The police prevented the Orange Order from making a controversial parade down a road which had previously been blocked by protesters.

A group of men tried to march from Drumcree Church down the mainly-nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown in the early hours of Monday but a line of police Land Rovers stood in the way.

They had been unable to make the permitted parade on Sunday morning because protesters had gathered on the Garvaghy Road. The stand-off continued throughout Sunday, with the Orangemen waiting at the church, around a mile from the road, for the go-ahead from police.

Sinn Féin First Minister Michelle O’Neill joined the protest, prompting Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson to accuse her of acting unlawfully.

Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant called for “compromise”.

Breandán Mac Cionnaith, from the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition, said he was meeting the secretary of state and chief constable on Monday and that he would not prejudge those conversations.

Nigel Dawson, who is the Orange Order’s Portadown district master, told BBC News NI there was frustration.

He said they had a legal right to parade down the Garvaghy Road and the police should facilitate their route.

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Carla Lockhart, who came back to Drumcree in the early hours of Monday, said the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s chief constable needed “to take a grip of this very quickly or his position will become untenable”.

The Drumcree parade, which in the 1990s sparked some of the most serious disorder in Northern Ireland’s history, was due to go ahead for the first time in 30 years after a series of legal challenges.

Since 1998, the Orange Order had been banned from completing its Drumcree march – and until this year had been repeatedly refused permission to finish the route by the Parades Commission, which was set up to adjudicate disputes.

The Orange Order is a Protestant pro-British organisation, while the area where it wants to walk – specifically along the Garvaghy Road – is largely Catholic and predominantly inhabited by pro-Irish nationalists.

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The A1044 Low Lane is closed both ways after a bridge was struck by a vehicle from Glaisdale Road to Barwick Lane in Low Leven. Traffic is heavy.

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Today: Misty and cool at first, but temperatures will rise from around 11am as the sun comes out, with cloudier spells around midday. Maximum temperature 18°C.

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A judge granted anonymity to a serial burglar fighting his fifth deportation by claiming he is in danger from an Albanian crime gang – only for the criminal to share a video of himself at court. 

The man has been convicted of multiple crimes in the UK and repeatedly deported by the Home Office before sneaking back into the country. 

He has now appealed against his latest order and applied for asylum on the basis his life could be at risk if he returns to Albania.  

During a hearing last week at Taylor House Immigration Tribunal Centre in central London, the Albanian claimed he had been forced to flee to the UK because it was ‘too easy’ for his enemies to track him down elsewhere in Europe.

The man, who is in his 30s and has a child in Britain with an estranged partner, also claimed his mental health had suffered as a result of previous media coverage of his case.

Yet on the day of the hearing, he posted a video on social media that appeared to show him sitting in a waiting area at the court, which he identified by name in the caption.

As well as revealing his location, the footage appears to violate a ban on photography and filming inside court buildings. Anyone found to have broken the rules can be prosecuted for contempt of court and face a prison sentence of up to two years.

The man’s representative, Eric Fripp, told the court he was entitled to anonymity because he was pursuing an asylum claim on protection grounds. 

This request was granted by Judge Ravinder Bagral. The Press was not given an opportunity to challenge the anonymity order during the hearing, although the Daily Mail has since applied for it to be revoked.

A representative of the court confirmed after the September 15 hearing that the application had been received and was under consideration. 

Alan Mendoza, Executive Director of the Henry Jackson Society, criticised the decision to hide the man’s identity from the public.

‘Open justice exists so the public can see how decisions are made in their name.

‘Granting anonymity to a career criminal who films himself in court for social media while facing his fifth deportation, over a threat he never reported to police, makes a mockery of that principle. The public deserves better.’

Khdeeja Khan, representing the Home Office, said the man had committed a string of burglaries while living in the UK, including after each of the four times he had illegally re-entered the UK after being deported.

She asked him in court: ‘Do you accept you have continuously committed serious crimes in the UK involving burglaries? Do you accept continually breaching UK border laws and breaching a deportation order four times? 

The man accepted that his offences were ‘very serious’ but claimed he had been ‘forced’ to return to the UK illegally because of fears for his safety.

He told the court he had first arrived in the UK aged 13 before falling into the clutches of a powerful Albanian crime gang that forced him to carry out burglaries. He claimed that when he later tried to leave the gang, both he and his family became targets.

Each time he was deported to Albania, he said he learned gang members were looking for him and left again within two to three weeks. He said he initially tried to settle elsewhere in Europe before they discovered his whereabouts there too.

He said the gang had initially tried to track him down in the UK, but that there had been no problems here for more than a year and he believed they had given up, making Britain the only place where he felt safe.

He told the court: ‘The gang has been in contact in Albania. They kidnapped me and once put a knife to my neck. I was lucky to get away. I tried to stay in Europe, but in Europe it was too easy to find me there, so I had to come here.’

He also told the hearing it was too dangerous to return because his family had become embroiled in an Albanian blood feud, during which his uncle was shot two years ago, but ‘corrupt local police’ had ‘closed the case’.

Ms Khan suggested there was no evidence to support his claims that he was at risk in Albania and noted that he had not reported any threats to police in either Albania or the UK.

He replied: ‘The reason I didn’t report anything in Albania is because the police are corrupt and the gang is very powerful with the police around there.’

Ms Khan also noted the man’s prolific social media use – including regular photos showing him in luxury cars and drinking in nightclubs – and questioned why he would continually draw attention to himself online if he was really in fear of a gang. 

In response, he claimed he ‘felt safe’ in the UK, but acknowledged the posts could be viewed anywhere in the world.

The case was adjourned pending Judge Bagral’s ruling.

The British revenge thriller starring Paddy Considine and Toby Kebbell, airs on Film4 tonight at 10.50pm

If you’re looking a light and easy watch, this film isn’t for you, but it will appeal to those who don’t mind a dark and twisted storyline that makes you “run through every emotion”.

Frequently overlooked as an independent psychological thriller, this low-budget British tragedy was directed by Shane Meadows, who also co-wrote the film.

Released in 2004, Dead Man’s Shoes is a film that leaves a profound impact on its viewers, despite being filmed over just three weeks in Matlock, Derbyshire.

The town serves as a crucial backdrop to the story, which follows a man named Richard as he returns home after serving in the British Army. Upon his arrival, he takes it upon himself to exact revenge on a gang of drug dealers who horrifically abused his mentally impaired brother Anthony.

He sets about tormenting each member of the group in a series of deeply disturbing ways, transforming himself into a cold-blooded killer. Yet, having made revenge his sole purpose in life, he comes to realise what a monster he has become and questions whether he can continue down this path, reports Wales Online.

A devoted fan of the film captured it perfectly in a Rotten Tomatoes review, writing: “A grim and thoroughly engaging revenge thriller, I enjoyed it a great deal, especially the performances of Paddy Considine and Toby Kebbell.

“Obviously made on a low budget, the film proves that fine acting, a taut script and inventive direction can make up for funding limitations.”

One standout element is the lead performance of Paddy Considine as Richard, alongside the rest of the cast, comprising Toby Kebbell, who appears in his first film role, Gary Stretch, Stuart Wolfenden and Neil Bell.

One review says: “Gritty. Harrowing. Gripping. Haunting. This movie shook me to my core. A movie of depth, guilt, violence, and fear. You’ll run through every emotion on the spectrum.

“Toby Kebbell in his first picture gig is brilliant. Paddy Consadine is gravitational. One of the best films you will ever watch. Brilliant and devastating at the same time.”

Paddy Considine cemented his reputation with the role, going on to claim Best British Actor at the 2005 Empire Awards, pipping the likes of Simon Pegg for Shaun of the Dead and Daniel Craig for Layer Cake. The film itself also earned nominations across eight categories at the British Independent Film Awards.

Another fan of the film wrote: “One of the best films I have ever seen. I have watched it many times, and it still shocks me and makes me wonder why people behave the way they do. Amazing acting by Paddy Considine and Toby Kebbell. Also all the other actors.”

If this dark and twisted thriller sounds right up your street, tune into Film4 tonight at 10.50pm, where it will be broadcast. It is also available to rent on both Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

Several European cities, such as Amsterdam, Venice and Barcelona, brought in taxes to try and curb visitor numbers, to stop themselves being swamped and to curb the harm over-tourism causes, but that has not happened — their tourist traffic has continued to rise. That, though, is not London’s problem — it is not intended to lower tourism but to raise revenue.

The Labour conference is being dogged by rumours of a snap election despite Andy Burnham declaring the idea ‘dead’.

Another megapoll has suggested the party’s position has significantly improved as the gathering in Liverpool begins.

The research, by non-profit More in Common, found that if the country went to the polls Labour would have 250 MPs, some 140 more than it estimated in July.

That would be far ahead of Reform on 147 seats, which is 146 fewer than the projection from just three months ago – although still a huge jump from 2024. The Tories are predicted to be close behind on 125.

Although Labour would still be well short of a Commons majority if the poll was reflected at a real election, they could govern with support from the Lib Dems’ 63 MPs and 27 from the SNP.

The prospect of such a ‘rainbow coalition’ has caused alarm on the Right, with fears that Mr Burnham could offer major concessions such as a fresh Scottish independence referendum. 

Accounting for tactical voting, Labour could secure an extra 25 seats, according to More in Common. That would mean it could have a majority solely with backing from the Lib Dems. 

Andy Burnham used a set round of pre-conference broadcast interviews on Friday to say he was ‘knocking dead’ rumours of an election before 2029

Those dynamics could mean Reform falling to 117 seats, and being leapfrogged by the Tories on 132. 

Gambling on an election now would be a massive risk for the PM, with the Government currently holding an historic majority and nearly three years left in the Parliament.

Those in favour of the idea hope that Labour would improve its position during a campaign. 

Mr Burnham used a set round of pre-conference broadcast interviews on Friday to say he was ‘knocking dead’ rumours of an election before 2029.

Speaking to the BBC in Liverpool this morning he suggested a social care plan will need to be in place before a ballot, as he is determined to put one in the manifesto. 

The More in Common research uses the ‘MRP’ technique of mapping poll findings on to the demographic characteristics of individual areas. 

Nearly 16,000 adults were interviewed between August 21 and September 21. 

Luke Tryl, More in Common’s UK Director, said: ‘On the eve of last year’s Labour Party Conference, our MRP projected Reform could get close to a three figure majority, while both Labour and the Conservatives dropped to below triple figures.

‘Fast forward to today, and it is clear the electoral landscape has transformed dramatically with Andy Burnham as Prime Minister.’

However, he highlighted that ‘volatility has become the new watch word of our electoral system’, with almost half of the seats estimated to be won on margins of less than 5 per cent.

The snapshot reflects a shift in support for parties since Mr Burnham became PM

A year ago Reform were seen as on track for a landslide victory 

‘The other clear message of these numbers is that tactical voting, of the sort we have already seen play out in by-elections, could have an outsized impact on the numbers – giving a Lib-Lab coalition the numbers for a majority and allowing the Tories to leapfrog Reform,’ Mr Tryl added.

He said the poll suggested Mr Burnham was ‘sensible’ to rule out an early election.

Mr Tryl continued: ‘While Labour is off its death bed, the party’s recovery is far from complete. 

‘To call a poll the Prime Minister would have had to be willing to risk the careers of scores of his colleagues including his Chancellor and Foreign Secretary, while even small shifts in the current numbers would have left him vulnerable to having a stint in Downing Street only longer than that of Liz Truss.’

At the 2024 general election Labour won 411 seats, followed by the Tories on 121 and the Lib Dems on 72.

READ MORE

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PM faces Labour conference civil war after Rayner ‘drive-by shooting’ on migration – as Left revolts

CHRISTIAN CALGIE: My sources say PM’s plan is so radical, he’ll have to gamble on an early election 

American Bruce Cameron Williams was given the brooch on a visit to Inverness in 1983.

A US resident was delighted when a Highland Games expert helped to solve the mystery of his 181-year-old family heirloom.

Bruce Cameron Williams, 77, was gifted the silver plaid brooch by a distant relative while he was on a visit to Inverness back in 1983.

The front is engraved with thistles, the initials “D.C.H.F.S.” and the date “1845”, while the other side has the words “To Jas. McPherson” and “for Pibrochs.”

Pibroch means music played on the bagpipes and the relative told Mr Williams, who plays the pipes, she was happy to pass it on to him to keep it in the family and in the hands of a piper.

Mr Williams has displayed the brooch for more than four decades but has spent many years trying to solve the mystery of what the initials stand for.

The enigma was finally solved when he recently got in touch with the Royal Scottish Highland Games Association (RSHGA).

Alasdair MacDonald at the association was quickly able to tell him that the initials stand for the awarding body Dunkeld Caledonian Highland Friendly Society.

An association spokesman said: “Alasdair was also able to point to a press article from the Perthshire Advertiser of July 10 1845 which reported that at the meeting of that society, a ‘handsome silver brooch’ was presented for ‘Pibroch to J. McPherson, Fonab’.

“In a twist to the tale, it was also reported that he was judged to be the ‘best attired Highlander’ and awarded ‘a silver-mounted Snuff-Mull’.

Further research revealed Jas McPherson was one of the pipers to Lord Glenlyon of Blair Atholl.

Mr Williams, who lives in New York state, said: “I have displayed the silver Pibroch prize brooch for over 40 years, always wondering what the initials were trying to tell me.

“I wrote to everyone I could think of for information, and in later years Googled again and again, but was never successful.

“Then one recent day, I located online the Royal Scottish Highland Games Association, sent an email requesting help, and in less than 24 hours had the most remarkable response from one of their members, Alasdair MacDonald.”

Mr Williams said he had been convinced the brooch must have been a prize awarded at a Highland Games as it was clearly not regimental, and said he is “thrilled” to finally know its origins.

He added: “I have always treasured this brooch because of what it is, and the way it was given to me from the most distant of Inverness relatives on that exceedingly moving Remembrance Day Sunday along the banks of the River Ness.

“Now, over 40 years later, I am enjoying it all the more thanks to the helpful people at the Royal Scottish Highland Games Association, and in particular to their scholarly, professional and friendly expert, Alasdair MacDonald.

“To say that I am grateful is inadequate: I am thrilled with the information, and overwhelmed by the responsiveness of Mr MacDonald and the RSHGA.”

Mr Williams is interested in eventually returning the brooch to Scotland and hopes an appropriate place can be found where it could be displayed.

Mr MacDonald said he was happy to help identify the brooch’s inscription.

“As soon as I saw it, within a minute I had the results because I knew what it stood for,” he said.

“I’ve got the history of 1,616 different Highland Games so anybody who wants to know the history of Highland Games, I can spit it out instantly because I’ve got all the history.”

Iain Watt, director of the Royal Scottish Highland Games Association, said: “It’s nice to be able to help people out with these queries which reach back to another time – times change but the Highland Games carry on.”

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Adam Bradbury and Kaymn Glasgow hoped to live the high life with gold chains, holidays, hotel stays and buying vehicles, York Crown Court heard.

Today both are starting years in jail.

Zarreen Alam-Cheetham, prosecuting, said the pair took over the home of a vulnerable drug user in Selby in late 2022 and used it as their base to sell crack cocaine and heroin.

They messaged each other about making thousands of pounds of money and recruiting staff for their trade in poor-quality drugs.

But police, concerned about the drug addict, went to his home in early 2023 to check on his welfare and caught the pair there with drugs worth up to £860 on the streets of Selby.

They also found £630 in cash and drug-dealing paraphernalia.

The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, said messages on their mobile phones showed the pair had gone to Selby “to make a killing and get out.”

Dealers like them got their money from burglars, robbers and thieves.

“You are the source of a vast amount of hideous crime,” he told them.

Bradbury, 27, of School Street, Dewsbury, and Kaymn Glasgow, 27, of Crowtrees Crescent, Brighouses, both pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin, being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and having criminal cash.

Glasgow, who pleaded guilty shortly before he was due to be tried and whom the court heard was sentenced in Carlisle last year for drug dealing in Cumbria following his Selby crimes, was jailed for four years and nine months.

County lines drug dealer Adam Bradbury (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

Bradbury, who pleaded guilty at an earlier stage, was jailed for three and a half years.

His barrister Andrew Semple said he had sold drugs out of greed.

He had had a difficult background and had used alcohol and drugs from an early age.

The death of a friend had led to his drug habit spiralling out of control and him running up drug debts.

Bradbury was immature and the pair had used a “lot of hyperbole and gangster talk” in their messages to each other.

County lines drug dealer Kaymn Glasgow (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

Glasgow claimed in the witness box that he had been manipulated into dealing by violent drug dealers to whom he owed money.

But the judge didn’t believe him, saying he contradicted himself in evidence.

He had also been boxing since he was 12 and knew how to look after himself.

For Glasgow, Imran Khan said he had struggled with finding a direction in life after dropping out of university and been mixing with the wrong people when he committed the crimes.

Since his arrest, he had changed his life and was now trying to show others it was possible for people with a bad past to reform themselves.

Breandán Mac Cionnaith, from the Garvaghy Road Residents’ Coalition, said he has received ‘commitments’ that the Drumcree parade will not take place tonight

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Senior leaders are set to meet on Monday morning for talks on the Drumcree parade, with protesters told they had secured a ‘victory’ after a stand-off in Portadown.

Breandán Mac Cionnaith, from the Garvaghy Road Residents’ Coalition, has told protesters he will meet Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant and Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher on Monday morning, September 28 for talks on the Drumcree parade.

He said the community had secured a “victory” as he said he had received “commitments” that the parade would not be proceeding down the Garvaghy Road overnight.

Mr Mac Cionnaith asked for 20 to 30 volunteers to remain on the road to ensure those commitments were not broken. The rest of the protesters have now dispersed with traffic flowing once again.

“I still have a job for some of you,” he said. “We’ll need some people out on the street tonight, because although we’ve got commitments about nobody coming down this road tonight, we’ve seen those commitments broke in the past.”

On his planned meetings on Monday, he said: “That process starts tomorrow when we go in and meet the chief constable and we’ll meet the secretary of state.

“We’re not going in to do deals with them, or to take half measures with them.

“We said the other day, and we said yesterday, and the day before – we’re not going back, we’re not turning the clock back. We’re putting the clock forward.”

On Sunday evening, the Portadown District Lodge left Drumcree Church before being stopped by police and returning to the church hall. The Orange Order parade was set to go ahead at 8am on Sunday morning after an “unprecedented” late-night sitting of the High Court in Belfast just a few hours earlier.

The Drumcree parade, which was associated with violent clashes during the Troubles, has been banned since 1998.

Stormont First Minister and Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill said the Garvaghy Road community had won a “victory”.

“This community do not want this, they do not want this march,” she told reporters before leaving the area shortly after midnight on Monday morning.

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“And tonight, I believe, is another victory for this community in standing steadfast for the right to live free from sectarian harassment and intimidation.”

Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher appealed to “those with influence to encourage people to comply with the law” as he his officers would detect any offences throughout the day.

He added: “It is incumbent on us all to come together at times like this to do all we can to preserve a peaceful Northern Ireland.”

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appealed for “calm on all sides” over the Orange Order parade, saying there have been “big gains made in Northern Ireland, and we don’t want to see things go backwards”.

The town became a popular seaside resort in the Victorian era

With summer very much behind us, there may only be a few mild, sunny days left before winter hits. But for those autumn beach trips when the weather may be a little bit unpredictable, there is a seaside town in Norfolk that has plenty of indoor and outdoor activities.

Found on the North Norfolk coast, Cromer is around two hours on the train from Cambridge. It first became a seaside resort in the 19th century and was visited by affluent Victorian families, including King Edward VII who was known to play golf there.

Today, golf is still very much still part of the town, with the Links Country Park Hotel being the go-to destination. The hotel, which is set in 40 acres of country park, has a 9-hole golf course, a gym, tennis court and indoor swimming pool.

If you’re into a bit of history, you might want to pay a visit to the Cromer Museum, reports the Mirror. Inside a row of late 19th century Victorian fisherman’s cottages, the museum showcases displays about the town’s lifeboatmen over the years, the rise of tourism and the impact of wartime on the town.

If the weather is on your side, then you might like to take in a bit of the local landscape by having a stroll along the cliffs, with some reaching heights of up to 70 metres and rich in fossils. There are also several award-winning beaches in the area including West Runton and Cromer. Here, water sports enthusiasts can hire surf boards or SUPs for some aquatic fun.

If you want something a bit more relaxing, then the promenade is lined with beautifully sculpted gardens and borders, as well as charming Victorian buildings.

One of the town’s main attractions is its Victorian pier, a survivor of both the unpredictable British weather, including a storm surge in 2013, and a World War II government attempt to demolish it for fear of enemy use as a landing strip. At the end of its 151-metre stretch, is a lifeboat station and the Cromer Pier Pavillion Theatre, which is the ‘only end of pier show’ of its kind globally.

Live variety acts entertain crowds for three months during the summer, while touring acts perform throughout the year. Cromer town comes alive with its Carnival Week in August, featuring the crowning of a Carnival Queen and a vibrant street parade.

For those wanting some retail therapy, there’s a weekly market and lots of independent shops offering a range of souvenirs. Just south of the town, the Amazona zoo, themed after South America, is a great family attraction with animals such as jaguars and pumas.

Recent visitors to Cromer have taken to Tripadvisor to share their experiences. One visitor enthused: “Cromer is a beautiful seaside town, lovely pier with a couple of nice cafes serving lovely food, beautiful views out to sea, and the town has some very nice shops.”

Another said: “Beautiful beach, sandy and pebbly with lots of treasures to be found, such as sea glass and hag stones. Incredible sunsets too!”

A third shared: “Norfolk Cromer Beach is simply stunning – clean, well-maintained, and popular with visitors of all ages. There are convenient ramps at both ends of the beach, and red and yellow flags mark safe swimming areas, monitored by attentive lifeguards.” Another summed it up saying: “You can find great sandy beaches, museums, plenty of attractions and go walking along the Norfolk Coast Path, Cromer is a great place to visit, any time of the year.”