Police seized six blue badges from individuals found to be using them illegally.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “Today, officers from Bolton Town Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team conducted a joint operation with Civil Enforcement in Bolton Town Centre targeting the misuse of Blue Badges.

“As a result, six blue badges were seized from individuals found to be using them illegally.

“We will continue to work with our partners to tackle abuse of the scheme and ensure parking spaces remain available for those who truly need them.”

Councils have previously been urged to crack down on blue badge misuse as permit holders had an increase.

A Blue Badge is a government-issued parking permit in England that helps people with severe mobility problems or specific hidden disabilities.

It usually means the individual can park closer to their destination. It can be used whether the badge holder is the driver or a passenger. 

Up to one in five Blue Badges may be used by someone other than the legitimate holder.  This can include family misuse, use after death, counterfeit badges, and theft/resale.

Previously, The Bolton News reported on the specific rules of the blue badges.

If you are a Blue Badge holder you must never give the badge to friends or family to allow them to have the benefit of the parking concessions.

Furthermore, you must never use a copied badge to park or try to change the details on a badge.

If you misuse the badge you not only risk a fine but as the badge remains the property of the issuing local council, they can ask for the badge to be returned if it is being misused.

The preschool has said they are “absolutely delighted” with the Ofsted report

A Cambridgeshire preschool where children “take risks” and make “rapid progress” has been praised by inspectors in its latest Ofsted report. Hardwick Pre-School has been rated ‘Strong Standard’ in all areas assessed in its report published on Tuesday, May 12.

The preschool, on Limes Road is described as a “dynamic early learning experience” for children aged two to five years, said it believes that “every child is a star waiting to shine”.

Inspectors found that pupils “behave extremely well” and “thoroughly enjoy participating in group activities”. Children were found to “make rapid progress”, particularly in developing their listening and attention skills.

The report said: “They learn to concentrate and focus, listen to staff and follow instructions. Children sit and wait patiently at lunch time for their friends to finish before leaving the table.”

Advertisement

Inspectors also highlighted that children develop their “fine motor skills through varied activities” and that children with special educational needs “make remarkable progress in all aspects of their development and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning”.

Children were also found to be “confident to take risks” as well as “challenge themselves both physically and intellectually”. Staff help them to “think deeply to solve problems”, the inspection identified.

Staff were praised for ensuring that “every child flourishes and develops the skills and knowledge needed for the next stage in their learning”.

A spokesperson for Hardwick Pre-School said: “We are absolutely delighted with our recent Ofsted report! Staff are dedicated to ensure the children receive engaging and educational experiences and support them to be curious about their world so the can learn and reach their full potential.

“The report also reflects the support we receive from our lovely parents, fantastic committee and our wider community.”

The school was also praised for ensuring that “children who speak English as an additional language have their voices heard as they learn key words in their home languages”. Staff teach children to use Makaton sign language so they can all communicate and build relationships.

In its next steps, inspectors asked leaders and those responsible for governance at the school to sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They were also asked to focus on creating a “transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children, those with SEND, those who are known (or previously known) to children’s social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing”.

The Duke of Sussex has spoken out about the recent wave of antisemitic incidents in the UK, writing that “hate and extremism” flourishes when people stay silent

Advertisement

The Duke of Sussex has spoken out about the “deeply troubling” rise in antisemitism throughout the UK in a newly published opinion piece.

Harry stressed the importance of “legitimate protest”, explaining that he felt compelled to speak up as, in his view, staying silent allows “hate and extremism to flourish unchecked”, reports the Mirror..

In his piece for The New Statesman, he drew attention to recent “lethal violence” targeting Jewish communities in Manchester and London, asserting that “hatred directed at people for who they are, or what they believe, is not protest. It is prejudice”.

Harry also touched upon the “deep and justified alarm” surrounding the extent of casualties in Gaza and Lebanon, while insisting that people must be more “clear” about the direction of their anger.

The Duke wrote: “We have seen how legitimate protest against state actions in the Middle East does exist alongside hostility toward Jewish communities at home – just as we have also seen how criticism of those actions can be too easily dismissed or mischaracterised.”

“Nothing, whether criticism of a government or the reality of violence and destruction, can ever justify hostility toward an entire people or faith.”

He conceded that he had learned from his own “past mistakes”. Back in January 2005, at the age of 20, Harry was photographed donning a Nazi uniform at a fancy dress party. The article highlights the lack of subtlety in much of the media discussion surrounding the recent surge of antisemitic incidents across the UK. The duke expresses concern about how divided public discourse has become, cautioning that it amplifies the uncertainty that “fuels division”.

Harry recognised that the urge to speak out, demonstrate and demand an end to suffering was “human and necessary” but emphasised that people must understand that the “onus falls squarely on the state – not an entire people”.

While he makes numerous references to “the state” throughout the piece, he does not mention Israel by name at any stage in the New Statesman article.

Harry wrote: “We cannot ignore a difficult truth: when states act without accountability, and in ways that raise serious questions under international humanitarian law – criticism is both legitimate, necessary and essential in any democracy.

“The consequences do not remain contained within borders. They reverberate outward, shaping perception, inflaming tensions.”

At an investiture ceremony on Wednesday, the daughter of Holocaust survivors disclosed that the Prince of Wales told her it is crucial to “preserve the truth” as she was awarded an OBE.

Speaking to the Press Association after the ceremony, Dr Bea Lewkowicz said William “pointed out that, especially now, it is important to, kind of, preserve the truth, because we live in this era of digital media” with “Holocaust distortion and rising antisemitism”.

Harry concluded his article with an appeal for “unity”, calling on people to take a resolute stand against both antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred “wherever it appears”. “When anger is turned towards communities – whether Jewish, Muslim, or any other – it ceases to be a call for justice and becomes something far more corrosive,” he wrote.

Eleven survivors of a plane crash off the Florida coast endured five harrowing hours adrift on a life raft, with no means of communication and an approaching thunderstorm.

Huddled under a tarp for meager protection, their desperate wait ended when U.S. military search and rescue crews appeared overhead, rescuers recounted during a news conference on Wednesday.

Air Force Capt. Rory Whipple, a combat rescue specialist who jumped into the water to reach them, described their ordeal.

“You could tell just by looking at them that they were in distress — physically, mentally and emotionally,” he said. “You have to imagine the emotional injuries that they sustained out there, not knowing if someone was going to rescue them.”

The plane, a Beechcraft 300 King Air turboprop, was on its way from Marsh Harbour, on the Bahamian island of Great Abaco, to Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport when it suffered engine failure Tuesday, authorities said. The pilot ditched the plane in the water about 50 miles (80 km) off Vero Beach, Florida, and managed to get its 10 passengers, three with minor injuries, onto a yellow life raft.

Air Force Reserve Maj. Elizabeth Piowaty credited those efforts, saying the pilot would have been concerned about ocean swells and slowing the plane as much as safely possible before impact.

“I’ve not known anyone to survive a ditching in the ocean,” said Piowaty, who commanded a HC-130J Combat King II plane that assisted with the rescue. “From what I’ve seen, for all those people to survive is pretty miraculous.”

The downed plane’s emergency beacon alerted the U.S. Coast Guard to its location. At the time, the Air Force Reserve’s 920th Rescue Wing had a crew already airborne conducting a training mission in a HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter. The crew was redirected to help with the search.

Piowaty said that after locating the survivors, her aircraft passed overhead and dropped a survival kit that included two additional rafts, food and water. The survivors were then able to spread out, and the crew of the HH-60W, including Whipple, was able to hoist them to safety amid 3- to 5-foot (1- to 1.5-m) swells, raising the last survivor just a few minutes before the helicopter would have been forced to refuel.

There was no sign of the downed aircraft, Piowaty said.

All 11 survivors were flown to awaiting emergency medical services at Melbourne Orlando International Airport, authorities said. All were reported to be in stable condition.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate the crash.

A three hour long indie game, about teenagers enjoying their final summer together, has inspired an internet hate campaign of disturbing proportions, but why is everyone so upset?

The term non-game dates back to the Nintendo DS, in the mid-2000s, and was not intended as an insult. In fact, it was coined by former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and used by him to describe titles such as Brain Training and Nintendogs which, as he put it, don’t ‘have a winner, or even a real conclusion.’ Non-games are not necessarily devoid of traditional gameplay, or an ending, but they are made with different intentions, and often for a different audience than normal, and for some people that means they must be hated above all things.

As a concept, the non-game has many antecedents, all the way back to the 1980s, including Jeff Minter’s light synthesiser Psychedelia and interactive rock opera Deus Ex Machina. SimCity is also often considered one, although creator Will Wright preferred the term ‘software toy.’

Terms fall in and out fashion, and nowadays SimCity and any similarly open-ended simulator would be called a cosy game. Walking sims are a more modern invention, and in that case the name was definitely intended as an insult, since in gameplay terms that’s often all you do. That in turn implies that, to the benighted minority, the award-winning narratives of games like Dear Esther and What Remains Of Edith Finch are somehow irrelevant. Which brings us neatly to the embarrassing furore surrounding Mixtape.

Mixtape is not literally a walking sim, but it shares a lot in common with that genre. There are a number of simple minigames, that you cannot fail at, but much of the story plays out on its own, without any input from the player. It’s a flawed experience, that relies a bit too much on its soundtrack and general 90s nostalgia – especially given the sometimes cheesy dialogue – but it’s breezy and competently made and utterly inoffensive.

If you’re not familiar with the game, or the anger surrounding it, you’ll quickly get an inkling for what’s going on when you hear that two of the three main characters are young women and that the game’s publisher is being accused of bribing video game journalists.

A good argument can be made for Gamergate being the vanguard for the worldwide rise of far right rhetoric, which is as terrifying as it is pathetic, when you realise it revolved around nothing more than nonsensical conspiracies about review scores and women in video games.

The madness surrounding Mixtape makes it depressingly obvious that little has changed since 2014, to the point where Xbox felt the need to step in and say something this week, presumably because Mixtape is on Game Pass at the moment.

At this point, many agitators are savvy enough not to focus on the female characters, although there’s been lots of purposefully vague talk about the game not being relatable, as if it was the law that every game should appeal to everyone. There’s also a lot of weird conspiracy talk about the game’s positive reception being funded by giant corporations, despite the developer being a 12-person team from Australia (and it having a Very Positive user rating on Steam).

Mixtape is published by Annapurna Interactive, which was co-founded by Megan Ellison, who presumably is or will be a billionaire – and yet her film company, from which the video game side spawned, has never funded anything more expensive than a Dick Cheney biopic.

It’s hard to believe that the sort of person who would complain about Mixtape would care that it was somehow siphoning money away from other indie developers (which has been one of the other suggestions). In any case, that ignores the fact that Annapurna Interactive is one of the best indie publishers in the business and since 2017 has been consistently putting out a wide range of interesting and unique games from many different developers – and yet for some reason this is the one they decided to bribe IGN for a good score?

The complaints about the lack of interactivity also seem insincere. Either that or these people’s minds are going to be blown when they find out about visual novels or the final disc of Metal Gear Solid 4. Interactivity is at the heart of video games but the exact nature of it is highly malleable. From the earliest days, games could be all action or slow-paced strategy but in the last few decades the broadening of gaming’s audience has meant there’s plenty of space for narrative-focused games with low levels of interactivity or cosy games with low levels of anything except comforting vibes.

That hasn’t meant less of the other type of games – it’s not like Mixtape’s developers were being tempted away from making the next Gears Of War – it’s just meant that people that wouldn’t previously have considered being game developers have been able to make games for people that hadn’t previously considered being gamers.

Whether you like the games that result or not that seems like it should be something that’s celebrated by everyone but, as we see with Mixtape, that’s not the case. In trying to understand what so many people are upset about you have to work through several layers, the first being the general sense of mass hysteria which social media has always encouraged.

Sexism definitely plays a part but more even than that, there’s a sense of petty outrage that anyone would dare make a game not aimed specifically at a traditional male audience, not just in terms of the protagonists but a game with almost no gameplay. The obvious response to this outrage is to wonder why anyone would care, considering there are already many games like Mixtape and an almost infinite number of action-orientated alternatives, but clearly that’s not enough.

Imagine if action movie fans suddenly started a hate campaign against Hamnet, angered that it had the temerity to exist, and attract critical acclaim, rather than its meagre resources being directed towards making a film they liked. That’s what’s going on this week in the world of video games and it’s sad to say it almost certainly won’t be the last time.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

MORE: Ezio will be in the next Assassin’s Creed but not through witchcraft

MORE: Capcom wants to make new Devil May Cry, Ace Attorney, and Dead Rising games

MORE: New Steam Controller does a Wilhelm scream if you drop it

Life appeared to be on hold. The main street was still decorated for Ramadan, and almost all houses seemed abandoned. The village was quiet, but not in peace. Near the mosque, I met two cousins, Fatmeh and Dunya, both in their 80s. Outside, a banner paid tribute to the late Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, killed by Israel in 2024. “We’ve witnessed many wars. But we’ve never left,” Fatmeh said. “Whatever happens we thought we’d die in our homes rather than leave.”

Locals have said that the proposals are “excessive” for the location and appears to represent a “significant overdevelopment”

People living near a site where more than 30 flats could be built have said that the plans are “excessive” and “a significant overdevelopment of the site”. They are worried that the number of flats could “add substantial population pressure with no matching services” and that increased car use could “become dangerous”.

GCR Camprop Fifteen Ltd has proposed to change an office building into 32 flats on Station Road in Shepreth. The buildings have been used as offices for a “significant period of time”. If approved, the flats would be a mix of studios and one-bedroom flats.

The plans have received over 15 objections so far. One objector said that the proposal is “excessive for this location and appears to represent a significant overdevelopment of the site”. They said that the scale is “not in keeping with the character and density of the surrounding area” and the “level of intensification risks harming the local character and setting”.

Another said that although in principle they “like the idea of small flats being provided for the area”, they are “concerned about the increased car use and parking in an area that is already highly problematic especially in such close proximity to the level crossing”.

The concerned local feels as though adding more vehicles to the roads, especially on Station Road, will “become dangerous or make the road unusable”.

Another local raised a similar concern that “providing just 10 parking spaces for the proposed number of dwellings with potentially further development” is “not realistic”. They said: “It is not practical to live in Shepreth where we have no local amenities and not have a car.”

Multiple objections were lodged about the “inadequate natural light” and that the application “fails to ensure sufficient adequate natural light in all habitable rooms”.

Another objection said: “The proposal represents a significant and inappropriate over-intensification of residential use in a small village, relies on unrealistic assumptions, and appears to be a fragmented or ‘creeping’ residential scheme that avoids proper scrutiny of the full site.”

An “unanswered concern” raised by the objector incudes the emergency access and fire safety risks including having “only one access point for the entire development” and “no clearly demonstrated turning head for fire appliances”.

They believe that the proposal would “add substantial population pressure with no matching services”, “increase delivery traffic due to lack of amenities”, “remove employment use without adequate consideration” and would provide “no affordable housing”.

The applicant has described the location of the proposed flats as “highly suitable”. They added: “The site is located adjacent to Shepreth Train Station. The site is therefore very accessible from London and Cambridge. Cambridge to Shepreth typically takes 13 to 16 minutes which makes travel by rail a very desirable option.

“The new Cambridge South Station will also make the site more accessible from south Cambridge, southern fringe development areas and connect the site with Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. It is expected that residents would choose the location for its excellent rail links and would not be reliant on car travel.”

It is believed that the development, which was submitted to South Cambridgeshire District Council, will not have an impact on the local highway network, according to a transport technical note produced by the applicant. It will also not result in any significant change to traffic.

Allegiant Air said Wednesday it has completed its purchase of Sun Country Airlines, finalizing a deal that combines two low-cost carriers at a turbulent time for the budget airline industry following the recent shutdown of rival Spirit Airlines.

Las Vegas-based Allegiant said the transaction closed after receiving required regulatory and shareholder approvals. When the deal was first announced in January, Allegiant said it was valued at about $1.5 billion, including debt.

“Today marks a defining moment in Allegiant’s history as we officially join forces with Sun Country,” Allegiant CEO Gregory Anderson said in a statement, adding that the new combined airline is positioned to offer broader access to affordable travel.

The deal comes as both airlines and travelers are grappling with a sharp run-up in jet fuel costs driven by the war in the Middle East, a jump that is already showing up in higher fares and fees across the industry. That increase is hitting low-cost airlines especially hard, since they have less room to absorb rising costs.

The pressure was especially acute for Spirit Airlines. The ultra low-cost carrier shut down after 34 years May 2, its collapse accelerated by the sharp rise in fuel costs following years of financial strain, including heavy debt, repeated restructuring efforts and ongoing cash-flow problems.

Against that backdrop, Allegiant and Sun Country say their tie-up gives them more ways to generate revenue. Along with passenger flights, Sun Country brings into the fold cargo flying for Amazon, as well as charter trips for sports teams, casinos and the U.S. Department of Defense,.

Allegiant says the expanded network is also expected to give travelers more options, especially in smaller and mid-sized markets, with about 195 aircraft serving nearly 175 cities and more than 650 routes.

For now, travelers shouldn’t expect any changes. Both airlines will continue to operate separately, and customers can keep booking, checking in and managing trips just as they do today.

Allegiant said it will take time to bring the two airlines together. Over the long term, the combined company is expected to operate under the Allegiant name and remain headquartered in Las Vegas, while adding new options and connections across its broader network.

Minneapolis–St. Paul, where Sun Country is based, will remain an important hub for the airline.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) recorded a magnitude 2.3 tremor centred near Silverdale at 8.11am, at a depth of around 3km beneath the ground.

It was strong enough to be felt across the border in Cumbria and in communities around Morecambe Bay, including Carnforth, Grange‑over‑Sands and Milnthorpe.

The earthquake hit in Silverdale (Image: British Geological Survey)

One resident in Carnforth wrote online: “Anyone else feel a tremor this morning?

“Must’ve been around 10.10am/10.15am?

“Sounded like my neighbour dropped something huge (they’re not in) and then a loud noise shook the whole room.”

Reports submitted to the BGS website describe the quake as feeling “like a small explosion underground” and “like a heavy lorry outside” rattling past, while others said they “heard a loud thump” or “a loud bang” followed by a “large, quick shake”.

Although a magnitude 2.3 event is considered minor in global terms, quakes of this size are often noticeable if they happen close to the surface and near populated areas.

People are unlikely to see damage, but can feel a short, sharp jolt, hear furniture rattle or notice windows and doors vibrating.

The UK experiences dozens of small earthquakes every year, most of which go unfelt because they occur offshore or deep underground.

On average there are more than 100 recorded quakes annually, with the vast majority falling below magnitude 3.

Silverdale and the wider Morecambe Bay area have seen several small tremors in recent years, with local geology and ancient fault lines thought to be behind the cluster of minor quakes.

Residents who believe they felt this morning’s tremor can submit details to the BGS via its online “Did you feel it?” form, including the time, location and what they experienced.

That information helps seismologists refine their measurements and map how far the shaking travelled.

The Stone Roses Bar in King Street has taken to social media after a number of stickers reading ‘voice activated’ popped up on machines around the bar including the jukebox, the phone charger machine, and even the hand dryers in the men’s toilets.

Bar manager Joel Langton, 31, said that the mystery started on Saturday morning when the bar’s owner, Joel Bray, came in and spotted the first sticker on the jukebox – with the rest found by staff over the next few days.

RECOMMENDED READING:

He said: “He put it in our staff group chat and asked if it was meant to be on there for any reason. Later that afternoon when I came into work, I went up to the toilets and noticed the one on the hand dryer as I was going to dry my hands.

“I sent a picture of it to Joel who said it was hilarious and they were going to be all over the pub. So, we had a laugh about it, then yesterday morning, I finally saw the last one on the phone charger machine a few days after. That’s why we did a post on socials to see if anyone owns up to it.”

The special voice activated hand dryer in the men’s toilet (Image: Stone Roses Bar)

Joel said that the staff had found the whole thing and reactions to it to be ‘hilarious’, but (un)fortunately, as far as they were aware, nobody had been fooled by it.

The team at Stone Roses also suspects that the culprits behind the stickers are likely male students, but that if someone is able to prove that they were behind it, they’ve earned a handshake and a pint.

Joel added: “It’s hilarious and we love a harmless prank. It’s a bit annoying that we’ve got to peel them off and get the sticky stuff off, but that’s about it really.

The sticker on the jukebox (Image: Stone Roses Bar)

“We haven’t seen anyone put them up – they’ve done it really secretly. Before we opened yesterday, I had time to skim through the cameras at the jukebox, but you can’t really see when it happened because there’s always someone stood in front of it.

“It’s funny, because we’ve got our own label maker, so we had to check to make sure it was still locked up. Turns our stickers are smaller than the ones that were put up, but it would have been really funny if it had been one of our staff.”