For 30 years, residents of two streets in Weybridge have carefully tended to parcels of land outside their homes.

Some have grown flowers and plants in the gardens of Brooklands Road and Summer Close, while others have watched their children and grandchildren play in them.

But now PA Housing has said it’s all got to go.

They have told residents in the Surrey neighbourhood that they need to get rid of all their planters, furniture and toys because they have become overgrown and attracting rodents.

Wendy, 66, has lived there for 14 years and says children come from all over to play there.

She said: ‘I don’t understand why they don’t just take over the ones that aren’t being maintained. We all play our part to look after it.’

Some tenants claim their flats were leased decades ago on the premise that the land outside was their own and they were responsible for tending to it.

However, in a letter on June 17, PA Housing said they had ‘confirmed that the garden areas in question form part of the communal land and are not allocated for the sole use of individual residents.’

They added that previous agreements were not ‘legally binding’.

Single mum-of-three Priya, 25, said: ‘It says explicitly on my tenancy agreement that I have a garden.

‘Now my kids are devastated because they don’t have a garden to play in. There is no safe play area for my children around here.

‘I don’t mind maintaining my garden because I have the support of my neighbours to look after it. My son is being tested for ADHD and he needs his own space.’

Edward, 46, has lived in his home for 12 years. He said he doesn’t think it is a good idea for PA Housing to take over the gardens because, he claims, he’s been pleading with them for over a decade to help maintain public areas.

He said that there are overgrown plants and that new bins brought in outside his bedroom window are what is attracting the rats.

He said: ‘If it goes back to the council then they won’t maintain it. I have been asking them for 12 years for a fence.

‘In this heat I can’t even have the windows and doors open. The smell of the urine and poo of the rats and the bins just makes me ill.’

Among the gardens is a tribute to a resident who died four years ago.

Wendy said: ‘Her children still like to come and visit it because she put the mirrors up. The rose bush is also for Rachel, it will be sad if that goes.

‘She was such a character. She used to worship the sun so she was always sat out here.’

A consultation meeting was held on July 8 where 20 residents turned up, however Lorna Alexander, 71, said they don’t know what is going to happen next.

She said: ‘People are not always told what gardens they are tending hence we get issues like this where PA housing turn up and say they are taking them all.

‘It is really not acceptable because of the people who do work hard to maintain them.

‘I am ashamed to have people over because these overgrown gardens are the first thing that they see. I am happy for PA Housing to take over those ones, but not the ones people are tending.’

Sally-Anne Underhill, Director of Neighbourhoods at PA Housing said: ‘We recognise the need to improve the condition of the gardens and we are aware of issues such as pests and overgrowth and are taking steps to address them.

‘The question of whether these spaces are communal or allocated to individual residents is linked to historic tenancy agreements, some of which predate PA Housing and were transferred to us following a merger with Elmbridge Housing Trust in 2007.

‘We will work with residents and homeowners over the next few months to provide clarity in respect of garden spaces and communal areas.’

The action film was praised as ‘wonderful’ by viewers.

A new action film that viewers have described as “wonderful” and “nostalgic” has arrived on Prime Video. Masters of the Universe premiered in UK cinemas on June 5 and continues to screen in selected venues, despite becoming available for streaming on July 22.

The production was deemed a box-office letdown after generating just over $110million globally (approximately £82million), according to Digital Spy. The entertainment publication noted that had the film performed “strongly” at the box office, its streaming release may well have been postponed.

Despite its underwhelming cinema performance, the production has achieved a solid 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, providing fresh viewers with additional motivation to watch it.

What is Masters Of The Universe about?

Masters of the Universe centres on Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine), who reconnects with the Sword of Power 15 years after becoming marooned on Earth.

Upon returning to his home world of Eternia, now under the tyrannical rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto), Adam teams up with Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan (Idris Elba) to accept his fate as He-Man and fight to rescue his realm and those dear to him.

The He-Man and Masters of the Universe concept originated in the early 1980s as a Mattel toy designed to compete with the popularity of Star Wars action figures.

The franchise rapidly grew with Filmation’s successful animated series in 1983, transforming He-Man into one of the era’s most recognisable pop culture heroes. The Digital Spy reviewer observed: “The film’s tone is comparable to the likes of Thor and Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves.

“While the humour doesn’t always land – there’s probably too many juvenile gags about swords and fists – it works more often than not, whether it’s an excellent slow-motion group shot gag or Adam’s hilarious attempts to be subtle when stealing his sword back.”

Rotten Tomato reviews

Awarding the film a perfect five out of five, one audience member enthused: “Masters of the Universe is a wonderful action film that consistently entertains.”

A further viewer added: “Very fun movie! Seems like an old MCU movie in its action, stakes, and humour.” While a third remarked: “Good movie with a nod to the cartoon series brought back some good childhood memories.”

Professional critics on the same platform were somewhat less generous in their assessments. Randy Myers of the San Jose Mercury News commented: “It’s got the right cast and the right director; now it just needs to surrender to its cheesy outrageousness.”

Tribune News Service’s Katie Walsh added: “One only wishes they might have pushed the camp factor further, as it feels a bit restrained at times. However, it’s Galitzine’s performance that will win you over – he’s truly got the power.”

Masters Of The Universe currently sits at the top spot in the UK on Prime Video, available to stream for subscribers at no additional charge.

Luxury holiday homes are erupting in flames as desperate tourists flee down a single road off the ‘French Hamptons’ peninsula amid gigantic wildfires.

Lège-Cap Ferret in southwestern France is in the middle of a total evacuation with thousands of hectares of forest burning and sprawling villas going up in smoke.

The fires, which began on Tuesday in Saumos, Gironde, continued to burn overnight with 8,700 hectares (around 21,500 acres) consumed by the flames. 

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 40,000 people had either been or were in the process of being evacuated from the upmarket Cap Ferret peninsula, which has the Atlantic on one side and the Bay of Arcachon on the other.

‘A total of 80 homes have burnt, around 50 of which have been completely destroyed,’ he told reporters.

A 90-minute drive from Bordeaux, the string of fishing villages is a popular destination for Paris’ elite, with miles of sandy beaches and windswept dunes.

But now, distressed tourists are anxiously fleeing the beloved getaway either on boats or by the only road linking the area with the mainland.

Residents have described the inferno as ‘mega-fire’ and ‘apocalyptic’, while French President Emmanuel Macron has requested urgent help from the European Union as the country’s growing battle against wildfires intensifies. 

Lège-Cap Ferret in southwestern France is in the middle of a total evacuation with thousands of hectares of forest burning and sprawling villas going up in smoke

The fires, which began on Tuesday in Saumos, Gironde, continued to burn overnight with 8,700 hectares (around 21,500 acres) consumed by the flames

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‘France has requested the activation of the European Union’s civil protection mechanism. We will soon be able to count on reinforcements from two Croatian Canadair aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor planes, as well as two heavy Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia,’ wrote Macron on X on Friday.

Sophie Brocas, the prefect for the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, ordered the ‘final phase’ of the peninsula evacuation early on Friday morning.

People are being told to leave via the main D106 road towards Bordeaux while vessels were being made available for others between 7am and 10am local time (6am BST and 9am BST) from four piers. 

Aircraft from Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are on their way to assist in the emergency, which the local prefect has described as an ‘XXL fire’.

The Cap Ferret peninsula has a year-round population of just under 8,000 but that can swell by 10 times that number in peak summer season. 

A firefighter was injured after a gas cylinder exploded in a burning house. Shocking footage shows the moment a reporter at the scene reacted to the blast. 

Headmaster David Morton, 53, from Gloucester had been on holiday with his wife and sons when they received an emergency text alert overnight on Thursday telling them to evacuate.

They were staying in a house in Petit Piquey, along the peninsula, when they were jolted awake at 3am local time (1am GMT) by emergency texts and an alert on the property’s landline.

‘We got in our car, packed everything up as quickly as we could… and then set off and joined a very long, slow-moving queue of traffic,’ he told the BBC.

‘Everyone was driving with their lights on, driving very slowly – there was lots of fire service people, ambulances, police on the other side of the road controlling things and we could see several fires in the distance as we drove.’

As they drove past the blaze near Lège, Mr Morton described the inferno as ‘enormous’.

‘You could see the whole forest was on fire and that really brought it home what a major fire it was.’

He said the evacuation was ‘well-controlled’ with people being ‘very respectful and sensible’.

‘It’s different from seeing it on the television… seeing it blazing out of control despite hundreds and hundreds of firemen and women helping.’

Headmaster David Morton, 53, from Gloucester had been on holiday with his wife and sons when they received an emergency text alert overnight on Thursday telling them to evacuate

Some 20,000 people within the Gironde region had already been evacuated on Thursday, many of whom were visitors to campsites on the peninsula.

Patrick Martineau, a 69-year-old resident of Le Porge, south of Bordeaux, said: ‘The gendarmes came and knocked on every door, the fire was about 500 metres away – we grabbed some things and left.’

Further down the Atlantic coast, around the town of Biscarrosse in France’s Landes region, another major blaze that began on Thursday afternoon has triggered the evacuations of more than 23,000 people.

About 18,000 people in Biscarrosse and 5,000 in Parentis-en-Born had to flee from their homes, campsites, a nursing home and a summer camp.

Videos taken in Biscarrosse captured scenes of chaos, showing several cars rushing down roads to get away from nearing flames.

Separate footage showed horses frantically running down a street as a huge black cloud of smoke engulfed the town. 

Minister of the Interior Laurent Nuñez said on Friday that the fire in Biscarrosse is ‘difficult to control’, adding that around 100 homes had been burned or damaged by the flames. 

It comes as the Landes prefect, Gilles Clavreul, expressed concern due to the fire’s ‘exceptional intensity’, noting that the blaze had affected industrial areas, commercial zones and homes. 

Some 550 firefighters were battling the Biscarrosse fire on Friday and received support from two Canadair water bombers. 

Firefighters have also resorted to using bulldozers to ‘create lines of defence’, according to the local municipality. 

Meanwhile, residents of a Biscarrosse care home have been evacuated to Dax. 

The town’s mayor Julien Dubois on Friday welcomed evacuees in a Facebook post, saying: ‘As mayor of Dax, I want to tell our neighbours in the northern Landes region that they are not alone.’ 

Aerial view of the wildfire spreading toward Lège-Cap-Ferret, in Gironde, on July 23

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Sophie Brocas, the prefect for the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, ordered the ‘final phase’ of the peninsula evacuation early on Friday morning

This handout satellite photograph taken on July 24, 2026 and released by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows smoke rising from the wildfire in Le Porge and Lège-Cap Ferret

A fast-moving wildfire reaches the outskirts of Lège-Cap-Ferret after worsening weather conditions fuel its rapid spread

People are being told to leave via the main D106 road towards Bordeaux while vessels were being made available for others between 7am and 10am local time (6am BST and 9am BST) from four piers

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Aircraft from Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are on their way to assist in the emergency, which the local prefect has described as an ‘XXL fire’

The Cap Ferret peninsula has a year-round population of just under 8,000 but that can swell by 10 times that number in peak summer season

Lège is the only one of the peninsula’s 11 villages that is currently threatened by the fire

The Cap Ferret peninsula, often likened to the upscale Hamptons in the United States, is home to expensive properties where wealthy Parisians and Bordelais come to sip white wine and feast on oysters. 

Lège is the only one of the peninsula’s 11 villages that is currently threatened by the fire. 

The flames later reached the edge of Lège, forcing the evacuation of several campgrounds and neighbourhoods close to the forest.

Camper Elizabeth Carron said she was having dinner when she saw the ​flames. 

‘The sky turned red. Black and red. Then little by little, we could smell it. There were ashes on the car, on the caravan, on my grandchildren’s little tent. Then two hours later, they advised us to leave.’

France’s southeast was also being hard hit, with dozens of fires flaring up and being fanned by the Mistral wind around the historic village of Cotignac.

Officials said around 25 houses had been destroyed since Tuesday. 

Two firefighters died on Tuesday tackling another blaze near Bordeaux airport.

Skies over Le Porge turned orange as smoke rose from charred and crackling pine trees, while helicopters made repeated runs over deserted neighbourhoods.

Fires in 2022 damaged a massive area of the same forest, forcing around 50,000 people to flee.

The authorities said the fire had been contained on its northerly flank but was not yet totally under control further south.

EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib said Thursday that the bloc was providing three water-bombing planes to France.

 In Spain, the government declared a state of emergency in the Madrid region, where more than 10,000 people have been evacuated in recent days.

Emergency services said alert messages had been sent to people in Aldea de Fresno, a town west of Madrid, ordering them to leave.

It is the first time such a measure has been taken due to a wildfire. 

The last time Spain declared the same level of emergency alert was during a massive nationwide power blackout last year.  

Eighteen firefighting units with specialist troops were working to contain the blaze near the city of Toledo, close to another wildfire that forced the evacuation of several villages on Wednesday.

Luxury homes are erupting in flames as desperate tourists flee down a single road off the ‘French Hamptons’ peninsula amid gigantic wildfires

A volunteer gives indication to holidaymakers from Lège-Cap-Ferret upon their arrival in Arcachon by boat during an evacuation operation of the entire Cap-Ferret peninsula

The order for a total evacuation of the area of Lège-Cap Ferret underlined the severity of the fire that has been burning since Wednesday

Screen grab of video showing several cars rushing down roads to get away from nearing flames

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People watch smoke from the beach in Andernos-Les Bains during a fire in Lège Cap-Ferret forest

People in Lege Cap-Ferret watch as flames tear through a forest 

One video on social media showed the moment horses ran away from incoming flames 

Firefighters battled through the night, and most residents were allowed to return Thursday.

Hundreds of firefighters and troops were still struggling to contain a much larger wildfire in Guadalajara province, north of Madrid.

In Navaluenga in Avila province, ​residents wearing masks because of the smoke stood watching firefighting helicopters scoop up water from the town’s ​river late on Thursday. 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Friday morning that ‘Spain and neighbouring countries’ were experiencing a ‘dramatic situation’ due to the massive fires that spread simultaneously across western Europe. 

‘The forest fires are ravaging thousands of hectares and affecting numerous towns and villages,’ the Spanish leader wrote on X on Friday. 

He also urged Spaniards to ‘follow the instructions’ of officials. 

‘Climate change is what kills, what destroys our villages and our natural and cultural heritage,’ civil protection chief Virginia Barcones told Spanish radio.

She warned some fires become so intense that, despite the deployment of aircraft and ground crews, firefighters stand ‘no chance’.

Barcones said conditions at the Guadalajara blaze were improving but that strong winds and extreme heat remained a danger.

Thousands of emergency workers in Italy battled scores of fires in Sicily and in the Calabria region, where a local official said arsonists had started fires by tying rags soaked in flammable liquid to the tails of stray cats to spread the flames.

Along with the stray cats, investigators found candles and delayed ignition devices

Domenico Costarella, of Calabria’s civil protection agency, said: ‘These animals were released into the fields, running around and spreading the fire.’

A water bomber drops water while fighting wildfires In Ares, western France, Friday July 24

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The fire is said to have broken out Saumos on July 22 around midday before it moved toward Lège-Cap-Ferret

A couple carries a few belongings while evacuating a residential area during a wildfire near Lège-Cap-Ferret, southwestern France, on July 23, 2026

French President Emmanuel Macron has already requested help from the European Union as the country’s growing battle against wildfires intensifies

A firefighter douses a burned house at a residential area during a wildfire near Lège-Cap-Ferret, southwestern France, on July 23, 2026

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A firefighter sprays water on a burning forest close to a residential area during a wildfire near Lège-Cap-Ferret

Residents in the department of Gironde watch as a massive cloud of smoke billows in the distance

Firefighters respond to a wildfire in Lège-Cap-Ferret in the Gironde department amid worsening drought conditions

Firefighters drive around a burning forest while monitoring a wildfire close to a residential area near Lège-Cap-Ferret

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Across Europe, three heatwaves in succession this season have intensified drought, strained water supplies, and left vegetation tinder-dry, helping wildfires scorch more land

France’s southeast was also being hard hit, with dozens of fires flaring up and being fanned by the Mistral wind around the historic village of Cotignac. Pictured: A house devastated by a wildfire in Cotignac

Officials said around 25 houses had been destroyed in Cotignac since Tuesday. Pictured: A damaged property in the historic French village

The heat has also been blamed for thousands of deaths. 

France has been particularly hard hit, with the intense heat pressuring its capacity to handle the situation. 

‘Our security forces are engaged in a genuine battle against the wildfires,’ Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Thursday evening. 

‘The nation stands with you.’ The pressure on fire departments in southwestern France has been increased by another wildfire that began on Thursday afternoon near Biscarrosse, just 25 miles south of Cap Ferret. 

That fire, which is still not under control, has devastated 2,500 hectares, the prefect for the Landes area, Gilles Clavreul, said in a statement. 

He added that fighting arson would take a ‘shift in mindset… These are inhumane acts. Sadly, men are their own worst enemies’.

One firefighter died after falling ill while battling the flames in Sicily, the interior minister said.

Across Europe, three heatwaves in succession this season have intensified drought, strained water supplies, and left vegetation tinder-dry, helping wildfires scorch more land than the annual average over the past two decades. 

This screen grab from a video posted on the X account of Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit UME (@UMEgob) on July 23, 2026, shows UME personnel fighting a wildfire in San Martin de Valdeiglesias, Madrid

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The Spanish government declared a state of emergency in the Madrid region, where more than 10,000 people have been evacuated in recent days

Hundreds of firefighters and troops were still struggling to contain a much larger wildfire in Guadalajara province, north of Madrid

‘Winds are blowing, and the situation remains highly dynamic and unfavourable,’ he said. 

More than 23,000 people were evacuated from the Biscarrosse district, mainly in campsites and homes, and a children’s summer camp and a residential care home for the elderly were also evacuated. 

He asked farmers to contribute with water tanks.

European droughts are now more severe, climatologists from the World Weather Attribution group said in a study published on Thursday.

The total area of land burnt so far this year in EU countries is the second largest on record, according to satellite data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). 

Humans are not the only animals that communicate. Birds sing to attract mates, dolphins use signature whistles that identify individuals, and many primates produce complex vocalisations that help them coordinate their social lives.

By studying these communication systems, researchers can reconstruct some of the evolutionary steps that eventually led to one of our defining traits: language.

Language doesn’t just mean making sounds – it requires an extraordinary ability to control them. Human speech demands precise coordination between breathing, the vocal folds across the larynx, and our tongue, lips and jaw.

Humans’ closest living relatives – chimpanzees and bonobos – possess vocal tracts that are more similar to ours than scientists once believed. Yet they do not seem to have the same fine voluntary control over the structures – starting with our lips and tongue – that allow us to produce rapid sequences of speech and such diverse sounds.

This raises an intriguing question: when did our ancient ancestors begin to acquire this remarkable vocal control? One possible clue comes from an unexpected source: laughter.

The evolution of laughter

For several years, I have studied the rhythmic structure of vocalisations in non-human primates. Rather than focusing on what calls mean, I have been interested in how they are produced.

The timing of vocalisations can reveal how breathing and vocal movements are coordinated, offering a window into the mechanisms that generate them. Whether analysing the songs of Madagascar’s indris lemur or the calls of orangutans, I kept coming back to the same question: how much control do different primates have over the rhythm of their voices?

Laughter turned out to be an ideal system for exploring this question.

Unlike speech, our ability to laugh is shared with all the great apes. Chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans all produce laughter-like vocalisations during play. Although these sound quite different from our familiar “ha ha ha”, they serve similar social functions, signalling playful intentions and strengthening social bonds.

Human laughter is much more diverse, however. We can produce loud belly laughs, quiet chuckles, giggles, snorts or almost silent laughter. We laugh when we are amused but also when we are embarrassed, nervous or trying to ease social tension. This flexibility makes laughter much more than a simple emotional reflex for us.

Human laughter is highly context-dependent. We laugh differently when we are genuinely amused, when we engage in polite social interactions, when we feel awkward, or when we share an inside joke.

Together with colleagues, I analysed 140 laughter bouts from humans and the four other great ape species. Instead of asking whether laughter sounded similar across species, we examined its rhythm: how quickly each laugh element followed the previous one, and how consistent that timing was. Our results revealed a clear evolutionary pattern.

When laughing, humans show greater temporal variability than our closest relatives. Chimpanzees and bonobos produce laughter at a slower rhythm than humans, while gorillas and orangutans laugh at an even slower pace.

In contrast, human laughter consists of more rapidly repeated elements – successive vocal bursts that together form a laugh. This increased flexibility may be one of the evolutionary changes associated with the emergence of finer voluntary control over vocal production.

In other words, humans’ ability to “laugh fast” may reflect one of the key innovations that eventually made speech possible.

The link between laughter and speech

The evolution of speech may not simply have involved producing new sounds, but changing the very tempo at which vocal actions are organised. Our findings suggest traces of this key evolutionary transition are still preserved in one of our most familiar activities: laughing.

While humans and chimpanzees share a common evolutionary history, we will never hear how our ancient ancestors laughed. Fossils preserve bones not vocalisations, so the only way to reconstruct the evolution of laughter is by comparing living species and inferring the changes that occurred along the hominin lineage.

Because we found that chimpanzee and bonobo laughter differs from human laughter in rhythmic structure and temporal variability, we can use these living species to infer that early hominins may have exhibited laughter patterns which were already distinct from those of other great apes during the evolutionary transition towards modern human laughter.

Three-to-four million years ago, early hominins may already have shown some of the foundations of the flexible laughter patterns seen in humans today. Our findings suggest that increased temporal variability in laughter evolved along the hominin lineage. This may have enabled laughter to become increasingly adapted to different social contexts, from playful interactions to maintaining social bonds and signalling affiliation.

Every time we compare ourselves with our closest great ape relatives, we discover that the gap between humans and other apes is smaller than was once imagined. Yet we also uncover subtle differences that may have had profound evolutionary consequences.

Laughter is one of them. It may seem like a simple expression of joy, but hidden within its rhythm is a record of millions of years of evolution – and, perhaps, one of the clues to how our human ancestors eventually found their voice.

Burnham’s first day as prime minister in No 10 North will include talks with business leaders, including representatives of the Federation of Small Business, the Confederation of British Industry and the British Chambers of Commerce, about how to generate growth and investment.

Labour wants to create a plan that would pull from existing devolution strategy and local growth policy, to allow civil servants, mayors, councils and businesses to work together more closely.

Burnham’s first week in power has seen him make a series of interventions aimed at easing the cost of living, including announcing a 20% cut in business rates for pubs, social clubs and live music venues from April next year.

However, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has criticised his ambitions for being “too small”.

Speaking on Thursday, she urged him to tackle high energy costs for businesses as well as a gap in defence funding.

“When you are mayor of Manchester, you are handed a big pot of someone else’s money, and you decide where to spend it,” she said.

“I’m sure this is great fun. It can make you very popular. But it is not the same as being prime minister.

“Andy Burnham needs to do better. He is behaving like he’s still the mayor of Manchester. He is now the prime minister of the United Kingdom, he needs to start acting like it.”

Liberal Democrat MP Calum Miller said Burnham needs to show that No 10 North is “more than just a convenient Friday working from home base for him and other Manchester MPs”.

“I know he’s been out of the House of Commons for a long time, but he’ll probably be reminded that many of us go back to our constituencies on a Friday,” he told broadcasters.

“So he needs to demonstrate it’s more than just that and that this represents something for the whole country – that rural and coastal communities that have been really left behind are actually part of his plan for decentralisation.”

Miller said this includes the ability for local areas to “raise their own funding and spend it in ways that will benefit them”.

Miller earlier said the Lib Dems have “always believed strongly that power should be held close to people”, adding: “We will welcome anything that moves in that direction.”

Emergency services were called just before 8pm on Thursday evening (July 23) to Brinkburn Road.

A 56-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of failing to provide a roadside breath test.

He was brought into custody and has since been further charged.

No one is believed to have been injured from the incident.

A spokesperson from Durham Police said: “Police were called just before 8pm on Thursday (July 23) to reports of a collision involving a van and a BMW on Brinkburn Road, in Darlington.

“A 56-year-old man, was arrested after failing to provide a roadside breath test and brought into custody, where he has since been further charged.

“Thankfully, nobody is believed to have been seriously injured and the vehicles were recovered.”

Andy Burnham’s decision to pause the plan for the early release of prisoners is a ‘good start’ but ‘not enough’, the mother of police officer Andrew Harper has said.

Under the new Sentencing Act set to come into force in September, some 6,000 criminals were due to be released under the early prison release scheme. The family of Pc Harper criticised the fact that two of his killers were being considered for early release.

Mr Burnham said that he had instructed his team to ‘put a pause on the changes’, adding: “No prisoners will be let out under this policy until we have conducted an urgent review and done everything we can to minimise risk to the public.”

Pc Harper’s mother Debbie Adlam later told ITV News: “It’s not enough. It’s a good start, and it really is a good basis to begin working on some sensible alternatives and looking at options for going forward, because there’s so many people this affects, it’s not just us.”

French authorities have ordered the evacuation of the entirety of the Cap Ferret peninsula on the south-west coast, with hundreds of people escaping the area by boat.

Tens of thousands of people are being evacuated from the tourism destination west of Bordeaux, as firefighters continue to battle what the local prefect has described as an “XXL fire” in the Gironde region.

The fires, which began on Tuesday, has burned for days, with officials saying 10,000 hectares (almost 25,000 acres) consumed by the flames.

Meanwhile, the government in Spain has declared a national emergency as wildfires burn out of control in several areas close to the capital Madrid.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez spoke of a “dramatic situation” and urged people to take great care. Three fires were burning west of Madrid, at Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 40,000 people had either been or were in the process of being evacuated from the Cap Ferret peninsula, which has the Atlantic on one side and the Bay of Arcachon on the other.

Local prefect Sophie Brocas said 53 homes had been lost as well as a campsite, but that 2,000 houses had been saved.

A local councillor said 2,000 evacuees from the peninsula had already arrived by boat in the port of Arcachon on the south side of the bay.

Fire and rescue chief Marc Vermeulen said the wildfire had spread rapidly at the end of Thursday and into the early hours of Friday. Authorities then took the decision on Friday morning to begin the evacuation of the town of Arès, which lies south-east of Lège-Cap Ferret on the Bay of Arcachon.

Cristian Volpato is alleged to have returned a positive roadside drug test after being stopped twice by police within hours

Australia international Cristian Volpato is alleged to have tested positive for cocaine during a roadside drug test after being stopped by police twice in the space of two hours in Sydney.

The 22-year-old, who starred for the Socceroos at this summer’s World Cup after switching his international allegiance from Italy, was allegedly caught driving at 109km/h (68mph) in a 60km/h (37mph) zone on Sydney’s Anzac Bridge shortly after 1am on Friday.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Volpato returned a positive roadside test for cocaine despite reportedly telling officers he had not taken any drugs.

Police allegedly stopped the midfielder just two hours earlier after he was detected driving between 86km/h and 94km/h (53-58mph) in the same 60km/h (37mph) zone.

On that occasion, he reportedly returned a negative roadside breath test before being issued with an infringement notice for speeding.

Following the second stop, police took a secondary oral fluid sample for further laboratory analysis after the alleged positive roadside drug test.

Volpato’s international driving licence has been suspended for six months, although he has not been charged with a criminal offence.

Football Australia confirmed it is aware of the allegations but has not taken disciplinary action against the player.

Instead, the governing body said it is supporting Volpato while continuing to monitor the situation.

Under Football Australia’s code of conduct, players can face sanctions for behaviour that brings the game into disrepute, while the organisation also has the power to impose interim suspensions in certain circumstances.

However, no such action has been announced.

Volpato’s former coach and mentor Tony Basha insists the midfielder has strongly denied taking cocaine or any other illicit substance.

“He was adamant he didn’t touch it,” Basha told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“He’s a great kid. I don’t think he’s done it.”

Basha added that drug use would be “out of character” for the Australia international, who had reportedly been celebrating a friend’s birthday in central Sydney before the incident.

“I’m disappointed for him because he’s a young kid,” he said.

“He was shocked. I’m shocked because it’s a big allegation.”

Born in Sydney, Volpato came through the academies of Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers before moving to Italy as a teenager to join Roma, where he made his Serie A debut aged 18.

He later joined Sassuolo and has recently been linked with a move to Fiorentina during the current transfer window.

Volpato was one of Australia’s breakout performers at the 2026 World Cup after making the high-profile decision to represent the Socceroos instead of Italy on the eve of the tournament.

The midfielder has not publicly commented on the allegations.

By LILY JOBSON, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER

Published: 08:33 BST, 24 July 2026 | Updated: 11:16 BST, 24 July 2026

Keely Hodgkinson looked incredible as she flashed her abs in a tiny bralette while posing for stunning Instagram snaps.

The Olympic 800m gold medallist, 24, sent fans wild in a second braless look after stepping out in a racy red dress. 

Keely recently enjoyed a string of dates with Love Island star Casey O’Gorman, according to reports. 

The Olympian and the reality star, 29, were said to have exchanged ‘flirty messages’, before going on secret dates where there was ‘real sexual chemistry’. 

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However, insiders claimed any hopes of romance fizzled out after the pair soon realised it wouldn’t work long term. 

Keely Hodgkinson looked incredible as she flashed her abs in a tiny bralette while posing for stunning Instagram snaps

The Olympic 800m gold medallist, 24, sent fans wild in a second braless look after stepping out in a racy red dress

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‘Casey has known who Keely is for years. He thinks she’s very attractive and talented. He sees himself as a bit of a runner, obviously not on her level but enough for him to chat about it with her,’ a source told The Sun. 

‘Some of her Insta pics caught his eye and they started swapping flirty DMs last year. She was really flattered by the attention – Casey really has the gift of the gab.

‘Casey didn’t waste any time in asking her out and they went on a few dates. They got on really well and there was real sexual chemistry but they lead very different lives and it was never going to work long term.’

The insider added they have remained friends, with Casey ‘showing his appreciation’ by liking her Instagram pictures. 

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The Daily Mail has contacted Casey and Keely’s representatives for comment. 

Casey is best known for his multiple appearances on Love Island. He first appeared on the show back in 2023. 

He then went on to star in Love Island: All Stars series one and two. He won the second series with Gabby Allen, but they split three months later. 

Keely revealed back in March she won’t take part in this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. 

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The Olympian and the reality star, 29, were said to have exchanged ‘flirty messages’, before going on secret dates

Keely revealed back in March that she won’t take part in this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

The runner admitted she wants to avoid burnout with the Scottish showpiece falling just a week before the European Championships in Birmingham.

And her quest for a hat-trick of continental crowns must take precedence over the Commonwealths, claims the Englishwoman, who is currently a red-hot favourite to land her first world indoor title in Poland later this month.

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‘I’m currently not going to be competing,’ Hodgkinson confirmed. ‘I love competing in front of a home crowd but it is such a busy year with Europeans and the world indoors.

‘I’ve done that many championships before in a year – and it is a lot. So I just had to decide on which one was best for me. But I definitely will be supporting and enjoying it as well.’