Kirstie Mccrum

Two people died when a light aircraft crashed in a remote area near Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd, North Wales. Police launched a multi-agency air and ground search after the aircraft failed to arrive at Caernarfon Airport, and the wreckage was found on Friday afternoon. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has been notified and sent investigators to determine the circumstances of the crash.

Octopus Energy has urged customers to reduce electricity use between 6pm and 8pm during the UK’s largest solar eclipse in 30 years, warning that solar generation will fall sharply while evening demand rises. The company said coordinated reductions could ease pressure on the electricity grid and reduce the need for additional fossil-fuel power stations. Customers who use less electricity for at least 30 minutes may receive a free hour of power, while the UK’s record sunshine in July helped solar power provide 14.4% of the country’s electricity that month.

An inquest heard that Karen Marks, 34, died after her Fiat Punto crossed the centre line and collided with a coach on the A10 near Ely on December 28, 2025. Toxicology found she had exceeded the legal alcohol limit and had cocaine and cocaine by-products in her system, which experts said likely impaired her judgment and vehicle control. A passenger was seriously injured, and the coroner concluded that Marks died as a result of the road traffic collision.

John Peter Collins, 66, and his daughter Samantha Adele Collins, 32, died after Samantha was swept into the sea while they were fishing on rocks at Fistral Beach in Newquay on 26 July 2026. An inquest heard that John attempted to rescue her, but both drowned. Their deaths were provisionally attributed to drowning, and a joint full inquest is scheduled for July 2027. Police are also seeking Samantha’s orange or peach handbag, which may contain sentimental belongings.

Caitlin Anderson admitted being disruptive on a Ryanair flight to Newcastle after confronting a fellow passenger, appearing unsteady and tearing out her own hair extensions. Cabin crew contacted police, who detained her after the aircraft landed; she was initially taken to hospital over concerns that substance use may have contributed to her behaviour. Newcastle Magistrates' Court fined her £1,477, including costs and a victim surcharge.

Michael Bretton was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 29 and a half years, for murdering lorry driver Craig Hurcombe in January 2026. Bretton had stalked Hurcombe and his former partner, Kate Saunders, using secretly attached GPS trackers before following Hurcombe to a yard in North Somerset and stabbing him with a sword. He tried to conceal the killing by burying the body, burning Hurcombe’s car and impersonating him via his phone. A jury rejected Bretton’s claim that Hurcombe had accidentally fallen onto a metal shaft, and convicted him of murder.

Greek police are searching for a homeless man known as Markos while investigating the death of Edinburgh woman Elisabeth Jane Ross, whose body was found inside a suitcase in an abandoned Athens building on 18 July. Authorities are treating Markos as a potential lead but have not formally identified a suspect and are also investigating Ross’s final movements, purported American acquaintances in Kypseli and messages sent from her missing phone after her death. Interpol confirmed her identity through DNA, while Police Scotland, US investigators and the UK Foreign Office are assisting Greek authorities and supporting her family.