This village is also home to two pubs, as well as some scenic walks
A village situated in Cambridgeshire has all the hallmarks of a classic chocolate-box setting. Elton, approximately seven miles outside of Peterborough, is home to a collection of truly enchanting thatched cottages and Grade II listed buildings. The village’s postcard-worthy charm is matched by its stunning countryside setting, offering scenic views and ample opportunities to go on a bike ride, or a leisurely stroll.
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Komoot, where you can find walking routes, offers a 5.69-mile hike, called the Fotheringhay to Elton loop via the River Nene, where you can spot some spectacular views along the way. The loop starts and ends in the village of Fotheringhay, and takes in views of Warmington Mill, and Fotheringhay Castle standing tall above the River Nene, before continuing down Duck Street to reach one of Elton’s beautiful pubs, The Crown Inn.
Here, at The Crown Inn, walkers can enjoy award-winning food and a well-earned drink from their wide selection. This family-run, country inn also offers five-star accommodation with a bed and breakfast.
Their restaurant, which has a 4.3 rating out a possible five on Tripadvisor, serves homemade, traditional food and prides itself on using locally sourced ingredients to ensure the highest quality.
One happy diner captioned their review on Tripadvisor as “I’d love to go every week” and said: “We went for Sunday lunch. The roast dinner was excellent and the veg perfect! Not too al dente and the cauliflower cheese was epic.”
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Another reviewer wrote: “Fabulous delicious quality Sunday roast lunch generous portion size and all with great service. We will definitely be back.”
If that wasn’t temptation enough, the village also has another lovely countryside pub that you can visit called The Black Horse.
According to Komoot, the walk takes around two hours and 20 minutes and is considered a ‘moderate hike’. The site advises that good fitness is required and the route is made up of mostly accessible paths. The starting point is right next to the car park at The Falcon Inn in Fotheringhay, which is convenient if you are driving to the area. If you do not want to do the whole route, you may wish to complete a small section of it instead.
THIS is the terrifying moment a car slammed into a shop, killing three people, after a 92-year-old driver lost control of her vehicle.
Shocking dashcam footage shows the Toyota Prius hurtling across a junction at high speed before smashing into the 99 Ranch Market in Los Angeles.
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Dashcam footage shows the terrifying moment a car careened across a junction before smashing into a grocery storeCredit: ABCThe horrifying crash, in the Westwood area of LA, killed three and injured six moreCredit: ABCThe smashed up silver Prius could be seen in the aftermath of the deadly collisionCredit: ABC
The horror crash killed three people who were inside the bakery section of the shop at the time of collision, and injured six others.
A 42-year-old woman and two men, aged 30 and 55 were pronounced dead at the scene, the LA Fire Department reported.
Four other men were taken to hospital, two of whom were fighting for their lives in critical condition.
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The elderly driver had hit a cyclist and lost control of her car, continuing for a block before crashing into the store.
Both the cyclist and the driver refused to be taken to hospital, according to the fire department.
The LA Fire Department said the horror crash happened just after noon on Thursday in the city’s Westwood neighbourhood.
One of the dead has been identified as mom Deris Renoj, 42.
Authorities said two of the dead worked at the supermarket, but did not clarify if Deris was one of them.
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Deris Renoj, 43, was identified as one of the victims in the deadly Westwood crashCredit: Facebook/Deris GonzalezMom Deris was one of three people killed in the crashCredit: Facebook/Deris Gonzalez
A woman called Rosie, described another victim, who she identified as “Leo” as “like sunshine”.
While paying her respects at a growing memorial, she told CBS News: “He would always have a nice attitude every time you saw him.
“I never heard him say he’s having a bad day or he’s upset.
“He was like sunshine.
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“I still can’t believe he’s gone.”
The 92-year-old driver is cooperating with a police investigation, and cops don’t believe it was an “intentional collision”.
LA Mayor Karen Bass said a crisis-response team was headed to the scene after the crash.
She said in a statement: “My heart is with the victims, their families, and all who were impacted by the deadly crash.”
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LAPD detectives are looking into whether there was a mechanical issue with the car, as well as examining the driver’s medical and driving history.
People embrace at the scene of a horror crash at a 99 Ranch MarketCredit: APThe silver Toyota seen inside the supermarket after the crashCredit: ABCFirst responders work the scene of the fatal crash in LACredit: AP
York Ice Trail 2026 began this morning (February 7) and the streets are packed with residents and guests ticking off the 36 sculptures dotted around the city centre.
Bradleys the Jewellers in Low Petergate is always one of the most popular sculptures (Image: Kevin Glenton)
A familiar site across the city has been people enthusiastically ducking in and out of different corners of the city like Walmgate, Museum Gardens and Merchant Adventurers’ Hall ticking off sculptures with names such as The Wizard of Ouse!, Bettys Bern Bears and Mjölnir – The Bringer of Lightning.
Parliament Street has undergone a transformation with nearly a quarter of the sculptures calling it home, and an Ice Village has also been created there.
Parliament Street has been transformed into an “enchanted city” (Image: Kevin Glenton)
At 12pm today near Browns department store, expert sculptors from Icebox treated a packed audience to the 360-degree creation of a special ice castle from a huge block stood on a plinth.
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Further along Parliament Street and new for 2026, the experience went up a notch for those lucky enough to get tickets for ice carving masterclasses.
Greg Pittard, from specialists Icebox was expertly adjudicating after briefing the morning intake on safety and how to use the special chisel on the fresh block.
Greg Pittard and Pavla Lippman from Icebox (Image: Kevin Glenton)
He said: “The guys are carving polar bears, we’ve given them a cheat sheet and some tips on creativity to make their best version, and also how to avoid chopping its head off.
“It’s great for us to try something new at this year’s event – we spoke to the organisers and we’re glad it came to frution.”
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The Ice Masterclass is so popular with visitors its sold-out its allocation of tickets for the entire weekend.
The 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was remanded in custody following alleged incident in classroom.
A teenager accused of attacking a teacher with a kitchen knife has been remanded in custody. The 15-year-old appeared at Swansea Magistrates’ Court on Saturday charged with attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article on education premises.
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The court heard the school pupil, who cannot be named for legal reasons, allegedly attacked the female teacher while she was going through his work with him in a classroom shortly after 3pm on Thursday. The incident is alleged to have taken place at Milford Haven Comprehensive School in west Wales.
Magistrates heard the woman was left with injuries to her head, finger and back for which she received treatment in hospital. The boy’s family were in court to watch proceedings.
The teen spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth. He was remanded into youth detention over the weekend and will appear at Swansea Crown Court on February 9.
A teacher was approached at their home by right-wing activist Tommy Robinson after parents complained about them allegedly requesting to use the gender-neutral title Mx (Picture: Facebook)
The far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson followed home a teacher and filmed them after they had asked to be addressed using a gender neutral title ‘Mx’.
Anti-immigration activist Robinson released a 12 minute video outside a school in South Staffordshire before classes started.
He later travelled to the teacher’s home to challenge them directly. The teacher has not been identified.
In the video, Robinson said that he had employed a private investigator to monitor the teacher’s movements so he would know when they were leaving for work and could confront them.
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He alleged that pupils were being punished for misgendering the teacher and taken out of class to be schooled on the use of pronouns.
‘Mx’ – pronounced ‘mix’ – is a title rather than a set of pronouns and used instead of the gendered Ms or Ms for trans or non-binary people.
Tommy Robinson (Picture: Facebook)
The school has rejected these claims, stating that allegations that pupils were removed from classes are ‘wholly inaccurate’ and that the ‘scenarios described online do not reflect actual events at our school’.
Footage shows Robinson repeatedly questioning the teacher outside their home about whether it is ‘right’ for students to address them as Mx.
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The teacher consistently declined to engage, repeatedly responding ‘no comment’ and attempting to leave for work.
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Robinson continued to follow them along the road, filming throughout, until the teacher eventually returned to their house and closed the door.
In the aftermath of the video’s release, the local MP and former Conservative education secretary Gavin Williamson shared a letter on social media that he had sent to the school’s headteacher, in which he said he ‘express [his] concern’ over the situation.
Williamson repeated the claim that the school had ‘taken steps to remove children from educational classes in order to ‘teach pronouns’.
He said: ‘A vast number of constituents have been in touch to share their anger at this decision.
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‘Whilst I understand that it is important to be aware of sensitivities such as this, I strongly believe a school’s main priority should be academic rather than “diversity box ticking” exercises.’
Beneath his Facebook post sharing the letter, Williamson later published what was said to be a statement from the school’s headteacher that had been emailed to parents.
The statement said that following the publication of the video, the headteacher ‘would like to reassure you that we are working closely with the police and the relevant authorities to manage this situation and to ensure the privacy and safety of our staff and students’.
It continued: ‘Thank you for your overwhelmingly positive support to date. I kindly ask that you continue to support us by not viewing, sharing or commenting on these posts.
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‘I would also like to be clear that claims made in these posts about disciplinary measures for students are wholly inaccurate.
‘While we cannot comment on individual children or circumstances, we can assure you that any behaviour measures taken are always proportionate, appropriate and in line with our behaviour policy.
‘The scenarios described online do not reflect actual events at our school.
‘The school will continue to operate as normal. Should we receive any information that requires a change in our approach, we will of course notify you immediately.
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‘Our school is a community built on mutual respect. We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind, and we have established support in place for any member of our school community who has been affected.
‘If you or your children have been affected or require support, as always, our safeguarding team is here to help. Details of how to contact the team are on our school website.’
PinkNews has contacted Windsor Academy Trust, the organisation that oversees the school, to request comment.
One thing Bridgerton has unquestionably mastered is the depiction of sex. This season, women’s pleasure once again takes centre stage with several conversations about orgasms, or “pinnacles” and several references to past steamy scenes, including last season’s infamous carriage exchange.
Sex is everywhere. It spills out of every image, from every surface. The glistening chandeliers, colourful flower arrangements, lights and decoration all contribute to the horny mise-en-scene. The combination of framing, lighting, colour, performance and production design combine to create a sexy vibe.
Within such excess, small gestures take on a new erotic significance – a gentle kiss on the wrist, a touch of fingertips, a glance across the room. All of this contributes to a feminine model of desire that is multi-orgasmic, expanding pleasure across the screen rather than containing it to an individual sex scene. The fourth season of Bridgerton does not disappoint on this front.
This season’s central romance is inspired by the Cinderella trope, where class and social division are the main obstacles for the lovers. It raises a timely discussion of power, particularly pertinent to depictions of sex in a post #MeToo era.
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A Cinderella story
This season focuses on the second eldest son, Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), and is so far adapted quite closely from Julia Quinn’s third Bridgerton novel An Offer from a Gentleman. Benedict is a self-proclaimed “lover of pleasure, a free spirit, untrammelled by mere convention”.
Pursuing a career as an artist, Benedict has come to be known as a bohemian of sorts. His queerness and ventures into non-monogamy are outside understandings of permissible relationships within Regency society. And, although it’s time for this rake to settle down, Benedict stays true to his rebellious nature.
Meeting at a masked ball, Benedict instantly falls for a charming and mysterious woman in silver. But when the clock strikes 12, she flees without revealing her identity, leaving behind only a satin glove and the traces of a passionate kiss that leaves them both in a state of perpetual yearning. And so, the “prince’s” quest for his mysterious maiden begins.
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While Benedict is left love struck and confused, the mystery woman rushes home to assume her true identity as a maid. Despite the familiar setup, Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) is wonderfully defiant and outspoken, aligning with a more modern tradition of Cinderellas that reject the original character’s subservience and passivity.
A glimpse below stairs
For the first time Bridgerton shows us the well-oiled machine of the servants’ quarters to which Sophie belongs. This season attempts a social critique of the class structures that, until this point, has remained peripheral.
From baking and cleaning to arranging secret sexual rendezvous for their employers, servants are seen as crucial to the opulent world we have experienced so far. So crucial, in fact, that when one house poaches a handful of vital servants, they set off what gossipmonger Lady Whistledown calls “the maid wars”. These poaching leave the ton (fashionable high society of Regency-era England) aflutter, with some houses poaching in turn and others becoming more appreciative of their labour.
This upstairs-downstairs glimpse contextualises the obstacles that this season’s couple face and the power dynamics that are at play.
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When they meet again, unmasked, Benedict doesn’t recognise Sophie. Despite his loyalty to his mystery lady and the fact of Sophie being a maid, he falls in love anew – leaving him in a predicament.
“We must marry according to class, but we do not always love that way,” Benedict’s friend Will Mondrich tells him. Previously, his siblings Anthony and Eloise found themselves unsuccessful in their pursuit of relationships outside of their class. This is not a hopeful precedent for Benedict.
However, desire is hard to ignore and as their feelings grow hotter, the threat of scandal looms large. With the family reputation at stake and sisters still to wed, reality leaves him with no other option at the end of part one than to pop the critical question: “Will you be my mistress?”
The Bridgerton servants sharing a meal below stairs. Liam Daniels/Netflic
Mistresses were women who had arrangements with wealthy and upper-class men, offering their sexual and social services in exchange for financial benefits and comfort. Despite potential privileges, these women were excluded from polite society and could never hope to legitimise their relationship through marriage, leaving them at the mercy of their “protector”.
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A very indecent proposal indeed.
It also, sadly, brings things full circle. When Benedict re-meets Sophie, she is defending another maid from unwanted advances from their master. Her act of denial and defiance ends with both of their dismissals. Although Benedict saves her, securing her a job in his family home, and his advances are (somewhat) wanted, he ultimately puts her in a similar position.
The sexual encounter between the pair takes place on the staircase that separates the upstairs from downstairs, reminding us of the class conflict that is an obstacle to the longevity and legitimacy of their relationship.
Although Sophie is undeniably into Benedict, the wise housekeeper Mrs Crabtree warns Benedict that their difference in social station means that Sophie doesn’t really have the freedom to say no to him.
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Benedict does not heed this warning and pushes on with his proposal, despite Sophie’s explicit statements about not wanting to risk the best job she’s ever had. With this proposal, his class power means he has everything to gain, and Sophie everything to lose. At the end of part one, Sophie is back where she started: the desires of a rich man threatening her stable employment and safety.
Although we see her reject Benedict’s offer, with part two still to come, Sophie is faced with the harsh reality of the limited options available to a woman of her stature when it comes to love. The question remains as to how the show will resolve this tension, and whether Sophie’s identity as an illegitimate heiress may be the secret ingredient to this Cinderella’s happy ending.
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US skiing star Lindsey Vonn has clarified the severity of her knee injury ahead of the Winter Olympics in Italy
American Winter Olympics sensation Lindsey Vonn has hit back at a medical doctor’s assessment of her knee injury. Vonn was taken to hospital by air ambulance on January 30 after sustaining a ruptured ACL during a crash at a World Cup event in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, mere days before the Olympics begin in Italy.
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Undeterred by the setback, the skiing legend has remained resolute in her determination to compete this month, confirming earlier this week her intention to represent the United States at the Winter Olympics.
The 41-year-old ramped up her preparations for the games by participating in Friday’s practice session ahead of this weekend’s downhill competition.
Her participation in practice prompted Brian Sutterer, MD, an American sports medicine physician, to weigh in on Vonn’s injury.
“There’s a very important aspect of this that we do not know,” wrote Sutterer on X, formerly known as Twitter. “What was the state of her ACL before the crash last week?
“What she is doing now would not be nearly as surprising in an elite athlete whose knee was already functioning like the ACL was torn at baseline.
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“When you hear stories about ‘so-and-so played for years on a torn ACL’, that’s chronic, meaning the body has time to adapt and retrain muscles to support the knee.
“Also, someone who had a prior tear/surgery may not be as swollen and painful with a repeat injury.
“Bottom line, I don’t think this was a bread and butter, fresh ACL tear like everyone is thinking.”
In less than two hours, Vonn hit back at the claim, asserting that her ACL is ‘100% gone’.
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“Lol thanks doc. My ACL was fully functioning until last Friday,” Vonn wrote.
“Just because it seems impossible to you doesn’t mean it’s not possible. And yes, my ACL is 100% ruptured. Not 80% or 50%. It’s 100% gone.”
Sutterer then wrapped up the conversation by wishing Vonn well, while explaining why he questioned the severity of the skiing star’s injury.
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“Any prior ACL injuries in that knee? If so, the knee can absolutely learn to compensate in a very functional way,” Sutterer wrote.
“I’m not trying to minimise your accomplishment, it’s insanely impressive.
“As a sports medicine doctor who takes care of high level athletes and everyday folks, there is some nuance in how quickly people can function after an ACL tear and that’s what I’m curious about as we communicate stories like this to the public.
Swiss skiers had held all three podium positions before the Italians entered the start gate, with Franzoni and Paris knocking off Alexis Monney and then Odermatt with impressive performances in sunny Bormio.
Paris is seen as a king of this course, having won seven World Cup titles across both downhill and the Super-G, and he won a first Olympic medal at his fifth Games.
“Getting the first medal in front of the home crowd, that’s really special,” he said.
Franzoso suffered a head injury in a collision with a fence in La Parva, Chile, in September.
Last month, after winning World Cup gold at prestigious Kitzbuhel, Franzoni said he had raced with Franzoso “in his mind” after the two had shared a room at the course a year previously.
“To share the podium with Franjo, after [doing so at] the junior world championships [in 2022], he’s such a great guy,” said Franzoni.
“Also with Domi, I really wanted to share a podium with him. I don’t know if he’ll continue racing next year but this is the biggest stage to share.”
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As a junior, Franzoni used to race against Jannik Sinner, who was a standout skier before pursuing tennis.
In fact, Sinner, now a four-time Grand Slam champion, once beat Franzoni in 2009, something he was made aware of after the latter’s super-G victory in Wengen earlier this year.
Sinner followed Franzoni on social media and the pair have since struck up a friendship.
“Receiving a message from a champion like him gave me a lot of motivation,” said Franzoni after his Kitzbuhel win.
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“I thought, ‘If he wrote to me, it means I’m doing something right’. It’s been something really, really nice for me.”
— National Highways: North-West (@HighwaysNWEST) February 6, 2026
National Highways said: “Two lanes are closed on the M62 Eastbound between J11 Birchwood and J12 M60 due to flooding in the carriageway following heavy rain.
The children chosen will be invited to go and visit the trucks with their new name
A Cambridgeshire council is asking local school children to name their new food waste trucks. The Huntingdonshire District Council has invited schools across the district to take part in a Food Waste Collection Truck Naming Competition.
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With the introduction of the new weekly food waste collection service, starting from the week commencing March 30 2026, the council is seeking the help of local children to suggest names for the new food waste collection vehicles.
Pupils should write their chosen name in their best handwriting, and names may be imaginative or light-hearted. Winning entries will be reproduced as stickers for display on the collection vehicles.
Schools may submit up to one name per child. To enter, schools must submit an image or scanned copy of the final handwritten name(s) in addition to the names of the children and school who suggested each entry.
Where possible, submissions should be combined into a single entry per class or school for the council’s convenience. You can find out how to enter here.
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Huntingdon District Council shared: “Selected entries will become official names for Huntingdonshire District Council food waste collection vehicles. The children whose art is chosen will be invited to see the truck with their new name.
“All entries must be received by Friday February 27 2026.We look forward to receiving your entries, and thank you for supporting Huntingdonshire District Council’s efforts to promote sustainable waste management!”
A thorough assessment of the UK’s four main mobile networks has seen EE emerge as the clear winner
Henry Burrell and Georgia Burns Trainee Trends, Showbiz and Lifestyle Writer
13:35, 07 Feb 2026
In the UK, four main mobile networks compete to provide the best signal and service for calls and data. Even if you opt for a smaller, challenger brand, they typically lease network access from one of the big four – EE, O2, Three or Vodafone – so your options for quality coverage are ultimately limited.
The latest RootMetrics report, from the network analytics firm owned by connectivity giant Ookla, shows one UK mobile network won or tied in all eight categories of its nationwide test. The results are based on data collected over six months, from July to December 2025.
According to RootMetrics’ State of the Mobile Union Report, EE is the UK’s leading mobile network, winning in overall performance, reliability, responsiveness, speed, data, call and video categories, while sharing the top spot for texts with Three and O2.
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“EE remained the leader in 2H 2025, winning or sharing every UK-wide RootScore during testing,” said Luke Kehoe, analyst at Ookla.
“In fact, EE has won our UK Overall RootScore Award outright in every test period since 2H 2013, earning recognition as the UK’s best network for over 12 years and counting. EE also posted the fastest UK-wide aggregate median download speed at 114.1 Mbps, more than double the next-fastest result (Three’s 53.8 Mbps).”
Technically speaking, Ookla attributes EE’s dominance to “an aggressive focus on spectrum maximisation”. Spectrum refers to the frequencies mobile networks use to deliver cellular signals to phones and smartphones. EE is said to strike the best balance between capacity – how many devices can connect to a single mobile mast at once – and consistent performance.
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“Despite not holding the largest contiguous 5G spectrum blocks, EE achieves the highest median 5G download speed and overall reliability in the market,” Ookla said, highlighting the BT-owned network has leveraged its existing 4G infrastructure most effectively to deliver a strong 5G service.
RootMetrics reported during the six-month testing period, it conducted over 600,000 mobile connection tests across the UK, covering all four major networks.
The tests measured performance at peak and off-peak times, both while stationary and driving on motorways in areas of strong and weak coverage and across indoor and outdoor locations throughout Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Express reports.
While EE claimed the top spot, Three delivered a strong second place performance in all categories expect video. RootMetrics reported Three’s average UK-wide download speeds reached 53.8 Mbps, which was faster than both O2 and Vodafone, but still well below EE’s 114.1 Mbps.
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Meanwhile, the report noted O2 has boosted its speeds in major cities and improved its nationwide reliability, climbing to second place behind EE after finishing fourth and last in the first-half 2025 results.
Vodafone saw a drop in its total awards, but Ookla said the network “remains competitive in key regions”.
Even though EE leads this particular ranking of UK mobile networks, it may not be the right choice for everyone. If you’re considering switching providers, it is a good idea to use the online coverage checkers offered by each network to see how strong the signal is in your area.
It’s also worth shopping around for the best deal, including checking out mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) like Giffgaff or Tesco Mobile, which lease coverage from the big four. This can be a great option if you already own your phone, allowing you to get a monthly rolling contract at a much lower cost than signing up for a new phone contract.