UK news

• 'Cowboy builder conned us out of £100k for extension and left our home in ruins'

  07-12-2025 20:23 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Michael Parr, 55, was sentenced to two years and eight months after Andy and Lisa Clarke paid the 'cowboy builder' £98,000 for a home extension he never completed
  
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• ‘Wizard of escapes’ breaks out of prison for fourth time using saw and bedsheets

  10-12-2025 13:12 via metro.co.uk
  Authorities in Italy are racing to track down a man after he broke out of the maximum security wing of Milan’s Opera prison during the weekend in what has become his fourth successful escape from custody. Police rolled out patrols, checkpoints and tighter border controls within hours, worried that the 41-year-old Albanian inmate Taulant Toma may well attempt to leave the country before anyone catches a sight of him. Toma, dubbed ‘the wizard of escapes’ by Italian press, manage
  
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• Man guilty of murdering mum and three children in ‘revenge’ house fire attack

  10-12-2025 13:11 via metro.co.uk
  Bryonie Gawith and her children Denisty, Aubree and Oscar Birtle all died in thefire on August 21 last year (Picture: SWNS)A man who tried to murder his former partner in a house fire that killed her sister and three young children is facing a life sentence.Sharaz Ali, 40, was ‘motivated by jealousy’ when he burst into Bryonie Gawith’s Bradford home looking for her sister Antonia, who had gone to live there after ending their abusive relationship.Woken by the sound of the fron
  
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• Russian children threaten to flee country over Roblox video game ban

  10-12-2025 13:08 via metro.co.uk
  A Roblox ban has sparked outrage from youngsters (Picture: ROBLOX)Dictators are powerful, but even they can’t contend with the might of an angry child.One despot who is finding that out the hard way is Vladimir Putin.The president has unleashed a wave of fury among young Russians after the country decided to ban the gaming platform Roblox.Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor confirmed on December 3 it had blocked the US-owned Roblox, which allows users to create and play their own games.I
  
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• PlayStation 2025 Wrap-Up is out now and it comes with a free bonus

  10-12-2025 13:03 via metro.co.uk
  Your year in review (Sony Interactive Entertainment)Find out what PS5 and PS4 games you’ve played the most in 2025, with Sony’s PlayStation Wrap-Up providing stats on your year in gaming.In what’s become an annual tradition, following the success of Spotify Wrapped, Sony has launched its PlayStation 2025 Wrap-Up.The wrap-up lets PlayStation 4 and 5 owners see what games they’ve played the most throughout the year, including total hours played, trophy milestones, and what
  
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• Simon Cowell’s old-school Netflix talent show just doesn’t work in 2025

  10-12-2025 13:00 via metro.co.uk
  It’s been four years since X Factor ended (Picture: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Simon Cowell: The Next Act)Key Pointssummary__ai-icon
  Simon Cowell’s new Netflix talent show struggles to compete in today’s social media-driven pop culture landscapeThe format feels outdated compared to TikTok and other modern avenues for discovering and promoting music starsDespite attempts to modernise, the show lacks originality and fails to recapture the success of Cowell’s earlier proj
  
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• Embrace your inner Santa Claus, spread that festive joy from these Christmas buys from £3.50

  10-12-2025 13:00 via metro.co.uk
  It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… (Picture: Metro/Dunelm/Getty)
  Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more
  As we move into the festive season and start purchasing gifts for loved ones, it’s also a time to transform our homes with simple additions to embrace the season.Of course, the main attraction is all about the Christmas tree, but we can&rsqu
  
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• Richard Gere’s claims of ’20-year Oscars ban’ called into question

  10-12-2025 12:59 via metro.co.uk
  Richard Gere has addressed his alleged ban from the Academy Awards in detail for the first time (Picture: Getty Images)Richard Gere has spoken in detail for the first time about his alleged 20-year ban from the Academy Awards. The Pretty Woman icon was reportedly banned from the Oscars when he went off script while presenting the award for Best Art Direction at the ceremony in 1993.But now, a source connected to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences further told Page Six, ‘
  
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• Family of mum who died eating vegan flatbread at Pret wins £1,250,000 payout

  10-12-2025 12:57 via metro.co.uk
  Celia had grabbed the flatbread while out with her family in Bath (Picture: SWNS)The family of a milk-allergic mum who was killed by a supposedly ‘dairy-free’ Pret a Manger sandwich have won millions in a settlement.
  Dental nurse Celia Marsh, 42, collapsed after eating a ‘vegan rainbow’ flatbread sandwich in Bath on a post-Christmas shopping trip with her husband and three of her daughters in December 2017.Mrs Marsh, who was allergic to milk, thought the sandwich contain
  
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• Dozens of customers are poisoned by pub's Sunday lunch - including one who took leftovers home in doggy bag only for the dog to fall ill too

  10-12-2025 12:47 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Dozens of diners have been struck down with food poisoning after tucking into a pub's Sunday lunch.
  
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• The loophole that could hand Bryan Kohberger a huge payday if he exposes his prison secrets

  10-12-2025 12:46 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Dave Leroy, former Idaho Attorney General, reveals that Idaho laws can't stop Kohberger from selling his story. But, they can make sure he never gets his hands on the money himself.
  
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• Killjoy Lib Dem council bans tenants from putting Christmas wreaths on their front doors over health and safety - and threatens them with fines if they do not comply

  10-12-2025 12:46 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Liberal Democrat-run Portsmouth City Council sparked fury after housing officers wrote to tenants telling them festive decorations were not permitted on the outside of their flats.
  
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• Anthony Hamilton relives chaotic experience of Snooker Shoot Out in Blackpool

  10-12-2025 12:45 via metro.co.uk
  The Snooker Shoot Out was previously held in Blackpool from 2011-15 (Picture: WST)The Snooker Shoot Out is back in Blackpool this week for the first time since 2015, with the Tower Circus likely to serve up a raucous atmosphere.The unique event on the snooker calendar sees one-frame matches played with a time limit of 10 minutes and under a shot clock.Not only is the game itself different, but the atmosphere could not be more contrasting to the studious silence of a ‘normal’ snooker
  
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• Peter Kay has plans for Phoenix Nights revival but there’s one big roadblock

  10-12-2025 12:44 via metro.co.uk
  Peter Kay has said he’s already started writing a Phoenix Nights revival (Picture: Channel 4)Key Pointssummary__ai-icon
  Peter Kay revealed he’s written scenes for a Phoenix Nights revival, but faces challenges with modernising the showHe is exploring de-ageing technology for flashback scenes but wants it to look convincingKay declined Netflix’s offer to host the show due to issues around including trigger warnings for dated comedy contentCreated with AI assistance. Quality ass
  
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• K virus symptoms to watch out for as new horror H3N2 flu strain rips through UK

  10-12-2025 12:42 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Cases of the H3N2 strain of the flu virus have surged across the UK with NHS chiefs urging people with pre-existing conditions to get vaccinated ahead of Christmas
  
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• Deserted village that could house 50 people with its own playground, community hall and mansion house goes up for sale for just £2million

  10-12-2025 12:42 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Plas Bellin includes an impressive 10 acres of land tucked away in the Welsh countryside, just under two miles from the picturesque village of Northop near Chester.
  
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• Prince William 'so sad' after sudden death of friend with heartbreaking statement

  10-12-2025 12:41 via mirror.co.uk
  
  The Prince of Wales has honoured environmentalist Iain Douglas-Hamilton, who has died at the age of 83, recalling fond memories of their time together in Africa
  
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• Male life expectancy has not returned to pre-pandemic levels with boys predicted to live for average of 79.1 years - compared to 83 for females

  10-12-2025 12:41 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  A baby boy born in the UK between 2022 and 2024 can expect to live for an average of 79.1 years, compared to 83 for a baby girl.
  
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• The 'Staircase Killer' Michael Peterson breaks years of near-silence in the FREE The Crime Desk newsletter

  10-12-2025 12:40 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Twenty-four years ago, the body of Kathleen Peterson was discovered in a pool of blood at the foot of a staircase. Now her convicted husband sits down with The Crime Desk in an exclusive interview.
  
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• A frog saved from croaking it, a yoga-loving gorilla and a fabulous fish feature among the winners of this year's Comedy Wildlife Awards

  10-12-2025 12:40 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The competition's latest crop of winners displays the animal kingdom at its most unpredictable, with photographers capturing scenes that resemble slapstick sketches more than actual images.
  
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• The truth about Becky finally exposed in Coronation Street as Carla fights back in early ITVX release

  10-12-2025 12:38 via metro.co.uk
  Carla Connor outsmarted her (Picture: ITV)The following article contains spoilers from an episode of Coronation Street that hasn’t aired on ITV1 yet, but can be viewed on ITVX.Carla Connor (Alison King) has uncovered some huge information about Becky Swain (Amy Cudden) in Coronation Street, but the fire in her belly that once drove her to destroying her enemy has been reduced to ash.Carla has felt isolated from Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) and Betsy Swain (Sydney Martin) ever since Becky retu
  
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• PMQs: Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch amid Budget bombshell update

  10-12-2025 12:37 via mirror.co.uk
  
  It comes just hours after the Chancellor Rachel Reeves hit out at 'unacceptable' leaks of her second Budget on November 26 and told MPs the Cabinet Office was now investigating
  
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• Christmas party reveller's family plea for help 30 years on from disappearance

  10-12-2025 12:35 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Philip Fudge, 21, who travelled from Hull to Liverpool for party got into a taxi with two women and a man at the end of his night out. It was the last time he was seen
  
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• Britain WON'T copy Australia's ban on under-16s using social media as ministers warn it is 'unenforceable'

  10-12-2025 12:34 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Australia this week became the first country in the world to ban social media for children with sites ordered to take steps to prevent under-16s accessing accounts.
  
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• My father was the Church of England's most prolific sexual abuser: Daughter speaks for the first time about John Smyth - the sadist who tortured boys in sinister soundproofed shed...but never faced justice

  10-12-2025 12:33 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The daughter of one of Britain's most barbaric and prolific child abusers has spoken about her sadistic father for the first time on camera in a new TV documentary.
  
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• Mum admits 'I do have something to declare' before shock discovery at UK airport

  10-12-2025 12:31 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Mandy Hendry landed at Manchester Airport from Thailand and at first told Border Force officers she had cigarettes in a suitcase, before later saying she did have something to declare
  
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• Trump tells Zelensky he has until Christmas to accept his peace deal - as Ukrainian leader says he is 'ready to hold elections'

  10-12-2025 12:27 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The US president's envoys, son-in law Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, delivered the ultimatum during a two-hour long phone call with Zelensky after discussions with Putin in Moscow.
  
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• Lewis Capaldi brutally roasts fans after they get engaged at his concert

  10-12-2025 12:26 via metro.co.uk
  Lewis Capaldi has called out fans who got engaged at his concerts (Picture: Matthew Baker/ Getty Images)Lewis Capaldi hasn’t missed his chance to take aim at a couple who staged a proposal in the middle of his show.The Scottish singer, 29, is currently travelling around Australia with his Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent tour.Although fans have been celebrating his return to the stage after a two-year break, several have also used his concerts as a place to propose to their partners.S
  
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• Teaching assistant banned from classrooms after telling pupils he had shot dead over 250 people as a military sniper codenamed Kill Switch and still had his gun at home

  10-12-2025 12:24 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  A professional standards hearing heard that Scott John Trigg-Turner, 44, told students at Bassaleg School in Newport, South Wales, that he served in the US marines under the codename 'Kill Switch'.
  
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• Aldi slashing prices to 8p but you'll need to be quick

  10-12-2025 12:24 via mirror.co.uk
  
  The supermarket's festive deal is available for a limited time only
  
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