There have been ongoing anti-social behaviour concerns in the area for a number of weeks

Those involved in disorder have been holding a community in West Belfast to ransom, a local MLA has said. On Saturday night, July 18, large crowds of up to 100 people gathered in the Stewartstown Road area.

A police officer was injured, and several PSNI vehicles were damaged in the incidents. Bins and loading cages were placed across part of the road at its junction with Bell Steel Road, with fires being set from some of those bins.

Throughout the day, police launched an operation relating to dangerous driving in the area with a large number of young people travelling at speed on scrambler-type bikes. The PSNI said many riders had their faces partially covered and were not wearing helmets.

The trouble came after weeks of sporadic disorder in the area, with scenes of anti-social behaviour outside flats over weeks, and trouble breaking out at the beginning of May at a diffing event in memory of Shea McGreevy, who died in a jetski incident in Lough Neagh.

Speaking to Belfast Live in the aftermath of the most recent scenes of disorder, Sinn Féin MLA Danny Baker said the local community has been “hemmed in” by those partaking in anti-social behaviour.

He said: “Tensions were building for a number of weeks, we had a major event here on May 4th which caused a lot of chaos, and it’s been building since then. What we saw on Saturday was a real escalation of that with huge numbers coming out onto the street, lots of young people on souped-up strong motorbikes driving dangerously, and there were lots of spectators.

“In the days leading up to it, there were stolen motorbikes and a stolen car came into the area, we were trying to get young people away from being spectators to that. There’s a real safeguarding issue here; if one of these cars or bikes loses control, with some of them being driven really dangerously, like going onto footpaths at high speeds, a life will be lost.

“Like many communities, we’re facing the difficulties of e-scooters, motorbikes, and scramblers. This isn’t unique, unfortunately. After the events at the start of May, we’ve seen the behaviours escalate, with more high-powered bikes coming into the area as well as stolen vehicles. This isn’t just traffic offences, this is putting lives at risk.”

Following the trouble on Saturday night, a 14-year-old boy was among those arrested. A minority of young people are turning towards such disorder, but Danny said many adults and people from outside the area have been “adding fuel to the fire” by getting involved and spectating.

He said: “There were lots of adults there as well, we can’t solely just put this down to kids misbehaving. There were adults on these motorbikes, adults cheering it on and bringing their kids along.

“They’re only adding fuel to the fire; they’re not doing any favours to the children or to the community. The more people come down and watch these behaviours, the more chance more people are gonna be coming in from outside of this community, and then it’s us as a community that has to pick up the pieces.

“Adults who have been coming as spectators need to reflect on their behaviour. There is an element of criminality, adults who are coming in a sinister way to try and influence our young people to get them into trouble.

“They don’t care about their young people’s futures, and I do; that’s the difference. This community does, and we want our young people to have the best future they could possibly have because the actions of Saturday and actions even leading up to that could follow them for the rest of their lives.

“It could cost them getting jobs, or it could cost them their life. The danger in all this is someone could be seriously hurt or killed.”

The impact of the trouble over the past few weeks means many people have been afraid to leave their homes, with many local businesses impacted in the aftermath.

“I work hard with families with children with additional needs, and I’ve got to know a lot of them. They have been telling me their routines have been messed up by the trouble,” Danny explained.

“One parent said their child would walk up and get ice cream in the garage, and they haven’t been able to do that for three weeks.

“That is not on. It’s a disgrace, and those behind that need to reflect on the real-life consequences that this is having for everyone in this community.

“People should not feel afraid to go about their daily business, and people should not be afraid to go to work, and that’s what is happening – businesses are being impacted. This community was hemmed in on Saturday, lots of businesses had to close and that has a massive knock-on effect.”

Danny said the disorder of recent weeks is not reflective of the wider Colin community, and he has called for those cheering on riotous behaviour or getting involved in it to pause and reflect.

He added: “We have hundreds of kids going through our youth clubs today, and we had a group of kids going off to represent this community in the Foyle Cup.

“There are so many great activities and great sports people in this community, as well as great role models. Then, unfortunately, we have some who are hellbent on destruction; we can’t allow them to win, and they need to get off the back of this community.

“It takes a village to raise a child, and it’s true, that’s what we’re going to keep doing. We’re going to work really hard to give our young people the best opportunities, and those who should know better really need to reflect on what they have done. To those who want to exploit our young people, get off the back of this community.

“Anyone who is cheering this behaviour on or involved in it they need to reflect on what they’re doing. They’re holding a community to ransom with their dangerous driving, and at the end of the day, they’re putting their own life at risk as well.”

Advertisement

Chief Inspector Kelly Gibson, PSNI West Belfast Area Commander, said: “We know the local community is very concerned about what took place in west Belfast on Saturday night – and of ongoing antisocial behaviour in the area.

“We’re continuing to progress our investigation and to review evidence from the weekend. As such, we intend to make further arrests following these shameful scenes.

“Our targeted patrols will subsequently continue in the Stewartstown Road and surrounding areas to detect offenders on bikes who are driving illegally.

“We would reiterate our appeal to parents and guardians to speak to their young people and warn them of the dangers of getting involved in behaviour which could result in them obtaining a criminal record.

“We’d also ask that the community continues to report the illegal and dangerous driving of scrambler-type bikes so we can help to make our roads safer for everyone. The safety of local communities is paramount, and our officers have been working closely alongside our partner agencies, local representatives and the community to address these problems.”

Any photos or digital footage, including CCTV, mobile phone or dash-cam footage, can now be shared with police through the Major Incident Public Portal here: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/PSNI26W20-PO1

Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information can contact police using our witness appeal form at https://reporting.psni.police.uk/appeals, quoting reference 346 of 18/07/26, or call us on 101.

Video by Justin Kernoghan.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

When the news reached Coronation Street’s Dylan Wilson (Liam McCheyne) that Betsy Swain (Sydney Martin) had suffered a stroke as a result of non-fatal strangulation, his immediate response was to claim he wasn’t responsible for it.

The youngster experienced a stroke in her home, and then another one in hospital.

After some tests, Betsy and her loved ones learnt that the damage to her neck, and temporary loss of circulation, had been sustained as a result of Dylan putting pressure on the body part while they were having sex.

DS Lisa Connor-Swain (Vicky Myers) told the police about Dylan being responsible, which led to him being questioned. Afterwards, Sean Tully (Antony Cotton) suggested that someone else was responsible for putting Betsy in hospital due to the gap in time from them having sex, and her first stroke.

Sean and Dylan weren’t aware of the information that states a stroke may not occur immediately after the event. In fact, medical evidence shows it can happen days, weeks, or even months after the initial compression of the neck. This, along with the fact they were both in denial about the reality, meant they tried to accuse Brody Michaelis (Ryan Mulvey) of sleeping with Betsy.

Everything changed for Dylan in this evening’s episode, as he visited Betsy in hospital. After hearing from her that he caused the strokes, Dylan panicked as he slowly started to accept the truth.

In the corridor, Dylan and Ryan Connor (Ryan Prescott) discussed how erotic asphyxiation, or breath play, is sometimes considered a kink, and reiterated that he didn’t squeeze Betsy’s neck very hard.

In the pub later, Dylan told his dad that he did put Betsy in hospital. The youngster knows that there’s a very real chance he could go to prison for this, and told Sean how terrified he is about returning there.

This plotline was conceived as a way to raise awareness surrounding the incredibly little know risks of consensual strangulation during sex, which can occur regardless of how much or little pressure is used.

Coronation Street has been worked closely alongside the Institute for Addressing Strangulation (IFAS), The Stroke Association and Safeline while plotting the story to ensure complete accuracy.

‘By consulting extensively with IFAS, the Stroke Association and Safeline, we aimed to handle Betsy’s journey with the care and sensitivity it deserves while sparking a difficult and somewhat contentious conversation that helps raise awareness of the risks involved in partaking in such acts’ said Corrie producer, Kate Brooks.

‘When I first got told about it, I learnt that it takes more pressure to open a can of Coke than it does to cause brain damage,’ Sydney Martin exclusively told Metro.

‘There was a study where they did a blood test on 30 women, 15 who had partaken and 15 who hadn’t, and the 15 who had all showed signs of brain damage.’

Keir Starmer’s regime got off to the worst possible start two years ago when, as soon as he took power, he said things were in a dire state, then his Chancellor discovered a £20bn black hole that meant things had to get even worse and to prove it, she clobbered the pensioners.

Andy Burnham’s reign has started in the opposite way. He says he wants to “bring back hope” and his first real announcement has been to remove VAT from electricity while saying that his cost-of-living government will “take that little bit of pressure off people’s shoulders”.

Now the £45 the VAT removal will save is paltry, especially as most of it will disappear when energy prices go up, as scheduled, this autumn.

But it is better than the slap that Rachel Reeves delivered when she tried to remove all pensioners’ winter fuel payments.

It will be interesting to see whether new Chancellor, John Healey, can convince us that this money is coming from a genuine saving that is being made by scrapping the digital ID scheme or whether it is just another visit to the magic money tree.

Mr Healey, though, is a surprise but stable appointment as Chancellor. He was respected as Defence Secretary and his resignation fatally wounded Mr Starmer’s government because it was over a point of principle, unlike Wes Streeting’s performative departure.

Now it falls to Mr Healey to find new money, from a country that is heavily taxed but without any spare change, to pay the billions needed to upscale our defence.

Mr Burnham might be hinting that things can only get better but the truth, for him at least, is that things will only get harder now he has to deliver from the hot seat.

This follows earlier Parkinson’s research

Researchers wonder whether this means breathing techniques might be good for our brains

A seven-year-old boy and nine-year-old girl have tragically died after being thrown from a boat that reportedly struck an Intercoastal Waterway channel marker off Berkeley Township, New Jersey, during a trip with their grandparents.

Two young children have died tragically following a collision between their boat and a channel marker.

The nine year old girl and seven year old boy were flung from a 30-foot Tidewater Custom 280 on Saturday night into waters off Berkeley Township, New Jersey. State Police confirmed the vessel struck an Intercoastal Waterway channel marker, causing both children to be thrown overboard.

Boat operator Stephen Schneider, 63, and fellow passenger Laurie Schneider, 64, found the children unconscious in the water, according to reports. The pair are believed to be the youngsters’ grandparents, as per ABC7.

Jersey Shore Online sources revealed the group had visited MJ’s Restaurant Bar and Grill prior to embarking on the boat.

After the incident, the children were taken to hospital where Garden State officials confirmed they were declared dead, reports the Daily Star.

The New Jersey State Police released a statement saying: “On July 19, at approximately 9:09 pm, troopers responded to the report of a serious vessel crash in the Berkeley Township Bay Area.

“Based on a preliminary investigation, a Tidewater Custom 280 30-foot vessel, while travelling through the Intercoastal Waterway, struck an Intercoastal Waterway channel marker, causing a 9 year old juvenile female and a 7 year old juvenile male to be ejected into the water.

“The operator, Stephen Schneider, a 63 year old male from Bayville, NJ, and occupant Laurie Schneider, a 64 year old female from Bayville, found the juveniles unresponsive in the water.

“The youngsters were taken to a local hospital, where they were declared dead. This boat accident is still under investigation, and no further information is available.”

Meanwhile, flights have been grounded at a major airport following a devastating blaze in the vicinity, which has tragically claimed the lives of two firefighters.

Local reports indicate the inferno ignited on Avenue Roland Garros, near Bordeaux Airport’s long-term P4 car park, rapidly engulfing approximately one hectare since erupting at around 2.30pm local time.

France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed the deaths of two firefighters battling the blaze. Departures from Bordeaux Airport were temporarily halted, with numerous surrounding roads cordoned off to allow emergency services to respond to the crisis.

Fire crews continued their efforts to extinguish the flames as dense black smoke billowed into the sky, though the situation is now believed to be under control. Normal flight operations have since resumed at the airport.

Surrey Police have confirmed that the crash was caused by a lorry crashing into an embankment.

In a statement released earlier, the force said: “Officers were called to J6 of the M25 shortly before 9.20am this morning following a report of a single vehicle collision on the anticlockwise carriageway involving a lorry.

“The lorry driver was safely removed from the vehicle.

“No arrests have been made.

“Highways England are facilitating recovery of the lorry and any necessary lane closures in order to do so.”

Political correspondent Dave Burke writes in…One decision Andy Burnham will have to make quickly is whether to scrap David Lammy’s controversial jury trial reforms.

Under proposals put before Parliament, Mr Lammy said jury trials would be limited to cases with a likely sentence of three years or more.

This sparked an outcry, but the former Justice Secretary – who left the government yesterday – defended it by saying it was necessary to clear court backlogs.

The change of government will add to calls to do away with the plan.

But the PM’s official spokesman was tight-lipped about what Mr Burnham plans to do.

He told reporters today: “I’m not going to get into speculation over possible policy positions of every subject today.

“The Prime Minister has said before that he understands the pressure on the courts and the impact of thousands of victims waiting years for justice, and that this is not acceptable. But we will update in due course on that.”

There have been indications that Mr Burnham is sceptical – adding to speculation the policy could be reversed.

He urged ministers to pause the plans last year, stating: “My instinctive reaction is… I think proceed with huge caution and do not take away something that’s a lynchpin of a fair society. My call on the Government is to pause this and take a step back and have proper consideration.

“I understand the pressure on the courts but this is about a fundamental part of our country. It has to proceed with broad consent if it’s to proceed. Perhaps there’s a case in some trials not to have a full jury trial. But it should be done with the broadest possible consent in society.”

New Justice Secretary Alex Norris said his prorities are delivering swifter justice and safer communities.

But a statement issued through the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) did not specifically mention the reforms.

A Labour council leader who called St George’s flag campaigners ‘criminals’ and ‘nonces’ was the subject of a formal complaint, later dismissed, alleging he made racist comments about Nigerians, the Daily Mail can reveal.

Jeremy Newmark, leader of Hertsmere Council in Hertfordshire, allegedly called Nigerians ‘crooks’ and said they ‘cannot be trusted’, according to an official standards complaint seen by this newspaper but was later cleared by a standards panel.

The complaint was made by ex-borough mayor Alpha Bird Collins, a former Labour councillor now part of a local group named Hertsmere First.

After a string of recent revelations and a by-election loss which evaporated the Labour-Liberal Democrat administration’s majority on the council, Mr Newmark and the council’s leadership face a vote of no confidence tabled by Reform UK councillors in the coming weeks.

Speaking to the Mail, Mr Collins said he had been invited to an international business conference in Liverpool organised by Nigerian entrepreneurs during his time as mayor.

According to the complaint, Mr Newmark allegedly said after being told of the mayor’s plans to attend the conference: ‘You cannot just go there like that, we have to do our due diligence because you know the Nigerians are crooks.’

Mr Collins told the Mail: ‘It’s absurd and heart-wrenching that a councillor should label and discriminate.’

The former mayor accused Mr Newmark of making ‘racist’ remarks and said he had challenged him ‘openly, publicly’ but a council standards panel dismissed the complaint.

When it considered the allegations in June, the council said Mr Collins had submitted the claim five months after the alleged remarks were made with ‘no explanation’.

The ex-mayor did not provide any evidence or produce witnesses, the council claimed. 

It added the ‘only officer’ present at the meeting between Mr Collins and Mr Newmark ‘had no recollection’ of such remarks being made. 

In his complaint, Mr Collins also alleged that Mr Newmark ‘fabricated’ that Liberian people ‘hated’ LGBTQ people and were ‘homophobic’.

Mr Collins, who is Liberian, had invited the country’s ambassador to the council for a photo opportunity which Mr Newmark attended.

The ex-mayor complained about Mr Newmark’s remarks afterwards, made to a council meeting, about Liberia’s sexuality laws.

Mr Newmark said there ‘wasn’t an appropriate opportunity for me to raise those issues’ during the visit but that he was aware of the ‘shocking treatment’ of LGBTQ people in Liberia.

He added the ‘conversational element’ of the ambassador’s visit had been ‘configured in a rather strange way’.

Though Mr Collins said the leader’s remarks amounted to him saying Liberians ‘hated’ LGBTQ people and were ‘homophobic’ but the council said it was ‘abundantly clear’ that Mr Newmark ‘had not made any of the remarks attributed to him’.

It added Mr Newmark’s comment on Liberia, ‘where consenting same-sex activity is criminalised’, could not have been ‘reasonably interpreted’ in the manner Mr Collins described. 

The former mayor said he was dissatisfied with the way his complaint against the council leader had been handled. 

‘My official complaint, I put it to him but now, after pressure, they haven’t done anything about it,’ he said.

In September last year Mr Newmark branded campaigners with Operation Raise The Colours, a movement to mount St George’s and Union flags in communities across the country, ‘nonces’ and ‘criminals‘.

He also accused the group of being ‘an organised and orchestrated attempt by a bunch of criminals, extremists, nonces to hijack our national flag’.

The local authority’s Conservative group called at the time for Mr Newmark, who later apologised for his comments, to resign.

Alpha Bird Collins, a former Labour councillor who served as the borough’s mayor, said Mr Newmark’s remarks were ‘racist’ and that he should apologise

And in March last year, Mr Newmark claimed a Tory finance spokesman had used an ‘antisemitic trope’ suggesting the Labour leader ‘orchestrates everything in this chamber’.

Abhishek Sachdev made the remark during a speech on the council’s budget for the past year.

The Labour leader said Mr Sachdev’s comments were ‘straight out of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion’, referring to an antisemitic publication which falsely details a Jewish plot for global domination.

Morris Bright, the Tory leader on the council, branded Mr Newmark a ‘disgrace’. 

The Labour man later said he had not suggested Mr Sachdev had ‘any harmful intent’ with his words, nor did he accuse him of being an antisemite.

Mr Newmark’s Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition has been mired by scandal in recent months, with this newspaper reporting a string of revelations over planning efforts.

Chris Myers, a Labour councillor, suggested the party’s group ‘start planning sites where we can’t win seats’ and ‘take the political decision not to go near’ a planning application for 900 homes.

And another Labour member, Aaditya Kaza, was recorded seemingly admitting the party’s members were told how to vote on at least one planning application, believed to be related to an effort to build on land next to Aldenham reservoir.

Mr Kaza said his comments had been taken out of context.

Last month Mr Newmark’s administration lost its majority in Hertsmere after a by-election saw the Liberal Democrats lose to the Conservatives, dissolving the coalition’s previous one-seat advantage.

Now the council’s two Reform councillors have tabled a motion of no confidence in Mr Newmark and his administration, saying they have ‘ongoing concerns about leadership, transparency and the direction of our council’.

Mr Newmark, who has led the council since 2023, stood unsuccessfully for the Finchley and Golders Green parliamentary seat once held by Margaret Thatcher in 2017.

The following year he stood down from the Jewish Labour Movement after alleged inappropriate spending at the Jewish Leadership Council while he was chief executive.

There had previously been speculation that former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had been preparing to elevate Mr Newmark to the House of Lords.