Bolton’s Vernon Kay was seen debuting a new look as he returned to BBC Radio 2 and made an ‘announcement’ about it

Vernon Kay has quickly been mistaken for one of his BBC Radio 2 co-stars as he returned to his show following a summer break, and made an ‘announcement’ live on-air.

It was back in February 2023 that the Bolton presenter was announced as the new host of the station’s mid-morning show, replacing Ken Bruce, who had hosted the programme for 31 years, in May of the same year.

At the time, the TV and radio star said in a statement: “To be hosting the new Radio 2 mid-morning show is a total privilege. It’s going to be an unforgettable start to what promises to be an amazing journey. And to have two music legends coming up in the Radio 2 Piano Room is a dream come true.”

It was recently revealed that Vernon’s show remains as popular as ever, as according to data from research organisation RAJAR the 52-year-old now attracts a weekly audience of 6.8 million to his show.

On Tuesday (September 1), Vernon was back with his listeners following some time away and he quickly got them speculating as he told them he had made a “life-affirming” decision with the help of his family

He said: “It’s a life-changer and it’s something that has been in the pipeline for quite some time. And it’s been a frustration of mine. And I finally came to a decision with family members, to sort it out.”

He then pulled out a pair of glasses, to which presenter and travel reporter Ellie Brennan replied: “Oh, well you look fabulous in those! You’re bespectacled like me.”

Vernon then went on: “I’ve decided to go to the opticians and sort my eyes out.” Ellie then remarked: “Are you joking? Do you know how worried I’ve been. I thought, ‘What’s he going to tell me!?’ Vernon then quipped: “You should see the text messages. Some people think I am leaving, behave yourselves!”

Vernon has since taken to Instagram with a selfie showing off his new look, telling his followers: “Here you go…….. #glasses #adulting I’m finally at this stage of life..” And while many approved of the new glasses, some couldn’t help but think he looked familiar.

@oldolive said: “Thought it was OJ Borg at first.” @stuffmrsclappersdoes commented: “@oj_borg thought this was you.” @thewonderofwoolandwood wrote: “OJ lookalike!!!” @carts78 posted: “Did a double take then, thought you were @oj_borg.” emsyprotoruns added: “Haha @oj_borg I just came here to say you guys are twinning!!”

OJ then caught onto the comments and saw the funny side as he wrote under Vernon’s post: “If we are twins I guess that makes me Danny Devito?”

Officers have released CCTV images of a woman they want to speak to following the incident at The Pitt.

Police have released CCTV images of a woman they want to speak to following a serious assault at a popular Edinburgh food and drinks venue.

The incident happened inside The Pitt on West Shore Road at around 1am on Saturday, June 27.

The Pitt is a well-known food and drinks market and events venue in the Granton area of the capital.

Officers investigating the assault have now released an image of a woman they believe may be able to assist with their enquiries.

She is described as being aged between 25 and 35, white, with long blonde hair and tattoos on her arms and legs.

At the time, she was wearing a white vest top, dark-coloured shorts, white trainers and white socks pulled up.

Detective Constable Lindsay Johnston urged anyone who may recognise the woman or have information about the incident to come forward.

She said: “Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 2259 of 26 June, 2026.

“Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where anonymity can be maintained.”

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A spokesperson for Avon Fire and Rescue Service said: “We are currently responding to a fire at an industrial unit on Emery Road, Brislington, Bristol.

“Fire crews were called at 2:27 pm, and firefighters from Hicks Gate, Temple, Kingswood, Avonmouth, Yate, Bath, Patchway, Bedminster and Nailsea are currently on the scene tackling the fire.

“We are asking residents and local businesses to keep their windows and doors closed and avoid the area where possible.”

The vehicle was ‘severely damaged’ and ‘lying on its side’, the inquest heard

Two men died after a car crashed off a major Cambridgeshire road, an inquest has heard. Jordan Moore, 27, and Imran Hafiz, 33, both from Huntingdon, were involved in a single vehicle crash on the A1198 near Hilton on January 11.

The inquests into their deaths were held on September 1 by Area Coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Caroline Jones. The silver Volkswagen Golf left the road and crashed into “a number of trees and hedgerow”, the inquest heard.

Both men were pronounced dead at the scene. The reason the vehicle left the road is “unknown” but the inquest heard it was likely to be from a combination of cocaine drug use and low tyre tread depth in wet conditions.

Both Mr Moore, the driver, and Mr Hafiz, the passenger, were “ejected from the vehicle” by the impact of the crash. Both men were found outside the vehicle and emergency services were called by a passerby.

A passenger of a vehicle who was driving along the road saw a branch lying across the lane. The driver manoeuvred around it but saw a vehicle as they passed by. A road policing officer described the car as “severely damaged” and “lying on its side”.

Another man who stopped searched around the car and found a person who he thought was dead. Emergency services attended and identified a male, confirmed as Mr Moore, who had received “catastrophic head injuries”.

A toxicology report determined Mr Moore, the driver, had quantities of cocaine together with other medications in his system. No alcohol was identified in his blood.

Upon searching the area with a torch, a police officer found the body of a second person. This person was identified as Mr Hafiz via DNA analysis by comparing tissue samples and a toothbrush.

Coroner Jones said a toxicology report found the 33-year-old front passenger was “significantly intoxicated” with alcohol as well as cocaine and THC.

Mr Moore’s death was confirmed at 10.35pm and Mr Hafiz’s was confirmed at 10.45pm. A post-mortem carried out on Mr Moore’s death confirmed he died of a head injury.

Coroner Jones concluded Mr Hafiz’s cause of death was a head injury and that the pair died as a result of a road traffic collision.

The families of Mr Moore and Mr Hafiz paid tribute to them after their deaths. Mr Hafiz’s family said he was “charming, cheeky and mischievous”. They also said he “lived up to his name” and was the “brightest shining star” in their lives.

Mr Hafiz was also a father of two. His family added: “Our lives will never be the same but we will always remember him with biggest smiles on our faces as that is what he would have wanted – until we meet again fly high our angel we love you more than words could ever express, a huge loss to our entire family.”

Mr Moore’s family said he will be “truly missed” and his absence left a “profound void” in his family’s lives. They added: “He was loved so deeply by so many, and his kindness, warmth, and spirit touched everyone who knew him.”

He was also described as a “devoted son, cherished grandson, proud dad, fantastic partner and much-loved nephew and cousin”.

Coroner Jones offered her condolences to the families for the loss of Mr Moore and Mr Hafiz.

​The York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has said that more cases of wrongful access to patient records by staff have taken place than it originally stated in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

​Since 2021, there have been 29 cases of inappropriate access to patient records, of which 10 were reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

​In July, the trust inaccurately said 18 employees wrongfully accessed medical records and eight cases were referred to the ICO, in response to the FOI submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

​A spokesperson for the York and Scarborough NHS Trust said: “We identified that due to an error in collating the total number of cases, not all incidents were included in the overall figure provided, as they had been initially reported through a different route rather than directly through information governance.

​“This came to light through our routine data quality and assurance processes, and the correct information was duly provided. We have reviewed our reporting approach to ensure this information is brought together consistently in future.”

​The trust’s information governance team also offered its “apologies for this error” and regretted “any confusion caused”.

​The issue of wrongful access to medical records has received increased attention after staff at other NHS trusts in England were dismissed and investigated for inappropriately accessing the records of victims of the 2023 Nottingham attack and the Southport knife attack in 2024.

Scarborough Hospital. Courtesy Numminen/Ldrs

​Paul Arnold, chief executive officer at the ICO, has warned of a “worrying trend that requires a serious response across the healthcare sector” as a whole.

​“Recent high-profile cases point not to isolated incidents but to a worrying trend that requires a serious response across the healthcare sector,” he said.

​“When a local incident becomes national news – a serious crime, a public tragedy, a story that captures widespread attention – there is an increased risk that healthcare staff could be tempted to look at records they have no reason to view.”

York Hospital. Courtesy Numminen/LDRS

​In August, the NHS also updated its national guidance to health and care professionals on stopping unlawful access to records.

​“Accessing health and care records out of personal curiosity or for personal reasons is illegal. It causes real harm to patients and service users and could end your career,” the guidance states.

​The York and Scarborough NHS Trust previously said that all staff were expected to “uphold the highest standards when accessing patient information”.

​“Access is permitted only when it is directly relevant to a patient’s care, is closely monitored and audited, and any suspected breach of policy is thoroughly investigated.”

​A spokesperson added: “Where inappropriate access is substantiated, appropriate action is taken, which may include disciplinary action or referral to professional regulators.

​“All staff complete mandatory information governance training, with annual refresher training, and are regularly reminded of their responsibility to keep patient information safe.”

(Image: Newsquest)

More than 60 restaurants and bars are closing this week as Premier Inn owner Whitbread confirms more shutdowns.

Back in July, Whitbread announced that 200 Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants would close in September 2026.

This week, the same company is shutting 66 restaurants and pubs across three chains: popular steakhouse chain Bar + Block; Cookhouse + Pub; and family-friendly pub chain Table Table.

All affected locations will shut on September 3, just one week before the 200Brewers Fayre and Beefeater restaurants are planned to shut on September 7 and 10 respectively.

So which restaurants are shutting?

All Bar + Block closures

A total of 20 Bar + Block locations will close on September 3rd, including seven branches located in London.

• The Brickfield
• Butterfley Park
• Birmingham, Exchange Street
• Birmingham, Waterloo Street
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow
• Leamington Spa
• London, Aldgate
• London, Hammersmith
• London, King’s Cross
• London, Paddington
• London, Southwark
• London, Sutton
• London, Wimbledon
• Milton Keynes
• Newcastle
• Nottingham
• Portsmouth
• Whiteley
• Winnersh

The restaurant chain shared a heartfelt post on Instagram last week, thanking customers and staff for their continued support.

The post reads: ‘We are immensely grateful to every guest who came through our doors, and to our passionate team who made every experience unforgettable.

‘Before we mix our final drink and serve our last steak on September 3, we’d love to welcome you back one last time.’

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It continued: ‘Come raise a glass, savour your favourite dish, and toast to the memories we’ve made together.’

Full list of all Table Table closures

All 32 Table Table pub and restaurant locations will shut on September 3, including:

• Ashbridge Inn, Cwmbran
• Balkerne Gate, Essex
• Barley Twist, Yorkshire
• Barum Gate, Devon
• The Bishopsgate, Lancashire
• Bowling Green, Essex
• The Callywith, Cornwall
• The Colliers, Staffordshire
• The Derby Lodge, Merseyside
• French Connection, Kent
• The Gateway, Hampshire
• The Harbour, Gwynedd
• Horse & Jockey, Bedfordshire
• John Milne, Lancashire
• Langton Inn, Leicestershire
• The Lee Burn, Lanarkshire
• Marine Court, Kent
• Mill of Mundurno, Aberdeenshire
• Morfa, Denbighshire
• The Nelson, Norfolk
• The Ormonde, Suffolk
• Pantruthn Farm, Mid Glamorgan
• Parc Britannia, Gwynedd
• Pentrebach House, Merthyr Tydfil
• The Red Lion, Hampshire
• The Ridgacre, West Midlands
• The Showground, Norfolk
• Smugglers Retreat, Kent
• The Stanhope Arms, Staffordshire
• Swinging Bridge, Lancashire
• The Trevithick Inn, Cornwall
• Willow Farm, Essex

Every Cookhouse + Pub location shutting this week

Finally, the Cookhouse + Pub chain is shutting all 14 of its locations this week, including:

• The Brickfield, Kent
• Butterfley Park, Derby
• Cotton Mill, Kilmarnock 
• The Freeman, Bridlington 
• The Highwayman, St Neots
• Honourable Pilot, Kent
• Inn on the Park, Enfield
• Lockyers Quay, Plymouth
• Penhale Round, Cornwall
• Potters Arms, Harlow
• The Queen Inn, West Midlands
• The Steamboat, Skegness
• Three Piers, Blackpool
• Woodhorn Grange, Ashington

The closures come as Whitbread moves to shut all of its standalone restaurant chains, pivoting instead to an ‘integrated food and beverage offer’.

It also comes as the UK high street continues to face an onslaught of closures.

Earlier this week, mini-supermarket group Foreways announced that it was closing all five of its locations in Carlisle, Cumbria.

Meanwhile, accessories brand Radley shut all of its shops and website last month, Morrisons announced plans to close 100 of its Daily convenience store locations, and Quiz Clothing shut its doors, too.

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If you’ve pre-ordered the new Call Of Duty through the Xbox or Microsoft store, you’re eligible to receive a gift card a month after launch.

After last year’s Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 flopped hard enough for Activision to publicly apologise for it, there is undoubtedly a lot of pressure to ensure this year’s follow-up, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, regains player trust in the franchise.

Unfortunately for Activision, there’s very little it can meaningfully address in just a year and Modern Warfare 4’s beta has done little to raise excitement, especially given the poor reception to the story campaign teaser.

So, it’s perhaps not surprising to see Microsoft offer a new incentive on Modern Warfare 4 pre-orders, although the option they’ve gone for is pretty bizarre – especially as its only for Xbox.

If you pre-order any edition of the game on Xbox Series X/S or on PC via the Microsoft store, you will receive a digital Xbox gift card worth £4.

This is also in conjunction with a loyalty discount on Modern Warfare 4’s Vault Edition, which is 10% cheaper if you’ve purchased any Call Of Duty game since 2019.

The offer was quietly made over the weekend, on the Call Of Duty X account, to coincide with Modern Warfare 4’s open beta, which suggests Microsoft only came up with the idea recently – especially since it’s already set to expire tomorrow morning on September 2 at 4:59am.

However, according to Microsoft’s website, the offer applies to any pre-orders made since May 28, so if you’ve already pre-ordered Modern Warfare 4 through either the Xbox or Microsoft store, you’re eligible to receive the gift card.

You’ll receive a pop-up notification either on your Xbox console or via the Xbox app on PC to let you know when you’ve received the gift card, within 35 days after Modern Warfare 4’s launch on October 23. So, late November is the absolute latest it’ll arrive.

While this is Microsoft taking full advantage of its ownership of Activision, it also reads as Microsoft trying to discourage people from pre-ordering the game on PlayStation 5 and bumping up Xbox pre-order numbers.

Considering the company’s returned to embracing console exclusives again, maybe it’s kicking itself a bit for agreeing to keep Call Of Duty multiplatform.

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Even after the buyout, Call Of Duty remains most popular on PlayStation 5, simply by virtue of there being more PlayStation consoles in the world than the Xbox Series X. Also, Microsoft’s ploy to raise Xbox player numbers by bringing new Call Of Duty games to Xbox Game Pass at launch backfired so badly that it’s since sworn not to do it again.

It’s not just Call Of Duty that’s taken a hit popularity-wise, though. Microsoft has been running out of good will for years, thanks in part to regular layoffs. Just this summer, a further 3,200 employees have been affected, with Doom developer id Software reportedly gutted in a manner that can only be described as vandalism.

Just recently, id Software producer Andrew Willis told Insider Gaming how he and his team went through a ‘brutal’ crunch period to get Doom: The Dark Ages | Revelations out the door and despite it being a fantastic DLC expansion, most of the team was rewarded by being let go.

‘We had people that worked in Hollywood for 20 years and game development for 10 and said that this was the worst crunch they’d been a part of,’ said Willis.

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Warrenpoint Harbour Authority has been at the centre of a controversial odour with residents’ complaints leading to a community forum to resolve the stench issue.

One of Northern Ireland’s busiest ports has failed to attract any councillors to its board amid a long running Co Down stink problem.

Warrenpoint Harbour Authority has been at the centre of a controversial odour with residents’ complaints leading to a community forum to resolve the stench issue.

However, all councillors have now resigned from the harbour board with a deadline from the Department for Infrastructure for new applicants now closed.

READ MORE: Council refuses to reveal CCTV monitoring details despite ‘grave concerns’.

READ MORE: Newry parklet scheme delays causes eyesore concerns amid imminent launch.

A DfI spokesperson said:“The closing date for applications from councillors was 12noon on Friday 28 August 2026. No applications were received.”

All political parties on the council also confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that they had not put any councillor forward to the board.

WHA is the third largest port in Northern Ireland and became a trust in 1971, before new legislation in 1974 allowed for council representation on its board.

DfI added:“There is no statutory requirement for councillors to serve on the board.

“While the legislation permits up to three commissioners to be council members, it does not state a minimum number.

“The board remains properly constituted and can continue to operate effectively even in the absence of any councillors serving as commissioners.”

Environment groups and local residents have raised concerns for the last three years over a perceived stink at the port, they claim is linked to waste bales at the harbour to be shipped for Newry recycling company Re-Gen.

The bales are exported to be incinerated in Scandinavian areas.

Former WHA board members, councillors Jim Brennan ( Sinn Fein ) and Laura Devlin ( SDLP ) resigned last year in solidarity with local people complaining of the bad smell.

The last councillor on the board, independent Crotlieve elected member Jarlath Tinnelly has now also confirmed his resignation in early August.

The LDRS has contacted WHA over the councillor resignation, which has left the board completely empty of elected Newry, Mourne and Down District Council members.

The councillors had been appointed for terms of four years back in 2024, with a potential situation now presenting itself of all three board seats remaining vacated indefinitely.

Councillors appointed to the board by the DfI minister can expect to be paid “£8,772 per year for up to two business days per month” according to a DfI letter presented to the council.

In September (2025), WHA stated that it had extensive engagement with Re-Gen, with the Newry company agreeing to remove all RDF (refuse derived fuel) bales from the port, with a proposal to no longer store the waste there, but instead transport it directly to ships for export.

Only SRF (solid recovered fuel) bales were to be stored in future on the site, which the WHA was told should be non-odorous.

As a result of extensive talks and an independent environmental audit report, the WHA set up the community forum to provide a key communication basis on potential bad smells from the port located in the centre of the town.

However, in April this year, forum member Fionnuala McKinley, who lives just yards from port, stepped down and called for an independent environmental impact study.

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Grosvenor Casino closed its doors on Sunday, August 30, leaving its staff looking for new jobs

Grosvenor Casino in Swansea has closed its doors for good, with employees claiming terms have been changed in their redundancy agreement.

The venue stopped trading on Sunday, August 30. WalesOnline previously reported that the firm blamed “significant and sustained financial challenges” at its High Street casino, with an operating loss of £73,000 during the financial year ending June 28 and a revenue performance £635,000 below budget.

The casino also explained how operating costs had increased by 11% in the last three years, and that profitability had declined by 107% in the last ten years. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here.

A letter, seen by WalesOnline, updating employees on the results of the consultation process, reads as follows: “The consultation process has now formally concluded and Grosvenor Casino will close at the close of business on Sunday, August 30.

“A redundancy payment will be made on termination of employment and should be free of tax and national insurance deductions.

“This will be paid by BACS transfer in the October payroll.”

However, an employee has claimed that it was agreed in employees’ collective constitution process that their redundancy pay, and any further amounts the company still owed employees, would get paid on their last payday, September 8.

He described news that they would not be paid until October as “really unfair”, and claimed the date of payment had been changed “without their knowledge and after consultation meetings.”

WalesOnline put the claims to Grosvenor Casino. A spokesman said: “After a thorough consultation process we have made the difficult decision to close Grosvenor Casino Swansea.

“This is not a decision that we have taken lightly but we need to remain focused on the longer-term health of the business.

“We sincerely thank our colleagues for their professionalism, dedication and contribution to Grosvenor Casinos over the years especially during this difficult period.”

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