South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said crews from 10 areas remain at the scene as well as Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

In an update at 4.15pm SWFRS said: “Crews, appliances and specialist equipment including an aerial hydraulic platform and water bowsers from Rhymney, Aberdare, Abercynon, Brynmawr, Ferndale, Treorchy, Gilfach Goch and Aberbargoed, Merthyr Tydfil and Cardiff Central are in attendance along with support from Mid and West Fire and Rescue Service.

“We are advising local residents to keep windows and doors closed due to smoke in the area.

“The incident remains ongoing and our crews are working to bring it to a safe close.”

CHICAGO (AP) — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose for a fifth consecutive week to its highest level in just over a year, marking the latest strain for prospective homebuyers who are facing steep borrowing costs.

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.69%, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday, up slightly from 6.66% reported last week. By comparison, the average rate was 6.63% at this time last year — and hadn’t been higher than its current level since late July in 2025.

Higher mortgage rates can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, limiting homebuyers’ purchasing power. As rates rise, that can lead prospective home shoppers to delay buying a home, one reason U.S. home sales have been sluggish this year.

Meanwhile, borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages — which are often sought by borrowers looking to refinance a home loan — fell slightly this week. That rate averaged at 6.01%, down from 6.04% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.75%, Freddie Mac said.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, including inflation, broader policy rate decisions from the Federal Reserve and expectations from bond market investors for the economy. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

Rates have been mostly rising this year as the U.S. war with Iran, which has fueled expectations for hotter inflation as crude oil prices soared. Despite easing oil prices recently, long-term bond yields remain steeper than they were before the conflict began in late February, pushing mortgage rates to tread higher.

The 10-year Treasury yield was 4.65% as of midday Thursday on the bond market. Before the war, it was just 3.97% in late February.

After serving half his original sentence, Bear was released from prison, but between 1 March 2025 and 21 July 2025 began posting on Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube and Facebook about the case and Harrison.

The court heard these were “consistently posted messages of the most abhorrent and harmful type”.

Addressing Bear, the judge said: “What you did in that three to four-month period is simply victim-blaming.”

Harrison did not attend court, but the prosecution read out a statement in which she described feeling isolated, exposed and unsafe, and asked for the restraining order to be extended.

She said the significant stress had made her worry about her unborn child and caused her to “spiral” on some occasions.

“I shut him out of my mind for a long time and it’s not fair that he’s managed to crawl his way back in,” she said.

Bear arrived for Thursday’s sentencing with his wife, who is eight months pregnant.

As he walked in to court, he refused to answer questions but gave a thumbs-up and said: “Wish me luck guys. See you soon, hopefully.”

As his barrister spoke about why there should be a reduced sentence, Bear appeared to briefly cry.

He shook his head as he was taken away to begin another prison term.

One of the cats was found dead and infested with fleas in the lounge of Chelsea Brown’s home in Coundon, Bishop Auckland, while the other was hiding on top of kitchen cupboards.

The 33-year-old of Tyne Walk admitted causing unnecessary suffering to two cats during a hearing at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, July 23.

She was also handed a five-year animal ownership ban, along with a £200 fine and ordered to pay £480 in costs.

It comes after a gas engineer reported concerns about two underweight cats left alone at the property to the RSPCA.

Oscar has now been rehomed. (Image: RSPCA)

RSPCA inspector Heidi Cleaver visited on September 18 last year, placing seals on the doors and leaving a calling card. When she returned the next day, the seals were unbroken, indicating no one had entered the home.

On September 20, with police assistance, she gained entry to the property.

Inside, she found a black and white cat dead on the living room floor, infested with fleas, and a second, tabby and white cat hiding on top of the kitchen cupboards, also heavily infested and visibly underweight.

(Image: RSPCA)

Inspector Cleaver said: “These two cats were left without food or water and, were it not for a member of the public intervening, both would likely have died in that property.

“We are so grateful he contacted us.

“It’s very sad that one cat has died, but we’re delighted that the other one has gone from strength to strength and has now found a loving new home.”

The black and white cat was found to be in an emaciated condition and is believed to have possibly died after choking on some food.

The surviving cat was given a body condition score of one out of nine, weighing just 2.5kg – about half the expected weight for his size.

The cat’s food bowls were empty. (Image: RSPCA)

The cat was dehydrated, suffering from severe anaemia, and was heavily infested with fleas.

Brown did not attend scheduled interviews with the RSPCA.

In court, mitigation was given that she has mental health issues.

The surviving tabby cat has since been rehomed and is now named Oscar.

Inspector Cleaver said: “If you can no longer care for your pets, it’s vital that you make arrangements to ensure their welfare.

“For any pet owners struggling, there’s cost of living advice on the RSPCA’s website.”

The Red Lion at Bramham, near Wetherby, was reported on social media as reopening on Wednesday July 29 after being closed for nearly four years.

The brewery has confirmed the reopening of the pub, situated on The Square, adding the management couple are Gary and Jacqui.

The Red Lion is currently a drinks only pub, but Facebook is reporting it aims to serve food once the kitchen is refurbished.

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The re-openings follow that of The Tankard at Long Marston, which reopened last month and is managed by Paula Watson.

The Blacksmith Arms at Skelton re-opened in May, under the management of John and Margaret.

May also saw Sally Watkins reopen the Ebor Inn at Bishopthorpe, which until he sadly died of Covid during the pandemic had been run by Sally’s father Gordon Watkins for 39 years.

And in January, the Sam Smith’s brewery-owned Castle Inn at Sheriff Hutton re-opened after being closed for nearly five years.

For the East Kilbride show, the line-up is Des Clarke, Raymond Mearns, Dean Park and Liam Dolan.

Some of the country’s finest comedians will take to the stage in East Kilbride later this year.

The Scottish Comedians Theatre tour stars the country’s finest comics and brings the comedy club vibe to the theatre stage.

Each show will have at least four or five of these top comedians in the line-up.

The comedians in question are Fred Macaulay, Des Clarke, Marc Jennings, Susie McCabe, Jay Lafferty, Raymond Mearns, JoJo Sutherland, Gareth Mutch, Des McLean, Billy Kirkwood, Gareth Waugh, Dean Park, Liam Dolan, Ray Bradshaw, Mark Cox and Jane McCarry.

All comedians are worthy of headlining any show. The Scottish Comedians basically puts at least four headliners in the one comedy show.

For the East Kilbride show, the line-up is Des Clarke, Raymond Mearns, Dean Park and Liam Dolan.

Des is a multi-award-winning Scottish stand-up comedian, television host, and radio presenter best known for hosting the Heart Breakfast Show and fronting the BBC satirical comedy series Breaking the News.

He has won a string of awards for his stand-up including Chortle Best Newcomer, ITV Golden Mic Award, and multiple Scottish Comedy Awards for Best TV/Radio Comedian.

Raymond is an acclaimed actor and stand-up comedian from Glasgow’s East End, widely regarded as one of the top live performers and improvisational minds on the UK comedy circuit.

Known for his sharp, raw observational humour, quick-thinking crowd interaction, and distinct storytelling ability, Mearns has built a robust career spanning over three decades across live stages, television, radio, and film.

Dean Park is a well-known Scottish entertainer, comedian, singer, and radio presenter with a four-decade career in show business while Liam is an established comedian, variety entertainer, writer, director, and television presenter who has spent over three decades performing across Scottish theatre, television, and radio.

Born in Drumchapel and raised in Ayrshire, Dolan has built a prolific career rooted in traditional Scottish variety comedy, pantomime, and character impersonation.

Ticket for the show on Friday, October 9, cost £20 and are available from the South Lanarkshire Leisure & Culture website.

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Two men were caught on CCTV staging a car accident by pretending to lie on the ground injured for cash, as police issue a warning over fraudulent gangs’ new tactics. 

Khuram Mohammad, 41, was seen setting up a bicycle with an accomplice in a remote country lane in Leeds as part of a crash-for-cash illegal insurance claim on May 27, 2024. 

Cash-for-crash schemes are a form of insurance fraud where drivers stage collisions to get financial compensation. 

Mohammad and another man, who has now fled the UK, were caught on video propping up the stationary bicycle before getting back into the car to drive towards it at speed. 

One man is then seen getting out of the vehicle and lying down on the road, pretending to be injured, while the other calls 999. 

Admiral Insurance received a claim from the ‘cyclist’ soon after via a letter, alleging damage to the bicycle and personal injury. 

The claim read that the alleged injured man had been on the main road travelling up the hill, when another man driving in the opposite direction swerved onto the other side of the road and crashed into him. 

The Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) investigated the case and found the claims to be fraudulent and found misuse of emergency services. 

The pair set up a stationary bike before getting back into the vehicle to run it over 

Investigators established that the collision had been deliberately orchestrated after reviewing CCTV footage, which provided independent evidence of what had happened.  

Khuram Mohammad, of Bradford, was sentenced after a trial in May this year to 20 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for 12 months for fraud by false representation. 

Mohammad had attempted to make a false insurance claim against Admiral Insurance, including fraudulent injury claims and the misuse of emergency services.

The other suspect who fled the UK after the incident remains wanted. 

The blatant crime comes as police issued a warning to the public over new tactics being used by criminals amid a rise in cases of staged insurance crashes. 

Detective Chief Inspector Nik Jethwa, Head of the IFED, said: ‘Crash for cash fraud is a growing problem and criminals are becoming more aggressive in how they carry out these schemes. 

‘We want the public to be more aware than ever of the tactics being used, which put innocent road users at risk. 

‘Please take extra care at difficult junctions and roundabouts and follow our safety advice if you suspect something is wrong. 

‘There is also a real risk of identity theft, so consider the potential consequences if you are involved in a collision. IFED will continue to pursue those who exploit vulnerable people. 

‘We are working with Nextbase to amplify this message and to highlight one of the simplest ways to protect yourself: consider getting a dashcam.’ 

Police said insurance fraud crimes are on the rise, issuing a public warning about new, more aggressive tactics 

More than £25.3million has been involved in suspected crash-for-cash fraud cases over the last five years

Criminals are moving beyond simple staged bumps to more aggressive and targeted methods designed to pressure victims into giving them immediate payments, or inflating their claims

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Police said the new scams are combining aggressive staging, roadside data theft and collusion with repair networks. 

They threaten the public’s physical safety, finances and identities.

One part of the con involved demanding a photo of their victim’s driving licence – which can then be used in identity fraud. 

The scams are on the rise, with the IFED investigating more than £25.3million in suspected crash-for-cash fraud cases over the last five years – with roughly 75 per cent involving staged or induced collisions. 

Criminals are moving beyond simple staged bumps to more aggressive and targeted methods designed to pressure victims into giving them immediate payments, or inflating their claims. 

Bryn Brooker, Head of Road Safety at Nextbase, said: ‘Crash-for-cash scams rely on uncertainty.

‘If there is no independent evidence, drivers will find it difficult to prove their innocence for an incident that happened in a matter of seconds. 

‘Video footage has been proven to help by providing an impartial and irrefutable record of events. 

‘That’s why we always encourage drivers to keep any footage after a collision and share it with their insurer or police if requested.’ 

A convicted fraudster cleared in court of killing his wealthy heiress wife murdered her, a coroner said today.

Conman Donald McPherson, 53, was ordered to be found not guilty of the murder of his wife Paula Leeson, 47, on a judge’s direction to the jury halfway through his trial at Manchester Crown Court in 2021.

He had taken out £3.5million life insurance on the mother-of-one shortly before her death on June 6, 2017, and within hours of her ‘accidental drowning’ was emptying her accounts of thousands of pounds to pay off his debts.

In 2024 Ms Leeson’s family, who run a successful plant hire business in south Manchester, blocked him inheriting his late wife’s £4.4million estate.

A judge in civil proceedings brought by the Leeson family at the High Court ruled McPherson had unlawfully killed his wife for money by throttling her unconscious then drowning her in the swimming pool while on holiday in Denmark in 2017.

At the inquest into the death of Ms Leeson, delayed until today by the murder trial and civil hearings, a coroner ruled she agreed with the unlawful killing verdict.

Alison Mutch, senior coroner for Manchester South, told Stockport Coroner’s Court McPherson was heavily in debt and he was the only person to benefit from his wife’s death.

She added: ‘I am therefore satisfied he did murder his wife. 

Donald McPherson was cleared of murdering Paula Leeson, 47, on the orders of a judge after prosecutors were unable to disprove his defence that she had fallen or jumped in to the pool

Paula Leeson, 47, from Sale, died in a swimming pool at a villa in a remote village in Denmark, on June 6, 2017

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‘Her death occurred because her husband compressed her neck to render her unconscious, causing her body to enter the pool, causing her to drown, to financially benefit from her death. 

‘Her death was as a result of an unlawful killing.”

Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Clegg, of Greater Manchester Police, had told the hearing: ‘There’s no doubt this was a homicide. 

‘She died at his hands. I have not looked for anyone else.’

The coroner asked the officer: ‘You don’t believe this was an accident. There’s too many coincidences and only one person benefited from her death?’

He replied: ‘That’s right.’

Sophie Cartwright KC, representing the Leeson family at the inquest, asked the officer: ‘Your firm belief is that Donald McPherson murdered Paula Leeson?’

Mr Clegg replied: ‘That’s correct, yes. Donald McPherson had backed himself into a financial crisis and the only way out was with the death of his wife.’

Paula died in a swimming pool at a remote holiday chalet in Denmark (pictured) in 2017 

The officer said he agreed with the Leeson’s family view that this had been a miscarriage of justice and McPherson, currently living in New Zealand, should be serving a life sentence for murder.

The inquest heard no retrial for murder can take place unless compelling new evidence is found.

Ms Cartwright said ‘investigations are ongoing’ and the Leeson family hope police – having in the last 12 months gained access to McPherson’s old laptop – will uncover evidence to ‘get them over the line for a retrial.

‘Their fight will continue after today,’ she added.

Ms Leeson’s brother Neville told the hearing her life had been taken by McPherson’s ‘greed’

He added: ‘Now the man who murdered her is walking around free.

‘Paula has repeatedly been let down by the criminal justice system.

‘We will never accept that and will continue fighting for her.’

In 2024 a High Court judge ruled that Donald McPherson (pictured) ‘deliberately and unlawfully killed Paula (Leeson) by compressing her neck in an arm lock, rendering her unconscious and causing her body to fall into the pool, ensuring her drowning and death’

Ms Leeson drowned in the swimming pool at a remote holiday cottage, booked by McPherson for a summer break in Denmark in 2017.

She was 5ft 5in and could swim but drowned in the pool of a depth of 4ft, the murder trial heard.

McPherson told police he awoke to find Ms Leeson face down in the pool.

Her death was initially treated as a tragic accident by the Danish authorities – though she had 13 separate external injuries.

Within hours McPherson was transferring thousands of pounds from her accounts.

Soon after, McPherson cleared their home in Sale, Greater Manchester, of his late wife’s possessions and joined bereavement group Widowed And Young – which he called ‘Tinder for widows’.

Ms Leeson’s elderly father Willy sat in the inquest hearing with his son Neville, and Ms Leeson’s son Ben.

Ms Leeson oversaw the skip hire part of her family’s successful ground-working business that her father had built up in Sale after emigrating from Co Wicklow, Ireland, in the 1960s.

Ms Leeson and brother Neville stood to inherit the business.

She had the ‘misfortune’ of coming across McPherson, a failing and indebted property developer, who came in to hire a skip in 2012.

Two years later the couple wed at a no-expense-spared ceremony at a Cheshire castle after a ‘whirlwind romance’.

He has always denied any involvement in his wife’s death, describing it a ‘tragic accident’.

After it emerged that the New Zealander – whose real name is Alexander Lang – had forged her will and secretly taken out life insurance policies that would pay him millions in the event of her death, he was charged with murder.

But halfway through his trial in 2021, a judge directed jurors to return a not guilty verdict after prosecutors were unable to disprove McPherson’s defence that she had fallen in or jumped.

Her furious relatives condemned him as ‘the devil incarnate’ and pledged never to stop fighting for justice – and to prevent him getting his hands on the money.

The Leeson family have spent over £1million uncovering crucial new evidence about her final minutes.

It resulted in them bringing a landmark civil case against McPherson, who had by then returned to his native New Zealand.

In a stunning victory, a judge in 2024 ruled he had ‘deliberately and unlawfully killed Paula by compressing her neck in an arm lock, rendering her unconscious and causing her body to fall into the pool, ensuring her drowning and death’.

Mr Justice Richard Smith added: ‘His motive for killing Paula was clear – money.’

Lawyers representing the family subsequently sent the Crown Prosecution Service what they described as ‘new and compelling evidence’ justifying McPherson facing a retrial in the criminal courts.

However to their fury, in December 2025 DPP Stephen Parkinson rejected their plea on the grounds that the evidence was available in the original trial, even though prosecutors did not use it.

During their marriage, McPherson – who claimed to be a property developer but was in reality £65,000 in debt – funded an extravagant lifestyle thanks to the largesse of Ms Leeson, regarded as frugal and unflashy by friends.

She was unaware he had secretly taken out over £3million in life insurance that would pay out in the event of her death.

A Daily Mail investigation later exposed how – unbeknown to the jury in his murder trial – McPherson had been jailed over a £12million bank fraud in Germany in 2006.

In addition, his previous wife died along with their four-year-old daughter during a mysterious fire while he was behind bars.

Investigators concluded they had been overcome after the 35-year-old deliberately started the blaze.

The sunflower trail is back for another year at Balgone Estate

A stunning Scottish sunflower experience just 30 minutes outside of Edinburgh returns tomorrow.

The sunflower trail at Balgone Estate in North Berwick is back for another year from Friday, August 7 until Sunday, August 23.

The two-hour experience, which is ticketed per car, allows visitor to wander through fourteen acres of golden sunflower fields and take home their own hand-picked bouquet.

The sunflower trail also offers plenty of Instagrammable photo opportunities hidden among the ‘sea of golden sunflowers’.

After picking your blooms, with a station to trim and tie your bunches on site, guests can tuck into freshly grilled food from a farm-to-fork BBQ and browse local food vendor stalls while enjoying some live music.

Most sessions at Balgone’s sunflower trail take place during the day but guests can also book later slots in the day for an extra special experience at sunset.

Daytime tickets start from £18 per car which covers up to five people with the last available booking at 3pm before the site closes at 5pm.

Tickets do not include the price of sunflowers which are £1 per stem. Those looking for a sunset experience can book later into the night with the last possible slot available being 8pm before it shuts at 10pm.

These tickets are also per car and are slightly more expensive at £21.

As the sunflower fields are very aesthetically pleasing and guests may want unspoiled images, the Balgone Estate even offers a private session that costs £45 for up to five people.

The website details this slot is “a great option for those who value peace and quiet, taking in the idyllic views in your own time. Ideal for photographs and photographers, making sure you capture moments that belong just to you.”

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The one hour session includes a maximum of two cars per individual booking and allows in a maximum of five separate groups of up to five people at a time.

However, there may be less people wandering around in these private sessions if the bookings are made by individuals or people in couples.

Those who want to experience the sunflower fields in a more unique way can even book a yoga session in the sunflowers on Wednesday, August 12 for £15.

On their website it also states that a Pilates session in the sunflowers is also going to become available soon on Thursday, August 20.

For more information and how to book tickets for all experiences at Balgone Estate’s Sunflower Trail, click here.