The bridge is widely recognised as the world’s oldest railway bridge still in continuous use, carrying trains over the River Skerne on the northern edge of Darlington town centre.

It was built for the pioneering Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR), the line which opened in 1825 and hailed the birthplace of the modern passenger railway.

The bridge famously carried George Stephenson’s Locomotion No.1 and a train of coal wagons and passengers on September 27, 1825, the opening day of the S&DR

That journey marked the first time the general public could travel by steam train, turning this modest stone arch into a symbol of a transport revolution that would spread around the world.

A closer look at the design

The bridge was designed in local stone by architect and engineer Ignatius Bonomi, who produced a single main arch over the river with two smaller arches at either side for footpaths.

Built by contractor Francis Peacock of Yarm, the structure was deliberately solid and unfussy.

Its location over the Skerne was one of the most challenging points on the original line, spanning what was then regarded as the biggest ravine on the S&DR.

When traffic grew more quickly than expected, the earth embankments leading to the bridge began to slump, forcing the company to return to the site within just a few years.

How the bridge was saved

By 1828, only three years after opening, the heavy coal traffic was already putting serious pressure on the new railway and the approaches to Skerne Bridge.

In 1829 the company brought in Heighington builder John Falcus Carter to carry out vital strengthening work.

Carter added curved flanking walls to hold in the embankments and protect Bonomi’s original arch, reshaping the way the bridge looks from the surrounding paths.

Further alterations in the early 1830s allowed the main line to be doubled, creating the widened bridge that appears in later Victorian paintings and engravings.

(Image: ANDREW WHITE)

From £5 note to national “100 Places”

Although it sits just off Northgate and within walking distance of Darlington station, Skerne Bridge fell from view for much of the 20th century as vegetation and neighbouring development closed in around it.

Even so, its importance was recognised nationally when it appeared on the back of the British £5 note in the early 1990s, the only bridge ever to be given that honour.

Historic England has since named Skerne Bridge as one of its “100 Places” – a list of irreplaceable historic sites that have shaped England’s story.

The structure is protected as both a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument.

Restoration and Hopetown Darlington

Ahead of the 195th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 2020, Network Rail carried out a programme of cleaning and maintenance on Skerne Bridge.

Stonework was carefully cleaned and vegetation stripped back to make the bridge visible again from nearby roads and paths.

At the same time, the wider Hopetown Darlington project has opened up new ways to reach the bridge on foot and by bike.

A well-lit walking and cycling route now links John Street and Albert Road with the riverside, giving people a safe route under and around the arches as part of a wider heritage trail.

(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Trains still crossing today

Nearly two centuries after Locomotion No.1 first crossed the River Skerne, modern services still rumble over the same stonework.

Today the bridge carries local trains on the Bishop Auckland to Saltburn route, a short distance from the East Coast Main Line which links London, Yorkshire, Durham, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

For passengers, the crossing passes in a matter of seconds and often goes unnoticed behind the carriage windows.

But each train adds another chapter to a story of continuous use that no other railway bridge in the world can match.

How to see it for yourself

Skerne Bridge sits close to John Street, off Northgate, where a riverside path follows the Skerne and passes directly under the arches.

Gareth Stark was caught on camera slapping the back of his baby’s head in KFC

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A dad not only ‘violently shook’ his three-month-old baby to death, he was also caught on camera hitting the baby in KFC. Gareth Stark ‘deliberately’ slapped the back of young Leon Stark’s head while in the restaurant in Stafford.

Just three days later, the poor baby was left with multiple brain, eye and spinal injuries during a moment of ‘forceful’ shaking, BirminghamLive reports. The 38-year-old dialled 999 but lied, claiming he had put Leon down in his crib and found him ‘unresponsive’ with a red rash on his body 30 minutes later.

Leon was rushed to hospital but sadly died a week later. Stark, of Masefield Drive, Stafford, was today (May 15) jailed for nine years for manslaughter and battery.

Sentencing at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Farrer KC said the assault in KFC was ‘not a forceful blow’ and that Stark did not ‘intend to cause Leon injury’. But he said Stark inflicted a ‘traumatic shaking injury’ on his baby just days later and ‘acted in gross breach of trust’.

He said Leon was ‘extremely vulnerable’ because of his age, adding: “You obviously knew that and it should have been obvious to you that forcefully shaking him was highly likely to cause, at least, serious harm.”

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Stark admitted battery on October 9, 2023, and manslaughter on October 20, 2023, both on a basis – he said he ‘recklessly assaulted’ Leon in KFC and three days later, was unable to stop him from crying so ‘momentarily shook him in frustration’.

The court heard how mum Laura Willey had a ‘medically uneventful pregnancy’ before Leon was born via caesarean section in July 2023. The baby was in ‘good condition’, in ‘good health’ and was making ‘steady developmental progress’ before his death.

Stark and Ms Willey were with their son at KFC when the dad ‘deliberately struck’ the tot to the back of his head with an open hand while holding him on October 9, 2023. Leon was left ‘visibly upset’, prosecutor Lisa Hancox said.

Footage from KFC, which was played to the court, captured Stark assaulting his child while Ms Willey’s back was turned. On October 12, Stark caused fatal injuries to Leon during an ‘episode of violent shaking’ at the family’s home in Stafford.

The dad – who had been alone with Leon – called the emergency services just before 3.10pm, the court heard. Leon was taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital before he was transferred to an intensive care unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

It later became clear that the baby’s injuries were ‘unsurvivable’ and he died on October 20. Experts suspected Leon had suffered ‘abusive head trauma’, with a medical cause of death later given as traumatic head injury.

Force used by Stark would have been ‘clearly recognisable’ as ‘excessive’, Ms Hancox said. The dad must have ‘appreciated’ that shaking his son was ‘likely to result in harm’, she added.

Justin Jarmola, defending, pointed to a ‘momentary shake of Leon’, adding: “He shall never forgive himself.

“This guilt shall be with him forever.”

He said Stark has a ‘long history of mental illness’ and is susceptible to difficulties managing any ‘frustration, angry and agitation’. The court heard how Stark was handed a six-month conditional discharge for criminal damage in 2023.

Mr Jarmola added: “There was a lack of premeditation. He does otherwise, in effect, have positive good character.”

Judge Farrer acknowledged Stark has anxiety and bipolar disorder but said he was ‘medicated and not symptomatic’ at the time he caused Leon’s fatal injuries.

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Melissa Rein Lively is charged with assault by beating while Philipp Ostermann, 37, is charged with two racially aggravated public order offences and a further public order offence, after an incident at Bond Street Underground station on the evening of October 11 last year, British Transport Police said on Friday.

The search is on to find contestants for the second series of the show, which is hosted by Alan Carr and Susie Dent.

The first series attracted more than 2.1 million viewers for its opening episode.

A spokesperson for Mothership Productions said: “We are back with even more games, more twists and brand-new ways for viewers at home to play along and test their own smarts alongside the contestants.”

The show celebrates overlooked and underestimated intelligence, giving people a chance to prove just how clever they are through a series of immersive games inspired by Mensa-style challenges.

Adults from all backgrounds across the UK are invited to apply.

The spokesperson added: “Secret Genius celebrates people whose intelligence has been overlooked, underestimated or completely missed, giving them a chance to discover just how brilliant they really are.”

Producers are looking for people who have felt ‘misunderstood’ at school, at work, or even at home, and who believe their true potential has gone unnoticed.

The application process and eligibility details are available at www.geniuscasting.co.uk.

Applications are now open.

A total of 254 issues including problems with plants, street furniture, roads and pavements, along with fly-tipping and graffiti have been reported to City of York Council Neighbourhood Caretakers since October.

The eight-strong team will have been on 31 walkabouts by Monday, May 18 and have visited each of York’s 21 wards at least once since their launch in September.

A council report stated 234 of the 254 issues reported had been resolved, with the remaining 20 passed on to others, found not to be an issue or otherwise closed.

It comes as councillors are set to discuss the performance of the team on Tuesday, May 19.

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The team of seven caretakers and one foreperson is equipped with two light vehicles, one commercial sweeper and other tools.

They cover four areas, North, West, East and Central York, with the division influencing how jobs for the team are prioritised.

Neighbourhood Caretakers aim to address issues raised by councillors and in communities that are not picked up through routine work by other council staff.

They made their debut with a visit to Hull Road ward on Monday, September 29.

Council figures show most of the issues reported to Neighbourhood Caretakers were classed as vegetation problem, totalling 176.

Street cleaning requests numbered 48, with road and pavement problems totalling 25 and two reports made about fly-tipping.

There was one report each related to street furniture problems, graffiti and a category listed as ‘quick log’.

(From left to right) York Council Neighbourhood Caretakers Evan Webster-Barker, Marcus Preston, Chris Ferry, Andrew Wood and Salem Branch (Image: City of York Council)

October saw the highest number of reports to Neighbourhood Caretakers, 69, with the second-highest made in January, 58, the third in March, 44 and the fourth in February, 42.

A total of 26 issues were reported in December and 15 were in November.

Jobs have included clearing plants from an alleyway off Leeman Road and removing weeds from Pateley Place in Holgate.

Overgrown plants have also been cleared from a walkway and cycle route in the Clifton Road and Shipton Road area.

The team has visited Hull Road, Holgate, Westfield, Clifton, Rawcliffe and Clifton Without, Dringhouses and Woodthorpe, Heworth, Guildhall and Micklegate twice each since September for walkabouts.

They have been to Copmanthorpe, Fishergate, Fulford and Heslington, Acomb, Strensall, Rural West York, Heworth Without, Osbaldwick and Derwent, Haxby and Wigginton, Wheldrake, Bishopthorpe and Huntington and New Earswick once.

A walkabout in Huntington and New Earswick is scheduled for Monday, May 18.

Walkabouts typically see ward and parish councillors, authority staff, volunteers, residents association members and sometimes police officers visit areas to find issues Neighbourhood Caretakers can deal with.

Residents are also encouraged to take part in community action days to help with lower-level issues such as litter-picking and painting fences.

For Liverpool, meanwhile, Arne Slot is once again left to pick up the pieces and he has yet more injuries to work around after losing both Alexander Isak and Jeremie Frimpong ahead of this match. Catch up with the action as it happene below with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog, complete with expert insight and analysis.

Northampton: Furbank, Freeman, Litchfield, Hutchinson, Hendy, Smith, McParland; Iyogun, Smith, Millar Mills, Coles, Prowse, Kemeny, Pollock, Chick

Replacements: Walker, Fischetti, Green, Van Der Mescht, Pearson, Graham, Mitchell, Dingwall

Sin-bin: Prowse

Bristol: Lane, Rees-Zammit, Janse van Rensburg, Williams, Ravouvou, Jordan, Randall; Genge, Thacker, Kloska, Dun, Batley, Owen, Harding (c), Grondona

Replacements: Gwilliam, Woolmore, Lahiff, Taylor, Ivanishvili, Marmion, Moroni, Heward

Sin-bin: Ravouvou, Batley, Moroni

Referee: Luke Pearce

Southwest Airlines has banned all humanoid or animal-like robots from its flights, according to a new update on the carrier’s website.

The Dallas-based airline confirmed that these types of robots are now banned from both the cabin and the cargo hold, regardless of their size or intended use.

The carrier defines a “human-like robot” as any machine designed to imitate human appearance, movement or behavior. Similar definitions were applied to animal-like robots.

The policy change follows several incidents involving robots on Southwest flights that gained traction on social media.

In one instance, a flight departing from Oakland was delayed while crew members determined how to secure a robot. While the airline initially treated the machine as a carry-on item that could not occupy a seat, the flight eventually proceeded after the robot was moved to a window seat and its battery was removed.

A more recent case involved a 3.5-foot humanoid robot named “Stewie,” owned by Dallas entrepreneur Aaron Mehdizadeh.

As reported by CBS News Texas, Mehdizadeh purchased a separate seat for the robot for a flight from Las Vegas to Dallas rather than shipping it as freight.

“Most people were very excited to see a robot flying and [it] provided so much entertainment,” Mehdizadeh told the outlet. To meet security protocols, the robot was fitted with a smaller battery and filmed walking through the airport terminal.

Southwest has cited the lithium-ion batteries used to power such machines as a primary safety concern. According to the airline, these batteries have previously caused onboard fires, including one incident that resulted in an emergency landing in San Diego, NBC 5 Dallas reported.

Under the new guidelines, smaller robots and toys are still permitted on board, provided they fit within standard carry-on dimensions and adhere to existing hazardous materials regulations regarding battery size.

The airline’s updated baggage policy now explicitly states: “Southwest Airlines does not allow human-like or animal-like robots to be transported in the cabin or as checked baggage, regardless of size or purpose.”

Ben Shapiro has announced that his conservative outlet, the Daily Wire, cut 13 percent of staff this year, following reports that his media empire was “collapsing.”

Shapiro called the layoffs “truly sad” in a video clip from his podcast, The Ben Shapiro Show, released on social media Friday.

After reports from The Washington Post and New York Magazine’s Intelligencer about sizable layoffs at the Daily Wire, Shapiro admitted, “It’s true.”

“The Daily Wire laid off some 13 percent of our workforce since the beginning of the year. And that really sucked. It was truly sad because all those people are great,” he said.

Shapiro said he is personally helping as many of his laid-off workers find new jobs as he can “because everybody who we let go deserves a job somewhere else. They’re great folks.”

The Daily Wire was co-founded by Shapiro in 2015. The outlet describes itself as “opinionated” and “noisy.”

The Washington Post reported Saturday that Shapiro’s critics believe the Daily Wire’s “relevance to the right has irrevocably collapsed.”

Daily Wire spokesman Brad Bishop told The Washington Post that the company still has more than 200 employees and that most of the layoffs mainly occurred at its headquarters in Nashville.

Intelligencer then published a piece called “Why Ben Shapiro’s Media Empire Is Collapsing” on Thursday, which noted the Daily Wire’s website has become “one of the great traffic losers in conservative media.”

Shapiro defended his outlet’s popularity, noting in Friday’s video that DailyWire+ is ranked sixth on Podtrac’s top global podcast chart with more than 41 million streams, downloads and views as of April. The Daily Wire is one of Podtrac’s supporters.

At the center of both reports on the layoffs are claims that the outlet’s traditional conservatism no longer aligns with other members of the right.

“Ben Shapiro has become the avatar of a strand of conservatism that has been taking it on the chin for years,” Nicole Hemmer, a conservative-media historian at Vanderbilt University, told The Washington Post.

“And they are now losing favor within the conservative movement, which is as much a problem for [President Donald] Trump as it is for Ben Shapiro,” Hemmer added.

Shapiro claimed in his video that “the media left and the woke right…they are attempting to destroy traditional conservatism.”

The Daily Wire co-founder wrote on social media alongside his video, “All the haters can kiss my a**.”

The Independent reached out to the Daily Wire for comment, which referred to Shapiro’s podcast clip.

Mathew Gilkes, 47, from Chorley, has been jailed for 16 years, having previously pleaded guilty to 42 offences, including so-called ‘upskirting’ and child sex offences.

An indefinite sexual harm prevention order was also imposed to prevent further offending.

Gilkes was arrested after his car was traced from the leisure centre, where children reported seeing him with his phone held under their cubicle, taking photographs whilst they were changing.

More than 80 electronic devices, including mobile phones, computers, cameras, memory cards and spy pens were recovered from his address, which included over 5,000 indecent images and videos of children.

His devices also revealed he has been posing online as two different teenage boys, as well as a woman, in order to groom and manipulate young girls via social media.

Stacey Gosling for the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Mathew Gilkes is a sexual predator and a danger to children.

“Not only did he abuse his position as a teacher by taking covert intimate images of children, but he also sought out other victims online and at the leisure centre for his own sexual gratification.

“He gave no thought to the lasting damage his abuse would have on young victims and, when caught by police, was found to have a staggering number of indecent images showing his depraved offending knew no limits.

“I would like to thank the victims for reporting the abuse and supporting the prosecution, as without their intervention, Gilkes’ online grooming operation may well have continued in secret.

“I hope today’s outcome sends a clear message that the Crown Prosecution Service are dedicated to bringing those who exploit children to justice.”

Gilkes’s offending came to light when two children in the changing rooms of a leisure centre reported that they saw a mobile phone under the door as they were changing after swimming on August 1, 2024.

Two weeks later, a similar incident was reported with Gilkes caught on CCTV at the centre.

Police arrested Gilkes near his home address on August 14 of the same year.

He did not comment in his police interview, and when his home was searched, over 80 electronic devices were found, including mobile phones, computers, cameras, memory cards and spy pens.

More than 5,000 indecent images and videos were found on his devices, of which more than half were images or videos taken under clothing without consent, offences more commonly known as ‘upskirting’.

Officers also found two fake social media accounts, where he was posing as a teenage boy.

Gilkes had spoken to a large number of girls under 16, where he engaged in sexualised communication, shared intimate images and encouraged them to engage in sexual activity despite being unable to consent as they were underage.

Conversations were also found on another platform where Gilkes was posing as a 29-year-old woman. He engaged in sexual communication with the profile of a girl who was just 14 years old.

His school-issued laptop also contained indecent images and search terms indicating he was seeking out indecent images of children.

One victim said it has impacted every part of her life, and another said she is frightened, insecure and has become distrustful.

Gilkes pleaded guilty to 42 charges on November 12, 2025, during a hearing at Preston Crown Court.