By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Updated: 10:47 BST, 2 July 2026

Pubs across England face losing thousands of pounds as councils refuse to issue ultra-late licences for football fans to watch the World Cup match on Sunday night.

The Three Lions’ last-16 game against Mexico will kick off at 1am Monday UK time, with the potential for a 4am finish if the game goes to extra time and penalties.

Pubs have already seen licensing laws relaxed by the Home Office for England’s knockout games so they can continue serving punters beyond usual hours.

The tweak means they can stay open until 1am for knockout matches with kick-offs between 5pm and 9pm – including last night’s game against the Democratic Republic of Congo, which began at 5pm – and until 2am for kick-offs between 9pm and 10pm.

But no provisions have been made for games starting at 1am – meaning individual pubs must apply to their local council for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) licence.

Officials have the power to block pubs from serving so late and can avert controversy in some areas where locals do not want the noise and hassle of an all-night party.

As the venues face a ‘Mexican standoff’ with councils, employers are bracing for a ‘mass sickie event’ on Monday morning as bleary-eyed workers sleep in.

In the past it has been common for schools and employers to allow England games in the latter stages of major tournaments to be shown when they clash with working hours, but Monday’s kick-off in the small hours poses a unique obstacle.

England fans celebrate a goal against Panama at Ultra Warehouse Derby on Saturday night

And England manager Thomas Tuchel wants families to put football before school, telling parents: ‘Write an excuse for school and let them watch football. Come on. There’s so much school to go to, but the World Cup is every four years.

‘Let them watch. There will be a big, big match on in four days and we need the support of everyone, and especially of the children.’

England fans wishing to attend the match at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, kicking off at 6pm local time, face a wallet-busting scramble for flights and tickets.

Those who bought early through the official release to the England supporters club paid $235 for a Category 3 seat, $605 for a Category 2 and $770 for a Category 1.

The official Fifa resale platform now has Category 1 tickets for up to $35,648.85, Category 2 for up to $11,845 and Category 3 from $4,082 and $19,453.40.

On the Seatpick resale platform, tickets are selling for between £2,378 and £97,164. 

The cheapest return flight from London Heathrow to Mexico City, leaving on Saturday and returning on Monday, is £3,041 with Aeromexico, according to Skyscanner.

Pub landlords are complaining that councils have refused a licence – including The Wharf Tavern in Solihull, which said other games had resulted in sales quadrupling.

Its operations manager Adam Cook said some other pubs in Solihull also had licences rejected, telling the BBC: ‘We count on these sales to help us for the rest of the year. Pubs are at the heart of the community, football is a community event, it is terrible.

On the Seatpick resale platform, tickets are selling for between £2,378 and £97,164 (above)

The cheapest return flight from Heathrow to Mexico City, from Saturday to Monday, is £3,041

‘We are fighting for every penny, with all the rising costs, we have all seen the headlines, it is hard but we are fighting back as much as we can’. 

But Solihull Council said the pub applied outside the working days condition required and the law left ‘absolutely no wriggle room’, meaning the application was refused.

Applications for TENs must be made to the council at least ten working days before the event, although late TENs are available for between five and nine days.

Jason Cleary, who runs The Hodcarrier in Leamington Spa, also said his application to stay open late was declined because he did not give five working days’ notice.

Mr Cleary told the BBC: ‘If we’re playing until 3 o’clock in the morning they need to allow us to show these games, allow us to have a drink and come together.’

Warwick District Council gave the same explanation as Solihull, saying it could not legally consider a TEN submitted outside the statutory notice period.

Home Office sources indicated to the Daily Mail that that they would be surprised if there was any national shift in the overall licensing hours permitted for the match.

Boxpark venues in Croydon, Wembley, Liverpool, Camden and Shoreditch are among hundreds of venues which have successfully got TENs allowing them to stay open.

England fans celebrate their second goal in the DR Congo game at Atlanta Stadium last night

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England fans sing at a screening of the match against Ghana at Boxpark Wembley on June 23

But some pubs may decide that a 1am kick-off is much less attractive financially if they need to pay staff to stay open all night, unless they expect a full house.

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: ‘We remain in close contact with Government about concerns raised by publicans who want to show the match but haven’t got Temporary Event Notices in place.

‘It would be a crying shame for fans and pubs if our locals weren’t able to host such an important match.’

There are no published figures for how many pubs have applied for a Ten, and some venues would have waited for the outcome of the match against DR Congo last night.

But this will be too late for many given the notice period required. Based on previous tournaments, about 3,000 of the UK’s 46,000 pubs are likely to ask to stay open late.

Paul Crossman, chair of the Campaign for Pubs, said: ‘A lot of pubs will be trying to gauge the demand as the tournament progresses, rather than making a blanket commitment in advance.’

England were facing one of their most humiliating World Cup exits having fallen behind in the seventh minute last night to a goal from Brian Cipenga, who plays in Spain’s second division.

But they were saved by a remarkable late double from Kane whose goals resulted in a 2-1 win which sets up a difficult meeting with the co-hosts.

Three men have been arrested over an altercation outside a bar just before a mother-of-one was shot dead.

Shanice Brookes, 30, was fatally shot near the One Four One bar on West Street in Sheffield, in the city centre, shortly before 2.45am on 25 May.

Detectives have said “she was simply an innocent bystander”.

Jemele Rhone, of Outram Road, Sheffield, is due to go on trial next year charged with murdering Ms Brookes.

South Yorkshire Police said on Thursday they had arrested two 21-year-old men and a 31-year-old man, all from Rotherham, on suspicion of affray. They have been bailed pending further inquiries.

The arrests followed an investigation into the events leading up to the fatal shooting, the force said.

Detective Inspector Matt Bolger said: “We are determined to provide answers for Shanice’s family and friends who have had their lives shattered by this heartbreaking and devastating incident.

“Words cannot do justice to describe the unimaginable loss Shanice’s loved ones have experienced and we remain committed to securing justice for them.

“These arrests relate to an altercation that took place shortly before a firearm was discharged and Shanice was sadly fatally shot.

“We continue to explore every line of inquiry and will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to get justice for Shanice.

“Since our investigation launched, two people have been charged in connection with the shooting and we are continuing to appeal to anyone that saw what happened and hasn’t come forward already to do so.

“I am also urging anyone with information on the weapon used to kill Shanice to contact us.”

Rhone is charged with murder, possession of a handgun and possession of criminal property, namely £10,000.

His co-accused, Deiryen Dyce, 32, of Ellesmere Road North, Sheffield, is charged with assisting an offender, possession of ammunition, possession of heroin, cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply, and possession of criminal property, namely £2,000.

Officers have released an image of a man they wish to speak to in connection with their investigation

Police are investigating a sexual assault at Carmarthen railway station. British Transport Police have released CCTV images of a man they wish to speak to in connection with their investigation.

They said the incident saw a man approach a woman and make sexualised comments to her before then sexually assaulting her. Always keep on top of the latest Welsh news with our newsletter

A statement from British Transport Police read: “At around 8.30pm on Friday, May 15, a man approached a woman at the station and directed a series of sexualised comments to her.

“He then sexually assaulted her before she left the station.

“Detectives would like to speak to the man pictured, as they believed he may have information that could help their investigation.

“Anyone who recognises him is asked to contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 703 of May 15.

“Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

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Victims of historical forced adoption will receive a formal apology from the prime minister on Thursday after years of campaigning.

Sir Keir Starmer will apologise on behalf of the British state for its role in the practice, which saw thousands of women pressured into putting their children up for adoption because they were unmarried.

“We all need this apology because we have always been accused of giving up our babies and we didn’t give them up,” said campaigner and Labour MP Ann Keen, who did not have a say over the adoption of her son in 1966.

An estimated 185,000 babies were taken from their mothers between 1949 and 1976. Campaigners are meeting the prime minister in Downing Street ahead of his statement in Parliament.

The apology comes after years of campaigning from mothers, adoptees, and their wider families.

In March, a parliamentary inquiry recommended the government urgently apologise for the state’s role in the practice.

The inquiry report, from the Education Committee, found that government decisions had “shaped the environment in which unmarried mothers were often shamed and coerced into having their children put up for adoption”.

It called for improved access to adoption records, as well as more support for people seeking to contact or reunite with their families.

It stopped short of recommending financial redress to victims, but called on the government to “rigorously assess” how other countries had responded to historical forced adoption, including Australia, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

A previous report from the Joint Committee on Human Rights report called for a state apology in 2022. The then-Conservative government said it was “sorry on behalf of society” in 2023, but said it did not think a formal apology was appropriate “since the state did not actively support these practices”.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson confirmed two weeks ago that a formal apology was on the way from the UK government.

“The prime minister will have more to say on this shameful period in our history, reflecting the gravity of what has happened,” she said at the time.

The apology will come three years after the devolved governments in Cardiff and Holyrood said sorry to victims of forced adoption in Wales and Scotland.

An apology is also expected in Northern Ireland, but not until after the completion of a public inquiry, following a 2021 report on mother and baby institutions, Magdalene laundries and workhouses.

Previous BBC reporting into forced adoption led to the parliamentary inquiry.

Gaynor Weatherly, whose mother was 16 when she was born in 1963, told the BBC in 2021 that while she had found happiness through her own marriage and children, she felt “cheated out of a different life”.

Diana Defries, who was 16 when she became pregnant, had her baby taken from her moments after she gave birth.

Also speaking to the BBC in 2021, she said: “I yelled to bring her back, but the nurse then just walked past me and put my daughter on a table out of my reach.”

Thirty students from Newcastle College secured roles through the Ambassador Programme, a partnership initiative between the airport and the college’s Aviation Academy.

Erin Hope Thirlaway, 18, who has joined the airport’s security team, said: “The Ambassador Programme was fantastic.

“Getting to work with the different teams and see first-hand what it’s like to work at the Airport really helped me develop my skills and stand out when it came to applying for the job.”

The scheme offers students practical experience in airport operations while they study, with placements across departments such as security and passenger services.

This year, more than 40 per cent of participants secured employment at Newcastle Airport or with business partners such as Swissport and Jet2.

Aidan Calder, 17, now working in passenger services, also praised the scheme.

He said: “The programme was brilliant for developing my skills, especially in customer service.

“I love talking to passengers and meeting new people and I’m really enjoying working in the team.”

The success of the programme has been described as a strong example of collaboration between education and industry.

Alice Andreasen, chief corporate affairs officer at Newcastle Airport and a member of the Newcastle College Skills Board, said: “We’re proud of our long-standing partnership with Newcastle College and are delighted to welcome so many students into our teams.

“The Ambassador Programme is a fantastic example of how education institutions and major employers can work together to create real opportunities for young people.

“It’s inspiring to see the students grow in confidence and develop their skills while working alongside our teams.

“The programme creates a clear pathway into the industry and we look forward to supporting them as they progress in their careers.”

Karen Trenerry, assistant head of curriculum for aviation at Newcastle College, said the scheme is making a real difference for students and the sector.

She said: “We are incredibly proud of the continued success of our Ambassador Programme this year.

“With over 40 per cent of our current cohort progressing straight into employment with Newcastle Airport and key stakeholders such as Swissport and Jet2, the impact speaks for itself.

“This unique initiative, developed here at Newcastle College, is actively helping to close the aviation skills gap across the North East.

“It’s a programme that not only supports our students into meaningful careers but also strengthens the future of the region’s aviation industry – and that is something we are truly proud of.”

By ELEANOR MANN

Published: 21:41 BST, 1 July 2026 | Updated: 09:49 BST, 2 July 2026

At least four people have died after massive World Cup celebrations held in Mexico City on Wednesday descended into chaos. 

Over a million people gathered in crowds to celebrate the country’s national team advancing to the next round at the World Cup after their victory against Ecuador on Tuesday in the city’s Azteca Stadium – sending them through to play against England on Sunday, in the same stadium. 

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Three people suffocated to death at the heart of the huge crowds, including a 19-year-old woman, a 44-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman, city health authorities said. 

A 30-year-old man also died in an epileptic crisis, officials said. 

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed ‘our solidarity and support’ for the victims’ families. 

The celebrations came after Mexico beat Ecuador to record their first World Cup knockout win since 1986, sending the co-hosts into the round of 16.

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Crowds gathered in the streets of Mexico City, mainly around the Angel of Independence monument, according to estimates by the city government.

After the final whistle, celebrations erupted alongside the city’s Reforma avenue, where thousands of Mexicans gathered for the festivities.

At least four people died on Wednesday during massive celebrations in Mexico City

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Mexican football fans react during the Round of 32 match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City

The health ministry said three people suffocated to death at the heart of massive crowds and a 30-year-old man also died in an epileptic crisis

An aerial view of Mexican fans gathered along Reforma Avenue to watch the round of 32 match between Mexico and Ecuador on large screens, in Mexico City, Mexico on June 30, 2026

Families and groups of friends erupted in cheers, while some fans tossed others into the air amidst the roar of the crowd. 

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The scene played out across dozens of neighbourhoods, bars, and parking lots transformed into fan zones to honour an undefeated national team. 

Footage showed thousands of people gathering in the streets of Mexico’s capital, cheering, jumping and waving their country’s flag as fireworks illuminated the sky. 

Tuesday’s victory comes as a massive win for Mexico, which has lost seven consecutive times at the same stage from 1994 to 2018 and didn’t advance past the group stage in 2022.

Mexico will play another home match on Sunday against the winner of Wednesday’s match between England and Congo.

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Playing at the iconic Azteca Stadium, the Mexican squad boasts an undefeated record across 10 World Cup matches. Mexico has just two official losses at the venue – the last being a World Cup qualifying defeat to Honduras on September 6, 2013.

With the win, Mexico extended its unbeaten run to 12 games, dating back to a friendly loss against Paraguay in November.

Mexico also became the first CONCACAF side to eliminate a team from CONMEBOL in a World Cup knockout match. Teams from South America won the previous five meetings.

A sprawling traveller site built on protected green belt in a lightning-fast weekend ‘land grab’ must be demolished – with families handed four months to leave.

The fields near Romford, Essex, had been untouched until council officials prepared to clock off on Friday, November 28 last year.

Barely two-and-a-half hours later, the once peaceful grassland in Noak Hill had been transformed into a vast construction site.

Eight diggers were tearing across the pasture beneath blazing floodlights as teams of workers carried out a huge earth-moving operation.

By Saturday morning, convoys of eight-wheel lorries were blocking surrounding roads as they queued to deliver huge quantities of hardcore and other building materials.

Within hours, the countryside was being carved into residential plots and smothered with hardstanding.

Fences and concrete posts were erected, electricity and lighting installed and connections prepared for gas, drainage and water.

The entire operation was intended to have the caravan site ready for occupation before Havering Council could secure stop notices or court injunctions.

Planning inspector Grahame Kean described the extraordinary project as a ‘disciplined rapid unauthorised development’

Full details of the ‘carefully planned operation’ were laid bare this month in an appeal against enforcement action ordering traveller families to leave the land.

Planning inspector Grahame Kean described the extraordinary project as a ‘disciplined rapid unauthorised development’ intended to confront council staff with effectively a ‘done deal’ when they returned to work on the Monday.

He said: ‘The development was clearly intended to be ready for occupation by the end of the weekend in question and presented a fait accompli for the council.’

The tactic of building at speed after council offices have closed and then seeking permission retrospectively has become increasingly familiar to planning enforcement teams – and highlighted a number of times by the Daily Mail.

Over the Easter weekend, diggers and caravans moved on to green belt land near Flamstead, Hertfordshire, while other unauthorised sites prompted legal action in Surrey and Kent.

During the May bank holiday, workers descended on countryside in Essex and Kent after local authority offices closed for the long weekend.

At Willows Green, near Felsted, Essex, work began within hours of Uttlesford District Council closing.

Although the circumstances differ between sites, the planning tactic is broadly the same: build quickly, move caravans on and then seek retrospective permission after the landscape has already been altered.

At Noak Hill, the inspector found that the development had been ‘long in the planning’ and that retrospective planning applications to lawfully use the land were submitted ‘almost as an afterthought’.

The land was bought by a company called High Top Roofs and Gutters Limited in May 2025 and then later subdivided among several Irish Traveller families.

Frank Mongan, whose family roots are from Galway, acquired one parcel of 14 pitches. Thomas Mongan took another plot of land, while the third parcel was sold to James and Joseph McDonagh.

The site is situated just outside London’s urban sprawl (pictured in a drone photo) 

A large queue of trucks arriving at the site on November 28 last year

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Four days after the weekend operation began, Havering Council issued enforcement and stop notices to halt work. 

Ray Morgon, the leader of Havering Council, said at the time that the authority was ‘disappointed and shocked’ that work had begun without planning permission, particularly because the field was protected green belt.

He said on December 2 last year: ‘The council has a court injunction for unlawful encampments on Havering land, but this does not apply to this site. We will look at cleaning up any mess on our roads.

‘The council’s planning enforcement team is currently carrying out an investigation and once we’ve looked into the matter we can then decide how best to respond.

‘It is very likely that a planning enforcement notice and stop notice will be served.’

But the orders, which were served in the presence of Metropolitan Police officers, failed to halt the development.

When the Planning Inspectorate visited the former paddock in May, he found that it had been ‘unlawfully and deliberately’ transformed beyond recognition.

Traveller families had constructed 29 separate pitches containing static vans and tourers, including several with ‘large metal decorative entrance gates’, and surrounded ‘comprehensively by hardstanding throughout the developed area of the site’.

Mr Kean added: ‘Although it seems that some people have taken up residence, the site is very much a development that is still in progress.

‘There are significant hazards on site, common access areas included large mounds of earth waiting to be removed or redistributed, uneven surfaces, general rubble and detritus in several areas, pooling of water in sunken areas of hardstanding, and pipework and loose cables sticking out of the ground.’

Havering Council later rejected two applications seeking permission to retain the land as a traveller site.

The Planning Inspectorate has now dismissed appeals against the council’s enforcement notices and ordered the compound to be removed.

A plan of the unauthorised site in a council planning document 

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Those responsible have been given four months to dismantle the development and restore the green belt.

Mr Kean concluded: ‘The scale of the unauthorised development is considerable and in stark contrast to the pre-existing condition of the site.

‘The development causes substantial harm to the openness of the green belt.’

The inspector said the field had previously been open countryside used for grazing, with public footpaths running through and around the area.

The site was initially bought by a man called Jack Thursting through a company that he controls, High Top Roofs and Gutters Limited, on May 2, 2025. 

Although it lies close to Harold Hill and the edge of London’s urban sprawl, it forms part of the green belt separating the capital from built-up areas in Essex.

Council officials also warned that the land could have provided habitat for protected species, including great crested newts.

Because the field was excavated and covered at such speed, no full ecological survey could be carried out before the damage was done.

‘The evidence before me suggests that it is possible that the unauthorised development could have had a significant impact on protected species or their supporting habitat,’ Mr Kean said.

The removal of grassland and installation of hardstanding had also damaged the landscape, including trees and hedgerows.

Government policy requires planning inspectors to treat intentional unauthorised development as an important consideration.

The measure was introduced to discourage developers from building first and applying for permission afterwards.

Mr Kean said the Noak Hill case illustrated ‘precisely’ the conduct the policy was intended to address.

‘The appellants only sought to obtain planning permission at the last moment after most of the planning and implementation of the works had been carried out.

‘The works were committed in a co-ordinated way and flagrantly, timed over a weekend, and continued despite refusal of the applications and service of a stop notice.’

The Lido was closed on Wednesday for ‘essential maintenance’

A Cambridgeshire Lido will remain closed for a second day due to an “issue”. The Peterborough Lido was closed on Wednesday (July 1) so staff could carry out “essential maintenance”.

However, the pool will remain closed today (Thursday, July 2). In a social media post, a Vivacity spokesperson said: “Unfortunately we will not be reopening this morning and have turned off bookings for the rest of today while we continue to try to rectify the issue with the pool.

“As soon as we have an update, we will post again. Thank you for your patience.”

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