Mr and Mrs First, of Sandown Road in Bradshaw, have been granted full planning permission to convert a strip of adopted highway land at the front of their bungalow into residential use and to erect new boundary fencing.

The land in question consists of a footpath and grassed area which cuts across the front of several properties and has long been adopted as public highway.

The couple applied in January to incorporate the area into their garden.

During the course of the application, the proposed height of the front and side boundary fence was reduced from 1.2 metres to 0.95 metres following discussions with planning officers.

The proposed site layout (Image: Bolton Council)

Bolton Council’s highways engineers raised no objections to the loss of highway land, subject to the applicants formally extinguishing the highway rights through the Department for Transport’s National Casework Team.

That legal process, carried out under the Town and Country Planning Act, must be completed at the applicants’ expense before the land can officially cease to be highway.

Planning officers said the existing vehicular access points to the property would remain in place and that there would be no changes to parking arrangements.

In their report, officers concluded that the modest extension of the garden and the low-level close-boarded fence would not harm the character of the area, which is characterised by open frontages, lawns, driveways and a mix of low walls, fencing and hedging.

They also found the proposal would not adversely affect neighbouring properties, and would not result in the loss of any on-site habitat.

Recommending approval, the planning officer said the development complies with both local and national planning policies and would not result in harm to residential amenity or highway safety.

Planning permission has now been granted, subject to the completion of the required legal process to remove the land’s highway status.

Victory for Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium means they have opened up a ten-point gap at the top of the Premier League table before Man City have the chance to respond against West Ham later tonight. Follow the game back below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Matt Verri at the ground.

North Korea has fired missiles into the sea in response to a United States military exercise.

Around 10 ballistic missiles were fired from near Pyongyang’s international airport on Saturday as a show of force after a joint military exercise between US and South Korea.

They flew around 220 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

It came just hours after South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met with President Donald Trump in Washington.

South Korea has since ramped up its surveillance in response.

And experts fear Saturday’s launches could undermine the diplomatic efforts made by both sides.

The US and South Korea are currently participating in Freedom Shield, an 11-day shared military exercise held between both sides every March.

North Korea has long described them as invasion rehearsals – often citing them as a reason to dial up weapons testing.

Only last Tuesday leader Kim Jong Un’s sister criticised Washington and Seoul for proceeding with their drills during a period of such global uncertainty.

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Kim Yo Jong said they undermine regional stability at a time when the global security structure is “collapsing rapidly and wars break out in different parts of the world due to the reckless acts of outrageous international rogues.”

In recent months they have hardened their stance towards Seoul and are now urging Washington to drop denuclearisation demands as a precondition for talks.

And just this week Mr Kim was pictured alongside his teenage daughter as the country carried out missile tests from a naval destroyer.

Read more: Who is Kim Ju Ae?

It comes amid speculation that the US is planning to relocate some missile defences to the country as part of its intensifying war with Iran.

But South Korea has been quick to insist this would not affect its defence posture against its northern neighbours.

The pub has a rich history, with everything from ghost stories the discovery of DNA

Very few pubs carry the deep historical legacy of The Eagle in Cambridge. Tucked along the narrow historic stretch of Bene’t Street, the second-oldest pub in the city has more than 700 years of stories etched into its beams, walls and ceilings.

Dating back to the 14th century, the building has witnessed centuries of Cambridge life. Medieval townsfolk one gathered here after market days centuries before wartime pilots filled its rooms with laughter and cigarette smoke and decades before brilliant scientists raised pints while discussing ideas that would reshape the world.

The Grade II-listed pub is a living archive, just steps away from other notable Cambridge landmarks, including King’s College and The Corpus Clock. The Eagle has never lost its charm, as every time you walk through the doors, you step into centuries of Cambridge history where every pint of ale comes with a story.

A Brief History of The Eagle

‘With beer for three gallons a penny’, the tavern was bought by Corpus Christi College in around 1458 and advertised as a property producing 20s per annum. Cambridge was growing at the time with many University colleges being founded, including Christ’s College, King’s College and Queen’s College.

The town was home to between 1500 and 5000 inhabitant and urban settlements surrounding the town began to lay their foundations.

The Inn was originally known as ‘The Eagle and Child’, with the child being the crest of the Earl of Derby and opened in 1667 as a coaching house for travellers commuting towards London for trade at the market.

A lease to Andrew Pylkynton, the innkeeper and his wife, in the archives of Corpus, mentions “their two tenements, a greater and a lesser nowe made an Inne called the Eagle and Child sett and built together in the parishe of St Benett in Cambridge.”

Inside the Eagle, there are a few places where old decorations are thought to still be standing from the time period. This includes wall paint and ‘broad green stripes’ above the second bar to conceal crooked timber planks.

The Inn was rebuilt in around 1800 with a slate roof and brick-infilled timber frames, and was used as the headquarters of the Cambridge Conservative party during elections in the 1820s.

Ghost Stories

The pub is said to be haunted following a fire in the 1700s. The story goes that a young child was trapped and burned to death because they were unable to open the window to escape.

Detailed in The Eagle’s history leaflet, it says: “The only thing keeping the pub from being plagued by spirits is a window, which must remain open at all times.”

They explain they have kept the window open ever since, as when it has been closed, it has mysteriously reopened and brought bad luck.

“The open window allows these young ghosts to leave the pub as they wish and it is reported that strange things have happened in the past when the window was shut.”

One account said: “That should anyone dare to try and close the window, everybody inside the pub will experience a powerful feeling of suffocation.”

On table 4, a ghostly gentleman sits and watches the punters drinking their pints. The Eagle staff warn people, “if he doesn’t like you, he will spill your drink!”

Tales of the locals

In 1826, two labourers named William Smith and Stephen Woodcock uncovered a haul of hidden coins from below 9 Bene’t Street. The treasure included nearly 200 gold pieces and over 3,500 silver pieces dating back to the reign of Charles I.

The sale of the hoard was £192 in which £162 went to the college, £20 went to the Master mason and £5 each to the labourers.

In 1907, a policeman described in a newspaper article that he could see who entered the yard and overhear conversations in the smoke-room about horse racing and telephonic messages being passed, naming horses and mentioning sums of money.

Police raided the inn and the landlord, Charles W. Hyde, was committed for trial the same day.

The Secret of Life

Just around the corner on Free School Lane stood the Cavendish Laboratory, where some of the University’s brightest minds carried out groundbreaking research. After long days in the lab, scientists and scholars would often drift into The Eagle for a well-earned pint.

It was here that one of the most famous moments in modern science unfolded. At lunchtime in 1953, Francis Crick burst into the pub and reportedly announced to those gathered that he and James Watson had “found the secret of life.”

The declaration referred to their discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA, a breakthrough that would become one of the most significant scientific achievements of the 20th century.

The discovery transformed the field of genetics, and in 1962, Watson and Crick, along with Maurice Wilkins, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work.

Watson’s book ‘The Double Helix’ is commemorated on a blue plaque outside the pub alongside Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins’ contributions and two plaques in the middle room are hung by the table where Crick and Watson lunched regularly.

Today, the pub still celebrates that historic moment. Visitors can raise a glass of DNA Ale, brewed to commemorate the pivotal discovery first announced within The Eagle’s walls.

WWII and RAF Bar

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the first flight of the legendary Supermarine Spitfire, a reminder of the deep aviation history across Cambridgeshire and the surrounding counties that played a vital role during World War II.

At The Eagle, that wartime legacy still hangs overhead, quite literally. The pub is famous for its graffiti-covered ceiling, now known as the RAF Bar.

From the late 1930s through the mid-1940s, the pub became a popular gathering place for RAF and American airmen stationed at nearby air bases across the region. After flying missions, crews would head into Cambridge to share stories and raise a drink together.

Many left a lasting mark on the pub. Local historian Malcolm Osborn once recalled a story in which “a young airman stood precariously balanced on a chair atop a table in the back bar, then using a candle he burned his squadron’s number into the ceiling.”

That moment became part of a wider tradition. Over time, dozens of servicemen added their own marks, including names, squadron numbers, cartoons, signatures, and sketches.

One includes a drawing of a naked woman drawn in lipstick. This created a remarkable patchwork of wartime memories that still covers the ceiling today.

Decades later, the RAF Bar remains one of the pub’s most striking features, preserving the voices and presence of the young airmen who once filled The Eagle with laughter during some of the darkest years of the 20th century.

What’s going on today

In modern times, The Eagle continues to thrive while carefully preserving the character that made it famous.

The pub is now operated by Greene King, and many punters include university students catching pints between lectures and tourists who are drawn by its scientific legacy, wartime history or simply the promise of a good ale.

Second-place France are now three points behind Ireland, who need a massive favour from old rivals England this evening. However, the chances of that happening appear remote if the form book is anything to go by, with Steve Borthwick’s struggling side having followed a 12-Test winning streak with three successive sobering losses to slump to fifth and on the brink of their worst-ever Six Nations campaign.

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Hello and welcome to coverage from the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal look to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table with victory over Everton.

The league leaders will start the match seven points clear of Manchester City, who have a game in hand, and play West Ham at 8pm tonight.

With City 3-0 down to Real Madrid ahead of the second leg next week, their focus this evening could be elsewhere and should Arsenal move 10 points ahead, the pressure would be on to respond.

But in north London, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has dismissed suggestions they have adopted a siege mentality amid mounting pressure.

“You just have to go in that dressing room and feel the mood, the energy and the way we talk to each other and how much we value the position that we have right now,” Arteta said. 

“So our focus is on what ‌we have to ‌do, what we ⁠have to maintain and what we have to improve together.”

With no FA Cup fixture last week, Everton have not played since March 3, so they should start the match fresh but could be a little rusty.

However, since David Moyes returned to Merseyside for a second spell 14 months ago, Everton have won the most matches on the road of any Premier League side other than Arsenal.

Ahead of the match, Moyes came to Arteta’s defence, hitting back at suggestions that Arsenal’s physical approach and set-piece prowess present ​problems and saying ‌it would be boring if every team played the same way.

Arsenal have attracted criticism in recent weeks, especially for their corner-kick routines, as their go-to strategy to score, sparking debate about its tactical evolution.

“You are making it ⁠sound as if that’s a problem because they are good at set pieces and they are a strong, physical side,” Moyes said.

“I don’t see any problem with any of that. It’s part of the game.”

One Brit who escaped said: “We watched the rockets in the skies and then saw the official accounts from the Government. They were simply not right and did not match reality. You realised it was part of the propaganda war.”

Tens of thousands of British workers and tourists have fled the UAE since Iran retaliated following Israel and the United States launching surprise attacks last month.

But the Dubai Government has been accused of trying to “cover up” the war’s impact on the city by putting strict rules in place in a bid to “protect its image”.

Tourists, influencers and social media commentators are not allowed to show any footage of Iranian rockets as it faces losing billions of pounds in tourism revenue.

The World Travel and Tourism Council predicted visitor spending in the UAE would reach £46bn in 2025. Dubai recorded almost 19.6 million visitors in the year leading up to February 2026, a five percent increase.

A 60-year-old from London was one of 21 people of various nationalities arrested for filming missiles in the sky.

The campaign group ‘Detained in Dubai’ is helping them.

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Ben Keith, an international human rights barrister who has represented many of those arrested in Dubai, said: “They want to show that the UAE is safe for foreign tourists and workers.

“They do not want to show any images of the missiles getting through. They will do anything to protect the image of Dubai.”

One Brit who escaped over the desert with his family to Oman told the Mirror: “We watched the rockets in the skies and then saw the official accounts from the Government.

“They were simply not right and did not match reality. You realised it was part of the propaganda war.”

UAE’s defence systems stopped more than 90 percent of 1,700 Iranian projectiles. But military installations and the Fairmont Hotel, located on Dubai’s famous tree-shaped island, were dramatically hit.

The airport, one of the busiest aviation hubs in the world, had to close.

Attacks on two data centres briefly left Dubai residents unable to use their phones for digital payments. British financial giant Standard Chartered evacuated its entire staff from the prestigious Dubai International Financial Centre after an Iranian threat to target economic and banking interests linked to the US and Israel.

Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard listed the tech giants Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Nvidia and Oracle among targeted US companies, warning people to stay at least a kilometre away from banks. But any foreigner, including holidaymakers, who causes “reputational harm” to Dubai can face fines of up to £200,000, as well as a decade or even life in prison. And that includes any footage of Iranian attacks.

Campaign groups report that WhatsApp video and voice calls are banned because their encryption makes them harder for the regime to ‘spy on’.

The Gulf Cooperation Council has refused US offers to enter the conflict, as one Dubai businessman stated that ‘reckless American decisions plunged the region into war.’ And the crisis has not only impacted Dubai tourism. It has hit all of the Gulf states, including 2022 World Cup host Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, which will hold the 2034 tournament.

A mum and daughter from Falmouth, Cornwall, who did not want to give their full names before they were back home, enjoyed a holiday in Oman and elected to stay on even after the missiles hit. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Bella, 33, said: “We feel so sorry for the locals. Our guide kept taking calls from people who were cancelling trips. It is their livelihoods, and yet it has nothing to do with them.”

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Mum Virginia, a retired scuba diving instructor, added: “One holidaymaker went to the airport, but returned when her flight to Australia was cancelled. It has been terrible for so many here.”

Jamie Mallon, 54, a financial advisor from Southampton, was convinced that the World Trade Centre of Abu Dhabi was a target for Iran because of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. Jamie and his daughter, Izzy, 27, were caught in the terrifying spread of the war in the Middle East within minutes of arrival. One security alert on his phone told him 1,184 drones were fired at Abu Dhabi in one day along with eight cruise missiles.

Like thousands of UK nationals, they fled across the desert to fly home from Oman. Last week, 168,000 Brits had registered their presence across Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

More than 12,000 Brits were repatriated from the UAE on Government chartered aircraft and scheduled flights.

Manchester City No.2 Pep Lijnders will be the leading man in the dugout for the Blues at West Ham on Saturday night

Pep Guardiola was not allowed to be in the Manchester City dugout for the Premier League game with West Ham. The Blues boss must serve a second suspension of the season after picking up his sixth yellow card last week.

City’s manager picked up yellow cards in Premier League games with Arsenal, Forest, and Brighton earlier in the campaign to mean he had to sit out the FA Cup game with Exeter. And he has since picked up three more to mean he must now miss two games.

The rules cover both the Premier League and FA Cup but not the Carabao Cup or Champions League, meaning Guardiola will be allowed on the touchline for games next week against Real Madrid and Arsenal. However, for the West Ham game and the Liverpool FA Cup match next month he will only be able to communicate with his staff from the stands, with Pep Lijnders taking charge.

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Guardiola was fortunate not to get a red card at Newcastle last week, only picking up a yellow despite remonstrating on a number of occasions about the officiating both during the game and after it.

Asked about the incidents afterwards, he said: “When Jeremy Doku dribbles past (Kieran) Trippier and goes alone to the box and is being pulled form behind, I’m not asking for a yellow card but please – it’s a foul.

“I will defend my team. We have all the records in this country -all of them. Despite everything, we have all of them. And we have the record of the manager with the most yellow cards. I have always wanted this record and now I have it. Two game banned now and I will go on holidays.”

As the following question began, Guardiola pressed on: “Oh my God. Oh. My. God. There are things that still after 10 years I cannot understand. Review the action, review the action. Of course I’m going to defend Doku, and all my teams. They continue to do it.”