Accell UK and Ireland, part of the Netherlands-based Accell Group, filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators as the wider group kick-started insolvency proceedings.
The company bought Raleigh in 2012 for around 100 million US dollars (£74 million), adding to its roster of bike brands throughout Europe including Haibike, Winora and Ghost.
The 139-year-old British bikemaker was founded in Nottingham in 1887 and became well-known for its Chopper model, which featured extended handlebars and is now part of its “retro” range.
Raleigh was bought by the Netherlands-based Accell Group in 2012. (Image: PA)
Chief executive of Accell Group, Jonas Nilsson, said: “This is a deeply sad and frustrating situation given all the hard work and everything we have achieved, with the support of shareholders and lenders, to restructure Accell’s operations and finances.
Advertisement
“It is an especially difficult moment for our employees, creditors, customers, suppliers, and partners.”
Although Raleigh no longer manufactures bicycles in Nottingham, its head office is now based in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire.
Under Accell’s ownership, the brand shifted focus to electric bikes.
Raleigh owner Accell Group files for administration
Earlier this year, Accell restructured, secured additional funding, and reduced debt.
Advertisement
But the group said it had now “explored every possible avenue” for the business’s future, including discussions with potential buyers.
Having failed to secure a viable solution, the company has now begun insolvency proceedings in the Netherlands.
Mr Nilsson said: “Every realistic option for the future of the business has been tirelessly explored, and none have resulted in a solution to continue the Group in its current form.
“Our immediate focus is to support an orderly process, provide clarity wherever possible, and work with the relevant court-appointed administrators to preserve viable activities and employment where circumstances allow.”
Advertisement
Other major UK companies that have closed or entered administration/liquidation in 2026
It has been a tough year for the UK high street, with several other retailers entering administration or liquidation and others announcing widespread store closures.
Major high street brands LK Bennett, Claire’s, and Quiz have been forced to close all their remaining stores after falling into administration.
UK fashion retailer Leading Labels is also set to close its remaining 15 stores after falling into liquidation.
Whitbread recently confirmed it will be closing all its UK restaurants in September:
It’s also been reported that Morrisons is looking to sell some of its in-store pharmacies as it continues to cut costs.
It hasn’t all been bad news for the UK high street, with several major brands announcing new store openings for 2026, including Aldi, M&S, and Superdrug.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, brands including Evans and Bodycare have returned to the UK high street this year after previously closing all their stores.
Have you ever owned a Raleigh bike? Let us know in the poll above or in the comments below.
“Under Kemi Badenoch’s strong leadership, a Conservative gain ought to be within reach, if the hard work is put in. I was the MP for nineteen years, and a Government Minister for 12 years (only Michael Gove served longer in the 2010-24 governments), and it is time for me to face new challenges and for a successor Conservative candidate to win back the seat from Labour, as I did in 2005.
A Norfolk town has seen disorder across two nights (Picture: Scott Hussey/SWNS)
A market town has been plunged into chaos by anti-immigration protests across two nights, leading to attacks on police officers and subsequent arrests.
On Tuesday, crowds of up to 100 people were seen storming homes linked to asylum seekers in Norfolk.
The individuals shouted and attempted to gain access to the properties in St John’s Way, Thetford, with a small group managing to enter one, force a resident out, and steal their phone.
As the disorder continued on Thursday evening, two men were arrested after two police officers were taken to hospital, with one female officer ‘seriously bitten’.
Advertisement
Other arrests were made for offences including public order, harassment, and possession of an offensive weapon.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking Newsalerts the moment it happens.
Advertisement
One man aged in his 40s remains in custody, while Brian Thompson, 68, of Fairfields, has been charged for possessing a wooden bat and has been bailed ahead of a court appearance on August 25.
Crowds of up to 100 people stormed properties linked to asylum seekers, leading to a strong police presence (Picture: Scott Hussey/SWNS)
Earlier this week, properties were damaged with their windows smashed and fences broken, and people attempted to break into a residential property, police said.
Increased police powers were then granted this evening, allowing officers to direct people to remove face coverings or leave the area if they commit or ‘may commit’ anti-social behaviour.
Those who refused to remove a face covering when asked could be arrested, Norfolk Police added.
The force added that ‘significant police resources’ were deployed to Thetford on Wednesday night to maintain public safety after a large group of people gathered on Clover Way.
Advertisement
It was reported that people were ‘trying to gain access to a residential property’ and that group members ‘became physically aggressive towards officers’. This involved a male officer being struck with a rock, while the biting of his female colleague ‘broke the skin’.
A third officer was spat at.
Windows were smashed and had eggs thrown at them (Picture: Eastern Daily Press/SWNS)
Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice claimed the disorder is a sign ‘local people are furious that large numbers of illegal migrants are being dumped into their locality’.
He told Times Radio: ‘Those local communities should be allowed to express that concern and anxiety without instantly being smeared and labelled as being bigots in some way.
‘That is very different to any form of violence.’
Advertisement
Windows on a terraced house on that street appeared to be smeared with broken eggs today.
A marked police car was parked near the street, which is close to a primary school, and uniformed officers were seen at the rear of a property.
The police response was criticised by some local people, though, with one unnamed resident of Clover Way describing how, at around 9.30pm on Wednesday, ‘lots of young boys … came up on bikes and chucked eggs at the house’.
It was said the protests ‘started peaceful’ (Picture: Eastern Daily Press/SWNS)
The largely seated protest started ‘peaceful’ until extra officers arrived and formed a line, she said, after which it ‘started to get a little bit rowdy’ as protesters ‘took a step forward’ towards law enforcement.
No one tried to get into the house, she said, adding that police ‘started pepper-spraying people’, including ‘a lady in a wheelchair’.
Advertisement
There were ‘a few young idiots picking up stones, lobbing them at a police car’.
‘They brought a riot van down and blocked the front of the house,’ she explained, adding that officers got out batons, made arrests and told people to leave.
‘This is a very quiet estate; nothing happens here.’
Meanwhile, Scott Hussey, a Reform UK councillor for the Brecks ward for Norfolk County Council, said the street was divided with 30 officers on one side and about 80 ‘people from the town’ on the other.
Advertisement
‘Many people who had just come out of their houses to watch,’ he insisted, saying it was ‘mainly peaceful’ when he was there.
The town’s MP, Terry Jermy, further said that the ‘ugly scenes’ in Thetford over the past few days have been ‘difficult to watch’, calling them ‘deeply concerning’.
Mr Jermy has previously called on the Home Office to end ‘secrecy and confusion’ around plans to house more asylum seekers in former military barracks – including at RAF Barnham near Thetford.
Scott Hussey, a Reform councillor for the nearby Brecks division on Norfolk County Council, said a “peaceful protest” had started at the town’s police station on Wednesday night before it moved to Clover Way.
“I counted up to the 30 officers lined up on one side of the street and on the other side maybe up to 100 protesters,” he said.
“There were some skirmishes, it was a spirited protest but I didn’t see any violence.”
He accused the Home Office of “opening a number of these HMOs across Thetford” and “trying to rush through the site for asylum seekers at Barnham”.
Advertisement
“We fully support their right to protest. I’d encourage people to protest peacefully and most of what I saw yesterday was peaceful.”
Jermy has previously called on the Home Office to end “secrecy and confusion” around plans to house more asylum seekers in former military barracks – including at RAF Barnham, near Thetford.
In a statement he condemned the unrest, saying: “People have been pulled from their homes – a place of safety – and forcibly removed, with reports of members of the public breaking into homes, taking property and smashing windows.
“This would have been utterly terrifying for the people in these properties and also very worrying for neighbouring residents.
Advertisement
“I do not know the immigration status of the people placed in these properties or their legal status, but I know they are human beings that must be afforded the same rights that we all expect in this country.
“Whatever our own individuals views on immigration – mob rule and vigilantism is not acceptable.”
Do you have a story suggestion for Norfolk? Contact us below.
Four people have been charged in connection with a probe into how the two 17-year-olds ended up in the Southeast Asian country
Four people have been charged in connection with a probe into the arrest of two Cardiff children in Thailand. Two 17-year-olds were arrested in the Southeast Asian country in June, sparking a South Wales Police investigation into the circumstances which led to them travelling to the country.
Advertisement
On Thursday evening, the force confirmed five people had been arrested in connection with its ongoing investigation. Four were subsequently charged and are due to appear at Cardiff Magistrates Court on Friday, August 7.
Levi Mohamed, 20, of Butetown, Cardiff, who has been charged with conspiring to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug and four counts of conspiring to arrange the travel of another with a view to exploitation.
Patrick O’Driscoll, 30, of Caerau, Cardiff, who has been charged with conspiring to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug, four counts of conspiring to arrange the travel of another with a view to exploitation, and possession of a firearm.
Gareth Press, 42, of Ely, Cardiff, who has been charged with conspiring to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug and two counts of conspiring to arrange the travel of another with a view to exploitation.
Ffion Bowes-Cavanagh Hooley, 24, of Caerau, Cardiff, who has been charged with conspiring to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug.
A 23-year-old man from Keighley, West Yorkshire, who was arrested on suspicion of improper importation of controlled drugs, was released on police bail.
The arrests took place in Cardiff and West Yorkshire on Wednesday, August 5. In a statement South Wales Police added: “Those charged are due to appear at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (Friday, August 7).
“The children remain in custody in Thailand where they are being supported by their families and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Advertisement
“The families have been updated regarding the arrests and charges. We understand this continues to be a concerning time for them and wider community.”
They asked anyone with any information or concerns to contact them, quoting reference 2600200125, online here, by dialling 101, or calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice.
Emma McGowan, 39, was pronounced dead after police were called to an incident at a house on Yewdale Avenue, Breightmet, in the early hours of Tuesday, August 4.
Officer announced later that day they were treating the incident as a murder investigation, and Ms McGowan’s family have now paid tribute to her.
A family spokesperson said: “A much-loved daughter and adored mother to four young children.
Floral tributes at the scene (Image: Phil Taylor)
“Our hearts are broken, and we will miss you forever.”
Scarborough businesses have recently seen a sharp rise in retail crime despite a reduction of 11 per cent across North Yorkshire, leading coastal councillors to question what action is being taken to tackle the surge.
York and North Yorkshire’s deputy mayor for policing and crime, Jo Coles, said that North Yorkshire Police was taking retail crime “really seriously”.
Jo Coles, York & North Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime.
Speaking at a recent meeting of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire, and Crime Panel, Cllr Janet Jefferson said: “While there appears to be a positive reduction in recorded retail crime in the force area of around 11 per cent in the last year, retail crime continues to be problematic in areas such as Scarborough.”
The representative for Castle Ward added: “With a reported increase of around 27 per cent in the same period, is the deputy mayor satisfied that the best approach is being taken to tackle this problem across the coast? We do have a 24/7 radio link with about 80 members throughout the town covering businesses.”
Advertisement
Deputy mayor, Ms Coles said: “The mayor and I have been absolute champions of the need to do more around retail crime across York and North Yorkshire – it is a huge problem.
“We had the inspection report that was recently published, and a drop of 11 per cent in retail crime across North Yorkshire is not to be underestimated in terms of an achievement for the force.”
Ms Coles said North Yorkshire Police was taking retail crime “really seriously” and that there had been “two retail crime symposiums really bringing partners together to ensure everyone is doing everything they can”.
She added: “I’m very aware that the reduction is an incredible achievement but it isn’t being felt in every part of the county and that we replicate good practice wherever possible. It is something that is a partnership response, and the criminal justice element is also really important and the tools that are available to police once someone is arrested, and it’s something we’re looking at.
Advertisement
“The mayor and I are continuing to hold NYP closely to account on retail crime.”
North Yorkshire Police, Fire And Crime Panel, July 2026. NYC
In July, North Yorkshire Police said that “with the summer months, there comes an increase in retail crime, street crime and anti-social behaviour across Scarborough – this includes more shop thefts, street-drinkers, and generalised anti-social behaviour”.
In order to tackle the seasonal increase, NYP has launched Operation Sun to “combat the increase of crime and anti-social behaviour in Scarborough”.
The force added: “We have increased high-visibility foot patrols in the town centre and key areas of Scarborough, to proactively deter and prevent crime and anti-social behaviour. The patrols will also act to arrest and pursue criminality on our streets.”
If you travel on the Huddersfield line, tickets and passes are being accepted on the following services that serve Ashton, Dukinfield, Droylsden, Stalybridge, Mossley, Greenfield: 80, 180, 184, 216, 219, 230, 237, 343, 350, 356.Passengers can also travel by tram on the following lines: Ashton-under-Lyne line.
If you travel on the Manchester – Southport line, tickets and passes are being accepted on the following services that serve Salford, Swinton, Walkden, Tyldesley, Atherton, Westhoughton, Daisy Hill, Hindley, Ince, Wigan, Pemberton and Orrell: V1, V2, 608, 609, 35, 132, 601, 602, 640, 641, 635, 632, 36, 37, 38. 607
If you travel on the Chester via Altrincham line, tickets and passes are being accepted on the following services that serve Aswood, Stockport, Reddish, Levenshulme, Longsight, Cheadle, Gatley, Wythenshawe, Timperley, Altrincham, Hale Barns and Manchester Airport: 7, 11, 42A, 42B, 43, 192, 203, 310, 313, 368, 370, 371, 378. Passengers can also travel by tram on the following lines: Manchester Airport line.
Advertisement
More information can be found on the Bee Network website here.
Three fire engines from Bolton North and Bolton Central attended the incident on Barlow Park Avenue at around 6.50pm on Wednesday (August 5), after a fire broke out inside the disused building.
(Image: Will Philips)
The building, located just beyond the entrance to the park, is believed to be a former changing room.
Witnesses said they saw smoke coming from the property before firefighters arrived and extinguished the blaze.
(Image: Will Philips)
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: “At 6.50pm on Wednesday 5 August, three fire engines from Bolton North, Bolton Central attended an incident on Barlow Park Avenue, Bolton.
Advertisement
“The fire involved rubbish in a derelict building. Crews used specialist equipment to extinguish the fire and were in attendance for around 20 minutes.”
(Image: Will Philips)
Witnesses also reported seeing an ambulance at the scene.
After firefighters left, the building remained accessible and was not cordoned off.
Residents have since raised concerns about the condition of the derelict property, saying it contains broken glass, rubbish and other debris and warning that it poses a potential safety hazard as people can still enter the site.
Advertisement
(Image: Will Philips)
The cause of the fire has not been confirmed.
The North West Ambulance Service has been contacted for comment.
The recent confirmation of an atmosphere around a rocky exoplanet called LHS 1140b has created a wave of interest within the astronomy community. The planet orbits within the habitable zone around its parent star – a red dwarf located some 48 light years from Earth.
The habitable zone is the region around the star where temperatures are just right for water to remain liquid at a planet’s surface. Astronomers detected helium being lost from the upper atmosphere of LHS 1140b. But heavier chemical compounds, such as water, which is a key ingredient for life, could exist lower in its atmosphere.
Observing distant exoplanets using telescopes opens new doors for science, but will it ever be possible to travel to these worlds and observe them up close? While this has generally been seen as the stuff of science fiction until now, emerging technologies allow us to imagine a future where such missions are possible in the decades ahead.
There is particular interest in miniaturised spacecraft for interstellar voyages. In large part, this is because it’s easier and cheaper to propel a small spacecraft to another star system – and have it get there within a person’s lifetime – than it is to do the same with a large vehicle.
Advertisement
Miniaturisation of sensors has seen great advances, for example through smart phone technology where highly capable cameras with low mass, power and volume are routinely used. Researchers have even developed “smart dust”; sensors that are millimetre-scale in size or smaller that can detect light, temperature or chemicals.
The space probe itself would need a form of propulsion capable of accelerating it to mildly relativistic speeds, say 10-20% of the speed of light. After a travel time of many decades, the sensors would pass through a target star system without stopping, making in-situ observations and then very slowly drip data back to Earth.
This isn’t quite Star Trek, but it’s a potentially plausible idea that would enable us to study neighbouring stars and their planets up close. This kind of concept has been actively pursued by a philanthropically funded venture known as Breakthrough Starshot. This programme investigated the key technologies required for an interstellar journey using small probes.
Lights sails are seen as one of the most suitable forms of propulsion for such a mission. As the name implies, these are thin reflective membranes.
For interstellar travel, directed energy from a laser could be used to push the spacecraft forward. Photons, the quantum packets of energy of which light is composed, transport momentum as well as energy. Therefore, when light reflects off a mirror it exerts a pressure on the mirror.
In most circumstances the pressure due to light is imperceptibly small. However, for an intense enough beam of light, and an ultra-lightweight membrane mirror, light pressure can act as a means of spacecraft propulsion.
In order to accelerate a light sail to relativistic speeds, a hefty laser would be required, with an effective power of tens of gigawatts. This wouldn’t be a single device. Instead, it would probably comprise an array of separate laser devices synchronised together to generate a beam of coherent light.
Advertisement
Accelerated to the stars
Pushing a reflective light sail a few metres across with such a laser would accelerate the sail to its cruising speed in a matter of minutes.
The advantage of beam-power propulsion systems is that the laser assembly is left behind and only a small payload is accelerated to the stars. In contrast, conventional rockets have to haul their own propellant, which puts them at a severe disadvantage for such ultra-high energy missions.
The disadvantage of beam power propulsion is that the payload can’t easily stop, so a probe would pass through its target star system in only a few days.
Engineers at Nasa’s Langley Research Center inspect a solar sail. The unfurled sail is approximately 30 feet (about nine metres) on one of its sides. Nasa
While multi-gigawatt laser-pushed light sails may seem to be a bit of a stretch at present due to the colossal scale of such a venture, advances in miniaturisation could pave the way for tiny intelligent sensor nodes to be our first interstellar voyagers.
Perhaps we’ll first travel to the stars with an AI asleep at the wheel for decades, until it awakens for a few days of frantic activity as our machine proxies get their first glimpse of alien worlds.
Aside from pushing light sails with gigawatt lasers, reflective membranes can also be pushed by light pressure from the Sun. These “solar sails” have a long and rich history and were first proposed in the 1920s by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky and Friedrich Tsander, two of the great Russian pioneers of astronautics. Tsiolkovsky wrote of using “tremendous mirrors of very thin sheets”.
Tools for exploring
While laser-propelled light sails are for the future, solar sails are for the present. A number of small solar sails have already been launched into Earth orbit for technology demonstration purposes. Scaling up solar sails for deep space missions could deliver a new set of tools for exploring our solar system.
First, since solar sails do not need to carry propellant, they are capable of high-energy, long-duration missions, some of which are just about impossible for conventional spacecraft. For example, to rendezvous with a long period comet on an elliptical or highly inclined orbit about the Sun requires significant energy.
Advertisement
Moreover, returning a surface sample from such a comet to Earth becomes even more difficult. For conventional rocket propulsion, the spacecraft needs to haul propellant for the return journey all the way to the target comet.
For solar sails, returning to Earth is little different to reaching the comet in the first place. Solar sails can “tack” by tilting the sail to gain momentum and so spiral away from the Sun, or flipping the sail to lose momentum and spiral back inwards towards the Sun.
Solar sails can also move along unconventional orbits with light pressure used to offset gravity. For example, this could allow a solar sail to hover stationary high above the poles of the Earth.
Solar sails and light sails are stepping stones from the present to the future, and from exploring our own solar system to exploring distant stars. Perhaps exoplanet LHS 1140b will be visited by a light sail at some point in our future.
The devasting wildfire at Llanwonno Wildfire has been stood down from major incident status on Thursday evening.
Firefighters will remain at the scene for the coming days to damp down any hotspots, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said in an update.
All local roads that were closed have now been re-opened.
“Following successful aerial firefighting support from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and the continued efforts of firefighters and partner agencies, significant progress has been made in bringing the incident under control,” SWFRS said.
Advertisement
” We are pleased to confirm that all properties in the area remain protected. Firefighters will continue to maintain a presence at the scene over the coming days to dampen down remaining hotspots, and tackle the ongoing peat fire on Penrhys Mountain.
“Our Fire Crime Team will remain in the community, providing fire safety advice and support to residents affected by the incident. South Wales Police will also continue their routine patrols in the area. All local road closures have now been lifted.
“We would like to express our sincere thanks to the local community for their patience, understanding and support throughout this incident. We are particularly grateful for the many kind messages received as our crews, alongside partner agencies, worked tirelessly to bring this challenging wildfire under control.”
(Image: John Myers)
Advertisement
Llanwonno Forestry continues to burn almost three days since a wildfire broke out(Image: John Myers)
You must be logged in to post a comment Login