Sitting forlornly on an oak table, three lonely tins of Meghan Markle’s $15 flower sprinkles are all that remain of what was once a lavishly promoted outpost of the Duchess’s Californian empire.

They look almost comically pathetic.

And yet, in this quiet upstairs room at Godmothers bookstore just three miles from the $14.6 million Montecito mansion the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have just quit, they may be the most telling symbol yet of the collapse of the couple’s much-hyped American dream.

I was here late last year when the mood could not have been more different.

Then, amid a flurry of publicity and social media posts, Meghan announced that Godmothers would become the first ‘bricks and mortar’ shop to stock her As Ever brand of overpriced jams, herbal teas, candles and those infamous flower sprinkles.

An entire upstairs room had been devoted to Meghan’s wares with a sign proudly announcing it had been ‘curated by the Duchess herself’. The products were displayed on oak tables, surrounded by sprigs of eucalyptus, while the flower sprinkles were presented almost reverentially in a silver bowl.

It was, in miniature, the Meghan Markle brand made flesh: polished, carefully styled and designed for Instagram.

Today, it looks rather different.

The grand display has gone. The signage has disappeared. And the once-celebrated As Ever collection has vanished from the shelves, save for those three lonely tins.

Meghan has traded the sun of California for the wetter shores of Britain after six years stateside

There is no sign of Harry’s excoriating memoir, Spare, either. I asked a shop assistant if there were any As Ever products available.

Her response was revealing.

‘I don’t think I know that company?’ she said. When I explained that it was Meghan Markle’s brand, she replied: ‘Oh, we don’t stock it any more.’

In Montecito, the sun-drenched enclave of yoga-clad, matcha-drinking multimillionaires, where Meghan and Harry were supposed to create their fabulous new life away from the restrictions of the royal court, it appears the couple have been as quickly forgotten as those sprinkles.

I travelled here, two hours north of Los Angeles, this week, barely a day after the Sussexes’ private jet touched down at Birmingham Airport marking their extraordinary return to Britain.

While Meghan and Harry once presented Montecito as the place where they would finally be free to build an empire on their own terms, the evidence on the ground tells a more prosaic story.

When the couple arrived in July 2020, there was a palpable sense of excitement. The pandemic was raging but I remember my phone lighting up with friends throughout Hollywood buzzing about having ‘genuine royals’ here on our doorstep. There was hushed talk about the bidding war between studios to ‘land’ them – a war eventually won by Netflix, which paid the Sussexes a staggering $100 million over five years.

They were going to conquer America and, as one breathless executive at the streaming network told me, ‘probably the world’.

Meghan’s proud Instagram picture of her range last November, and the much smaller display now

How different things look now.

The paparazzi, which once gathered on the road outside their Chateau of Riven Rock mansion, have disappeared – much to the delight of one neighbour who gave her name only as ‘Susan’.

She told me: ‘Meghan and Harry never became part of the community. You’d see him out on his electric bike and she’d drive past in a Range Rover but it was always “swish” and you’d miss them.

‘I left a bottle of wine at their gate to welcome them and it was returned to me, unopened, the following day. I’m not sure they ever wanted to hang out with anyone who wasn’t a billionaire or famous or both.’ 

The mood in Montecito last week was one of relief. It is a feeling that I, as a journalist in LA, share knowing that, for the first time since they arrived in 2020, the constant drama of the Sussex circus is now 5,000 miles away.

As one friend who lives in Santa Barbara, the coastal city next door to Montecito, told me: ‘The buzz surrounding them when they arrived has long since disappeared. Americans love success and there has been precious little of that. Their victim narrative became tiresome. America, and particularly this little slice of California, fell out of love with them.’

For a couple who built so much of their lives around attention, perhaps the most wounding thing last week was how little anyone cared about their departure.

Author and long-time Montecito resident Robert Eringer was sipping a cocktail outside The Honor Bar, Montecito’s favourite watering hole.

He said: ‘Personally it matters not one iota to me whether they’re in Montecito or in Britain. I’m out and about in Montecito a lot and never saw them. I doubt anyone would have noticed they’d left if it hadn’t been reported in the news but, since it was, the general impression is, good riddance.’

The Sussexes paid about $14.65 million for their Montecito mansion, which may fetch $40 million now

One neighbour of the royals said: ‘Meghan and Harry never became part of the community. You’d see him out on his electric bike and she’d drive past in a Range Rover but it was always “swish” and you’d miss them’

Another neighbour, who declined to give his name, said the Sussexes left ‘with a whimper, not a bang’.

‘There were no moving trucks, no parties, nothing at all. One day they were here and the next they were back in England.’

Wendy Foster runs an eponymous boutique, which became one of Meghan’s favourites. The duchess was often spotted carrying one of Wendy’s bags and meeting friends in Pierre Lafond, an upmarket deli next door, founded by Wendy’s late husband.

Pierre Lafond is a local landmark whose regulars include Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Gwyneth Paltrow. Wendy said: ‘I’ve been in Montecito for 50 years and we’re used to seeing everyone. Meghan came to my stores quite often and I must say she was always very polite.

‘I understand why she and Prince Harry want to go home. Over here they, and their children, don’t mean much in terms of status. In Britain their titles mean something. I’m sure they want to spend more time with his father.

‘I hope the children get to know their cousins. Their children have American accents so it makes sense that Harry in particular would want them to go to school in England. They’ll have far more social standing there than here. I wish them well.’

Their rapid departure – coming weeks after a summer holiday in Britain which their spokesman described as ‘wonderful’ – has left several lingering questions.

What will happen to Harry’s polo ponies, Meghan’s famous rescue chickens and their 16-bathroom house, which, local estate agents say, could now be worth upwards of $40 million?

David Sigman, the British general manager of the Santa Barbara Polo Club where Harry was often photographed, said that, contrary to speculation, the prince never owned his own ponies.

‘He played here up until about two or three years ago and then he left to play on the private fields of a local billionaire,’ Mr Sigman explained. ‘He never had his own polo ponies – he rented or borrowed them instead.’

His equine benefactor is believed to be Sarah Siegel-Magness, a billionaire heiress who worked as a Hollywood producer on films like the 2009 Oscar-winning Precious.

A source said: ‘Harry and Meghan became known for making friends with people who could help them. Sarah is one of those people. Rich and with lots of polo ponies.’

Cosmetics mogul Victoria Jackson is another of Meghan’s closest friends and co-owns Godmothers bookstore. There were reports the Bombardier Global Express luxury jet they returned home on belonged to Jackson but public records show the $12,000-an-hour aircraft is owned by charter company Planet Nine Private Air.

As for the couple’s sprawling 18,600 sq ft home, which they bought from a Russian businessman for $14.65 million in June 2020, local estate agents fully expect them to cash in. Montecito estate agent Daniel Encell said the property ‘could earn more than $100,000 a month in rent’ but would be worth about $40 million should they sell.

‘It’s one of the best pieces of land on the Riven Rock estate,’ said Mr Encell. ‘It has mostly usable flat land while many nearby properties are on hillsides with less usable acreage. The house next to them is currently up for sale for $30 million with a smaller acreage and much less usable land so Harry and Meghan should be able to clear $40 million for theirs. Their name and being royalty has publicity value, which would bring in a lot more interest.’

As for Meghan’s famous rescue chickens, they remain at the estate in ‘Archie’s Chick Inn’ being cared for by staff which, the MoS has learned, includes at least one full-time housekeeper, ‘a small army of gardeners’ and a pool man.

One person familiar with the home, who asked not to be named, said: ‘People think they upped sticks and left but when you have an estate that size it requires upkeep. That’s an expensive undertaking. They still have a mortgage and property taxes.

‘The word on the street is they are going to sell off-market. The news of them moving back to England has been everywhere so local realtors [estate agents] are already getting calls from interested buyers. It will be quietly sold with no fuss or publicity. Meghan won’t want people snooping around in her closets.’

At Montecito’s bustling Country Mart, an assistant at a clothing store said: ‘I don’t think people care about the duke and duchess leaving. What has he done except learn how to surf?’

When I asked her if she expected a ‘Harry & Meghan open-top bus tour’ would swing by haunts frequented by the couple such as Lucky’s Steak House, she laughed: ‘No-one cares. They came and they’ve gone. We’re indifferent.’

The widow of Hairy Biker Dave Myers is selling some of his belongings at auction – including his motorbike leathers, trademark waistcoats and Strictly Come Dancing outfit. 

Liliana, 59, is parting with around 300 of her late husband’s cherished items in a sale to be held on what would have been his 69th birthday on September 8. 

The auction will include items relating to the celebrity TV chef’s career, personal possessions as well as antiques, paintings and works of art he collected during his colourful life. 

A handwritten letter from Sir Roger Moore is also part of the collection that will be auctioned.

Best known for being one half of the cooking double act The Hairy Bikers alongside Si King, Dave died from cancer aged 66 in 2024. 

The items will be going under the hammer at Special Auction Services in Newbury and the proceeds will partly be going to NSPCC Childline.

Liliana, 59, is parting with around 300 of her late husband’s cherished items in a sale to be held on what would have been his 69th birthday on September 8

Lili spoke on This Morning this week about the sale, saying: ‘I wanted to celebrate his birthday in a special way, and I know that he loved the public and his fans a lot. 

‘He was larger than life, and what better way to celebrate his life than giving some of his precious belongings to the public. It was healing very much so. Grieving is a very personal thing. Grief comes in lots of different shapes.

‘It’s a way of celebrating him, celebrating the fantastic person he was, the explosion of energy he was.’

She also explained that Dave’s Strictly shoes are up for auction, saying: ‘He brought home two pairs, I kept one and one is here. He absolutely loved that experience.

‘The man could not dance, and Karen [Hauer] his dance partner said about him, ‘Dave, you don’t have two left feet, you have seven left feet’. And she had to teach him to walk straight before any dancing steps… he was walking slanted. 

‘She tied him with straps and made him walk straight before anything!’

Last March the final motorbike Dave rode on the BBC programme Hairy Bikers sold for a huge five-figure sum, with the proceeds going to two charities.

Lili told how she wanted his final motorbike – which featured in the BBC’s Hairy Bikers Go West – to go to a good home.

The BSA Goldstar went under the hammer at the National Motorcycle Museum near Solihull and sold for a massive £15,800, with the proceeds going to two charities.

The auction will include items relating to the celebrity TV chef’s career, personal possessions as well as antiques, paintings and works of art he collected during this colourful life

A handwritten letter from Sir Roger Moore is also part of the collection that will be auctioned

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Dave’s Strictly shoes are up for auction

The items will be going under the hammer at Special Auction Services in Newbury and the proceeds will partly be going to NSPCC Childline

Best known for being one half of the cooking double act The Hairy Bikers alongside Si King, Dave died from cancer aged 66 in 2024

Of the sale, Lilian told the BBC: ‘That bike still has his DNA on it… I really really hope that the person who gets it, loves it.’

‘I am really, really happy to see this bike being loved, and I’m sure the person who got it will love it as much as Dave did,’ she added.

The motorbike was sold to Si Harrison, who was friends with Dave, and the funds were donated to NSPCC Childline and CancerCare North Lancashire & South Cumbria.

Harrison said buying the vehicle meant ‘so much’ to him and shared his plans to ride it on Dave Day, which sees the biking community gather to remember Myers.

‘I couldn’t think of a bike that I’d rather be on, and the idea of riding in Dave Day meant so much to me,’ he said.

The first Dave Day took place in June 2024 and saw thousands of motorcyclists travel from London to Myers’ hometown in Barrow-in-Furness to honour the celebrity chef.

The momentous ride, in which 20,000 bikers participated, also raised a staggering £127,000 for charity.

This comes as part of its collaboration with South Korean brand Buldak.

Known for its fiery flavours, Buldak sauce is now available on request as a free drizzle on select drinks and desserts.

The secret menu hack is available until October and part of a summer partnership celebrating the “swicy” (sweet and spicy) food trend.

What items are part of the wagamama secret menu?

Guests can ask for Buldak sauce to be added to:

• Iced Matcha + Strawberry Latte
• Thai Chilli Margarita
• Coconut Reika Ice Cream

The hot sauce is said to make the Iced Matcha + Strawberry Latte a “fiery, earthy, and fruity” drink.

Meanwhile, for the Thai Chilli Margarita, it adds an “extra fiery infrared experience”, which is for “only the bravest spice lovers”.

Buldak sauce can be added to Iced Matcha + Strawberry Latte, Thai Chilli Margarita and Coconut Reika Ice Cream (Image: wagamama)

Finally, for the coconut reika ice cream, wagamama shares: “Order the coconut reika ice cream, featuring three scoops with coconut flakes and passion fruit sauce, and drizzle Buldak sauce over the top.

“The creamy coconut perfectly balances the world-famous Buldak spice.”

Alongside this, the Buldak fire wings, Buldak bibimbap, and extra Buldak sauce are available in all UK restaurants for a limited time this summer.

Wagamama’s history in the UK

Wagamama opened its first branch in the UK back in 1992 in Bloomsbury, London.

Founder Alan Yu had become captivated by the ramen bars of Tokyo and wanted to bring something similar to the UK.

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It added: “At a time when quick food in the UK often meant something beige and deep fried, we offered something different: open kitchens with nowhere to hide, fresh ingredients cooked to order and balanced bowls designed to nourish as much as satisfy.

“And over 30 years later – while we’ve grown far beyond that first restaurant – that original spirit still shapes everything we do.”

Will you be adding Buldak sauce onto any of these wagamama items? Let us know in the comments.

Imagine the Dallas Cowboys threatening to sue the NFC East, then teams in the division saying they won’t play them unless they remove a player from their roster. No well-run pro sports league would dream of it.

College sports? Threats, lawsuits and instability are now as common as play-action passes and handoffs.

The week leading to the start of the 2026 season featured LSU and the Southeastern Conference squaring off amid a destabilizing frenzy of lawsuits over eligibility and the mind-bending reality that players who signed on with a pro team, albeit briefly, might soon be suiting up in college again. Two months ago, it was the Big 12 going to court against one of its own teams, Texas Tech.

In between: threats about leagues breaking away, talk of “conference-led governance” and a bill meandering through Congress that proposes to fix it all.

“We can enjoy the fact that the players can benefit financially from playing in college now,” Duke football coach Manny Diaz said, diagnosing the original reason for the problem. “At the same time, recognize the ultimate truth that we’re not a professional sports franchise. We are a collegiate, scholastic school activity, and we’ve got to rein that in.”

Or, as Barbara Osborne, a professor at the North Carolina law school who is an expert on NCAA governance put it: “The difference between a professional sports league and collegiate athletics is literally night and day.”

Indeed, most colleges are public institutions whose athletic departments are a small part of the overall equation on their campuses. Unlike pro sports, where finances usually rule the day, decision-makers in college come from classrooms, boardrooms and research programs. Even when teams in a certain conference (like the SEC) or division (like Division I) agree, the decisions don’t always lead to smooth sailing.

Eligibility issues consistently land the NCAA in court

In the past week, in the wake of the NCAA’s new five-year eligibility rule that excluded last year’s graduating class from that extra year, the Big Ten and SEC passed rules barring players from returning after leaving for the pros. The Big 12 and ACC quickly passed similar rules.

But there were no immediate signs that LSU — the SEC school actually planning on bringing back some pros — was changing its plans. Louisiana’s governor, who keeps his hand in sports at the state’s biggest school, declared: “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”

The Big 12’s lawsuit against its own team, Texas Tech, came in June after quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s admission that he had a gambling addiction. Sorsby eventually withdrew from college and gave up the fight, but the lawsuit lingers on — triggered by a state court order that had temporarily allowed Sorsby to play despite the NCAA longtime ban of players who gamble.

On all the different forms the eligibility issue takes, the courts are having quite a say. The smartest plaintiffs’ attorneys are doing a good job shopping for judges sympathetic to their cases — and there are more than 30 at the moment with nearly 400 athletes involved. Most claim it is unfair to exclude high school Class of 2022 athletes the way the NCAA rule did, but it’s also clear that many athletes hoping to come back can count on money — revenue-sharing, NIL deals — that were not available six years ago.

“Unfortunately, this is the latest example of member schools weaponizing locally elected judges to skirt member-agreed upon rules,” said NCAA senior vice president Tim Buckley in response to a ruling from a Louisiana judge who sparked the LSU case and keeps finding against the NCAA and SEC. “College sports are supposed to be a launching pad to careers, not a fallback for professional athletes who already competed throughout their time in college.”

Lots of ideas to fix problems, no solutions on the horizon

Senators, governors, commissioners, judges, lawyers, regents and even the president of the United States have taken cracks at fixing the problems that engulf college sports. None have stemmed the cascade of lawsuits.

One of the most pressing issues is a federal antitrust exemption, the likes of which most pro sports have some part of but college does not. Not having it has left the NCAA and its schools open to legal challenges for decades. The most notable — and the genesis of the trouble college sports currently finds itself in — involved players’ right to earn endorsement money.

A trio of lawsuits dating to 2009 have, in many ways, settled that debate, forcing schools to open their pocketbooks which, in turn, has made them have to find new ways to generate revenue and control costs.

Other issues — namely, those involving eligibility — leave the NCAA open to litigation.

“There are certain premises in college athletics that I think the public supports,” said Tyrone Thomas, an attorney at Fox Rothchild who advises universities and pro programs on employment and compliance issues. “We need some rules that are enforceable within the system that we’re in. But we’re in a system that’s only been around for less than a half-dozen years. I think it makes sense to keep the perspective on where we are now, compared to where we were.”

The Senate bill seeks to provide the NCAA limited lawsuit protection over issues like rulemaking about eligibility. Absent that passing you get weeks, and summers, like the one we’ve just witnessed.

Two of the core principles of college sports is that they are not played by pros; and they cannot be played by players who gamble on the games they play. But even those somewhat uncontroversial ideas have been muddied by the facts that these “amateur” players are getting paid — and that some of the very schools that disdain gambling now have gambling companies as sponsors.

Thomas offered a glimmer of hope in the fact that the flurry of court actions involved in the five-year rule have a limited number of potential plaintiffs — only those who graduated high school in 2022 and saw their eligibility run out last spring.

“I look at these as maybe not the house-on-fire issue of the day,” he said. “There are definitely ‘fire’ issues. But I don’t look at the essential ‘house-on-fire’ issue that’s going to determine how things move forward.”

___

AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard in Raleigh, N.C. and Eric Olson in Omaha, Neb. contributed.

It’s a New Day for AEW as Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have arrived.

Tonight’s huge All In event at Wembley Stadium in London has got started with a bang as the legendary WWE tag team made their debut moments into the live broadcast, revealing their new name as The New Level.

Fans inside the national stadium roared as the pair stepped out alongside Swerve Strickland as the wild cards in the Trios Royale Roulette, which started during the Buy In preshow and continued into the main broadcast.

As some fans expected, the duo are now going by the names Kofi, and Austin Creed.

They completed a stacked lineup, which also featured ‘Hangman’ Adam Page and Brodido, the Bang Bang Gang vs. The Conglomeration, Death Riders, The Demand and The Dogs.

The big debut followed reports over the weekend from Fightful, who noted that the duo were set to sign with AEW, and debut at All In.

The outlet noted that the deal ‘came together in the last couple of weeks’, noting they weren’t under contract ‘as of two weeks ago’, but talks got underway over the last fortnight.

All In marked New Day’s first appearance since it was revealed they were leaving WWE back in May.

At the time, it was reported the duo left the company by ‘mutual consent’, having opted not to renegotiate their deals, instead choosing to part ways.

Their departures meant Kofi, 44, and Woods, 39, called time on two glittering careers with the wrestling giant after 20 and 16 years, respectively.

That included 12 years as a team, coming together as a featured act for WWE Raw in 2014 alongside Big E, whose own career was tragically cut short by a broken neck in 2022.

As New Day, the trio have won more WWE tag titles than any duo in history, with 13.

The pair’s seven SmackDown reigns is also a WWE record – as is their 483-day stint as Raw champs.

Kofi is also a former WWE Champion after beating Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson, who is also in AEW) at WrestleMania 35 in 2019.

Two years ago, when New Day celebrated a decade as a tag team, Kofi spoke about the ‘special’ bond they share, and the influence they’ve had on the wrestling world.

‘It’s pretty incredible to have had that level of impact on the industry,’ Kofi exclusively told Metro.

‘I actually sent Woods a text this morning about how appreciative I was of him, of being my tag team partner. I never lose sight of how rare and special our bond is.’

Before All In, AEW boss Tony Khan wasn’t drawn on speaking about New Day or other incoming stars, but did discuss the constant act of adding fresh stars to an already top-level roster.

‘There are so many great wrestlers around the world, and so many of the very best professional wrestlers compete in All Elite Wrestling,’ he beamed. ‘I always say AEW is where the best wrestle, and I really believe that. I think that the very best wrestlers in the world are competing in AEW right now.’

Tony admitted that ‘it’s exciting that so many of the best wrestlers outside of the company are trying to get into AEW’, while also pointing to the company’s collaborations with the likes of CMLL and New Japan Pro Wrestling, which allow talent to ‘compete in multiple promotions’.

MORE: AEW All In London 2026 UK start time and surprises for Wembley show

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The two sons of a police officer killed in the A66 crash led out the Manchester United team as mascots for today’s Premier League match against Ipswich Town. 

PCs Matthew Blades, 37, and Tom Clough, 38, died alongside five young occupants of a VW Passat that was travelling on the wrong side of a dual carriageway in the early hours of Saturday, August 22. 

PC Blades was described as a ‘proud Red’ by United, having been a regular at Old Trafford. 

In a tribute in their programme, the club said: ‘Matthew was a proud Red, a devoted family man and a police officer who dedicated his life to helping others.’ 

His widow Sarah attended today’s game alongside their children, who led out the team as mascots in honour of their father. 

The eldest child was walked out by Bruno Fernandes, captain of Manchester United, while the youngest was led by goalkeeper Senne Lammens. 

It followed a minute’s applause in memory of PC Blades and PC Clough yesterday before Middlesbrough’s Championship encounter with West Brom at Riverside Stadium. 

Mourners also gathered to pay their respects at Seaton Carew FC’s game against FC Hartlepool – with PC Blades a former junior football coach at both teams.  

Bruno Fernandes, captain of Manchester United, led out PC Blades’s eldest child 

The youngest child (right) was walked out by goalkeeper Senne Lammens 

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PCs Matthew Blades with his two children and a Manchester mascot 

PC Blades, 37, was killed when his police vehicle was struck by a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough 

PC Tom Clough, 38, also died in the crash, which occurred around 10 seconds after a police pursuit of the Volkswagen was called off 

The club paid a long and moving tribute to PC Blades in their programme, in which they said: ‘It is with great sadness that Manchester United learned of the death of PC Matthew Blades and his colleague PC Tom Clough in an accident near Middlesbrough last weekend. 

‘For Matt, some of his happiest times were spent watching United with his boys. His wife Sarah and two children will be at today’s game, with his sons leading out the Reds as mascots.’ 

They added that a friend and colleague of PC Blades sent them a tribute, which read: ‘For Matthew, United was a lifelong love, a passion he shared with his family. Since Matt’s tragic death there has been an extraordinary outpouring of grief and support. 

‘That love has been seen in countless tributes and acts of kindness. Today, we remember a fellow Red. A husband. A father. A son. A brother. A friend. A police officer. A man who gave his life in the service of others. Forever our superhero.’  

Middlesbrough and County Durham have been gripped by a wave of violence since the crash, which has left some residents too intimidated to leave their homes. 

Theo Rae, 17, Cole Worthy, 17, Michael Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18, were driving in the Passat and all lost their lives in the smash. 

Four of the five youths had previous criminal convictions, and were believed to be associated with another car which was seen ramming properties on the morning of the crash. 

Police are investigating whether the spate of violence, including the fatal A66 crash, is linked to organised crime. 

Middlesbrough, which has the highest crime rate in England bar central London, was rocked again when a seven-year-old girl, Valentina Foster, and her aunt, Natalie McDonald, 34, died in a house fire. Two men were arrested on suspicion of murder. 

Although police did not link the blaze to the A66 crash, they did not rule out a connection to wider organised crime.

Barely 24 hours later, armed police were responding to another serious incident in Middlesbrough, with claims of a machete attack that left a man with stab wounds.

Makai Saddington, one of the five killed in the Volkswagen, posted videos on TikTok of him being chased by police and was awaiting trial for racially abusing and assaulting officers

Jakub Matusiak, another occupant of the car which hit the officers, also posted videos of himself driving recklessly

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Close friends Theo Rae (left) and Cole Robert Worthy both died in the crash on Saturday

Michael Robert Cahill was one of the five in the VW Passat

Seven more men were later held as part of a broader operation to disrupt organised crime, taking the total number of arrests to 24.

Police in Middlesbrough had five pleas for help ignored by the Government before an outbreak of gang violence which led to the fatal A66 crash. 

Matt Storey, Cleveland’s police and crime commissioner, had written at least seven letters to the Government since July 2024 warning that officers were ‘woefully underfunded’ and struggling to protect the public. 

Only two received a response, his office said, while more requests for additional support were ignored. 

The most recent warning, sent to Andy Burnham last month, said shrinking recruitment was driving ‘concern about whether help will be there when it is needed most’.

Cleveland police was forced to call in 200 officers from nearby regions last week after the crash. 

DHADING, Nepal (AP) — In one of the areas worst hit by Wednesday’s catastrophic floods in Nepal, a group of schoolchildren managed to survive when they happened to leave their classroom for their lunch break.

Children attending other classes at the school in Dhading also escaped because teachers told them to quickly evacuate their classrooms shortly before the waters came crashing in.

“The teachers said, ‘There is a flood and you should leave bags and tiffins,’” said Lakshmi Shrestha, the mother of a student attending the school. “That’s how they managed to survive.”

Shrestha was among mothers and children who began to return to their school on Sunday to find the kids’ belongings and see what could be salvaged. The majority of the children at the school appeared to have survived the floods, the families said.

Thick brown and gray mud coated the surfaces of school benches, walls and notebooks while the school’s courtyard was filled with sediment. Lines on the walls showed how high the water rapidly rose. A pile of small mud-caked backpacks, some with colorful key chains, were on the benches and floors, waiting to be claimed.

Kopila Mizar, the mother of a student, was unable to find her son’s backpack, but remained positive.

“My son is alive, that is my biggest happiness,” she said.

At least 69 schools in Nepal’s flood-devastated districts have been destroyed or damaged, putting education at risk for nearly 19,000 children, according to the nonprofit Save the Children. Those numbers are likely to rise as rescue teams reach more areas, they said.

The government ordered schools and universities to shut down for three days following torrential rains that triggered severe flash floods and landslides across parts of the country. University exams were also paused.

With communities still receiving constant flood warnings advising them to move to higher, safer areas, it’s unclear when classes will be able to resume.

Nepal’s disaster agency said Sunday the death toll had climbed to 788 with 2,502 missing, while Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing on the Chinese side of the border.

The missing include hundreds of people from over a dozen countries who were in the region to work, visit the mountains or make a pilgrimage to a sacred peak. On Sunday, Chinese state media said 261 foreigners were missing in Tibet, including over a hundred Nepalis and others from around the world.

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Police are looking for 43-year-old Daniel O’Brien in connection with an alleged stalking offence reported in Chadderton between June 23 and July 5, 2026.

O’Brien is believed to also have links to Oldham and Rochdale.

The force shared a picture of O’Brien on social media as part of an appeal to help locate him.

Anyone with information about O’Brien’s whereabouts is urged to get in touch with Greater Manchester Police.

Information can be submitted via 101 or by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

PC Matthew Blades, described by Man U as a “proud Red”, was killed alongside colleague PC Tom Clough in a crash with a VW driving the wrong way on the A66 at South Bank last weekend.

The children led the team out onto the pitch as mascots, walking with captain Bruno Fernandes and goalkeeper Senne Lammens ahead of their game against Ipswich.

The Red Devils expressed “great sadness” at the deaths of the two officers in a matchday programme.

“Matthew was a proud Red, a devoted family man and a police officer who dedicated his life to helping others,” United said.

“For Matt, some of his happiest times were spent watching United with his boys. His wife Sarah and two children will be at today’s game, with his sons leading out the Reds as mascots.”

Middlesbrough paid tribute to the pair on Saturday (August 29) in their Championship match against West Bromwich Albion at the Riverside.

Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion players observe a minutes silence in memory of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, ahead of the Sky Bet Championship match at Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough. Picture date: Saturday August 29, 2026. PA Photo. P (Image: Owen Humphreys/PA)

A period of applause was also observed in honour of the two police officers before the Boro 10K on Sunday morning, and Darlington FC paid tribute before their National League North match against Macclesfield on Saturday.

Hartlepool United supporters held a two-minute silence for both officers before the club’s game against Eastleigh on Friday night, with members of PC Blades’ family joining players in the centre circle.

A two-minute’s silence was held for PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough before Hartlepool’s game against Eastleigh tonight. (Image: MARK FLETCHER)

Two officers’ hats left on the pitch at Victoria Park in memory of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, (Image: MARK FLETCHER)

An image of PC Blades with his two sons at Old Trafford featured in the Man U v Ipswich match programme, along with a tribute from an unnamed close friend and colleague.

“For Matthew, United was a lifelong love, a passion he shared with his family,” the tribute read.

“Since Matt’s tragic death there has been an extraordinary outpouring of grief and support. That love has been seen in countless tributes and acts of kindness.

“Today, we remember a fellow Red. A husband. A father. A son. A brother. A friend. A police officer.

“A man who gave his life in the service of others. Forever our superhero.”

PC Blades, a dad-of-two from Hartlepool, has also been remembered for his work coaching youngsters at football clubs in the town.

He and PC Clough were travelling in a marked armed response car when the crash happened around 3.39am.

Inquests opened on Thursday heard both died from head and neck injuries.

Five people travelling in the Passat also died. They have been named as Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Jakub Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18.

A handsome home both outside and in, The Lime House has been thoughtfully designed in partnership with Native Architects to create a property that stands well in its surroundings and provides wonderful open-plan spaces for family life and entertaining.

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