The plans, submitted to Bolton Council, propose replacing the conservatory on Chorley New Road in Lostock with a part single-storey and part two-storey side extension.
The works include extending the existing garage, making roof alterations, and creating first-floor storage space above the garage.
Two new roof lights are also proposed as part of the development.
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According to the planning application, all external materials would be chosen to match the existing house, including brickwork, roof tiles and white uPVC window and door frames.
The proposals would not impact parking arrangements, nor would they require access changes from the public highway.
No trees or hedges would need to be removed or pruned to carry out the proposed works.
The extension would not be subject to the 10 per cent biodiversity net gain requirement under current planning rules, as it qualifies as a householder application.
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Bolton Council has consulted neighbours at nearby properties on Chorley New Road and Lostock Park Drive, with public comments invited until early August.
No objections or public comments have been recorded on the application so far.
A decision from the council is expected in the coming weeks.
Edward Stourton was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014 (Picture: Mike Lawn)
Veteran broadcaster Edward Stourton has died at the age of 68 after living with incurable prostate cancer.
The acclaimed journalist, whose career spanned more than four decades, died on Saturday surrounded by his family, the BBC confirmed.
Stourton – who spent 10 years presenting Radio 4’s Today programme – revealed in his 2023 memoir Confessions that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer back in 2014.
After initially undergoing treatment, he was later told that the disease had spread and become incurable. Despite his diagnosis, he continued working until very recently.
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Paying tribute to Stourton, his friend and former Today co-host James Naughtie praised his ‘warm intelligence and wit’, describing him as ‘one of the best colleagues’.
Radio 4 controller Mohit Bakaya also called him ‘an absolutely outstanding broadcaster’.
Stourton’s career in journalism spanned more than four decades (Picture: Monks/Daily Mail/Shutterstock)
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Sir Keir is departing just two years after winning an extraordinary election landslide, leaving Mr Burnham to become the country’s seventh PM in a decade.
The politicians will parade in and out of Buckingham Palace to see the King as traditional processes play out.
But the former Greater Manchester Mayor is already facing a crucial moment as he names his Cabinet this afternoon.
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The Labour Left is still clamouring for Ed Miliband to be made Chancellor, despite alarm from businesses and moderates. Markets have been calmer amid mounting speculation that Shabana Mahmood will get the role instead, but any surprises could prompt a panicky response.
Mr Burnham has revealed his Alzheimer’s-hit father does not know he is going to be PM, as he vows to overhaul social care;
The new PM has hinted at an earlier end to the freeze on the basic rate tax threshold, without saying how it would be funded;
Mr Burnham will become the first openly Catholic PM in around 500 years, with work-arounds put in place to protect the Church of England;
Loudspeakers have been banned near Downing Street today after protesters blighted Sir Keir’s speech announcing his resignation.
Keir Starmer will officially exit Downing Street today – as Britain braces to find out what an Andy Burnham premiership means
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Sir Keir is departing just two years after winning an extraordinary election landslide, leaving Mr Burnham to become the country’s seventh PM in a decade
The famous black door of No10 is given a buff up as the big moment looms
The handover comes barely a month after Mr Burnham returned to Westminster following his victory in the Makerfield by-election.
He has been installed by Labour MPs in a ‘coronation’, without a formal vote by activists – or having to spell out any policies.
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Among the vague commitments laid out by the incoming PM so far are devolving power away from Westminster.
He has announced he will scrap Sir Keir’s flagship digital ID programme to focus money and attention on the cost of living.
In an interview with The Times, Mr Burnham said he had already spoken to the Treasury about his planned announcements and stressed the importance of making people ‘feel better’.
Adding that complaints about frozen tax thresholds had been ‘lodged in his mind’ since the Makerfield contest, he said: ‘So when people, they’re just characterising me as a tax raiser, well again, it’s never that simplistic is it? The breathing space point is a really serious one.’
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The comments raise more questions about how Mr Burnham will pay for giveaways, after he backed a ‘land tax’ and harked back to the 1970s condemning Thatcherite reforms.
But the weekend was dominated by bungled briefing over whether the new Government will allow new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.
The leader’s team has now confirmed he will stick to Labour’s 2024 manifesto, which promised not to issue new licences.
Instead he could merely allow expanded drilling at the Rosebank and Jackdaw sites – something that was being considered by Sir Keir’s administration.
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That could bode ill for Mr Burnham’s relations with Donald Trump, who yesterday jubilantly hailed more drilling as a way of stopping Britain being a ‘poverty stricken disaster’.
Mr Burnham also faces a decision on whether to temporarily nationalise Thames Water as the firm struggles with a £20billion debt pile.
He has already expressed support for greater public control of essential services, and Thames Water’s main creditors have said they are willing to discuss the issue with his new ministers in an effort to agree a rescue deal and avoid the business falling into a so-called ‘special administration regime’.
Another priority is likely to be reforming social care, which he has said is something he wishes to ‘expend political capital’ on.
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The Labour Left is still clamouring for Ed Miliband to be made Chancellor, despite alarm from businesses and moderates
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has urged Mr Burnham to engage other parties to solve the ‘social care crisis’, calling for guaranteed rights for family carers, a universal safety net and protection against ‘catastrophic costs’.
Kemi Badenoch has also written to Mr Burnham, saying her party will work with him to cut the welfare bill and calling for him to rule out tax rises and back new oil and gas drilling.
Mrs Badenoch told Mr Burnham she would ‘never shirk’ from holding him to account, adding: ‘You will enter office without having set out a clear plan on any of the issues facing our country.
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‘You have refused calls to come to Parliament for questions from MPs, and you have not submitted yourself to serious media scrutiny. This is not a promising start.’
Spanish boy, 13, is crushed to death by a collapsing fountain in World Cup celebration tragedy – as millions take to the streets after victory over Argentina
A 13-year-old boy has died after a fountain he was celebrating Spain’s World Cup victory on collapsed.
Two other people were injured in the drama, which occurred just after 12.30am this morning as fans were partying in the historic walled city of Ciudad Rodrigo in the province of Salamanca near the Spanish border.
The teenager was inside the fountain with other youngsters when the upper part of the structure collapsed and fell on top of revellers who were inside it.
Police removed the debris on top of him to free him and rushed him to a nearby health centre but he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
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The local council said it was declaring three days of mourning overnight.
It said in a statement: ‘The City Council of Ciudad Rodrigo expresses its sorrow and condolences over the death of the 13-year-old child.
‘The entire city of Ciudad Rodrigo mourns this loss and stands with the child’s family and friends in their grief.
‘What should have been a celebration of the Spanish national team’s victory in the World Cup has turned into a tragedy for the entire community of Ciudad Rodrigo.
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‘The City Council also wishes a speedy recovery to the other people who were affected by the incident.
Spanish fans celebrate in central Madrid after Spain defeated Argentina in the World Cup final soccer match in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Sunday, July 19
The triumph has sparked an outpouring of national pride in football-mad Spain, where many younger supporters had never witnessed the men’s team lift the World Cup since their only previous title came in South Africa in 2010
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Spanish national football team supporters wave flags and ignite flares as they celebrate their team’s 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at the Fan Zone in Plaza Colon, Madrid, Spain, on July 20
‘As a sign of mourning for this loss, the City Council’s flags will fly at half-mast from July 20 to July 22.’
The fountain where the tragedy occurred is in a spot known locally as the Fat Tree Roundabout in English.
The triumph has sparked an outpouring of national pride in football-mad Spain, where many younger supporters had never witnessed the men’s team lift the World Cup since their only previous title came in South Africa in 2010.
The players are then expected to be received by King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez before climbing aboard an open-top bus for a parade through central Madrid beginning at around 4.30pm.
They will travel from near the Moncloa Palace, the prime minister’s official residence, to Cibeles Square, the central government’s representative in Madrid, Francisco Martin, told Spanish public television.
A ceremony involving the players will then be held at the square, the traditional gathering point for celebrations by the Spanish national team and its supporters.
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Around one million people are expected to line the parade route, with additional security and transport measures planned to handle the crowds, Martin said.
A total of 2,050 police officers and 400 Civil Guard personnel will be deployed, he added.
The precise timetable for the festivities had not been fully confirmed on Monday morning, however, with Sanchez scheduled to make a brief visit to Algeria before returning to Spain in the afternoon.
The royal household had also yet to confirm whether the king would attend the celebrations.
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The scenes are expected to echo the celebrations that followed Spain’s first World Cup title in 2010, when hundreds of thousands of supporters flooded Madrid’s streets to welcome the team home after their victory in South Africa.
Pictured: The fountain where a 13-year-old boy died after he was celebrating Spain’s World victory
Spanish fans celebrate in central Madrid after Spain defeated Argentina in the World Cup final soccer match in East Rutherford, NJ, near New York, Sunday, July 19
Fans of the Spanish national football team celebrate their team’s victory at the Fan Zone in Plaza Colon, Madrid on July 19
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Spain defeated reigning World Cup champions Argentina 1-0, with the lone goal coming from Ferran Torres #7 in the 106th minute of extra time
Spain’s supporters on a motorcycle waves Spain’s flag celebrating victory after the 2026 World Cup final match between Spain and Argentina at Neptuno square in Madrid, on July 19
The capital was already buzzing with activity after the final, where thousands of supporters who gathered in bars and three fan zones had poured out into the streets in celebration
While the country waited for the team’s arrival, celebrations continued overnight from Madrid to Spain’s smallest villages on Sunday night.
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The capital was already buzzing with activity after the final, where thousands of supporters who gathered in bars and three fan zones had poured out into the streets in celebration.
At Madrid’s Colon Square, where a fan zone had been set up for the match, supporters wrapped in Spain’s red-and-yellow flag sang and danced long into the balmy summer night, while others set off flares and fireworks, an AFP journalist observed.
Others shouted ‘Que viva Espana! (long live Spain)’ as they celebrated a triumph that came just two years after Spain’s Euro 2024 victory and with the women’s national team already holding the world title won in 2023.
‘You have faced each challenge with the conviction of a great team and have carried the name of Spain to the very top,’ the Spanish Royal Household said on social media platform X, hailing a ‘reward’ stemming in particular from ‘exemplary commitment in every match’.
‘Today, we celebrate a title. Tomorrow we will remember a legend,’ it added.
Almost a million drivers will be hit by a ‘luxury’ vehicle tax this year after a new car’s average price topped £40,000.
The ‘expensive vehicle supplement’ is an annual £425 levy paid for five years on a car costing more than £40,000.
But with everyday vehicles such as a Volkswagen Golf, Ford Kuga and Skoda Kodiaq now priced at that much, thousands more families are sucked into paying the ‘envy’ tax.
Ian Taylor, of the Alliance of British Drivers, said: ‘Ordinary families are being priced out. For most people the car is an essential thing more than it is a luxury. The Government needs to rethink this tax.’
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The levy is paid for five consecutive years after the second year of registration, costing buyers £2,125.
About 926,000 new cars costing above £40,000 were registered last year, data from automotive analysis firm Jato shows. That figure is set to rise again in 2026, it says, with sales from the first six months suggesting registrations could top 973,000 by the end of the year.
The envy tax is an annual £425 levy paid for five years on a car costing more than £40,000. Everyday vehicles such as a Volkswagen Golf M may be affected by the tax
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The Government raised the tax threshold for electric cars to £50,000 in April to reflect their higher price, but the threshold for petrol and diesel cars has been frozen since 2017 when the average cost was £26,000.
Sue Robinson, of the National Franchised Dealers Association, said: ‘Everyday family cars are increasingly being classed as luxury vehicles rather than the exception the tax was designed to capture.’
The luxury tax, which also applies to hybrid cars, is based on the manufacturer’s price listing, meaning any dealer discounts at the point of sale are ignored even if the final purchase price drops below £40,000.
The levy must also be paid on second-hand cars if bought within the applied period. Engineer Jeremy Stern, 50, of Southam, Warwickshire, paid £48,000 for a second-hand Tesla saloon in 2024, less than half the £98,000 it cost new.
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He told the Sunday Times: ‘Freezing thresholds on car tax is a stealthy way of making more people pay. It seems like another envy tax.’
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said 70 per cent of new cars now cost £40,000 or more.
Since 2017, the price of a VW Golf GTI has risen from £27,865 to £44,175. The price of a Vauxhall Grandland Ultimate, a family SUV, has increased from £33,995 to £40,745.
The ST Line of the Ford Kuga, another SUV, cost £25,845 in 2017, compared to £40,485 today.
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Jato said buyers are turning to cheaper Chinese brands, such as Jaecoo, BYD and Chery. Over the past year, sales of Jaecoo vehicles, which cost £32,000 on average, increased from 8,399 to 34,084.
A Treasury spokesman said revenue from motoring taxes helped to ‘fund the public services and infrastructure we all rely on’.
He added: ‘The expensive car supplement ensures those buying the most expensive vehicles make a fair contribution. We have raised the threshold for new electric cars to £50,000 and are protecting motorists by extending the 5p cut to fuel duty.’
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‘Envy’ tax to clobber 1million drivers who buy an average car this year
These are your headlines on the morning of Monday, July 20.
Argentina v England ‘a joke’
Former England international Will Greenwood launched a scathing assessment of England’s dramatic defeat to Argentina, describing the contest as “everything I hate about rugby” after a match dominated by lengthy stoppages, yellow cards and controversial officiating decisions.
The ex-centre did not hold back in his verdict on the encounter, which lasted around two and a half hours and was repeatedly interrupted by TMO interventions, disciplinary reviews and lengthy discussions between the match officials.
Writing in the Telegraph after the game, Greenwood said: “What an absolute joke of a game that was between Argentina and England. It was everything I hate about rugby. A 2½-hour match with total confusion, misinterpretation, disagreements between officials, players getting on at each other, England brilliant then collapsing then brilliant then collapsing. It ruined my night.”
The Test had already become an increasingly fractious affair, with a succession of yellow cards disrupting the flow and leaving both teams repeatedly forced to adapt with reduced numbers. Several incidents were referred upstairs for review, contributing to the stop-start nature of the contest and prompting fresh debate over rugby’s disciplinary process and the impact of lengthy TMO interventions on the spectacle.
The controversy reached its peak in the closing stages when Argentina thought they had snatched a dramatic late try, only for it to be ruled out following another review.
Greenwood questioned the decision, adding: “Bedlam at the end – and I am often England’s most hyperbolic cheerleader – but that was clear and obvious my backside! There was nothing clear and obvious about that last try for Argentina being taken away. It goes a long way to putting people off rugby.”
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Biggar flips 10 question on head
Wales rugby legend Dan Biggar says the answer of who should play at No10 for the national team should be influenced by who starts at inside centre.
Steve Tandy has chopped and changed at fly-half during the latest Nations Championship campaign, having plumped for Dan Edwards during the Six Nations, with Scarlets man Sam Costelow injured.
Both 10s bring something different to the role, with Edwards enjoying more time in the jersey under Tandy’s stewardship to date. But with Costelow now fit again, the head coach has a decision to make over who should be the long-term incumbent.
Biggar, though, feels the pick at 12 is almost more important when trying to figure out who should be the number one at No. 10.
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Biggar said on ITV: “It’s a little bit like the Irish 10 debate, there is no real standout candidate.
“Dan Edwards and Sam Costelow are the two in the running and played the majority of the games.
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“Dan Edwards is very much more of a moment player so he’s going to give you real big moments and he’s going to be on the end of things whereas Costelow is a little bit more keep it in structure.
“I think the biggest question in answering that is who do Wales play at 12 and how do they play at 12?
“Do they continue with a ball player, a second ball player at 12 or do they use an Eddie James and use him as a little bit of a Jamie Roberts-type player to get them over the gainline?”
Pushed by his co-pundit Ronan O’Gara over who he would pick, Biggar added: “Who has got more credit in the bank, probably Dan Edwards, seeing as Mr O’Gara is putting me on the spot!”
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All Black’s son wins Open
By Carl Markham, Press Association
New Zealander Ryan Fox kept his head while all around him were losing theirs to make his major breakthrough at the age of 39 with a brilliant birdie at the last for a one-shot victory at the Open.
Fox, son of former All Blacks fly-half Grant, was one of only three players in the final 12 groups to shoot under par on a chaotic final day when Royal Birkdale finally showed its teeth after two days of back-to-back record-equalling rounds of 62.
After Cameron Young posted the nine-under target after a best-of-the-day 64 a couple of hours earlier, double figures was the aim for those out on the course.
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Fox headed down the last – Birkdale’s most difficult hole – needing a birdie to overtake the American, for so long the PGA Tour’s perennial runner-up, and hit his approach inside 12 feet.
He held his nerve, as he had done all day and punched the air as he became New Zealand’s second Open champion after Sir Bob Charles in 1963.
Fox comes from rich sporting stock; father Grant won rugby’s first World Cup in 1987, while his his grandfather Merv Wallace captained New Zealand at Test cricket.
Townsend happy with form
By Gavin McCafferty, Press Association
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Gregor Townsend reflected on the strides his Scotland side have made since their collapse against Argentina last autumn as they rounded off a long season with a comeback win over Fiji.
Scotland somehow let a 21-0 half-time lead slip when they lost to the Pumas at Murrayfield in November.
They soon lost in Italy in their Guinness Six Nations opener to leave Townsend facing criticism but they bounced back in impressive fashion and have now won five of their seven games since.
That included victories over Wales, England, France, Argentina and now a spirited Fiji team, who led by 10 points at half-time at Murrayfield on Saturday.
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Townsend and his players showed they could turn the momentum in their favour with a more direct second-half display.
Three replacements grabbed four tries – Jamie Dobie (two), Pierre Schoeman and Scott Cummings – to seal a 33-17 Nations Championship win.
Looking back over the season, Townsend said: “I still feel the Rome game was beneficial in terms of, we didn’t start well, but we came back. The weather was a factor.
“But I did feel that since Argentina, we’ve been able to show that we’re able to come back in games. South Africa, for example, last week, Italy and Wales being the clear ones.
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“But also being able to ride momentum as well. When we started well against France, we kept that going, same as England.
“That’s the part that I’ve been most impressed with and pleased that the players are able to handle momentum and notice it and make sure that we get it back quickly.
“Also, I feel that there’s a real alignment with the game. I think our supporters know what our identity is and our players do too and they know what is working for us.
“That’s not just playing an attack and moving the ball, it’s a certain way that they can shape a defence. And the kicking game too. We came on in huge strides there and that was something we had to go to.
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“From a coaching point of view, I’m really pleased with how we’ve responded to Argentina and what that’s done to us and made us a better team.
“Also, the leadership has been excellent. Sione (Tuipulotu) has been outstanding as a captain, but that leadership group has really grown this year.
“They prepared the team really well this week. The players that didn’t get a chance to play, like Sione and Rory Darge, even though he wasn’t training, he really led this week.
“It’s been a positive season and there’s still a lot of growth in us.
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“Little areas last week that we learned off South Africa and why they’re the world champs, we need to add those to our game and be a better team next season.”
Wales vs Japan VIP and hospitality tickets
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Seat Unique is offering VIP hospitality tickets for Wales’ Nations Championship matches against New Zealand and Japan in November.
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Slade nails his man
By Duncan Bech, Press Association Rugby Union Correspondent, Santiago del Estero
Henry Slade insists he was determined to nail his man as he emerged as England’s saviour against Argentina with a remarkable try-saving tackle at the death of a 31-24 victory in Santiago del Estero.
Slade raced to his team’s rescue three minutes into overtime with a “just get him out, any means necessary” challenge that edged Bautista Delguy’s finish in the right corner out of play.
Referee Angus Gardner awarded a try but it was overruled by video referee Brett Cronan in a lengthy and dramatic climax to an exhausting tour that has taken England to three continents.
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Had Delguy scored and the conversion been added, Argentina would have snatched a draw.
Slade said: “Just get him out, any means necessary. Thankfully I was able to do it.
“It was pretty close in the end, but it wasn’t as close as they made it out to be. Touch is touch, I guess.
“It’s a nerve-wracking situation. You don’t know what the refs and the TMOs are going to do.
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“From our perspective, all we could do was force him as wide as possible and keep scrapping right to the end.
“If we did that and they scored it, they’d have had to take a tough kick right from the touchline and we’d then put pressure on the kicker. That’s all we could do really.”
England finished their 25,000-mile Nations Championship expedition with two wins in three matches, a solid return given their brutal itinerary and their spirit is beyond dispute.
But their victory over Argentina was made far harder than it should have been following their customary disciplinary implosion, on this occasion losing four players to the sin bin to leave them playing nine minutes with 13 men.
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Injury meant they actually finished the game with just 12 on the field and twice they were forced to repel Pumas fightbacks, initially having raced 19-3 ahead.
It was total chaos at times with players streaming on and off the pitch and England have now been shown 14 yellow cards and one red in eight Tests in 2026.
Slade said: “I didn’t actually know what position I was in at the end. I was changing from 10, to 12, 13, 15 – I don’t know!
“The desire and the intent from the boys and the never-say-die attitude is unquestionable. It’s just that we have to couple that with better discipline.
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“Our discipline has been a thing we’re trying to work on because when we’ve got 15 on the pitch, we were a really, really top side.
“I can’t fault the effort and desire and intent of the boys, we’ve just got to find a way to keep everyone on the pitch. No one’s trying to get sin-binned, no one’s trying to get sent off.”
Swansea City are close to signing their third new addition of the summer
Swansea City are closing in on the signing of New Zealand winger Elijah Just.
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The Motherwell man played in all three games of the All Whites’ World Cup campaign this summer and would become the Swans’ third signing of the summer after Stephen Welsh and Moussa Yeo.
Our colleagues at the Daily Record report that Motherwell have agreed a club-record fee for the attacker, who will now head south to join Vitor Matos’ side.
They report a “multi-million deal”, with add-ons, has been rubber-stamped, which is said to eclipse Scotland international Lennon Miller’s sale to Udinese last summer.
That deal was said to eventually be worth £5million, but this will potentially eclipse that, according to the Record.
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In terms of timescale, matters could be wrapped up within the next 24-48 hours, with permission give to Just to travel to south Wales to thrash out details.
Just had been on Celtic’s radar this summer but it appears he has chosen to test himself in the Championship.
He only joined Motherwell last year, having spent the majority of his career playing in Denmark.
The 26-year-old was shortlisted for the PFA Scotland’s player of the year award and was a standout for the Steelmen last season.
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Just will arrived in SA1 to be greeted by familiar faces, having played with Marko Stamenic at international level and Welsh, who was on loan at Fir Park last term.
Matos has seen Ethan Galbraith leave the club for Stoke City this summer, while Goncalo Franco is now facing three months on the sidelines through injury.
Swansea are currently in Austria on pre-season tour.
Matos said he has been impressed with both of his new arrivals so far.
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“I’m really impressed with both, and they both played really well. It’s also good now that the team will also start to understand them as well,” he said after their draw with Bundesliga 2 side Holstein Kiel.
“And to understand their strengths and how we can use that in our game.
“It was also good to see players from the academy, a lot of new faces which allows us to know them better.”
Earlier this month, the Springwatch host shared his take on the opening sequence of Clarkson’s Farm during an appearance on Celebrity Gogglebox, claiming: “That’s not what a farm looks like. Most farms are horrible monocultures which have been sprayed with deadly chemicals, time and time again, the ground pumped full of fertiliser, and loads of the animals are indoors – in crates, being crushed and kept in the dark.”
He then added: “That’s an idealistic view of a farm, and it puts the wrong idea in people’s minds. And that’s only the [opening titles]!”
Responding in his column in The Sun, Clarkson fired back: “The endlessly angry Chris Packham went on Gogglebox this week and erupted in blind fury about the Winnie the Pooh-ish opening credits to my farming programme.
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“Now, of course this kind of stuff plays well in a room full of nose rings and Palestine flags at a vegan activist meeting in Hackney. But he was on a television programme, and it didn’t play well at all. Because it’s b*****ks.”
Jeremy Clarkson pictured in December 2017
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
The former Top Gear presenter then claimed that Packham had even spent some time at his Diddly Squat Farm more than a decade ago, maintaining: “If there had been some animals in a crate, being crushed, I’m sure he would have noticed and said something.”
In a statement to HuffPost UK, Packham insisted that “Clarkson is being disingenuous” and that “industrial farmers are making a smokescreen to hide their horrors”.
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He said: “I made the comments about the silly idealistic stereotyped cartoon at the top of his programme, he knows that. And he knows it paints an entirely unrealistic image of most of [the UK’s farms].
“The industrial farming fraternity love Clarkson’s Farm because it gives them something pretty to hide behind, a friendly flagship of good ol’ wholesome values. The truth is so very different, and it’s a truth that needs to be told for the sake of animal welfare, wildlife, human health and a secure environmental future.”
He added: “They can shoot at the messenger, but they will not silence the truth, even if Jezza has a big mouth.”
HuffPost UK has contacted Jeremy Clarkson’s team for additional comment,
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Packham has become known for his outspoken views when it comes to matters of the environment and animal rights in recent years, which has included repeatedly slamming ITV’s I’m A Celebrity for its use of live creatures in its “Bushtucker Trials”.
Back in 2019, he was appointed a CBE in the late Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year Honours for his services to nature conservation.
It is believed the man was attacked with a metal bar
16:51, 19 Jul 2026Updated 16:59, 19 Jul 2026
A man has been hospitalised with head injuries and a broken arm after being attacked by two armed men in Dundonald.
The incident took place in the Drumadoon Drive area on Saturday, July 18, at around 10pm when a man in his 20s was allegedly attacked by two men, one of whom was armed with a metal bar or a similar weapon.
The victim suffered “serious cuts” to his head and broken arm in the attack and was taken to hospital for treatment.
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Two men aged 34 and 38 were later arrested on suspicion of a number of offences and remain in police custody at this time.
A PSNI spokesperson said: “Detectives are investigating the report of a serious assault at Drumadoon Drive in Dundonald, on Saturday 18th July. “It was reported that a man, aged in his 20’s, was assaulted by two males as he walked along the street shortly before 10pm on Saturday evening. One of the males was reported to have been carrying a metal bar or a similar type of weapon. The victim required hospital treatment for serious cuts to his head and a broken arm as a result of the attack. Officers attended the scene and arrested a 34 year old man on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and a 38 year old man on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place. Both men remain in police custody at this time. “Detectives would ask anyone who witnessed this incident, or who may have captured dash-cam or CCTV footage from the area which could help with their investigation, to call them at Lisburn on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 1514 18/07/26. A report can be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or you can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.”
A collection of poems, some scribbled on slips of paper between food deliveries, has won Wang Jibing one of China’s top literary honours.
Low Flight, inspired by the everyday challenges delivery riders face, has bagged the Lu Xun Literary Prize – named after a writer who has been referred to as the father of modern Chinese literature.
Wang, 56, who became a delivery rider around 2019, gained traction on social media for his poems and essays.
He is part of a growing group of blue-collar workers who are being celebrated for their literary works, which offer a glimpse into the pressures that they face in China’s massive gig economy.
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For Wang, the prestigious literary prize comes after a few difficult decades as an odd job worker.
“I held my breath and felt extremely nervous… Once it was revealed, everything was settled,” Wang told state media outlet Global Times on 15 July, when news broke that he had won the award – adding that the media attention around him had created a lot of mental pressure on him.
The monetary awards for recipients of the Lu Xun Literary Prize are not publicly announced – though as of 2014 it stood at 100,000 Chinese yuan ($14,800; £11,000).
Born in Jiangsu province, Wang left school as a teenager due to financial hardship at home. He took on various jobs, from construction to scavenging for waste and selling things at a street stall, before becoming a food deliveryman.
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But his love for reading persisted, and over the last decade he has been posting his own poems and essays on social media.
In 2022, one of his poems, titled Man in a Hurry, went viral online. It was inspired by a incident in 2019, in which he spent hours on a frustrating delivery after a customer entered the wrong address.
In 2023 he published his first poetry collection, Man in a Hurry: Poems of a Food Delivery Rider.
Despite winning the award, Wang told the outlet he had no intention of quitting his job, adding that he planned to work until he turns 60.
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“Financially I don’t need this job to make a living, but I love the vibe of the work and it keeps me fit,” said the Global Times report. “I want a down-to-earth life and the award will never change who I am.”
Low Flight, published in 2024, is a collection of poems inspired by interviews and surveys that Wang conducted with around 200 delivery riders.
“Who says spreading your wings means flying high? Flying low is also flying,” goes one of the lines in his poems.
His win comes as a growing number of blue worker collars in China have in recent years been making their mark in the literary world.
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I Deliver Parcels in Beijing, a 2023 memoir by former courier Hu Anyan, became a runaway bestseller in China and also captured media attention abroad. An English translation of the memoir was published last year.
Another title – I am Fan Yusu – an autobiographical essay about a migrant worker’s personal struggle, swept the Chinese internet in 2017. The response was so overwhelming that Fan had to temporarily leave her home amid endless media requests.
Lu Xun, whom the literary prize is named after, is widely considered one of China’s greatest 20th century writers, known for using satirical novels to critique traditional Chinese society.
Long remembered as one of China’s most important literary figures, Lu’s works have found renewed resonance among the younger generation today: A few years ago, Kong Yiji, a character from his novel became a meme symbolising disillusionment among the Chinese youth struggling to find jobs.
The A628 road was shut on Thursday after a car fire spread to the surrounding moorland.
Work to tackle the fire and make the area safe is ongoing, with Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, National Highways, and South Yorkshire Police still at the scene.
The situation has been further compounded by another, unrelated fire at Tintwhistle, near Glossop. This fire was first reported on June 24 and has reignited several times.
Fire fighters tackling a moor fire (Image: National Highways)
As a result, Woodhead Pass will be shut in both directions between A57 (Hollingworth) and the A616 (Flouch) until at least Friday for safety reasons.
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Traffic is being diverted on local routes as a result, National Highways has warned drivers.
Anyone travelling from further afield is advised to use alternative trans-Pennine routes, such as the M1, M62, and M60.
Drivers travelling on routes affected by the closure are urged to allow for extra time, re-route, or delay the journey, if possible.
Further updates and information will be posted on the National Highways website and social media.
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