The initiative will see dedicated Cleveland Police officers deployed to target offenders using bikes illegally, with a focus on rapid response to intelligence and increased enforcement activity.

The task force will use their own electric bikes to keep up with the pace and agility of suspects using faster vehicles.

The scheme has been jointly funded by housing associations Thirteen Group and Beyond Housing, alongside the Cleveland Road Safety Partnership.

Superintendent Paul Richardson said: “We know that the criminal use of bikes adversely impacts our communities, and we are fully committed to continuing to be strong on this type of crime and protect our communities from those who pose harm by using bikes for criminal gain.”

He revealed the scale of the issue, adding: “In February and March this year, there were over 800 incidents involving bikes in some form of crime or incident in Cleveland.”

Angela Corner, head of communities at Thirteen Group, said residents had also repeatedly voiced their frustrations.

She said: “They’re sick and tired of seeing people tearing around estates on bikes and they want something to be done about it.

“That’s why we’ve contributed funding for these new electric bikes to help the police track offenders and their vehicles.”

Drone technology will also play a key role in the crackdown, allowing officers to track bikes in real time and identify where they are being stored, so they can be dealt with and taken off the streets as quickly as possible.

Ben Briggs, regeneration manager at Beyond Housing, said: “The criminal use of bikes is a major and recurring issue for many of our communities, causing real distress for residents and impacting the sense of safety, locally.

“By combining enforcement, intelligence and new technology, this task force will help tackle persistent anti-social and criminal behaviour, sending a clear signal that it won’t be tolerated in our communities.”

Police are urging members of the public to report incidents involving the use of illegal bikes via 101 or online at www.cleveland.police.uk.

The BBC historical drama is based on a bestselling novel and fans are calling it a ‘masterpiece’

Fans of period dramas may well have discovered their next obsession in a new BBC miniseries, which appears tailor-made for admirers of Downton Abbey and Penny Dreadful.

The programme, which originally broadcast in 2015, is now available on Prime Video, with viewers hailing it as a “masterpiece”.

The BBC historical drama is also adapted from an internationally bestselling novel by Piranesi author Susanna Clarke.

It carries an impressive 92% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, precisely matching the score that Downton Abbey holds on the review aggregator site.

The synopsis reads: “In an alternate history, during the time of real life Napoleonic Wars, two men of destiny, the gifted recluse Mr. Norrell and daring spellcasting novice Jonathan Strange, use magic to help England.”

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, adapted from Clarke’s debut novel of the same name, features an outstanding British ensemble including Eddie Marsan, Marc Warren, Charlotte Riley and Bertie Carvel.

The costume drama spans just seven episodes, chronicling the “dangerous battle between two great minds”.

Critics greeted it warmly upon release, with Digital Spy lauding it as an ‘epic’ production and the Independent declaring it a ‘real treat’, reports the Express.

On IMDb, viewers labelled the series ‘spellbinding’, with one commenting: “Having anticipated this show for quite some years, I was anxious about what the BBC would make of my favourite book.

“However, I had no need to worry, as they captured the tone of Susanna Clarke’s masterpiece of a novel perfectly: dark and creepy, yet at the same time eerily beautiful.

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“Starts slow, but ultimately becomes a masterpiece,” another wrote, as a third admitted: “This is one of the best series I have seen in a long time.”

One viewer described the programme as ‘outstanding’, adding: “This is BBC drama at its very best and a great showcase for why the licence fee is such good value. The quality of acting is superb with brilliant casting, lighting, costumes and direction.”

Meanwhile, on Rotten Tomatoes, one fan said: “This is an excellent show, everything you can ask for in a well acted, written, and filmed, old English fantasy that you only have to invest in a season for the whole story.”

Another agreed: “Truly original and incredibly well done. Once you get through the first episode you’ll be surprised by the incredible action sequences. Amazing, unexpected.”

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is available to stream now on Prime Video.

The ball will get rolling on the World Cup round of 32 this afternoon, with South Africa facing tournament co-hosts Canada in Los Angeles. For the first time this summer, it is win or go home, with extra-time and penalties potentially on the docket to decide the tie. Bafana Bafana came through the group stage second in a tricky group, with their progression coming at the expense of South Korea and Czechia. After having two men sent off in defeat by Mexico following the opening ceremony, they turned on the gas and confirmed their place in the knockout rounds with a 1-0 defeat of Korea.

Great Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell stormed to her second Diamond League win of the year with a season’s best time in the women’s 1500m in Paris.

The Olympic bronze medallist clocked three minutes 55.63 seconds to fight off a strong challenge from Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu (3:55.92), while France’s Agathe Guillemot (3:56.24) took third place.

Hunter Bell, who claimed her first world title in Torun in March, also won the Rome leg of the Diamond League in 3:58.63 last month.

The 32-year-old won the world 800m silver ahead of Keely Hodgkinson in Tokyo last year, but has since returned to the longer distance in which she claimed a remarkable Olympic bronze in 2024.

And the latest win at Stade Charlety will further add to her momentum with the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, starting in July, and the European Championships in Birmingham taking place the following month.

GB’s Ben Pattison, meanwhile, finished fourth in the men’s 800m which was won by Canada’s Marco Arop in 1:41.84 – the fastest run of the calendar year.

Olympic silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith was also fourth in the men’s 400m, behind Botswana’s world champion Busang Collen Kebinatshipi with a meet record time of 43.54.

The Paris event was held in an adapted format after local police asked for all sporting events to be cancelled because of the extreme heat.

It only featured competitions involving professional athletes as all activities for athletics clubs and licensed members, as well as regional competitions, were cancelled.

SDLP South Down MLA Colin McGrath said: “It’s really sad to see the former convent in Downpatrick on fire. Although it’s been lying derelict for some time, it’s still one of those buildings that people in the town know well, and it’s difficult to watch it being lost like this.

“Many local people will have memories of the convent and the role it played over the years. Even in recent times it has remained a familiar part of the Downpatrick skyline, so seeing it go up in flames is upsetting.

“I want to pay tribute to the firefighters and all of the emergency services who have responded so quickly to what is clearly a significant incident. Their professionalism and bravery in dealing with situations like this should never be taken for granted.

“My thoughts are also with those living and working nearby who will understandably have been concerned as the fire developed.”

The swing bridge in Whitby town centre, which connects the two sides of the town’s harbour, has been out of action for days because of a mechanical fault.

The next bridge across the River Esk is the A171 New Bridge just under a mile upstream.

North Yorkshire Council is providing shuttle buses linking the two ends of Whitby Swing Bridge.

During the weekend, scores of people have been seen using the swing bridge, of all ages.

“This poses a serious risk to both themselves and others,” the police’s Whitby and Scarborough Facebook page says.

“Please do not attempt to climb the bridge under any circumstances while repairs are ongoing.”

The post continues: “We ask all members of the public to use alternative routes when travelling, whether on foot or by vehicle.

Thank you for your cooperation and helping to keep everyone safe.”

As well as local traffic and visitors to Whitby Abbey, the New Bridge carries vehicles travelling between Teesside and Scarborough, and the coast.

TOMBLAINE, France (AP) — Families watched in shock as a skydiving plane carrying their loved ones on what was meant to be a thrilling introduction to parachuting crashed in northeastern France on Sunday, killing all 11 people on board, authorities said.

The dead included five parachuting instructors, five novice jumpers and the pilot, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said it was France’s biggest aviation accident involving skydiving in about 30 years.

“Some of the victims’ families witnessed the aircraft falling with their own eyes. So there is tremendous emotion and an even greater psychological trauma,” Nunez said.

He refused to speculate on what caused the crash but said the plane dropped out of the sky suddenly. He said it had just taken off from the Nancy-Essey airfield on the outskirts of the city of Nancy when it came down about 300 meters (yards) from the runway.

Yves Séguy, prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, said the plane suffered a malfunction and “fell almost vertically,” narrowly missing a built-up area.

“Had it occurred just a few dozen meters away, the accident could have caused collateral casualties,” he said.

The plane banked to the left after takeoff and crashed less than a minute later near houses, according to the flight tracking service Flightradar24.

Police cordoned off the crumpled wreckage.

Flight tracking sites identified the plane as a single-engine Pilatus PC-6, a small transporter of freight, passengers and skydivers.

The parachutists were to have jumped as tandems, Nancy Mayor Mathieu Klein told public broadcaster France Info. Tandem jumps are skydiving experiences where two people, often an instructor and a novice jumper, are attached together for the descent.

Emergency services responded immediately and were providing psychological support to victims’ relatives, officials said. The Paris prosecutor’s office is leading the crash probe, Nunez said.

A resident, identified as John Curaku by BFM-TV, told the broadcaster that he was in his yard when he heard what sounded like a plane’s engine stopping, immediately followed by a bang.

He said he went to the crash site and “there were no signs of life,” with two of the bodies thrown a few meters (yards) from the plane.

___

Leicester reported from Paris and Hatton from Lisbon, Portugal.

Russell’s victory was founded on what happened at the end of that qualifying session. In fact, the destinies of the three drivers who ultimately contested victory were effectively decided as they intertwined at Turn Nine in the dying seconds of the final session on Saturday.

Max Verstappen crashed, because of an aerodynamic problem at the rear of his car, Red Bull said.

Antonelli mis-read the light boards beside the track and thought he had to back out of his lap for a double yellow flag.

Russell read them right, and lifted only as much as he needed to. That, combined with the quality of the lap up until then, put him on pole, Antonelli and Verstappen fourth and fifth.

Had each delivered to their potential, they probably would have lined up for the grand prix Russell-Antonelli-Verstappen, and been fighting from the beginning. Instead, Russell had some breathing space while Verstappen and Antonelli fought past the Ferraris, and that was enough.

That’s not to say the result would necessarily have been different. Mercedes calculated the pace of the top three finishers to be pretty much identical, the differential seen at the end as Verstappen closed on Russell while Antonelli closed on both simply caused by their different tyre life.

But that’s the what if. As it happened, Antonelli cost himself time and track position with a madcap first couple of laps in which he spent almost as much time off track as he did on it and dropped to fifth. Verstappen had to find a way past the Ferraris.

Even then, the race turned on pit stops and strategy.

The decisive point for Russell and Verstappen as they fought was the timing of the second pit stop. Verstappen had closed to within 1.3 seconds when Mercedes brought Russell in on lap 43.

It was early, and Russell knew that the remaining 28 laps were a lot to ask of his tyres. But it banked track position and ensured Red Bull had to run Verstappen longer, to build a tyre offset to come back at Russell over the remaining laps.

Had Red Bull got Verstappen in that lap, the positions would have been reversed, and likely Verstappen would have won.

Likewise, Antonelli. He ran longer to both first and second stops. As luck would have it, had Mercedes waited one more lap before his first stop, he would have caught the virtual safety car that was called for Carlos Sainz’s stricken Williams. And that would have likely made him the winner.

Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was back “in full use” as he spent the day on a rainy tour of his D.C. beautification efforts around the nation’s capital.

Despite fencing around the structure and plans to drain and resurface it around the July 4 holiday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the pool was working well, adding that the “criminally made algae is gone.”

“It never worked properly until last week and, right after July 4th, when we will drain the water to treat the damage caused by these ’animals,’ it will again be in perfect shape,” added the president.

His bizarre claim that the algae bloom, which has overtaken the pool after its high-profile renovation, was the result of criminal mischief comes as the Parks Service has asserted that the president was right about vandals cutting the liner coating the bottom of the pool with a knife or razor of some kind after its installation.

Plans to re-drain the Reflecting Pool and reinstall the blue coating on the bottom are just part of the reason why the project has surged past Trump’s initial cost estimates of $2 million.

The administration is now estimating that it will cost $16 million to renovate the pool to stop leaks and achieve the new darker-blue look the president was hoping to see. The project has gone on for weeks as workers have dumped chemicals and worked daily to treat algae. At times, the pool has appeared lime green due to the algae, with chunks of separated blue coating and even dead ducklings visible in the water.

The president’s schedule on Sunday appeared to largely involve a tour of his various beautification projects around the District of Columbia. The sites he visited included Lafayette Park outside of the White House, the site of his “triumphal arch” planned for the grounds near Arlington National Cemetery, and East Potomac Golf Links, which Trump hopes to renovate into a championship golf course.

He did not appear to visit the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool directly, where fencing still restricts passersby from the area immediately surrounding the pool and the renovation project. Over the past week, National Guardsmen have been seen patrolling the area and signage on the fencing has indicated that the project will be completed July 4.

The actual date for the project’s completion is after the July 4 holiday, according to Trump.

The president has devoted significant focus to the Reflecting Pool itself in recent days, as media attention and the focus of city residents have increasingly fallen on the problem-plagued renovation efforts. The visuals of the pool at its dirtiest inspired ridicule and memes from D.C. residents and were mocked on Capitol Hill by Trump’s critics like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

His plans to build a European-style arch near Arlington National Cemetery have yet to be approved or funded by Congress, though the administration has shown a willingness to move other funds around to satisfy the president’s wishes as beautification efforts continue to be one of his top priorities. The president also plans to build a promenade down to the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial, another project awaiting congressional approval.

In his Truth Social post on Sunday, the president wrote that Lafayette Park near the White House had “not looked so good since its inception in 1820!” before going on an extended rant about the condition of the East Potomac Links golf course, which he vowed to refurbish to championship-tier quality.

“The grass is largely dead, the greens are virtually unplayable, and the Course is in very poor general condition […] after many years of horrendous maintenance,” Trump complained after visiting the course on Sunday.

He vowed: “We will build one of the Greatest Golf Courses anywhere in the World which, importantly, will also be made available to the Public. When completed, this Course will have the ability to host Major Golf Tournaments, including The U.S. Open, The Ryder Cup, The PGA Championship, and other top PGA Tour events.”

Joseph O’Sullivan, 26, from Coventry, died in a motorbike accident in Bali while celebrating his birthday with friends after nearly two years living in Australia. His family have launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to bring his body back to the UK

The family of a young Brit who tragically lost his life while celebrating his 26th birthday in Bali are desperately fundraising to repatriate his remains to the UK. Joseph O’Sullivan, from Coventry, died following a motorbike accident on the Indonesian island.

He had travelled there to meet-up with friends after spending nearly two years living and working in Australia. His heartbroken relatives say they are still awaiting answers about the circumstances surrounding his untimely death and remain unsure whether the incident took place on June 17 or 18.

A GoFundMe campaign launched by his cousin, Susan Love, has already raised over £12,000. The money will go towards the costs of bringing Joseph home to the UK and helping his family give him a proper farewell, as reported by Need To Know.

In the fundraising appeal, Susan wrote: “Hi my name is Susan I am Joes cousin and close family member. As many are aware we received the tragic and devastating news of Joseph’s passing and we really need to get him home and help his mum Veronica lay him to rest.

“Joseph was kind caring funny and he was enjoying every day while travelling in Australia, living his best life. He had a smile that would light up any room.”

“Life is cruel and so unfair and we as a family would appreciate any help we can. Life is so short, please hug your loved ones a little tighter and live your life have fun and smile. Let’s bring Sully home and give him the send off he truly deserves.”

His sister Patricia O’Sullivan shared the devastating news of his death on Facebook on Friday (19 June), reports the Daily Star.

She posted: “Just to let everyone know that my little brother Joseph has sadly passed away in a tragic accident.

“We are all in shock, love him very much, can’t believe he gone. RIP Joseph, my little brother.”

In a follow-up message accompanying the fundraising campaign, she continued: “Can’t even believe I’m writing this. Joseph was loved by so many, taken way too soon. We all still in shock, still don’t feel real.

“Please help bring Joseph home. Anything appreciated. Give him the send off he deserves.”

Fellow family member Johanna Love posted a picture of Joseph, writing: “Oh Joe. I have no words. Such devastating news this morning. Let’s get you back home where you belong.”

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She subsequently added in a further update: “We will get you home cuz.”

According to Coventry Live, Joseph had been visiting mates in Bali while marking his birthday, having spent nearly two years residing and working in Perth, Australia.

The outlet reported he perished in an unexplained motorbike collision, with his family still awaiting formal details about the precise circumstances.

The fundraising appeal has already received upwards of 220 contributions as friends, family and supporters unite to assist in repatriating Joseph to the UK.

You can find the GoFundMe page here.

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