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A number of ferry sailings have been brought forward ahead of forecasted gale force winds overnight.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company said sailings between Douglas and Liverpool and Lancashire had been affected.

Ronaldsway Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning from 21:00 until 04:00 BST with wind speeds forecasted to go up to 55mph (88.5km/h).

Ferry firm managing director Brian Thomson said with thousands of TT fans due to travel, the firm could not "take the risk" of potential cancellations, which would have "serious knock on effects".

He said while the firm appreciated leaving early was "the last thing" TT visitors would want to do, the changes would make sure as many people as possible "get to where they need to go", he added.

The changes saw the Manannan's Monday afternoon crossing to Liverpool pulled forward to 05:00 BST, with the 18:15 return to Douglas moved to 09:15.

The fast craft Manannan's planned 22:45 journey to Liverpool is now set to leave at 13:45, with Tuesday's 02:45 overnight return brought forward to 17:45 on Monday.

The incoming weather conditions also led to the Manxman's 08:45 sailing on Monday departing 30 minutes early, with the 14:15 return now scheduled for 13:00.

Teachers and support staff will walk out at a Kent secondary school on Tuesday in a dispute over job losses, their union says.

Goodwin Academy in Deal informed some staff in May they would face compulsory redundancy, according to the National Education Union (NEU).

The BBC understands the school is making five support staff roles redundant.

A Goodwin Academy spokesperson said: "We are committed to continuing to provide the highest quality education for our students and the best working environment for our staff."

As well as Tuesday's walk-out, NEU members at the school will strike on 12 June, 18 to 19 June, and 24 to 26 June.

South Kent NEU joint secretary Jamie Pout said industrial action was "a last resort" but it was "very clear that these cuts to front line staffing will have significant negative impact on the education the children at Goodwin receive".

The trust must "clearly show they understand it is unacceptable for children to suffer the consequences of inadequate school funding", he added.

The NEU said 60% of its 49 members at the school took part in May's ballot on industrial action, all of whom voted to strike.

The union added it was negotiating with the academy trust but opposed compulsory redundancies and was concerned that not replacing staff who choose leave the school would increase workloads.

Goodwin Academy, which currently has over 800 pupils, said it was "continuing to work closely" with affected staff to "provide them support throughout this process".

A spokesperson added: "These are very difficult decisions and we value all our team, but it is no secret that schools across the country are facing exceptionally challenging financial conditions and the impact of falling birth rates.

"It is therefore vital we take proactive action now to remain financially sound, while not compromising on the excellent education and care our students receive."

Goodwin Academy is run by the Thinking Schools Academy Trust, which manages 24 schools in total.

Home Office minister Jess Phillips has said she expects there will be more local inquiries into grooming gangs than the five already announced.

Phillips said she would provide more details about the local inquiries once an audit into the scale and nature of the problem is published.

Baroness Louise Casey's audit, which had been due to finish in mid-April, will be released "later in May", Phillips said.

She added that she did not yet know "what Baroness Casey will say about which particular area" but would act on the facts.

Conservative Chris Philp said the inquiries, which would not be able to compel people to give evidence, "just won't do" and repeated his call for a national inquiry.

The shadow home secretary also asked the minister how she would force councils to hold an inquiry, in cases where the local authorities were unwilling to do so, citing Bradford council as an example.

Earlier this year, Bradford Council's Safeguarding Children Partnership said a new inquiry was "unlikely to provide us with any new learnings" having held an independent review in 2021.

Robbie Moore, a Conservative MP for Keighley and Ilkley, accused Bradford Councils of avoiding commissioning a new inquiry for "fear of unearthing a very significant problem".

In reply, Phillips told the MP that, if Baroness Casey identified problems with particular local authorities, "he has my guarantee, I will pursue them".

A woman was sexually assaulted at a bus stop in Worcester when a man came up to her, hugged her and kissed her.

Police said the man repeatedly kissed the 21-year-old woman on the cheek at the bus stop in Foregate Street on 12 February at about 18:15 GMT, and then also tried to kiss her on the lips.

Officers investigating the attack have released a picture of another man who was in the area at the time and may be able to help with their inquiries.

Police asked the public to help identify him and asked anyone who can help to contact the force or Crimestoppers.

A new hub offering support to anyone affected by addiction has opened in Blackpool.

The Recovery Hub, on Church Street, is designed to "promote wellbeing, build resilience and support reintegration into the community", the council said.

The team aims to provide practical support and guidance through counselling and sessions including IT and creative activities.

A former addict and support worker said the hub would be "like a lighthouse, offering people hope".

The man, from Blackpool, who did not want to be named, said he had used drugs since the age of 14, adding: "Addiction is a place of isolation, hopelessness and despair.

"This hub is a very visible place showing people that recovery is possible and offering real hope."

The 56-year-old who works in housing support for Jobs, Friends and Houses at Blackpool Coastal Housing describes himself as having been on a "journey of recovery through treatment" for more than 20 years.

He said: "When people are in recovery, they can still face hurdles, even when it seems they are doing well.

"The wonderful thing about this new hub is that it is a relaxed, safe place they can just drop into, there aren't any appointments needed and it is friendly, supportive and really informal."

Sessions will include:

• SMART therapy – Self Management and Recovery Training
• Skill building, such as ICT course
• Music, art and other creative activities
• Evening and weekend activities
• Rambling group
• Tea and toast drop-in

The support worker told BBC Radio Lancashire: "I've spoken to people that have been isolated in their flats, and they've come here.

"I have asked them what is this place to you and they say 'everything' because they have sat in four walls for months at a time.

"So how do you measure that and that the ability to provide a connection for somebody?"

Councillor Jo Farrell said the centre "represents our unwavering commitment to support those who are rebuilding their lives".

BBC Sounds

The Home Office has arrested almost 150 people during immigration enforcement raids at workplaces across Northern Ireland since July 2024, new figures reveal.

BBC News NI understands 36 people were arrested at the Loft Lines complex in the Titanic Quarter in Belfast.

The Graham Group is one of the main building contractors on the site.

It is understood that those arrested did not work for the company.

BBC News NI put a number of questions to the Graham Group about the raid but a spokesperson said they would not be issuing any response.

Figures released by the Home Office show that between 5 July 2024 and 31 May 2025, 113 visits resulted in 148 arrests. This marked a 48% rise compared to the year before.

The department said it was part of "a drive to combat illegal working" with a particular focus on tackling employers facilitating illegal working, often subjecting migrants to squalid conditions and illegal working hours below minimum wage.

Restaurants, nail bars and construction sites have been among the thousands of businesses targeted.

Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said the government was "committed to tackling illegal working as we intensify our enforcement efforts to disrupt organised immigration networks at every level".

"There must be no hiding place from the law and these figures demonstrate our determination to curb immigration offending and disrupt unscrupulous employers," she added.

"Under our Plan for Change, we are laser focused on fixing our immigration system and securing our borders once and for all."

BBC News NI understands that a major co-ordinated operation reported in March, took place at the Loft Lines development.

Offences ranged from breaching visa conditions to illegal entry in the UK with no permission to work.

Loft Lines is a three-block apartment development located at Queen's Island in the docks area of the city, on land which used to form part of the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

The majority of the 778 apartments will be privately owned and rented out to tenants, but up to 20% of the properties will be constructed as social, affordable homes.

Developers

The lead developers of the site are Lacuna Developments and Watkin Jones Group PLC, while Graham Group are leading on construction.

Watkin Jones PLC declined to comment.

Lacuna Developments have been approached for comment by BBC News NI.

The development has previously been criticised for blocking the view of Belfast's Titanic museum as the apartments are being built in front of it.

BBC News NI understands that 30 of the individuals arrested elected to leave the UK voluntarily.

Five have been placed on immigration bail and are now required to report regularly to the Home Office.

A 16-year-old boy was also being supported by local authorities.

The individual arrested on suspicion of immigration offences has been bailed pending further investigation.

The opposition group on a city council is calling on leaders to sell a former rugby club site to developers to build hundreds of new homes.

Colchester Rugby Club moved from Mill Road in the city to Colchester Sports Park in 2021. The cost of building state-of-the-art sporting facilities was supposed to be covered by developing the Mill Road site.

City council opposition leader, Conservative Paul Dundas, told the BBC: "We need to move this project on and sell it to a developer who can actually get on and do it as the council has demonstrated we can't."

But the council leader, Lib Dem David King, warned against giving "this site away in a fire sale".

"It's a complex location and it has to be developed the right kind of way," King added, saying there was "a huge need for affordable housing" and with "greater control from the council we are aiming for 100% affordable homes".

'Pandemic delay'

But the Conservatives accused the Lib Dem minority administration of "not being ambitious enough".

Dundas argued that 600 homes could be built at Mill Road rather than the 350 being proposed.

The Conservatives argued £30m to build the sports facilities near junction 28 on the A12 was costing £200,000 a month in interest.

The Lib Dem administration said the borrowing costs were "half those being claimed".

The city council leader said the pandemic has delayed developing the site.

King told the BBC that from "this summer we will be into the first releases of sites for sale" and there would be "money back into our coffers to offset the borrowing".

He said work on new housing at Mill Road was expected to start in the autumn and the homes delivered by 2027-28.

The council leader said development at Mill Road would "more than cover what has been borrowed".

Thousands of people use the council-run Colchester Sports Park every week which is home to a gym, sports hall archery, cycle-way and 3G sports pitches.

Here's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media.

Our pick of local website stories

Two large animatronic dinosaurs from a Bristol company have been stolen from a car park in Essex, reports ITV News West Country. Raptors World had named the costumes Rexy and Yoshi and said it has been hit "incredibly hard" by the theft.

Parts of the railings at the world famous Royal Crescent in Bath have been removed in preparation for an upcoming Robbie Williams concert, according to Somerset Live.

Burnham-on-sea.com reported on local darts star Gary Anderson winning the European Darts Grand Prix for the second year in a row over the weekend

And the Swindon Advertiser was at the scene of a popular rubber duck race in Wroughton, which saw hundreds of plastic ducks "race" down the River Ray.

Our top three from the Bank Holiday weekend

The famous blue cheese it gave its name to is known throughout the world, but despite years of local protests, the Cambridgeshire village of Stilton is still not allowed to produce it.

The history of Stilton is more controversial than you might think. A battle over what the name can and can't be applied to has been rumbling for years.

So, as a former MP raises the subject again, what's in a name and what could the future hold for this fought-over foodstuff?

How did Stilton cheese get its name?

It was thought that the famous cheese was named after the village of Stilton, just south of Peterborough, not because it was made there, but because it was sold at The Bell Inn there.

However, some historians have claimed the cheese did, in fact, originate in the village in the 18th Century.

In 2011, Stilton resident and local historian Richard Landy claimed to have documents that could potentially prove the cheese was first produced there.

Mr Landy told the BBC at the time: "I stumbled across a reference to a recipe on the internet that had been sent to Richard Bradley, the first professor of botany at Cambridge University.

"This recipe was not only earlier than any previous recipe that had been published, but it also says that the cheese was produced in the village of Stilton."

The conversation continues to this day, with residents and a former MP calling for a change in the law to allow the cheese to be made in the village.

What rules prevent it from being made in Stilton?

A row about the origins of Stilton and who can make it has been rumbling for years.

The Stilton Cheesemakers' Association achieved Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status for blue Stilton from the European Commission in 1996.

This meant that only cheese produced in three counties – Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire – could be called Stilton.

Despite Brexit, the legal protection continues.

Stilton is one of just a few products that enjoy this status. Many English regional cheeses, such as Lancashire, Red Leicester and Double Gloucester, are not protected.

What other foods have protected status?

While Stilton continues to have special protection, it is not the only British food or drink product to enjoy this.

Scotch Whisky, for example, can only be produced, unsurprisingly, in Scotland, and even within that there are tightly controlled regions.

For instance, Campbeltown whiskies can only come from a specific part of the Kintyre peninsula, while Islay whiskies must be from the island of the same name.

And although you can find a pastry-encrusted snack of meat, potato and vegetables almost anywhere these days, a true Cornish Pasty must originate from Cornwall.

The same applies to another famous meat and pastry product. If your pork pie is not from the Leicestershire town, it cannot be called a Melton Mowbray.

Similarly, if your oyster does not come from Pembrokeshire, then it does not qualify as a Pembrokeshire Rock Oyster.

What is the Stilton Cheese Rolling Festival?

The annual cheese-rolling event in the Cambridgeshire village dates back to the 1950s.

The tradition was started by four publicans who were thinking of ways to generate income after Stilton was bypassed by the A1 in 1959, Adam Leon, one of its organisers previously told the BBC.

The event was paused for seven years because organisers said it was no longer seen as "cool", but it returned in 2024.

You would be forgiven for thinking a cheese-rolling festival would involve the dairy product itself.

However, 12in (30cm) sections of an old telegraph pole are painted to look like a cheese.

To participate, all teams must consist of four members, and the "cheeses" must be rolled by hand.

Each team member has to roll the cheese at least once during the race, which takes place on on a course of about 30m (100ft) in length.

Typically, people have taken part wearing fancy dress, and in the past teams of nuns, Smurfs and even a tribute to rock band Kiss have participated.

Could Stilton ever make Stilton once again?

Former Conservative MP for North West Cambridgeshire, Shailesh Vara, is one of the people who have been voicing their opinions on the cheese's origins.

Mr Vara, who lost his seat to Labour's Sam Carling in July 2024, said: "Stilton cheese was historically made in the village, and I know there has been a bit of dispute about that.

"But the historical evidence that I have seen in the case that the cheese was made here."

He added that Mr Leon, described by Mr Vara as a "local entrepreneur", had started "making efforts to make sure that we start making cheese locally again".

He said: "I am in conversation with Adam and the villagers have my support, and whatever conversations they want to have with me, I am always available."

According to Mr Vara, now the UK has left the European Union there is less protection on where Stilton can be produced.

"That protection is no more, so we can now start making cheese. I am looking for it to be made again," he added.

The UK Protected Food Names Association, however, maintains that English law protects Stilton, and that any change would undermine the cheese-making industry.

Cumbria is under an extreme wildfire warning and the county's largely on-call fire service is braced to tackle the wide-reaching blazes. With a high number of the fires being caused by members of the public, two firefighters describe the dangers they face, and the toll it takes on their families.

Phil Gardner is ready for a busy summer.

As the on-call watch manager at Sedbergh fire station, he has noticed wildfires becoming increasingly common over the last 10 years.

"Everything's like a tinderbox," he said of the current situation.

The vegetation is dry and the lush growth has yet to come through, with problems already being caused.

Wildfires take a toll on people's livelihoods, obliterate wildlife and put firefighters' lives at risk, on-call watch manager at Appleby fire station Neil Aitken added.

"Come to enjoy the countryside, but be safe, be responsible," Mr Aitken said.

'You don't get any warnings'

On-call firefighters maintain regular jobs, but respond to emergencies – dropping whatever they may be doing to respond to a call out.

Mr Gardner, 44, remembers watching a nativity performance at the school village hall when his pager went off, alerting him to an incident.

"There was a big rattle of chairs and five of us ran out," he said.

"Apparently, the kids just carried on."

Mr Aitken, 62, remembers putting the first roast potato in his mouth one Christmas Day when he got called to attend a fire.

"Four hours later we're still out, and I come back to a Christmas lunch that's been under the grill for hours," he laughed.

He recalled a wildfire in Lancashire he and his team were called to.

"We went down initially for 24 hours, 10 days later we managed to get back home," Mr Aitken said.

Mr Gardner said: "There's no predictability about it either, you know?

"It could happen at anytime, day or night. You don't get any warnings."

'Worst day of somebody's life'

Tackling wildfires is a long, hot and arduous job, Mr Gardner said.

Getting all the equipment up the Cumbrian fells, sometimes on foot, is an "absolute nightmare", he added.

"You can't work for long in the fire kit because it does get very hot," he said.

"You're literally stood, like, a metre or two metres away."

Ten to twelve hour days during those types of incidents are common, Mr Aitken said.

Mr Aitken, who like Mr Gardner joined the service at the age of 19, said he was getting to the twilight of his career but, in his head, he was still enthusiastic to help.

"Where you're going out, it's probably the worst day of somebody's life, and you can go and you can make a difference," he said.

"It's just my body shouts a bit at sometimes."

'Carelessness risks lives'

They are asking people to tidy up after themselves when they have been out in the countryside.

One wildfire was caused by a bit of broken glass which had magnified the suns' rays and sparked a blaze, another by a disposable BBQ.

The direction of the wind meant the BBQ was still there, with a couple of square kilometres of burnt grassland in its wake, Mr Gardner recalled.

"It can be annoying at times," Mr Aitken said.

"Just one person's carelessness, it's putting other people's lives – firefighters' lives -at risk."