UK

Drivers are being warned of massive delays when the M25 shuts in both directions next week in an unprecedented move. The closure between junctions 10 and 11 in Surrey on the UK’s busiest motorway could cause chaos. But when exactly is it going to be shut, where are the diversion routes and why is it

A viral incident in which a grandmother was hoisted into air by a shop’s security shutters has been immortalised in a spray-painted mural. Anne Hughes, 71, was seen standing outside the Best One convenience store in Rhondda Cynon Taf when her coat got stuck in the shutters, and she was lifted 7ft into the air.

Diane Abbott has appeared at a rally where she hit out at the “level of racism that is still in Britain”, following a row over comments made about her. Ms Abbott was greeted in Hackney, east London, with cheers and chants of “I stand with Diane” after a Tory donor’s reported offensive remarks. The former

Police want the public’s help to stop attacks on wild animals after a Sky News investigation revealed children were filming themselves using catapults to kill and torture. Warning: This story contains images and descriptions readers may find distressing. Video and photos of the kills are being shared on UK-wide WhatsApp groups. In some, animals are

Police believe they have contacted all the families of 35 people whose remains were recovered from a Hull funeral parlour. Humberside Police said National Crime Agency experts were helping establish “if what has been respectfully recovered are in fact human ashes”. “I can confirm that whilst formal identification procedures are ongoing, we do believe we

The driver of a school bus that crashed on the M53 in the Wirral died of natural causes, a coroner has said. Stephen Shrimpton, 40, was killed on the northbound carriageway on 29 September as he was taking children to West Kirby and Calday Grange grammar schools. Jessica Baker, 15, one of about 50 students

A spectacular picture of a football covered in barnacles has been unveiled as the winner of this year’s British Wildlife Photography Awards. The image was chosen from more than 14,000 submissions from amateur and professional photographers. The winning image was taken by Ryan Stalker and also won in the Coast and Marine category. “Above the

Fewer middle-aged people are dying from cancer than at any point in 25 years, despite cases rising, according to new research. A Cancer Research UK study found death rates among people aged between 35 and 69 have nosedived, thanks to screening, better treatment and fewer people smoking. However, the Britain-wide study warned that improvements in

A body found in the River Thames three weeks ago is believed to be missing student Samaria Ayanle, police have said. The 19-year-old was last seen at her university accommodation in central London in the early hours of 22 February – but she was not reported missing until staff alerted police on 8 March. Detectives

The first minister of Wales has said Boris Johnson was like the “absent manager” of a football team in the early days of the pandemic. Mark Drakeford criticised the former prime minister during his evidence to the UK COVID public inquiry. He said Mr Johnson was “not taking it seriously” and was deliberately unclear about

George North has announced Wales’ final Six Nations match against Italy on Saturday will be his last international rugby game. The 31-year-old centre says it feels like the “right time to step away” after a 14-year career. North will play his 121st match for Wales against Italy after he was recalled to the team as

The Metropolitan Police has launched an appeal for a woman who was last seen in central London nearly three weeks ago. Samira Ayanle, from Westminster, was last seen at her university accommodation near Marble Arch on 21 February. The 19-year-old was reported missing on 8 March and an investigation into her disappearance was launched. Officers

A “creepy” doll that spooked shoppers after it went on display in an Edinburgh charity shop has been snapped up by a celebrity psychic. Deborah Davies, star of Unexplained: Caught on Camera, has added “Annabelle” to her collection of around 60 “haunted dolls”. Ms Davies paid £220 in total for the toy, which has been

World Party frontman and former The Waterboys member Karl Wallinger has died aged 66. The Welsh-born musician formed World Party in 1986 and wrote the track She’s The One which featured on the band’s 1997 album Egyptology. She’s The One was covered by Robbie Williams in 1999 and reached number one on the UK singles

After Amy Hart appeared on Love Island, men started sending her unsolicited pictures of their penises online. As her social media following grew to one million after being on the show in 2019, she says she was consistently tagged in ‘dick pics’. “You’re flicking through the Instagram stories you’ve been tagged in and they just

More than 900,000 young people who did not get their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab as children are being invited to take part in a catch-up campaign as the number of measles cases rises. The NHS is writing to 19 to 25-year-olds in London, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands – inviting them to

Campaigners and families have urged members of the House of Lords to back calls for a resentencing of offenders who are serving an “inhuman” sentence that was abolished more than a decade ago. On Tuesday, peers will debate amendments to the victims and prisoners bill, including one tabled by Baroness Fox of Buckley, which asks that

Former Conservative deputy chair Lee Anderson has defected to Reform UK, becoming the party’s first MP in the Commons. Mr Anderson, who took the seat of Ashfield in 2019, was kicked out of the parliamentary Conservative Party for refusing to apologise after alleging that London mayor Sadiq Khan was controlled by “Islamists”. And while some

The King has pledged to continue to serve “to the best of my ability” in his first video message since his cancer diagnosis. The message has been recorded to mark Commonwealth Day and will be played at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey later. Speaking in his role as head of the Commonwealth, the

Multiple photo agencies, including Reuters and AP, have pulled a new image of the Princess of Wales from circulation over concerns that it has been “manipulated”. The picture in question was released on Sunday morning to celebrate Mother’s Day and shows Kate surrounded by her and Prince William’s three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and