He told reporters: “Yeah, I was surprised, I was suffering for this defeat, but we are working. If you analyze last season, the defensive line, [Pedro] Porro, [Kevin] Danso, Micky van de Ven and [Destiny] Udogie. And today, Archie Gray, Jean Paul van Hecke, [Marcos] Senesi and [Andy] Robertson, four new players.

The latest update is now live across the UK and includes five channel changes.

Freeview said on its website: “On 19th August 2026 some broadcasters are making changes to their channels.

“You will need to retune to update your TV and keep your channels and TV Guide up to date.”

Full list of channel changes in latest Freeview update

The channel changes being made as part of the latest Freeview update are:

New channels

• Your TV (channel 71)
• Your TV Extra (channel 75)

Channel renames

• That’s Oldies MCR to Your TV MCR (channel 79)
• That’s 20th Century MCR to Your TV Extra MCR (channel 86)
• That’s Classics to Your Music (channel 93)

Freeview added: “Channels are constantly evolving on Freeview with individual channels making the decision to move, add or remove channels.

“Freeview continues to ensure that audiences can enjoy a rich and varied content.”

How to retune your TV

Viewers will need to retune their TVs to access the latest channel updates.

Freeview says the process is usually straightforward and only requires pressing ‘retune’ when prompted by your TV.

If an automatic retune doesn’t work, you may need to do a manual retune.

Freeview recommends the following steps:

• Press ‘Menu’ on your box or TV remote control.
• Select ‘Set-up’, ‘installation’, ‘update’ or a similar option. If you’re asked for a password, the default code is ‘1234’ or ‘0000’.
• Select ‘First-time installation’ (sometimes called ‘factory reset’, ‘full retune’ or ‘default settings’).
• Press ‘OK’ if your equipment asks if it’s OK to delete existing channels and then your retune should start automatically. If you’re prompted to, save the channels that are found.

If you are still unsure, you can watch Freeview’s retune videos for more details (available on the Freeview website).

What is your favourite TV programme? Let us know in the comments below.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israelis across political and religious lines are worried about the weakening connection with younger Jewish Americans — who, according to a recent AP-NORC poll, tend to consider support for Israel less crucial to their Jewish identity than older adults.

“It’s extremely important to us,” said Itai Nixon, who leads the diaspora department for Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. “We’re the state of the Jewish people, not just Israelis.”

Lesley Sachs, who has protested the current Israeli government and chairs the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, also considers a close relationship with diaspora Jews a “strategic asset” for both Israel and Jews worldwide.

So she’s greatly concerned about diaspora Jews losing the sense that Israel can be a homeland for them, especially as rising antisemitism targets them regardless of political and religious affiliations.

“That was always really, really important that everybody around the world, especially after the Holocaust, knows that there is a country that will always take them,” Sachs said in her synagogue in Tel Aviv. “This is already a few generations after, and this is less prominent in their DNA. And I think that this is really a failure on the part of both Israel and world Jewry, that we have not managed to keep that prominent.”

Since 2000, Taglit-Birthright Israel has brought a million Jewish young adults from the United States and elsewhere for a free 10-day “discovery” tour of Israel. The organization’s CEO says it’s more necessary than ever to show what their connection to Israel could be like beyond controversial politics.

“That really increases the importance of my job to expose people to what they give up on,” said Gidi Mark. “What we give them is a mirror.”

The staunch Israel-US relationship shows some cracks

Israel and the United States have long been staunch allies. U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Washington earlier this week to discuss the war against Iran they launched together five months ago.

“The United States is perceived as the best friend of Israel in the entire world, and that’s still the case,” said Tamar Hermann, who directs the Israel Democracy Institute’s Viterbi Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research in Jerusalem.

Divisions over the ceasefire in the Iran war, however, have weakened Jewish Israelis’ belief that Trump prioritizes Israel’s security — from 64% in March to 26% in June — according to the center.

Amid diplomatic tensions, the role of Jewish Americans who historically lobbied for political, military and financial support for Israel gains new prominence, Israelis said. And that deepens the concern that many young progressive Americans, including Jews, now see supporting Israel in any way as irreconcilable with their worldview.

The decline in support for Israel has become particularly stark since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians in southern Israel, and abducted 251 others. Israel’s ensuing war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children make up around half of all fatalities.

That in turn ignited protests across the United States, especially on college campuses.

“Holocaust, refugees, the importance of Israel in times of need abroad, and the fact that Israel is a small country fighting for its existence … that’s history they read in a book,” Sachs said of younger Jewish Americans. “They weren’t emotionally part of it in any way or any form. And so they look at their values and the things that they believe in. And they don’t see it in Israel.”

Jewish Americans have a complicated relationship with Israel

Only about 4 in 10 religious Jewish adults under 45 in the United States say that supporting Israel is “extremely” or “very” important for their Jewish identity, while about half of older religious Jewish adults do, according to the AP-NORC poll.

The survey of 1,022 Jewish adults — including people who identify as Jewish by religion and religiously unaffiliated people who identify as Jewish through culture, ethnicity or family background — also found that only about half of religious adults say Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza are justified. The number drops to 2 in 10 among Jewish adults without a religious affiliation.

At the same time, about 6 in 10 Jewish adults say prejudice against Jewish people is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in the United States today.

To many Israelis, safety threats against Jews make it all the more tragic — and dangerous — that young Jewish Americans do not see the state of Israel as a refuge or even an ally.

“Antisemitism sadly helps us to explain why a Jewish homeland is not a bad idea,” said Asaf Zamir, a deputy mayor of Tel Aviv who served as consul general in New York. “Opposing the government is fine, but you cannot understand your history as a Jew without understanding the part of Israel in it.”

Israel reaches out to secular and liberal Jews in North America

In order to promote deeper attachment between Israel and diaspora Jews, both the government and religious organizations are reinforcing exchange programs. For decades, young Israelis have traveled to Jewish summer camps across North America, and non-Israeli Jews get free trips to Israel.

“To see Israel and meet Israelis is the gold standard,” Itai Nixon said of programs bringing teens to the country.

Taglit-Birthright’s Gidi Mark said that since 2023, with multiple wars, tour participants are fewer — and their reactions to touring Israel have also changed. He recalled one participant shouting “Israel! Israel!” outside his hotel just because he felt safe to express himself.

“These people don’t feel free to experience who they are in the places that they are coming from,” Mark said.

These and other initiatives are focusing on secular Jews and adherents to Reform Judaism. The largest branch of the religion in North America, it emphasizes progressive values such as social justice.

Orthodox Jews abroad tend to have stronger ties to Israel — and Orthodox Jews in Israel tend to see themselves as closer to diaspora Jews than do secular Israelis, Hermann said.

Within the Israeli Reform movement, which is a small part of Judaism in the country, there’s a push to send more young Israelis to the United States, including as camp counselors.

“That kind of action is important, that one-on-one connection saying, ‘You know what, we believe in the same things you do. Really, we have the same ideology in general, and we feel we need to change Israel together,’” Sachs said. “We need to be partners in making Israel the country that we all need.”

Alma Edry, 18, is spending two months as a counselor at a progressive Jewish summer camp in Ontario with teens and young adults from Canada and the United States. She said her biggest surprise has been “that Israel is such a big deal for people outside the country.”

“Most of their friends are anti-Israel,” she said of the campers. “This is their chance to celebrate their connection.”

___

This story has been corrected to show that while Hamas has announced the dissolution of the government, it has not yet taken place.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Achieving the perfect roast potato can be a challenge, but there is a simple way to ensure your roasties are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

While the meat typically takes centre stage during a Sunday roast, for many people, the true hero of the meal is undoubtedly the roast potatoes.

The perfect roast potato should have a golden, crispy exterior while remaining soft and fluffy within, but nailing this winning formula isn’t always straightforward, especially when juggling numerous other parts of a good roast dinner.

Simply leaving the potatoes in the oven for a long time might seem like the logical approach to achieving that crispy shell, but it often leads to burnt potatoes with insides that become dry and hard, rather than light and fluffy.

However, according to culinary experts, the right prep can help you nail the perfect golden roastie, and it’s all about getting organised beforehand.

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The trick is simple: parboil and then freeze your potatoes ahead of time. Preparing ingredients in advance isn’t just sensible to ease the cooking burden on the day itself, but it can also enhance the flavour of your dishes, resulting in crispier roasties when you eventually cook them.

This works because parboiling helps to remove moisture from the potato surface, meaning they develop a superior crisp during cooking while maintaining that delightfully fluffy interior.

Outlining the advantages of freezing roast potatoes prior to cooking, Sainsbury’s said: “Freeze up to a month ahead. Parboiling potatoes before freezing them is not only a great way to get ahead, it also makes the potatoes extra crunchy when cooked. Roast from frozen while your meat is resting.”

How to get the crispiest roast potatoes

Preparing the roasties is so simple, and if you do all of this in advance, it’s virtually effortless when you actually get round to making them.

Peel and cut the spuds into small chunks, then tip them into a pan. Add some boiling water from the kettle and leave them to boil for eight to 12 minutes.

Once the potatoes have been parboiled, they should be drained in a colander and shaken to roughen the edges, then returned to the pan. Place a clean tea towel over the pan and allow the potatoes to steam dry and cool for approximately five minutes.

Next, remove the tea towel and spread the potatoes across a baking tray – ensuring they’re not touching – and loosely cover with clingfilm before freezing until solid. Once frozen, tip the potatoes into a large freezer bag and store in your freezer.

When it comes to roasting your potatoes, there’s no need to defrost them beforehand either.

Simply heat some olive oil in a roasting tin in the oven at around 200C fan for approximately five minutes, then carefully add your potatoes, coating them thoroughly with the hot oil and cook for around 40 to 50 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Culinary specialists at Tesco added: “Freezing cooked potatoes has no negative impact on the taste or texture of your cooking, and in some cases, will add to the delicious crispiness that makes potatoes so irresistible.”

The union for Boston Symphony Orchestra musicians authorized the first strike in the ensemble’s 145-year history on Saturday.

The Boston Musicians’ Association issued a statement ahead of the expiration of the union’s three-year contract at 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

The orchestra and management have had strained relations since BSO decided in March to force out music director Andris Nelsons next summer after 13 seasons.

“In spite of the turmoil of the last six months caused by BSO’s leadership decision to terminate the orchestra’s musical director, Andris Nelsons, they have failed to agree to a collective bargaining agreement that would begin to restore the trust that they have destroyed and offer a fair contract to the musicians who are at the heart and soul of the BSO,” the union said in a statement.

The union said management has not agreed to musicians’ proposal for a mediator.

“We respect the musicians’ right to take this step as part of the negotiating process,” BSO CEO Chad Smith said in a statement. “Our focus remains on the negotiations and the ongoing constructive conversations. We are committed to reaching an agreement with competitive pay and benefits that enhances collaboration with the players.”

The orchestra’s season is scheduled to open Sept. 17.

By FRANCINE WOLFISZ, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 01:59 BST, 23 August 2026 | Updated: 02:32 BST, 23 August 2026

Iranian hackers shut down a UK power plant for four days in an unprecedented cyber attack on Britain, it has been revealed.

Cyber terrorists forced the facility to be completely closed down while staff battled to bring systems back online.

Officials have not revealed which power plant was targeted, but it is understood to be relatively small – and the attack did not have any significant impact on the nation’s energy supplies.

The Government briefed chief executives of power companies about the incident and provided advice and direction. 

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Officials from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a public-facing branch of GCHQ, were also informed and are investigating the breach.

The attack was the first and most effective of its kind, but the Government insists ‘at no point’ was there a wider risk to Britain’s energy system, The Telegraph reported.

However the incident is a chilling indication of the potential harm wrought by successful cyber attacks on Britain’s infrastructure, experts warned.

It is said to have occurred at the same time US infrastructure was hit by a string of cyber attacks across more than a dozen states last month.

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Iranian hackers shut down a UK power plant for four days in an unprecedented cyber attack on Britain, it has been revealed (file pic)

Cyber terrorists forced the facility to be completely closed down while staff battled to bring systems back online (file pic)

In late July, US intelligence officials believe Iranian regime hackers hit a water utility in western Arkansas as part of the wider campaign, according to the Washington Post.

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Suspected Iran-linked cyberattacks have also struck water systems in a dozen states, including Michigan, Minnesota, Georgia, New Jersey and South Dakota, sources told CBS News, with more than 30 community systems breached in Minnesota alone.

Hackers forced Georgia authorities in the Atlanta area to issue a boil water advisory after their intrusion caused a sudden drop in water pressure.

In several cases, the hackers gained remote access to pumps, valves and pressure settings and forced utilities to switch to manual mode, but officials say the attacks  had no impact on drinking water.

Both US and UK intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned of the risk from foreign adversaries, including not only Iran but also Russia, China and North Korea. 

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British critical national infrastructure and government agencies have been bombarded by thousands of attacks every day, they revealed.

Schools, NHS systems, and commercial manufacturing facilities, including production lines at Jaguar Land Rover, have all been targeted.

Major retailers’ customer information has also fallen victim to cyber attacks, while voter records were stolen from the Electoral Commission.

Experts have also highlighted that AI tools could be developed to assist and carry out cyber attacks faster and more efficiently.

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Cabinet Office research suggests the risk of a serious and successful cyber attack against Britain’s infrastructure is now between five and 25 per cent. 

A Government spokesman said of the latest breach: ‘The UK has a highly resilient energy system. We work closely with the energy sector to protect infrastructure and ensure the highest security standards.

‘This story refers to an incident impacting a small-scale energy generator, and at no point was there a risk to the wider energy system.’ 

Daily Mail has contacted the Department of Energy, Security and Net Zero for comment.

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The actor, who recently reprised his role in three special episodes marking Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary in 2023, has not yet returned in audio form as the 14th Doctor.

Mr Tennant has already returned to the Doctor Who universe in Big Finish audio adventures as the Tenth Doctor.

David Tennant says he is open to returning as 14th Doctor

Speaking to Doctor Who Magazine about the possibility of revisiting his latest incarnation, he said: “I’m open to anything that’s suggested, to be honest.

“It’s fun to dip a toe back in these worlds.”

At the time of the anniversary, it was decided that the 14th Doctor’s adventures would remain exclusive to television, with no spin-off media except a Doctor Who Magazine comic strip and a Children in Need short special clip.

Mr Tennant said he wasn’t aware of this decision.

He said: “It’s interesting, I didn’t know that there was a sort of embargo on any other worlds for that particular strain of the character.”

The 14th Doctor’s story concluded with the character settling down for a quieter life alongside Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble, her family, and friends including Bonnie Langford’s Mel.

The Scottish actor said: “It’s hard to imagine that’s where it would end, isn’t it?”

He was described as giving a “broad grin” before adding: “And yet that does seem to be where it’s ended.

“So, I guess he’s just enjoying Bonnie Langford’s tray bakes.

“Who wouldn’t?”

Mr Tennant also spoke about how his return came about.

He said: “That was briefly talked about.

“Then it all went really quiet, and I just thought about other things and imagined it had gone away.

“Then, six months later, Russell said, ‘Okay, so I’m taking the reins of Doctor Who, and will you come back and be part of the ongoing story?’”

Russell T Davies, who originally ran Doctor Who from 2005 to 2010, returned to the show between 2023 and 2025.

His departure was announced earlier this year, alongside news that the show would be put out to tender.

When is Doctor Who returning?

The return date for Doctor Who has not yet been confirmed, but it is anticipated it will not return to TV for at least a year or two.

The BBC show is currently ‘out to tender’, meaning the network or rights-holder is opening the daily production duties for competitive bidding.

Independent production companies pitch proposals, and the network awards the contract to the best one.

The network, however, retains the show’s ownership and broadcasting rights.

The BBC has also confirmed that it is not selling the show as part of the process.

It said: “The BBC retains all IP in Doctor Who.

“BBC Studios will continue to lead the global distribution of Doctor Who as well as licensing, consumer products, digital and immersive experiences on behalf of the BBC.”

Recommended reading:

While the future of Doctor Who on screen remains uncertain, audio adventures continue to expand the universe.

The upcoming Big Finish stories will see the Tenth Doctor team up with Rani, played by Anjli Mohindra.

Other audio dramas in development include new episodes featuring Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor, Billie Piper as Rose, and Derek Jacobi as The War Master.

Would you like to see David Tennant return as the 14th Doctor? Let us know in the comments.

His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs has been accused of a ‘grotesque waste of taxpayer money’ after it was revealed that civil servants have been paid more than £600,000 to help cover their heating bills while working from home.

Since 2022, utility bill subsidy payments to HMRC staff working from home have more than doubled – from £95,000 four years ago to £211,000 in 2026. 

In total, more than £610,000 has been spent on covering energy bills for the department’s civil servants working from home over the past four financial years ending April 2026, according to The Sunday Telegraph.

The subsidies are only for contractual WFH staff but the total figure across the civil service is expected to be much higher.

HMRC is the third largest government department by the number of workers – followed by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Justice, meaning the total amount spent on WFH civil servants’ heating bills could be higher. 

The revelations have been branded a ‘tough pill to swallow for hard-working Brits’ who are facing increasing energy bills. 

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood told The Sunday Telegraph: ‘With energy bills soaring thanks to Labour’s net zero obsession, hard-working families have enough on their plate without having to shell out for hand-outs to public servants.’ 

And Reform MP Danny Kruger said: ‘This grotesque waste of taxpayer money will be a tough pill to swallow for hard-working Brits forced to pay sky-high energy bills every single month. 

‘While ordinary families struggle with the cost of living, Whitehall mandarins use public cash to subsidise the bills they drove through the roof with their dogmatic net zero obsession.’

According to a Freedom of Information request, 5,259 staff at HMRC are designated as home workers, representing 7 per cent of the 75,898 civil servants in the department. 

An HMRC spokesman said: ‘These payments only apply to about 7 per cent of our workforce who are contractual homeworkers whose designated workplace is their home. 

‘They are not available to staff working under HMRC’s hybrid working arrangements.’ 

The Daily Mail has approached the department for further comment. 

It comes after The Mail on Sunday revealed earlier this month that Foreign Office mandarins serving in Bali, the Maldives and Abu Dhabi get extra holidays and bonus pay for ‘hardship’. 

Under generous taxpayer-funded deals, staff get ‘breathers’ for taking up ‘hardship posts’. 

These are supposed to be in places where there are security threats, high levels of crime or air pollution.

They also get tax-free bonuses of up to £10,000 a year.

The perks are intended to alleviate the toll that serving overseas in dangerous places can take on officials’ physical or mental health.

Yet scores of exotic destinations have made it onto that list.

Critics have questioned why Abu Dhabi – one of the safest cities on Earth – or Cape Town would cause officials ‘hardship’. Both are sought-after holiday locations.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) does remove some destinations from the 150-strong hardship list. 

Bamako, the crime-ridden capital of Mali, was removed this year. Yet honeymoon favourite Muscat remains on the list. 

And officials posted to Turks and Caicos Islands, where they can enjoy 350 sunny days a year, get hardship relief.

One defender of the scheme told the MoS: ‘It is odd that there are some undeniably glamorous places on there. It may be for reasons of isolation.’ 

Whitehall bosses were accused earlier this year of allowing civil servants to ‘work from the beach’ (File image)

Yet some civil servants have used their extra breaks to fly to other ‘hardship postings’ on taxpayer-funded jets. 

One official took his partner on holiday from New Delhi to Kathmandu in the Himalayas to ‘take a break away from local conditions’. 

Since Labour took office, there have been a dozen taxpayer-funded jaunts from New Delhi alone.

Ministers have begun to refuse Freedom of Information requests and parliamentary questions, citing national security reasons.

And in June, the campaign group Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA) claimed that hundreds of civil servants were being paid to work ‘from the beach’ with Whitehall bosses now facing accusations that they are approving ‘taxpayer-funded globe-trotting‘.   

The TPA has revealed that more than 350 civil servants were given permission to clock in remotely from holiday resorts in Spain, Greece, Australia and Brazil. 

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, led by ‘Red’ Ed Miliband, accounted for more than one-third of the ‘jet-setting’ Whitehall workers.

The TPA accused civil servants of getting away with ‘taxpayer-funded globe-trotting’ at the same time that families have been forced to skip holidays abroad this summer due to the cost-of-living crisis. 

It came after a YouGov poll revealed that one in five Britons do not have the money for a foreign holiday this year, while one-third have had to postpone trips due to the rising cost of air travel amid soaring jet fuel prices owing to the Iran war. 

The TPA research found that of the 359 civil servants who had logged on ‘from the beach’, 140 worked at the Department for Energy. 

Meanwhile, 96 worked for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, 83 logged on for the Department for Business and Trade and 19 worked for the Department for Transport. 

Nine worked for the Ministry of Justice, while at the Ministry of Defence this figure stood at just six. 

However, the Cabinet Office said working from abroad was only permitted in ‘exceptional circumstances’ including personal matters such as bereavement.

A spokesman for the Government claimed the TPA’s figures include staff ‘who must travel abroad for their job’.

Mayors across England will be given new powers to overrule local councils on some planning decisions.

The change would apply to proposals with more than 150 homes, more than 15,000 square metres of commercial space or buildings over 30 metres.

Mayors in 13 areas including Manchester, Liverpool, the West of England and the West Midlands will gain similar powers to Sir Sadiq Khan in London, who is already able to “call in” planning decisions.

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook said the powers were an “essential part of the toolkit that mayors need to effectively deliver new homes and regeneration”.

The Conservatives questioned whether it was right for councils to lose the “ability to make planning decisions in their own communities”.

The powers will also be available to mayors in the Combined Authorities in North East England, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York and North Yorkshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, Greater Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, East Midlands, and Tees Valley.

Housebuilding has fallen in London in recent years, but Pennycook insisted the “call in” powers had helped the mayor “unblock strategic growth sites” in the capital.

In the 2024 general election, the Labour government promised to build 1.5 million homes in England by the end of the decade but housebuilders have warned the target could be missed.

Pennycook said the government was “absolutely determined to stick with that ambition”.

He acknowledged the target was “really stretching” but said nearly 180,000 children were in temporary accommodation and “any smaller target wouldn’t be commensurate with the scale of the challenge”.

In addition to gaining the new “call-in” powers, mayors are set to be able to grant “up-front permission”, which the government says will allow building to begin “without a developer having to apply”.

A consultation on how the powers will work is due to be published next week.

The government has sought to stress that local councils will continue to decide the majority of applications and that all decisions must still follow planning rules.

It has also said mayors will get a “bigger say” over how housing funding is spent in their area, with the government directing national agency Homes England to focus on local mayors’ priorities.

New Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who served as mayor for Greater Manchester for nearly a decade, has repeatedly expressed his desire to transfer more powers to local mayors.

“Challenge does need to be made to local decision-making and actually it cuts both ways,” he told the Sunday Times.

“Sometimes it’s the other way round. It’s the local authority putting forward something that’s unacceptable in terms of the impact on the community. It’s a two-way street.”

Last month, Burnham promised to give all mayors a share of income tax revenue, saying he wanted to “bring power home” to “every postcode”.

Earlier this week, he announced a secondment programme to send high-performing civil servants to work in mayoral offices.

The approach has faced criticism from some in his own party and the Liberal Democrats, who fear it could create a “two-tier system” that discriminates against those areas that do not have an elected mayor.

Two armed response officers tragically died in the line of duty when their patrol car was hit head-on by teenage joyriders driving the wrong way on a major road.

PC Matthew Blades, 38, and PC Tom Clough, 37, were among seven people killed in the crash on the A66 at Middlesbrough yesterday.

The officers and the five occupants of a Volkswagen Passat were all declared dead at the scene.

Last night it emerged Makai Saddington, one of the teenagers killed in the crash, had posted a string of TikTok videos appearing to show him taking part in high-speed police chases.

Cleveland Police lowered flags to half-mast at their Middlesbrough headquarters in tribute to their fallen colleagues, with the force confirming the uniformed constables were driving their marked armed-response vehicle on the correct side of the A66 before the head-on crash with the ‘suspicious’ car at 3.39am.

Ring doorbell footage shows that, just three minutes earlier, the VW Passat was driven at speed through Middlesbrough’s streets before police halted the chase when the vehicle turned on to the A66 and into the path of the patrol car. It is understood the two officers who were killed were not part of the pursuit.

Since the crash, it has emerged that one of the joyriders, Mr Saddington, posted a string of TikTok clips seemingly showing him taking part in police chases in the months before his death. In one clip, filmed in May by a passenger and set to rap music, the 18-year-old is seen in an Audi being driven at speed through a housing estate with a police car’s blue lights

flashing in pursuit, before the vehicle veers across a grassy playing field in an apparent bid to shake off officers.

Another video on an account associated with him shows a green Nissan being driven around before it is set alight, while separate images posted elsewhere show him and a friend posing in cars wearing black balaclavas.

One video, posted in the last month, shows a high-speed police chase 

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In the same video, the camera pans to the back window to show the police chasing the vehicle

The clips reflect a trend of young men filming themselves being pursued by police at high speed, and posting the clips on social media in pursuit of views and likes. The crash comes just days after five teenagers died in a head-on collision on a motorway in Ireland.

In that incident, the masked youngsters were in a stolen BMW which was travelling the wrong way down the M9 in County Kildare at 2am last Sunday.

Police had tried to pull the stolen car over, but it sped off the wrong way down the M9 to avoid a stinger device that had been deployed to stop the car.

The occupants of the other vehicle – three sisters and a seven-year-old boy – suffered serious injuries in the crash and remain in hospital. Yesterday, the mother of Mr Saddington’s one-year-old son posted on social media: ‘What am I supposed to do without ur daft phone calls and u torching (sic) me life’s so cruel.’

Other victims were named locally as Michael Ray, Theo Rae and Cole Worthy.

It is understood Mr Saddington and his companions had close links to the traveller community.

Householders in Lime Road, a mile from the crash site, told how they were woken by the noise as the stolen car ‘shot down’ the street followed by police cars.

Neil Hutchison, 47, said: ‘You could tell from the noise that they were travelling at high speed. Two cars went down the street and then a few seconds later there was a third, they were obviously going after another vehicle. It’s tragic that it ended with people dead.’

Chief Constable Victoria Fuller looked close to tears as she told how, together with her deputy David Felton, she had visited

Makai Saddington posted videos on his Tiktok of men in balaclavas driving cars at speed

This is the moment police are seen pursuing a car down a narrow road just minutes before seven people, including two police officers, were killed in a head-on smash 

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PC Blades and PC Clough’s distraught families to offer condolences and support ‘with this unimaginable loss’.

Paying tribute to the men, she said: ‘These were brave officers, protecting our communities and serving our residents, who didn’t return home to their families at the end of their shift.’

She went on to give a sense of the shock and disbelief felt by the officers’ colleagues, friends, and the community, adding: ‘This is an incredibly sad day for Cleveland.

‘The loss has been felt across our communities, by our police family, and by our partner agencies. My thoughts, and the thoughts of everybody here at Cleveland Police, are with their families, friends, colleagues, and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.’

Lauren Somerville, chairman of the Cleveland Police Federation, said: ‘Words cannot describe the pain the Cleveland Police family is feeling today.

‘Our colleagues who should have been going home to their loved ones at the end of their shifts are not. That is just unfathomable.’

Local MP, Labour’s Anna Turley, said: ‘They went to work to keep people safe, and they should have come home to their families.

‘Their loss will be felt deeply by their loved ones, fellow officers and right across the communities they served.’

The five teenagers who died in the A66 crash have yet to be formally named, but Cleveland Police said all the bereaved families were being supported by specialist police family liaison officers.

In the eerie video captured by a home security camera, two police cars follow just seconds later, both with their lights flashing and sirens sounding

Police officers at the scene of a fatal crash involving a police car and a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 near Middlesbrough

Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller named the two police officers killed as PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough during a police press conference on Saturday

A police cordon at the scene of a crash that killed two officers near Middlesbrough

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It emerged that the Independent Office for Police Conduct opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash around two hours and thirty minutes after it occurred. Chief Constable Fuller added: ‘While this investigation is ongoing, and out of respect for all those who have lost loved ones, I would strongly urge people to avoid speculation and respect the privacy of the families.’

Residents said they were woken by ‘a fleet of ambulances, fire engines and police cars’ racing to the scene. The North East Ambulance Service said 14 ambulances, specialist paramedics, a hazardous response team and a doctor from the Great North Air Ambulance Service attended. A spokesman said: ‘Sadly, despite the best efforts of everyone attending, a number of patients died at the scene.’

Prime Minister Andy Burnham thanked the emergency services for their response in ‘incredibly difficult circumstances’. Writing on X, he added: ‘My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of everyone involved.’

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: ‘My thoughts are with the families and friends of those officers killed in the line of duty as well as those serving in Cleveland Police, the wider police family and all the emergency services who attended the scene.’

Craze that claimed five more young lives just a week ago 

By Padraic Flanagan

It was feared last night that the A66 crash may be a copycat tragedy – thanks to the deadly TikTok craze that claimed the lives of five teenagers in a head-on motorway smash in the Irish Republic last week.

In that case, the youngsters, who were all wearing balaclavas in a stolen BMW travelling the wrong way down the country’s M9, died at the scene in Co Kildare in the early hours of Sunday.

The deaths of Joey Carthy, 15, Jack Kennedy, 17, Alex McCarthy, 16, Jeremy O’Brien, 18, and 17-year-old Kamil Pustkowski led to public fury at social media platforms after it emerged that the teenagers were filming themselves in the car. 

That anger intensified on Thursday when TikTok declined an invitation to appear before an Irish parliamentary committee on media to discuss the latest craze of posting videos of people driving the wrong way down motorways.

Sisters Ella Hendricken, who is in her 20s, and Niamh and Alma Kinsella, in their 30s, as well as Alma’s seven-year-old son, Yemi, are being treated in hospital for serious injuries after their Hyundai was hit by the BMW.

The innocent victims, from Graiguecullen, Co Carlow, were on their way to Dublin to fly out for a family wedding in the UK when the teens smashed into their car. Three of the five teens killed in the M9 tragedy were buried on Friday. Two more funerals are due to take place today and on Tuesday.

Videos featuring youngsters in stolen cars trying to bait police into high-speed chases have become a macabre trend.

Mary Aiken, a professor of forensic cyber-psychology at the University of East London, told The Guardian: ‘While driving, they’re simultaneously filming and capturing content for posting later or live streaming. They have one foot in the real world and one foot in cyberspace They’re thinking about the likes… about kudos.’