Hartlepool RNLI were called at 3.25pm by Humber Coastguard after an inflatable dinghy drifted out to sea at Seaton Carew.

Four volunteer crew members launched the RNLI boat at 3.40pm and soon were alongside two men who found themselves in difficulty.

The inshore lifeboat recovered the casualty, and another man who had swam out from the beach to help.

Volunteer crew members (left to right) Glen Pearson, James White, Jamie Northey and Mark Barke (Image: RNLI/Tom Collins)

The pair were handed over to the Hartlepool Coastguard team.

Hartlepool lifeboat operations manager Steve Pounder said: “A prompt response from the crew brought the incident to a successful outcome.

“An offshore wind can quickly blow inflatables out to sea. Please tether inflatable toys to prevent this situation, or don’t bring them to the beach.

“In this situation, it’s best to ring 999 and ask for the Coastguard and to keep the casualty in sight’.

Hartlepool RNLI inshore lifeboat helm Mark Barker added: “A quick launch from the Ferry Road boathouse meant we were on scene to recover the casualties who were both none the worse for their experience.

“We safely handed them over to the Coastguard team on the beach at Seaton Carew.”

The volunteer crew members then assisted a boat and its owner from Seaton Carew beach, which had suffered a mechanical failure, to a slipway near Hartlepool Marina.

The tool will scan data from thousands of properties and flag the ones most likely to deteriorate

Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be used to flag issues with council homes before “potential crisis hits”. Researchers at the University of Cambridge are developing a new AI tool alongside Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council.

It will scan data from thousands of properties and flag the ones most likely to deteriorate, as well as the residents “most likely” to be harmed. According to the university, the tool will combine three sources of data into a single risk score for each property.

The first source is satellite data and it includes systems that can detect heat loss from buildings using thermal imagery captured by satellites. The second source is conventional housing data such as construction type, Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings, records of damp and mould, and repair histories.

The third source is what the researchers called ‘soft’ data including fuel poverty indicators, rent arrears, and accumulated logs of tenant contacts that councils already hold.

Researchers said the data, on a dashboard, would display a map of “risk hotspots”. They said it would not just flag buildings in poor condition, but highlight “where a vulnerable person lives in one”.

Head of housing at South Cambridgeshire District Council Peter Campbell said “at the moment we’re very much waiting for things to break before we act”. He believes that better data could make teams more efficient.

He added: “Quite often when things break, it’s not only the item itself that gets damaged, but also the damage caused by the break. For example, it’s not just the roof that needs replacing; it’s where the water has gotten in and damaged the rest of the property.”

“What we’re doing now is identifying people with whom we’ve had absolutely no contact and prioritising them for a home visit,” Mr Campbell continued. “But we don’t have the resources to do that for everybody, all the time.”

The researchers said that the project, called Predictive Risk Intelligence for Social housing Maintenance (PRISM) is not designed to make automated decisions about people’s homes or welfare. All alerts generated by the model would be reviewed by housing officers.

The project is designed as a proof of concept over 12 months. If it works, both councils said they hope it could serve as a template for social housing authorities elsewhere in the UK.

The system is being developed by Professor Ronita Bardhan and Dr Ramit Debnath from Cambridge’s Department of Architecture and the Centre for Human-Inspired AI (CHIA). Professor Bardhan said that “this is just a starting point”, but they hope “it can be replicated across different councils across the country”.

A warning has been issued to beachgoers that removing natural materials like sand and stones from beaches is illegal under the Coastal Protection Act 1949.

A tourist holidaying near Crackington Haven in Cornwall was once ordered to drive hundreds of miles to return pebbles taken from the beach.

And in 2018, the Metro reported on organised sand thefts, with JCB diggers used to extract large quantities from Hemsby beach in Norfolk for resale to builders.

Similar issues have been seen elsewhere.

In Devon, repeated thefts forced council gardeners to begin microchipping public plants.

The public is reminded that removing natural materials from beaches is against the law.

Why is it illegal?

Bans on seemingly harmless acts like this can be enforced by local councils, and can see offenders fined up to £1,000 as a penalty.

Yet while it may seem perfectly harmless, removing pebbles and other natural matter from the coast is in fact damaging to the environment.

As suggested by the name of the Act, and as stated in the introduction of the Act, taking natural material from a beach in the UK is illegal, in order to protect Britain’s beaches “against erosion and encroachment by the sea”.

Pebbles and other natural matter act as a natural sea defence against coastal erosion, which many experts warn has become even more of an issue due to climate change.

We were officially knocked out of the tournament on Saturday night after finishing third in Group C behind Brazil and Morocco.

The Tartan Army footsoldiers still out in Miami were left heartbroken as our World Cup dream finally ended last night before manager Steve Clarke handed in his resignation.

We were officially knocked out of the tournament on Saturday night after finishing third in Group C behind Brazil and Morocco, after days of waiting to see if our nations could do us a favour.

After claiming three points in the opening game against Haiti, we crashed out after Croatia’s 2-1 victory over Ghana saw us failing to finish among the top eight third-placed teams who progressed to the last 32 to join the 24 first and second-placed countries.

Shortly before the tournament, Clarke had penned a new four-year deal that would have taken him through to the next World Cup in 2030, as well as the home European Championships in 2028, and it would have seen him clock up 11 years in the job.

But in a bombshell statement in the early hours of Sunday morning, the 62-year-old penned a heartfelt farewell to his players, staff, and the Tartan Army.

Supporters who had travelled across the pond were left shocked at the news as they spoke to the Record after coming to terms with our elimination from the tournament.

Rio Carson, 19, who is from Glasgow but now lives on the Isle of Wight, travelled across to Miami with his dad Alan, 53, and his brothers Sol, 21, and Tao, 16.

Rio, who runs a window cleaning business, said: “I can’t deny Clarke has been a success but it is time for some fresh ideas. We were just on flight waiting to fly back to UK from Miami when the news broke.

“It quickly spread around the flight as the plane was full of Tartan Army. Most of us seemed relieved he had stepped down.

“We won’t ever forget those nights at Hampden which got us to the tournament. But after watching Scotland on the biggest stage it was obvious that change was needed.

“His interviews after the Brazil game gave the impression he was done with it. We have a lot to be grateful for – he got us back to the big stage three times and gave us all memories that will last a lifetime. He masterminded some massive qualifying wins v Norway, Spain and Denmark – but the time is right for change.”

Lee Barron flew out to Florida on Monday and the 38-year-old, from Perth, echoed those sentiments. He said: “I was shocked to hear the news, but after the Brazil game, hearing his reaction, it was maybe on his mind about throwing the towel in.

“I think he’s been successful – seven years, three tournaments qualified for. I’ve liked him throughout his term as manager, but I think it’s the manner of the defeat. In all three we haven’t performed well. We’re not wanting to be a country that’s just there to have a party and make up the numbers.

“I don’t think the players have helped him much either. They haven’t stepped up to the mark. Some of the responsibility has to land there too.

“I would have kept him in for longer. He’s been given a four year deal – but maybe he thought the time feels right. He’s been there for seven years, he’s done what he can with the players he’s got. He’s built a squad.

“A lot of them won’t see another tournament either because of their age, so he’s maybe looked at it and said it’s time to move on. But I’d just like to thank him, because he’s gave us some amazing opportunities – so cheers Steve!”

Speaking after our elimination from the competition was confirmed, Kian Halbert, a 25-year-old banker from Kilbirnie, and his brother Conor, a 21-year-old forklift driver, said the performance in this summer’s tournament wasn’t good enough.

Kian said: “I’m gutted. We’ve had a great time in America, but we should have performed better. After the Haiti game, we were happy we got the three points, but looking back we probably should have created more. I’m just gutted that we only got one goal in the whole tournament. It’s not good enough.”

Conor said: “We’ve had a great time here, except for Wednesday. You could see that, when we created chances, we looked a threat – but we never did that enough and we paid the price.

“That 1-0 win against Haiti never seemed like enough. Haiti scored more than us in the group. That says a lot. We didn’t deserve to go through. But we’ve never seen us in a World Cup in our lifetime, so we have to thank Steve for that. It has been an amazing trip.”

Aimee Ronnie, 19, and her sister Kaitlin, 21, are both from Glasgow and work for Next. Aimee said: “It’s been a pretty disappointing campaign. It’s a bit of a downer, but what can you do? We’re here, we’re having a party, we’re having a laugh. It’s still been great.

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“The Scots have really taken over, but it’s really disappointing to go home this early. I was really hoping we were going through. I really thought we were going to do enough for the first time ever, so that’s disappointing.”

Meanwhile Hector Macleod, a 36-year-old who works for Scottish Water and is from Skye, has travelled across to America with his wife, 28-year-old wife Alex, who manages restaurants.

The pair had hoped to stay out longer if Scotland had got through, and Hector said: “I still had hope up until late on Friday night, but when the final whistle went against Egypt and Iran had got a draw, I knew that was it.

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“We had booked to be out for another week or two. We had tickets up until the last 16, so we’re really disappointed. We’re going to extend our holiday to Puerto Rico for a few days then go home.

“It’s been a big let down. I was optimistic and thought we could top the group at the start. It’s probably our best ever chance to, so I just feel really let down.

“I don’t think Clarke was completely to blame. I don’t think the players have done enough when it’s got to the important games – it was the same with the Euros. When it matters they haven’t shown up. It’s still very raw, but we’ve had an amazing time. It’s been the trip of a lifetime. I didn’t think we could ever top Germany but this has been unreal.”

Innes Matheson, 13, has travelled over from Airdrie with his sister Eilidh, 9, and Lyle Randall, 12. Innes said: “I was expecting this, to be honest. 1-0 against Haiti was disappointing. I never thought we’d beat Brazil but we were unlucky against Morocco.

“I just hope we aren’t waiting too long to qualify for another World Cup because we’ve had a great time in Miami, but the football wasn’t good enough.”

Sandy Gray, a 72-year-old roofer, from Arbroath, and Duncan Pirie, a 32-year-old social worker, from Aberdeen, were sitting at the Bayfront Park area in Miami as they reflected on the news.

Duncan said: “It has just been incredible to be in Miami with my family. We are feeling deflated. We are devastated but we are still partying hard.

“I was four years old last time we made a World Cup, so this has been a huge moment for all of us. We have to thank Clarke for that.”

Sandy added: “We waited for 28 years, and it was gone in a heartbeat. I feel sorry for Clarke – and everyone else too – but hey-ho, we lived the dream. It has still been the trip of a lifetime.”

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That Iran came as close as they did to progressing remarkable in itself given the unique hurdles they have had to overcome.

Iran have been competing at the World Cup against the backdrop of the country’s conflict with the United States and Israel.

Their World Cup training base was switched from Arizona to Tijuana in Mexico before the tournament began, and they faced travel restrictions throughout.

Iran were only permitted to enter the United States the day before their first two matches and had to leave again on the same day as the game, under the terms of their visas.

Subsequently, Ghalenoei described his side as the “most oppressed” team at the tournament.

He said the squad had been “robbed” of preparation time and given “less than half” the training window it needed, while other teams had enjoyed normal conditions.

Those travel restrictions were eased for the game in Seattle, allowing them to arrive two days early, but they had to return to Tijuana after the match.

After the match, Ghalenoei again expressed his frustration: “To my players and the team, I want to say to them I’m proud of them.

“What these young people, these players have done, it should be written in history because the host country treated us very unfairly.

“Despite all of these problems, we’ve been able to perform well and the world is proud of Iranians and our team.

“I urge Fifa: don’t let hosts treat players and teams the same way in future World Cups.”

Courteney Cox has separated from her long-term partner, Snow Patrol guitarist Johnny McDaid, according to new reports.

The Friends star began dating the Northern Irish musician back in late 2013, having met at a party.

News of the separation was first reported by the Daily Mail, with People magazine later confirming the claims.

Cox, 62, and McDaid, 49, had not been seen together in public since last year, when they attended the US Open tennis tournament in September.

The Independent has contacted representatives of Cox and McDaid for comment.

It was singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran who first brought McDaid into Cox’s orbit, owing to the two musicians being housemates. Speaking to E! News, Sheeran said at the time: “My housemate who I’ve lived with for a year, I introduced him to Courteney Cox. They started dating and [are] crazy about each other.”

In 2019, Cox reflected on her first kiss with McDaid, saying it was the best of her life. “I, actually, was the person who kissed first,” she said. “Ed Sheeran brought him over to my house one Sunday.”

The couple were briefly engaged, just nine months after they met, though called off the engagement in 2015.

They remained separated for six months at the time, with McDaid relocating to England.

“Three years in, we broke up, and it was really intense,” Cox told the Minnie Questions with Minnie Driver podcast in 2024. “We broke up in therapy. I didn’t know it was coming, whether I should have or not. He just broke up within the first minute. And I was like, what? We were engaged, and I was so shocked. I was in so much pain.

“He wasn’t trying to surprise me. He was in that much pain in the relationship,” she continued. “There was that much that needed to be dealt with that he had to protect himself around his heart.”

They later reconciled, though retained their separate homes, alternating between continents.

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During the Covid pandemic, the couple were forced to live separating, something that Cox spoke about during a virtual appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “I just miss his physical touch,” she said. “It’s been hard. This is the longest time.”

Cox was 12 years older than McDaid, and opened up about the age gap in a 2017 interview with NewBeauty. “He’s younger than me and with any other guy that would be the hardest thing in the world,” she said.

Leading players at Wimbledon will stage a week of protests as the row over prize money at the grand slam tournaments continues.

Top players from the men’s and women’s tours, including defending champions Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, will limit their contractual media commitments to a symbolic 15 minutes per match day during the first week of the tournament. This will include post-match press conferences and interviews with TV rights holders. The action will begin at across the pre-tournament press conferences on Saturday and Sunday.

Earlier this month, the All England Club announced record prize money for this year’s tournament, confirming their biggest ever uplift in prize money and increasing the overall prize pool by 20 per cent. Wimbledon’s prize money now stands at an overall £64.2m; the breakdown of which sees the singles champions win a record £3.6m each and first-round losers receiving £80,000.

The players, who are represented by Larry Scott, the former chief executive of the WTA and an experienced sports administrator, initially welcomed Wimbledon’s announcement as a “genuine and significant step forward” – but it has not stopped collective action. The players’ representatives estimate that their share of Wimbledon’s projected revenues for 2026 stands at 14.4 per cent (hence the 15 minutes), and say that ratio is less than their share from 10 years ago – despite revenues growing over that period.

The players have been pushing for a greater share of revenues for well over a year, and want a revenue-sharing formula to be established and written into any future prize money announcements. The players want their share of revenues at the grand slams to reach 22 per cent, the figure they receive at some events on the ATP and WTA Tours, by 2030, and had written to Wimbledon to propose a 16 per cent cut for this year. That would have seen their prize money increase further, to £71m.

But tying prize money to revenues is not seen as realistic by the grand slams. Speaking earlier this month, Debbie Jevans, chair of the All England Club, said that establishing prize money as a ratio of projected revenues makes “no sense”. Jevans said Wimbledon runs as a not-for-profit, operating differently from Tour events, and has a duty to support the wider infrastructure of British tennis by contributing 90 per cent of surplus funds at the end of the tournament to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).

Wimbledon are said to be “surprised and disappointed” by the collective action, are were shocked that the record increase in prize money did not prevent protests from the players.

The grand slams argue that the players’ representatives underestimate the costs of running tournaments and staging important warm-up events. There has also been multi-million-pound investment into player facilities at the All England Club, including the renovation of the Millennium Building this year.

Additionally, Wimbledon have asked Larry Scott and the players’ representatives for financial records of tour events to understand where the 22 per cent revenue-sharing ratio comes from, but it is understood those details have not yet been provided.

Wimbledon believe they are fully transparent with their financial records and publish them every year. Wimbledon’s revenue last year was £427m and the All England Club account for this to grow by five per cent to around £444.8m this year, based on their previous records.

A spokesperson for the All England Club said: “Wimbledon puts the players at the heart of all our decisions and we invest significantly in them every year. This year’s total prize money fund has increased by 20 per cent to £64.2 million, which is the largest increase in our event’s history.

“This is alongside investing hundreds of millions of pounds in upgrades to our player facilities as part of a three-year transformation to create a world class player performance environment.”

Players ‘reserving all options’ for future strike action

In their demands to the grand slams, the players’ group – which does not include 24-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic – have also proposed greater contributions to a player welfare fund, the formation of a player council and for more consultation on tournament matters such as scheduling. The world No 1s, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, went on record in calling for more prize money late last season, and many have expressed a desire for a “fairer” share of the revenues they help create. Defending Wimbledon champion Sinner saying the proposals were about “respect”.

The players are advocating for “positive change”, Britain’s Jack Draper told The Independent last year, and have also argued that increasing prize money at grand slams would help support lower-ranked players who can struggle to make a living from tennis given the costs of travelling around the world, but whose existence is vital to the sport’s ecosystem. The prize money for Wimbledon qualifying alone now stands at £6.2m, after a 25 per cent increase this year.

The players’ representatives also expressed frustration at what they said was “no substantive response from Wimbledon” following their proposals regarding player welfare and the formation of the player council. This claim was swiftly rejected by the All England Club, who proposed establishing a player council late last year and were surprised when an invitation to a meeting at Indian Wells in order to discuss those matters was turned down.

During Wimbledon, the players’ representatives will also hold meetings with both the French Open and US Open. Last month, the players expressed their “deep and collective disappointment” at the prize money on offer at the French Open after organisers announced a 9.5 per cent increase, and the tournament will present their response to the players over the next fortnight. The US Open will also announce their prize money for the 2026 tournament in the coming weeks.

The expectation from the players’ side is that both tournaments will announce further increases, closer to the 22 per cent share, with the US Open likely to offer record prize money later this summer. But the players have warned they are “reserving all options” when it comes to future strike action. The players’ group are understood to have been angered by the suggestion that creating a revenue-sharing formula is a non-starter.

So what can we expect at Wimbledon? At the French Open, players limited their media appearances only across the pre-tournament press conference, before returning to normal during the first week.

But despite escalating their protests at Wimbledon to the entire first week, the players are still ensuring they remain within the rules.

Players can be fined up to £50,000 if they don’t turn up to press conferences, with the grand slam rule book stating that players are required to participate in interviews before and during the tournament “in order to help drive engagement with the sport”.

BBC weather forecasters have shared their verdict on whether we will experience any more heatwaves in the coming months across Wales and the rest of the UK.

Simon King and Sarah Keith-Lucas, the broadcaster’s lead weather presenters, said that the early forecasters suggest it’s not the last time we’ll see hot weather this summer.

Mr King and Ms Keith-Lucas said the forecasts suggest “an increased chance of heatwaves and heat-related impacts” later in the summer and that “above-average temperatures” are expected for each month of July and August, and “significant bursts” of heat are expected in the UK, and across Europe.

Wales got their summer campaign off to a winning start with a 33-31 victory over the Barbarians at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

Tries from Kieran Hardy, Dan Edwards (twice), Reuben Morgan-Williams and Ellis Mee, along with a combined eight points from the boots of Edwards and Sam Costelow, got Wales over the line.

Here are your winners and losers.

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Winners

George North

The 34-year-old has enjoyed a phenomenal career and will quite rightly be considered one of Welsh rugby’s modern-day greats.

Tandy could do a lot worse than persuade North to delay his retirement for another year because he could still do a job for Wales at Test level.

The north Walian caused havoc as soon as he took to the field with his size, pace and explosive power proving too hot to handle for Wales at times.

North finished his international career in the same manner as it started against South Africa 16 years ago with two tries.

He even kicked a conversion at the end of the game.

A class act.

Aaron Wainwright

Wainwright was a class apart again and thoroughly deserves his player-of-the-match award.

The Wales No 8 carried well and made significant post-contact metres while he also made two linebreaks.

Wainwright has developed into arguably Wales’ most important player and is a leader within this side.

If Wales are to beat Fiji next Saturday they will need Wainwright to be at his best.

Kieran Hardy

The Ospreys scrum-half was outstanding and played a pivotal role in Wales’ victory.

Hardy did the basics well but was hugely influential throughout and was a significant threat with ball in hand.

The 30-year-old looked dangerous, scoring a try after just four minutes.

He also had a hand in two other tries with his long pass putting Edwards over for his first before his kick into space resulted in the outside-half’s second try.

We all know Tomos Williams will start the big games but Hardy has done his chances no harm at all.

Dewi Lake

The Wales captain had a fine game and carried extremely well throughout while also winning the majority of collisions.

Wales’ lineout also functioned extremely well which in large part is down to the accuracy of Lake’s throwing.

Lake will be a key player if Wales are to continue to improve this summer.

Rhys Barratt

The 24-year-old made a big impact upon coming onto the field with one very explosive carry which scattered the Barbarians’ defence.

Barratt was a bundle of energy around the park, getting through a huge amount of work.

The Cardiff loosehead is certainly a player who impressed Tandy and it will be interesting to see whether he makes the final squad for the Nations Championship.

Rhys Carré and Nicky Smith are nailed on for the 23 against Fiji but it wouldn’t be that much of a surprise if Tandy decided to retain Barratt in the squad.

Losers

Wales’ scrum

Wales’ scrum was one area of the game which came off second best, especially in the first half.

Georgian tighthead Giorgi Kharaishvili shoved Dillon Lewis backwards at a couple of scrums while Gareth Thomas got penalised twice.

The scrum did improve slightly after the break but Wales must improve in this aspect of play if they are to get their Nations Championship campaign off to a winning start.

Allianz Stadium attendance

Tandy’s side needed a hitout to blow away the cobwebs before facing Fiji at Cardiff City Stadium next Saturday.

But the decision to play this game in London is a real head-scratcher.

With swathes of empty seats and little sense of occasion, the Allianz Stadium hardly provided the backdrop the fixture deserved.

Taking the game to Cardiff City Stadium or the Swansea.com Stadium would almost certainly have delivered a bigger crowd and a far more vibrant atmosphere.

Before anyone suggests this was the Barbarians’ home fixture, it is worth remembering that the Barbarians do not have a home.

As an invitational team, they are perpetual visitors, playing wherever they are invited. Whether the venue is Twickenham, Durban, Buenos Aires or Auckland, they are always the away side.

Wales’ defence

In his post-match press conference Tandy did admit Wales need to be better if they are to start turning promising performances into victories.

This was Peter Murchie’s first game as defence coach and he hasn’t had much of an opportunity to stamp his authority on proceedings.

But Wales will need to tighten up in defence against a dangerous Fiji backline which will include the likes of Josua Tuisova, Jiuta Wainiqolo and Kalaveti Ravouvou.

Wales missed 26 tackles and that will need to be better next Saturday or Fiji will punish Tandy’s severely.

Murchie has a lot of work to do.

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