The summer window continues to heat up as Arsenal take a huge step towards signing Bruno Guimaraes, while Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham also work to secure statement signings. The Gunners are said to have agreed a deal worth around £80million for the Newcastle captain, with a medical pencilled in for next week. There is also said to be an agreement with Vinicius Junior over personal terms, while Mikel Arteta is said to have identified a surprise defender signing.

For the first time in more than a century, a total solar eclipse is coming to mainland Spain with an even longer encore next summer.

Toss in a crescendoing meteor shower and a six-planet parade on the same day, and the heavens will be overflowing with awe.

Daytime darkness will descend Aug. 12 across the Iberian Peninsula close to sunset — plus slivers of Greenland and Iceland — as the sun, moon and Earth align perfectly in the sky.

Starting near the North Pole before tracking south, totality will last up to two minutes and 18 seconds, an appetizer for an even longer solar show next year — a 6 ½-minute extravaganza that will sweep from Spain to North Africa and the Middle East.

It will take 1 ½ hours for the umbra, or moon’s sun-blocking shadow, to race along the 5,130-mile (8,260-kilometer) course, most of it over an empty Atlantic. Maximum totality will occur off Iceland’s west coast. By the time it reaches a small patch of Portugal and then Spain with its massive crowds, totality will have dwindled to a minute or so. The spectacle will end in the Mediterranean.

Eclipse chasers gear up for the solar spectacle

Hundreds of millions more on the sidelines are in for a treat as well.

A partial eclipse will delight as far away as Alaska and Siberia, enveloping Canada, the northern U.S., and much of Europe and West Africa.

The closer to totality’s course, the more the sun will vanish behind the moon – 94% coverage in Dublin and 83% in Oslo, Norway. Montreal will see an 18% bite out of the sun, tapering to 9% in New York and 2% in Norfolk, Virginia.

Special eclipse glasses are crucial. even if a morsel of sun is showing.

Adding to the cosmic wonder, the day begins with six of our neighboring planets forming an arc in the sky before dawn and end with the Perseid meteor shower peaking after nightfall under the new moon. Streaking meteors could photobomb totality, with some of the brighter planets and stars visible in the background.

Eclipse mapmaker Michael Zeiler is chasing an even more elusive interloper: the northern lights.

For his 13th total solar eclipse, Zeiler will be on a cruise ship in a Greenland fjord, sailing as a guest lecturer. He’ll point a video camera toward the north to capture any aurora forming during totality. A massive outburst from the sun would be the icing on his eclipse cake.

“What gets me excited is viewing rare phenomena,” Zeiler said in an email.

He’s not the only one revved up.

See who’s hosting solar eclipse watch parties and science experiments

The European Space Agency will host a live webcast from Spain’s Astrophysical Observatory of Javalambre and a public celebration in Leon. NASA will provide its own coverage, as will the Italian-based Virtual Telescope Project and others.

“For me, it’s not just a scientific moment. It’s not just an incredible alignment of heavenly bodies. It’s also a very human moment,” said ESA’s director of science Carole Mundell. “It’s a real human connection between us with our feet planted on the Earth and the cosmos.”

Two of ESA’s space telescopes will observe the eclipsed sun and its corona, or outer atmosphere. Proba-3, the space agency’s artificial eclipse-making satellite duo, will be in the wrong part of its orbit during totality as seen from Earth, but will try to sneak in some before-and-after shots.

U.S. college research teams are also pitching in, launching more than 60 high-altitude balloons from Spain and Iceland to study Earth’s atmosphere and other changes during the eclipse when the temperature momentarily drops. They launched 10 times as many balloons during the 2024 total solar eclipse that captivated North America.

“A couple of minutes isn’t a lot of time, but it’s still plenty to affect the atmosphere and to make that cold, dark shadow of the moon on Earth,” said Montana State University’s Angela Des Jardins, who leads the NASA-funded balloon project.

Southwest Research Institute’s Amir Caspi also expects a scientific bonanza from his study aboard a NASA high-altitude plane. Four cameras will record the corona in nine wavelengths as the jet chases the eclipse at 460 mph (740 kph), extending totality to nearly three minutes in the air. Caspi anticipates thousands of images gathered from each camera during those precious 180 seconds.

“It’s true the eclipse is short, but it’s still incredibly valuable,” he said.

And there’s more to come

An exceptionally long total solar eclipse is in store for 2027, yielding nearly three times more observation time.

The southern tip of Spain will take center stage on Aug. 2, 2027, with up to six minutes and 23 seconds of totality extending into Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia.

Then on Jan. 26, 2028, a ring-of-fire eclipse will round out Spain’s celestial trifecta — “a lucky coincidence,” according to ESA’s Mundell.

It’s all the more extraordinary considering Spain’s last full solar eclipse — not counting the Canary Islands — occurred two days before the Titanic’s sinking in 1912. Because that rare hybrid eclipse toggled between a ring-of-fire and just a few seconds of totality for Spain, some consider 1905 for the country’s last pull-out-all-the-stops solar eclipse.

The Royal Observatory of Belgium’s Andrei Zhukov can’t get enough of them regardless of their length or origin. His Proba-3 science mission has created more than 60 simulated total solar eclipses over the past two years, with the longest lasting five hours and 38 minutes from two satellites flying in formation.

“We’re looking forward to more eclipses,” Zhukov said, “natural or artificial.”

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Open-air art event of the month: York River Art Market, Dame Judi Dench Walk, York, August 1 & 2, August 8 & 9 and August 15 & 16, 10am to 5.30pm

YORK River Art Market returns for its 11th year from today, bringing more than 30 artists from multiple disciplines each day to the Ouse riverside over three August weekends of free art and design market stalls.

The poster for York River Art Market 2026 at Dame Judi Dench Walk. Illustration: Elliot Harrison (@York360)

Described as York’s answer to the Left Bank in Paris, the event is now run by Caroline Turner, a professional potter and ceramics teacher at Clay Space York, in Walmgate, after founder and director Charlotte Dawson stepped down to focus on her teaching role as award leader for York College’s BA (Hons) 3D creative practice course.

Political drama of the week: Handbagged, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, until August 29

MOIRA Buffini’s 2014 Olivier Award-winning play imagines what happened behind closed palace doors when two of the 20th century’s most powerful women, Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, locked handbags. Meeting once a week for 11 years, one believed there was no such thing as society; the other committed her life to serving it.

Spanning 1979 to 1990, Handbaggedasks if The Queen and the Iron Lady ever found common ground or did their stiff upper lips reign supreme? Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder directs the SJT cast of Pandora Clifford, Liz Garland, Alexandra Mathie, Deven Modha, Simon Darwen and Meriel Scholfield (CORRECT). Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.

Coastal gigs of the week: Scarborough Open Air Theatre presents The Streets, A Grand Don’t Come For Free, today; Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Sunday, gates 6pm

Mike Skinner of The Streets: Performing A Grand Don’t Come For Free in full at Scarborough Open Air Theatre tonight

FOR the first time, The Streets’ Mike Skinner is performing his landmark 2004 album A Grand Don’t Come For Free in full on tour. One of the most influential British records of the 21st century, the multi-platinum-selling chart topper delivered era-defining singles Dry Your Eyes, Fit But You Know It and Blinded By The Lights while taking a cinematic journey through the love, loss, chaos, heartbreak, hope and raw emotion of everyday life with poetic wit and honesty.

Original Sex Pistols members Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock are joined by vocalist Frank Turner on Sunday to mark “50 years of chaos and celebration” since the punk iconoclasts’ brace of Summer 1976 gigs at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall. The Stranglers and The Undertones are special guests. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Candlelit concert of the week: Ignite Concerts presents The Music of ABBA, York Minster, tonight, 7.30pm

VOCALIST Maggie Wakeling, from Channel 4’s Your Song and last summer’s Greatest Shows at York Minster, unites with a band and The Ebor Quartet string ensemble to perform the Seventies and Eighties’ hits of ABBA.

Host Alistair Griffin will be inviting the audience to sing along to Dancing Queen, Waterloo, Mamma Mia, The Winner Takes It All et al at this concert by candlelight. Box office: 07966 959427 or https://igniteconcertsyork.com/events/the-music-of-abba-at-york-minster/.

York comedy gigs of the week: Hot Water Comedy Club presents Paul Smith, Happy, York Barbican, today and August 5, 7.30pm

PAUL Smith, resident MC and compere of Liverpool’s Hot Water Comedy Club, is heading to York for two nights in his biggest, boldest tour show, Happy: fearless stand-up at full throttle, brimful of observations, true stories and audience interaction. Pulling tales from real life, Smith finds joy in the chaos, laughter in the everyday and comedy in absolutely everything. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

New balls please: York Shakespeare Project presents 2026 Summer Sonnets: What The Deuce?, Holy Trinity Churchyard, Goodramgate, York, August 7 to 15, except August 11, 6pm & 7.30pm, plus 4.30pm Saturday shows

SUMMER at the Goodramgate Lawn Tennis Club finds four doubles teams competing for the chance to play in a Wimbledon amateur tournament, whereupon partnerships and rivalries lead to sabotage and break point. Who has the advantage? Who is at fault? Will the score be love?

Expect further tennis puns aplenty as Rosy Rowley directs Stuart Green’s script that asks a new collection of ten characters to play out this new sporting and unsporting situation where each finds a way to share a Shakespeare sonnet. Taking part will be James Robert Ball, Oscar Langford, Helen Clarke, Sarah McKeagney, Stuart Lindsay, Alexa Williams, Jamie McKeller, Alan Sharp, Christine Bramwell and Effie Warboys.

Mash-up of the week: The Crescent presents New York Brass Band & Hyde Family Jam, York Barbican, August 7, 8pm

TWO of York’s biggest, bounciest musical party troupes collide at York Barbican for a co-headline show with a difference. Promoter Joe Coates has decided the four-piece Hyde Family Jam will be on stage first, followed by an eight-piece line up of New York Brass Band, each playing a 40-minute set before rampant folk-rock meets New Orleans brass head on in a collaborative finale of these street urchins’ biggest hits. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Wonderful wedding dress exhibition of the week: St Helen’s Church, Sheriff Hutton, near York, August 8 and 9, 11am to 3pm

A wedding dress from the exhibition at St Helen’s Church, Sheriff Hutton

STEP back in time for a spectacular display of wedding dresses from every decade since the 1920s at St Helen’s Church. Stroll through a century of wedding style with elegant “going away” outfits, mother-of-the-bride ensembles and men’s morning suits, as well as shoes, hats, bouquets and treasured keepsakes.

“Last year’s exhibition was a tremendous success,” says Jill Donaldson Hodges. “Visitors were captivated by the changing styles, the intricate design and the delicate fabrics that have shaped wedding fashion for over a century. So why not come along and take a trip down memory lane, or get some ideas for an upcoming event?” Admission is free. The Bluebell Cafe will be open on both days, serving homemade cakes and refreshments.

Musical theatre celebration of the week: York Stage presents brings Raise Your Voice: MTI Broadway Junior Revue, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, August 7, 7.30pm, and August 8, 2pm and 4pm

THIS uplifting showcase by the next generation of performers features iconic songs from Broadway Junior favourites, showcased by a talented young York Stage cast ready to sing out and shine as they take centre stage with confidence, courage and nascent star quality. Cue big numbers, heartfelt moments and personality aplenty. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Serena Dolnics, 32, has been charged with murder after police found the body of her father Gregory, 69, covered in blood with his heart allegedly placed on his stomach

A woman found “covered in blood” has been accused of killing her dad and surgically removing his heart.

Serena Dolnics, 32, was found by police at a house in Valparaiso, around 50 miles from Chicago, by the body of her father and she has now been charged with murder.

Police rushed to the scene following a reported emergency call over concern for the wellbeing of 69-year-old Gregory Dolnics on Sunday evening – with a call handler told by family member that the daughter had been making “odd statements” when they asked to speak with him.

And while the relative was on the phone to 911, the police received text messages from Serena Dolnics’ boyfriend, who was at the home, saying “Serena was covered in blood” – and he believed she had stabbed her father and might kill herself, the affidavit reportedly said.

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Arriving at the property, police found the boyfriend locked outside and peering in through a mirror they could see dried blood and they were unable to contact Gregory Dolnics

Forcing entry, they found the body of Gregory, who had allegedly suffered slash wounds to the head, face, neck and hands, while his heart had been cut out from his body. “Laying on his stomach was what appeared to be his heart,” police wrote in the affidavit, reported by USA Today.

According to an autopsy, all of these injuries had been committed with knives, including incisions made to the ribs to allow the removal of the heart.

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Dolnics, who was found in a bedroom at the property with blood on her feet, was arrested and taken into custody after being treated at hospital due to injuries to her hands.

According to court documents, Dolnics claimed she suffered the cuts to her hands while gardening, although police maintain that these injuries were consistent with a knife slipping through.

She told detectives that she and her father “get along really well” despite having the occasional “small tiff” that they would quickly move past. She also insisted she had not seen Gregory injured.

Dolnics made an initial court appearance on Thursday (July 30), where she wore a blue suicide-prevention smock and reportedly spoke hesitantly via a video chat link.

She has reportedly pleaded not guilty, although she is not yet believed to have arranged an attorney, and when asked in court about this, she said: “I’ll figure it out.” A further hearing has been scheduled for August 11.

Drivers are facing long delays on the M6 southbound following a fire this morning.

Two lanes of traffic have been closed and firefighters are working to tackle a blaze between junctions 28 at Leyland and 27 at Standish.

An image from the scene shows a vehicle with a severely damaged front end following the fire.

Long queues of around 50 minutes have built up on the approach.

Updates will follow in this blog.

Ms Knox is set to share her story on stage.

Amanda Knox will be performing a stand-up comedy show at Edinburgh Fringe about her wrongful imprisonment for the murder of Meredith Kercher.

In 2007, British foreign exchange student Ms Kercher was killed in Perugia, Italy. Her American roommate Ms Knox and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were arrested and later convicted of murder and sexual assault in 2009. The couple maintained their innocence and, after years of legal battles, were acquitted of sexual assault and murder by Italy’s highest court in 2015.

Just over a decade on, Ms Knox is now set to share her story on stage. Now 39, she is married with two children and lives on Vashon-Maury Island in rural Washington.

Ms Knox said she initially planned to make a show about motherhood – but was told by comedian friends she had to “address the elephant in the room”. Her comedy show’s title Cartwheel references a story that once claimed she did cartwheels in the police station after her friend’s death.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Ms Knox said she did not believe there were any topics off bounds for comedy, but insisted she would not poke fun at Ms Kercher’s death.

“I don’t joke about Meredith’s death. I joke a lot about how I was vilified, but I don’t joke about her murder. That’s just a line for me. I set red lines for myself that other comedians don’t. I’ve had other comedians pitch me jokes that I just would not do,” she said.

Asked about whether her loved ones were concerned about backlash to the show, she referred to a gag she says on stage: “My friends and family are actually really nervous for me, despite my spotless record in the court of public opinion.” However, The Telegraph has reported that Ms Kercher’s relatives, according to their lawyer Francesco Maresca, have called the idea of the show “offensive and deplorable”.

Ms Knox said: “If they reached out to me and actually communicated with me for the first time ever, I would absolutely want to talk to them. Something that is an unresolved wound for me is the fact that I have never been able to talk to them. I assume they still assume that I’m guilty. I would very much want to establish that kind of communication, but I’m not going to have my life dictated by what they want for me.”

She added: “We share a grief, and we both knew a real person who died, and who primarily belongs to them, but I’m a person too. I have the life that I have lived, and I have the right to tell my own story, and Meredith is a big part of that story. And I think I honour her.”

Ms Knox said that she believed Ms Kercher would “appreciate the show because it grapples with what it means to be a young woman, and it is honest”, adding that she thought her late roommate would have found it “funny”. Ms Knox has previously shared her story in documentaries, an eight-part TV drama she produced with Monica Lewinsky, and books.

Rudy Hermann Guede was convicted of Ms Kercher’s murder in 2008. He was released from prison in 2021 after serving 13 years of a 16-year term.

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Country music star Cliona Hagan has shared the sad news that her father-in-law Dan Sheerin has passed away

Country music star Cliona Hagan has announced the death of Dan Sheerin, her father-in-law and patriarch of the renowned country group The Sheerin Family Band.

Cliona broke the news to her Instagram followers today, paying heartfelt tribute to the father of her husband Simon Sheerin.

Sharing touching photographs of Dan, she said: “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of Dan Sheerin.

“Dan Sheerin the Father of the Sheerin Family Band and husband of the late Mary Sheerin. “Dan was a truly wonderful man with one of the biggest hearts and my goodness what a singer he was!

He loved growing the most beautiful flowers, tending to his vegetables in his greenhouse, writing songs, playing the guitar, but most importantly he loved his family dearly, reports RSVP Live.

“Please say a prayer tonight for the Sheerin Family and of course for Gods newest angel, Dan Sheerin.”

Roseanna Ruane expressed her sympathies, commenting: “@clionahagan and family, I am so sorry for your great loss.”

Comedian Fred Cooke added: “Sorry for your loss guys! RIP.”, while another follower posted: “You’re all in my thoughts as always I’m so sorry to hear about Dan he was a gentleman xx.”

Describing themselves as The Royal Family of Country Music, The Sheerin Family Band issued their own statement following their father’s passing: “Last night we lost our wonderful dad. A true inspiration to us and to all who knew him.

“Himself and mam will be back singing duets tonight with their heavenly choir. Rest In Peace Dan Sheerin.”

Cliona and her husband Simon had planned to launch their gastropub in Westmeath next weekend, with the former recently telling The Sunday World: “I love music, always have and always will, but I never want to be pigeon-holed, and I love challenges, and I keep pushing myself. I’ve always had a passion for interior design as well, so working on the pub has been a labour of love.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Donald Trump has lashed out over the migrant “catastrophe” in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, while his White House administration have placed the blame on Madrid’s left-wing government.

The US president maintains a strained relationship with Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, who has been one of his most ardent critics among EU leaders.

“I saw Spain yesterday, and I watched the catastrophe that took place. It looks like an invasion of a country,” Trump said in a cabinet meeting on Friday.

“Hundreds of thousands of people. And that same thing’s going to happen to us if the Republicans don’t get elected, except worse, much bigger, much easier to get into.”

His comments come after an estimated 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the north African enclave, with at least 77 people killed.

In a later post on Truth Social, Trump shared a video of the chaotic crossing and wrote: “What’s happening with Spain, with tens of thousands of Illegal Immigrants invading it, happened in the United States during the Sleepy Joe Biden Administration, and it will happen again, only worse, if the Dumocrats ever again gain power.”

US vice president JD Vance was more explicit in placing blame on the Sánchez’s government, writing: “Thank God POTUS was elected and our country’s border no longer looks like this.

“These images out of Spain are an unfortunate reminder of the consequences of mass migration and the radical left-wing globalist policies that have enabled the Invasion of the West.”

Vance sparked outrage after launching a scalding attack on European democracies at the Munich Security Conference last year, when he said that mass immigration had been caused by “a series of conscious decisions” made by EU politicians.

Since being re-elected to office, Trump’s relationship with Spain has deteriorated over defence spending and the conflict with Iran.

In July at the Nato summit in Ankara, the president instructed his advisers to “cut off all trade with Spain, including visits”, before softening his stance.

The US department of state also waded into the crisis, with a post directly condemning Spain for the border breach in Ceuta.

“This unacceptable incident is the direct result of the Spanish Government’s deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe,” a spokesperson said.

“We are considering actions to defend Americans at home and abroad from this threat and stand ready to assist other European allies considering similar options. If Spain had their own President Trump, this wouldn’t be an issue.”

Other senior US officials have waded into the argument, including US house speaker Mike Johnson, who claimed that the “socialists are ruining Spain” and that the mass influx was “Marxism in practice”.

Tech billionaire and former Trump adviser Elon Musk shared a video from the 2013 zombie film ‘World War Z’ with the caption: “Wow, the situation in Spain looks crazy!”.

He later clarified he was “just kidding” and then shared footage from 2023 of Venezuelan migrants attempting to cross into the US, noting: “This is what America looked like under Biden.”

Ceuta, which shares a land border with Morocco, is separated from mainland Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar.

Though it is part of Spain, it has a carve-out from the usual requirements of the Schengen free travel area – meaning it is not possible for migrants in Ceuta to simply sail across the Strait and be allowed into mainland Europe as they will face additional border checks.

Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez described the inflow of people as “an attack on Spain’s territorial integrity” and promised to “use all the resources of the state to guarantee security and coexistence”.

Spain’s foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, added that “practically the entirety of those who entered Ceuta have already returned to Morocco”.

Jacobus ‘Co’ Verhoef, a Freeman of Haxby who was once one of the biggest horticulturalists in the region, died at his home on Moor Lane, Haxby, on July 4.

Affectionately known across York as Mr Haxby, his life will be celebrated by family and friends on Monday, August 17 at Haxby Memorial Hall.

Jacob Verhoef, pictured here as a younger man, has died, aged 97. (Image: Family photo)

Born on May 18, 1929, and raised in Aalsmeer, the Dutch flower capital of the world, Jacob – as his friends knew him – left school at 14 to work in a nursery while studying horticulture at evening college.

At 23, he gained his degree at Utrecht and successfully answered an advertisement to manage a nursery in England – despite not speaking English.

He came to York in 1952, arriving at Southlands in Haxby to manage the Hollandia Nurseries.

He previously told The Press that his English was limited to ‘sweetheart’ and ‘umbrella’, admitting that they weren’t the most helpful words to know.

Jacob Verhoef, photographed in Haxby in 2010. (Image: The Press)

However, he won over the team at Hollandia Nurseries with his horticultural brilliance, making the estate flourish along with its flower shops in Church Street, York, and on a site in Davygate later occupied by Bettys tearooms.

Jacob met his future wife Audrey at New Earswick Dance Hall on July 4, 1953. He and his bride launched Dutch Nurseries in 1957 and lived in a caravan on the site for four years.

They went on to buy four-and-a-half acres of wetland consisting of 28 allotments, and by 1970 more than half of the site was filled with glasshouses.

The couple also acquired a packing shed to handle the 10,000 carnations he cultivated each day, bound for wholesalers all over Yorkshire and the North East.

Audrey and Jacobus Verhoef, right, with their staff outside The Dutch Nurseries at Haxby in 2007. (Image: The Press)

During the Arab oil crisis in the early 1970s, Jacob diversified into a garden centre, later setting up what he called The Bargain Centre, selling second-hand garden tools and government surplus stock.

By 1985, the glasshouses were ageing, and he sold the land for building to Evans of Leeds, who in turn sold it on to Barratts Builders, which built retirement flats there.

Jacob Verhoef, selling his florist shop in Haxby back in 2010. (Image: The Press)

Within the complex, the couple had two shops built, and one of them became the Dutch Nurseries Flower Shop, which he later sold in 2010 as he was facing major surgery, aged 81.

“Selling it after 53 years means the end of an era, but all good things must come to an end,” he said at the time.

Jacob’s decades of public service and community spirit, including volunteering his time to tend to the all-year-round colourful floral display at the junction of Wigginton and Moor Lane, led to him being formally granted the honour of Freeman of Haxby in 2015.

A couple were in a bidding war over their dream home but were outbid by a property developer

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A couple embroiled in a bidding war for their dream property have revealed how they convinced the seller to accept their lower offer instead of one from a property developer – and all it took was a heartfelt letter through the door.

When it comes to the housing market, it is widely acknowledged that financial considerations typically prevail. With property prices stubbornly high and mortgage costs showing little sign of falling, buyers are having to find increasingly creative ways to get a foot on the ladder.

The Bank of England has kept interest rates at 4.5% and, while there has been some optimism that the market may be stabilising, many buyers are still finding themselves priced out or outbid.

Recent research by Zoopla also reveals that properties are taking longer to sell than normal, partly because of homeowners overpricing their homes and insufficient buyer interest.

However, it was not long ago that properties were being snapped up within hours of listing due to multiple bids exceeding the asking price – and it was during one such period that Adam and Stacey found themselves in exactly that situation.

The couple had noticed a house in their town come onto the market, coinciding with their realisation that they had outgrown their existing home.

After viewing the property twice, the couple became smitten with it, and even their children had begun imagining what life would be like living there. After submitting an offer on the property, Stacey and Adam were devastated to learn they had been outbid by a property developer.

Rather than increasing their bid or abandoning their dream altogether, the couple chose to pen a heartfelt letter to the owner and deliver it through their letterbox.

The letter said: “Dear Mr G, we are Adam and Stacey and we live nearby in the town with our two young children. We currently live in an older property which we have transformed and put our stamp on.

“It’s a home that we’re very proud of but we have outgrown it and are ready to move on. We have viewed your mother’s home twice now and have fallen in love with it.

“We detoured through the town just to drive by it again. Our children have also viewed it with us and particularly like the Jack and Jill bathroom between what would be their rooms and they love running around the garden.

“They’ve also requested chickens if we were successful and would name them Pasta and Cheese. I understand we have been outbid by a developer and while I understand that money talks, if you were ever to consider that your childhood home could go to a family who would love it and bring it joy forever then I hope maybe you would think of us.

“We’re really good at looking after older houses, I promise. Regardless your home is beautiful and we wish you the best of luck with the sale and thank you for your time.”

The homeowner chose to accept the couple’s offer following the letter, and the family have remained true to their word – right down to the chickens named Pasta and Cheese.

Stacey and Adam have set up an Instagram account, @end_of_the_row, which chronicles the renovation of their period property.