An investigation is ongoing

A car crashed into a wall near a shop before the driver made off. The incident happened just before midnight on Tuesday at Bryn Carwyn, Dowlais.

Councillor Dean Barrett for the Pant and Dowlais ward of Merthyr Tydfil shared a picture of the aftermath of the crash. The picture shows a wall near the Londis shop badly damaged and crumbling.

Cllr Barrett told WalesOnline he is amazed at how the incident happened. He said: “How it happened amazes us to be honest because they must have been coming up there at some speed to cause that much damage. There’s not even a long length of road leading up to it. And then they’ve abandoned the car.”

Cllr Barrett said the police tape was still in situ as of Friday morning. Always keep on top of the latest Welsh news with our newsletter

A spokesman for South Wales Police said: “South Wales Police was called at 11:50pm on Tuesday, August 18 to a car having driven into a wall on Bryn Carwyn in Dowlais.

“The driver of the car had fled the scene before officers arrived. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.”

EXCLUSIVE: The daughter of a terminal cancer patient has revealed her mum’s heartbreaking final diaries after a catastrophic NHS error left her crying in pain for five days

In the final months of her life, 67-year-old Tracy Cliff wrote candidly about her determination to squeeze every drop of joy out of her remaining time – amidst her despair at leaving her daughters behind.

Following a rectal cancer diagnosis, Tracy underwent surgery at Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital in March 2022 to fit a colostomy bag. But surgeons mistakenly stapled the wrong end of her bowel closed, causing a complete obstruction that went undetected for five days.

Writing in her diary during her final months, Tracy, a mother-of-three from Tiverton, Devon, channeled her inner strength, alongside admitting her deepest fears: “I’m dying, and as I can’t change that, I am going to have as much fun as possible doing it!”

In another entry, she confessed: “I am getting more and more anxious as each day goes by. I don’t want to leave this world; I don’t want to leave my girls.”

The error left Tracy in excruciating pain and forced her to undergo a second major operation, later described by expert evidence as “entirely avoidable”.

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Her recovery was further blighted by hospital-acquired pneumonia, a nasogastric tube and further tests. She died from terminal rectal cancer 16 months later, on 18 July 2023 – her 67th birthday.

Her daughter, Jade Farrow, pursued a successful legal claim following her mum’s death. Recalling the horrific aftermath of the initial surgery, Jade told the Daily Mirror: “What upset me the most was how long she was left in pain before they identified what had happened.

“I had her calling me in tears because she was in so much pain, but I read her notes and they recorded her at pain level two. That just didn’t match what I was hearing from her.

“I’m not a medical professional, but the first time I spoke to her I knew something was very wrong. I still struggle to understand how a whole team of medical professionals didn’t.”

The case was recently settled for £10,000 after Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust admitted negligence over the operation, though it disputed that the error affected Tracy’s overall cancer prognosis.

For Jade, however, it’s never been about the money; it was about securing accountability for her caring, quick-witted mum, who kept her “wicked” sense of humour to the end.

Jade said: “She insisted on playing ‘Girl on Fire’ by Alicia Keys for her cremation. It was tasteless as hell and I think she did it to embarrass me, but she insisted on it.”

When December rolled around, knowing it would be her last Christmas, Tracy transformed her home into a grotto, “decorating the hell out of it and burying the Christmas tree in presents.”

Reading her mum’s diaries after death brought fresh waves of heartbreak, as Jade discovered her mum regretted choosing radiotherapy alone over a combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy regime.

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Following the pain she endured caused by the surgical error, an exhausted Tracy felt unable to cope with the added side effects of chemotherapy. By the time she sought to change her mind, she had already received her maximum lifetime dose of radiotherapy.

“I read the diary the same night she died, when I came home from the hospice,” Jade said. “It absolutely broke my heart that she regretted it. She had previously believed there was only a 5% chance with combined treatment. I only found out through the legal case that it was 60%.”

Jade says fighting the negligence claim took a heavy toll, describing the three years since her mum’s death as “an emotional power cut.”

She said: “It won’t ever get easier, but I’m slowly getting myself back. I wasn’t depressed, it was more like I was just absent. There was nothing going on. I was just roleplaying my life. “

“You [end up] thinking: ‘Okay, this is me now. My life is essentially over, because I’m dead inside.’”

But her mum’s entries gave her the emotional strength to carry on, said Jade: “Over and over again, she was writing about ‘My girls, I’m so proud of my girls’ and saying how much she would see us and how grateful she was.

“If the only thing she’s sad about is having left her girls, it just proves she wasn’t not self-pitying.”

One entry said: “I have all I want and need, I see my girls loads and I’m mostly happy and in a fantastic, upbeat mood. I think I will go smiling.”

Amina Ali, Partner and Head of Clinical Negligence at Veritas Solicitors, said: “By the time Tracy’s surgical error was identified, five days had passed and she needed another major operation which expert evidence found was entirely avoidable. For someone already facing treatment for terminal cancer, that was an enormous amount to go through.

“Tracy still had major decisions to make about her cancer treatment after leaving hospital. Jade has always believed that what her mum went through played a part in the choices she made afterwards. Although the Trust did not accept that, it was an important part of the case and something we felt needed to be properly investigated.

“The admission of negligence answered one part of the case, but Jade still wanted to understand why the error wasn’t identified for five days and what followed from it. A settlement brings the legal case to an end, but it shouldn’t mean those questions are forgotten.”

Since the case was settled, Jade feels like she can finally move on with her life. “I’ve spent three years unrecognisable to my friends and I think that’s because there wasn’t any closure”

A spokesperson for the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: “The legal claim in this case has been settled, and an admission of sub-standard care was made, and an apology provided, as part of the Trust’s response to the allegations.

“We recognise that on this occasion our care was not as expected, and we are very sorry for the distress that this caused Ms Cliff and her family.”

Football hooligans Mackenzie Graham and John Smith were caught on camera during the shameful scenes which erupted after Celtic’s Scottish Cup win in March.

Two Rangers thugs have been banned from every football stadium in the UK for their part in the shameful disorder which marred the Scottish Cup Old Firm clash at Ibrox.

Mackenzie Graham and John Smith were separately caught on camera during the chaotic scenes which erupted after Celtic knocked Rangers out of the competition on penalties in March.

Graham, 21, from Glasgow, was filmed jumping over a fence and leading a group of supporters onto the pitch, repeatedly encouraging others to join him.

He can seen in footage wearing all black and leading other Ultras on to the grass, while stewards chase them.

Smith, 19, from Peterhead, was captured throwing a bottle into the Celtic support before he was apprehended by police officers in the stands.

The disorder came as both sets of supporters stormed onto the pitch at the end of the quarter-final, with police, stewards and players assaulted and flares thrown.

Other fans, including children and disabled supporters, had to be ushered to safety during the violence as officers battled to regain control.

The scenes were later described in an independent review as involving a period of “life-threatening violence”, with concerns raised that somebody could have been killed.

Police Scotland has so far made more than 37 arrests in connection with the disorder under Operation Moonglint.

Both men admitted the charges against them previously at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Graham and Smith have now both been handed five-year Football Banning Orders, preventing them from entering any football ground in the UK or travelling to matches to support a team.

Graham was also given a two-year Community Payback Order along with an Electronic Monitoring Order, while Smith was sentenced to a 12-month Community Payback Order and a four-month Restriction of Liberty Order.

Fraser Gibson, Procurator Fiscal for Glasgow and Strathkelvin, said: “The behaviour of these two men contributed to mayhem at a major sporting event.

“It caused fear and distress amongst football fans and members of the public.

“Peaceful supporters, children and disabled people were caught up in the chaos and had to be shepherded to safety.

“Football-related crime is a blight on Scotland’s communities. It will not be tolerated.

“It should be understood that anyone who chooses to contribute to football-related disorder can expect to be held accountable by COPFS, Police Scotland and the courts.”

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IGA-BARRIÈRE, Congo (AP) — Dieudonne Dirole is based in eastern Congo, where he started working for The Associated Press this year as the region recorded an Ebola outbreak that is spreading at unprecedented speed with no sign of slowing. He made this photo while on assignment with colleagues reporting on mobile gold miners whose movements and remote locations complicate efforts to track and slow the virus.

Here’s what he had to say about this extraordinary photo.

Why this photo?

In this photo of the mine, I wanted to show the true scale of artisanal mining and the impressive number of people who depend on this activity. I didn’t just want to photograph an individual scene, but instead I wanted to give the viewer a broader view of what is really happening on the ground. The presence of child miners, women, and men in the mud, the polluted water used for washing, and the transformed hillside all demonstrate the human, economic, and environmental dimensions of mining.

How I made this photo

They absolutely refused to accept because they know they are exploiting children and women in the mine, even though it is prohibited by the law protecting children. Ultimately, he said he’s going to have one of his agents accompany us everywhere I want to film, but under his supervision.

Why this photo works

I think this photo is successful because it tells a story without needing a long explanation. At first glance, you immediately understand that it is an extremely active mining site; then your gaze discovers the different individual stories: the people who dig, those who transport, those who wash the ore, the women and men who work in the water and mud. And what makes this image powerful is the contrast between the very intense human activity in the foreground and the natural landscape in the background. The photo simultaneously shows the people, the work, and the impact of this activity on the environment.

—

For more extraordinary AP photography, click here.

The school saw a significant improvement in GCSE results compared with last year, something staff and pupils are extremely proud of.

Among those to secure exceptional results was Francis Cheung, who got a clean sweep of Grade 8s and Grade 9s.

Francis Cheung achieved a clean sweep of Grade 8s and Grade 9s. (Image: Tottington High School)

Meanwhile, Lucy Morris gained six Grade 9s, three Grade 8s and an L2 Distinction*.

Interim Tottington High Headteacher Louise Jaunbocus-Cooper said: “These results are a clear reflection of the progress our school is making and the positive impact of the hard work, commitment and high expectations shared across our whole school community.

“We are particularly proud of the substantial improvement in outcomes for our SEND and Pupil Premium students compared with last year.

“This is a significant achievement and one that reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring every student can succeed.

“We could not be prouder of all our students.

“Your hard work and commitment have truly paid off.

“We know you will go out into the world and make a difference!”

The new season of the English Premier League is almost ready to kick off, and with it another annual cycle of the national game. Each August brings hope and expectation for supporters with an opportunity to start anew. But, rather than excited anticipation, frustration, anger and anxiety are the overriding emotions of many fans currently.

This summer some of the English clubs with the richest history – including Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool – have caused controversy for revoking the season tickets and issuing lifetime bans to thousands of supporters.

Our latest research has examined how the increasing commercialism of English football, which has accelerated since the return to play following the COVID lockdowns, threatens the future existence of football stadiums as an inter-generational space.

Despite significant changes in the finances, infrastructure and scale of the national sport over the past four decades, English football stadiums remain a key focal point for fan communities and distinct spaces of connection and bonding between the generations.

The intergenerational nature of football fandom is largely taken for granted, despite the growing realisation of the importance such shared spaces for the transmission of cultural values across generations. These latest initiatives may exacerbate the risk to this communal experience by digitally excluding fans.

Crackdown on ticket touts

Ostensibly the action taken by the clubs is part of an anti-touting crackdown, as ever-rising demand has created a lucrative secondary market for touts to resell tickets at hugely inflated prices. Ticket touting – the act of buying tickets for live events and reselling them at highly-inflated prices – has been illegal in English football since the introduction of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. While frowned upon in other sports and entertainment sectors – such as live music – it is only criminalised in football.

A serious attempt by clubs to clampdown on such activity is long overdue. The advent of digital tickets has witnessed the rise of online touting on an industrial scale, with bots used to harvest hundreds of tickets to be resold to supporters across the globe. There are also signs that such actions are proving effective – it has been reported that the actions taken by Liverpool FC, in conjunction with Merseyside Police, have led to the seizure of £1.2 million in assets related to organised ticket touts.

However, there is also evidence that ordinary fans are being caught up in this crackdown. There has been outrage among Manchester United supporters, as thousands of season ticket accounts were restricted or threatened with closure after been flagged due to vague claims of “sustained activity”.

In many instances this appears to be caused by supporters helping friends or family members, less familiar with online ticketing systems, manage their accounts. Several fans have voiced their concerns about the blunt use of automated software and AI to identify their accounts and the lack of proper redress, highlighting the club’s disregard for its most loyal supporters.

Some fans are more conspiratorial. They view this as the latest attempt to exclude longstanding season ticket holders. As one Manchester United fan said: “I feel angry about it – they just want us gone”. Such a view is not without credence.

All three clubs have defended their actions and point to successes in combating the illegal re-selling of tickets. Manchester United admitted some mistakes and promised to refine its processes.

Price hikes

In the last couple of years there seems to have been a step-change in the approach of Premier League clubs to maximise revenue at the expense of maintaining a core group of local, inter-generational support. Whether through price increases or the reduction in concessions for young and older fans, clubs have already taken active steps to curtail the proportion of season ticket holders.

At the start of the 2024–25 season, amid a wider cost of living crisis, 19 out of the 20 Premier League clubs raised ticket prices. At some clubs, the increases jumped as high as 28% and included one reported case of a 111% price increase for a child’s season ticket. These price hikes represent an acceleration of a long-term trend, with the cost of tickets rocketing by 800% between 1990 and 2025.

There was a feeling that clubs were actively seeking to undermine the season ticket model through prohibitive pricing to free up seats for more lucrative overseas “tourist fans” more willing to pay higher prices and spend more money on merchandise. Fans across rival teams united in protest, calling on clubs to “Stop Exploiting Loyalty” and reverse ticketing policies that undermine long-standing community ties and make football less accessible to future generations.

In our research interviews, fan activists expressed general suspicion that clubs were colluding to adopt similar ticketing policies to minimise reputational damage. This suspicion was reinforced by the decision by some clubs to diminish the established concessionary prices for younger (such as under-18s and students) and senior (over-65) supporters.

Along with hyper-inflated ticket prices, these new measures may irrevocably alter the composition of the matchday crowd by pricing older and younger fans out.

The irony here is that these clubs seem to be motivated by the same rationale as the touts – displace the season ticket holders and maximise revenue by reselling to overseas fans.

In the wake of the most expensive World Cup ever held and Fifa President Gianni Infantino’s ill-fated plan to sell a 20% stake in the competition, a growing proportion of English football fans feel alienated and actively excluded by the increasing commercial interests in the game.

Voicing his opposition to Infantino’s World Cup sell-off, new Prime Minister Andy Burham (a lifelong Everton fan), said that: “Football does not belong to investors … Football belongs to the fans. It always has, and it always will”.

Football’s strength has always come from the commitment of generations of supporters who pass their club loyalties from parent to child. If rising prices and digital barriers continue to push local fans to the margins, the game risks losing the very communities, traditions and atmosphere that made it the world’s most popular sport.

Thames Water has said its hosepipe ban is likely to be enforced until the end of the year.

More than 27m people across England have now had hosepipe use restricted in their area, including Thames Water’s 10.1m customers after a ban was put in place last month.

After several heatwaves over a record-breaking summer and historic lows of rainfall, hosepipe restrictions in England’s capital and surrounding areas could last for several months, the water firm said.

Nevil Muncaster, strategic water resources director at Thames Water, told Times Radio: “I think realistically, it’s going to be towards the end of the year before that comes off.

“That’s something that we need to make sure we do just to protect the environment.”

Earlier this week, it urged customers to continue efforts to reduce water use as it revealed household demand has fallen by 3 per cent across London and more than 6 per cent across the Thames Valley and Home Counties since a hosepipe ban began on 23 July.

In an update on Tuesday, the utility said London reservoir storage was at 74 per cent, which is lower than what the firm would expect for this time of year but the Farmoor Reservoir in Oxfordshire is 92 per cent full.

It also said rainfall in the Thames catchment area during July was less than 1mm, which is just 2 per cent of the long-term average, while customers used around 100 million litres more water every day than normal, adding further pressure to rivers, reservoirs and the water network.

Mr Muncaster said that dry conditions were still expected, even though some rain is forecast to fall.

“The Environment Agency forecast is that it will be drier than normal for the next few months, but we’ll wait and see,” he added.

The beleaguered water firm, which is the country’s largest, is struggling under almost £20bn in debt, with cash running out to see the firm through beyond the end of this year and widespread concern about which direction is best for the future of the business.

Mr Muncaster told Times Radio that a new reservoir at Abingdon in Oxfordshire is unlikely to be ready until 2040.

He also defended the fact the company’s £250m Beckton desalination plant, which opened in 2010 to provide water during droughts, had been offline this summer.

He said: “It was something we planned. We had a very wet winter, so we took the opportunity to do that maintenance, expecting us to be able to work through the summer.”

Pocklington-based Jason and Belle Richardson, who created SealStop in 2024, will be pitching for investment for their pioneering SealStop, the ground-breaking automatic shut-off valve designed to eliminate water waste and save gardeners’ time.

Together, they say, they have found an innovative solution to an everyday problem.

SealStop, which is now sold across six countries across the world, has won 12 major awards during the past two years, including recognition for sustainability and innovation.

RECOMMENDED READING:

The episode will air on Thursday August 27 at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

During the episode, Jason and Belle will pitch to Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Touker Suleyman and Steven Bartlett, as well as footballing legend Gary Neville.

Belle Richardson said: “We are so thrilled to have been featured in this series. It’s such an honour and a privilege and we cannot wait for the episode to air. What started as one of those everyday frustrations on our smallholding has completely changed our lives.

Jason and Belle Richardson on Dragon’s Den (Image: Pic supplied)

“We never imagined it would lead us to building an award-winning business together and standing in front of the Dragons. We’re incredibly proud of how far we’ve come in such a short space of time, and we hope our journey inspires others to back their ideas and just give it a go.

“Our appearance on national television comes after an exceptional period of growth.

“Apart from the awards we have won, we have expanded into international markets; we are recognised as one of Yorkshire’s fastest-rising startups; we are proud to be standard bearers for British manufacturing; and our mission to help people waste less water through simple innovation is gaining real traction.”

Belle added: “Saving water has never been so important. It has been predicted that, by 2050, there will be a five billion litre water shortfall daily in the UK. Meanwhile the Government, realising this potential water crisis, has set a 20 per cent reduction target for household water use,” added Belle.

Tune in on August 27 to see how Jason and Belle fare and discover if they impress enough to gain investment.

For further information about SealStop, please visit www.Sealstop.co.uk

By GREG HEFFER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Published: 11:20 BST, 21 August 2026 | Updated: 12:30 BST, 21 August 2026