UK prime minister Andy Burnham has promised to clean up three of the worst illegal waste dumps in England and sign off new measures to tackle the problem more widely.

The pledge is bold, but it is also unlikely to solve the problem on its own.

Illegal waste sites and fly‑tipping is now widespread in the UK, and globally.

They are not just local eyesores. They are public health hazards, environmental damage, and a symbol of organised criminal activity. They cost councils millions. They poison soils and waterways. They also erode trust in government. Any plan that ignores the full picture will fail.

What Burnham has proposed

Burnham’s announcement commits resources to clear three of the worst sites and to work with councils and police to tackle the problem. The aim is immediate clean‑ups and stronger local coordination. This is welcome. Quick action on visible sites helps communities and restores confidence. But the plan as described lacks the scale and tools needed to stop the flow of illegal waste in the long term.

Fly‑tipping is the illegal dumping of waste on land without a licence. Illegal waste sites are larger, often semi‑permanent locations where waste is stored, processed or burned outside regulatory control. These activities range from small household dumping to organised operations run by criminal networks. The latter are the most damaging and the hardest to stop.

English local authorities dealt with 1.26 million fly-tipping incidents in 2024-25, a 9% increase from the previous year.

For decades, local authorities have borne the cost of clearing dumped waste. Budget cuts since 2010 reduced council capacity for enforcement and waste services.

At the same time, regulatory gaps and weak sentencing created an environment where organised waste crime could flourish. Criminal groups exploit low enforcement, transport networks and demand for cheap disposal. The result is more illegal sites and higher clean‑up bills for councils.

What Burnham needs to add

Burnham’s current approach treats symptoms, not causes. Cleaning up three sites is necessary but not sufficient. Without cutting off the supply chain – illegal collection, transport and disposal – new sites will appear.

But the current plan lacks sustained funding. Effective action needs long‑term investment in enforcement teams, surveillance, legal support and prosecution. Short‑term funding can clear sites but cannot sustain the multi‑year operations needed to dismantle organised waste crime. Councils already report rising costs and limited budgets for pursuing fly-tippers.

Enforcement is currently fragmented. Responsibility is split across councils, the Environment Agency as well as the police and private sector actors. Burnham has said the National Crime Agency will work more closely with the Environment Agency in England, but this could still create gaps that criminals exploit.

Successful disruption requires a single, well‑resourced taskforce with investigative powers and rapid legal follow through. Past local initiatives without national backing have struggled to keep pace.

Sentences for serious waste crime are often too light to deter organised groups. To help tackle this Burnham has said fines will rise from £300 to a maximum of £5,000. But prosecutions are complex and slow. Without tougher, faster legal consequences, the economics could still favour illegal operators.

Tougher sentencing and fast‑track courts should be put in place. Pushing for tougher sentencing guidelines for serious waste crime and specialist courts to speed cases is needed. Swift, certain punishment deters more than occasional heavy fines.

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Criminal fly-tipping gangs are costing governments millions – AI and drones can help track waste dumpers

What would work?

A national waste‑crime taskforce with investigative powers, forensic capability and a legal team to secure rapid prosecutions could reduce offending. This could be modelled on successful multi‑agency units used against other organised crimes.

The government should target the money being made by these gangs. This could include freezing or seizing profits from illegal operations. These recovered funds could be used for clean‑ups and community prevention. Greater financial consequences for the criminals are likely to deter organised fly tipping.

Investment is also needed in understanding behaviour, prevention and legal disposal. Subsidising safe, low‑cost waste disposal options for households and small businesses would also help as well as licensing and tracking of waste carriers. When legal disposal is affordable and traceable, illegal options are likely to shrink.

Funding local rapid‑response teams and anonymous reporting lines would be another means of attacking the problem. Community intelligence often leads to the best leads. This should be combined with AI, drones, CCTV and vehicle tracking to catch offenders in the act.

There are some pilot schemes that show success. The Keep Britain Tidy group worked with Newham council in London to add stickers to illegally dumped waste and bring it to public attention. This resulted in an average 64% reduction in fly-tipping incidents, with over half of residents reporting they had noticed the intervention.

Burnham’s pledge to clear three sites is a good start. It will help communities and draw attention to a national crisis. But it will not halt the problem.

The question now is whether political plans will match the scale of the crime. If it does, a successful national model could emerge. If it does not, the clean‑ups will be temporary – and the next illegal site will already be being planned.

And alongside the huge selection of food on offer, there are plenty of places to stop for a drink.

From pints of Guinness and Cruzcampo to cocktails, wine and Jägerbombs, we took a look around the festival to see how much visitors can expect to pay.

At one of the bars, Blind Tiger Brew Co, draught beers were generally priced between £6 and £6.50.

(Image: NQ)

A pint of Cruzcampo was £6.50, as were Guinness, Strongbow and Strongbow Dark Fruit, while Doom Bar was £6.

Guinness 0.0 was also available for £6.

For those after something different, Hooch was £6.50, while cans of Vinca white, rosé and red wine were £7 each, with bottles priced at £28.

Fizz and AU Vodka both cost £7.

There were also deals on some drinks, with two Jägerbombs costing £10 and two Hooch drinks available for the same price.

Elsewhere, P&L Mobile Bars was selling a range of draught beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks.

(Image: NQ)

According to its price list, Cruzcampo was £5.50 for a pint or £3 for a half, while Peroni was also £5.50 a pint and £3 a half.

Carlsberg was slightly cheaper at £4.50 a pint or £2.50 for a half.

Guinness, Neck Oil and Inch’s cider were each £6 a pint, while Frothy was £6 a pint and £3 for a half.

Alcohol-free options included Inch’s Zero at £4, Frothy Zero at £4.50, Peroni Zero at £4 and Guinness Zero at £5.

(Image: NQ)

Wine and Prosecco were both priced at £6, while water cost £1, J20 £3, Slush £2.50, fruit shoots £1.50 and cans £2.

Cocktail fans also have plenty of choice at the festival.

The Mixologist Cocktail Co was advertising Woo Woo, Sex on the Beach and Purple Rain cocktails for £5.

Its Long Island, Mojito, Pornstar Martini, Aperol Spritz, Bellini, Cherry Bomb, Cherry Fizz and Strawberry Daiquiri were priced at £7 each or two for £12.

Prices may vary between individual bars and traders across the festival.

Bolton Food and Drink Festival continues throughout the bank holiday weekend, running until Monday, August 31.

At least 37 people have been killed after Russia attacked a Ukrainian ammunition depot with a drone as strikes on Kyiv continued for a third day.

Fire erupted at the depot, in the village of Myla in Kyiv’s Bucha district, as more than 200 people evacuated their homes and 50 residential buildings were destroyed.

Ukraine‘s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, said the warehouse had been struck ‘followed by a detonation’. 

He also announced a probe had been launched into the matter. It is forbidden to store ammunition close to civilian homes in Ukraine. 

Air raid sirens sounded 11 times in 24 hours as further drone and missile attacks were expected.

One home in Bucha was destroyed and seven others damaged as the depot fire spread to residential areas.

‘Those who allowed this to happen must be held accountable for their decisions,’ Zelenskyy said.

A care home for elderly people and people with disabilities had been damaged, and an evacuation is ongoing, he added. 

Prime Minister Serhii Korteskyi did not share information about the incident and instead referenced a previous attack on another ammunition depot in July. 

The warehouse, located in the Kyiv suburb of Vyshneve, was targeted in an attack that killed 22, triggering large detonations and fires that tore through homes. 

‘Unfortunately, we can already see that the terrible tragedy in Vyshneve did not become a lesson,’ Koretskyi said. 

Fire erupted at the depot, in the village of Myla in Kyiv’s Bucha district, as more than 200 people evacuated their homes and 50 residential buildings were destroyed

‘In the fifth year of a full-scale invasion, making the same mistakes is criminal negligence. 

‘And all those guilty, without exception, must be severely punished so that such situations do not happen again.’

Meanwhile, the Kremlin confirmed it had struck the warehouse in Myia, claiming it stored launch boosters and long-range drones. 

It also said it had attacked Mykolaiv, Izmail, and a logistics centre and warehouse facilities storing parts for Ukraine’s Flamingo cruise missiles in the Kyiv region

Zelenskyy later announced that two officials from state-owned companies, including Ukraine’s largest arms producer, Ukroboronprom, had illegally allowed the storage of weapons on the site in Vyshneve and would be held accountable.

Kyiv’s regional military administration chief Timur Tkachenko expressed his ‘sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed’ in the latest attack on Myla

The attack on the Ukrainian village comes as Russia enters its third successive day of trying to paralyse Kyiv.

Explosions rocked Kyiv during a three-day barrage as Russia struck an ammunition store in the Bucha district

Russian strikes on the southern Kherson region Saturday killed two people and wounded 27 more, Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the region administration, said.

Homes and apartment blocks were damaged in the strike, and one child was among the injured, he added. 

Earlier in the week, Prokudin said that Russia has intensified attacks on critical infrastructure in the region, which is about 70 per cent under Russian control. 

He also urged tens of thousands of residents to move to safer regions because of the possibility of prolonged power and heating outages this winter.

Russia has significantly increased its use of jet-powered drones, and their numbers will keep growing as Moscow sees their effectiveness, said Pavlo Palisa, the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office.

‘Means of attack always outpace means of defense. We will certainly need to adapt. It will take time,’ Palisa said. 

He said interceptor drones currently available to Ukraine, which could theoretically intercept jet-powered drones, are not yet to demonstrate the expected effectiveness, though Ukraine is working on solutions.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has stepped up its long-range attacks on Russian military industries and energy facilities in recent months, using locally made drones, aiming to cut Moscow’s revenue for its invasion and make Russians feel the consequences.

In his evening statement to the nation Friday, Zelenskyy said Kyiv hoped to increase its long-range strikes on Russia to reach 1000 drone launches every day.

‘Right now, we average over 300 of our long-range sanctions,’ Zelenskyy said, his preferred term for Kyiv’s long-range attacks that have also lately targeted Russian large-scale online retailers. 

‘There must be more. We have a very specific goal, and we will achieve it.’

Moscow’s forces destroyed 313 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on Saturday.

Ukrainian drone attacks wounded 11 people in Russia’s Rostov region, Governor Yuri Slyusar said.

Writing on social media, he said that nine people were hospitalised, including four children.

Putin’s latest attacks came the week after CIA director John Ratcliffe made a secret trip to Moscow, which prompted speculation the Russian leader may have threatened the Baltic states.

Dark smoke rose into the sky above Kyiv on Saturday morning after a third day of Russian strikes

Residents passed the site of a Russian drone strike as Putin’s barrage against Kyiv passed the 50-hour mark

Fire crews closed a highway and battled blazes across Kyiv after the latest attacks from Moscow

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US media reported Mr Ratcliffe warned Russia against attacking Nato members – particularly Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – amid warnings Moscow could try to test the alliance.

But experts said there was no sign of the large-scale military build-up that preceded the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Overnight Ukraine targeted Russia’s Rostov region, hitting a warehouse owned by retail chain DNS and Amazon-style online marketplace Ozon with drones.

Residents said there were dozens of explosions as the DNS depot was engulfed in flames while a shipbuilding plant was also hit.

Ukrainian strikes have crippled the region’s ports and prevented agricultural exports, prompting a state of emergency as farmers complained of an unprecedented collapse in wheat prices.

Drones intercepted by Russia damaged tower blocks in Aksay, Rostov-on-Don, where seven people were injured.

And in the occupied Kherson region, Ukrainian strikes on power plants caused widespread blackouts.

The Malton Open Day, organised by Racing Welfare and sponsored by Arena Racing Company (ARC), will take place on Sunday, September 6, giving the public a rare glimpse into the daily workings of some of the region’s leading racing yards.

Visitors will be able to tour the yards from 8.45am until noon, meeting the horses and the people who care for them, while supporting a charity that helps those working in the racing industry.

Trainer Craig Lidster said: “Malton Open Day is a fantastic experience for people who don’t normally get to see the day-in and day-out of how a racehorse is prepared.

“It provides the opportunity to get up close and personal with our kind-natured racehorses and pose questions to the experienced and passionate racing staff, all whilst having a great family day out.”

This year’s participating yards include those of Adrian Keatley, John Wainwright, Mick and David Easterby, Richard and Peter Fahey, Ollie Pears, Suzzanne France, Sara Ender, and Mike Sowersby.

Jack Berry House, the Injured Jockeys Fund’s rehabilitation and fitness centre, will also be open to visitors from 11am to 2pm.

Racing Welfare has once again teamed up with York Racecourse to offer a joint ticket, allowing visitors to attend both the Malton Open Day and the YorkMix Family Raceday.

Beck Edmunds, Racing Welfare’s community engagement manager, said: “The ARC Malton Open Day is always a real highlight in the calendar, giving visitors a rare chance to step inside some of the area’s leading training yards and see first-hand the people, horses and dedication that make racing so special.

“It’s a brilliant day out for racing fans and families alike, and every ticket sold helps Racing Welfare continue its vital work supporting racing’s workforce.

“We’re hugely grateful to the yards taking part, to ARC for their generous sponsorship and to York Racecourse for helping us offer a fantastic, combined ticket.

“From seeing horses at the stables in the morning to enjoying the YorkMix Family Raceday in the afternoon, it’s a wonderful way to experience the journey from training yard to racecourse.”

The YorkMix Family Raceday will include top-class racing and family entertainment, with combined ticket holders granted entry to the Grandstand and Paddock Enclosure.

Gates at York Racecourse open at 11.15am.

Tickets are now on sale, priced at £10 for the Malton Open Day and £20 for the combined ticket.

Under-18s can attend both events free of charge when accompanied by an adult.

More details and ticket information are available at www.maltonopenday.co.uk.

Pictures and videos shared on social media show revellers trudging through churned-up fields and waterlogged walkways at the Daresbury festival.

Campers in ponchos and wellies have been navigating the muddy conditions as wet weather continues to affect parts of the site.

Headliners include Calvin Harris, Sonny Fodera, Armin van Buuren and Underworld.

(Image: TheRealChosen7/X)

Some DJ sets were also cancelled due to the extreme weather which resulted in power cuts.

Those attending Creamfields, which finishes Sunday night, are being urged to prepare for wet conditions, including wearing suitable footwear and bringing waterproof clothing, as further unsettled weather is possible across the weekend.

Jamie Foxx grew emotional as he recalled how his daughter ‘saved his life’ following his stroke in 2023.

The Hollywood star, 58, has very few memories of suffering the near-fatal medical emergency or the immediate aftermath of his surgery in an Atlanta hospital.

The actor has seldom spoken about the extreme health scare, which required extensive rehabilitation, only sharing scant details of his sister’s concerns for his health and his gratitude to the healthcare professionals who delivered life-saving care.

Now, in a new interview alongside his daughter Corinne, 32, the father-daughter duo grew emotional as they spoke about that difficult time, with Jamie offering nothing but praise for his daughter’s resilience and tenacity.

Speaking on the podcast Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, Jamie visibly teared up as he reminisced about Corinne’s response to the crisis, in which she kept a cool, calm head while fending off the public.

Explaining that he had a word with his doctor once he had started to recover, Foxx shared: ‘He says: “Man, your daughter saved your life”. He talked about Corinne. “She saved you,” he said, “She’s the reason that you’re here.”‘

He continued: ‘She had to deal with a lot of stuff. She had to deal with the internet.’

Corinne, who also works as a producer for his various projects, agreed that the internet ‘was a part [she] was not prepared for’, with the trio all laughing over the ‘clone’ conspiracy theories after Jamie disappeared from the public eye to recuperate.

She explained: ‘As soon as he went dark, it was scary the places the internet went with the cloning and the conspiracy.

‘I just wanted to be like: “It’s not that interesting. Actually, it’s a human thing, but it also was not my place to ever release his medical information.’

She concluded that that was ‘the toughest part’ of the experience.

Previously, the Django Unchained star has credited his sister Deidra with saving his life by pushing him to go to the hospital after he started feeling strange.

He wrote in a social media message: ‘Without you I would not be here… had you not made the decisions that you made, I would’ve lost my life…. I love you forever and ever happy birthday sis.’

The screen star has also previously described his recovery experience as ‘going to hell and back’.

‘I went through something I never thought I would go through. I know a lot of people [were] waiting or wanting to hear an update, but to be honest with you, I didn’t want you to see me like that man,’ he tearfully told followers.

The death toll from this week’s Himalayan flash floods has risen to 669 in Nepal and Tibet combined, authorities said, as Kathmandu appealed for foreign technical assistance while insisting it did not need help with general search and rescue.

Nearly 3,000 people remain unaccounted for across the two countries, authorities said on Saturday. Nepal’s disaster agency put the missing in the country at 2,426, while more than 550 remain missing in Tibet, according to Chinese state media. More than 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal so far, and hundreds of those missing are foreign nationals who had been working, trekking or travelling on pilgrimage in the region when the flood struck.

Nepal’s foreign minister, Shisir Khanal, told Reuters the government needed foreign expertise in specialised areas where it lacks the necessary skills, including rescuing people trapped in flooded tunnels, DNA testing, and storing bodies for longer periods as hospitals struggle to cope with the number of dead.

“We have already made requests for such specialised services and technical assistance in areas where we don’t have enough expertise and technical knowhow,” he said.

The risk of a second, catastrophic flood has begun to ease, Chinese authorities said on Saturday. When the glacier collapsed on Wednesday, debris blocked a river near the border crossing at Gyirong, forming a natural dam and a lake behind it. Officials warned that if that dam gives way, it could send another wall of water downstream.

Satellite imagery now shows the lake’s surface area has shrunk to about 99,000 square metres, roughly the size of 14 football pitches, as water has gradually drained through the blockage, China’s water resources ministry said.

A separate, larger body of water has also formed at the base of where the glacier collapsed, covering more than 120,000 square metres, according to Chen Hongqi, a senior engineer at the ministry of natural resources’ Geological Disaster Technical Guidance Centre, though its depth is not yet known. Nepal’s disaster management authority said the risk of further flooding would persist until both lakes have fully drained.

Britain, India, China, the United States, Britain, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have all asked to send their own search-and-rescue teams, according to the Kathmandu Post, but Mr Khanal said Nepali rescuers were already handling that work.

“We think there is no need for repetition in this,” he said.

A British rapid response team was due to arrive in Kathmandu on Saturday, tasked with assisting relatives of the more than 30 British nationals missing in the disaster. Forming part of the UK’s wider response to the flooding, which includes £5 million of humanitarian support for relief and recovery efforts, the team will also work with families in the UK concerned about loved ones in the affected area.

Nepal has also asked India and China, the two larger neighbours between which it sits, to supply bailey bridges – portable, fast-assembly truss bridges that don’t need heavy machinery to install – to restore transport links after roughly two dozen bridges were destroyed in the flooding.

China on Saturday sent tunnel experts to Nepal on government’s request, Xinhua news agency reported.

Mr Khanal said many bodies had been recovered as far away as Chitwan and Nawalparasi, on the plains around 100 kilometres from the disaster zone, and that hospitals there had run out of refrigeration space to store them. He said the flood had caused extensive damage to schools, hospitals, hydropower plants, roads and bridges, and that Nepal would need further foreign support during reconstruction.

Rescue operations entered a fourth day on Saturday, hampered by poor weather that grounded helicopters. Brig Gen Raja Ram Basnet, an army spokesperson, told the AP that rescue teams remained focused on the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project in Rasuwa district, where more than 100 people are believed trapped in a tunnel filled with thick mud.

Rescuers have used ropes and baskets to reach some of those trapped, he said, though the operation has been slowed by up to five feet of mud and a shortage of locations where helicopters can land. Teams have also had to relocate temporarily on at least one occasion after further flood warnings were issued.

There is no sign of survivors at the Chinese border crossing which was engulfed by a ferocious flood wave earlier this week, rescue officials told state media, according to CNN.

Chinese rescuers arrived on Friday afternoon at the land port, an area over 3,800 meters above sea level.

“The buildings within the mudslide’s impact zone have largely been flattened, with no discernible outline of any structures,” Liu Maolin, a rescue team leader, told state broadcaster CCTV.

“The ground is covered by thick layers of mud and rubble, with extensive and deep deposits, while the port’s infrastructure has been particularly severely damaged.”

So far, no survivors have been found, but the team “will never give up as long as there is even the slightest hope,” Liu said.

The altitude is also making the search dangerous, with crews carrying dozens of kilograms of equipment while working through conditions that can trigger “severe chest tightness, shortness of breath, dizziness and headaches,” according to China Emergency Management News.

At Kathmandu’s main government hospital, families gathered from early Saturday morning searching for news of missing relatives, moving between the help desk and a noticeboard displaying photographs of both patients and unidentified bodies.

“I came here with the hope that I might find him,” said Dil Maya Lama, who travelled from Ramechhap district in search of her 26-year-old brother, a hydropower company driver in Rasuwa. “There is no information about him,” she told the Associated Press.

Gajendra Rawat, a security official at the hospital, said families had registered around 1,600 missing-person reports there alone. “People are coming from all parts of Nepal,” he said.

Search teams also reached Gyirong Port, the border crossing on the Chinese side that was severely damaged in the flooding, with some rescuers reaching the area on foot, by raft, or via equipment lowered from drones.

The floods are expected to deal a heavy blow to an economy already reliant on remittances, tourism and hydropower. Nepal’s finance minister, Swarnim Wagle, told Reuters the country may need $4 billion to $5 billion to rebuild, equivalent to nearly a tenth of its economy.

“The initial estimate is between $4-5 billion. Just an estimate,” he said.

“We will require much less than what we needed for the 2015 earthquake. Loss and damage is being assessed.”

That earlier disaster, Nepal’s worst on record, cost around $9 billion to recover from and wiped out roughly a third of the country’s economy. Wednesday’s floods have already damaged hydropower stations that account for more than 12 per cent of Nepal’s electricity generating capacity.

Earlier this week, the brand announced a closing-down sale for customers over the bank holiday weekend, with prices from just £2.

Denby had originally planned to shut remaining stores at 4pm on Sunday, August 30.

However, due to high demand for the brand, the remaining stock has sold much faster than expected, seeing all remaining Denby stores close today, Saturday, August 29.

Denby closes all stores for the final time

Administrators for the brand confirmed to Newsquest that support from the public and a much higher footfall than expected meant stock sold faster than predicted.

As a result, Denby has now closed all stores across the UK.

The final remaining outlets for the historic brand were Ashford, Portsmouth, Braintree, York, Dalton Park, Castleford and Cheshire Oaks.

Administrators told Newsquest that all have now shut, with the Somerset location expected to close for the final time in the next few hours.

Following the store’s closure, around 600 jobs will be lost.

Denby, known around the world for making crockery including plates and mugs, entered administration this year and will close all of its UK stores as a result.

An increase in costs has caused the pottery company, which has been going for more than 200 years, to struggle financially.

The firm is Derbyshire-based and was founded in 1809, 217 years ago.

Despite the outlets’ closures, Denby will continue to trade under a different name, Tony Wright, joint administrator of the Denby group of companies and partner at FRP, has explained.

Discussing the closed stores, Tony said it’s a “sad moment to see the Pottery Village close after so many years”.

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He hopes the firm will get the “send-off it deserves”.

Denby will still exist with a new ownership, he assured customers and fans of the firm.

He said: “While the stores are closing, the Denby brand itself will continue under new ownership, ensuring its legacy lives on.”

Will you miss Denby? Let us know in the comments below.

Stuart Robertson and his son Ashton were taken to hospital with serious injuries after the incident.

A dad has been left stranded in a Greek hospital after suffering severe injuries in a horror 50ft plunge down an embankment. Stuart Robertson, 53, jetted out on holiday to Corfu with his wife Fiona, 50, and son Ashton, 28, on Monday,

That night, Stuart and Ashton were walking along a narrow pathway on the roadside when the dad stepped aside to avoid an oncoming car. The ground gave away under him and Stuart, from Kelso, plunged 50ft down the rocky ridge and was knocked unconscious.

Speaking the Record, his daughter, Stephanie, explained her brother also suffered a serious head injury when he fell clambering down to try to help their dad.

The 33-year-old said: “My step-mum was tired and went to bed early but she woke up early and discovered they hadn’t come back and raised the alarm.

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“Fiona phoned me straight away to ask if I had heard from them and then started ringing the local hospitals and learned both had been admitted earlier that morning.

“She raced up to the hospital and was told how they had both been found unconscious at the bottom of the embankment.

“Dad was lucid at the point but he suffered a broken arm and his left leg was completely shattered and the bone was sticking out of the skin. Ashton suffered a bleed on the brain and was drifting in and out of consciousness.”

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Stephanie explained how her brother was stabilised and released on Thursday, August 27, but is still suffering from slurred speech. Her dad had an operation in hospital this week to reposition the bone inside his leg but faces follow-up surgery.

He is desperate to return to Scotland for the treatment but Greek medics have advised that he will have to lie flat on a stretcher if he is to get a plane home.

His holiday insurers are also deliberating on paying out for his repatriation home because Stuart had been drinking alcohol the night he fell. Stephanie has decided to set up a GoFundMe page to try and raise the funds and get her dad home.

She continued: “I was stunned to hear the insurance company say that. Who doesn’t have a wee drink on holiday?

“He is in complete agony and with the language barrier he doesn’t really understand what is happening so we have to get him home.

“I’ve decided to try and try and raise the cash while the insurers make up their mind. We looked into the costs and a private jet was way too expensive but we can hopefully do it on a commercial flight.

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“They will take out about nine chairs from the back of a plane and put up a curtain for privacy and dad can be placed in a stretcher at the back of the plane.

“We are just so desperate to get the money together now and for dad to be on the road to recovery.

“He is a very proud man and I was worried how he would react to me setting up the page but he just quietly accepted it because he is so desperate to get back to Scotland.”

Donations to Stuart’s fundraiser can be made here.

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.

By HARRY BAMFORTH, LIVE SPORTS COVERAGE REPORTER

Updated: 13:18 BST, 29 August 2026