A CEO who infamously laid off 900 people in a Zoom call just days before Christmas has now himself been removed from his top executive position.

Vishal Garg, the founder and former chief of mortgage lender Better Home & Finance, told CNN he had been ousted from his position on August 3 when the board voted to name Daniel Lewis as its new CEO instead.

The move had followed a series of controversies at the company, which began with Garg’s heartless message to employees in December 2021.

‘This isn’t news that you’re going to want to hear. If you’re on this call, you are part of the unlucky group that is being laid off. Your employment here is terminated effective immediately,’ he said in the blunt Zoom call.

Garg later apologized for failing ‘to show the appropriate amount of respect and appreciation for the individuals who were affected.’

Yet the company’s downturn only continued as it faced a whistleblower lawsuit that was later dropped and a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation – which found no wrongdoing.

By 2023, the company’s stock cratered 93 percent as its annual sales plummeted from $1.5 billion in 2021 to just $70 million that year.

Its market value now stands at just $300 million – down from an $8 billion valuation during the pandemic-fueled refinancing boom when mortgage rates hit historic lows. 

But Garg insists he was about to turn the mortgage company around when he was unceremoniously replaced.

Board members voted unanimously to appoint Daniel Lewis (pictured) as the new CEO

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This year, he said, the company is on pace to deliver $200 million in sales.

He attributed that success to the company’s decision to train AI models to quickly process mortgages and the company’s new partnership with Neo Home Loans, which Garg said doubled productivity and slashed loan origination costs in half.

Major firms like Intuit, Coinbase and OpenAI have also partnered with Better this year to power their own mortgage services, while Better Home & Finance also developed a strong home equity line of credit business.

‘We’re winning,’ Garg insisted. ‘We’ve tripled loan volume. We’re close to profitability.

‘We were at the five-yard line after taking the ball all the way down the field from the other side.’

He then went on to acknowledge that the infamous Zoom layoffs severely damaged the company’s reputation.

But he claimed Lewis convinced the board that he didn’t push employees hard enough as he usurped the CEO position.

Garg previously faced backlash for laying off 900 employees on a Zoom call just days before Christmas in 2021

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Garg told how Lewis, a hedge fund manager, approached him about six months ago with ideas about how the company could save money and become more profitable. 

‘[Lewis’] thoughts about cost-saving were good,’ Garg said. ‘His ideas about innovation were not.’

He then bemoaned that the company was close to a turnaround when Lewis came in and claimed he could have done better.

Lewis was first brought to the board on July 27. 

Just one week later, Lewis had convinced the other directors to oust Garg as CEO and name himself as Garg’s replacement.

‘It’s not about me,’ the now-fired CEO claimed. ‘I care about delivering savings to people and helping them live the American Dream. So when shareholders said, “You need to take a back seat,” I complied.’

But Garg said he now feels Lewis ‘hoodwinked’ him into becoming the company’s new CEO, after spending months serving as an advisor to the company and convincing Garg to give him a seat on the board.

‘I suspect he always wanted to become CEO,’ Garg said, arguing: ‘The board made a mistake.’ 

Since Lewis has taken over, Better Home & Finance stocks plummeted 45 percent – though they had already been down more than 16 percent this year even before Garg’s departure was announced.

Garg has claimed he now has enough votes to force the board to reinstate him as CEO

Still, Garg continues to sit on the board – and has claimed that a number of investors have reached out to him urging him to get his job back. 

He said he now has enough votes to force a special hearing, and has retained attorney Alex Spiro to represent him in his quest to retake power.

Spiro then sent the board a letter last week demanding it reinstate Garg as CEO, saying he will work for just $1 a year until the company is profitable – and he will transition out of the CEO role afterward.

Garg also demanded in the letter that all directors other than him, Michael Farello and Hugh Frater resign as he proposed working with a newly-constituted board.

‘It’s an acknowledgement that I’ve been doing this for 10 years, but execution hasn’t been perfect,’ Garg said of his efforts to once again become the chief executive.

However, Better Home & Finance has since publicly demanded that Garg abandon the efforts, MPAMAG reports.

It noted that he was removed by a unanimous board vote taken without his participation and has since launched a ‘costly and distracting campaign’ to reverse the decision. 

In a statement to the Daily Mail, a representative for Garg said his ‘primary focus has always been about making homeownership more accessible to Americans.’

He then noted that the stock price has plummeted by 45 percent and urged the board to ‘select the best long-term CEO for Better so Vishal may move into a role where he can continue driving the American dream for more Americans while having new leadership to lead the company towards its full potential.’

The Daily Mail has also reached out to Better Home & Finance for comment. 

Reform UK has suspended prominent supporter Tim Montgomerie as a party member after he labelled Zia Yusuf a ‘child’.

Sources confirmed the action was taken against the political commentator prior to the publication of a podcast episode.

Mr Montgomerie, 56, used his appearance on The Spectator’s Coffee House Shots to continue his recent criticism of Mr Yusuf, saying that he ‘cannot behave like a child in politics’.

He revealed that Mr Yusuf, who is Reform’s home affair spokesman, did not talk to him for three months when he discovered he was involved in former Tory minister Robert Jenrick‘s defection to Reform.

Mr Montgomerie also agreed with recent claims that Reform leader Nigel Farage has ‘fallen out of love’ with Mr Yusuf.

It comes after Mr Montgomerie last week rebuked Mr Yusuf over his ‘intermperate’ use of social media.

He also criticised Mr Farage for skipping the formal declaration of the Clacton by-election result, which saw him re-elected to the Essex constituency.

Mr Montgomerie agreed with recent claims that Reform leader Nigel Farage has ‘fallen out of love’ with Mr Yusuf

Mr Montgomerie last week criticised Mr Farage for skipping the formal declaration of the Clacton by-election result, which saw him re-elected to the Essex constituency 

It is said that Mr Montgomerie was suspended after the podcast was recorded but before it was published online. 

Mr Montgomerie is the founder and former editor of the ConservativeHome website who briefly served as an adviser to Boris Johnson when he was prime minister.

He quit the Tories in December 2024 and joined Reform.

Mr Montgomerie told the podcast of Mr Yusuf: ‘There are a lot of people are on not-speaking terms with Zia and it’s nearly always Zia who initiates it.

‘It needs to end. You cannot behave like a child in politics. You cannot have litmus tests, so many litmus tests where you stop talking to people.’

He also praised to Mr Yusuf’s behind-the-scenes work in Reform, following his 11-month spell as party chairman between 2024 and 2025.

‘I genuinely pay tribute to Zia… he made the party organisation work,’ he added. ‘He has so many qualities, but he has to be a team player.’

Mr Yusuf was caught up in a furious row last week when he branded Ben Wallace, the former Tory defence secretary and an ex-soldier, as a ‘traitor to Britain’.

The social media remarks prompted a slap down of Mr Yusuf by Mr Farage, who said he would ‘give him a ticking off’.

Reflecting on the incident, Mr Montgomerie said: ‘It was unprecedented for Farage to criticise him [Mr Yusuf] last week, but did he take down the tweet that Nigel criticised? No. He wouldn’t.

‘He’s loyal to Nigel as he has to be if he wants to succeed him, but in terms of being able to really play as a team player…

‘He has consistently freelanced on Twitter, on for example, accepting Conservative candidates, like Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick, even though he knew they were being wooed. But it was his way of trying to undermine that policy.’

Mr Montgomerie also noted a report by the Mail on Sunday that allies are urging Mr Farage to ‘reboot’ Reform by dismissing Mr Yusuf.

A source told the newspaper: ‘Nigel has fallen out of love with Zia, who is out of control. I think his days are numbered.’

Mr Montgomerie said: ‘There were reports at the weekend… that talked about Nigel falling out of love with Zia. I think that’s true.

‘I think Nigel will definitely want to keep him in the camp but I think he needs him to basically be a team player and be loyal to what Nigel wants.’

Mr Montgomerie recently criticised Mr Farage’s ‘puzzling’ decision not to attend the declaration of the Clacton by-election result.

Mr Farage took the unprecedented step of skipping the formal result declaration in the early hours of Friday, with Reform claiming police had advised him to stay away due to a ‘credible threat’.

But, Essex Police later denied that it had told any of the 34 candidates that they should not attend Clacton Leisure Centre, insisting security at the venue was ‘robust’.

Last month, Mr Montgomerie said Mr Farage ‘cannot hide away’ from questions about his £5million donation from a Thailand-based crypto-billionaire.

Mr Farage resigned as an MP to trigger last week’s Clacton by-election, which he cast as a ‘people versus the Establishment’ contest amid growing scrutiny over the gift from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne.

Taylor Swift debuted a new haircut and flashed her huge engagement ring as she attended her friends’ Oli Jacobs and Laura Sisk’s wedding in Gloucestershire on Saturday. 

The songstress, 36, sported a side-swept fringe as she joined a host of A-list stars, with the guestlist boasting Sabrina Carpenter, 27, Phoebe Bridgers, 32, and Jack Antonoff, 42. 

Taylor, who married Travis Kelce in Madison Square Garden, New York, last month, exuded elegance in a navy blue Costarellos gown which was embroidered with gold leaves and flowers. 

She accessorised with a pearl necklace and bracelet but her huge diamond engagement ring, estimated to be ten carats, and valued at approximately $1million, stole the show as it sat next to her new gold wedding band. 

Oli and Laura’s nuptials were held at Peter Gabriel’s legendary Real World Studios outside Bath and the songstress was seen chatting away to the bride after the ceremony. 

The pair have had a longstanding friendship as audio engineer Laura is one of Taylor’s longest-standing studio collaborators. 

The songstress, 36, joined a host of A-list stars, with the guestlist boasting Sabrina Carpenter, 27, Phoebe Bridgers, 32, and Jack Antonoff, 42

Taylor, who married Travis Kelce in Madison Square Gardens, New York, last month exuded elegance in a navy blue Costarellos gown which was embroidered with gold leaves and flowers

Taylor huge diamond engagement ring stole the show

She has worked with Taylor and Jack since the 1989 era and helped engineer recordings across albums including Reputation, Folklore and Grammy-winning Midnights. 

More recently, both Laura and Oli, who is a mixing engineer, worked on Taylor’s album The Tortured Poets Department.

Laura looked stunning in a satin strapless dress and tied her hair back in a ponytail with a bow.  

The wedding venue has strong ties to her husband Oli, who began his career at Real World Studios and worked as an engineer there before becoming a regular collaborator for some of the biggest names in pop music. 

Taylor is no doubt still recovering from her 1,000-guest mega-wedding to NFL’s Travis on July 3. 

The ceremony itself was officiated by comedian Adam Sandler, with the afterparty featuring musical performances from Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks and the bride.

Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper, Selena Gomez, Lena Dunham, Hugh Grant, Steven Spielberg, Jay-Z and Beyonce, Tom Brady, Jessica Chastain, Ed Sheeran, Chris Rock, Jessica Alba and Gracie Abrams were just some of the big names who attended, joining several of Kelce’s Chiefs teammates, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 

The couple are yet to share photos from the star-studded celebrations. 

Taylor’s usual blunt cut fringe was swept over to the side and her hair was shorter 

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Sabrina cut a glamorous figure in a pale yellow dress which was adorned with flowers  

The singer added a boost to her frame with matching heels 

Jack and Sabrina have forged a major creative partnership, collaborating onPlease Please Please and tracks on her acclaimed album Short n’ Sweet

Phoebe chatted away to Sabrina and Jack as they enjoyed a drink in the gardens 

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Sabrina appeared in high spirits as she chatted away 

The nuptials were held at Peter Gabriel’s legendary Real World Studios outside Bath and the songstress was seen chatting away to the bride after the ceremony

Taylor flew solo for the wedding as her husband Travis Kelce in training with Kansas City Chiefs 

Laura looked stunning in a satin strapless dress and tied her hair back in a ponytail with a bow

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Taylor put on some sunglasses as she took her seat for the ceremony 

Taylor hugged Danielle Noguera. She has built a reputation in Hollywood for dental transformations

Audio engineer Laura has worked with Taylor and Jack since the 1989 era and helped engineer recordings across albums including Reputation, Folklore and Grammy-winning Midnights

Taylor married Travis last month. The ceremony itself was officiated by comedian Adam Sandler and featured a star-studded guestlist (pictured together in 2024) 

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And an insider has shared a ‘major clue’ about what could really be going on.

‘A big hint that Taylor is going to release her very own project about the wedding is that she has yet to share one single image from the night,’ the source said. You can read the full story here. 

Travis did not attend Oli and Laura’s wedding after he headed to Kansas City Chiefs training on July 29, ahead of the new NFL season. 

Taylor was seen enjoying a girls’ night out in London last week. 

For that celebration, the singer wore a long pink gown with shimmering floral embroidery as she emerged from Annabel’s, the private members’ club in London’s Mayfair beloved by A-listers, aristocrats and British royals. 

By KATHERINE LAWTON, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

Published: 12:25 BST, 18 August 2026 | Updated: 13:02 BST, 18 August 2026

A search has been launched for a young soldier who disappeared after a bar fight that led to two people being seriously injured when struck by a vehicle. 

Liam Potts, 22, a soldier with the Coldstream Guards who had a ceremonial role in the Queen’s funeral in 2022, vanished at around 12.20am on Saturday morning following a series of incidents in the village of Wylam, Northumberland.

Locals said a disturbance broke out in a pub close to the River Tyne, minutes before two people were struck by a vehicle on Wylam Bridge.  

Liam was not one of those struck by the car, nor was he in the vehicle, but he was seen walking away in the aftermath of the collision. 

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Police said they are working on the understanding that he entered the water, but it remains unknown whether he managed to make it out again. 

Northumbria Police received a report later on Saturday afternoon concerning the welfare of Liam. He was last spotted heading towards the centre of Wylam village from Wylam Bridge.

A man and woman – each aged in their 20s – both sustained serious but non life-threatening injuries when struck by the vehicle. 

Two men, aged 22 and 23, were arrested in connection to the crash and have since been bailed.

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Liam Potts, 22, was last seen heading towards Wylam from Wylam Bridge in Northumberland shortly after midnight last Saturday

Police and mountain rescue teams continue to search for Liam after his disappearance 

Liam’s family are becoming increasingly concerned for his welfare 

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A police spokesman said: ‘Whilst enquiries are at an early stage, we can confirm Liam was on the bridge at the time of the collision.However, he was not an occupant of the vehicle and there are no reports suggesting that he was injured in the collision.

‘He subsequently left the scene and enquiries are ongoing to locate him. Liam’s next of kin have been made aware and are being supported by officers.’

A large number of police and mountain rescue teams have been in the village of Wylam, with several vehicles including a Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team ambulance at the scene.

Liam was last seen wearing black joggers, Nike trainers and a black T-shirt with large text and a diamond logo on the back. He was also wearing a gold chain.

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Northumbria Police said extensive enquiries are ongoing to find him, while officers and his family are becoming increasingly concerned for his welfare. 

Liam was stationed at Wellington Barracks with the Coldstream Guards at the age of 18 and was one of just 20 soldiers who attended the proclamation of King Charles lll.

Liam was last seen wearing black joggers, Nike trainers and a black T-shirt with large text and a diamond logo on the back

Emergency services gather as they search for the missing 22-year-old 

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He and his comrades led the traditional ‘hip hooray’ cheer to welcome the new monarch.

He was also chosen to be one of the Coldstream Guards – the British army’s oldest serving regiment – to line The Mall as the Queen’s funeral procession passed by.

At the time his proud mother said: ‘They gave her the send off she deserved.’

Following his ceremonial duties he left with his regiment for jungle training in Kenya. 

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Anyone with information has been asked to quote reference NP-20260815-0424. 

The BBC has contacted the UK Foreign Office, the Greek authorities and the aviation company for comment.

Asset management firm Blackstone, where Cromie worked, said in a statement: “We are shocked by the tragic passing of three people including our colleague Alex Cromie and his wife Marie Ebert, who were celebrating their honeymoon.

“Alex was beloved by everyone who knew and worked with him at Blackstone, and our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones.”

A senior police official told the Times that the crash came just before the helicopter’s scheduled landing time of 18:15 local time (16:15 GMT).

Sifnos’ Deputy Mayor, Manolis Foundoulakis, arrived at the scene shortly after the incident and told local news site Newsit there was almost “nothing left” of the aircraft.

He said locals saw the helicopter crash within metres of their homes and had described a “bizarre engine noise coming from the aircraft” as it was about to land.

He said two of the victims were found in the wreckage, while the third was a short distance away.

Firefighters worked to tackle a blaze which broke out after the crash, and the flames had been extinguished by Monday evening.

The officers were rushed to hospital after a van was allegedly ‘deliberately driven at them.

A woman has appeared in court after two cops were injured in an alleged hit and run in Larkhall.

The incident took place on Glen Avenue the South Lanarkshire town around 2pm on Saturday, July 25. Emergency crews rushed to the scene after police received a report of two of their uniformed officers having been knocked down.

The force confirmed that the pair had been carrying out enquiries at a property in the area before a white Renault Traffic was “deliberately driven at them”. Both male officers, aged 41 and 43, were blue-lighted to hospital.

They suffered serious injuries. Both have since been discharged, although they will remain unfit for duty for a prolonged period. Detectives investigating the attempted murder arrested a woman on Friday, August 14.

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Jemma McQuade appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Monday, August 17. The 34-year-old from Larkhall was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.

She made no plea and was committed for further examination. Ms McQuade has been granted bail and it is still to be confirmed when she is due to appear at court again.

A man is still being hunted in connection with the incident, and extensive enquiries are ongoing to track him down. More than 80 properties have been searched throughout Lanarkshire and the Scottish Borders.

Five teenagers killed when their stolen BMW ploughed head-on into a family while driving on the wrong side of a motorway had been ‘terrorising’ people over the previous days.

Joey Carthy, Alex McCarthy, Jeremy O’Brien, Jack Kennedy and Kamil Pustkowski, all aged between 15 and 18, died in the collision on the M9, in County Kildare, on Sunday morning.

Speaking soon after the ‘horrific’ crash, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said that ‘in some cases’ cars were being driven the wrong way down motorways for social media likes.

And it has now emerged the five teens often posted videos of themselves being chased by gardaí, with one clip showing the view in their rear mirror captioned ‘wrong way’.

All five were also suspected in several thefts and burglaries, in addition to further anti-social activities across Kildare and Carlow over the previous two weeks.

Each was wearing a mask when their bodies were retrieved from the wreckage, the Daily Mail reports.

The newspaper quotes security sources as saying the teenagers were part of an increasing number of youths trying to ‘one up’ each other in dangerous videos posted to social media.

‘These young guys have been terrorising communities for weeks if not longer,’ they added.

‘They did not care if they were caught as they knew they were underage and that there was little the courts system could do with them.

‘It’s becoming a growing social media trend and it’s been a nightmare for gardaí to police because they are often ordered to stand down from pursuits because of the danger that chasing these guys could put the public in.’

Sisters Niamh and Alma Kinsella, both in their 30s, younger sister Ella Hendricken, in her 20s, and Alma’s seven-year-old son Yemi all suffered serious injuries in the other car.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said yesterday he was ‘shocked and saddened’ at the crash, which was the result of ‘an irresponsible and dangerous act’.

He said: ‘This is the second appalling crash we’ve seen on our roads in a matter of days as a result of the reckless driving of a car on the wrong side of the motorway, endangering the lives of innocent road users.

‘As the Garda Commissioner has said, it is an irresponsible and dangerous act and it is shocking in some cases that it is being done for likes on social media.’

Mr Martin added: ‘My thoughts and prayers are with the family who have been injured.

‘I wish them a full recovery.

‘The lives of five teenagers have also been lost as a result.

‘Every death on our roads brings untold grief to families and communities.

‘There can be no tolerance for this reckless behaviour that we have seen on our roads recently.

‘It must stop.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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The mounts of rubbish have persisted on the backstreets around Elmwood Grove near Queens Park at least since May this year despite repeated complaints.

Parents have been particularly alarmed by used nitrous oxide canisters, which are classed as a Class C drug, and by the potential to attract rats.

Zishan Sarwar said: “I heard about this from one of the families here and when I saw it, obviously it just disgusting.

“It’s like a jungle to be honest.”

He added: “I rang the council and they said they would get someone to sort it, I’ve rung them three times.”

The Bolton News went to visit the area around Elmwood Grove and found huge amounts of rubbish, a large bag full of used nitrous oxide cannister, and furniture strewn around.

In an ironic twist, lying amongst the rubbish there was an old Bolton Council sign warning people against fly-tipping and warning them they faced fines or prosecution.

Cllr Arif with an abandoned sign warning against fly tipping (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Sarwar said he later got in touch with Cllr Baggy Khan who then introduced him to Cllr Zan Arif, of the Queens Park and Central ward which covers Elmwood Grove.

He said that he and many of the residents would first like to see the rubbish cleaned up and then to see permanent solutions like CCTV cameras installed.

Mr Sarwar said: “We’re engaging and trying to build strong relations here, one individual would not be enough to get this removed, it needs to be a collective.”

Cllr Arif was particularly troubled to find used nitrous oxide cannisters (Image: Newsquest)

On a visit to the site, Cllr Arif came across dumped rubbish, bins that appeared to have been vandalised, and boxes of used nitrous oxide canisters.

He said: “This is the sort of stuff we’re finding in the area, and this has accumulated for quite some time.”

He added: “It’s been reported, nothing’s been done, we need to act on it as soon as possible because once something’s become a dumping ground, everybody else is going to come and think well why not? I could do that too?”

Huge amounts of rubbish have been dumped (Image: Newsquest)

Cllr Arif said he was particularly concerned to come across nitrous oxide canisters, vodka bottles, and beer cans.

He said: “There’s a theme here, its people doing some kind of recreational activity, whether its this, drinking, needles, whatever comes with it, it’s these types of people that are doing this unfortunately.”

In an apparent reference to the recent bin strike in the West Midlands, he said: “It’s a dumping ground, it looks like Birmingham!”

Bolton Council leader Cllr Akhtar Zaman said: “Fly tipping is a problem all over the borough which we are trying to deal with.

“Where possible we try to identify and deal with the culprits, bring them to court and issue fines and fixed penalty notices.

“We encourage people to always report fly tipping to local authorities.”

An official store closure date has been confirmed for a popular fashion brand

River Island will close its Swansea store next month.

The shop on Oxford Street has been a longstanding presence in the city centre but will officially close its doors on Saturday, September 12.

Signs have appeared in the windows confirming the closure, with a message thanking customers for their support. It reads: “Thanks for shopping with us – we’ve had a blast!”

The closure is the latest setback for Swansea city centre and comes just months after Marks & Spencer shut its doors following more than a century of trading in the city.

The loss of M&S left many locals disappointed, with one shopper previously telling WalesOnline: “I don’t know why or where these big shops go… British Home Stores, Next. It’s terrible. There will be nothing here before long – other than the market.”

The city has also seen the loss of other major brands like The Body Shop and Zara, however, both units have since been filled by the likes of premium home and body cosmetics brand, Rituals and Scandinavian lifestyle brand Søstrene Grene.

The Swansea closure comes as River Island continues with a major restructuring of its store estate. Earlier this year, the fashion retailer announced plans to close 27 branches as part of efforts to secure the future of the business.

In Wales, its Wrexham shop closed on January 18, while its Llandudno Retail Park branch also subsequently ceased trading. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here

At the time, River Island chief executive Ben Lewis said the retailer had been affected by the long-term shift in shopping habits, with more customers choosing to shop online rather than on the high street.

He stated: “River Island is a much-loved retailer with a decades-long history on the British high street.

“However, the well-documented migration of shoppers from the high street to online has left the business with a large portfolio of stores that is no longer aligned to our customers’ needs.

“The sharp rise in the cost of doing business over the last few years has only added to the financial burden. We have a clear strategy to transform the business to ensure its long-term viability.

“Recent improvements in our fashion offer and in-store shopping experience are already showing very positive results, but it is only with a restructuring plan that we will be able to see this strategy through and secure River Island’s future as a profitable retail business.”

WalesOnline has contacted River Island for comment.

On Monday, SEW apologised to customers.

Head of health and safety Mike Pickard told BBC South East the team were “exhausted and being pushed to limits” trying to manage the “unacceptable” situation.

While understanding the difficulties faced by customers, he said the company was aware of a number of incidents of abuse directed at staff and contractors, which it would “not tolerate”.

On Tuesday, he added: “Being angry about the situation is understandable, but attacking a vehicle, threatening a member of staff or subjecting our teams to abuse is not acceptable.

“No one should face threats, intimidation or violence simply for doing their job, our people are not responsible for the disruption.

“If our teams feel unsafe, they may have no choice but to leave an area.”

On Monday, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the situation was “simply not good enough.”

A spokesperson said the company’s new leadership “must now deliver a step change in performance, where customers’ needs are prioritised”.

SEW was the first water firm to issue a hosepipe ban this summer, having barred 850,000 customers in Kent on 3 July.

This ban was extended to parts of Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire about three weeks later.