The Scottish SPCA has made an appeal for help during their busy peak rescue season, as human interference is driving increasing admissions to its Alloa centre.

A total of 90 grey seals have been admitted for treatment in five months as the Scottish SPCA appeal for help during peak rescue season. The charity has made the plea as its National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross, Alloa, works through peak grey seal admissions.

As many as 50 pups are in its care at one time. Each seal requires round the clock care, with some also requiring veterinary treatment and medication.

In one occasion last May, the centre received 25 harbour seal pups at once with many of them orphaned. That number continued to grow until their release later in the year.

Triggered by earlier, warmer weather, this cluster pushed the team to respond faster and at a bigger scale. More harbour seals were released last year than ever before.

Following that busy harbour seal season, the team has now moved straight into its busiest period for grey seals. Human interference is driving increasing admissions to the centre, the charity said.

Well-meaning members of the public may approach if they think a seal pup has been abandoned. However, the mum is generally nearby and won’t return if people are there.

The SSPCA advises the public to call their helpline or British Divers Marine Life Rescue if you see an injured or distressed seal. Members of the public are also asked to keep a safe distance of at least 100m, keep dogs on leads and never attempt to handle, feed, or push the seal back into the water.

One grey seal currently receiving treatment after what was almost certainly an attack is Zelda, who arrived at the centre weighing just 14.3kg. From her head to her flipper, she was covered with infected wounds and abscesses.

It is believed Zelda was attacked most likely by a bull seal or an unleashed dog. She was started on a course of intensive treatment, pain relief and meticulous care.

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Once ready, Zelda started to spend more time outside adjusting to the natural world and was matched with a companion seal called Ducky. The two are navigating life in recovery together as they progress and build confidence.

Staff at the centre have developed an effective bottle-feeding technique with a balanced seal specific milk formula. While still in the early stages, this method has already transformed early-stage care for premature and vulnerable pups, providing a more positive and lower stress feeding experience.

Scotland is home to around 90 percent of the UK’s seal population – and the Scottish SPCA plays a critical role in safeguarding their future. Harbour seals are already vulnerable, with their population on the west coast declining by around 20 percent in recent years.

On average, seals can be at the centre for around 64 days. Every donation helps fund emergency care, rescue and rehabilitation and will enable the centre to keep providing seals the best possible care.

To donate, visit the seal appeal here.

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Dean Gate Farm sits off Smithills Dean Road, near the historic Smithills Hall and the popular Smithills Open Farm.

While the boarded-up old building may look forgotten now, archives show its story stretches back to the 1840s.

Newspaper archives tell us the farm appeared in The Bolton Chronicle as early as 1851. In October 1862, an advert described “all the desirable MILK FARM, called ‘Dean Gate Farm’, situate in Smithills Dean, near Bolton, comprising the usual farm buildings, which are in very good condition, and about 21 acres of land.”

Today the 20 acres there don’t belong to the farm anymore.

The old cowshed

They remain behind the roadside view, including a farmhouse and outbuildings that are currently disused and private.

The property has been in the Parker family since the late 1950s or early 1960s, with Wilson Parker now the latest member of the Boltonian bloodline.

Mr Parker said: “It’s been in my family since the late 1950s, early 1960s, so from then up until now, I know quite a bit of the history.”

The building hasn’t been touched for some time, meaning it will take a lot to repair using Mr Parker’s own company Bulldog Property Group.

He said there have been a few paranormal investigators who come by the farm with high interest in its history and suspected supernatural occurrences.

The paranormal side to the building is a myth from what Mr Parker has seen, with him saying it’s just a building and he’s never once seen any occult activity inside the farm, which is now earmarked to turned into a luxury home.

Break-ins from urban explorers and troublesome children have caused Mr Parker to tighten up the security, with him now having CCTV.

Going back in time, long before the Parker family, Dean Gate Farm was home to generations of Bolton families.

In 1861, farmer John Holt lived there with his wife and son, before James Maxfield who came in 1864. At some point in the following years, Isaac Taylor also lived at the farm, with archives recording the death of his son.

Throughout the late 1800s, the farm continued operating as a milk farm. Newspaper adverts regularly appeared for the sale of cows, lettings and staff.

By the early 1900s, the Hodgkinson family were living at the farm, while later archives show the property having little publicity in the Bolton Evening News. One 1930 advert even listed a classic now- the “Ner-a-car” motorcycle for sale.

Thomas Shaw became the next recorded resident in 1941.

An archive noted he had worked at the farm for 24 years during a dispute over milk quality, suggesting he had lived there since around 1917. He died in the 1950s, and the Shaw family continued on not long after.

Newspaper adverts from the decade asked for “a man or youth for farm work” with dairy farming knowledge. In June 1957, John Shaw died while his mother Margaret was still alive.

After the Parker family bought Dean Gate Farm, it began a new chapter in its long history.

Dean Gate Farm

Renovation plans soon followed, with late-1960s adverts seeking someone to convert the barn house into a liveable space. By the 1980s, restoration work had taken place, with a newspaper walk describing visitors turning “left by the drive at the restored stone house at Dean Gate Farm.”

Despite that work, the building has remained largely untouched for decades, something Mr Parker says often sparks curiosity from passers-by.

Mr Parker said: “It’s been as it is now for the past 50 years. There’s a bit of work being done in the 80s, but since then no one’s touched it. I think it just intrigues people that walk past.”

He explained the farm’s prominent position and surrounding greenbelt land adds to the mystery.

Mr Parker said: “You can see it from the road. It’s a greenbelt area, there’s been no properties built nearby. I think it’s just generated a bit of intrigue over the past few years, so people have been asking me what’s been going on with it.

“It’s got a double apex roof, which some people don’t know, so it’s twice as big in terms of depth as what a lot of people think it is. The sheer size, plus having to rectify what was done back then, will just cost a lot in terms of how much it needs and the work that’s required.”

Although the property is currently unused, it has still hosted family celebrations.

Inside the farm building. Pictures by Phil Taylor

Mr Parker said: “It was my mum’s 70th back in August, so we thought we might as well just have a big party since there’s been no use for it.

“Just have a few drinks, DJ, bar on, have a good time and make use of the building itself with its big dance floor.”

For now, the historic farm remains a private site, quietly holding nearly two centuries of Bolton history behind its boarded-up exterior.

Pictures by Phil Taylor

Police and the ambulance service were called to Baliol Green around 3.45pm on Saturday (February 14) after reports the boy was assaulted.

The 13-year-old was taken to hospital as a precaution, and left “shaken” by the attack.

Durham Police confirmed an investigation is now underway.

A force spokesperson said: “Any witnesses to the incident are asked to call Durham Constabulary on 101, quoting incident number 265 of February 14.”

Australia’s hopes of reaching the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup are all but over after Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka hit a brilliant unbeaten 100 to condemn them to an eight-wicket defeat in Pallekele.

Stunned by Zimbabwe in their second outing on Friday, Australia needed a win to keep their qualification fate in their own hands but it is Sri Lanka who march into the next round.

For Australia to sneak through as the second-placed team from their group, they now need Zimbabwe to lose both of their remaining matches against Ireland and Sri Lanka and then to defeat Oman themselves which would bring net run-rate into play.

Australia’s predicament came from their inability to convert a good start from their openers Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh as they set the home side a target of 182 after a collapse in the second half of their innings.

Despite the feeling Sri Lanka could have a complicated chase on their hands because of a pitch which was slowing down, they eased to victory with the Australian bowling attack lacking any bite in the absence of injured Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.

And the Sri Lanka duo of Nissanka and Kusal Mendis took full advantage.

With wicketkeeper Mendis providing perfect support with a composed 51 from 38 balls, Nissanka brought up his century in 52 balls to take his side past the finish line with an innings that blended brute power and finesse.

Australia had Marsh return after recovering from a groin injury that forced him out of the first two matches and the returning skipper gave his side a solid platform batting alongside Head, who hit a long-overdue half-century off 27 balls.

They powered Australia to 104-0 in 8.2 overs before Head departed for 59 and it marked the beginning of dramatic downturn.

Marsh followed him shortly with a brisk 54 as they unravelled alarmingly to be bundled out for 181, losing their final five wickets in the space of just seven runs and 14 balls.

With Sri Lanka chasing down the target with ease, the Australians are left clinging to only the slimmest mathematical hope and will watch nervously as Zimbabwe face Ireland on Tuesday.

Anthony Boyle leads the cast of the award-winning Belfast-set drama, with Jessica Reynolds and House of Guinness stars joining the Channel 4 adaptation

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Outlander star Jessica Reynolds has signed on to the impressive ensemble cast of a highly anticipated new British drama.

Channel 4 has unveiled the stellar line-up for Close to Home, based on Michael Magee’s acclaimed debut novel of the same name.

The book, which won both the 2023 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature and the Nero Prize for Debut Fiction 2024, is set in Belfast and chronicles a young man’s return home from university.

The synopsis reads: “Back from university and back into old habits. Back on the mad all-nighters, the borrowed tenners and missing rent, the casual jobs that always fall through.

“Back with his brother, his ma and all the things they never talk about. Back where the promised prosperity of peacetime has yet to arrive and every street has a story to tell”, reports the Scottish Daily Express.

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READ MORE: Netflix’s How to Get to Heaven From Belfast ending explainedREAD MORE: Britain’s Got Talent star given ‘talking to’ by ITV bosses after ‘ban’

“One night, Sean assaults a stranger at a party and everything is tipped into chaos.”

House of Guinness star Anthony Boyle will take the lead role as Sean, reuniting with his co-star from the Steven Knight-created period drama, Seamus O’Hara, who plays Anthony.

Reynolds, who also appeared in House of Guinness as Christine O’Madden, alongside roles in A Woman of Substance and Kneecap, will take on the part of Mairéad, whilst Trespasses’ Oisín Thompson has been cast as Ryan.

Many viewers will remember Reynolds best from her portrayal of Malva Christie in Outlander’s sixth series, where she sparked chaos within the Fraser family by claiming Jamie (Sam Heughan) had fathered her child, infuriating his wife Claire (Caitriona Balfe).

Author Magee expressed his excitement about Channel 4’s eagerly awaited adaptation: “Developing Close to Home for television has been an intensely fulfilling creative experience, a dream come true, really, and I’m incredibly grateful to Michael Dawson and Clare Dwyer Hogg for all the work they’ve done with me on the scripts, and to Diarmuid Goggins and Gemma Boswell and the whole team at Element and Channel 4 for the passion and creative energy they’ve put into bringing this story to life.”

Gemma Boswell, Commissioner Editor for Channel 4, chimed in: “It is a privilege to bring Mick’s award-winning novel to Channel 4. Close To Home explores the emotionally rich landscape of West Belfast through the eyes of Sean, played by the fantastic Anthony Boyle. We’re delighted to showcase Mick’s beautiful writing with this timely and evocative story of a young generation finding their place in the world.”

Lastly, Executive Producer Michael Dawson commented: “In his debut novel, Mick has captured a compelling vision of Belfast life, brimming with anarchic energy, humanity and mischief.

“Diarmuid Goggins is the perfect filmmaker to bring this to the screen; his ability to fuse bold, kinetic visuals with a raw, grounded realism is exactly what this story demands.

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“Together with the indomitable Anthony Boyle and our incredible partners at Channel 4, Fremantle, NI Screen, and Screen Ireland, we are set to deliver a piece of television that is as dynamic, loud, and uncompromising as the city itself.”

Close to Home will be helmed by director Diarmuid Goggins (Code of Silence) and produced by the BAFTA-winning Element Pictures, a Fremantle company behind Normal People and Bugonia.

Whilst the series does not yet have a confirmed release date, filming is due to commence in Belfast from this month.

Outlander season 8 premieres Friday, 6th March on Starz and will be available to stream on MGM+ via Prime Video. Close to Home will release at a later date on Channel 4.

ITV’s Betrayal finale airs tonight with viewers already asking if there will be another series.

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Betrayal is drawing to a close and viewers are already wondering whether the ITV espionage thriller will return for another season.

Endeavour star Shaun Evans takes centre stage in this gripping four-part series, portraying MI5 officer John who uncovers an imminent attack on British soil.

His complex inquiry, coupled with marital turmoil at home, has delivered riveting television over the past fortnight, with the concluding episode broadcasting tonight, Monday, February 16, on ITV.

Will Betrayal return for a second series?

At present, there has been no official announcement regarding Betrayal’s renewal for a second series.

For viewers who have already devoured the drama on ITVX, this inaugural series does conclude the narrative, leaving no significant unresolved threads for Betrayal to explore in a potential follow-up.

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Nevertheless, this doesn’t automatically rule out Betrayal’s comeback, as a second series could instead centre on John becoming embroiled in other high-stakes investigations.

There’s also the matter of John’s marriage to Claire (Romola Garai) remaining uncertain in the closing moments as they resumed couples’ therapy.

Actor Shaun Evans revealed that whilst no plans exist for another series, additional episodes could materialise if Betrayal resonates with home audiences.

“We set out to make a four-parter which was strong and felt like it had no filler, that it wasn’t hanging around, that it was tight and concise, and that the story was really strong,” he told Radio Times.

“And then you offer that to the world, and if there’s an appetite for more, then we will get together and discuss whether there’s more story to tell.

“But it wasn’t like, ‘This is a brilliant setup for running and running and running’.

“I think you’re on a hiding to nothing if you do that. To me, it feels quite cynical.”

For the time being, however, viewers will simply have to remain patient to discover whether additional episodes are in the pipeline.

Whilst Betrayal’s complete boxset has been available to stream on ITVX since last week, its concluding episode will premiere this evening, Monday, February 16, on ITV.

But can Mehreen and General Qasem Asadi (Omid Djalili) be relied upon, or could a potentially fatal attack actually be on its way?

Betrayal is available to watch on ITVX.

‘There’s been bother before, so I’m not exactly surprised about it’

“It’s usually a nice, peaceful street…” one neighbour says in a faceless voice through a Ring doorbell. “There used to be a lot of commotion, but not so much anymore.

The words come as, just down the street, the window of a modern home is peppered with bullet holes. Around eight.

Through the pouring rain, the pane of glass next to it can be seen completely smashed, the window frame now nearly empty, after a gunman opened fire on the house. The shooting happened on School House Road yesterday (Sunday, February 15).

Click here to prioritise Manchester news in Google from the MEN

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said officers were initially called to reports of criminal damage at a property at around 1pm. But neighbours say they heard a series of gunshots in the early hours of the morning, around 5am.

Thankfully, no injuries have been reported, but investigations are now underway. The home was a hive of police activity last night, and again this morning.

The street was taped off, along with Roundthorn Road, which the houses back on to. Crime scene investigators in white suits inspected the doorway, before going inside the house and not emerging out for hours.

They were spotted taking pictures of the blasted windows, and a host of police cars and vans patrolled the police tape roping off the area.

Neighbours told the Manchester Evening News that there used to be trouble on the small street, but things had more recently calmed down until now. One man said: “There’s only around 15 or 16 properties, it’s a small close.

“But there’s been bother before, so I’m not exactly surprised about it. It had calmed down, and has been quite safe.

“Hopefully, with police here, I don’t need to worry about things getting bad again.”

Police are urging anyone with information on the incident to come forward. In a statement, a GMP spokesperson said: “At around 1pm yesterday (Sunday 15 February 2026), we were called to reports of criminal damage at an address on School House Road in Oldham.

“Officers attended the scene and confirmed that there had been a firearms discharge.

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“A scene remains in place whilst we continue our enquiries and thankfully, no injuries have been reported. Investigations are ongoing.

“We are appealing for witnesses or any information about this incident – anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage that could assist our investigation should contact us on 101 quoting log 1397 of 15/02/2026.

“You can also report information via LiveChat on our website or through the independent charity Crimestoppers – anonymously – on 0800 555 111.”

Police also found seven people inside the car

A car suspected of being used in hare coursing has been seized after being stopped by police in Whittlesey. Cambridgeshire Police had information that it had previously been used for hare coursing.

Police stopped the car in Briggate West in Whittlesey on Saturday February, 14 at around 8.45am where police found seven occupants inside the car.

The car was seized and the driver was reported for having no insurance, no licence and for carrying passengers in a manner than was likely to cause harm.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “Hare coursing remains a priority for us, and we will continue to address the issue by targeting offenders and working with our rural communities. If you believe hare coursing is taking place, always call 999.”

Journey through the dangers of the reproductive system in a new indie game where you play as a bespectacled sperm, in the ultimate race for life.

Indie games have the freedom to explore avenues AAA publishers would fear to tread, between roguelite cat breeding in Mewgenics and slapping the residents of Barnsworth on the buttocks in Thank Goodness You’re Here!

A new example of the noble indie spirit is a fantastical sperm simulator, where you swim through the human reproductive system in order to create new life. The best part? It’s called Become.

As you can see in the trailer, you’re controlling one of millions of sperm and (per the Steam description) you have to ‘evolve your cell to be the fastest, toughest, and most efficient swimmer to achieve the miracle of life’.

Just as you’d hope, it’s all pretty tongue-in-cheek, with references to being ‘deep inside the balls’ and dramatic zoom outs of soiled socks. The trailer doesn’t show much gameplay wise, but it looks you’ll be dodging antibodies, acidic baths, and collecting sugars and proteins to unlock new abilities.

Despite all the jokes the basics actually seem fairly realistic, although probably not quite enough to be used as an educational tool.

There is some silly semen customisation too, whether you fancy a bespectacled baby maker or rooting-tootin’ ejaculate in a cowboy hat. Sadly, there’s no ability to plaster your Mii faces onto your seed.

Become promises to be a short single-player experience, at two-to-three hours in length, and it’s set to be released on Steam in 2026. It sounds like this isn’t locked in stone though, with a note at the end of the trailer stating: ‘Coming 2026 if I don’t f*** it up.’

The game is created by solo developer Valentin Wirth. This is their first indie game, but they previously worked on the cinematics for Mafia 3, Mafia: Definitive Edition, and, er… Crime Boss: Rockay City starring Chuck Norris and Vanilla Ice.

Beyond the adventures of spunk, there’s a vast load of indie games still to come in 2026. These range from Mina The Hollower, Mouse: P.I. For Hire, Replaced, to Big Walk from the creators of Untitled Goose Game.

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