Millions of us were treated to a stunning spectacle on Wednesday during mainland Europe’s first total solar eclipse for more than 25 years.

And for some in the UK, it was a race against time to find a pair of eye-protecting eclipse glasses as shortages grew.

If you did manage to grab some, you might be asking – what do I do with them now?

“Eclipse glasses are a great example of our single-use culture,” says Dr Renee Tonkin, the founder of Science Owl, an environmental education organisation focused on waste.

“Particularly because they’re difficult to recycle due to their mixed materials.”

According to Recycle Now, which advises on appropriate places to recycle items, the glasses are not wholly recyclable in your household waste.

It says you can recycle the cardboard frames so long as you separate them from the lenses, which are harder to recycle.

So here are three things you can do with those retina-saving spectacles.

A child and three firefighters have been taken to hospital as fires tore through homes in the West Midlands, where a local councillor described the scene as “apocalyptic”.

On the hottest day of the year, with temperatures soaring to 38.1C in Kew Gardens, more than 100 firefighters were tackling huge fires in the Stourbridge and Stratford-upon-Avon areas.

At Stourbridge golf course, an “extensive grass fire” spread across roads in places with people urged to stay indoors.

West Midlands Fire Service said that multiple houses caught fire and people were evacuated from their homes. The organisation said a child and three firefighters were taken to hospital.

Councillor Andrew Tromans, who represents Wollaston and Stourbridge Town on Dudley Borough Council, described the scene of the fire in Stourbridge as “apocalyptic”.

Meanwhile, in Stratford-upon-Avon a major incident was declared at the scene of a wildfire. Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service were called at 2.30pm to reports of a large plume of smoke on Tothall Lane, Salford Priors.

The Met Office has issued an amber extreme heat warning for much of England, covering parts of the south and east, as well as swathes of the Midlands.

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Burnham thanks emergency services over ‘awful’ fires

Andy Burnham said he was in touch with local leaders in the West Midlands as firefighters continue to bring several wildfires in the region under control.

He said in a statement: “Awful to see homes and communities hit by fires across the country tonight as the heatwave continues.

“My thoughts are with everyone affected, particularly those who have been injured or forced from their homes, and with the firefighters who have been taken to hospital.

“I’m in touch with local leaders (including West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker) and will be speaking to emergency services on the ground as they continue their response.

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“Our firefighters are working in incredibly difficult conditions and putting themselves at risk to keep others safe. A huge thank you to them and everyone supporting the effort tonight.

“Please stay safe and follow their advice.”

Alex Ross13 August 2026 23:45

Public told to only call 999 ‘where absolutely necessary’

The public should only call 999 “where absolutely necessary” as emergency services are tackling fires across the West Midlands, a police chief has said.

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West Midlands Police incident commander Chief Inspector Tom Clayton told a press conference on Thursday evening: “From a police perspective, we are going to do our best, I’d like to reassure the community of Stourbridge and the wider West Midlands.

“We’re going to do our absolute best to service their business-as-usual policing needs.

“However, as you can understand, we are experiencing very, very high demand assisting our colleagues in this multi-agency response”.

Alex Ross13 August 2026 23:09

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Burnham kept informed on wildfires in West Midlands

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker said he had spoken to Andy Burnham, who had pledged the fire and rescue services in the region would get any additional support they requested.

Mr Parker told Sky News: “Our plan is to visit the area tomorrow to speak to some people on the ground there.

“I don’t want to get in the way of the important work going on this evening, but I want them to know they have my full support, and I’ll be working with the local authorities and others across the region to see what we can do to support them at this really difficult time.

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“I would also like to convey a message to them from the prime minister, who I spoke to earlier this evening, but has asked me if the fire service on the ground needs additional support, and I’ll be speaking to the chief officer a bit later, to ask him what we can do.

Alex Ross13 August 2026 22:27

Fire service in West Midlands takes ‘thousands of 999 calls’

West Midlands Fire Service has dealt with “thousands of 999 calls” as more than 100 firefighters battled blazes across the region, chief fire officer Simon Tuhill has said.

He told a press conference on Thursday evening: “This is a large and complex incident that has occurred on one of the hottest days of the year.

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“Our fire control team have been dealing with thousands of 999 calls, whilst coordinating attendance at other operational incidents across the West Midlands.

“The tinder-dry conditions that the country and the West Midlands are facing at the moment has meant that the fire has spread rapidly, despite the hundred-plus firefighters’ best efforts who are on scene and in attendance.

“Rest assured, they are doing everything they can to bring this incident to a safe conclusion.”

Alex Ross13 August 2026 22:11

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‘It’s shocking’ – Resident in Stourbridge reacts to fire

In Stourbridge a man, who declined to be named, said: “At about two o’clock I was working from home.

“I saw smoke come down and it was already at the corner of Racecourse Lane and Norton Road. It’s shocking.”

Several homes nearby had been damaged, including two which could still be seen smouldering near the brow of a nearby hill.

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Alex Ross13 August 2026 21:39

What we know so far about the fires across the West Midlands

Stourbridge

West Midlands Fire Service said six houses were affected by the large blaze in Stourbridge, which is estimated to cover 40 acres of land, including a wood.

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Wollaston and Stourbridge town councillor Andrew Southall said care home residents have been evacuated alongside others as a result of the fire near Stourbridge golf course.

About 60 firefighters attended the scene after being alerted to the blaze at about 1.30pm.

Stratford-upon-Avon

In nearby Warwickshire, the county’s fire and rescue service said it is responding to a “large fire” in Salford Priors, Stratford-Upon-Avon, which has been declared a major incident.

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Police, fire crews and ambulances are at the scene of the wildfire.

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service was called at 2.30pm on Thursday to reports of smoke on Tothall Lane in Salford Priors.

Stoke-on-Trent

In Stoke-on-Trent, north of Birmingham, fire has hit “a small number of properties and gardens”.

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Crews from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue are on the scene of the blaze in the Goldenhill area.

Pershore

Residents have been evacuated after homes were damaged as a blaze hit Pershore, where around 200 properties are without power and a person has suffered smoke inhalation.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said emergency services were called out at around 4.30pm on Thursday to deal with “a large” fire on Lancelott Court, off Three Springs Road.

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Alex Ross13 August 2026 21:30

Scene of fire in Stourbridge ‘apocalyptic’ – local councillor says

Councillor Andrew Tromans, who represents Wollaston and Stourbridge Town on Dudley Borough Council, described the scene of the fire in Stourbridge as “apocalyptic”.

In a statement on Facebook, he said: “The apocalyptic scenes in Norton and across Stourbridge are sadly just a taste of what is to come if we don’t act.”

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He added: “It is my view, and it has been for a while, that Dudley councillors must have an emergency meeting about we protect our borough from the impacts of climate change.”

Alex Ross13 August 2026 21:20

200 homes without power in Pershore, Worcestershire

Residents have been evacuated after homes were damaged by fire in Pershore, Worcestershire, where around 200 properties are without power and a person has suffered smoke inhalation.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said emergency services were called out at around 4.30pm on Thursday to deal with “a large” fire on Lancelott Court, off Three Springs Road.

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A spokesman said: “One person has been treated for smoke inhalation. Thankfully no other injuries have been reported at this time.

“A number of homes have been damaged and 30 properties in the area have been evacuated.”

Residents in the wider area have been told to keep windows and doors closed as a precaution and surrounding roads have been temporarily shut.

The spokesman said “approximately 200 properties are currently without power”, adding: “We recognise this will be an upsetting time for the local community and would like to thank you for your patience and cooperation while we respond to the incident.”

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Alex Ross13 August 2026 21:02

Residents use watering cans and buckets of water to dampen down smouldering fields

Several homes in Stourbridge were severely damaged by fire, with a smouldering section of adjoining fields being damped down on Thursday night by worried homeowners carrying water in buckets and watering cans.

Fire crews could also be seen hosing down hedgerows and bushes near damaged homes close to the junction with Fairways Avenue.

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One local resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “The fire came within feet of the other side of the road.

“It has been terrible for those who have had their property destroyed but it was terrifying for everyone.

“It was all the way across the fields in no time at all. It was hard to believe it was happening.”

Alex Ross13 August 2026 21:00

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Comment: The next pandemic won’t come from a lab. It’ll come from the weather

The only way to manage the deadly – and immediate – results of flooding and heatwaves is to treat the climate emergency as we would an outbreak, not like a chronic illness, writes policy adviser Aliza Ayaz.

Nicole Wootton-Cane13 August 2026 21:00

Robbie Williams has revealed he’s been diagnosed with ‘a little bit of autism,’ and admitted he still struggles with ‘intrusive thoughts’.

The singer, 52, had previously shared he has ADHD, but revealed he also has the neurodevelopmental spectrum condition.

Speaking during a Q&A at the Autumn/Winter launch of his clothing brand Hopeium’s at Flannels, Robbie said he uses the diagnosis as a ‘get out of jail free card’.

The singer said he’s learned to ‘train his brain to be creative’ in a bid to block out things that could make him ‘panic or be scared’.

He said: ‘I have ADHD and I just found out I have a bit of autism as well, which I actually f*****g love because it explains so much.

‘It is my get-out-of-jail-free card now, and all the weird s**t that I do I just say ”sorry I’m autistic.”

The singer, 52, had previously shared he has ADHD, but revealed he also has the neurodevelopmental spectrum condition (pictured on stage last week)

‘With the ADHD you can completely and utterly concentrate on something 1000 per cent, but with absolutely everything else, you just cannot do it. Ask my kids.’

‘What I’m completely and utterly obsessed with is creating images and making funny things, if I’m creating images and funny things, I’m not thinking about me, because my brain is incredibly creative, and it can be creative about everything in the world that you panic or scared about.

‘For example, this is how crazy I am, recently, I was sitting on a plane, and I thought ”what if I can have telekinesis and my intrusive thoughts tell the plane to crash itself”.

‘So that’s the kind of level of insanity that I’m dealing with, it’s best to train my brain to do something better than worrying about having supernatural powers and crashing a plane.’

Autism was once defined as a serious developmental disorder characterised by intellectual disability and the struggle to learn or understand language.

But in recent years, experts have loosened the definition. Symptoms include repetitive words or behaviors, struggling to vary routine and difficulties in social situations. 

Robbie has previously shared he’s been diagnosed with ADHD three times, and in October he admitted he has been secretly living with Tourette’s syndrome.

Diagnosed with ADHD and having battled several addictions since rising to fame in the early 90s, the Angels singer has endured multiple spells in rehab, notably for alcohol and drugs.

Speaking during a Q&A at the Autumn/Winter launch of his clothing brand Hopeium’s at Flannels, Robbie said he uses the diagnosis as a ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’

Speaking on Paul Whitehouse and Dr Mine Conkbayir’s podcast I’m ADHD! No You’re Not, Robbie admitted he’s still terrified of touring despite playing in front of sold-out stadiums and arenas for decades as a solo singer, and before that, as part of boyband Take That.

On his latest health condition, Robbie said: ‘I’ve just realised that I have Tourettes, but they don’t come out.

‘They are intrusive thoughts that happen, I was just walking down the road the other day, and I realised that these intrusive thoughts are inside Tourettes. It just doesn’t come out.

‘Not only that, you would think that a stadium full of people professing their love to you would work as (a distraction), but whatever it is inside me cannot hear it. I cannot take it in.’

Tourette syndrome is an inherited, neurological condition which can be characterised by involuntary sounds and movements called tics.

The record 18-time BRIT winner says he’s been diagnosed with ADHD three times, the reason behind his numerous diagnoses being he ‘forgot’ each time he was told he had the condition.

He explained: ‘So the first one was around 2006, where I saw these things, ADHD, on the Internet. I’m like, “all of those things are me.” Wow.

‘And then I started to hear that you could get some medicine that behaved a bit like speed, right? Adderall.

‘So, I go see the guy and I’m like, “I already know I’m all of these things. I already know that.” So, I’ll go and say this, then you give me the thing. And he gave me the thing.

‘There was a relief that I’d got it officially diagnosed, but then also there was more a relief that I was getting 200 of these tablets and then I thought the tablets might fix me because you’re always looking for the cure.

‘You’re always looking for the cure for the ailment of the disease inside your head. So I quickly went from taking the pills to crushing them and snorting them.’ 

ADHD is a serious, complex neurobiological condition characterised by inattentiveness – such as having a short attention span, being easily distracted, appearing forgetful or losing things – and impulsivity, for instance, being unable to sit still and concentrate. 

Oil slicks moving along Iran’s southern coast have reached the Hara mangrove forests of Qeshm Island. Iranian authorities say the extent of the contamination is still being assessed and the source of the oil pollution has not yet been established. But several oil spills have been detected in the region since the war between the US and Iran began.

The Hara forests lie in the Khuran Strait, which separates Qeshm Island from mainland Iran. This waterway is close to the Strait of Hormuz – one of the most strategically important marine corridors on Earth. The Strait of Hormuz is normally discussed through the vocabulary of geopolitics: barrels of oil, shipping lanes, energy prices and global trade.

But beneath that geopolitical map lies another map that receives far less attention. The Strait of Hormuz and its surrounding waters are home to mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds, fisheries and coastal communities. They also provide the seawater upon which some of the world’s most water-stressed societies depend.

The Strait of Hormuz is not only an energy chokepoint. It is an ecological chokepoint. And prolonged conflict exposes both at the same time.

An oil slick on open water is a serious pollution event. But oil entering a mangrove ecosystem creates a different problem. Mangroves occupy the boundary between land and sea, with dense root systems that slow water movement and trap sediments.

The same characteristics that make these ecosystems extraordinarily productive also make them effective traps for pollutants.

While oil can be removed from the water surface, oil that penetrates shorelines and fine sediments can be much more difficult to address. Contamination can affect roots and seedlings and expose organisms living in or feeding on these sediments to pollution. Fish and birds can be affected through ecological pathways extending beyond the visibly contaminated trees.

Qeshm should also not be viewed in isolation. Earlier in the war, another oil slick near Kharg Island in the northern Persian Gulf was tracked. Satellite imagery indicated that currents were carrying contamination through the Khuran Strait towards the mangroves.

Researchers using satellite observations have also reported a marked increase in the frequency and extent of oil pollution in the Gulf since the beginning of the war. This is where the environmental significance of prolonged conflict becomes much larger than any individual spill.

What needs to happen now

The first priority in Qeshm must be containment. Preventing additional oil from entering the mangroves is far more effective than attempting to remove it once it has penetrated a complex inter-tidal environment.

However, containment alone is insufficient. Authorities need to establish the source and chemical characteristics of the contamination, map its spatial extent, combine field observations with satellite monitoring and sample water and sediments.

They will also need to establish baseline conditions in affected and unaffected areas and monitor mangrove condition, aquatic organisms and other ecological indicators over time.

Such efforts may themselves be constrained by the war. Conflict can make scientists, environmental agencies and emergency-response teams less able to reach the places where intervention is most urgently needed.

The response must also avoid causing additional damage. Following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska, high-pressure hot-water washing removed stranded oil but also caused substantial additional damage to shoreline organisms and habitats.

In mangroves, where roots and sediments are particularly sensitive to physical disturbance, similarly aggressive interventions can do more harm than good. Most importantly, monitoring of the Hara mangrove forests cannot stop when the coastline looks clean.

There is a temptation during war to treat environmental damage as secondary: something to assess after questions of military strategy, diplomacy, energy supply and economic loss have been addressed. That hierarchy is difficult to defend.

Environmental systems are infrastructure. Mangroves protect coastlines and sustain marine ecosystems. Fisheries support livelihoods and food security. Soils support agriculture. Aquifers store water and coastal waters feed desalination plants.

Healthy ecosystems provide forms of resilience that become more – not less – important during periods of political and economic instability. Destroying or degrading them thus creates liabilities that can persist long after military operations have ended.

And unlike a bridge, pipeline or building, an ecosystem cannot necessarily be reconstructed. A mature mangrove forest is the product of biological processes that unfold over time. Lost ecological functions may take years to recover, and some changes may prove difficult to reverse.

This is why what is happening at Qeshm deserves attention well beyond Iran. The question is not whether this particular oil contamination represents an ecological catastrophe. We do not yet have the evidence to make that judgment. The more important question is what the event is telling us.

It is telling us that in a region where enormous volumes of hydrocarbons, dense maritime traffic, critical water infrastructure and fragile coastal ecosystems occupy the same narrow geography, environmental risk cannot be separated from geopolitical risk.

If the Iran conflict continues, the probability of further accidents, infrastructure damage, pollution and interrupted environmental management will increase. Some consequences, such as burning vessels, blackened coastlines or dead vegetation, will be immediately visible.

But others will accumulate quietly – in sediments, soils, groundwater, food webs and stressed ecosystems. It is these consequences that may ultimately prove harder to repair. While all wars eventually end, their environmental consequences do not necessarily follow the same timetable.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has urged people not to use the steps down to Flamborough beach.

The council said the metal steps were closed in June for safety reasons after an inspection found they were in a “seriously damaged condition with clear and invisible structural issues caused by heavy footfall and corrosion by the elements”.

Damage to the steps down to Selwicks Bay beach in Flamborough (Image: East Riding of Yorkshire Council)

A spokesperson said a fixed barrier and closure signs were installed to prevent people from using the steps, but people are “clambering over the barrier to walk the steps to get to the beach”.

They said Selwicks Bay beach has been temporarily closed as the steps are the only way to reach the area.

The closure of the beach was also introduced over concerns paddle boarders travelling to Selwicks Bay beach from nearby North Beach may find themselves stranded, or have to turn back, as they no longer have a way up the cliff. 

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Council engineers and contractors are currently working on a solution, but the local authority said the steps are “likely to be closed for some time”. 

“The damage caused to the structure may mean the steps may need to be rebuilt,” the council spokesperson said.

Cllr Nick Coultish, the council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure, tourism and planning, said it “won’t be a quick repair”.

“We don’t want to restrict access to this beach, but these steps are in a dangerous condition, so we had no choice but to close them,” he said.

“Please don’t ignore the barrier and closure signs, because there is a real risk that someone could get seriously hurt if the steps give way.”

“We look forward to reopening these steps when they are made safe, but until then please don’t use them,” he added.

Charlotte says disappointing results don’t mean your ambitions have to end – there is hope for the future

Charlotte Cavanagh left school without any A-levels but has gone on to achieve her ambition of becoming a registered nurse, demonstrating that there are many different routes into a rewarding career in Health and Social Care.

As thousands of students across Northern Ireland receive their A-level results on Thursday, Charlotte is sharing her story to remind young people that exam results do not have to define their future.

Charlotte’s journey began almost 10 years ago when she left her job in Tesco to join the Ulster Hospital as a Healthcare Assistant in the Emergency Department.

She progressed from a Band 2 Healthcare Assistant to a Band 3 role before being encouraged by the South Eastern Trust to pursue her ambition of becoming a nurse through the Open University.

Charlotte qualified as a nurse almost two years ago and now works as a staff nurse in the Emergency Department where she says the support and encouragement she received along the way helped her believe that nursing was within her reach.

Charlotte said: “I was very close to my granny. She was a nurse for most of her adult life and worked in a hospice. She was one of the most loving and caring people you could ever meet and she encouraged me to want to help people.

“I left Tesco 10 years ago and decided I wanted to work in a hospital. I did not know where I wanted to work, so I thought A&E sounded fun and decided to give it a go.

“I have been here for nine years now. I started as a Band 2 Healthcare Assistant, then progressed to Band 3 and eventually qualified as a nurse through the Open University.