Mother and son Cecilia Lusevic, 56, and Mateo Bilis-Lusevic, 12, said they heard a loud bang when the police boat crashed into Westminster Bridge and then watched as the officers were rescued from the Thames.

The visitors from Chile were on a river tour boat on the north side of the central London bridge when they saw the incident. They were evacuated from their vessel shortly after.

Mateo said: “Two boats were riding extremely fast through the water.

“Suddenly, I heard a boom. I was looking towards the boat, and I heard a boom.

“Then three people went flying into the water and one of the people was really hurt.”

He said the officers were in the water for about 10 minutes and a life ring was thrown for one of them.

A black rigid inflatable boat arrived to help them out of the water – the same boat that witnesses said they saw paramedics treating the casualties aboard.

Mateo said emergency services then also arrived.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, external, X, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk, external

Stewart Knowles has faced justice two decades on

A former leader of the Boys’ Brigade carried out vile sexual abuse against a boy.

Stewart Knowles has faced justice two decades on, as his victim bravely revealed the toll his ordeal has taken. The man, a teenager when he was abused in the 2000s, said he was left considering suicide.

Knowles, 62, was found guilty of 18 counts of penetrative and non-penetrative sexual activity with a boy between the ages of 13 and 15 years, Greater Manchester Police said. He was Captain of the Boys’ Brigade in Wigan, when his victim was a member of the Christian youth organisation.

Click here to hear the latest from Manchester’s courts in our newsletter

Knowles was jailed for 16 years. Another man, Andrew Lord, also 62, was found guilty of four counts of penetrative sexual activity.

Lord was invited to abuse the boy with Knowles in the store cupboard of a school in Wigan. Lord not connected with the Boy’s Brigade. He was sentenced to seven years.

In an impact statement, the victim said: “I am providing this statement to explain the impact that the sexual abuse I experienced as a child has had on my life.

“I was sexually abused by Stuart Knowles and Andrew Lord. At the time, I was a child and was unable to understand, prevent, or properly process what was happening to me. The abuse caused me fear, confusion, shame, and distress.

“The actions of both perpetrators have had a profound and lasting effect on my life. The abuse affected my emotional wellbeing, my sense of safety, and my ability to trust others. I have experienced anxiety, depression, flashbacks, nightmares, panic attacks, difficulties with relationships, loss of confidence.

“This relentless abuse has affected my childhood, trust and my life. Instead of feeling safe and protected, I lived with fear and emotional pain.”

Knowles, of Rylands Street, Wigan, and Lord, of Vicarage Road, Orrell, were both sentenced today (July 24) at Manchester Crown Court.

The victim added: “As I grew older, the impact continued. I have struggled with suicide along with other members of my family who have also been deeply traumatised with the horrific events that took place when I should have been in someone’s trust and care.

“These experiences have influenced my relationships, my self-esteem, my mental health, and my daily life. There have been times when the effects of the abuse have made it difficult for me to work, study, maintain relationships, or enjoy life in the way I otherwise might have.

“One of the most significant consequences has been wanting to end my life because of the torture I was subject to and how I struggled to maintain a somewhat stable life due to the fear I faced, and it was something I couldn’t cope with any longer.

“The abuse changed the way I see myself and the world around me. It has affected my ability to feel safe, trust people, and move through life without the burden of what happened.

“The harm caused by the actions of both perpetrators cannot be measured only by the abuse itself. The effects have remained with me long after the abuse ended and continue to influence my life today.

“I want the court to understand that the abuse was not a single event that ended when it stopped. Its effects have been long-lasting and continue to affect my emotional wellbeing, relationships, and quality of life. I make this statement truthfully and from my own experience.”

After the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Lee Shaw, from GMP’s Wigan District, said: “I’d like to thank the survivor, who has shown tremendous strength in coming forward and reporting this abuse, and throughout the process of the investigation.

“I hope these sentences provide a sense of justice for the survivor as they look to move forward with their life. We are here to listen to survivors, and we take all reports seriously.

“We have officers specially trained to support survivors of sexual abuse and we can work at a pace that is suitable for them. We will do everything to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.”

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has advised against all but essential travel to Bahrain and Kuwait.

The warning had previously been lifted for Bahrain on June 18, having been in place since March.

Today, the UK launched the International Peace Fund with Australia and Canada.

For a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, we must support dialogue and build trust on both sides.
@YvetteCooperMP spoke to peace-builders @hibaqasas and @rntamir about what it means to them… pic.twitter.com/FW4Nx0acAo

Advertisement

— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) June 11, 2026

Brits warned against travel to Bahrain and Kuwait

The FCDO has now revised its guidance for Bahrain and Kuwait due to a “risk of more attacks and unforeseen escalation in the region”.

Since July 8, there have been strikes and retaliatory attacks by Iran in several locations across the region, including Bahrain, against US military and civilian infrastructure, according to the FCDO.

A new threat was noted on July 20, when the US Embassy Manama issued an advisory that Iran may seek to target unspecified locations in central Manama.

Kuwait is also under heightened alert, with flight schedules reduced at Kuwait International Airport.

Terminal 1 remains closed, and flights are operating from Terminals 4 and 5 only.

The FCDO has urged travellers to check details with their airline before travelling and follow local guidance.

British nationals in the Middle East – what to do?

British nationals in the region have been advised to be prepared for possible flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions.

They are also urged to:

• Sign up for FCDO Travel Advice email alerts
• Follow local authority guidance
• Monitor both local and international media for the latest information, including updates on airports and airspace that could close at short notice.

Travellers should also stay away from areas around military or security facilities.

The FCDO has reminded people to keep departure plans under regular review and ensure travel documents are up to date.

The FCDO said: “If advised to take shelter, stay indoors or find the nearest safe building or designated shelter.

“An interior stairwell or a room with as few external walls or windows as possible may provide additional protection.

“The greatest risk is from falling debris caused by intercepts, and you are safest inside a secure structure.

“Do not approach or touch any drone or missile fragments or unusual objects.”

Has the conflict in the Middle East affected your travel plans in 2026? Let us know in the poll above or in the comments below.

There has been a heavy police presence around the building for most of the week

Greater Manchester Police is using existing resources to guard Number 10 North in Manchester city centre, with talks understood to be underway over long-term security funding.

The new branch of Downing Street in Manchester city centre, opened for business on Friday (July 24). Prime Minister Andy Burnham told staff ‘this might be the best day of my life’ in an emotional address.

He then spent the day holding meetings and working at the hub, which has been dubbed a ‘situation room for growth’.

Click here for the latest on Greater Manchester’s politics in our newsletter

Mr Burnham is expected to work there at least once a week with other cabinet ministers expected to work from there ‘on a regular basis.’

It is currently based in Heron House, overlooking Albert Square. It’s also home to GCHQ’s Manchester and north west hub, while a permanent home is developed.

Advertisement

Preparations to open the hub began as soon as he took over Mr Burnham took the keys to Number 10 Downing Street. Officers were spotted stationed outside the building from Wednesday (July 22).

There was a large police presence in the area surrounding the building on Friday morning, including armed officers.

GMP has confirmed it is using ‘existing resources’ to provide security outside.

Advertisement

The Manchester Evening News understands talks are underway with government over the funding neccessary to sustain those operations.

A GMP spokesperson said: “We’re aware of developing plans regarding a ‘No10 in the North’ and we are working with relevant departments to implement the necessary security arrangements as plans evolve.

“The cost of this is yet to be determined. Existing resources continue to provide additional security and will continue to do so.”

The PM arrived as part of a convoy and driven straight into the building.

It is understood GMP is only responsible for the area outside and around the building, with the Prime Minister’s personal security organised and funded seperately.

Downing Street said they did not comment on secuirty matters. The Home Office has also been approached for comment.

The changing of prime ministers, rather than marking epochs, has become rather commonplace. For the politically minded, that doesn’t mean that each is without the hovering of Tony Blair’s “hand of history”. A new premiership may last 49 days, or ten years. But a truly remarkable set of circumstances would be needed for Andy Burnham’s term to be fewer than three years. Labour is not a party to defenestrate its leaders. Keir Starmer achieved an unwanted first.

In Downing Street on Monday, a day of uncompromising sunshine and unrelenting news helicopters, several things were note-worthy. There was the lectern, or rather, its absence. The arrival of four feet of varnished wood has become the visual cliche of a turbulent decade in British politics. It was testament too to Burnham’s skill – and confidence – as a communicator that he doesn’t need one.

À lire aussi :
No lectern and the promise of a ‘new model’ – what we can learn from Andy Burnham’s speech

Then there was the silence. Incoming PMs do not name their ministers before they take office, but there had never been such little information. Burnham’s team kept its preparation watertight (early delivery on his promise of an end to a pernicious culture of briefing). The time it took to announce a cabinet, however, suggested friction.

Then there was the speech. Nothing new, but with a thematic coherence that betrays someone who has spent a long time thinking about it. There were political earworms. A “Number 10 in the North”, and “a more preventative state”. There was also a pledge from the curative state: the end of rough sleeping. Though there may have been the professing of “hope”, there was also the eschewing of references to spouses and children; an emotive hallmark of this political age.

There were the firsts. As prime minister Burnham is the first lifelong Catholic. The first of the Labour and Co-operative Party (a sister party of Labour). The first with a degree in English Literature (to listen to Starmer and Burnham is to hear the difference between studying law and studying verse).

There are also the firsts-for-a-while. The first prime minister from a north-west constituency since Harold Wilson; the first Cambridge alumnus prime minister since Stanley Baldwin in 1937.

There was the wait. This was Burnham’s third attempt to be Labour leader. Generally, politicians improve with age (up to a ceiling, though one rarely reached in modern British politics). Burnham first tried to become leader of the Labour party in 2010. He now has 16 years more experience and is, one might assume, a more capable politician. Devolution made him.

Making the cut

There was the hiring, and the firing. “The first essential for a prime minister,” said William Gladstone, prime minister four times in the 19th century, “is to be a good butcher”. There was concern that a politician so pleasant and pleasing as Burnham might also be somewhat squeamish. In the event, the blood stains in the Downing Street carpet may take some time to remove.

Former chancellor Rachel Reeves was reportedly offered a diminished cabinet role, and declined. But given the grounds for the change of regime, the change of regime needed to be seen. That meant not only a new prime minister, but a new deputy prime minister and chancellor.

The choice of John Healey neatly neutralises two key issues for the government: defence spending (Healey resigned from Starmer’s government over this issue), and the markets (Healey is not Ed Miliband). The likely consequence of an increase in defence spending will have been welcomed both by Nato partners and Ukraine’s beleaguered people.

Miliband’s promotion to foreign secretary indicates that, not for the first time, most plum jobs have been used as a consolation prize. Such generosity matters less when a prime minster is their own foreign secretary (a trend broken recently only by Rishi Sunak who outsourced foreign policy to David Cameron). But Burnham is avowedly a domestic “cost-of-living” premier. As chancellor Miliband would have threatened to dominate domestic politics; he will now mostly be out of the country.

Pat McFadden continuing as work and pensions secretary may pique the left with his aversion to inflated welfare spending, though it will reassure more. In contrast, Yvette Cooper’s dizzying collection of cabinet posts – health is her fifth – does little to slow the churn in British politics.

The “vibes PM” started suitably enough: capping bus fares, removing VAT from electricity bills, flirting with raising tax thresholds; popping up in Bath to show that he knows where it is. He also had his first day at Number 10 North, in Manchester.

The prime minister attended the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, taking the opportunity to meet the Scottish first minister and deny him another independence referendum. Burnham’s deeply felt devolution feels to some an English affair. He may need to show some love to the Council of the Nations and Regions.

Finally, there is the weight. Expectations are much greater for Burnham than they were for Starmer: two years in office are felt to have been wasted, at least in part. A Reform UK government may be two years nearer. Burnham himself has said that Labour will get no second chances. He also meant the country.

In Downing Street on Monday evening, the scaffolding that now runs the length of the street on “prime minister day” was dismantled. It had last been used only two years ago.

Burnham will not want to hear it going up again for three years: at the time of his general election announcement. Nor will he want to hear the applause and whoops that accompany an evicted prime minister as they trudge down the street with their spouse – that most hypocritical and aural cliche of a turbulent decade in British politics.

More than 40,000 people have fled from a millionaire’s holiday paradise in France with British tourists caught up in an ‘apocalyptic’ wildfire. 

Mass evacuations have been taking place throughout the day – including by boat – from Cap Ferret in southwestern France, where wildfires have burnt through thousands of hectares of forest and destroyed luxury villas.

The fires, which began on Tuesday in Saumos, Gironde, have burned for days, with 10,000 hectares (almost 25,000 acres) of land being consumed by the flames. 

A 90-minute drive from Bordeaux, the string of fishing villages is a popular destination for Paris’ elite, often compared to the Hamptons in America.

But now, distressed tourists are anxiously fleeing the beloved getaway either on boats or by the only road linking the area with the mainland.

Ross Fitzsimmons and wife Natasha from Hampton in south west London were forced to leave their holiday villa in the village of Claouey on Thursday, when forest fires surged towards them as they had breakfast.

Mr Fitzsimmons, 70, who runs a bespoke picture framing business, had arrived last Saturday with his wife and their two children, meeting his sister and her husband and two children who had flown in from Dublin.

They had originally planned to stay a week but were forced instead to drive to Bordeaux.

Mr Fitzsimmons said: ‘It’s absolutely heartbreaking because the whole Cap Ferret peninsula is such a special place, the smell of the pine, the pristine beaches, the pretty villages by the bay, but to see the forests being destroyed by a wildfire 19 times larger than Richmond Park is devastating.

‘The region is nicknamed the Hamptons of France but it doesn’t do it justice, as it’s far less pretentious and much more beautiful.’

Residents on their bicycle look at smoke rising behind a residential area during a wildfire near Lege-Cap-Ferret, southwestern France on July 23

This picture shows people watching smoke from the beach in Andernos-Les Bains during a fire in Lege-Cap-Ferret forest, southwestern France, on July 23

In southwest France, authorities sent boats to help the evacuation of around 63,000 people, many of them tourists, as two major, separate fires threatened homes and campsites.

Around 40,000 have been forced to flee from the Cap Ferret peninsula – which has the Atlantic on one side and the Bay of Arcachon on the other – while 23,000 were evacuated from Biscarrosse, 25 miles to the south.

Mr Fitzsimmons described how he could see the blaze around 12 miles away on Wednesday night from his local beach.

‘At that point we weren’t concerned all that much because we were here in 2022, and they had wildfires then. [They] had dug trenches and built fire breaks to help contain future outbreaks.

‘But by the following morning, smoke had replaced the clouds and ash was falling from the sky as we ate breakfast. We were getting increasingly nervous.’

‘It was clear that the fire was spreading and that we probably needed to move fast as there’s only one main road in and out of the peninsula, which was obviously going to close if the fire got worse.’

As the family was anxiously packing, they heard an official on a megaphone ‘driving around the village’, warning people to evacuate. 

‘We got out about 4pm yesterday in our hire cars and the whole village was deserted. All the shops were closed and there was hardly a soul around. We’d hired bikes but the hire shop was shut so we left them chained up outside.

‘There were gendarmes and other emergency workers lining much of the road out of the peninsula, it was eerie.’

They had planned to stay in Claouey, on the shore of Arcachon Bay, until Saturday before moving onto Bordeaux but were forced to leave the area as soon as was possible. 

Beach goers rest on the beach of Moutchic in Lacanau, southwestern France on July 24

Advertisement

A beach goer looks at his smartphone as a vendor waits with his cart on the beach of Moutchic in Lacanau, southwestern France on July 24

British tourists who fled from the French cape inferno have described escaping from ‘enormous’ flames after being woken in the night with emergency texts

Ross Fitzsimmons and wife Natasha from Hampton in south west London were forced to leave their holiday villa in the village of Claouey on Thursday, when forest fires surged towards them as they had breakfast

‘We’ve since seen people having to flee on boat in dramatic fashion and it’s just awful. The locals are laid back and lovely and the forests, the beaches and villages are simply stunning.

‘I hope they contain these fires as soon as possible. The Cap Ferret peninsula is a really special place for us, we’ve been several times over the years and absolutely adore the place,’ he said.

‘A total of 80 homes have burnt, around 50 of which have been completely destroyed,’ French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez earlier told reporters.

Residents have described the inferno as ‘mega-fire’ and ‘apocalyptic’, while French President Emmanuel Macron has requested urgent help from the European Union as the country’s growing battle against wildfires intensifies. 

‘It breaks my heart. Because it’s such a pleasant place to live, seeing it go up in smoke is truly sad,’ said family caregiver Corinne Paillaube.

‘It’s totally apocalyptic,’ said Ambre Dubos, from the nearby Landes region.

‘France has requested the activation of the European Union’s civil protection mechanism. We will soon be able to count on reinforcements from two Croatian Canadair aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor planes, as well as two heavy Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia,’ wrote Macron on X on Friday.

Sophie Brocas, the prefect for the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, ordered the ‘final phase’ of the peninsula evacuation early on Friday morning.

The fires, which began on Tuesday in Saumos, Gironde, have burned for days, with 10,000 hectares (almost 25,000 acres) of land being consumed by the flames 

Advertisement

Aerial view of the wildfire spreading toward Lege-Cap-Ferret, in Gironde, on July 23

Sophie Brocas, the prefect for the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, ordered the ‘final phase’ of the peninsula evacuation early on Friday morning

This handout satellite photograph taken on July 24, 2026 and released by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows smoke rising from the wildfire in Le Porge and Lege-Cap-Ferret

Lege-Cap-Ferret in southwestern France is in the middle of a total evacuation with thousands of hectares of forest burning and sprawling villas going up in smoke

Advertisement

People are being told to leave via the main D106 road towards Bordeaux while vessels were being made available for others between 7am and 10am local time (6am BST and 9am BST) from four piers. 

Aircraft from Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are on their way to assist in the emergency, which the local prefect has described as an ‘XXL fire’.

The Cap Ferret peninsula has a year-round population of just under 8,000 but that can swell by 10 times that number in peak summer season. 

A firefighter was injured after a gas cylinder exploded in a burning house. Shocking footage shows the moment a reporter at the scene reacted to the blast. 

Headmaster David Morton, 53, from Gloucester had been on holiday with his wife and sons when they received an emergency text alert overnight on Thursday telling them to evacuate.

They were staying in a house in Petit Piquey, along the peninsula, when they were jolted awake at 3am local time (1am GMT) by emergency texts and an alert on the property’s landline.

‘We got in our car, packed everything up as quickly as we could… and then set off and joined a very long, slow-moving queue of traffic,’ he told the BBC.

‘Everyone was driving with their lights on, driving very slowly – there was lots of fire service people, ambulances, police on the other side of the road controlling things and we could see several fires in the distance as we drove.’

As they drove past the blaze near Lège, Mr Morton described the inferno as ‘enormous’.

‘You could see the whole forest was on fire and that really brought it home what a major fire it was.’

He said the evacuation was ‘well-controlled’ with people being ‘very respectful and sensible’.

‘It’s different from seeing it on the television… seeing it blazing out of control despite hundreds and hundreds of firemen and women helping.’

Headmaster David Morton, 53, from Gloucester had been on holiday with his wife and sons when they received an emergency text alert overnight on Thursday telling them to evacuate

A firefighter suffers an open fracture after a gas cylinder explodes as the Saumos forest fire reaches a house on the outskirts of Lege-Cap-Ferret, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France on July 23

Some 20,000 people within the Gironde region had already been evacuated on Thursday, many of whom were visitors to campsites on the peninsula.

Patrick Martineau, a 69-year-old resident of Le Porge, south of Bordeaux, said: ‘The gendarmes came and knocked on every door, the fire was about 500 metres away – we grabbed some things and left.’

Further down the Atlantic coast, around the town of Biscarrosse in France’s Landes region, another major blaze that began on Thursday afternoon has triggered the evacuations of more than 23,000 people.

‘From our home, we had a view of the fires … We could see the clouds becoming darker and darker,’ said Yoan Urien, who left late on Thursday after police told everyone in his neighbourhood in the town of Biscarrosse to leave.

‘I was able to find somewhere to take shelter with my pets, but … it’s quite a shock,’ the 26-year-old told Reuters.

About 18,000 people in Biscarrosse and 5,000 in Parentis-en-Born had to flee from their homes, campsites, a nursing home and a summer camp.

Videos taken in Biscarrosse captured scenes of chaos, showing several cars rushing down roads to get away from nearing flames.

Separate footage showed horses frantically running down a street as a huge black cloud of smoke engulfed the town. 

Minister of the Interior Laurent Nuñez said on Friday that the fire in Biscarrosse is ‘difficult to control’, adding that around 100 homes had been burned or damaged by the flames. 

It comes as the Landes prefect, Gilles Clavreul, expressed concern due to the fire’s ‘exceptional intensity’, noting that the blaze had affected industrial areas, commercial zones and homes. 

Some 550 firefighters were battling the Biscarrosse fire on Friday and received support from two Canadair water bombers. 

Firefighters have also resorted to using bulldozers to ‘create lines of defence’, according to the local municipality. 

Meanwhile, residents of a Biscarrosse care home have been evacuated to Dax. 

The town’s mayor Julien Dubois on Friday welcomed evacuees in a Facebook post, saying: ‘As mayor of Dax, I want to tell our neighbours in the northern Landes region that they are not alone.’ 

Pictured: The remains of a property in Lege-Cap-Ferret after a fire tore through the outskirts of the French commune

A fast-moving wildfire reaches the outskirts of Lege-Cap-Ferret after worsening weather conditions fuel its rapid spread

People are being told to leave via the main D106 road towards Bordeaux while vessels were being made available for others between 7am and 10am local time (6am BST and 9am BST) from four piers

The Cap Ferret peninsula has a year-round population of just under 8,000 but that can swell by 10 times that number in peak summer season

Advertisement

Lège is the only one of the peninsula’s 11 villages that is currently threatened by the fire

The Cap Ferret peninsula, often likened to the upscale Hamptons in the United States, is home to expensive properties where wealthy Parisians and Bordelais come to sip white wine and feast on oysters. 

Lège is the only one of the peninsula’s 11 villages that is currently threatened by the fire. 

The flames later reached the edge of Lège, forcing the evacuation of several campgrounds and neighbourhoods close to the forest.

Camper Elizabeth Carron said she was having dinner when she saw the ​flames. 

‘The sky turned red. Black and red. Then little by little, we could smell it. There were ashes on the car, on the caravan, on my grandchildren’s little tent. Then two hours later, they advised us to leave.’

France’s southeast was also being hard hit, with dozens of fires flaring up and being fanned by the Mistral wind around the historic village of Cotignac.

Officials said around 25 houses had been destroyed since Tuesday. 

Two firefighters died on Tuesday tackling another blaze near Bordeaux airport.

Skies over Le Porge turned orange as smoke rose from charred and crackling pine trees, while helicopters made repeated runs over deserted neighbourhoods.

Fires in 2022 damaged a massive area of the same forest, forcing around 50,000 people to flee.

The authorities said the fire had been contained on its northerly flank but was not yet totally under control further south.

EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib said Thursday that the bloc was providing three water-bombing planes to France.

 In Spain, the government declared a state of emergency in the Madrid region, where more than 10,000 people have been evacuated in recent days.

Emergency services said alert messages had been sent to people in Aldea de Fresno, a town west of Madrid, ordering them to leave.

It is the first time such a measure has been taken due to a wildfire. 

The last time Spain declared the same level of emergency alert was during a massive nationwide power blackout last year.  

Eighteen firefighting units with specialist troops were working to contain the blaze near the city of Toledo, close to another wildfire that forced the evacuation of several villages on Wednesday.

Luxury homes are erupting in flames as desperate tourists flee down a single road off the ‘French Hamptons’ peninsula amid gigantic wildfires

A volunteer gives indication to holidaymakers from Lege-Cap-Ferret upon their arrival in Arcachon by boat during an evacuation operation of the entire Cap Ferret peninsula

Advertisement

The order for a total evacuation of the area of Lege-Cap-Ferret underlined the severity of the fire that has been burning since Wednesday

People in Lege-Cap-Ferret watch as flames tear through a forest 

One video on social media showed the moment horses ran away from incoming flames 

Firefighters battled through the night, and most residents were allowed to return Thursday.

Hundreds of firefighters and troops were still struggling to contain a much larger wildfire in Guadalajara province, north of Madrid.

In Navaluenga in Avila province, ​residents wearing masks because of the smoke stood watching firefighting helicopters scoop up water from the town’s ​river late on Thursday. 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Friday morning that ‘Spain and neighbouring countries’ were experiencing a ‘dramatic situation’ due to the massive fires that spread simultaneously across western Europe. 

‘The forest fires are ravaging thousands of hectares and affecting numerous towns and villages,’ the Spanish leader wrote on X on Friday. 

He also urged Spaniards to ‘follow the instructions’ of officials. 

‘Climate change is what kills, what destroys our villages and our natural and cultural heritage,’ civil protection chief Virginia Barcones told Spanish radio.

She warned some fires become so intense that, despite the deployment of aircraft and ground crews, firefighters stand ‘no chance’.

Barcones said conditions at the Guadalajara blaze were improving but that strong winds and extreme heat remained a danger.

Thousands of emergency workers in Italy battled scores of fires in Sicily and in the Calabria region, where a local official said arsonists had started fires by tying rags soaked in flammable liquid to the tails of stray cats to spread the flames.

Along with the stray cats, investigators found candles and delayed ignition devices

Domenico Costarella, of Calabria’s civil protection agency, said: ‘These animals were released into the fields, running around and spreading the fire.’

A couple carries a few belongings while evacuating a residential area during a wildfire near Lege-Cap-Ferret, southwestern France, on July 23, 2026

Advertisement

French President Emmanuel Macron has already requested help from the European Union as the country’s growing battle against wildfires intensifies

A firefighter douses a burned house at a residential area during a wildfire near Lege-Cap-Ferret, southwestern France, on July 23, 2026

A firefighter sprays water on a burning forest close to a residential area during a wildfire near Lege-Cap-Ferret

France’s southeast was also being hard hit, with dozens of fires flaring up and being fanned by the Mistral wind around the historic village of Cotignac. Pictured: A house devastated by a wildfire in Cotignac

Advertisement

Officials said around 25 houses had been destroyed in Cotignac since Tuesday. Pictured: A damaged property in the historic French village

The heat has also been blamed for thousands of deaths. 

France has been particularly hard hit, with the intense heat pressuring its capacity to handle the situation. 

‘Our security forces are engaged in a genuine battle against the wildfires,’ Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Thursday evening. 

‘The nation stands with you.’ The pressure on fire departments in southwestern France has been increased by another wildfire that began on Thursday afternoon near Biscarrosse, just 25 miles south of Cap Ferret. 

That fire, which is still not under control, has devastated 2,500 hectares, the prefect for the Landes area, Gilles Clavreul, said in a statement. 

He added that fighting arson would take a ‘shift in mindset… These are inhumane acts. Sadly, men are their own worst enemies’.

One firefighter died after falling ill while battling the flames in Sicily, the interior minister said.

Across Europe, three heatwaves in succession this season have intensified drought, strained water supplies, and left vegetation tinder-dry, helping wildfires scorch more land than the annual average over the past two decades. 

This screen grab from a video posted on the X account of Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit UME (@UMEgob) on July 23, 2026, shows UME personnel fighting a wildfire in San Martin de Valdeiglesias, Madrid

The Spanish government declared a state of emergency in the Madrid region, where more than 10,000 people have been evacuated in recent days

Hundreds of firefighters and troops were still struggling to contain a much larger wildfire in Guadalajara province, north of Madrid

Advertisement

‘Winds are blowing, and the situation remains highly dynamic and unfavourable,’ he said. 

More than 23,000 people were evacuated from the Biscarrosse district, mainly in campsites and homes, and a children’s summer camp and a residential care home for the elderly were also evacuated. 

He asked farmers to contribute with water tanks.

European droughts are now more severe, climatologists from the World Weather Attribution group said in a study published on Thursday.

The total area of land burnt so far this year in EU countries is the second largest on record, according to satellite data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). 

Data shows a third (33%) are still undecided about whether they’ll take a summer holiday this year. Around one in six (16%) are planning a trip but haven’t booked yet, 9% hope they’ll still manage a holiday, while 8% are putting off the decision until later in the year.

Almost a third (30%) have effectively ruled themselves out altogether, with 18% saying they definitely won’t take a main holiday this year and another 12% saying they probably won’t.

New research commissioned by Konfidant, the UK consumer intelligence platform that has tracked British Public Sentiment every week since March 2020, has found around 18 million adults are yet to lock in a main holiday this year, while almost a third have already abandoned plans altogether.

The findings suggest the nation’s love affair with summer breaks remains intact – but household budgets are preventing many families from packing their bags.

For millions, the main barrier to booking a summer holiday is cost.

Almost a third (32%) of those yet to book say they simply can’t afford a holiday.

A quarter (25%) believe holidays have become too expensive, while 23% say they have other financial priorities and 21% would rather save their money.

The financial squeeze is being felt across the country

More than a third of people in the East Midlands (35%), London (35%) and the North West (34%) say they cannot afford a holiday this year.

People in Wales are the most likely to have ruled out a summer getaway altogether, with more than a quarter (26%) saying they definitely won’t be taking a main holiday this year, compared with 18% nationally.

London presents a different picture. Although many in the capital say affordability is a challenge, Londoners are also the most likely to still be hoping for a holiday, with one in five (20%) planning a trip but yet to book and one in ten (10%) expecting to go despite not having made any plans.

The research also suggests holidays are becoming another casualty of the cost-of-living squeeze, as households prioritise savings and essential spending over discretionary treats.

A quarter (25%) say building up their savings is one of their biggest financial priorities this summer, while one in five (20%) are focused on covering everyday essentials instead.

Separate consumer tracking by Konfidant shows high prices remain the biggest concern for Britons, ranking ahead of issues such as NHS waiting lists and government leadership.

Laura Gillespie, co-founder and Insights Director at Konfidant, said: “People have not fallen out of love with holidays, they have lost confidence in what they can afford right now.

Recommended reading

“We are seeing households make real trade-offs, saving instead of booking, covering essentials instead of getting away.

“It’s not just a summer story. It’s a sign of how people are likely to be living for the next six to twelve months, not just how they’re spending this August.”

The findings are based on Konfidant’s weekly UK consumer tracking study of adults across England and Wales, with fieldwork completed in July 2026.

Some images are etched into our collective memory. Pictures such as the one of Lissie Harper so happy after marrying her childhood sweetheart PC Andrew Harper, which was released by her after he was killed in the line of duty.

She so tiny as she reached up to kiss her new husband who towered over her with his arm wrapped tight around her.

Nor can we unsee the video online of two of her husband’s killers, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers both 17 in 2020, laughing as they were taken down after being sentenced to 13 years each for his manslaughter.

The couple had been married for only four weeks. They had not even had a chance to go on their honeymoon and were about to do so.

But four hours after his shift had ended, PC Harper had responded to a late-night call about a stolen quad bike. Only to be dragged by a car to die down a country lane as the two teenagers and the vehicle’s driver fled the scene in Berkshire.

So when Lissie was informed her husband’s monstrous killers were set for early release under Labour’s ‘progressive’ prison policy, her cry of outrage and pain was so primal it reverberated throughout the nation. We all felt it.

She condemned the decision as ‘deplorable’, accusing politicians of ‘making decisions from behind a desk that will have real and lasting consequences for victims’ families like mine’.

She added: ‘It has taken me years to rebuild a life that was torn apart in a matter of moments. Years to pick up the pieces left behind by the actions of men who stole our future.’

Another image we won’t forget is the one of Albert Bowers (left) and Jessie Cole (centre) laughing as they were taken down after being sentenced to 13 years each for his manslaughter

Small comfort for Lissie that the driver of the car, Henry Long, is serving a longer sentence and is so far ineligible for early release.

The fact is that Andy Burnham’s Labour was preparing to release his co-killers before they had even served half their sentence – and almost certainly would have done so had she not spoken out.

Our new unelected PM, Andy – as he prefers to be called – could have put an end to the notion of early release as soon as he took power.

Perhaps he was too busy visiting homeless shelters and playing the man for all seasons, pulling pints in a pub.

It was only when tiny Lissie unleashed her scorn over him and his ilk that he took notice.

She shamed him into executing a screeching U-turn and he announced he would hold back the early release scheme until it has been reviewed. It meant two of her husband’s killers would remain in prison – for now.

How ironic that a young lass who once designed wedding cakes for a modest living should be the one to show our new PM what justice really means.

Driven by her sense of loss and injustice she successfully campaigned for years for Harper’s Law – a mandatory life sentence for anyone who kills an emergency worker in the line of duty – and it was passed four years ago, gaining her an MBE in the process.

As Lissie devastatingly declared this week: ‘For victims’ families this is not about politics. It is about whether a sentence means what a judge says it means. It is about whether justice means something we truly believe in.’

Adding passionately: ‘Andrew deserves better. Every victim deserves better. And the British public deserve a justice system they can have faith in.’

Her words echoed the anger of millions of Brits who feel let down by the system, not just Lissie but the countless victims of crime who are appalled that we let rapists and sex offenders and cop killers out half way through their sentences.

Lissie has spoken out publicly since her husband’s brutal murder, calling Labour’s early release decision ‘deplorable’ and branding Andrew’s killers ‘the men who stole our future’

‘How ironic that a young lass who once designed wedding cakes for a modest living should be the one to show our new PM what justice really means,’ writes Amanda Platell

Advertisement

True, our new man of the people has at least paused this early release scheme after Lissie’s outburst. But it’s not a review we need – the scheme should be scrapped without hesitation.

Unless Andy truly takes Lissie’s message on board, the ‘hope’ he promised us this week on the steps of Downing Street will prove nothing of the sort.

Or, to put it another way, if he fails to listen to her, the Messiah from the North will have proved himself utterly hopeless.

Why women love Amanda

55-year-old Amanda Holden shows off her figure while on holiday to Greece. Is she the Insta Bikini Queen?

Advertisement

Is Amanda Holden, 55, battling 61-year-old Liz Hurley for the title of Insta Bikini Queen?

Posting pics of herself in an itsy bitsy on a yacht in Greece, the happily married mum of two jokes: ‘And so begins the annual onslaught of bikini shots – you have been warned!’

My money’s on Amanda because, unlike Liz, she’s down to earth with a self-deprecating sense of humour and women actually like her. 

Even after Robbie Williams’ weedy World Cup performance, the singer says he wants the Glastonbury Legends slot next year. ‘If they saw me do it, I would take their heads off,’ he said. What, nodding off to sleep Robbie?

Matt as hunky hero? He was Bourne to do it 

Following the release of The Odyssey men want ‘Matt Damon arms’. 

Crikey, why has it taken more than two decades after he stripped off in The Bourne Identity in 2002 for everyone to realise how ripped he is? 

Anyway, Matt will need strong arms to carry his share of the $303million the movie made in its first week, a sum that’s expected to grow by $70million this weekend.

Since starring in The Odyssey, Matt Damon (left) has gained attention for his muscular arms, but fans of The Bourne Identity will already be familiar with them…

Advertisement

Much nostalgia after the death of Kevin Keegan as friends recall his sporting genius and decency. Me? I remember him as the man who back in the Seventies popularised the bubble perm – I loved a football perm back in the day. Kev said it made him feel 6ft tall, like a Coldstream Guard, although when his wife saw it she couldn’t stop laughing for 20 minutes.

Meghan’s Insta war

Meghan posts pictures of the back of her kids on their UK trip as they’re walking down an avenue of trees believed to be Althorp, where Harry’s mother Diana is buried. 

They show Dad and Archie carrying bouquets of flowers and were snapped, coincidentally, the day after Kate released her own pictures marking Prince George’s 13th birthday. 

Can Meghan not help herself trying to out-Insta Kate – not least with her kids’ concealed faces suggesting they are more important and more of a security risk than George?

TV star Vanessa Feltz, 64, will be pivoting to YouTube, to host a new show called At Home With Vanessa

After being axed from her TV show, Vanessa Feltz has picked herself up, regrouped and will be broadcasting her new offering At Home With Vanessa on YouTube, interviewing celebrities from her bedroom. 

Good luck girl, although even as a born survivor you must realise that, now you’re 64 and single, it’s harder to entice anyone into your bedroom. 

Great to see King Charles indulging his quirky sense of humour by arriving with Camilla in a Tardis for the opening of the Commonwealth Games. Although it’s not quite up there with Queen Elizabeth ‘jumping’ from a helicopter, with Daniel Craig as James Bond, for the opening of the London 2012 Olympic Games, it brought a smile. 

Madeleine McCann’s brother Sean, 21, who was two when his sister disappeared, explains how he got to swim for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games. He began competitive sport at eight and never stopped, getting up at 4am most mornings to train for more than 20 hours a week, while studying at university. 

Many children having suffered the loss of a sibling might never recover emotionally. So what a testament Sean is to Kate and Gerry McCann’s strength.

Westminster wars

• Andy Burnham’s team had been planning to knife Keir Starmer for more than a year – which now casts suspicion on John Healey and his ‘surprise’ appointment as Chancellor. A lifelong Burnham ally, it was Healey who triggered Starmer’s exit with a defenestration of the then PM over the defence budget and his ‘honourable’ resignation as Defence Secretary on June 11. Then, little more than a month later, he gets the keys to No 11. Was he so honourable after all?

• Clever of Andy to choose hefty bruiser Anneliese Midgley as his Chief Whip. She stomped into Downing Street like a cage fighter. If she can’t whip MPs into submission, she can just sit on them.

Having worked with Ann Widdecombe for years, my only consolation after her brutal murder is that the staunch Roman Catholic’s faith would have meant that, even as her attacker struck, she’d have firmly believed her last journey on Earth would be into the arms of a loving Christ.

Hopefully Ann Widdecombe’s unwavering Catholic faith will have brought her some solace in her awful final moments on Earth, says our columnist

Anger over killer Axel’s move

To the despair of the families of the three girls he murdered, Southport killer Axel Rudakubana – who was sentenced to life – has been moved from Belmarsh prison to Broadmoor psychiatric hospital over fears for his and others’ safety. Now he’ll be spared the true justice he deserves from Belmarsh inmates, even the most hardened of whom despise child killers. 

With a hosepipe ban upon us, one canny but distant acquaintance of mine thinks he’s found a way around it. Drill a hole in the back of a watering can, feed the hose through it then pretend to refill it at regular intervals. Although I’d never condone such action.

A spokesperson for the Met said: “At around 3.45pm on Friday July 24 a boat from the Met’s Marine Policing Unit struck Westminster Bridge.

“A number of officers entered the water but were recovered.

“Additional officers responded alongside the London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade.

“We understand five officers were injured and are receiving treatment. We await an update on the extent of their injuries.

“At this stage, we don’t believe any members of the public were involved or injured.

“The circumstances of the incident will be thoroughly reviewed, but at this stage our priority is the wellbeing of the officers involved.”

EXCLUSIVE: The Chase star Anne Hegerty has recalled a behind-the-scenes green room moment where co-star Shaun Wallace silenced Welsh football pundit Robbie Savage.

Robbie Savage has been blasted as “obnoxious” after comments he made in 2013.

The Welsh footballing manager has appeared on the likes of Strictly Come Dancing and BBC Radio 5 Live.

However, it was behind the scenes of The Chase that sparked a memorable moment.

According to quizzer on the beloved ITV programme, Anne Hegerty, Robbie was making “obnoxious” comments before his appearance on a celebrity edition.

Prior to the launch of the new Chase spin-off, The Chase Around The World, The Governess shared: “I’ve sat in a green room with Shaun [Wallace] and watched him take Robbie Savage to pieces,” reports the Mirror.

“He was being obnoxious and asking dumb questions, and then Shaun suddenly turned around to him, started firing football questions at him and he was just sitting there like… he had no idea.

“It was a thing of beauty!”

Her remarks followed Shaun, known to fans as The Dark Destroyer, opening up about mistakes he’d made on the show.

He said: “Questions are only easy if you know the answer, so one thing about us as quizzers is we’re brilliant quizzers, but we’re human, we make mistakes.”

Shaun, who won Mastermind in 2004 before The Chase, went on to talk about his experience on the ITV quizshow, saying: “I use my transferable skills as a barrister, I think on my feet, I’m fearless.

“I’ve appeared in the Court of Appeal, I’ve done Old Bailey trials, so to answer the question in the final Chase or Mastermind grand finals is not going to phase me, but the one thing which has stood me well is my steadfast dedication to preparation because the more you prepare, the more chances you can be successful.

“And it’s not a chore… when we’re researching, it might seem like we’re going back to school. No, we’re doing it because we love it.”

He went on to share his gratitude for fans, saying: “I will always stop and take photographs with people who recognise us because it’s my way of saying thank you to the public, and they love the show and it’s our way of giving back. As long as they’re not rude or intrusive, we’ll stop.”

The Chase Around The World is available to watch on ITVX.