My family has farmed at Dallington, in Northamptonshire, since 1893. It is where my grandfather, Jack Spencer, grew up. 

My great-grandfather gave our family home there away in 1919, to be used by local servicemen wounded (as my grandfather was) in the First World War. Yet he clung on to the fields nearby.

But last year my family sold its Dallington farmland – 310 acres of it – and what made the sale inevitable was rubbish.

This wasn’t litter, nor the odd fridge dumped in a gateway. It was lorry-loads of construction waste tipped in the dead of night, asbestos sheeting left to rot in a hedgerow and, on one occasion, 60 burnt-out cars stacked on what used to be good pasture. 

Three years ago, the Althorp team had to tackle half-a-ton of plastic bags thrown over a wall with shovels.

It was from a local restaurant, and consisted of rotten meat and putrefying human waste. 

The final straw came last year when the 250-year-old farmhouse on the land was set on fire by criminals and had to be demolished. 

The place had only been empty for a heartbeat, as we struggled to find anyone brave enough to live in this Mad Max landscape – but criminals took that opportunity to burn the historic farmhouse down.

The rear of Althorp house, seat of Earl Spencer and childhood home of Diana Princess of Wales, in Northamptonshire

A pile of broken car tyres are abandoned on Earl Spencer’s estate

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We have fought dumping and fly-tipping for years. We have put up gates, cameras, warning signs. 

None of it worked, because the people doing this aren’t opportunists chucking an old sofa off the back of a van. They are organised.

A House of Lords inquiry heard evidence last year that large-scale fly-tipping in this country is now run by the same criminal networks involved in money laundering, drug dealing and modern slavery. 

Waste crime pays, and it pays well, because almost nobody gets caught.

To most people, fly-tipping means a sofa on a verge or bin bags where they should not be. On farmland it is a hydra. 

A padlock is cut in the small hours; a lorry reverses through a gateway; by first light there is a load in the field that nobody will own up to. 

You cannot plough round it. It leaches into ditches. Livestock go and investigate it. If the farmer leaves it where it lies, he is the one breaking the law. 

Clear it and word gets round that the gate is worth a second visit.

Waste left at the roadside is the council’s responsibility. Waste left eight feet further on, through a farm gate, becomes the farmer’s; his to clear, at his own cost and his offence if he does not.

The Country Land and Business Association found nearly three- quarters of the farmers who answered its survey were hit every year, some several times a month, at roughly £1,000 a time. One load cost me £40,000 to move.

We have six full-time skips at Althorp, dealing with this scourge. A hazardous load runs into tens of thousands.

Huge bins lines filled with rubbish, including empty beer cans and cardboard boxes, are strewn along a wall 

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And in law a farmer can only recover his costs once the person who dumped it has been convicted.

Councils in England dealt with 1.26million incidents last year, 9 per cent up on the year before, and that counts reported dumping on public land alone. 

It does not include the fields, gateways and farm tracks, because most of what happens there is never reported.

There is not much incentive to report a crime that will not be investigated and that you will pay to clear up either way.

Waste crime costs this country about £1 billion a year. Last October the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee wrote to the Environment Secretary to say that serious waste crime had been critically under-prioritised, and to ask for an independent, root-and-branch review of how it is dealt with. 

Its chairman said she feared the system was broken. The committee described agencies responding slowly to repeated reports from the public, and a ‘woeful’ lack of successful convictions.

Consider Hoads Wood in Kent, an ancient bluebell wood and a site of special scientific interest. 

The dumping began in 2020, and the public reported it. By the time the Environment Agency shut the site in 2024, some 30,000 tons had gone in, 25ft deep in places. 

Clearing it is estimated at £10million, and Kent Wildlife Trust anticipates that the damage will still be obvious in 100 years. Three people were arrested last February. Nobody has been prosecuted.

Wooden panels, which appear to have been part of fencing or a garden shed, are left in the middle of a field on the estate 

Set that against the enforcement figures. Of those 1.26million incidents, 1,377 led to a prosecution –fewer than one in 900 reaching a court. 

Councils seized 139 vehicles in the whole of England. Fines fell last year while dumping rose and the average was £539. 

When we handed filmed evidence to the police of one such crime on Althorp land, the accused laughed at the £1,000 fine and said it would not stop them from continuing their dirty trade. 

Meanwhile, recovering your costs after a conviction is, for most farmers, merely a notional right.

The simplest change would be to stop asking people to pay for crimes committed against them. 

The Government has said it will look at indemnifying landowners and I hope it does, because a right to recover your costs after a conviction is worth little when convictions are so rare.

The courts already have the sentencing powers. And lawful disposal ought to be cheaper and simpler, because pricing people out of doing the right thing has always fed the shallow end of this practice.

Fines of up to £5,000 and penalty points have been announced, and none of it is unreasonable.

However, a penalty only deters someone who expects to be caught. In the end my family sold its Dallington land to developers. 

It will now become 1,800 new houses, a secondary school and two primary schools, with money going towards local roads and healthcare.

Northampton needs the housing, so something good comes of it.

I cannot pretend the outcome was a hardship. We had land worth selling and buyers who very much wanted it. 

Most of the people this happens to have no developer at the end of the story, just the next gate and the next lorry and no way of knowing which morning it will be theirs.

Since I started writing this, I have learned a truckload of garden waste and timber has been dumped at Althorp. It is never-ending.

Earl Spencer has donated his fee for this article to the charity Keep Britain Tidy.

Time Out recently named Alnmouth as the best beach in the north of England, so you might be planning a trip out there soon.

If you are heading to Alnmouth any time soon, you might want to book a table in Bistro 23 to enjoy a meal after a busy beach day.

Bistro 23 is a highly rated food spot in Alnmouth with a 4.8 rating on Tripadvisor and 1,313 reviews.

There is a tearoom and a sit-down restaurant. (Image: Tripadvisor)

What is Bistro 23 in Alnmouth like?

The restaurant’s website says: “Bistro 23 is located in the heart of beautiful Alnmouth, a picturesque Northumbrian coastal village on the River Aln estuary.

“We are a small family run business which has been operating since 2003.

“The Bistro opens selected evenings depending on season (online bookings only for evenings).

“The Tearoom is open 6 days a week (open 7 days during school holidays).

“Our aim is to deliver the very best produce, flavours and hospitality Northumberland has to offer.”

Whether you are just visiting for the tearoom or are heading out for a sit-down meal, Bistro 23 has a range of dishes on offer.

For starters, you can enjoy a simple homemade soup of the day to fish dishes like the smoked mackerel and beetroot salad or the seafood platter.

Bistro 23’s main dishes include roast belly pork served with a creamy sage and onion mash, the catch of the day, and the slow cooked Northumbrian beef that has been braised in red wine with mushroom smoked bacon, onion, garlic, and thyme.

It might be hard to resist the desserts, as you can get almond meringue that comes with caramel sauce, banana, and fresh cream, as well as a Northumbrian cheese board for those who prefer savoury options.

The tearoom offers an all-day brunch menu as well as a range of sandwiches and paninis to enjoy.

There are plenty of homemade cakes, tray bakes, scones and even Morwick ice cream to have with a hot coffee or tea.

What do visitors think of Bistro 23?

One reviewer on Tripadvisor praised the restaurant and said: “We had a really delicious meal in this gorgeous gem of a restaurant in Alnmouth.

“The staff are so friendly and efficient.

“The Bistro has a lovely relaxed cosy atmosphere and is located in the heart of the village.

“The excellent menu has a variety of fabulous dishes, we had the sea bass and cod which were so fresh and beautifully prepared.

“We couldn’t resist the sublime desserts which crowned our special evening. Huge compliments to the expert chef!”

Another reviewer said: “Lovely atmosphere.

“Great food and wonderful service.

“Definitely book again – just a terrific evening.”

Would you ever visit Bistro 23? Let us know in the comments.

Subject to approval of the demolition method and utility disconnections, work is proposed to begin on October 4.

No decision has been made on the site’s future.

A spokesperson for The Diocese of Salford said: “St Edmunds Church was closed in light of health and safety concerns, and further investigation led us to conclude that it would not be viable to reopen the church, nor to restore use of the hall or presbytery.

If demolition goes ahead, the site will be levelled, covered with topsoil and seeded while the Diocese considers future options for the land. (Image: NQ)

“In 2024 we announced plans to demolish the buildings, taking into account the safety of local residents as well as the needs of parishioners in the area.

“This is the continuation of this previous announcement.”

The church originally stood at the heart of the community, but was closed in 2023.

It comes after the Diocese of Salford submitted plans to Bolton Council to bring down the buildings following their permanent closure.

St Edmund’s Church on St Edmund Street, together with its parish hall and presbytery, is included in a prior notification application lodged on July 23 2026.

St Edmund’s Church has stood on St Edmund Street since 1861 and is now set to be demolished after a planning notification was submitted to Bolton Council. (Image: NQ)

St Edmund’s was founded as a Roman Catholic mission to Bolton’s poor and growing Irish community, with its foundation stone laid by Bishop William Turner in August 1860 before opening the following year.

Built as a two-storey church with a school beneath, it became part of daily life for generations of mill workers and families living nearby.

More recently, it also became a place of worship for members of Bolton’s long-established Ukrainian community.

The parish was expanded over the years, absorbing St Patrick’s in 2003 before becoming the parish of St Edmund and St Patrick following the closure of St Peter and St Paul’s Church in 2010.

For more than 165 years, St Edmund’s has been part of Bolton’s changing story, serving generations of parishioners in the town centre. (Image: NQ)

The church closed temporarily in 2023 because of health and safety concerns before parishioners were told the following year it would not reopen after investigations found restoration was not viable.

The spokesman for the diocese added: “We recognise the distress that demolition of a church can cause to former parishioners and the Diocese of Salford remains committed to liaising with the local community regarding the future of the land.

“No formal decision on the future of the land have been made.”

St Edmund’s became home to generations of worshippers and, in more recent years, was also used by Bolton’s long established Ukrainian community. (Image: NQ)

Planning documents state the church, parish hall and presbytery would be demolished before the site is levelled, covered with topsoil and seeded.

The Diocese has said future development or disposal options will be considered after demolition has taken place.

For many, St Edmund’s was more than a church.

It was a familiar landmark woven into the story of the town, standing through changing industries, changing communities and changing generations.

Tommy Fury has revealed that his partner Molly-Mae Hague has never paid for a dinner during their relationship despite her millionaire status.

The boxer and the influencer, both 27, met on Love Island in 2019 and had a brief break in 2024 but are now firmly back together.

They recently welcomed their second child – a son named Midas – and also share daughter Bambi, three. 

This week Tommy sat down for the latest episode of his BBC podcast, What The Fury?! alongside his dad John where they spoke about the topic of paying for dinners.

Tommy was asked: ‘Is paying for dinner gentlemanly or old-fashioned?’

He then replied: ‘I think it’s both. I don’t think Molly’s ever paid for a dinner in her life with me.

‘I think the man should pay, it’s a gentleman thing to do, that’s just how I think.’

This week Tommy sat down for the latest episode of his BBC podcast, What The Fury?! alongside his dad John where they spoke about the topic of paying for dinners

John agreed adding: ‘Same here because every time I’ve been in a woman’s company in my life, I’ve always paid.’

Molly-Mae is estimated to be worth around £6million due to her beauty and clothing ventures and online collaborations. 

She is thought to be the most successful Love Islander of all time.

It comes after last week the couple looked happier than ever in heart-warming family photos with their daughter Bambi and newborn son Midas.  

The influencer and boxer jetted off on their first family holiday to Athens, Greece, since welcoming their newborn son last month. 

Taking to Instagram last Sunday, Molly-Mae posted a series of adorable snaps from their trip.

In one photo, she and Tommy looked every inch the doting parents as they posed with their two children by the ocean.

This was followed by a snap of beaming Molly-Mae as she fed Midas from a bottle, with Bambi helping her.

In another snap, the reality star turned business mogul turned heads in a black slip dress as she posed next to Tommy and their children.

She then showed off her incredible postpartum figure in a green bikini top under a white shirt and linen trousers. 

‘Athens camera roll. The best days,’ Molly-Mae captioned the post.

Tommy was asked: ‘Is paying for dinner gentlemanly or old-fashioned?’ He then replied: ‘I think it’s both. I don’t think Molly’s ever paid for a dinner in her life with me’ 

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It came after it was reported that Tommy has been quietly healing his family rift with Molly-Mae‘s sister Zoe after their bitter fallout. 

The boxer and influencer found love on Love Island in 2019 but shocked their fans in August 2024 as the then-engaged couple revealed they had split due to Tommy’s alcohol addiction.

Fortunately, Molly and Tommy rekindled their romance in May this year and have since welcomed their second child, son Midas.

However, before they got back together, Molly documented the highs and lows of their split on her Prime Video series as the pair navigated co-parenting their three-year-old daughter. 

And during the series Molly-Mae: Behind It All, the influencer’s sister Zoe wasn’t afraid to speak her mind which left fans believing she hated Tommy. 

A year after their split, it seems Tommy is back in Zoe’s good books as she recently shared a sweet picture of Tommy holding Bambi and Midas on an armchair, which is the first time he has appeared on her social media page in a while.

A source told The Sun: ‘Tommy’s priority since getting sober and getting back together with Molly is to win her family back over.

‘Her mum was always sympathetic to him but her sister has been tougher.

‘She didn’t hold back on the documentary series about how she thought Molly should move on from Tommy, and that’s on film forever now.’

The Daily Mail has contacted Tommy and Zoe’s representatives for comment.  

Earlier this year, Molly clashed with sister Zoe over her decision to get back with ex-boyfriend Tommy, as the siblings’ strained relationship was seen for the first time.

From then on it was largely one-way traffic, but despite a wealth of chances United could not get back on level terms. Patrick Dorgu had his marker, the young Jorge Dominguez, on toast but could not make the most of the territory he found. Ayden Heaven, Leny Yoro and Mbeumo all missed the mark with headers.

A Silicon Valley wonderkid who built a $45 billion hedge fund by the age of 24 has seen his company unravel just days before his wedding.

Leopold Aschenbrenner’s Situational Awareness fund’s assets have dwindled to an estimated $10 billion after borrowing too much money for AI bets, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Aschenbrenner has for the last two years been considered the oracle of AI, after penning a manifesto about the future of the industry which went viral on the internet and rapidly became required reading in the tech world. 

The 2024 essay gained praise from the President’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, while any skeptics of the then-22-year-old were promptly silenced by the success of Situational Awareness.

Everything appeared to be falling into place for the young German-born hedge funder as he lived a life of luxury with his fiancée, Avital Balwit, the chief of staff to the CEO of Anthropic, in their San Francisco mansion. 

Aschenbrenner’s honey-gold hair and distinctive monochrome turtlenecks bolstered his image as what one columnist dubbed the reclusive ‘Nostradamus of AI,’ and he quickly accrued a cult following in investor circles. 

But the dream came crashing down just as the financial power couple were poised to tie the knot at a lavish ceremony in California this week. 

Situational’s fortunes suddenly reversed after its highly leveraged AI investment strategy fell apart. These positions spectacularly backfired when the sector weakened this year.

Aschenbrenner is due to tie the knot with his fiancée, Avital Balwit (pictured) this week 

Falling share prices triggered margin calls from lenders, forcing emergency asset sales that pushed losses even deeper. The resulting liquidity crunch created a self-reinforcing spiral, transforming a market downturn into a full-blown crisis.

Now, as guests gathered in the picturesque seaside town of Carmel for Aschenbrenner’s lavish multi-day wedding celebration, instead of preparing to tie the knot, the Wall Street investor has been scrambling to save his business empire. 

Aschenbrenner had planned an extravagant event complete with a Tuscan-style villa ceremony, a luxury forest spa finale and even a pre-wedding intellectual conference where guests would debate the future of AI. 

He has instead been rushing to raise cash to meet lender demands, by appealing to some of the world’s biggest hedge funds and selling billions of dollars in holdings to Ken Griffin’s Citadel. 

In a letter to his investors on Thursday, Aschenbrenner promised to focus on risk management in future ‘to ensure a higher level of resilience going forward,’ according to the Wall Street Journal. 

‘I take full responsibility for these events,’ he reportedly wrote. 

The Berlin-born entrepreneur’s rise was meteoric, starting from his early teens when he skipped several grades, graduating high school in Germany at just 15 years old. 

He made his way to the US to study computer science at Columbia University, where he graduated as valedictorian at the age of 19. 

Aschenbrenner met his fiancée Balwit when they were both young protégés of Sam Bankman-Fried, working for the philanthropic arm of his crypto exchange FTX. 

When FTX collapsed, Aschenbrenner joined OpenAI, where he worked in its AI Superalignment team which is responsible for imposing limits on the technology to ensure it does not go rogue and destroy humanity. 

He was fired after less than a year for allegedly leaking information to Holden Karnofsky, the husband of an Anthropic executive, in 2024. Aschenbrenner disputes the OpenAI narrative and has insisted he was axed after penning a memo exposing concerns over alleged security gaps at the company.

Soon after his firing, Aschenbrenner wrote his now-infamous 165-page essay, ‘Situational Awareness: The Decade Ahead,’ which predicted the future of AI. 

Aschenbrenner’s 2024 essay gained praise from the President’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, in the X post shown above, while any critics and skeptics were promptly silenced by the success of his hedge fund, Situational Awareness, which accrued $45 billion in just two years

Now, as guests gathered in the picturesque California seaside town of Carmel (pictured) for Aschenbrenner’s lavish multi-day wedding celebration, instead of preparing to tie the knot, the Wall Street investor has been scrambling to save his business empire

Aschenbrenner’s honey-gold hair and distinctive monochrome turtle necks bolstered his image as what one columnist dubbed the reclusive ‘Nostradamus of AI’ and he quickly accrued a cult following in investor circles

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The manifesto stated that AI systems would match or exceed human capabilities by 2027, and reach the status of ‘superintelligence’ by 2030. Aschenbrenner claimed that he was among an elite number of people with a clear view of the future. 

‘Right now, there are perhaps a few hundred people, most of them in San Francisco and the AI labs, that have situational awareness,’ he wrote. ‘Through whatever peculiar forces of fate, I have found myself among them.’ 

After going viral and capturing the attention of Ivanka Trump among hundreds of thousands of other fans, he used the manifesto to raise money for his hedge fund. 

His portfolio of investors was impressive – comprising the likes of Patrick and John Collison, the brothers who co-founded payments firm Stripe, along with top AI executives at Meta. 

He purchased a mansion in San Francisco’s patrician Nob Hill neighborhood, living close to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, while his early success turning millions into billions earned him a cult following. 

This year, podcaster Tim Ferriss dubbed Aschenbrenner ‘the Nostradamus of AI,’ adding that his viral paper was ‘as close to clairvoyant as you could possibly be.’

However, the vulnerabilities in Situational’s business model were exposed this week. 

For every dollar invested, Aschenbrenner reportedly borrowed another three or four dollars – sometimes even more – creating huge exposure to any downturn in the AI sector.

When enthusiasm for AI stocks began to cool this month amid concerns over cheaper Chinese models and questions about future profits, the strategy quickly turned toxic.

Situational Awareness funds dwindled in value from $45 billion to $10 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. A stock image of stock market indexes is shown above 

In a letter to his investors on Thursday, Aschenbrenner promised to focus on risk management in future ‘to ensure a higher level of resilience going forward’

His fiancée, Avital Balwit, is the chief of staff to the CEO of Anthropic. She is pictured above

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Banks issued margin calls.

Rival hedge funds reportedly began sharing information about Situational Awareness’ positions, with some even placing bets that the fund’s favourite stocks would continue falling as it was forced to sell.

The pressure snowballed.

As losses mounted, Aschenbrenner considered increasingly dramatic options, including selling one of his most valuable assets – a $3.5 billion stake in AI giant Anthropic.

Late on Wednesday night, a deal was reportedly struck with investors led by Greenoaks and Sequoia Capital.

By morning, he had changed his mind.

Instead, the fund dumped large portions of its public stock portfolio to repay lenders while holding on to its private investments.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Aschenbrenner for comment.  

While the frenzy around weight-loss drugs is booming, the ongoing cost of the weekly jabs can, for some, be too high.

Instead, many are now turning to an unlikely – and cheap – natural supplement, with users claiming that as well as supporting weight loss, it helps control appetite and even improves skin quality after the excess weight has been lost.

Spermidine, which has long been popular among biohackers – people who make use of science, extreme diets and technology in a bid to live longer – due to its role in recycling damaged cells, is now attracting far wider attention for its potential role in tackling obesity and liver disease.

Scientists believe that the naturally occurring compound may support DNA repair, heart health and healthy ageing.

First identified in human semen – from which it got its name – and later discovered throughout the body, spermidine is also found in foods such as wheatgerm, mature cheeses, soybeans, mushrooms and green peppers.

It has also been sold as an over-the-counter supplement for about a decade, typically as a powder or capsule costing from about 16p to £1.20 per daily serving.

Among its celebrity devotees is former Countdown co-host Carol Vorderman, who has said she takes spermidine daily because she believes it helps slow ageing.

Now social media users devoted to longevity and weight loss are sharing tips on using spermidine in their weight-loss regime – with one claiming that they lost more than nine stone in less than a year.

But what does the science actually say?

Some studies suggest spermidine may mimic calorie restriction by triggering some biological processes activated during fasting.

When the body is deprived of nutrients, spermidine levels naturally rise, helping switch on a process called autophagy – the body’s cellular recycling system.

Professor Arshad Rather, head of geriatric medicine at University College London Hospitals, explains: ‘Autophagy clears away damaged proteins and worn-out cell parts, allowing cells to recycle them into new building blocks.

‘As we get older this process becomes less efficient, allowing damage to build up.

‘Scientists believe maintaining healthy autophagy may help protect against age-related conditions including metabolic disease, liver disease and heart disease.’

Laboratory studies have also suggested spermidine may increase the activity of genes involved in collagen and elastin production, meaning it could help reduce loose skin after rapid weight loss. However, so far there is little evidence this occurs in people.

Interest in the compound first surged after researchers found people whose diets naturally contained more of the compound had lower rates of cardiovascular disease and a lower risk of death from all causes.

A 2023 post on Instagram by Vorderman in which shows the spermidine product she uses

Spermidine is also found in foods such as wheatgerm, mature cheeses, soybeans, mushrooms and green peppers

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In a study, those who increased their intake of spermidine-rich foods over a year saw greater improvements in liver health, blood sugar and cholesterol than those who ate less

They also experienced larger reductions in body weight and fatty liver disease markers

One study, published last month in the European Journal of Nutrition, followed more than 2,600 older adults in Spain who were overweight or obese and had metabolic syndrome – a cluster of conditions that raises the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Participants who increased their intake of spermidine-rich foods over a year saw greater improvements in liver health, blood sugar and cholesterol than those who ate less. They also experienced larger reductions in body weight and fatty liver disease markers.

In the UK, obesity is the leading driver of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is estimated to affect up to one in three adults.

Professor Rather says the findings are encouraging but should be interpreted cautiously.

‘This study shows an association rather than cause and effect,’ he says. ‘More clinical trials are needed before we can say definitively that increasing spermidine intake leads to these outcomes.’

Leading nutritionist Gabriela Peacock adds: ‘Most of the encouraging findings around heart health, mortality, biological ageing and liver health come from studies looking at what people eat.

‘Simple changes could include adding wheatgerm to yogurt or porridge, using lentils or chickpeas in salads and soups, eating mushrooms regularly and replacing refined grains with wholegrains.’

Animal research has also hinted at potential liver benefits.

A study published in May found that spermidine reduced liver scarring and other liver damage markers in mice. However, scientists say it remains unclear whether over-the-counter supplements provide the same benefits as spermidine-rich foods.

And, surprisingly, a 2022 Chinese study found that obese adults actually had higher levels of the compound in their blood than people of normal weight. 

However, those with the highest levels were also less likely to gain weight over the following two years, leading researchers to suggest the compound may act as part of the body’s natural response to obesity-related metabolic stress.

Just like ordinary Brits, the rich and famous are facing a battle to keep their pristine gardens alive and watered amid a record-breaking summer.

Large swathes of the country have turned from a tapestry of greens to a monotone brown after weeks with no rain and scorching temperatures. 

Parts of Britain have gone 46 days without any rainfall, with half of England and all of Wales now officially in drought.

Hosepipe bans are in place across eight water companies and a warning of extremely high risk of wildfires remains as Britain’s gardeners are facing a battle to keep their beloved patches alive.

Even properties at repeated risk of flooding have not been spared by the heat, as Brits battle the increasingly extreme weather brought about by climate change. 

And images show how the likes of the Beckhams, Clooneys and Ellen DeGeneres are facing just the same struggle at their luxury properties across the south of England.

In a quiet corner of leafy Berkshire, a sprawling Grade II-listed mansion sits on the riverbank at Sonning-on-Thames.

DeGeneres: Ellen and wife Portia De Rossi recently won a planning battle to construct stables at the property

Soho Farmhouse is just about managing to maintain some green grass, despite being surrounded by thoroughly yellowed fields

In a social media post, DeGeneres joked her lawnmowing skills were ‘not great’, and said she and wife De Rossi would use sheep instead to keep the grass in check

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George Clooney and his wife Amal evacuated their luxury French estate after a fast-moving wildfire raced towards their home this week (Pictured in France in May)

It is the marital home of Hollywood’s George Clooney and his high-flying international human rights lawyer wife Amal.

The couple are thought to have spent millions on a major renovation project after purchasing the property in 2014.

And despite its idyllic location, it has not all been plain sailing since. 

Its setting on the nearby riverbank means it is prone to flooding, which happened in 2024 when floodwater took over the majority of their garden. 

Fortunately, the couple’s property is thought to have remained unaffected.

But it’s a different problem this summer, as large parts of the county haven’t seen any rain since a light shower on July 2.

Despite being surrounded by tall trees which offers some shade to the edges of their garden, the central grass has completely yellowed in scenes reflected across Britain’s back gardens.

But even with a local hosepipe ban from Thames Water, the Clooneys’ thick forestry has left them better off than some of their compatriots – in the UK at least.

The family faced having to evacuate their vineyard home in the south of France this week amid huge blazes, including one just nine miles from Bordeaux.

They have no idea whether their property there is still standing, it is reported. It is not known where the Clooneys are currently staying. 

These extraordinary images of David Beckham’s 40-acre Oxfordshire estate show the shocking scale of the aridity that has hit so much of the UK

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Now the only visible areas of green left appear to be the family’s five-a-side football pitch – which is thought to be made of artificial grass – a few more resilient trees and that cherished vegetable patch

The Beckhams have been on one long, almost-unbroken holiday this summer (Pictured on a break in Formentera this week)

Seven weeks after gushing to his followers about his beloved vegetable garden before jetting off to watch the World Cup, Sir David Beckham faced a stark reality upon his return, with images showing his parched, yellowed garden surrounded by barren fields in Oxfordshire. 

The 40-acre Cotswolds estate has been abandoned by the Beckhams amid weeks of no rain, as they instead enjoy virtually non-stop holidays throughout the summer months.

From a yacht trip in the Mediterranean in May, to the World Cup in June and more recently Ibiza, the jet-setting family perhaps prefer to avert their eyes from their usually green and luscious lawns.

Now the only visible areas of green left appear to be the family’s five-a-side football pitch – which is thought to be made of artificial grass – a few more resilient trees and that cherished vegetable patch. 

Their head gardener, Carly Holmes, is thought to have been paying special attention to the patch amid a Thames Water hosepipe ban affecting many Oxfordshire homes. 

But the rest of their property is a grass wasteland, broken up only by patches of green around the Beckhams’ large pond.

Elsewhere in the Cotswolds, a farmhouse bought by former TV chat host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia De Rossi is similarly beleaguered by the tough conditions, although the couple are having better luck than many.

Having purchased the property in 2024 following President Donald Trump’s election win, the couple initially looked to sell it following difficulties with flooding and a high-profile planning row over stables for De Rossi’s beloved horses.

Despite a drought having been declared in Oxfordshire, Ellen DeGeneres’ garden is an oasis of green amid its surrounding brown fields

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi moved to the UK in 2024 following President Donald Trump’s election win

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The River Windrush flooded much of the surrounding land, and the pair even briefly moved to a new property in 2025. 

But the couple are now set to remain in their first UK home for the ‘long term’ after claiming victory in the planning battle.

Despite a drought having been declared in Oxfordshire, DeGeneres’ garden is an oasis of green amid its surrounding brown fields.

The couple previously shared their struggles with maintaining it, with a viral video of DeGeneres struggling to use a sit-on lawnmower.

In a social media post, she joked her lawnmowing skills are ‘not great’, and said she and wife De Rossi would use sheep instead to keep the grass in check.

Regardless of the couple’s secret, they are clearly doing something right as their garden stands out amongst an otherwise brown landscape. 

They are not the only success story either – Soho Farmhouse is also just about managing to maintain some green grass, despite being surrounded by thoroughly yellowed fields.

It is home to an elite private members’ club beloved by A-listers including the Beckhams and Maya Jama, and also hosted Meghan Markle’s hen party.

The Chipping Norton venue has hosted stunning dinners, galas and holidays for the rich and famous, with on-site accommodation, a health club and plenty of sports facilities.

Images show that large parts of its grass are beginning to yellow, but it’s certainly faring better than much of the land around it. 

Green-fingered homeowners are struggling across Britain following both May and June breaking Met Office monthly temperature records, with 35.1C recorded at Kew Gardens on May 26 and 38C recorded at Lingwood, Norfolk on June 26. 

With much of England and the whole of Wales now officially in drought, forecasters are warning that current forecasts ‘do not favour the widespread, sustained rainfall’ needed to make up the shortfall caused by recent dry conditions.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) extended its drought declaration – which was declared for North Wales and the Upper Severn last week – to cover the whole of the country, after very little rainfall and sustained high temperatures.

Wales has received just eight per cent of its long-term average rainfall for July, and the country is on course to have its driest July since records began 190 years ago, NRW said.

Met Office chief meteorologist Will Lang said: ‘While there is always the potential for periods of rain during the remainder of the summer, current forecasts do not favour the widespread, sustained rainfall that would be needed to make a significant difference to rainfall deficits that have built up over recent months.

Soho Farmhouse is home to an elite private members’ club beloved by A-listers including the Beckhams and Maya Jama, and also hosted Meghan Markle’s hen party

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Even the greens at Buckingham Palace are suffering in the heat, turning almost entirely brown

‘As we move through August, there remains a tendency towards drier than average conditions, particularly in southern and eastern areas.

‘Meaningful recovery from prolonged dry conditions often relies on more frequent and widespread rainfall during the autumn months, when weather patterns typically become more changeable.’

The dry weather is also set to have an impact on food supply, with farming leaders warning they face ‘the worst harvest in years’ amid drought and successive heatwaves following a very wet winter.

Gavin Lane, president of the Country Land and Business Association that represents 28,000 farmers, said: ‘Farmers are telling us this is the worst harvest in years.

‘A sodden winter followed by drought has left wheat at half its usual height and some crops not worth harvesting.’

Parts of the country are suffering their third drought in five years, following 2025 and 2022.

And figures revealed this week that the UK is on track to record the highest number of excess heat deaths since records began. 

An estimated 753 deaths were associated with the heatwave that ran from May 24-27, with a further 2,124 deaths linked to the heatwave between June 21 and 28.

The total of 2,877 deaths is almost double the 1,504 deaths linked to heatwaves in June to August last year.

Some 2,985 heat-associated deaths were observed across the five heatwaves of 2022, a year that had the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK, when 40.3C was reached in Coningsby in Lincolnshire on July 19. 

Belfast comes in just below the national average

A new report shows that Belfast is falling short of the national average when it comes to food spots with a 5-star hygiene rating.

The rating shows how well the business is doing overall, based on standards found at the time of inspection. The ratings can be found online and on stickers which are displayed at business premises.

A food safety officer from the local council inspects a business to check that it follows food hygiene law so that the food is safe to eat.

In Belfast City, just 66.4% of food businesses hold a top 5-star hygiene rating, which falls short of the 68.8% nationally, according to a report from Paddl.

New analysis of the Food Standards Agency’s full ratings dataset breaks food hygiene scores down to council level. Nationally, 68.8% of food businesses hold a top 5-star rating, so the areas below that line stand out.

Across the UK, 31.2% of businesses don’t hold a top rating and a third have not been re-inspected in over two years.

According to the Food Standards Agency, at the inspection, the officer will check the following:

• How hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored
• The physical condition of the business –including cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, pest control and other facilities
• How the business manages ways of keeping food safe, looking at processes, training and systems to ensure good hygiene is maintained. The officer can then assess the level of confidence in standards being maintained in the future.

The businesses are then graded with a score between 5 and 0, with 5 meaning the hygiene standards are very good and fully comply with the law and 0 meaning urgent improvement is necessary.

To get a top rating of 5, businesses must do well in all three elements.

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It is easy to assume that harder training always produces better results. In resistance training, which includes lifting weights or using resistance machines, taking every set to the point where you cannot complete another repetition may create more fatigue without producing better results.

A repetition, or rep, is one complete movement of an exercise. A set is a group of repetitions performed without a long rest.

Training to failure means continuing a set until you cannot complete another full repetition with acceptable technique, despite making your best effort. This is sometimes called momentary muscular failure.

An alternative is to stop while you could still perform one or more repetitions. This is described as repetitions in reserve, or RIR. If you could complete ten repetitions but stop after eight, you have two repetitions in reserve, usually written as 2 RIR.

Why might training close to failure help?

Muscles are made up of individual cells called muscle fibres. These fibres are broadly classified as type 1 or type 2 fibres and are controlled by the nervous system. The type 2 fibres produce more force and can grow more than type 1 fibres.

A light load is generally one that you could lift for more than 15 repetitions, whereas a heavy load limits you to completing fewer than 10 repetitions. When lifting a light load, the type 1 fibres are active. As the set approaches failure, the nervous system activates type 2 fibres to keep the weight moving.

Lifting a heavy weight activates type 2 muscle fibres from the beginning of the set. With a light weight, type 2 fibres only become activated as the type 1 fibres fatigue later in the set. Light-weight sets therefore need to be completed reasonably close to failure if the aim is muscle growth.

The final possible repetition does not appear to provide a special muscle-building effect. Research suggests that a hard set ending shortly before failure can stimulate muscle growth while causing less fatigue.

What are the drawbacks?

Taking a set to failure produces more immediate fatigue than stopping earlier. A systematic review and meta-analysis, which combines the findings of several studies, found that failure training caused larger reductions in strength, movement speed and power immediately after exercise. It also produced greater feelings of effort and more signs of temporary muscle disruption.

This fatigue can affect the rest of the workout. If the first set of an exercise is taken to failure, the lifter may complete fewer repetitions with good technique on remaining sets. Research comparing failure and non-failure training has also found that recovery can take longer after sets performed to failure.

The effects of training to failure depend partly on the weight and the exercise. Sets using light weights involve more repetitions, last longer and usually cause more breathlessness and the feeling of muscle burn. That discomfort may make the workout less enjoyable or harder to maintain.

Exercise choice also affects safety. A machine leg extension or biceps curl is relatively easy to stop when the muscles fatigue. A technical exercise like a squat or bench press requires more balance, coordination and control. As fatigue increases, technique may deteriorate and the lifter may be unable to finish the repetition safely. Failure training during these exercises is best avoided unless suitable safety equipment or a competent spotter is available.

What does the research show?

A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis found no significant overall difference between failure and non-failure training for strength or muscle growth. The authors noted that the studies used different programmes and did not always match training volume, meaning the total amount of load lifted during a training session was different.

A later review examined 15 studies of muscle growth. It found no evidence that reaching failure produced more growth than stopping earlier. The researchers concluded that training closer to failure may increase the muscle growth stimulus up to a point, but every additional repetition does not necessarily provide the same extra benefit.

A 2024 analysis found that failure was not necessary for improving strength as it improved across a wide range of stopping points. Muscle growth tended to improve as sets ended closer to failure, although the researchers could not identify an exact number of repetitions in reserve that was optimal.

The American College of Sports Medicine’s 2026 review of resistance-training evidence reached a similar practical conclusion. Regular training with sufficient effort is more important for healthy adults than following a complicated programme or taking every set to failure.

How close to failure should you train?

For many gym users, finishing most sets with about one to three repetitions in reserve is a useful starting point rather than a fixed rule. The final repetitions should feel difficult and the weight should be moving more slowly than it was at the start of the set.

Training closer to failure may be more useful when using light weights, completing only a very short training session, or performing the final set of a technically simple exercise. Occasionally taking a suitable exercise to failure can also help you learn how many repetitions you genuinely have left.

Judging repetitions in reserve takes practice. Research has found that people often underestimate how many repetitions they could still perform, particularly when using lighter weights.

Beginners have little reason to take every set to failure. They can make progress while learning exercises and gradually increasing the weight or number of repetitions. Experienced lifters may use failure selectively when it suits their programme and recovery.

You do not need to take every set to failure to become stronger or build muscle. Sets still need to be challenging, especially when lighter weights are used. Stopping shortly before failure can preserve technique and reduce fatigue while providing an effective training stimulus. For most people, keeping roughly one to three repetitions in reserve offers a sensible balance between effort and recovery.