❌

Normal view

Andy Burnham outlines new rules to outlaw ‘rip-off’ private parking fines

19 October 2026 at 17:30

Drivers to get five minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave after their session ends

Drivers will get a guaranteed five minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave after their parking session ends before they face a fine under new rules for private car parks that Andy Burnham said were designed to outlaw “rip-off” charges.

In the latest in a series of “everyday fixes” to ease the cost of living and give consumers a “fairer” deal, the prime minister said a new official code of practice for the industry meant motorists in England, Scotland and Wales would enjoy a range of new rights.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Ian Lamond/Alamy

© Photograph: Ian Lamond/Alamy

© Photograph: Ian Lamond/Alamy

‘Concerning issues’ found at GB power grid by inquiry into cover-up claims

Neso control room staff accused senior executives of covering up extent of blackout risks during June heatwave

Independent investigators have found significant and concerning “cultural issues” at Great Britain’s grid operator after control room staff accused senior executives of covering up the extent of blackout risks in the UK during the June heatwave.

An external legal firm tasked with investigating a series of whistleblower allegations against the National Energy System Operator (Neso) raised concerns over how high levels stress among control room engineers was handled by the company.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images

Forget the seven-year itch: opposite-sex marriages more likely to end after two decades

18 October 2026 at 09:29

ONS data for England and Wales shows 26% of heterosexual divorces in 2025 followed 20 years or more of marriage

Most couples are aware of the dreaded “seven-year itch”, when the honeymoon period wears off and real life starts to bite.

Now official data has shown that couples in England and Wales are more likely to split after 20 years. According to Office for National Statistics figures, more than a quarter of all divorces between opposite-sex couples happened after 20 years or longer of marriage.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Rani Nurlaela Desandi/Getty Images

© Photograph: Rani Nurlaela Desandi/Getty Images

© Photograph: Rani Nurlaela Desandi/Getty Images

UK law could deny Fayed accusers recognition as victims of human trafficking

16 October 2026 at 03:00

‘Unfair’ immigration and asylum bill could fail to support sexual violence survivors, anti-slavery commissioner says

Survivors of sexual violence could wrongly be denied recognition as victims of human trafficking under credibility tests in a new UK law, the independent anti-slavery commissioner has warned.

Eleanor Lyons said the measures in the immigration and asylum bill were fundamentally unfair and could lead to many more victims of slavery and trafficking, including those allegedly abused by Mohamed Al Fayed, being denied support.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Murdo Macleod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo Macleod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo Macleod/The Guardian

No timeline for lifting Land Registry paywall as ownership remains opaque

Defra promised in March to work towards free access to data on large plots in England and Wales

The government has refused to say when the public will be able to freely access information about who owns large plots of land across England and Wales.

Emma Reynolds, the previous secretary of state for the environment, announced in March that the paywall protecting large amounts of the Land Registry would be partly lifted.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Keith Morris/Alamy

© Photograph: Keith Morris/Alamy

© Photograph: Keith Morris/Alamy

The eyes have it: Reform politician’s ‘smart glasses’ prompt calls for ban in Westminster

14 October 2026 at 12:43

Jason O’Connell’s suspected use of the specs to aid his speech in Senedd reignites debate over AI-enabled devices

It was a flowing speech packed full of precise statistics – but Jason O’Connell, a Reform UK Senedd member, was not quite the gifted orator he had first appeared. The periodic flashing in his spectacles seemed to give the game away as he spoke for five minutes in the Senedd chamber without a glance at his notes.

“Cardiff reviewed 192 roads, following 933 requests, and only four routes have returned to 30mph,” he said as he led the party’s charge to abolish 20mph traffic zones. “£38.3m wasted to implement this policy and up to £8.9bn in an act of economic self-harm.”

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Senedd.tv

© Photograph: Senedd.tv

© Photograph: Senedd.tv

English and Welsh water firms could be forced to return £107m via lower bills

14 October 2026 at 09:21

Yorkshire and Thames among providers facing penalties for missing performance targets, but bills could rise elsewhere

Thames Water, Yorkshire Water and other providers could be forced to cut tens of millions of pounds from household bills after the regulator said they had missed performance targets.

Customer bills at Yorkshire Water could fall by £27 on average, while those at Thames could decrease by £7, according to estimates by Ofwat, the regulator of the privatised industry in England and Wales.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo/Alamy Live News.

© Photograph: PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo/Alamy Live News.

© Photograph: PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo/Alamy Live News.

Hundreds of early-release prisoners in England and Wales not being tagged, say MPs

13 October 2026 at 12:03

Serco denies tagging failures as police and probation officers struggle to cope with influx of released offenders

Hundreds of prisoners released early across England and Wales, including stalkers and violent offenders, are not being tagged, MPs have said, despite promises of the “toughest supervision in British history”.

As the government begins releasing a second tranche of 650 offenders to relieve prison overcrowding, police and probation officers have said they are struggling to cope with a new influx of offenders who are supposed to be monitored in the community.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Mark Richardson/Alamy

© Photograph: Mark Richardson/Alamy

© Photograph: Mark Richardson/Alamy

Second wave of early prison releases under way in England and Wales

13 October 2026 at 03:13

About 2,000 criminals are being freed this month to ease overcrowding, while probation union considers strike action

The second wave of early prison releases has begun, with hundreds of offenders walking out across England and Wales under the government’s controversial plan to ease overcrowding.

About 2,000 criminals, including domestic abusers and violent offenders, are being freed this month, with another 3,000 to follow in stages over the next year. The total was reduced from 6,000 after an intervention by Andy Burnham.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

© Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

© Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

Roman fort found in Wales could prove myth of emperor’s camp is real

12 October 2026 at 03:00

Exclusive: Finds suggest account in medieval folklore of a camp near Frenni Fawr hill was rooted in reality

Magnus Maximus, the Roman emperor who ruled Britain in the fourth century, led his troops against the Picts and Scots, but a theory that he also established a military camp near Frenni Fawr hill in Wales has so far been based on folklore.

Now fourth-century coins, among other finds at a newly identified Roman fort in Pembrokeshire, suggest the medieval tale was rooted in reality, to the excitement of archaeologists.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Mark Merrony

© Photograph: Mark Merrony

© Photograph: Mark Merrony

Ministers preparing to slash heat pump subsidies to fund defence spending

12 October 2026 at 01:00

Exclusive: Some of £2bn savings needed from energy budget expected to come from boiler upgrade scheme, sources say

Ministers are preparing to slash the amount of money available to subsidise heat pumps as they look for ways to fund higher defence spending, sources have told the Guardian.

Miatta Fahnbulleh, the energy secretary, has been tasked with finding more than £2bn in savings from her budget to help pay for defence investment under a plan drawn up by the previous government.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures/Getty Images

Failure to fit tags left 5,000 offenders unmonitored in England and Wales, report finds

In first half of this year 1,600 tags also had no signal for over two weeks, highlighting scale of probation crisis

More than 5,000 offenders went unmonitored in the first half of the year because electronic tags were not installed, while 1,600 tags had no signal for more than two weeks due to faults, a report has found.

The Institute for Government (IfG) has revealed the full scale of the crisis in the probation system in England and Wales, concluding that “rationing probation supervision” due to a lack of staff meant sentences imposed by the court had become “essentially a fiction” for most offenders.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Stocksolutions/Alamy

© Photograph: Stocksolutions/Alamy

© Photograph: Stocksolutions/Alamy

Why plan for judge-only trials in fraud cases is wrong | Letters

11 October 2026 at 11:51

Nic Madge and David Lindsay respond to the government’s proposals to reform the criminal justice system

The government is right to abandon David Lammy’s main proposal to replace some jury trials with judges sitting alone (Ministers drop plans to cut jury trials in England and Wales after outcry, 4 October). There are other ways to reduce the appalling backlog of criminal cases and to protect victims. However, the government is wrong to proceed with its plan for judge-only trials in some fraud cases. As a circuit judge, I presided over fraud trials with juries, including a Ponzi fraud worth £48m and a Russian identity fraud with more than 40,000 documents. The juries were totally on top of both trials and delivered sensible, rational verdicts – in both cases guilty on some charges and not guilty on others. My experience is that the key issue in fraud cases is frequently whether the defendant acted dishonestly. That is not a technical question. It is something that juries are much better able to decide than judges.
Nic Madge
St Albans

• Although the government has shelved its plan to abolish most jury trials, it still intends to double the sentencing power of magistrates to two years, to introduce judge-only trials in “lengthy and technical” fraud cases, and to abolish the right to elect trial by jury in “either way” cases, thereby greatly restricting access to legal aid. It is not clear whether or not the government still intended to abolish the automatic right of appeal to the crown court from the magistrates court. Every one of those measures must be resisted without compromise.
David Lindsay
Lanchester, County Durham

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Joss Barratt/Channel 4

© Photograph: Joss Barratt/Channel 4

© Photograph: Joss Barratt/Channel 4

Dollywood down under: Dolly Parton fans and drag queens turn a tiny Australian town pink

In Narromine – redubbed ‘Dollymine’ for the weekend – the country music star’s face is everywhere and a warm spirit of inclusivity is all-embracing

On a sporting oval in a rural Australian town 15,000km from Knoxville, Tennessee, dozens of Dolly Partons saunter down the runway as a boisterous crowd cheers and swats away flies with their cowboy hats.

As the sun begins to set, Jim Beams are flowing and music is blaring. One lucky punter is about to be crowned this year’s best-dressed Dolly, complete with sash, trophy and bragging rights.

The Narromine Line Dancers chat before performing for the crowd

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian

© Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian

© Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian

Leader of Jewish Greens calls for Zack Polanski to resign after byelection loss

Vivien Lichtenstein says party leader should stand down over ‘Zionism is racism’ policy

The leader of the Jewish Greens has called for Zack Polanski to step down as pressure increases on the Green leader to acknowledge anger within the party over a new policy that equates Zionism with racism and calls for the state of Israel to be abolished.

The comments by Vivien Lichtenstein come after Caroline Lucas, the Greens’ former leader and first MP, criticised Polanski for a lack of leadership in missing the debate and vote at the weekend that resulted in the policy being passed.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: James Veysey/Shutterstock

© Photograph: James Veysey/Shutterstock

© Photograph: James Veysey/Shutterstock

Isaias strengthens to become first Atlantic hurricane of 2026 season

9 October 2026 at 05:59

Storm expected to make landfall on US’s northern Gulf coast with risk of flash floods and isolated river flooding

Isaias has become the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season, with wind speeds of 80mph and a minimum pressure of 975mb. It is expected to strengthen to a category 2 hurricane as it approaches the US’s northern Gulf coast on Friday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

As a result of the strong El Niño, it has been a notably quiet Atlantic hurricane season. The first hurricane of the season has not formed this late since 8 October 1905, which pre-dates the satellite era (1960s) for tracking hurricanes that has allowed for more non-landfall hurricanes to be discovered.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Octavio Jones/AP

© Photograph: Octavio Jones/AP

© Photograph: Octavio Jones/AP

Racial and religious hate crimes at record high in England and Wales, data shows

8 October 2026 at 09:29

Offences targeting Muslims increased most in 12 months to March – up 15% – while antisemitic hate crimes rose by 10%

Racially and religiously motivated offences have reached record highs in the UK as the government’s main Islamophobia partner says attacks on mosques are increasing in severity.

Home Office figures show police recorded 146,825 hate crimes in the year ending March 2026 – a rise of 7% in the past year. Offences targeting Muslims increased the most – up 15%, from 4,479 to 5,132, while antisemitic hate crimes rose by 10%, from 2,874 to 3,162.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

Dafydd Owain’s second album wins the 2026 Welsh music prize

8 October 2026 at 08:00

Ymarfer Byw, which was praised for its ‘musical excellence’, beat 14 other albums to the prize of £10,000

Singer-songwriter Dafydd Owain has won the 2026 Welsh music prize with his second album Ymarfer Byw.

The emotionally charged record, which also won Welsh language album of the year in August, beat albums by the likes of Gruff Rhys, the Royston Club and Art School Girlfriend to the prize of £10,000.

ADJUA – Everything Is Beautiful

Aleighcia Scott – Taith

Ani Glass – Phantasmagoria

Art School Girlfriend – Lean In

Cerys Hafana – Angel

Chroma – 25 Forever

Dafydd Owain – Ymarfer Byw

Dewin – Dan y Dderwen

Gruff Rhys – Dim Probs

Gwenifer Raymond – Last Night I Heard the Dog Star Bark

Local – Too Broke to Be This Busy

Mari Mathias – Cyfarwydd

Skindred – You Got This

The Bug Club – Every Single Muscle

The Royston Club – Songs for the Spine

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Welsh Music Prize

© Photograph: Welsh Music Prize

© Photograph: Welsh Music Prize

‘A real-life moment from The Castle’: the retired Australian couple who took on a coal giant and won

Wendy Wales and Tony Lonergan’s four-year fight over MACH Energy’s Mount Pleasant coalmine went all the way to the high court

When Wendy Wales and Tony Lonergan and a few of their neighbours in the New South Wales Hunter region decided to take on the expansion of a local coalmine, people thought they were “crazy” to engage in the David and Goliath battle.

“When we started this, people thought we were crazy – a little community group taking on a billion-dollar coal company, arguing that the climate harm from burning this coal is our problem too,” Wales says.

Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Climate Media Centre/ZoeLonergan

© Photograph: Climate Media Centre/ZoeLonergan

© Photograph: Climate Media Centre/ZoeLonergan

Why this Sidney Nolan painting was a breakthrough moment for Australian modern art – video

Sidney Nolan’s famous Ned Kelly series is on display as part of an exhibition of work from the artist’s formative years, now showing at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. But senior curator Denise Mimmocchi walks us through the exhibition to highlight a lesser-known earlier work, which Nolan created when he was conscripted in the army, stationed at Victoria’s Wimmera region in 1943. Mimmocchi explains why Kiata was a breakthrough painting for Nolan, and also a breakthrough moment for Australian modern art

Continue reading...

© Photograph: The Guardian

© Photograph: The Guardian

© Photograph: The Guardian

Reform MP raises concerns about second homes – then buys one for £800,000

6 October 2026 at 10:41

Sarah Pochin bought Anglesey property two days after writing to minister about impact of second home ownership on rural communities

A Reform UK MP bought an £800,000 second home on a picturesque Welsh island two days after raising concerns in parliament about the impact of second homes on rural communities.

Sarah Pochin completed the purchase of a Grade-II listed property on the southern coast of Anglesey (Ynys Môn).

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Cyberattack Disrupts Police Systems in Wales, Staff Data Under Investigation

28 September 2026 at 02:25

Dyfed-Powys Police cyberattack

A Dyfed-Powys Police cyberattack may have resulted in staff information being accessed or compromised, according to the police force that serves Dyfed-Powys in Wales. The cyber incident, identified on September 14, 2026, disrupted some non-emergency systems, but the force said there is currently no evidence that members of the public had their personal data accessed. Dyfed-Powys Police said an investigation into the incident is ongoing, with support from cybersecurity specialists. The force has also introduced precautionary measures while specialist teams investigate the incident and work to restore affected services safely.

Dyfed-Powys Police Cyberattack Disrupted Non-Emergency Systems

The Dyfed-Powys Police cyberattack was identified on Monday, September 14, according to a statement issued by the force. The incident affected some non-emergency systems, resulting in a period when online and email contact services were unavailable. The police force said these services have since been restored. We can confirm that the force has been subject to a cyber incident which was identified on Monday September 14, 2026. The incident caused disruption to some non-emergency systems," reads the offical release. Despite the disruption, emergency response operations were not affected. Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed that it remained fully operational and that both 999 and 101 telephone services continued to operate. The force said it has been closely monitoring its systems while specialist teams investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Staff Information Under Investigation

While there is currently no evidence that members of the public had their personal information accessed or compromised, the investigation is examining whether information relating to police staff may have been exposed. Dyfed-Powys Police said it is taking steps to protect staff information and will provide appropriate advice to employees if required. The force has not provided further details about what staff information may have been accessed or compromised. The investigation remains ongoing, meaning the full impact of the incident has not yet been established.

ICO Notified Over Cyber Incident

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has been notified about the incident as the investigation continues. Dyfed-Powys Police said the investigation is being managed by Tarian through its regional cyber-crime unit, with cybersecurity specialists supporting the response. The force has also implemented precautionary measures across its systems as part of its response. Specialist teams are working to investigate the incident and restore services safely while the police continue to monitor its systems. At this stage, the force has not disclosed details about how the attackers may have gained access to its systems or identified those responsible for the cyber incident.

Emergency Services Remain Operational

Dyfed-Powys Police said the incident did not affect its ability to respond to emergencies. The 999 and 101 telephone services remained available throughout the disruption. Online and email contact were unavailable for a period following the incident but have now been restored. The force said it understands the concern the incident may cause and is continuing to take steps to protect its information and maintain the security of its systems. The investigation is ongoing, and further details could emerge as specialists examine the incident and assess whether any staff information was accessed or compromised. Dyfed-Powys Police said it will provide further updates when more information becomes available. Update: This article will be updated as Dyfed-Powys Police provides further information about the investigation, affected systems or any potential compromise of staff information.
❌