Connect with us

NewsBeat

Sandpapergate: Steve Smith says he is ‘traumatised’ and was ‘thrown to wolves’

Published

on

Steve Smith is confronted by media before returning home from Australia's tour of South Africa in 2018

Australia batter Steve Smith says he is still traumatised by the aftermath of the ‘sandpapergate’ ball-tampering scandal in 2018 and still gets flashbacks.

The Aussies are set to play their first Test series in South Africa since Smith and two team-mates were sent home before the fourth and final Test of that tour.

Cameron Bancroft was caught tampering with the ball by rubbing it with sandpaper during South Africa’s second innings of the third Test between the two sides.

Following the end of that day’s play, Bancroft admitted he attempted to alter the condition of the ball, with Australia captain Smith later admitting to having knowledge of it.

Advertisement

Smith was stripped of the captaincy and banned for a year by Cricket Australia, and broke down in tears as he apologised during a news conference at Sydney airport.

“I’m not a big fan of cameras, I get anxious around cameras,” he said in an interview with News Corp,, external published on Thursday.

“That was a traumatic experience in my life and when I hear the flash of a camera it makes me revisit that, in a way.”

Vice-captain David Warner was also banned for a year while Bancroft was banned for nine months.

Advertisement

Australia’s then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said the affair “bitterly disappointed the whole nation” and there was intense media attention on Smith as he left South Africa and on his return to Australia.

Smith added: “The 24-48 hours after being told by James Sutherland (then Cricket Australia chief executive) that I was getting banned for a year, going through the airport in Johannesburg getting absolutely mobbed, and then flying back and doing that press conference… I still have little flashbacks here and there of it.

“I felt like I was kind of thrown to the wolves through [Johannesburg] airport. I didn’t have any support there at all.”

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

NewsBeat

Juvenile arrested by police after disturbance in Bradshaw

Published

on

Juvenile arrested by police after disturbance in Bradshaw

Police were called to Turton Road following on Wednesday evening.

Greater Manchester Police said a juvenile was arrested on suspicion of common assault after officers attended at around 7pm.

A police car and van were spotted at the scene, and the force confirmed there is no further risk to the public.

Advertisement

A GMP spokesperson said: “We were called to Turton Road to a report of a domestic disturbance.

“A juvenile has been arrested on suspicion of common assault.

“There is no further risk to the public.”

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Trump Torched After Threatening To Cut Off US Trade With Europe

Published

on

Trump Torched After Threatening To Cut Off US Trade With Europe

Donald Trump has been condemned after he threatened to cut off US trade with Europe over the EU’s attempts to have closer ties with Canada.

The US president said he could take the drastic step after EU president Ursula von der Leyen announced that Canada is to become the bloc’s first ever “associate member”.

It comes amid the ongoing trade war between the US and Canada.

Talks between America and Canada have collapsed, with Trump imposing 50% tariffs on imports from its northern neighbour.

Advertisement

Reacting to the news on Wednesday, Trump said that could be construed as “a hostile act”.

He said: “I think it’s laughable. Canada has been a terrible trade partner.

“If they do that, if I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things.

“If Europe does that with a bad intention – if it’s a good intention, that’s fine – if it’s a bad intention we’ll put very heavy tariffs on them.”

Advertisement

Such a move would be unprecedented by an American president, and would be potentially disastrous for the European economy, which relies heavily on selling goods to America.

Trump’s comments drew an angry response online, with one X user saying the president “does not understand how trade works in the 21st century”.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

British man killed in Spain floods after car swept away near Barcelona

Published

on

Daily Record

Red and orange alerts are in force across parts of Catalonia and Valencia

A British man has reportedly died after his car was swept away in devastating floods in Spain as authorities issued the highest level weather warnings amid torrential rain.

Advertisement

The victim was in Olivella, near Barcelona, when his vehicle approached a stream and was allegedly “swallowed by the force of the water” as floodwaters surged through the area.

According to La Vanguardia, the driver was caught off guard by the torrent at the Begues stream near a bridge before his car plunged into the raging water and was dragged away.

The tragedy unfolded as violent storms battered eastern Spain, with red and orange alerts in force across parts of Catalonia and Valencia amid fears of dangerous flooding, The Mirror reports.

Local fire crews reportedly received calls of a vehicle falling into water in Olivella at around 11pm on Wednesday (September 16). An update at around 12.30pm on Thursday confirmed the fire service had discovered the lifeless body of a man, roughly 500 meters from where the vehicle was found in the water.

The rescue operation was made up of eleven crews with the assistance of drones and rescue divers. The victim is understood to be a “middle-aged British man” who lived in the Las Colinas neighbourhood of Olivella in Catalonia, according to local media,

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has been approached for comment but it yet to respond at the time of publication.

Ensure our latest stories always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Royal Family live: Earl Spencer in war of words with King Charles

Published

on

Daily Mirror

Despite becoming embroiled in a war of words with Earl Spencer over claims made in his upcoming book, today is business as usual for the King as he prepares for an engagement at Dumfries House in Scotland.

Later today, the monarch will convene leaders from the artificial intelligence sector, Government, and thought leaders to discuss how AI can be developed and deployed in ways that benefit society.

Charles, 77, who has never owned a mobile phone, is understood to have taken a keen interest in AI’s development and the risks it posed.

A source said he hopes the summit would encourage tech leaders to consider “the responsibilities of developing this technology, as well as the opportunities”.

Advertisement

Read the full story here

King Charles will host an event in Scotland today(Image: Getty)

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Does Sugar Cause Diabetes? | HuffPost UK Life

Published

on

Does Sugar Cause Diabetes? | HuffPost UK Life

Growing up, I always heard that eating too much sugar would lead directly to type 2 diabetes.

It’s a trope often repeated in film and TV. For instance, in 2013’s Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, Hansel, who has been force-fed sugar, contracts the “sugar sickness” that’s instantly cured with a shot of insulin. Charity Diabetes UK said this is a “gross oversimplification of how diabetes is caused”.

Meanwhile, the NHS’ East Lancashire Hospitals Trust writes that the idea that type 2 diabetes is caused by eating too much sugar is a “myth”, adding it is “not true to say that Type 2 diabetes is caused by sugar directly”.

So what does cause the condition, and where does sugar come into it all?

Advertisement

Here, we asked Dr Giuseppe Aragona, a GP and medical adviser for Prescription Doctor, to weigh in on the topic.

What is type 2 diabetes?

Dr Aragona described it as a “condition in which the body becomes increasingly resistant to the effects of insulin, meaning that glucose is not taken up and regulated as effectively as it should be, while the pancreas may also become less able to produce enough insulin to compensate.”

Though being overweight is a risk factor for type two diabetes, it doens’t paint the whole picture, he added.

Advertisement

Not only can people who aren’t overweight develop type 2 diabetes, but the GP said many other risk factors can come into play, including:

  • family history,
  • increasing age,
  • ethnicity,
  • previous gestational diabetes,
  • high blood pressure,
  • polycystic ovary syndrome, and
  • certain medications.

This is why “it is usually unhelpful to reduce the condition to simply having eaten too much sugar, and equally unhelpful to assume that someone has somehow brought it upon themselves through their diet”.

So… does sugar cause type 2 diabetes?

It has a role, said Dr Aragona – but probably not as straightforward a one as you might think.

“The NHS description is broadly right, although the wording can be a little misleading because sugar intake and type 2 diabetes are not completely unrelated,” he explained.

Advertisement

“Eating sugar does not, by itself, directly cause type 2 diabetes in the simple sense that having sugar in your diet inevitably produces the condition, as type 2 diabetes develops through a combination of insulin resistance, reduced insulin production over time and a range of genetic, metabolic and lifestyle factors”.

Nonetheless, he said, a diet high in sugar can make type 2 diabetes more likely to occur, “particularly because it can make it easier to consume excess calories, gain weight and develop excess body fat, all of which can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

“It is therefore more accurate to think of sugar as one potential contributor to the overall dietary pattern and metabolic risk rather than as a single direct cause”, he said.

What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes?

Advertisement

Sometimes, the doctor told us, type 2 diabetes can develop slowly, making it harder to spot.

But he shared that some symptoms should always prompt you to plan a GP appointment, including:

  • being unusually thirsty,
  • ]passing urine more frequently than normal,
  • particularly at night,
  • feeling persistently tired,
  • losing weight without trying,
  • having blurred vision,
  • experiencing recurrent infections such as thrush, or
  • noticing that cuts and other minor wounds are taking longer than usual to heal.

These don’t always spell dementia, and they can have other causes, he added. However, they’re still worth investigating, especially if you have multiple symptoms at once.

“If you are worried about diabetes but have no symptoms, it is also worth speaking to your GP about whether you should have a blood glucose or HbA1c test, as testing is often how type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes is picked up before symptoms become apparent,” added Dr Aragona.

Can people with type 2 diabetes eat sugar?

Advertisement

Another myth on the NHS list about type 2 diabetes is that those with the condition can never eat sugar.

The doctor said, “If someone already has type 2 diabetes, I would not generally tell them that they need to eliminate sugar completely.

“The more useful approach is to look at the overall diet, with particular attention to sugary drinks, sweets, biscuits, cakes and other foods that contain a lot of free sugars, while aiming for a balanced diet containing plenty of vegetables, higher-fibre carbohydrates, pulses, fruit in sensible portions, protein and healthier sources of fat.”

He said some changes are still advised – for instance, water is a better option than sugary drinks, and eating a lot of foods with high amounts of free sugars can be risky.

Advertisement

“It is also worth remembering that carbohydrates in general affect blood glucose, so simply switching from sugar to another highly refined carbohydrate does not necessarily solve the problem,” the doctor said.

Finally, he ended, “People taking insulin or certain diabetes tablets need to be particularly careful about making major changes to their carbohydrate intake without discussing it with their healthcare professional, because some medicines can cause blood glucose to fall too low.

“For most people, though, the aim is not a completely sugar-free existence but a sustainable eating pattern, regular physical activity, appropriate medication where needed and sensible monitoring of blood glucose and cardiovascular risk factors.”

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Lovers are flogged 100 times each for adultery with girlfriend begging for mercy then collapsing in pain during brutal Sharia caning in Indonesia

Published

on

Lovers are flogged 100 times each for adultery with girlfriend begging for mercy then collapsing in pain during brutal Sharia caning in Indonesia

A couple was flogged 100 times each for adultery under an Indonesian province’s strict Sharia laws. 

The caning in Banda Aceh on Thursday was so severe that the woman was seen begging for mercy before collapsing from the pain. 

The couple was convicted of adultery and were sentenced to 100 lashes each by the Banda Aceh Sharia Court last month.

Unmarried couples are not allowed to have sex under the harsh laws in the region of Aceh, which is the only place in Muslim-majority Indonesia to administer Sharia law.

Advertisement

Caning is used to punish a wide range of offences, including gambling, drinking alcohol, homosexual acts, and having sexual relations outside marriage.

Images from the public caning today showed the woman grimacing in pain and holding her hand up as she pleaded for mercy while she received lashes on her back. 

However, later pictures showed the woman being helped off the ground after she collapsed to her knees. 

Images of her partner also showed him wincing as he was struck.

Advertisement

A woman grimaces in pain while serving a public caning sentence in Taman Sari, Banda Aceh, Aceh Province, Indonesia, on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, for adultery

Officers assist the convicted woman after she received 100 lashings

Officers assist the convicted woman after she received 100 lashings 

Pictured: A man found guilty of adultery under Sharia law grimaces in pain as he is whipped 100 times

Pictured: A man found guilty of adultery under Sharia law grimaces in pain as he is whipped 100 times 

Advertisement

According to local news outlet AJNN, the man’s caning was halted temporarily after he received 60 lashes over concerns for his health. 

Head of the General Crimes Section of the Banda Aceh District Attorney’s Office, Darma Mustika, said: ‘Perhaps his health was a little compromised, or he simply couldn’t handle the whipping. So we stopped him first to give him a chance to rest.’

The caning then resumed until the man received 100 lashes in total. 

The couple was among a group of 10 people who received lashings on Thursday. 

Advertisement

The remaining eight convicts – men and women – were sentenced to between 16 and 21 lashes after being found guilty of intermingling at a birthday party. 

Under Sharia law, the mixing of men and women who are unrelated is strictly forbidden. 

The public nature of canings in Aceh is intended to shame as well as inflict pain on people found to have violated Sharia law. 

Canings are often staged outside mosques or in community squares, with crowds watching and documenting the event on their mobile phones. 

Advertisement
The woman puts her hands to her face after she received 100 lashes

The woman puts her hands to her face after she received 100 lashes 

Pictured: A man reacts in pain as he is whipped 100 times. The caning was halted temporarily over concerns about his health

Pictured: A man reacts in pain as he is whipped 100 times. The caning was halted temporarily over concerns about his health

Pictured: A separate man who was accused of intermingling with women at a birthday party was also lashed on Thursday

Pictured: A separate man who was accused of intermingling with women at a birthday party was also lashed on Thursday 

The public nature of canings in Aceh is intended to shame as well as inflict pain on people found to have violated Sharia law

The public nature of canings in Aceh is intended to shame as well as inflict pain on people found to have violated Sharia law

Advertisement
A man grimaces in pain while serving a public caning sentence in Taman Sari, Banda Aceh, Aceh

A man grimaces in pain while serving a public caning sentence in Taman Sari, Banda Aceh, Aceh

Canings are often staged outside mosques or in community squares

Canings are often staged outside mosques or in community squares

Local officials have defended the practice as a deterrent and as part of the province's identity

Local officials have defended the practice as a deterrent and as part of the province’s identity

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly condemned the practice

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly condemned the practice

Advertisement
A man found in violation of Sharia law received water from an official during his public caning in Banda Aceh, Aceh Province, Indonesia, on Thursday

A man found in violation of Sharia law received water from an official during his public caning in Banda Aceh, Aceh Province, Indonesia, on Thursday

Human rights groups say the humiliation adds to the cruelty and causes lasting psychological damage.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly condemned the practice, saying it violates Indonesia’s constitution and its obligations under international law.

Amnesty said in a statement: ‘Caning contravenes Indonesia’s constitution and is in clear violation of international human rights law and standards.

Advertisement

‘It constitutes a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and can amount to torture in violation of the UN Convention against Torture and other international covenants, to which Indonesia is a State Party.’

Local officials have defended the practice as a deterrent and as part of the province’s identity, while critics warn it has negatively impacted Indonesia’s human rights reputation and inflicted lasting trauma on those who endure it. 

Just weeks ago, a woman became the first person to be publicly caned in Aceh for ‘committing obscenity live with a man on social media.’

The punishment was handed down after she and her partner were accused of kissing during a TikTok livestream.

Advertisement

Images showed the woman kneeling and screaming in agony as a masked Sharia police officer repeatedly brought the cane down across her back.

The woman eventually lost consciousness and had to receive medical attention. 

Her partner was also caned over the TikTok livestream.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Deaths and serious crashes on roads in Wales increase after initial 20mph-law dip

Published

on

Wales Online

The number of casualties dipped after new law introduced but latest data show they rose again last year

The number of deaths and serious injuries on Welsh roads rose last year after initially falling when the 20mph speed limit was introduced, new data has shown.

Advertisement

The latest figures from the Department for Transport show that 91 people died on roads in Wales in 2025. This is up from 84 deaths reported in 2024, the first full year in which the default 20mph speed limit on roads was introduced.

The law, which came into force on September 17, 2023, proved to be hugely controversial. A petition against the speed limit broke Senedd records with just shy of 500,000 signatures, and the policy is still regularly brought up as an attack line by Reform and Conservative politicians, against Labour, who introduced the policy, and Plaid Cymru, who supported it.

Supporters have previously said data has shown that the aim of making Wales’ roads safer is being achieved with the speed limit.

The Welsh Government said road safety remains a priority, and added that the number of deaths on roads with a 20mph limit stayed the same in the latest data set. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.

The Department for Transport data on collisions on all roads in Wales show that in 2023 – the year the 20mph default limit was introduced – there were 101 deaths, which was up frojm 95 in 2022 and 86 in 2021.

In 2024, the first full year of data when the default speed limit was active, the number of deaths on Welsh roads dipped to 84. Last year, the figure rose back up to 91.

The Welsh Government said data shows there were 19 fatalities on 20mph roads in Wales in 2025, the same number as in 2024.

Advertisement

The Department for Transport data also reveals that the number of serious injuries on Welsh roads also crept up in 2025 after falling in 2024.

There were 1,361 people killed or seriously injured last year, which is the highest number of casualties since 2019, when 1,485 people were killed or seriously injured.

In 2025, the Welsh Government said were 1,469 collisions on roads with 20mph and 30mph speed limits (combined), 2% higher than in 2024 (1,445 collisions) but is the second lowest annual number recorded in Wales, the lowest being in 2024.

Collisions were 22% lower than in 2022 (1,886 collisions), the most recent full calendar year before the change in default speed limit was implemented.

Advertisement

Other data has suggested that levels of compliance with the speed limit steadily decreased after its initial implementation, with average speeds creeping back up.

Drivers in Wales are still driving more slowly overall than they were before 20mph was introduced. A report published by Transport for Wales in July 2025 looked at the impact of the 20mph default speed limit and how it has performed according to indicators. It says while there has been “some fluctuation” in speeds, “overall there has been a significant and sustained increase in vehicles being driven at or below 24mph”.

The Welsh Government made some changes to the 20mph law. Former Labour transport minister Ken Skates said he would allow Wales’ 22 councils to consult with local residents to hear which roads they think needed to change back from 20mph.

He said he would make an extra £5m available to fund the changes. Since then, a significant number of roads have reverted back to the 30mph limit, and there are regularly announcements about alterations that will be made on other roads.

Advertisement

Adrian Berendt, from campaigners 20’s Plenty for Us, previously said the 20mph limit has made “Welsh communities safer” and there are also signs within the insurance industry that it is allowing them to reduce the cost of car insurance premiums.

Insurer esure published a press release in June 2024 saying it had seen a 20% drop in claims for car accidents since the default limit was introduced. The company also said drivers in areas with the 20mph limit are likely to see an average of £50 off their premiums compared to people who don’t.

Head of motor underwriting Rob Clark said then: “People are not crashing as much and when they do they are not causing as much damage. We are able to reflect it in the premiums.”

The Welsh Government said: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy, and road safety remains a priority for this government.

Advertisement

“There were 19 fatalities on 20mph roads in Wales in 2025, and the same number in 2024. So numbers of fatalities on 20mph roads in Wales has stayed the same not increased.

“In 2025, 91 people were killed in collisions on all types of roads in Wales, compared with 84 in 2024 and 96 in 2022, the year before the 20mph default speed limit was introduced.”

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Cardiff City handed major injury boost ahead of Charlton as star ‘good to go’

Published

on

Wales Online

Cardiff City have been handed a major injury boost ahead of Saturday’s Charlton clash, with Dylan Lawlor fit to return

Cardiff City have been handed a major injury boost ahead of Saturday’s clash with Charlton Athletic with Dylan Lawlor declared fit and available for selection.

Advertisement

The young defender has made a quicker-than-expected recovery from the injury which has kept him out at the start of the season, and Brian Barry-Murphy confirmed on Thursday that he is now “good to go”.

Lawlor, who was one of Cardiff’s standout stars during their promotion-winning campaign, trained fully this week alongside fellow defender Will Fish, although Fish remains another week away from a return.

“Dylan Lawlor will definitely be available. He’s good to go,” Barry-Murphy said.

“Will Fish won’t be available, he’s probably another week behind Dylan, so we’re not going to take any chances with Will. But Dylan, back fully fit and good to go.”

Advertisement

The Cardiff boss said Lawlor has trained well and there is no issue with his knee, meaning he could potentially come straight back into the starting XI against Nathan Jones’ side.

Asked whether he would have any concerns about putting Lawlor straight back into the team, Barry-Murphy said: “No, I think he’s trained really well.

“We’ll see how he is today and tomorrow then make a decision based on who we feel is best to start this game.

Advertisement

“But he’s fully fit, no issues with his knee whatsoever, and he looks great.”

The return of Lawlor comes as Cardiff continue to contend with a number of injury problems, although there was less positive news surrounding Rubin Colwill.

The midfielder will miss Saturday’s game with an ankle problem, with Barry-Murphy confirming that both Colwill and Isaak Davies are expected to return to training during the international break.

Advertisement

“Them two are quite similar, I think. We expect them to train in the middle of the international break, Rubin and Isaak,” he said.

Davies has been sidelined with a hamstring problem, while Colwill has missed Cardiff’s recent fixtures with his ankle issue.

There was also an update on Calum Chambers, who remains out with his own injury issue.

The experienced defender is due to undergo a further scan on Thursday afternoon, with Cardiff hoping that will provide a clearer indication of his recovery timeline.

“Calum Chambers is having a further scan on his injury this afternoon, so we’ll know more on the timescale with him this afternoon,” Barry-Murphy said.

Cardiff therefore head into the Charlton game with Lawlor back available, although Fish, Colwill, Davies and Chambers remain among those working their way back to fitness.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

EU announces plan to restrict social media access for children

Published

on

A young girl is seen sat crossed legged on the floor scrolling on a smartphone while it is charging

The EU has announced plans to restrict social media access for under-15s across its member states, in a bid to increase wellbeing and tackle online safety.

Under the plans, there would be a gradual approach to children using social media which would include banning under 13s from accessing platforms.

Those aged 13 to 15 would only be able to access platforms for an hour per day via “mini accounts” set up through their parent or guardian’s social media account.

The European Commission said social media companies would need to prove their platforms were safe by design, while EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the move would “put parents back in the driving seat”.

Advertisement

She added the legislation – called the EU Kids Act – would give parents “the tools to help their children navigate a safer world”.

“Too many children are being exposed too early to an online world they are not ready to navigate – an environment where bullying can follow you home, where every mistake can be recorded forever,” von der Leyen said.

Under the act, only children aged 15 and over would be able to set up their own social media accounts.

But von der Leyen told the EU Parliament on Thursday that “an age limit does not mean letting tech companies off the hook for the content on the platform”.

Advertisement

She added that under the legislation – if it is approved – companies would be required to submit detailed child safety plans.

“For every person under 18, the platforms must follow the principal of safety by design, no toxic or addictive features, no traps, etc,” she said.

The proposal sets out that age would be verified using the EU’s preexisting age verification app.

Von der Leyen had previously proposed a social media “delay” for children in Europe, saying in May that “the discussion about a minimum age for social media can no longer be ignored”.

Advertisement

The policy, formally outlined on Thursday, was also trailed in the EU chief’s annual address on Wednesday.

Some individual EU countries have already announced their own separate plans to restrict social media for children, including France and Spain.

Any potential EU-wide legislation would supersede those, but it would be possible for individual EU members to then go further than the bloc’s action.

It is not clear which platforms the proposed bloc-wide measures would apply to, but von der Leyen said the Commission had “looked at Australia” when putting together the proposal.

Advertisement

Platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok were banned for under-16s in Australia in December last year.

The ban has been difficult for the country to enforce, with its Communications Minister Anika Wells admitting earlier this month that so far no tech firm had been fined despite research showing many under-16s were still on platforms.

A similar ban for under-16s is set to come into force in the UK in spring next year.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

UK homeowners warned about a rat plague this autumn

Published

on

UK homeowners warned about a rat plague this autumn

Whether they’re inside or outside, rats are known for their ability to cause disruption and costly damage.

The home insurance experts at Tiger have urged property owners to remain vigilant against the pests and follow important steps now to prevent an infestation before the autumn weather drives rodents indoors.

It is then that rats will be looking for warm and dry spots to settle in during the cooler months, and with the summer bringing record-breaking temperatures, there were ideal opportunities for breeding.

Advertisement

Rats can reduce the value of a property by up to 20%, with figures potentially reaching up to £53,663 based on average property prices, an expert told The Intermediary.

Since you must legally declare the presence of rats when selling a property, it is best to prevent a problem from occurring where possible rather than acting too late and being met with a huge infestation issue.

How many rats are there in the UK?

It is estimated that there are between 10.5 and 120 million rats in the UK, says the British Pest Control Association (BPCA).

So, it’s important that homeowners know what to watch out for, especially since an increase in rat numbers, also described as a “plague” by the experts at Tiger, is expected.

Advertisement

Does home insurance cover rat infestations in the UK?

If you have a rat infestation, Kara Gammell, home insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said you might not be covered by your insurance policy.

She said: “Rats may be small, but the damage that they can cause can be huge.

“These pests can chew through almost anything – from floorboards and plasterboard to pipes and electrical wiring – leaving you facing structural issues, burst pipes, or even a fire risk.

“And here’s the sting in the tail: standard home insurance typically won’t cover pest infestations because insurers view it as a maintenance issue rather than a sudden, unforeseen event like a fire or storm.

Advertisement

“That means the cost of removing rats – or repairing the damage they leave behind – will likely come straight out of your own pocket.

Advertisement

“Some insurers do offer home emergency cover as an optional extra, and this can sometimes include pest removal.

“But don’t assume you’re fully protected.

“This type of cover generally won’t pay out for any damage rats cause to your property.

Advertisement

“Outbuildings such as sheds and garages are also often excluded too.

“Taking preventative steps to keep rodents out is far cheaper – and far less stressful – than dealing with an infestation once they’ve moved in.”

Have you ever had a rat problem in your home or garden? Let us know in the comments below.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025