The local authority has internally submitted a planning application which describes eight houses and 46 flats which would be built near Dunbeth Family Centre.

North Lanarkshire Council has published details of its plans for a significant housing development in Coatbridge.

The local authority has internally submitted a planning application which describes eight houses and 46 flats which would be built near Dunbeth Family Centre, on a site which was formerly the location of Jackson Court tower block which was recently demolished.

In addition to the new housing, parking at the site would be increased to 44 spaces.

Prior to seeking planning permission for the development, the council held a public consultation exercise which included two public sessions.

These were not well attended, with just five people attending each session, which the council attributes to a relatively low number of people and properties in the vicinity and a general acceptance that replacing the tower block will improve the area.

However, the feedback which has been received in person or online has largely been positive.

Some concerns were raised about the availability of space for children to play in at the site, but the proposed development includes areas designated for informal free play.

In response to concerns over traffic at the junction of Hillcrest Avenue and Main Street, the council has indicated that this development represents a reduction in the total number of homes compared to the old tower block, while no access to it from Main Street is planned.

For more information, or to comment on the proposals, visit the council’s website and search for planning reference 26/00849/FUL.

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Mia, 13, was last seen last night (July 27) in Glenbrook Gardens, Bolton, at around 8:20pm.

She is described as four feet tall with straight, shoulder-length brown hair.

She was last seen wearing grey leggings, a black jacket, and black socks with beige crocs.

Greater Manchester Police put out the following statement: “Mia is around four feet tall with straight, shoulder-length brown hair and was last seen wearing grey leggings, black jeans, and black socks in beige crocs.

“Police in Bolton are becoming increasingly concerned about Mia, 13, who was last seen last night.

“Anyone with information about Mia’s whereabouts should contact police on 101 – or 999 in an emergency – and quote log 3508-27/07/26

For years, former detective Mike Barley hoped to say one of two things to the parents of Suzy Lamplugh.

“Those two lines were ‘one we found her’, or two, ‘we’ve got it’,” he said.

“We used to sit with Paul and Diana and not be able to deliver those two lines. I watched them age over the years, constantly saying to them, ‘I’m sorry, there’s nothing new’.”

It is forty years on Tuesday since Suzy, a 25-year-old estate agent, left her Fulham office to meet a client under the name “Mr Kipper” and never returned. She was legally declared dead in 1993.

Her parents died without the answers to one of Britain’s most notorious missing person cases, which is set to be mothballed in 12 months.

Suzy’s disappearance inspired her family friends Mary Asprey and Janet Newman to launch the charity Missing People, which Mr Barley describes as one of the few positives that came out of the case.

The Independent joined forces with the charity in November to spread awareness of children who have gone missing and help launch SafeCall – a free and confidential support service designed to keep young people safe.

Thanks to the support of our readers and the backing of former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, former footballer Sir David Beckham, mother of missing Madeleine, Kate McCann, and many others, the helpline was launched in January after an incredible £165,000 was raised.

Mr Barley, who spent 12 years working on the Lamplugh investigation as a Met Police detective chief inspector, has recently published the book Suzy Lamplugh: The Inside Story of Britain’s Most Notorious Missing Person Investigation.

He has told The Independent of how he always lived in hope of getting answers for Suzy’s family, and says no case in his 25-year career has stayed with him more than hers.

At around 10.30pm on 28 July 1986, he was heading to bed when another detective rang his landline.

“‘Mike, we’ve got a missing person here, it doesn’t feel right. You’d better come in, meet me at Stevenage Road’,” Mr Barley was told.

He arrived to find Suzy’s white Ford Fiesta abandoned, with the driver’s door open, the handbrake off, her purse still inside the door pocket, and the keys missing.

That day, she was supposed to be meeting the mysterious client at a nearby property in Shorrolds Road.

“At the end of that first day, we knew that Suzy had left her office at around 12.40pm, we knew that her car had been found at 10.01pm, and we knew that she hadn’t been seen since,” he said.

“Really, strictly speaking, 40 years on, we still only know those same three things.”

John Cannan remains the prime suspect in the case, but died in prison in 2024 and was never charged.

In October of 1987, he was arrested for the murder of Bristol newlywed Shirley Banks, whose Mini was found in his garage, repainted and fitted with a false number plate SLP386S.

“The inference was that the letters SLP stood for Suzy Lamplugh,” Mr Barley said.

In what he describes as his most unforgettable moment in the investigation, he went to interview Cannan in prison in 1990 after he was jailed for Banks’ murder the previous year.

“I said, ‘So why did you choose those [numberplate] letters in that particular order, John?’ And he said, ‘Let me tell you something about that car, that car belongs to a Bristol businessman, and he’s the man who killed Suzy Lamplugh, Shirley Banks, and another girl’.

“I said, ‘Was that man you, John?’ And he said, ‘Yes’, and then he went, ‘No, no, no, I’ve met him. I don’t know who he is. I’ve met him’.

“For that briefest moment in time, I firmly believe John Cannan was telling the truth.”

Mr Barley tried to recover that moment, but it was gone forever. He believes that Cannan is responsible for the abduction and murder of Suzy, but says his “belief isn’t proof, and there’s a huge gap between suspicion and proof.”

One of Cannan’s girlfriends, Gilly Paige, then claimed that he had driven her to Norton Barracks, Worcestershire, and told her Suzy was buried there. She later denied that he ever confessed to her murder.

Mr Barley urged his force to search the area at the time, but it did not go ahead.

Following further information and a review of the case, police launched a search of the site in 2000, but found no evidence.

But Mr Barley said the force had searched the wrong area, and the correct site had already been developed into a housing estate.

“Suzy was never born to be a case to be investigated,” he said. “She should be 65, probably with a family, maybe with grandchildren. She’s missed out on all that. Her family is still suffering, grieving.”

He said Missing People was a charity that was “very much needed”, and is “one of the really good things that has come out of this particular tragic event.”

Interim chief executive Ross Miller said: “Suzy’s disappearance became the catalyst for something that continues to make a difference today. When Suzy disappeared, there was no support for families with a missing loved one, and no way for a missing person to reach out for help in confidence.

“Inspired by the search for Suzy, sisters Mary Asprey and Janet Newman and a team of volunteers founded what would become Missing People, creating a lifeline for people facing the unimaginable. Today, Missing People continues that same mission.”

Suzy’s parents set up The Suzy Lamplugh Trust in the wake of her disappearance to champion women’s safety.

On Tuesday, it launched a campaign calling for urgent action to ensure victims of stalking, harassment and abuse receive appropriate protection and access to justice.

In a statement issued through the charity, her family said: “She was, as she is always portrayed, a truly beautiful person inside and out.

“Within months of her disappearance, our parents founded the Suzy Lamplugh Trust with a vision to help create a world where everyone can live free from violence, aggression and fear.”

Met Police detective chief inspector Teresa Foster said: “The investigation into the disappearance and murder of Suzy Lamplugh remains open, and is one of the oldest cases in the Met.

“They have shown remarkable strength despite everything they have endured and we will never give up hope that we can find the answers they deserve.”

Please donate now to The Independent and Missing People’s SafeCall campaign, which has raised £165,000 to create a free, nationwide service helping vulnerable children find safety and support.

For advice, support and options if you or a child you love goes missing, contact safecall.org.uk

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust is inviting people to join and donate to its #40YearsShouldHaveBeenEnough campaign.

Draper remains hopeful of playing in Montreal and Cincinnati before the US Open – where he reached the semi-finals in 2024 – starts on 30 August.

However, there is no doubt this is another concerning development – and a worrying pattern with an injury which Draper describes as “complicated”.

The former world number four has only played 14 matches in the past 12 months, largely because of the bruised humerus which he has tried to overcome by resting for long periods.

“It’s hard to tell when you can push [and] when not to push,” Draper said at Wimbledon.

“At the end of the day I’m playing a very aggressive sport, that you need to play through some stuff. Sometimes it’s too much. Sometimes it’s not.

“I wouldn’t be competing anywhere if there was a chance that I’m going to get a lot worse, for instance.”

Draper’s initial comeback earlier this season was derailed by tendinitis in his knee and the three-time ATP Tour winner had not played for more than two months before his return at Eastbourne in June.

Reaching the semi-finals came at a price, though, with his arm injury flaring up again at Wimbledon and leaving Draper “devastated” at having to pull out of his home Grand Slam.

Draper, who is now ranked 147th in the world, has not played a major since the US Open in August.

If he is fit enough to play at Flushing Meadows this year, he will have to come through qualifying – or be given a wildcard – to play in the main draw.

In Washington, Draper will be replaced in the draw by lucky loser Mackenzie McDonald.

Chelsea appear set to strike a surprise double deal for England veterans Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson as Xabi Alonso seeks to add experience to his squad. The Brighton striker, 35, and Brentford midfielder, 36, could continue an intriguing summer of incomings at Stamford Bridge after the marquee addition of Morgan Rogers earlier in the window.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are plotting an audacious move for Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr and want to sign the Brazil winger this summer. The Premier League champions are preparing to offer the 26-year-old the biggest contract in their history but Real Madrid may yet offer the Brazilian fresh terms.

It could be a busy few weeks for Mikel Arteta’s side as they also look to sign Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes and add another centre-back, with England internationals Ezri Konsa and John Stones both of interest – though the latter appears bound for Italy. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe confirmed that he wants to keep Guimaraes, but added that his future at the club is out of his control.

Elsewhere, Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has set out his targets for the transfer window and has confirmed the Reds “definitely need to sign a winger”, while France international Bradley Barcola is reportedly open to leaving Paris Saint-Germain this summer. PSG, who are set to miss out on the signing Yan Diomande to Real Madrid, would demand a record fee, however.

Manchester United are still interested in adding another midfielder and have “reached an agreement in principle” with France international Manu Kone, according to reports in Italy. Aurelien Tchouameni remains a target, too.

Follow the latest transfer news, rumours and reports with our live blog below

Real Madrid to hold contract talks with Vinicius Jr amid Arsenal interest

Could Real Madrid yet see off Arsenal’s interest and keep Vinicius Jr? Sky Sports reports that new contract talks are planned with the Brazilian’s representatives with hope of a breakthrough.

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Harry Latham-Coyle28 July 2026 07:30

Chelsea target Jordan Henderson to add experience to their squad

Widespread reports also suggest Chelsea are hoping to sign Jordan Henderson, who may be available on a free transfer from Brentford. The 36-year-old was part of England’s World Cup squad and would add more experience to Xabi Alonso’s squad.

Harry Latham-Coyle28 July 2026 07:20

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Chelsea make surprise move for Brighton striker Danny Welbeck

Chelsea are in shock talks to sign veteran striker Danny Welbeck from Brighton.

The 35-year-old has emerged as a surprising target to reinforce the Blues’ attacking options, following an impressive season where he netted 13 Premier League goals in 37 appearances.

Transfers news LIVE

A very good morning. A busy, and faintly fascinating, summer transfer window rolls on with Premier League clubs and those around Europe scrambling to get deals done after the World Cup. We’ll have all of the latest throughout the day.

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Harry Latham-Coyle28 July 2026 07:10

It is 32C (90F) at Clapham Junction in south London, and sweating criminals are dropping like flies. 

Every few minutes, this one wanted for robbery, or that one for stalking or theft, is surrounded by cops and cuffed.

They are carted off to face extra jailtime or a day in court they thought they’d dodged. One even tries to run away, but he doesn’t get far.

‘This is a brilliantly efficient way to apprehend wanted people,’ says Sergeant Kevin Brown, a supervisor in a small Metropolitan Police team using cutting edge ‘Live Facial Recognition’ technology (LFR) to round up hundreds of miscreants across the capital.

LFR utilises mobile van-based CCTV cameras and artificial intelligence to compare the biometrics of passers-by – in this case their unique facial properties – with a watchlist of people wanted for committing crimes, for failing to turn up to court hearings, or for breaching orders to deter stalking, sexual offences and violence against women and girls.

‘When we first began using the technology in 2024, it enabled us to arrest 574 wanted people,’ says Sergeant Brown. 

‘Last year, that number was 1,135, and already this year it is around 900. LFR is a very useful tool to help us keep the public safe.’

LFR was first trialled by police in the UK in 2015 before being used formally by South Wales Police at the Uefa Champions League final in Cardiff in 2017, primarily to spot wanted football hooligans.

Since then, it has been rolled out by more than a dozen forces in what is being seen as a policing revolution. 

Among those are Greater Manchester, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Norfolk, South Wales and Thames Valley.

LFR utilises mobile van-based CCTV cameras and artificial intelligence to compare the biometrics of passers-by with a watchlist of people wanted for committing crimes

LFR was first trialled by police in the UK in 2015 – and today it has been rolled out to more than a dozen forces across the country. Pictured: Met Police swoop on a suspected criminal

Earlier this year, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, a firm proponent of the technology, unveiled plans to increase the number of LFR mobile vans across the country to 50.

But while law enforcement promotes LFR as a spectacularly good way of finding people they describe as ‘sought after’, civil liberties campaigners fear it could erode our rights to privacy and anonymity, not least because its introduction has happened so quickly that no specific legislation is yet in place governing how it should be used.

‘Privacy is an important and hard-won right,’ says Charlie Whelton, policy and campaigns officer at Liberty. 

‘Walking past a facial recognition camera is like showing your ID at a checkpoint – something most of us wouldn’t want to do just to go to the shops, watch our football team, or attend a concert.’

Six or seven times a week, the Met’s LFR van is set up at busy locations in the capital. Today, it is deployed near the Shopstop shopping centre on St John’s Hill in Clapham.

Signs are posted on and near the van alerting the public to the technology being used, though how many will understand just what it is, is a moot point.

Inside, operators view two screens divided into four sections on which the faces of people being filmed as they walk down the street are framed inside red boxes. 

They are unaware they are being filmed and checked against a watchlist containing the names and images of 18,000 people wanted for crimes ranging from shoplifting to mugging and sexual offending, for failing to turn up to court hearings, or being in breach of a court order or summons.

If the people in these boxes are not on the list, their details are deleted immediately.

If they are on it, and the AI system matches their biometrics with a level of certainty above 64 per cent, an alert will be sent to special handsets held by Sergeant Brown and local officers positioned on the street. Today, there are ten of them.

The suspects are approached and questioned while the operators check why they are wanted. 

If it is for a crime that would attract a jail sentence of more than a year, they are arrested on the spot. 

Similarly, if they are in breach of a court order relating to stalking, sexual offences or violence they will be taken into custody.

While photographer Murray Sanders and I are here, most submit meekly with shocked resignation on their faces. Several are handcuffed. One young man tries to run away but is quickly captured by the officers.

By the end of the day, ten people have been stopped and questioned, and seven have been arrested for offences ranging from robbery and theft to stalking.

I give permission for an image of me to be put on the watchlist and walk down the street wearing sunglasses that I think might bamboozle the system. 

They don’t, and I am spotted immediately, with a certainty rate of more than 80 per cent.

‘We’re operating with an algorithm that’s been independently tested by experts at the National Physical Laboratory (the official UK institute that checks the reliability of measurements and technology),’ says Sergeant Brown.

‘We know when the system performs well, and we have engineers who are experts in this area who make sure that everything we do is in line with policy and done properly.’

This is true. However, Home Office research published last December, and also citing the National Physical Laboratory, called into question the accuracy of ‘retrospective’ AI facial recognition systems – where images from crimes that have already taken place are checked against criminal databases (rather than live checks in the street).

It found that AI facial recognition could create high numbers of false positives against black and brown people.

Among black women, 9.9 per cent of results were incorrect – a failure rate of 100 times more than for white women.

This is just one of the concerns raised by privacy activists. The Met, and other forces, say they have stringent policies in place to ensure the technology is used proportionately and that data collected on innocent passers-by is deleted immediately.

But what about future regimes, campaigners ask? How powerful could such a tool be in the hands of a despot? Their political enemies would have nowhere to hide. Everything you did, and everywhere you went, could be seen and judged by the regime.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has unveiled plans to increase LFR mobile vans across the country. Pictured: Officers arrested a person identified by the technology

This was something that concerned even the late Pope Francis. In 2020, he issued a joint statement with Microsoft president Brad Smith and IBM executive vice president John Kelly which warned about the dangers of AI biometric technology being used to extract data for political ends.

On the ground, however, it is easy to see why ordinary officers, and law enforcement top brass, are so keen to roll out the technology – quite simply, it works.

Sergeant Brown and the team were on deployment in Denmark Hill, south-east London, on January 10 last year when the system flagged up a man walking down the street, holding the hand of a six-year-old girl.

‘We got an alert on our handsets with a match for a David Cheneler, [74], a registered sex offender who has a sexual offence prevention order that doesn’t allow him to be unaccompanied with somebody under the age of 14,’ says Sergeant Brown.

Cheneler had befriended the little girl’s mother and gained her trust to the extent that she allowed him to pick up the girl from school.

Police bodycam footage of Cheneler’s arrest shows him also admitting he is carrying a knife. He was subsequently jailed for two years for being in breach of a sexual offence prevention order.

‘He had got to know mum, and for several months had been buying presents for the mother and daughter – he was basically grooming them both,’ says Sergeant Brown. 

‘We did a lot of safeguarding of the mother and child after that, with specially trained officers and social services.

‘Had we not intervened, I dread to think what could have happened to that little girl. But that’s why we come to work every day, to try to make a difference.

‘If doing a successful job like that – potentially saving that little girl – doesn’t give you some form of satisfaction or reward, then I’d say policing isn’t for you. This equipment helps us to do our jobs better.’ 

The Met is able to point to a host of other successes.

Since the start of 2024, there have been more than 2,100 arrests because of LFR, with 24 per cent of those being related in some way to violence against women and girls. 

This resulted in more than 1,400 being either charged or cautioned. Of these, more than 100 were sex offenders.

One of the system’s biggest successes was at last year’s Notting Hill Carnival, where LFR cameras resulted in 61 wanted people being arrested. 

It also enabled checks on 30 registered sex offenders – three of whom were found to be in breach of orders imposed to prevent them from reoffending.

A glimpse into where the police would like to take LFR came during a project on the main shopping thoroughfare in Croydon, south London, from October 2025 to March 2026, when static cameras – rather than mobile vans – were positioned on lampposts and other structures. 

During 24 operations, officers arrested 173 alleged criminals or ‘sought’ people – including some wanted for rape, kidnapping and sexual assault, and a woman who had failed to appear in court on assault charges 20 years ago.

The Met says this equated to the apprehension of one wanted person every 35 minutes. 

It claims that, locally, the operation resulted in a reduction in overall crime of 10.5 per cent, and of 21 per cent when it came to violence against women and girls.

The Met and several other forces have also trialled a system called Operator-Initiated Facial Recognition (OIFR), which doesn’t even need CCTV cameras – just a smart phone held by an officer whose camera can be linked to a watchlist, something privacy campaigners see as unjustifiably intrusive without relevant legislation.

However, that legislation, expected to be incorporated into a new Police Reform Bill, has been slow in coming.

A consultation period for interested parties to register observations opened last December and closed on February 12, but nothing has happened since. 

This month, Ms Mahmood was asked by the House of Lords justice and home affairs committee why the legislation was taking so long.

She said her office was ‘still nailing down the policy details’, adding: ‘The technology is moving very quickly, and a lot of the consultation responses focused on making sure that we have robust rules that can hold and stand the test of time. 

‘There definitely will be a need for a body to provide independent oversight.’

The person who most closely fits that bill at the moment is Professor William Webster, the UK’s independent biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner.

In an interview I conducted with him in March, he explained that in the absence of legislation, police forces were taking their lead from the results of two court cases where the use of LFR was challenged – one against South Wales police in 2020, which the force lost, and the other against the Met earlier this year, which it won.

‘At the moment, the police can use any technology, unless it’s challenged in the courts and proven to be illegal,’ he said.

‘So there isn’t a specific piece of legislation that allows them to use it, but neither are they barred.’

He added: ‘This technology is always going to butt against human rights and we need legislation to ensure that the technology is used in such a way as to safeguard those rights.

‘So I think the position of the Government is to be applauded. The sooner they have the legislation in place, the better.’

The Home Office confirmed that ‘the Government intends to bring forward a new bespoke legal framework to ensure all police forces across the country can use facial recognition with greater confidence, and that their uses and limits are clear to the public’, but it did not say when.

For now, we are left with a barely regulated technology that is breathtaking in its ability to take criminals off the streets, but terrifying in its potential – to quote Pope Francis – to pose ‘grave risks for democratic societies’.

Campaign groups such as Big Brother Watch do not argue the technology should never be used, but they would like safeguards in place to ensure our privacy is guaranteed and the technology cannot be misused in the future.

‘Having nothing to hide does not mean you want to be watched,’ says Jasleen Chaggar, Big Brother Watch’s senior legal and policy officer. 

‘Mass surveillance infrastructure, once built, is rarely dismantled, meaning any future government with authoritarian instincts inherits it ready-made.’

It is an argument MPs will have to take seriously when they frame the long-awaited laws which will govern the use of facial recognition technology – just as they will have to remember the day when it saved a six-year-old girl from the clutches of a sexual deviant.

A father and daughter who died off the coast of Britain’s top surfing beach were among seven to drown in open water over the weekend.  

The man, in his 60s, and the woman, in her 30s, who died at a surfing spot off Newquay, were among those who lost their lives in separate incidents at West Wittering, Pwllheli and Loch Fyne.

Two in Cornwall, one in West Sussex, two in north Wales and another two died in Scotland on Saturday and Sunday. 

That brings the total number of deaths in open water to seven this past weekend. 

The latest deaths mean that more than 40 people have drowned in open water across the UK since May –  during which the country has seen successive periods of hot weather.

In Cornwall last night, emergency services, including the coastguard, rushed to the scene at around 9.30pm after reports that two people had fallen into the water near a rocky area of the beach.

The two were pronounced dead at the scene. He was pulled from the water and she was recovered on the sand. 

The sea was said to be very rough last night, with strong winds causing large waves to crash against the rocks at the beach, famed for its powerful Atlantic swells. 

Coastguards and paramedics were pictured on the beach at West Wittering on Sunday afternoon where two more people died

Connor Parfitt’s body was also found on a beach in Aberystwyth on Sunday afternoon

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In West Wittering in West Sussex a man died after he got into trouble in the sea. 

Emergency services rushed to West Wittering Beach in West Sussex at 2.30pm on Sunday following concerns for the safety of two adults in the water. 

The two men were pulled out of the sea and treated by paramedics – but one was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The other man was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure. The pair are not believed to have known each other. 

In a statement, Sussex Police said: ‘Emergency services were called to the beach near the Beach Café, Pound Road, West Wittering, around 2.30pm on Sunday, 26 July, after two adults got into difficulty in the water.

‘Both were pulled from the sea and received treatment from emergency services at the scene.

‘Sadly, one of the men was pronounced dead at the scene.’

The deaths come after another sunny weekend in Britain. 

The temperature in West Wittering reached highs of 26.5C in the afternoon. In Newquay, a maximum temperature of 20.2C was recorded by the Met Office. 

A helicopter swoops in to help with the rescue in Cornwall at around 9.30pm

Coastguard and locals in the sea as they try to save the man and woman in the water at Fistral last night but both died. It is claimed they may have been a father and daughter who fell from rocks into the sea while on holiday

In Wales, one of two friends was found dead after the pair took inflatable kayaks to the beach. The second person is still missing. 

Connor Parfitt, 24, and friend Simon Wilson were last seen Tuesday evening close to a Haven Holiday Park where they had started working the summer season.

A massive search was launched but Mr Parfitt’s body was found on a beach in Aberystwyth on Sunday afternoon. 

Coastguards have called off their search off the coast of Pwllheli, North Wales. 

Mr Parfitt travelled to the popular Welsh park from his home in Blackpool three weeks ago to work over the summer. 

He took an inflatable kayak to the beach with his friend – but neither had been seen since despite a massive search. 

The pair were believed to be heading towards the coast with inflatable kayaks at the beach near Hafan-y-Mor, Pwllheli, North Wales. 

Mr Parfitt’s brother, Aaron, said the family last heard from him at around 6.30pm on Tuesday and have had no contact since. 

He said his family were facing ‘so many questions and no answers’.   

Connor Parfitt, 24, and friend Simon Wilson were last seen Tuesday evening in Pwllheli, North Wales

Simon Wilson is still missing after he and Connor Parfitt took out inflatable kayaks to the beach 

Meanwhile, two women in Scotland died this weekend after they entered Loch Fyne.

There were reports of divers in difficulty at the loch in Argyll and Bute.

A 26-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene on Sunday afternoon while the body of a 24-year-old was also recovered. 

The alarm was raised at about 3.30pm, with the Coastguard and lifeboat crews involved in the rescue operation. 

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: ‘Emergency services attended and a 26-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

‘Further searches were carried out in the water and the body of a 24-year-old woman was recovered.

‘The deaths are being treated as unexplained and a post-mortem examination will take place in due course.’

Another heatwave is set to hit parts of southern England this week as temperatures could hit as high as 33C. 

In Cornwall, onlookers told of the moment emergency services were called after the father and daughter got into difficulty swimming. 

Meanwhile, two women in Scotland died this weekend after they entered Loch Fyne

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A man and woman have died after being pulled from the sea at Fistral beach, Newquay, the Uk’s best known surfing beach

Sand Phoenix said he was sleeping on Fistral Beach at 9.30pm on Sunday when the coastguard and ambulance service were called. He sprinted to help with the search. 

Sand claimed the male victim was fully clothed and had ‘gone in to try and rescue his daughter’, adding: ‘He had been pulled from the water but had been submerged for about seven minutes.

‘I had an adrenaline pen, which I used on him, and tried to give him oxygen, but his lungs were full of water and there was no response,’ he said.

‘The paramedics arrived and carried on performing CPR. He was still wearing his trousers, so I don’t think he had been swimming. It looks like they had been walking near the rocks and fallen in.’ 

Another witness said: ‘Another man came up soaking wet and wrapped in a foil blanket. He knew them and had been trying to help. I’m just in shock. It was awful to watch.

‘A man came running up the cliff saying there were people drowning in the water. A woman was desperately trying to ring someone but couldn’t get through and was in tears.

‘They recovered one body on the beach, while the other was brought up the cliff.’

Nine emergency vehicles and a helicopter rushed to the long and sandy Cornish beach, known as the ‘home of British surfing’. 

Holidaymaker Glyn Thomas, 68, who witnessed the rescue efforts said: ‘I could hear the helicopter flying low overhead and there were three or four ambulances parked up along the road.

‘We saw a couple of surfers being led into the back of an ambulance in silver foil blankets and paramedics doing CPR on somebody.

‘It was still light when it happened and there had been a few surfers around and people walking over the rocks.’

Locals said the beach was battered by high winds and choppy conditions yesterday evening with visitors often caught out by rip tides and unpredictable currents on the beach.

Barrie Phillips who runs the Pink Flamingo Ice Cream van said: ‘I was told one went in after another, people often fish on those rocks and you also get people jumping into the water.

‘But the surf last night was so volatile with high winds and rough seas.

‘Fistral is infamous for its rip tides and people do get into trouble.’

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: ‘Police were called by the South Western Ambulance Service at around 9.45pm on Sunday following reports that two people had been recovered from the water at Fistral Beach, Newquay.

‘Emergency services attended and a cordon was put in place, which has since been removed.

‘Sadly, a man and a woman were pronounced deceased at the scene. Their families have been informed, and our thoughts are with them at this extremely difficult time. A file will be prepared for HM Coroner.’

Fistral Beach is famed for its world-class surfing and hosts competitions including the Boardmasters Open Surf Championship. The beach is also a major tourist attraction, drawing an estimated 750,000 to over one million visitors each year.

“The price drivers pay at the forecourt depends heavily on the global oil price, which has been rising following the end of the ceasefire,” RAC head of policy Simon Williams said

Road users are being warned that fuel prices are set to hit levels not seen since the height of the US-Iran conflict.

Unleaded rose by 0.6p over the weekend to an average of 157.81p per litre, while diesel rose by a 1p to 175.71p.

Petrol has increased by more than 6.5p a litre and diesel by 9p since the start of the month. This has added £3.50 and £5 respectively to the cost of filling up a family car.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Pump prices continued their inevitable rise over the weekend, with unleaded up another 0.6p to an average of 157.81p and diesel a penny to 175.71p.

“The outlook for drivers is pretty grim.

“It looks highly likely now that petrol will hit 160p a litre – its highest level since the United States/Iran conflict began – and diesel 180p by the end of this week, off the back of an elevated oil price.”

The US has and Iran have been in conflict since late February when joint American-Israeli strikes were carried out on key Iranian sites.

Iran retaliated by striking sites across the Middle East and closing the Strait of Hormuz waterway, through which 20% of global oil traded passes.

Despite a brief reprieve after the US and Iran’s Memorandum of Understanding was signed last month, the re-closure of the strait and the restart of the conflict this month has once again shaken markets.

Mr Williams said: “The price drivers pay at the forecourt depends heavily on the global oil price, which has been rising following the end of the ceasefire.”

“A short-term pause in hostilities between the countries is unlikely to be enough to quell the oil price.

“What’s needed is a sustained drop over several weeks and, unless that happens, elevated prices at the pump look like they’re here to stay.”

Motorists have been urged to seek the best deals.

“We continue to encourage drivers to use free apps like myRAC to find the cheapest fuel wherever they are,” Mr Williams said.

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Fuel price comparison platform FuelRadar has also urged motorists to think carefully about when they fill up.

In advice published on its website, the company says drivers should “avoid the Friday rush”.

It augured that demand generally increases as people finish work and head away for weekend trips.