It’s been reported that the Tom Clarkson star will enter the Dales

There could be a new villain entering Emmerdale this year as reports state that a well-known cast member from Manchester’s own Waterloo Road could have signed up for the Dales.

Emmerdale could have yet another new face joining the ITV village, as there are reports that renowned Waterloo Road fan-favourite Jason Done is set to be in the Dales.

Metro reported “that Jason will appear in upcoming scenes as Steve, a man who already has a pre-existing connection within the village.”

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A source told The Sun: “This is a huge coup for Emmerdale. They’ve had massive success with other soaps’ stars joining the cast and the hope is that Jason will be another hit.”

On what fans might be able to expect if Jason does join the soap, they added: “Jason’s character is a new villain with a surprising connection to the village.”

Jason is best known for his role in Waterloo Road as teacher Tom Clarkson. He was a central figure from the very first episode in 2006 until his tragic departure in 2013, he was the show’s second-longest-serving character.

He left the show after his character died while falling from the roof of the school while trying to convince troubled student Kyle (played by George Sampson) to get down.

At the time of leaving his popular role, he said: “People think I’m an absolute idiot for leaving Waterloo Road, but hopefully I’ll prove them wrong. It wasn’t an easy decision, but you have to take risks and spice things up a bit.”

“I love Tom and my last day on set was very emotional, but I want to do all the things that initially appealed to me about becoming an actor, like taking on new projects and stepping out of my comfort zone.”

The news comes after the ITV soap welcomed newcomer Serena Sugden into the Dales, who has proven to be quite the mystery herself as she asks questions about killer John Sugden.

West End star Casey Al-Shaqsy is best known for her roles in Once on This Island (Concert- Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Hamilton (UK Tour), Wicked (UK Tour), Six: The Musical (UK Tour), Bonnie & Clyde (Concert-Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Prince of Egypt (Dominion Theatre), Rumi: The Musical (London Coliseum).

Emmerdale Producer, Laura Shaw, said: “The Sugdens are a core part of the Emmerdale fabric, and we are thrilled to welcome Casey to the family. Her character will be at the heart of some extremely gripping and unexpected storylines, forcing her to make difficult choices that will have dramatic consequences for some of the village’s biggest names.”

Casey shared her excitement about joining the show: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining such an iconic show and playing a Sugden! Serena is a fantastic character with so much going on beneath the surface. I can’t wait for the audience to see the drama unfold.”

The Princess of Wales raised smiles today as she visited the London-based Evelina Children’s Hospital that works to help some of the capital’s sickest youngsters.

Prince William‘s wife was resplendent as she arrived at the medical facility near Westminster wearing a flowy, cream dress from Suzannah London. 

The elegant midi features pin-tucks at the waist, black buttons and a matching belt to cinch the waist, with Catherine having previously worn the frock for a memorial service marking the fifth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire. 

She completed today’s look with a pair of slingback black heels and styled her ‘bronde’ hair in loose waves. 

Today’s low-key visit to the hospital, where the future Queen has been patron since 2018, will highlight its work to become London’s most comprehensive, integrated children’s hospital.

Plans are underway for a new building in the next ten years, complete with additional scanners, beds and theatres alongside state-of-the-art technology.

And it is hoped the princess’s visit will raise awareness of the Evelina London Children’s Charity’s efforts to raise £100 million towards the project.

During the engagement, Catherine visited Edward Ward, a new cardiac centre at St Thomas’ Hospital, which the Evelina is part of, where she met children being treated in what has been designed as a welcoming and friendly environment.

Catherine blowing a kiss at a young patient at the Westminster facility 

She then joined young patients and their families at Galaxy Ward, a brand-new outpatients unit with the Children’s Day Centre, where they can have face-to face heart clinic appointments, including diagnostic tests such as echocardiograms, assessments and ongoing care for children and young people with a cardiac condition.

Her last stop was to meet members of the children’s cancer programme team who are working together to plan for the move of a specialist cancer and blood and marrow transplant service.

The future Children’s Cancer Principal Treatment Centre located at Evelina will bring together teams from across London and south east England and allow children with cancer to access all the specialist services they need in one place.

It comes after the princess released heartwarming new pictures of herself with her family – including her husband, children, parents and brother – after completing the Three Peaks Challenge to raise funds for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. 

Catherine looked the part in a heartwarming post uploaded to Instagram as she was seen sporting a pair of red shorts and a baseball cap, surrounded by those closest to her.

She captioned the images: ‘This time last week, completing the National Three Peaks Challenge. A huge thank you to everybody who has supported The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.’

All three of her children were out in full force to show their support – with Charlotte, George and Louis each wearing their own practical pair of blue jeans as they smiled for the camera.

Catherine met Arjun and his family at the Edward ward today 

The future Queen seemingly bonded with Arjun as Catherine placed a gentle arm on the young boy’s shoulder 

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Catherine was resplendent in a cream dress from Suzannah London 

Catherine has been a patron of the Evelina hospital since 2018 

During a visit to Evelina’s new cardiac ward, Catherine chatted with 14-year-old Hope 

The future Queen at Evelina Children’s Hospital as she warmly greeted patients and staff 

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Today’s low-key visit to the hospital, where the future Queen has been patron since 2018, will highlight its work to become London’s most comprehensive, integrated children’s hospital

Also tagging along for parts of the hike was James Middleton, Kate’s younger brother who famously endured his own health difficulties after being treated for severe depression that left him contemplating suicide.

Posting to Instagram this evening, James said he was ‘so incredibly proud’ of his ‘darling sister’.

He added: ‘Two years ago, I told you we’d climb this mountain together. We talked about climbing mountains while you were in hospital, and about the incredible healing power that nature can have for both the body and the mind. So it was such an honour to join you for your Three Peaks Challenge for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

‘Seeing how far you’ve come is nothing short of inspiring. Your strength, resilience, and determination, all while being the most amazing mother, wife, daughter, and sister, inspire me and so many others every single day.

‘Keep being exactly who you are.’ 

The Three Peaks Challenge sees participants attempt to climb the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours: Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Scotland and the UK, standing at 4,413ft; Scafell Pike, the highest peak in England, standing at 3,209ft and Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), the highest peak in Wales, standing at 3,560ft.

The princess was driven between the peaks – Scotland, then England and finally Wales – by her team. It is not believed that any other member of the Royal Family has completed the Three Peaks Challenge, also making the princess’s triumph a royal first.

Wildfires are raging across southern Europe, with thousands of people evacuated and emergency services tackling fast-spreading flames across Spain, Greece, France and Portugal

Scots heading for sunshine breaks in Spain, Greece, France and Portugal are being warned to brace for chaos as huge wildfires rip through favourite holiday hotspots.

Travellers are told to switch on emergency alerts, with thousands already fleeing their homes as flames race across tinder‐dry ground. A massive 50,000 acres, the size of Liverpool, has been left scorched, and even the Tour de France has been hit, with spectators banned amid fears of “powder keg” conditions, reports the Mirror.

With a third potential heatwave looming this week, forecast to bring temperatures of 40C across Europe and above 31C in the UK, authorities fear further outbreaks are inevitable. While Britain has so far avoided the scale of wildfires seen in 2025, experts warn that any fires sparked in the wake of recent record-breaking heat could prove “more intense”.

A National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) spokesperson told The Mirror: “While wildfire numbers this year have not yet reached the scale we encountered last year, the risk picture is evolving. If the hot, dry weather continues, we could see wildfires becoming larger, more intense and more challenging for fire and rescue services to tackle.”

At the popular Costa Brava resort of Platja d’Aro beach, approximately 150 individuals were forced to evacuate, including 70 youngsters from a holiday camp. Catalan authorities confirmed a man had been detained on suspicion of igniting the blaze “while he was using an angle grinder by the roadside”.

In eastern Spain, firefighters tackled flames within the Sierra de Espadan Natural Park, with over 200 emergency personnel deployed alongside military units and aircraft support. Blazes across Catalonia have ravaged 2,000 hectares of woodland, prompting officials to advise locals to remain indoors.

Near the Spanish border in the isolated foothills of the French Pyrenees, 700 firefighters were working to control a raging wildfire that led to the evacuation of more than 10,000 individuals. French interior minister Laurent Nuñez stated on Monday: “This morning, conditions are ⁠deteriorating again,” noting that double the amount of land had been consumed by flames this season compared to the previous year’s equivalent period.

The “gigantic” Pyrenees blaze has almost trebled in scale since Sunday, authorities reported, advancing to within 30 metres of residential properties. “Climate change is here, we are living the consequences and it is only the start of July,” fire chief for Pyrénées-Orientales, Eric Belgioino, warned.

“This season is going to be a long one for the soldiers fighting fires. You have to help us.”

The regional prefect, Pierre Regnault de la Mothe, has instructed Tour de France spectators “not to go near the route or to the finish area” of Monday’s third stage through the Pyrenees from Spain into France. He stated it would be “limited to the passage of the riders only and vehicles essential to the race”.

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International support has arrived in the Vouzela region of central Portugal, where 1,200 firefighters and 15 aircraft are tackling a massive blaze that has raged for more than three days. Meanwhile, residents in parts of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, have been urged to stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed due to hazardous smoke from a recycling facility consumed by flames.

The Foreign Office guidance states: “Greece can experience extreme natural phenomena such as earthquakes, wildfires, extreme heat and flash floods. To be alerted to events near where you are located in Greece, make sure your mobile phone is set to allow emergency alerts.”

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As part of a package of reforms to the UK’s asylum system, Shabana Mahmood has laid out the details of a new community sponsorship route for refugees to come to the UK.

The home secretary’s announcement draws on Canada’s experience of resettling over 400,000 refugees since 1979 through community sponsorship. While the planned UK scheme is much smaller in scale, Mahmood says it will “build over time as public confidence is restored in Britain’s immigration system”.

The UK government has identified a need to respond to global crises, but has stated that any routes need to be “sustainable, well managed and in line with the UK capacity to welcome, accommodate and integrate refugees”. It has identified community sponsorship as a way to meet this aim alongside its efforts to reduce irregular migration, including small boat crossings.

Britain has some limited experience with community sponsorship. A small scheme has welcomed 600 people since 2016. Sponsor groups are required to apply for approval and must raise at least £9,000. The Homes for Ukraine scheme welcomed around 234,000 people and required pre-arrival checks for hosts. But it did not stipulate fundraising – and even provided thank you payments to hosts.

The new proposal draws on Canada’s model by allowing sponsors to name which refugees they will sponsor. It also allows a wider range of organisations to become sponsors, potentially including businesses and universities, alongside faith organisations and community groups.

The ability to name a sponsor could help improve integration and support for refugees. But it was notably absent from the first phase of the UK’s community sponsorship scheme, launched in 2015, where the UN refugee agency selected people based on need.

This changed with the Homes for Ukraine scheme, which introduced the concept of named sponsorship in the UK. But this was directly between individuals, rather than involving institutions.

Moving from independent, needs-based assessment to selection based on personal connections could mean that those with stronger networks are privileged ahead of those more in need.

Homes for Ukraine also never presented a route for institutions like employers and universities to act as sponsors. This addition to the new scheme could improve the currently low levels of employment among resettled refugees, bringing them more in line with international peers like Canada.

Who will be supported?

The UK’s previous refugee routes, such as the one that resettled 20,000 Syrian refugees between 2015 and 2020, have used the UN refugee agency’s categories of vulnerability to identify refugees for resettlement based on the following criteria:

• Legal and/or physical protection needs
• Survivors of violence and/or torture
• Medical needs
• Women and girls at risk
• Family reunification
• Children and adolescents at risk
• Lack of foreseeable alternative durable solutions

This approach has led the UK to focus on the most vulnerable as its priority. As a consequence, arriving refugees are more likely to have complex needs and may be further from being able to join the labour market.

This may partially explain the UK’s poor performance in getting resettled refugees into work. It may also reflect an ongoing lack of appropriate employment and language support for refugees.

The new scheme will retain the UN’s role in determining who is eligible. But it remains to be seen what criteria will be applied, and if vulnerability will continue to be the main priority.

Given the focus on employers and institutional sponsorship, it may be that the new cohort will be closer to the labour market and less focused on supporting those perceived as most in need.

As shown in Canada, one of the attractions of this type of sponsorship is that the networks it provides can help people access employment and become self-sufficient more quickly.

It will be important to analyse if this is the case in the UK – or if the new programme is simply accepting people who are already more likely to find employment, because of their pre-existing skills and experience.

Not an alternative to state support

One argument in favour of a sponsorship model is that community sponsors can replace the role of the state in the resettlement process, and therefore reduce costs to the state.

The UK experience with Homes for Ukraine bears this out. Hosting refugees in people’s homes circumvented some of the ongoing issues with, and costs of, housing other groups – for example, Afghan refugees.

However, research by my team at the University of Oxford’s Centre on Migration, Policy and Society found that, far from replacing state support, the presence and development of state capacity was a vital prerequisite for the success of Homes for Ukraine.

Local authorities provided pre-arrival checks on sponsors, and acted as a backstop if sponsor relationships broke down. Our research found that this role was crucial in building trust in the scheme and safeguarding arrivals.

On the flipside, in the small-scale community sponsorship scheme launched prior to Homes for Ukraine, local authorities had power to veto sponsorship groups. This veto could be an important factor in ensuring ongoing local consent for migration. But it slowed the uptake of the scheme, and caused frustration among sponsor groups.

Either way, local government has provided crucial – but often invisible – infrastructure to support community sponsorship. While undoubtedly a positive development, the creation of community sponsorship routes should not be separated from refugee resettlement, or from broader work to support community cohesion and integration.

By JACK BEZANTS, US DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR

Published: 15:38 BST, 6 July 2026 | Updated: 15:55 BST, 6 July 2026

Donald Trump has said the World Cup referee that sent off USA’s Folarin Balogun was ‘suspect’ before his intervention to get the star striker’s one-game ban overturned.

Speaking at the White House Monday, the President offered no apologies for his unprecedented move but insisted he did not demand Balogun’s ban was flipped in his phone call with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

The move has sparked outrage with Belgium, the USA’s next opponent, launching a dramatic late appeal to have the ban reinstated hours before kickoff in Seattle. 

Trump, however, told the Belgians that the World Cup last-16 game would have been ‘rigged’ without Balogun and took aim at the referee who brandished the red card in Raphael Claus, from Brazil. 

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‘Yeah, I did, I spoke to Gianni. I asked for a review by FIFA,’ Trump said. ‘That wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed who happened to crash into each other. 

‘You can’t properly place your foot on somebody else’s foot when you’re going full speed. No, these were two great athletes who got tangled up. And this referee, who is a little bit suspect – if you check his past. I don’t want to say that because I don’t like to create controversy, but very suspect. If you’d like, I’ll provide you with his past.’

Donald Trump has spoken out on his involvement in the Folarin Balogun red card drama 

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Trump said the referee who sent Balogun off, Brazilian Raphael Claus, had a ‘suspect past’

Claus was once accused of match-fixing in 2023 in Brazil but was never charged with any wrongdoing and there is no suggestion of any type of allegation aimed at Claus in this World Cup.

‘Firstly, it wasn’t a foul,’ Trump added. ‘And then you have to look at the person who made the decision. The game tonight is going to be amazing. We are going to have a full team and Belgium is going to have a full team. And you know what, if they beat us they can be really proud.

‘This game would have a big mark on it. The other way, if they beat us I would say it is rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020.’

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Balogun, USA’s top scorer in the tournament with three goals, was given a straight red card during the USA’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last 32 – a decision at the time that was criticized for being wrong. 

He tangled with Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic and his leg raked down Muharemovic’s calf while he was struggling to balance and jostling to win possession of the ball.

Trump continued: ‘He (Balogun) didn’t do anything wrong, and he’s our best player, or one of our best players, a very vital player and they gave him a red card.

‘I didn’t think it meant much. Then I started hearing that it means you can’t play in the next game, at least in the next game. 

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‘That’s one thing, to penalize somebody for the game. But how do you penalize them for a game that hasn’t been played yet? It’s very unfair. You can’t do that.’

Belgium have appealed to get USA striker Folarin Balogun re-banned for their last-16 game

Balogun was sent off for a tackle during their 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ironically, Balogun qualifies to play for the United States due to ‘birthright citizenship’ – a rule Trump has wanted to overturn. 

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His heavily pregnant mother was stopped from boarding a flight out of the United States when she was heavily pregnant and Balogun was then born in Brooklyn, New York. 

After FIFA kicked back Balogun’s ban on Sunday, Trump, who was awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize by Infantino last year, wrote on Truth Social: ‘Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice! President DONALD J. TRUMP.’ 

Infantino was sat next to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick during the game where Balogun was sent off in the San Francisco Bay.

MORE TO FOLLOW 

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London bus fares have been frozen at least until November before a rise looms.

Londoners faced with the spiralling cost of living will be relieved to hear that bus fares are not going up, for now.

While Tube fares have seen annual rises, bus journeys have been frozen since March 2023 at £1.75.

Now the London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced the bus and tram ticket freeze will continue for four more months until November.

How much bus tickets will cost after the freeze ends

After November 1, though, single adult bus and tram fares are expected to rise by 10p to £1.85.

Under the freeze, the daily bus cap is set at £5.25, but after it ends, the cap will rise by 30p to £5.55, which TfL says is in line with Tube fare increases.

The seven-day bus and tram pass will rise to £26.10 after November 1.

Transport for London said that if bus fares had risen in line with inflation in the past decade, a single journey would now cost £2.35.

Currently, bus passengers can make unlimited journeys for one hour for £1.75 under the hopper fare system.

During the summer holidays and festivities, Saturday and Sunday travel on buses and trams will cost only £1.75 for the entire day during a hopper fare offer from July 25 until the end of August.

The mayor said: ‘I’m pleased to extend the freeze on bus and tram fares for another four months, and will continue doing everything in my power to keep TfL services as affordable as possible, as I know the cost-of-living crisis is still hitting many Londoners hard.

‘My Hopper fare has enabled millions of people to save money on bus and tram travel over the past decade, and now the exciting new Weekend Hopper will make it even cheaper and easier for Londoners and visitors to enjoy all that our great city has to offer this summer.’

Passenger watchdog London TravelWatch welcomed the four-month extension and commitments to improve bus travel.

A spokesperson said: ‘But the inflation-busting increase in bus fares due in November – if it happens – will be hard to take for passengers on lower incomes who depend on this form of transport, particularly when they are seeing the slowest ever bus speeds across the network or, in some cases, reduced service frequencies on their routes.’

London’s iconic red buses, which carry around five million people a day, have come under fire due to falling speeds.

On average, London buses trundle at speeds of just 7mph, slightly above a jogger going at an easy pace, The Standard reports, citing figures from the Confederation of Passenger Transport.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Paul Sharpe, 56, has pleaded guilty to six offences including kidnapping, sexual assault, and threats with a blade.

At around 7.30pm on May 18, Sharpe abducted the girl on Bradgate Road, near Dunham Massey, and forced her into his car, telling her that her father owed him money.

He then drove to a car park at the airport before tying her wrists and ankles with a neck tie.

Sharpe sexually assaulted the victim, forced her to drink alcohol, and continued moving between car parks throughout the night.

Police began a search after the girl was reported missing by her mother, with CCTV enquiries leading officers to identify Sharpe’s vehicle.

He was arrested in a hotel car park in Knutsford at around 3.40am the following morning.

During police interview, Sharpe said he had been feeling bad and so he kidnapped the girl thinking it would be easier than kidnapping an adult.

He claimed he planned to release her when it was light and then take his own life.

Sharpe, originally from Bury, now from Portwood, Stockport, denied that his actions were sexually motivated, though he admitted being aroused by smelling her feet.

Hannah Gee of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Paul Sharpe, a convicted murderer, kidnapped an innocent girl at knifepoint in broad daylight.

“In this terrifying incident, the victim was held captive for eight hours while Sharpe forced her to drink alcohol and sexually assaulted her.

“Sharpe gave no thought to the impact his actions, for his own depraved reasons, would have on his victim.

“Although his guilty pleas today have spared her from the ordeal of a trial, I would like to thank the girl, and her family, for supporting this prosecution and ensuring this dangerous offender is back where he belongs.”

Sharpe pleaded guilty to kidnapping, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence, sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, threatening another with a bladed article and administering a noxious thing with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy.

He will be sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court on September 4.

His offences come after Sharpe was convicted of murdering a Bolton woman in 2000.

Sharpe, then of Wellington Road, Bury, was jailed for killing 28-year-old Sarah Jane Widdup on October 14, 2000, after she had been found strangled in the bedroom of her semi-detached house in Deepdale Road, Breightmet.

Cambridgeshire County Council says more than 100 people have been seriously hurt on the listed routes since 2017

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Cambridgeshire County Council is consulting on proposals to reduce speed limits to 20mph on additional Cambridge roads. The authority states that more than 100 people have sustained serious injuries on the specified routes since 2017.

A number of roads in Cambridge could have their speed limits lowered to 20mph. As part of a cross-Cambridge project, the proposed reductions follow 100 people suffering serious injuries across these routes over the past nine years.

The routes selected for the new lower limits include those that have received the strongest community backing, as well as several known accident hotspots.

• Barton Road (from Grantchester Road to Kings Road)
• Brooklands Avenue
• Chesterton Lane
• Chesterton Road (Mitcham’s Corner to Magdalene Bridge)
• Coldhams Lane (Cromwell Road to Brook’s Road roundabout)
• Corona Road
• Croft Holme Lane (part of Mitcham’s Corner gyratory)
• East Road (and Grafton Centre service roads)
• Gonville Place
• Hills Road (Lensfield Road to Brooklands Avenue)
• Lensfield Road
• Milton Road (Mitcham’s Corner junction only)
• Newnham Road
• Northampton Street
• Queen’s Road
• Trumpington Road (Trumpington Street to Brooklands Avenue)
• Trumpington Street (Mill Lane to Trumpington Road)
• Victoria Avenue (Mitcham’s Corner junction)

A consultation has now opened for residents to share their views. It will run from 1st July to 5th August.

Our readers have shared their opinions, with some calling for stricter enforcement. One reader, Garyblowpants, comments: “This needs to be accompanied with speed cameras too, as it is well known that motorists regularly flout speed signs. Every time they are caught the fine should increase exponentially.”

Danieal states: “Another absolute waste of money.”

Rhodabike writes: “More congestion-generating schemes masquerading as ‘safety improvements’. We’re supposed to believe that all these roads have suddenly, simultaneously become so dangerous that they need to be tampered with? Many of these suggestions are laughable. Major arterial routes like Hills Road, Trumpington Road, and Milton Road should not be reduced to snail pace. And Corona Road? Seriously? It’s a short, narrow cul-de-sac. You could barely even reach 10mph there. Just shows what these councillors know. What a waste of taxpayers’ money.”

Rootintootinredux said: “Agreed as long as they monitor cyclists too, bring forth mandatory license plates for bicycles as they do in some US cities! Also, let’s add red light cameras to fine cyclists for riding through them.”

Freddly quotes: ” ‘I urge everyone to let us know their thoughts on the proposals.’ – Fair enough, as long as we are clear from the outset that if you come from a car-owning household, while you may be in the majority, your opinion carries less weight because you are part of the problem. The council is in the business of solving or alleviating problems.”

Carbonneutralfeminist says: “Once again, let us know how many serious accidents and deaths are caused by cyclists. There’s a reason why it is not necessary for us, just as people don’t need license plates for walking or running. Cyclists are not subject to the statutory speed limits that apply to motor vehicles. If we want to do 30 in a 20, that’s perfectly fine.”

Desperatedanno writes: “So that’s basically the whole of Cambridge then. Anyone who has driven in London will know what a dystopian hellhole it is. At night, you feel like you are in some kind of post-apocalyptic movie. Let’s not mention the massive increase in pollution for all, along with ludicrous inconvenience. A five-fold reduction in serious injury? Fine, but where are the figures for minor ones? It is impossible to drive safely in a town with such a variety of road users while forever checking the speedo – at a speed for which no modern car is suited. But hey, why stop there? If safety is our only issue, let’s make it 10mph. Or 0mph. Then we will all be safe. And as good as dead. Please remind me: who, precisely, voted for this? And when? I don’t recall being asked. Whatever mandate these people claim to have, it sure didn’t come from us. This is a clear agenda from on high, wherever that may be. As such it needs to be stopped.”

Tartan53 adds: “Good luck to any drivers of emergency vehicles trying to get through the convoys that are caused by 20mph limits, add that to cycle wands, not a hope for them. Even if the whole of Cambridge voted against 20mph, Camcycle and Beckett would still go ahead.”

Do you think the roads in question will benefit from the limit being reduced to 20mph? Comment below or HERE to have your say.

Jordan Henderson was stretchered off the pitch after falling over the advertising hoardings as England celebrated their 3-2 World Cup last-16 victory over Mexico, with Thomas Tuchel confirming the wrist injury looks ‘really bad’ and may require surgery

Jordan Henderson was rushed to hospital after Thomas Tuchel confessed that the wrist injury sustained by the midfielder appeared ‘really bad’.

Henderson was carried off the Mexico City Stadium pitch on a stretcher after tumbling over the advertising hoardings during his side’s celebrations following their 3-2 last-16 World Cup triumph over Mexico.

The former Liverpool captain needed oxygen while being stretchered away, and in an alarming update to the BBC, England manager Tuchel acknowledged the injury was ‘really bad’ and may necessitate surgery.

He said: “Not good, not good, next thing is a right defender now with the red card, Jordan just fell over an injured his wrist, it looks really bad.”

During his post-match press conference, Tuchel disclosed: “He injured his wrist, he’s gone to hospital it’s quite a serious injury. It doesn’t fit with the night. I don’t know if there will be a procedure.”

Henderson will now stay behind in Mexico alongside England support staff, while his teammates make their way back to their base in Kansas City, reports the Mirror.

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Captain Harry Kane had initially offered a reassuring assessment of Henderson’s condition, stating: “Jordan [Henderson] just fell over there, I think he’s okay, just something to do with his arm.”

However, teammate Jude Bellingham subsequently heightened concerns by conceding: “He’s in a bit bother but our medical team have it under control.”

Bellingham also heaped praise on his team’s resilience after they weathered a serious fright to progress to the quarter-finals, where Norway awaits. The Real Madrid star had netted twice in quick succession to establish a 2-0 advantage, but Julian Quinonez struck from close range to hand Mexico a lifeline before half-time.

Mexican optimism intensified when right-back Jarell Quansah received his marching orders for a dreadful tackle early in the second period, only for Tuchel’s men to hit back instantly through Kane’s spot-kick. Raul Jimenez converted a penalty of his own to heighten English anxiety, but Tuchel’s charges held firm to secure passage.

Bellingham reflected: “Hard to gather it all together really. With 10 men defending how we defended our box, being clinical how we were in their box.

“Big pressure moments in years gone by watching as a fan, as a kid, England probably would have crumbled but we stuck together until the last second.

“The players who came on, the players that started, running themselves into the ground and giving everything. That is what what this team is about.

“The atmosphere was by far the best I have played against in international football. This country as a footballing country is magnificent.

“The reception we had coming off the plane, although it was hostile, it was beautiful to see how passionate one country can be about their team.

“The refereeing decisions, it is what it is. It’s the World Cup and they are human too. As easy as it is to say now, they are human, we made a lot more than they did, but no worries we got through.”

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