British gardeners and farmers may remember 2024 with a shudder – it was widely referred to as “the year of the slug”. Vast numbers of slimy slitherers chomped their way through raspberries, laid waste to lettuce and toppled tomato plants.

Directly sown crops were demolished, early carrots did not germinate and main crop potatoes were damaged.

Will we see a repeat of the slugageddon in 2026?

Slugs are well suited to the UK’s damp, mild climate and have a wide diet, but only a few species feed on live plants. Slugs and snails are actually an important part of the decomposition cycle, meaning they help the composting process. Apart from those that eat your plants, they can be considered a gardener’s friend, as long as their populations remain stable.

Outbreaks of insect pests, for example, occur when checks on population growth such as predators, competitors or environmental constraints are removed.

So, what conditions favour growth of slug populations and how well did 2024 match these?

Slugs need moist conditions as they have little or no shell and their protective mucus is water based. Slugs can reproduce throughout the year, but do so mostly in spring and in autumn. They can overwinter in the egg, juvenile or adult stage. To avoid frost and predators they seek dark, damp, insulated areas, such as underground, beneath pots or within compost heaps. Slugs are resilient and most survive the winter especially under mild conditions, but hard frosts will kill them.

If it’s mild, slug populations actually increase as early plant growth in late winter provides adults with additional energy to lay eggs. These eggs can hatch in ten days, but take up to 100 days if it’s cold. Over a typical one year life span a slug can lay up to 500 eggs.

And a warm wet spring or summer with frequent rain allows populations to disperse and grow.

Reduced predator numbers also benefit slugs, with many, such as hedgehogs, facing population declines. Toads are also in decline, as are birds such as thrushes.

Weather matters

The year 2024 had conditions ideal for slug breeding; a mild winter, high moisture levels in spring and summer, and no long dry spells.

According to the Met Office, 2024 climate statistics showed the UK is heading outside the “envelope of historical weather observations”. The year 2024 was the fourth warmest year since 1884. Overall it was a little wetter than average, but central and southern England had 25-30% more rain than normal, making the area both warm and damp.

In addition, 2023 had been the UK’s second warmest year, and wetter than average. This combination promoted slug population growth, setting the base for the 2024 increase.

In contrast, 2025 weather was less favourable for slugs as it varied from cold to extreme heat with little rainfall. Slug populations are disrupted by dry and unstable conditions. However, it is difficult to predict population trends when there is instability. For example, climate change is making it difficult to predict butterfly numbers.

In 2025, slug numbers declined from the 2024 peak. However, there were issues with slugs decimating some field crops and returning rainfall produced an upturn in slug numbers in autumn 2025.

Following a cold snap before Christmas 2025, UK winter was mild and very wet, with persistent cloud cover trapped by high pressure over Scandinavia. Some areas had 50% of annual rainfall in the first six weeks of 2026, with widespread flooding. When this pattern shifted, cold arctic air entered the UK. Spring could be chilly as March frequently exceeds December for snowfall and there can be cold snaps in April.

Thus, the picture for 2026 is complicated. Although flooding can kill overwintering eggs and adults, a mild wet winter will have reduced slug mortality. It may also affect slug predators. Beetles used for slug control in conservation agriculture can survive short term inundation but their larvae in saturated soil probably won’t. Flooding also creates lots of ready food for slugs from plants that have died in the water, a potential slug fest as it dries in spring.

With a global temperature above 1.4°C, compared to pre-industrial levels, the Met Office predicts a warm 2026. In addition, the UK government’s Environment Agency predicted a drought in 2026, before the winter’s heavy rainfall.

Overall the conditions point towards increased slug populations but probably not as bad as 2024.

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In defence of slugs

So, what can we do to help our gardens survive a possible 2026 slugageddon?

You can water in parasitic nematodes. These only attack slugs and snails, where they transmit a lethal bacterial infection. It’s a wildlife-friendly option, if a bit expensive.

Put down bark, cat litter, sand or grit. Copper tape may be effective, but physical barriers don’t always work. Smear the edge of pots with petroleum jelly. Creating habitats for slug predators will boost your defences too.

Slugs are nocturnal so water plants in the morning so the soil can dry before they become active. Remove slugs under torchlight, or set pitfall traps. Grow slug-resistant plants such as such as sedum, rosemary and geraniums.

It seems counter intuitive to attract slugs, but compost heaps can redirect them from vulnerable plants. Ferric phosphate slug pellets are effective, but must be targeted around your most vulnerable plants as they can harm wildlife that eats slugs.

Whatever methods you use, remember that most slugs are our friends and an important part of the ecosystem.

Do the seasons feel increasingly weird to you? You’re not alone. Climate change is distorting nature’s calendar, causing plants to flower early and animals to emerge at the wrong time.

This article is part of a series, Wild Seasons, on how the seasons are changing – and what they may eventually look like.

The earthquake happened at a depth of 10km in the channel between the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria

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Rooms were vibrating and furniture shook when an earthquake hit two major holiday hotspots. The terrifying incident happened today (February 26) at 12.26pm in the area of the Enmedio Volcano, in the channel that separates the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

Scientists have also issued a volcanic eruption update as reported by The Mirror, as locals have been urged not to panic. Experts add the 4.1 magnitude quake is not connected to the seismic swarms being registered for the last two weeks under Tenerife’s Mount Teide.

They stress an eruption is not imminent. IGN volcanologist Rubén López dissociated this earthquake from the recent rebound in seismicity in the Cañadas del Teide area.

He said: “In 1989, in this same area, an earthquake of 5.3 was recorded that was felt throughout the island of Tenerife.”

The movement was been widely felt by the population in various parts of the geography of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. One resident of Agaete in Gran Canaria said: “It lasted about ten seconds and was more noticeable than ever, moving the whole house.

“It went from less to more. At first it seemed like the closing of a door, but then the whole house moved.”

The National Geographic Institute has listed the towns where the earthquake was felt with varying intensities. The tremor not only shook Tenerife but also reached several points on Gran Canaria, and was felt in more than 100 population centres across the two main islands.

Included in these towns are a number of tourist hotspots including Los Cristianos in Tenerife and Las Palmas on Gran Canaria. No material or personal damage of any consideration has been reported.

Scientists are meeting again tomorrow to discuss further the thousands of vibrations with have been monitored under Mount Teide on Tenerife.

They say an eruption is not imminent in the short or medium term as the signs would be very different. However, they want all municipalities in Tenerife to update their emergency plans, saying residents in places such as Iceland all know exactly what to do if there was an eruption.

Tenerife’s government says the island has the best and most extensive monitoring system and insists there is no cause for anyone to be concerned.

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Certainly, it took a while for the goal to come. A hooked delivery by Wharton on 15 minutes was deflected just wide by Guessand and then a Zrinjski player on the way through, and seven minutes later Daichi Kamada had a shot blocked by Igor Savic before delivering the resulting corner straight onto the roof of the net.

Mal Roper (Tim Treloar) was rushed to hospital in tonight’s Coronation Street after being brutally attacked and left for dead.

The newcomer has already caused quite a stir on the cobbles, with his infatuation with Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove) turning sinister earlier this week.

Mal arrived in Weatherfield on the hunt for Roy Cropper (David Neilson) to confront him about his letters to wife Alice.

After hearing Roy’s side of the story, Mal headed out to drown his sorrows and bumped into Bernie, with the pair soon embarking on a drug-fuelled night of partying.

Bernie was quick to regret the night in the cold light of the following day, but it had the opposite effect on Mal, who felt drawn to Bernie.

His obsession with her reached a worrying crescendo earlier this week when he held her hostage in the café as he professed his love.

When Bernie made it clear that she didn’t reciprocate his feelings, Mal turned nasty. Fortunately, Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) arrived before things went any further, but the whole experience left Bernie shaken.

Tonight, Kit was put on the case of investigating an attack on Mal, and he got a big shock when he arrived at the hospital and found out that he was in intensive care.

The doctor explained that Mal had hit his head on the pavement and suffered a cardiac arrest, and was now in critical condition. She also pointed out that bruising to his upper arms indicated an altercation.

Later, when Kit found out that new colleague DC Browning had made a breakthrough on the case, he was less than impressed at having to share the workload.

However, he would soon have much more to worry about when DC Browning arrested Bernie for the assault.

Things aren’t exactly looking good for Bernie, considering her last run-in with Mal in yesterday’s episode.

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Mal was determined to intimidate her by lurking across the street, before once again spewing vitriol about her and son Paul Foreman, who died of MND just over a year ago.

However, furious Bernie refused to show any fear, instead opting to threaten him, promising at top volume that she would kill him.

Having not exactly been subtle with her threat, could this be set to be her downfall? And was she really the person behind Mal’s attack?

MORE: Coronation Street fans spooked as Roy’s customer is served by a ghost – did you spot it?

MORE: Chilling Jodie twist confirmed in early ITVX release as Coronation Street legend is targeted

MORE: Coronation Street fans have a grim theory about sinister Mal as he spirals out of control

Eight cost of living support systems have been confirmed by the Government, including a 7% energy price cap reduction and two major DWP changes affecting millions in April

The Government has confirmed eight different cost of living support systems following the Prime Minister’s announcement of a £117 reduction in the energy price cap earlier today. Families across the country who are struggling financially could be eligible for this support.

Each cost of living boost has different eligibility criteria and only certain individuals will qualify for some – but two DWP changes below are among the main things happening in April. Other reforms include frozen rail fares and prescription charges as well as increasing wages.

Energy bills

Ofgem, the energy regulator, has confirmed that the energy price cap for April will decrease by seven percent. This will apply to all households, including those on fixed tariffs, and there is no need to claim or apply for it.

The exact amount each household saves will depend on their specific circumstances and energy usage but the average savings from this reduction is expected to be around £150, reports the Mirror.

Pay increases

From April, 2.7 million workers will receive a four percent pay rise as part of the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage increase. Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will see a rise of £900 a year, whilst full-time workers on the 18-20 National Minimum Wage rate will see a £1,500 rise.

People can check the new rates that will apply to them on the GOV.UK website.

Rail fares frozen

For the first time in three decades, the government has capped rail fare increases across England and parts of Wales for 2026. This will apply to all regulated fares between major cities, saving the typical commuter hundreds in weekly work travel.

Prescription charges staying under £10

Prescription charges are also being frozen at the current cost of £9.90 per item. Prepayment Certificates and other existing exemptions and discounts will remain in place.

State Pension increase

From April, both the new and old state pension will be increased in line with the triple lock. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says this will benefit millions of pensions with above-inflation payments.

However, it will put the state pension payments within spitting distance of the personal allowance threshold. After the increase, the full new state pension will equate to around £12,547.60 a year whilst the frozen personal allowance sits at £12,570.

Removing the two-child limit

After April, families with more than two children will be able to claim Universal Credit for each child in the household. Currently, parents can only claim the benefit for two children regardless of how many may be living in the home.

The DWP claims this will lift around 450,000 children out of poverty.

Government-funded childcare

Certain parents in England could be eligible for up to 30 hours a week of government-funded childcare for children from nine months old until school age. This is designed to assist working parents by saving them thousands each year, with further guidance for working parents available on the Government’s Best Start in Life website.

Free breakfast clubs for primary school children

Every primary school in England is set to receive a free breakfast club as part of the Government rollout. These 30-minute breakfasts aim to ensure pupils have the best possible start to their learning day and is intended to help improve behaviour, attendance and attainment.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s military launched an attack on Pakistan Thursday to retaliate for Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas earlier in the week, claiming to have captured more than a dozen Pakistani army posts in the latest escalation of violence between the volatile neighbors.

Pakistan’s government, which had described Sunday’s airstrikes as an attack on militants harbored in the area, confirmed clashes were taking place Thursday along the border but dismissed claims that army posts had been captured. It called Afghanistan’s attack unprovoked.

“In response to the repeated rebellions and insurrections of the Pakistani military, large-scale offensive operations were launched against Pakistani military bases and military installations along the Durand Line,” Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a post on X Thursday night. Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said the retaliatory attacks were occurring along the border in five provinces.

The two countries’ 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) long border is known as the Durand Line, which Afghanistan has not formally recognized.

The two sides reported widely differing casualty figures.

Afghanistan’s deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat posted on X that “up to 55” Pakistani soldiers had been killed, with the bodies of 23 taken into Afghanistan, while an undisclosed number of soldiers had been captured.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar disputed the claim, saying two Pakistani soldiers had been killed and three others wounded. He said 36 Afghan fighters had been reported killed. In a post on X, he said Pakistan was giving a “strong and effective response” to what he called unprovoked firing from Afghanistan, and would continue to do so.

Mosharraf Ali Zaidi, spokesman for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, denied that any Pakistani soldiers had been captured.

Fighting also broke out in a separate part of the border, with both sides reporting exchanges of fire in the Torkham border area.

Afghan authorities were evacuating a refugee camp near the Torkham border crossing after several refugees were wounded, said Qureshi Badlon, head of Torkham’s Information and Public Awareness Board. On the Pakistani side of the border, local police said residents were also evacuating to safer areas, while some Afghan refugees who had been waiting to cross back into Afghanistan were also moved to secure locations. Pakistan launched a sweeping crackdown on migrants in Oct. 2023 and has expelled hundreds of thousands of people.

Pakistani police said mortars fired from Afghanistan had landed in nearby villages, but there were no reports of civilian casualties.

“Pakistan will take all necessary measures to ensure its territorial integrity and the safety and security of its citizens,” Pakistan’s Information Ministry said in a post on X.

Afghanistan’s military released video footage of military vehicles moving at night, and the sound of heavy gunfire. The video could not be independently verified.

Tension has been high between the two neighbors for months, with deadly border clashes in October killing dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants. The violence followed explosions in Kabul that Afghan officials blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad, at the time, conducted strikes deep inside Afghanistan to target militant hideouts.

A Qatari-mediated ceasefire between the two countries has largely held, but the two sides have still occasionally traded fire across the border. Several rounds of peace talks in November failed to produce a formal agreement.

On Sunday, Pakistan’s military carried out strikes along the border with Afghanistan, saying it had killed at least 70 militants.

Afghanistan rejected the claim, saying dozens of civilians had been killed, including women and children. The Defense Ministry said “various civilian areas” in eastern Afghanistan had been hit, including a religious madrassa and several homes. The ministry said the strikes were a violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and sovereignty.

Hours before Thursday’s border clashes erupted, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi defended the military’s Sunday strikes, saying they were on training camps of the Pakistani Taliban along the Afghan border.

At a weekly news conference in Islamabad, he said those “precision strikes were carried out” in response to recent militant attacks in Pakistan. Andrabi said Pakistan “remains cognizant of the threats that emanate from Afghanistan.”

He said attacks inside Pakistan, which he blamed on the Pakistani Taliban, have increased over the past year.

“We have nothing against the people of Afghanistan,” Andrabi said.

Militant violence has surged in Pakistan in recent years, much of which Pakistan blames on the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, and outlawed Baloch separatist groups. The TTP is separate from but closely allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban. Islamabad accuses the TTP of operating from inside Afghanistan, a charge both the group and Kabul deny.

___

Ahmed contributed from Islamabad, Pakistan. Associated Press writers Riaz Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan and Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece also contributed.

Will Atherton, a canine behaviourist based in Derbyshire, has years of experience in his field

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Should dogs be permitted to sleep on furniture? It’s an age-old question that frequently splits pet owners down the middle, but a recent perspective from one trainer could finally resolve the dispute.

Will Atherton, a canine behaviourist based in Derbyshire, has years of experience in his field, having worked with numerous dogs exhibiting various behavioural problems, including aggression. He revealed people regularly enquire whether dogs ought to be permitted on sofas, beds and other household furniture – and gave a detailed answer.

“Should your dog be allowed on the furniture?” he asked in a TikTok during 2025. “And that’s a question I get all the time. And for me, it completely is up to you. I have a few little rules about it.”

First, Will urged viewers to consider whether their canine has any persistent behavioural concerns. Whilst he didn’t specify what these might encompass, they could range from hostile to overly enthusiastic or boisterous behaviour.

When a dog proves particularly troublesome at home, Will suggested it might be wiser not to permit them on the sofa. However, if the dog demonstrates good manners generally, it should be acceptable, provided firm boundaries are set.

He said: “If you don’t have any big behaviour problems with your dog, then I think you can absolutely have them on the furniture if you want them. If you don’t want them on the furniture, that’s completely fine.

“But if they are going to go on the furniture, my thought is that they shouldn’t be allowed to have free access to jump up and off whenever they want. It should look like this.”

To illustrate his point, Will gestured towards Sully, a large dog sitting on the floor beside his sofa. Will then continued: “They should wait with good manners, sitting, looking up to you for guidance and direction, and waiting for you to say, ‘up’.”

Upon command, Sully leapt up to join Will on the settee. “And they can jump on and they can have a cuddle,” he said. “And the most important thing is that just as well-mannered as getting on the furniture with you, it should be just as easy – Sully, off.”

Within moments, Sully dutifully returned to the floor as instructed. With this in mind, Will concluded: “If you can do that and you don’t have any problems with your dog elsewhere and you want them to come and have a cuddle on the sofa, then do so.”

Despite attempting to settle the dogs-on-furniture debate, Will’s video still sparked division among viewers online. Among those disagreeing, one individual commented: “I don’t have to ask anyone to have access to my sofa, why should my dog?”

At the time, another person also wrote: “I am not a control freak,” as someone else said: “My dogs are a part of my family, so they can go wherever they want to without asking to go there.”

However, others completely agreed with Will’s perspective. One user wrote: “My boys love being on the couch and I love having a snuggle with them on the couch, but they know when I say they need to get off, they do! And same for coming up!

“It’s so refreshing to hear a trainer who doesn’t want to just limit a dog’s life and surroundings and doesn’t guilt owners for wanting to share the space.” Meanwhile, another wrote: “Mine has free access to the furniture but when I tell him to get off, he does.”

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below

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“If you want to be a good writer, son, you must read. Read, read, read. Read everything.” 

I can still picture my grandfather imparting those words of wisdom to me from the green leather chair in my grandparents’ living room. He was not always a man to heed advice himself – he was smoking a cigar at the time – but he had plenty to offer. That nugget stuck. And lo, he was right. 

As we explore youth and education in the next issue of Positive News magazine, we thought we’d ask readers about the life lessons they received as a child that have stuck with them. 

All inherited nuggets of wisdom are welcome. It could be a fable that changed  how you see the world, a simple gardening tip or a style secret that helped you dress well. We’ll publish the best responses in an upcoming article, providing a knowledge base for other readers to dip into. 

To take part, fill out the form below.

Main image: iStock

“If this Committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein’s trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement; it would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files,” she wrote.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (February 25), Mrs Badenoch told Sir Keir Starmer he should “ask why his backbenchers are saying that they’re being called the ‘paedo defenders party,’ and followed that up by saying she would “absolutely not apologise” later in the day.

Her jibe followed reporting by The Times that female Labour MPs had told Sir Keir earlier this month that voters had “screamed” the phrase at them in the street over the Peter Mandelson scandal.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (Image: Scott Heppell/PA Wire)

On Wednesday evening, the Conservative leader said she would “absolutely not apologise” for claiming Labour was being called a “paedo defenders party”.

Today, (Thursday, February 26), during a visit to Warbottle Academy near Newcastle, the Prime Minister refused to respond to Mrs Badenoch.

When asked about the term paedo defenders, he said: “I came into politics to change the lives of millions of people for the better, so I concentrate on what action the government needs to take to do that.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch (Image: James Manning/PA Wire)

“We’ve been focusing on tackling the cost-of-living crisis.

“That’s why this week we’ve been working hard to make sure that energy bills are brought down.

“Yesterday, we had the energy price cap announcement. That’s 117 pounds off energy bills, which will be for every household across the country, which is very, very important.”

The Prime Minister added: “And look, there are other measures, rail fares have been frozen, prescription charges have been frozen, wages, minimum living wages, will be going up here.

“And of course, inflation is dropping now to three per cent, and I hope it will drop even further. These are the issues that I think matter most to the country, matter most to me.

“For many people across the country, that’s what they want the government to be focused on, because that’s what their priorities are.”

Lord Peter Mandelson (Image: James Manning/PA WIRE)

Mrs Badenoch’s comments have drawn strong criticism from Labour MP Natalie Fleet, who was groomed as a teenager, and Katie Amess, the daughter of murdered Tory MP Sir David Amess.

Ms Amess said it had been “very inflammatory” and called for Mrs Badenoch to apologise, adding: “It’s not the way that our politicians should be talking, unfortunately.”

But appearing on a phone-in on LBC on Wednesday evening, Mrs Badenoch stood by her comments.

She said: “I will absolutely not apologise.

“I remember when Keir Starmer and the Labour Party were putting out posters saying Rishi Sunak was supporting paedophiles so that they wouldn’t go to prison.

“These people know how to dish it, but they don’t want to take it.”

Mrs Badenoch declined to say whether she thought Labour was a party of “paedo defenders”, saying: “It wasn’t my words, a female Labour MP used that language.”

She added: “Nobody would be calling them that if they held themselves to higher standards.”