From Tuesday (May 5), Coupon Plus will no longer be available in the supermarket’s app.

Instead, it will be replaced by Lidl Plus Points.

However, due to this “new way to save”, existing Coupon Plus customers have until Monday (May 4) to hit their April 2026 spend targets.

Lidl axes popular Coupon Plus on supermarket’s app

In an email to Lidl Plus customers, the supermarket said: “As a Lidl Plus customer, we’re just letting you know about some important changes.

“From Tuesday 5 May, a new way to earn rewards with Lidl Plus begins.

“This means Coupons Plus ends on Monday 4 May and will no longer be available in the Lidl Plus app after this date.

“You have until Monday 4 May to reach your April Coupon Plus targets.

“There will be no change to Personalised Coupons and Weekly Offers.

“Any existing coupons that you have will be valid until the date shown on the coupon.”

It added: “You don’t need to do anything. Your Lidl Plus app will update with these changes automatically.”

Lidl’s Coupon Plus was a way for customers to receive rewards throughout the month, often free items (including bakery treats, vegetables, chocolate, nuts) when reaching certain spend targets, such as £10, £50 and £100.

How will new Lidl Plus Points work? What customers need to know

On its website, Lidl details: “Starting Tuesday 5 May, a new way to save will land in your Lidl Plus app!

“From the big shops to the small, now every time you shop and scan your Lidl Plus app, you will be able to collect points that can be spent on 100s of rewards in our Rewards Marketplace.

“Turn points into possibilities! From coupons for free products to money off your next shop, it’s up to you what you spend your Lidl Plus Points on.”

How often do you use your Lidl Plus app? (Image: Lidl)

Customers can make the most of Lidl Plus Points by following the below steps:

• Step one – shop and scan the Lidl Plus app at checkout
• Step two – collect Lidl Plus points with every purchase (£1 = one point)
• Step three – enter the Rewards Marketplace on the Lidl Plus app and choose from 100 awards or money-off coupons
• Step four – exchange points to receive a coupon (activate your coupons before you use them)

Lidl will also be celebrating the launch of the new loyalty scheme by allowing shoppers to get double points on all fresh fruit between May 5 and May 22.

Additionally, consumers will be able to receive 100 welcome points from May 5 to July 31.

Lidl explains: “Open the app, click ‘Start now’ and follow the instructions to collect 100 points.

“That’s a FREE product worth up to 100 points in our Rewards Marketplace!”

Louise Weise, chief customer officer at Lidl GB, told The Sun: “We’ve done a big piece of work to listen to customers and it was clear from the feedback that they wanted more freedom to decide the rewards that suit them.”

On Reddit, customers have been reacting to the axing of Coupon Plus, with many saying they will miss the “free big bag” of potatoes.

Referring to the current rewards set-up, someone commented: “So sad the coupons and freebies are going away.”

Another wrote: “I believe it may be changing next month which is sad, I loved the free big bag of tatties.”

This person shared: “That’s sad to hear, free sack of spuds each month was a big help with the cost of living.”

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Meanwhile, a shopper put: “Best supermarket loyalty scheme for the type and amount of shopping I do.”

You can find more information about Lidl’s new Plus Points loyalty scheme on the supermarket’s website.

Newsquest has contacted Lidl for comment.

What do you think of Lidl Plus Points replacing Coupon Plus? Let us know in the comments below.

The officer will be dismissed without notice after being found to have committed gross misconduct

A Cambridgeshire Police officer faced a misconduct hearing accused of drink-driving to work. The accelerated hearing, held on April 17, found that the officer breached the standards of discreditable conduct and fitness for duty.

It was alleged that the officer drove to Cambridgeshire Constabulary Headquarters on December 23, 2025, while over the prescribed limit. Officers attended with a breath test machine, the accused officer provided a positive breath test, and they were arrested for driving over the limit.

In interview, the officer admitted to consuming alcohol in the early hours of December 23 and driving into work later the same morning, according to the public notice of the hearing.

The officer was then charged with driving a motor vehicle on a road after consuming so much alcohol that the proportion of it in their breath exceeded the prescribed limit. They appeared at Luton Magistrates’ Court on January 15, 2026, where the officer pleaded guilty.

Evidence considered at the misconduct hearing included footage of the officer driving to work, witness statements from police colleagues, and the officer’s admission that he consumed ‘three bottles of wine’ in the early hours.

The hearing concluded that the allegations were proven “on the balance of probabilities”. The officer’s representative reportedly said that the officer did not accept their conduct amounted to gross misconduct.

The officer was found to have committed gross misconduct and the panel concluded that the officer will face disciplinary action and be dismissed without further notice. This decision was made to “maintain public trust and confidence and to deter misconduct”.

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How can I hand-pollinate a tomato with a paintbrush?

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The nurse’s needle sank into my skin without resistance. 

It hurt on entry, but I didn’t flinch.

The nurse followed up with another, then another, which my arm dutifully filled. By the fourth and final tube, the nurse was labelling everything, remarking that I was remarkably ‘chill’ about needles. I just laughed. 

It was easy to make light of it in that moment, but she couldn’t have known what a big deal it really was for me, how afraid I’d have been in the past.

I felt proud at how far I’d come, and how I’d got there. I’d been afraid of needles since I was a child. The thought of a sharp object piercing my skin had terrified me, and I had to be held down by dentists and nurses for injections on many occasions.

Looking back, I don’t begrudge that fear. It’s rational and understandable. But for a trans person, when a phobia of needles suddenly means that you might not be able to become the person you know you really are, it becomes something that you know you must overcome. 

My gender transition began in 2020. The pandemic had left me with too much time to reflect, and after a week of anxious pacing about the living room, I looked at my then-girlfriend, Cara* and blurted out, ‘I think I might be trans.’

That sentence arrived after two weeks of intense lockdown reflection. I never thought of gender dysphoria affecting me because my experiences weren’t as ‘obvious’ as my friends and online personalities I followed. 

I just lived my life thinking that some degree of discomfort with my gender was normal and acceptable because that’s all I knew.

It wasn’t until I immersed myself into support groups of people who were also questioning their identity that I realised that feeling discomfort over my gender presentation was actually unusual. 

When I thought back to my childhood experiences and adulthood dabbling in crossdressing, the fact was cemented for me. 

Cara was very open to my changing reality and was mostly concerned with supporting me through it. She was an ever-present pillar in my life and always wanted to know more. 

I was initially scatterbrained about the specifics. Things like my planned transition timeframe and whether I wanted surgical intervention weren’t fixed yet. Still, I was certain about pursuing it. 

At the time, I didn’t know that I would have to overcome one of my biggest fears – but I’m glad I did. 

My transition journey makes me feel quite fortunate – so many trans people are subjected to intolerable cruelty and judgment, simply for wanting to exist. It saddens me to think my positive experience is unusual. 

I talked to my doctor once I realised that I wouldn’t be able to allay the discomfort without prescription estrogen. 

She listened to my case and was very accommodating to my circumstances. After a year of supervised hormone replacement therapy (HRT) via oral estrogen, she noted that I might get better physiological results if I switched to weekly injections. 

I was unenthused, to put it lightly. We discussed alternatives and weighed out the potential benefits versus the very obvious cons and I only begrudgingly agreed to try injections. My interest in a smooth medical transition outweighed my dread of pointy objects. 

I delivered my first injection after receiving my doctor’s instructions and taking copious notes about each step. It was slightly terrifying. Cara excused herself from the room because she was anxious and didn’t want to make it harder for me – it was a sensible decision because I was terribly anxious and having more eyes on me wouldn’t have improved things.

That first jab was shaky. I was incredibly tense, which worsened the pain, but got it done in the end. I was proud of my modest success but apprehensive that this was going to be my foreseeable future.

The months that followed were difficult. Sometimes I felt too anxious and scared to complete my injections, leaving part of my dose in the syringe. 

Yet, I felt more free compared to when I was a child, I had the choice to stop when I wanted and could feel my courage developing. 

There were plenty of unpleasant firsts that I hadn’t seen coming. 

The first time I hit a nerve cluster (unspeakably painful). The first time I reached an unseen blood vessel and spent the next ten minutes dabbing away the droplet of blood that refused to clot. The first time I accidentally delivered an injection into the still-healing site of the previous week – ouch.

The process was undeniably challenging, but as time passed, all the moments of discomfort became a microcosm of my wider transition: unpleasant but memorable learning moments that contributed to my growth.

Delivering my own injections has given me a new appreciation for my body, which I’ve seen flourish with the benefit of estrogen. The changes I’ve observed in myself become palpably real when traced back to the discomfort of an injection site.

If this experience has taught me anything, it’s that longstanding difficulties can be addressed in unforeseen ways. 

The answers won’t always be easy, but if I approach them with an open mind, I will always discover new and wonderful things about myself and what I’m capable of.

*Names have been changed.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jessica.aureli@metro.co.uk. 

Share your views in the comments below.

“Global Sisters has given girls a platform to speak about issues that are affecting them”

A student group established in Derry’s Thornhill College is creating a platform for female students to raise their voices around feminist issues.

Global Sisters was created by 17 year olds Aine Bryce and Cara McGonagle, alongside their peers, in Autumn last year. Since then they have spoken at rallies and raised awareness among fellow students in regards to violence against women.

Aine and Cara spoke to Belfast Live about the journey they have made in establishing Global Sisters.

READ MORE: ‘I’m using my platform to confront a crisis happening in our own communities’READ MORE: Call for tougher firearm checks to tackle violence against women in NI

They said: “Global Sisters has given girls a platform to speak about issues that are affecting them and we are breaking the stigma about speaking up and making people care about things that aren’t directly affecting them too.

“We are raising awareness about things people may not have known about prior and seeing that there is more than just Derry. We don’t just talk about what affects women in the West, we are more intersectional and look at global issues.

“Everyone in the school has been so supportive, as soon as we mentioned what we wanted to do loads of people wanted to join.

“The staff at Thornhill were also so supportive. Mr Deane, Vice Principal Mrs Donnelly and our year head Mrs O’Donnell in particular were so helpful in particular and encouraged us.”

Aine and Cara came up with the idea as they wanted to create a space where their peers could discuss issues with each other.

They said: “There isn’t really a place to talk about things that are happening around the world so it was important to create a space where we can talk about it.

“Not a lot of young people use their voice to speak out about issues they care about, there is a bit of a stigma.

“We think it is so important to speak out because we can see first hand the change we have been able to make in a few months. It is amazing to think what could happen if more people spoke out.”

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Global Sisters have built their social media presence and have seen the benefit of putting their message out in growing confidence among their peers to speak out.

Aine and Cara said: “Social media has been so important for us, the outreach has been great. We actually have had girls from other schools contact us to say they want to set up a branch in their school.

“We are looking to do a fundraiser for Sudan, a girl in our year is from Sudan and we would really like to raise awareness about it as people don’t talk about what is happening there as much as other global conflicts like Palestine.”

Aine is also in contact with a teenage girl living in Palestine, and sharing their as young women in different circumstances pushed Aine even further in raising awareness.

Global Sisters have also seen the devastating impact that violence against women and girls has had on their own community in Derry.

Aine said: “We attended the vigil for Amy Doherty and I held one of the pictures of women that have been murdered, hearing her mum and the other representatives speak and was so emotional.

“Having something like that happen in your own city is so eye-opening. I don’t think people realise how prevalent femicide is.”

For Aine and Cara, creating Global Sisters has allowed them to create a path for future students to continue on. They hope that the group will continue after they finish their A levels and leave Thornhill.

Aine said: “Global Sisters has definitely made me much more confident. We won a leadership award at the Derry Credit Union which was amazing as well. We made friends with people we wouldn’t know otherwise and build a community from it.

“I think it is important that we do this as senior pupils as well. My sister is in second year and they look up to us and would feel comfortable for them to come and speak to us if something was affecting them.

“We have such a good working relationship with the school. They work with us really well and support us in the things we do and guide us in how we can do them better as well.”

Cara added: “We have learned about so many new things, I hadn’t known the extent of what was going on out there until we started doing educational meetings.. The younger you learn the more it will be set into you and you’ll carry a stronger moral compass as you get older as well.

“We want to pass Global Sisters on to someone else, we would like to see it continue after we leave. We hope it doesn’t end with us.”

Global Sisters is a beacon of hope that future generations will be more enlightened around issues facing women globally, as well as on their own doorstep.

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This time, Bolton is playing host to the cast of the upcoming Netflix crime drama The Woods.

Filming started in Bolton on the day Netflix announced they were adapting another novel by the writer Harlan Coben.

Based on the bestselling 2007 novel, The Woods follows top barrister Paul ‘Cope’ Copeland – a man who’s life was turned upside-down when, 20 years ago, his sister Camille disappeared from a summer camp under mysterious circumstances.

Michelle Keegan ((Ian West/PA)

Now a father to ten-year-old Cami, Cope seems to have his life back in order. But things take a dark turn when a man’s body is discovered – a man who was supposed to have died 20 years previous alongside Camille.

Now knowing that this man had survived the first incident, Cope begins to suspect that his sister did, too. The Woods follows Cope down this rabbit hole as he unearths years of lies, cover-ups, and family secrets, all of which threaten to destroy the life he has managed to built.

The eight part series stars Tom Bateman in the role of Cope, with Michelle Keegan co-starring as Lucy Silverfield – Cope’s first love, and the woman who will join him on his search for the truth about his sister.

But this isn’t the first Harlan Coben adaptation to be filmed in Bolton – in fact, the town has a long history of providing a backdrop for his works.

In 2020, Billboards advertising Netflix’s The Stranger went up in Times Square New York – a far cry from the Bolton and Bury locations where the show was shot.

The Stranger adapted Harlan’s 2015 novel of the same name, wherein a man’s life unravels after a mysterious stranger reveals to him a fact about his wife.

The series shown on Netflix was produced by Red Productions.

The company has previously told The Bolton News: “RED Production Company are proud of their Northern roots, basing themselves in Manchester and filming in and around the North.

“For over twenty years RED have filmed several dramas in the area, including the recent Years and Years and current productions Traces and The Stranger.  Bolton has a great feel of a large town without being too big like a city centre. 

Production vans (Image: Dan Dougherty)

“It is also very film friendly and always so accommodating to our crews across all our shows.”

The new thriller is being produced in partnership with Quay Street Productions, with Nicola Shindler, who formed Red Productions, acting as executive producer.

And 2024 saw film crews return to the North West for an adaptation of Fool Me Once, with scenes filmed inside Bolton School.

Bolton School (Image: NQ)

As with much of Harlan’s work, Fool me Once deals with dark, macabre themes, as Maya Stone – Also played by Michelle Keegan – comes to terms with the murder of her husband.

That is – in a classic Harlan Coben twist – until she finds evidence that he may still be alive.

The book is set in New York, but the adaptation translated the action to Manchester.

Michelle Keegan spoke to Radio Times at the time, saying: “The book’s set in New York, so it’s totally different now, because they’re in Manchester.

Production vans (Image: Dan Dougherty)

“It sort of grounded it for me.”

And last year Netflix crews were back filming key scenes for an adaptation of Harlan’s Run Away, starring Gavin & Stacey actress Ruth Jones and Cold Feet actor James Nesbitt.

The drama quickly became the number-one rated show on Netflix, with many viewers likely unaware that they were watching scenes filmed in Rivington and Oldham’s Alexandra Park.

Harlan signed a multi-billion dollar deal with Netflix in 2018, giving them the right to produce adaptations of 14 of his novels, with Harlan acting as executive producer.

The Rivington (Image: Google Maps)

The shows tend to be released on January 1, with Run Away, Fool Me Once, and The Stranger being released on this date in 2026, 2024, and 2020 respectively.

Bolton’s popularity with crime show producers of various stripes is in part attributable to the old court building on Le Mans Crescent, which is often used for courtroom scenes. The exterior of the building is popular too, notable for its Grade II listed architecture.

This was the case when Cillian Murphy made an appearance on the street in 2021, decked out in Peaky Blinders garb, as he filmed scenes for the hit show.

Cillian Murphy in Bolton

The producer of the first series of the Sarah Parish crime drama, Bancroft, which was filmed in the town said he had deliberately chosen Bolton because of its crescent, town hall and civic centre architecture which created a Paris/ New York feel.

Phil Collinson said, at the time of the release of Bancroft: “We didn’t want this to feel like every other police show you watch. We looked at film noir and some American influences. And so we went to Bolton very deliberately. Bolton has an incredible Victorian crescent, town hall and civic centre. It really feels like Paris or New York around there with the old cobbled streets and big sandstone buildings.

“Then once you get inside there are long marble corridors and great big open spaces.

“The CID office is a large old room with pillars in it. Lots of old, dark wood. We tried to make it feel like the present inhabiting locations with lots of history bearing down on them.

“So this modern world is crashing together with the past. A sense the past is around you all the time. A happy by-product of that was we got really handsome locations. The whole things feels special. Steeped in history.

He added: “The locations are a big star of this show and really important to the atmosphere of the whole thing.”

This action doesn’t show any sign of slowing down, with Netflix crews spending an entire week on the street filming scenes for The Woods.

Cllr Nadeem Ayub, executive member for culture, said: “Film crews love coming to Bolton because of the fantastic architecture on Le Mans Crescent.

“It’s such as beautiful location to come and film around.

“It’s great for Bolton too – it puts us on the map and it puts us in the limelight not just in the UK but worldwide as well.

“It brings plenty of business to the town centre too, not just directly, but the crews also go around the shops in the town centre and spend money.”

These things considered, is it any wonder people call Bolton the Hollywood of the North?

Welsh woman Summer shed 11 stone after a humiliating experience but has now transformed herself and people don’t recognise her

A woman has transformed herself after a humiliating experience where ‘everybody stared at me’. Summer Thomas has lost 11 stone. Now people are unable to recognise her. Summer would previously spend her days consuming sharing bags of crisps, entire packets of chocolate digestives and calorie-laden takeaways.

The 27 year old had turned to food for comfort following the death of her mother during childhood and her step brother during her teenage years. At her heaviest, she tipped the scales at 19st 3lbs and wore a UK dress size 22.

Despite being self-conscious about her figure, the wake-up call came during a trip to a funfair with a friend – when she became stuck on one of the attractions. “As I sat down and pulled the seat belt over the top of me, the clip wouldn’t go in,” the care assistant, from Blaenau Gwent, said.

“I thought I had gotten a dodgy one by mistake. The attendant saw I was struggling and came over to help – but it wouldn’t click into place.

“I was told I had to get off as I was too big for the ride. It was a struggle getting off the seat and I thought I was stuck.

“Until my friend hoisted me up. I was so humiliated – everyone was staring at me.”

Summer would secretly consume biscuits and sweets as a youngster, burying the wrappers at the bottom of the bin to conceal the evidence, a habit that began following her mother’s death from a brain haemorrhage.

Food became her mechanism for managing her emotions, and it wasn’t until she started secondary school that she began to notice the impact of her weight. Summer explained: “I was surrounded by people who were so much smaller than me.

“I became self-conscious of how I looked. I tried to diet, but would quickly fall back into old habits.

“When I got my first job at McDonald’s, the access to burgers and endless fries each shift meant I only piled on more weight.” Summer chose to join her local Slimming World and, within 12 months, shed three stone.

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The success proved temporary, however, as tragedy struck when her step brother died in a car crash. Breakfast would consist of a sugary cup of tea accompanied by an entire pack of chocolate digestives, followed by sharing bags of crisps as a snack and large multi-packs of chocolate bars.

For dinner, she’d opt for McDonald’s or KFC. Before long, her previously loose work uniform had become uncomfortably tight.

She recalled: “It had spiralled out of control. I tried to still enjoy myself and went on nights out with friends.

“But once, while in Wetherspoons, a person looked at me and said: ‘Look at the size of her.’ I felt sick.

“I knew I had let myself go, but for a stranger to say that about me – it was mortifying.” Shortly before the distressing incident at the fairground in September 2021, Summer had rejoined Slimming World and had shed a stone.

Resolute in maintaining the diet programme and refusing to remain the “fat friend”, she transformed her eating patterns. Breakfast became granola with strawberries, lunch featured chicken and salad, while dinner comprised a low-calorie ready meal accompanied by vegetables. Sharing-size crisp packets were swapped for a single portion of a fat-free alternative.

Within two years, she had shed five stone. Yet the progress then ground to a halt.

Having grown despondent, she discovered weight loss injections and took out a monthly subscription for Mounjaro. Now, just over a year on, she tips the scales at 8st 9lb and fits into a UK dress size eight.

She went on to say: “I feel fantastic. I no longer get out of breath walking upstairs anymore.

“And I take our dogs out for two long walks every single day. I’m finally happy with my weight and slowly coming off the injections.

“Recently, I saw someone I knew in the supermarket and as I walked off, I heard them mutter that I must’ve had gastric sleeve surgery. I wasn’t offended – it was a sign of how different I looked and the progress I’ve made.

“I’m now in control of my relationship with food. And I’m excited to get back on those fair rides.”

After Amy and Chris contacted police, Peter Ferguson was given an antisocial behaviour order but breached the terms at least seven times.

A couple’s nightmare ASBO neighbour has been evicted after nearly two years terrorising them – caught on doorbell cam.

Chris and Amy Masterson have lived fear of Peter Ferguson as he carried out a campaign of verbal abuse and threats.

Ferguson was captured on camera calling Amy a “f*****g w***e,” and the couple were left barricading their own doors after a threat to petrol bomb their car.

After Amy and Chris contacted police, Ferguson was given an antisocial behaviour order but breached the terms at least seven times.

Finally, after what the pair described as am ongoing “toxic” situation, South Lanarkshire Council have confirmed that Ferguson has been evicted.

Chris, 46, told the BBC: “It’s a weight off our shoulders. When he was in the street, we couldn’t have sat outside without getting abused. We would get shouts and threats so it has been a massive weight off everybody’s shoulders.”

The couple, who had lived in their Forth home since 2016, described the area as “absolutely brilliant,” until Ferguson moved to the street in 2024.

Chris, who suffers from mobility issues following a stroke, described how he feared for the lives of Amy and their two children.

Chris said: “Ferguson started verbally abusing my wife for no reason. Then he started abusing our visitors, and it’s continued to escalate ever since.

“After he threatened to petrol bomb our car, the council took him to court to get an ASBO – which he’s broken many times.

“He’s rang the doorbell at half past one in the morning, and a few seconds after that, our car windscreen was smashed.

“My mobility is poor, so I can’t look out the window – I keep an eye on the doorbell to see if he’s going to start abusing her or be violent towards her. He’s a ticking time bomb.”

The couple appeared in court nearly 20 times over the last two years for various hearings relating to Ferguson’s behaviour, and said the legal battle had a negative effect on the whole family’s mental health.

They say they are deeply relieved to have the situation resolved.

South Lanarkshire Council said: “Eviction proceedings were concluded at Lanark Sheriff Court on 23 February 2026, and the tenancy was subsequently recovered by the council on an agreed date.

“An anti-social behaviour order granted in relation to the former tenant remains in place.”

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Trump’s strikes on Iran, and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, have driven oil prices up, with a barrel of Brent crude, a major oil benchmark, hitting a four-year high of $126 on Thursday. It has since fallen back to $111 but it was trading at around $73 before the war broke out at the end of February.

The Balmoral Hotel, in Bradshawgate, said that a female worker at the venue was the victim of an alleged assault on Friday night, May 1.

Police have now confirmed that Liam Jenkinson, 31, of no fixed abode, has been charged with common assault.

A pub spokesperson said: “Here at the Balmoral, we do not condone or accept any form of violence towards our staff or management. May it be verbal or physical, you will feel the full force of the law.

“Don’t know what has happened tonight, full moon or what not, but all the plastic gangsters have been out!

“No member of staff in any venue deserves violence against them, from verbal to physical.

“We are lucky that these instances happen extremely rarely, as we do not attract these types of people and never intend to do so!

“But across venues daily, you see these sorts of things happen, and it shouldn’t. We stand by every venue in the town centre in making sure the full value of the law is given.”

Jenkinson has been bailed to appear at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates on July 15.