any talents to show the world. We’d do rap battles and someone would have to rhyme with the next word.

“But I changed my format after the TikTok video. At the time I was studying a broadcast journalism masters at university and I wasn’t really enjoying it, so decided to take a leap of faith and try to make people laugh and bring some joy into their lives.”

With half a million followers on Instagram, 766,000 on TikTok and 156,000 on YouTube, Emmanuel has found his niche. It’s simple: he goes around the streets asking random members of the public general knowledge questions, and documents the range of ridiculous answers.

The capital of the UK? England. The name of a female cat? Catty. What country is Mexico City in? America. Ten per cent of 300? Three.

Originally from Birmingham, Emmanuel moved up to Manchester and now films his videos across the city and beyond, in the likes of Bury and Salford, and is often recognised. His favourite spot is Piccadilly Gardens.

“I was getting a lot of no’s at the start and still do, but I was persistent. I knew if I asked 100 people, I might get 80 that wouldn’t speak to me, but 20 that would. It helps more now because people do recognise me.

“I used the traction to build up my audience. I think its the simplicity of it. There isn’t a lot going on, it’s just me with a microphone and people giving crazy answers.

“Viewers tend to love my face when people get it wrong, and how I look at the camera. It isn’t over edited, it’s all real. It’s just me asking questions and people love it. We live in an age with AI and over the top editing, and I think people just want something authentic that makes them laugh.

“A lot of the comments are positive. People have told me how their videos have helped them through a rough time and made them laugh. One kid came up to me in town and said they’d helped him in hospital after he had suicidal thoughts. They get to me and make me really happy.”

In a recent video filmed in Bury’s Mill Gate shopping centre, two girls said that Mexico City was in America. When asked how they got there, one responded “a plane.”

Another clip showing a man leaning on a bin at Salford Precinct featured Emmanuel asking what the plural term was for child. “Plural, what do you mean by that?” the man answered, before continuing: “I agree, people should be able to have as many kids as they want” and discussing abortion laws in Ireland.

Along Market Street he asks a teenage boy “what continent are we in right now?” to which he responds: “Town.” When asked how he ‘got there’, he says “Bus.”

“It is all real,” Emmanuel said. “I don’t think people are stupid, I think it’s the pressure of being on camera. I have a mic and a camera, so when I am asking questions people are under pressure, it builds up and then they get it wrong. There are some people where I don’t know what’s going on in their brains.

“There are so many ridiculous answers. I’m never surprised anymore. Every day it’s different wrong answers and it’s funny. I’m just used to it now.”

On his ballooning success, he explained: “I am so grateful. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with big brands, and am invited to events and film premiers. I want to take my work towards documentaries and see the world, and I want my own game show. That’s where I’m taking it.”

And asked where his favourite spot to film is, he said: “For me, it’s Piccadilly Gardens. I have a lot of success there. It’s a busy place and there are so many characters there.”

You can follow Emmanuel on YouTube here and on his Instagram profile @eman.rtm.

One in three Scots live in fear of losing their home in the next few years, shock figures have revealed.

One in three Scots suffer from ‘housing anxiety’ and live in fear of losing their home in the next few years, shock figures have revealed.

Worries over the cost of living, lack of affordable housing and high rent and mortgage payments are all factors leaving more than than a third of Scots stressed over how they will keep a roof over their heads, according to the poll from dozens of organisations.

But what is ‘housing anxiety?’

The Everyone Home collective, a group of more than 40 organisations working around housing and homelessness, asked 1000 Scots last month how concerned they were about losing their home in the next few years.

Around 35% said they were concerned, while almost half of young people (49%) between 18 to 24 said they were worried about it.

Around 21% quizzed by the Everyone Home collective poll said they were much more likely to vote for a political party that prioritises reducing homelessness more effectively in the next five years.

Margaret-Ann Brunjes, chief executive at Homeless Network Scotland, which convenes the collective, said the figures show housing insecurity is “no longer a fringe issue” and is “a weight on the minds of people across Scotland”.

She said: “Younger generations, in particular, feel increasingly locked out of the stability they need to build their lives.”

Gordon Llewellyn-MacRae, Assistant Director at Shelter Scotland explained the signs that Scots might be suffering from ‘housing anxiety’, saying worry is being fuelled by a “fundamentally broken” housing system.

He said: “Many are familiar with that sense of ‘there’s no money left at the end of the month’ and facing that fear of ‘if things went wrong, would I be able to keep this roof over my head?’ That anxiety, that worry, reaches well beyond the smaller but unfortunately growing number of people who fall into the formal homelessness system.

“What these figures do is show just how fragile people think their housing security is. That worry, we know, contributes to why people may find themselves staying in a place that might not meet their needs but they are filled with fear that they can’t afford anything better or if their own personal circumstances change they may struggle.

“We, in Scotland today. see the rise in homelessness and the falling number of new homes being built and we also see people living longer, people living by themselves more often.

“It shouldn’t be automatic that losing your job or becoming ill means losing your home. For some people, a relationship breakdown means the uncertainty of homelessness. We should have a housing system that accommodates the changes in people’s lives. But right now people are scared, they’re worried and these figures show the depth of that anxiety.”

He added: “We certainly see that hope is disappearing for young people. The hope of working hard and being able to afford somewhere decent to live.

“As they look at a lifetime of private renting, where they pay more without the security that previous generations had, it doesn’t come as a surprise that so many have that fear.”

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