A UK airport has closed for good after 95 years to make may for thousands of homes – despite fears the area is “contaminated”.
The privately-run airport shut on June 6 after a developer served notice on the operator of the site.
The Vistry Group, which owns Tollerton Airfield In Nottingham, plans to build 1,600 homes and a school at the site.
Home to Nottingham City Airport and a number of other businesses, the site also provides a landing zone for the air ambulance.
Vistry served notice on operator Truman Aviation to vacate the site, but said it would continue to provide a landing zone for the air ambulance during the initial phase of development.
The site’s closure follows a year-long battle from campaigners against Vistry.
Campaigners believe that more than 1,200 aircraft containing radioactive materials were burnt and buried at the ex-RAF base leading to contamination.
Concerns were raised after campaigners found evidence that the ex-RAF base in Nottinghamshire had been used after the Second World War to dismantle hundreds of Lancaster Bombers and other aircraft that contained glow-in-the-dark dials made out of radium -226.
Site owner Brian Wells, who was sent notice to vacate the area in March, previously said developers were “determined to have everywhere shut down for when they came to planning”.
“We agreed we’d have two to five years here before they would take over,” he told NottinghamshireLive. “They even suggested they could keep one runway open for us.
“But the main board of developers say they’ve had enough of all these people protesting and decided to shut it down sooner rather than later.”
He added that “it’s very sad” how things have developed much quicker than hoped for, and said the closure will mean “numerous redundancies”.
The airfield dates back to the 20th century, when it was home to several flying clubs, and then as a commercial airport until the late 1940s.
During World War 2 it was acquired by the Air Ministry and became RAF Tollerton.
Campaigners for the airport have referred to other cases where ex-RAF airfields like Tollerton were used as “burn, bash, and bury” sites and then deemed potentially hazardous.
If the grounds were disturbed, an extensive clean-up process would have to be done.
An example of this is Dalgety Bay, Fife, Scotland, a stretch of coastline used for the same purposes as Tollerton AIrfield.
Traces of radium-226 found in the ground required a two-year clean-up project at the site. Other examples include RAF Newton, RAF Carlisle and RAF Kinloss.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “Our Environment Agency officers advised Rushcliffe Borough Council (the planning authority) in May 2024 that a condition of planning permission is that developers have a plan in place to identify and deal with the risks associated with potential contaminants.
“In addition, we have advised that the site will need to be assessed for potential contaminants at routine stages as the development progresses.”
Rushcliffe Borough Council has confirmed applications for the site include initial land contamination assessments.
A spokesperson for Rushcliffe Borough Council said: “We are aware of the previous uses of the wider site, including the airfield and the potential for land contamination associated with these uses.
“Both current applications for the site include initial land contamination assessments”.
CONSUMERS across Ireland should be aware of six recall alerts issued for major brands across the country’s most popular stores.
The recall notices impact shoppers in Dunnes Stores, SuperValu, Aldi and Tesco.
And they cover a range of savory, sweet and medical products dating right back to the start of the month.
The first recall alert was issued for the The Happy Pear Lovely Basil Pesto on June 2, 2025.
The popular Irish brand is sold in SuperValu and Centra stores across the country.
The alert was issued for pack size 135g with a batch code of 5149 and use by date 10/07/2025.
This is due to the presence of bacteria Listeria monocytogenes that can cause flu-like symptoms or gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland warned: “In rare cases, the infection can be more severe, causing serious complications.
“Some people are more vulnerable to Listeria monocytogenes infections, including pregnant women, babies, and people with weakened immune systems, including the elderly.
“The incubation period is on average three weeks but can range between three and 70 days.”
Shoppers are advised not to consume the product.
The second alert issued this month was on June 4 for Builin Blasta dressings.
The product is sold in Dunnes Stores, SuperValu and Tesco in Ireland.
The following products were part of an alert over the presence of Lactic Acid that may cause spoilage.
Consumers should not eat the impacted batches and retailers should pull the items from shelves.
On June 12 a recall alert was issued for Weleda Baby Teething Powder.
The Weleda brand is sold in multiple stores across the country, including Tesco.
The alert warned there were fears over the possible presence of glass pieces.
The pack size is 60g while the batch Code is 231302 and expiry date: 11/26.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland warned: “Retailers are requested to remove the implicated batch from sale and display recall notices at point-of-sale.
“Wholesalers/distributors are requested to contact their affected customers and recall the implicated batch and provide a point-of-sale recall notice to their retail customers.
“Consumers are advised not to administer the implicated batch to infants or children.”
Just days later on June 16 Dunnes Stores issued an alert over a mispackaged sweet treat.
The Dunnes Stores Luxury Apple Pie with a pack size of 750g, batch Code 242 and best before date: 16/06/2025 was recalled due to the possible presence of nuts.
Food safety bosses warned: “The above batch of Dunnes Stores Luxury Apple Pie is being recalled as some packs have been mispacked with Dunnes Stores Luxury Pear and Almond Pie.
“The product contains almonds which are not declared on the label.
“This may make the batch unsafe for consumers who are allergic to or intolerant of almonds, and therefore, these consumers should not eat the implicated batch.”
On June 18 a recall notice was issued for Aldi burger buns due to the presence of undeclared sesame seeds.
The 200g Aldi Specially Selected Sliced Brioche Burger Buns with the follow best before dates were recalled:
Customers with allergies to sesame seeds have been urged to avoid the impacted batches.
And on June 19 SuperValu recalled their Signature Tastes Yellowfin Tuna Steaks due to possible elevated levels of histamine.
The 240g with the following use by dates are impacted:
The Food Safety Authority explained: “As a precautionary measure, SuperValu is recalling the above batches of its Signature Tastes Yellowfin Tuna Steaks due to possible elevated levels of Histamine.
“Recall notices will be displayed at point-of-sale in SuperValu stores.”
High histamine levels could cause a rash, flushing, stomach issues, headaches and even irregular heartbeats or breathing difficulties.
A LOVED-UP bride claims her “dreams came true” when she married her Line of Duty lookalike crush – who’s constantly stopped in the street by adoring women.
Kelsey Willmott has been smitten with Scottish actor Martin Compston who famously played Detective Inspector Steve Arnott in the hit BBC drama, since the first series.
So when the 30-year-old stumbled across Arron Willmott’s profile on Bumble in March 2021 she immediately swiped right, drawn to his brunette locks, facial hair and chiselled jaw line.
After chatting on the app for two weeks, the pair met for a walk for their first date, with Kelsey admitting she was initially unaware of how similar the pair locked.
But weeks into their fledgling relationship Kelsey was stunned when she suddenly realised why she initially had the hots for the 31-year-old – who was the spitting image of the hunky actor.
After dating for three-and-half years they got engaged before getting hitched on May 2 at a stately home in Somerset.
As she walked down the aisle towards Arron, Kelsey said it was a “dream come true” as not only was she marrying her “perfect” partner but also a man that looked like Martin Compston.
It’s not just loved-up Kelsey who’s noticed the similarity, with Arron being stopped daily in the street by strangers remarking on the uncanny resemblance.
While Kelsey’s own friends cheekily commented “only she could marry someone who looks like her celebrity crush” when she shared a video about it on TikTok.
Kelsey, from Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, said: “We met on Bumble and I made the first move.
“I hadn’t clicked about the similarities initially but I just knew I liked what I saw.
“A few weeks into our dating the penny dropped and I realised he looked so much like him [Martin Compston].
“I’m a big fan of Line of Duty and have watched all the series. I said to him ‘you do look like Martin Compston’ and when you see it you can’t unsee it.
“Martin Compston is a big celebrity crush and right up my street. I think subconsciously I 100% swiped on Arron [because he looked like Martin Compston].
“My aunty said to me ‘he looks exactly like the man on Line of Duty’. It was something people kept mentioning.
“I don’t think my parents had really realised my crush on Martin Compston.
“I may have said he was ‘fit’ when watching the programme but you’re not constantly going on about it as you think there’s no chance.
“You could say I got my chance now as I’m with someone who looks exactly like him.
“I think as Arron has gotten older, he looks more like him as Martin is a bit older than Arron.
“When I was walking down the aisle towards him it was surreal. Aaron is physically everything that is my type, but also the person he is as well.
“It was like a fairy tale and everything you pictured it to be when you’re younger. My dreams came true.
“My friends always say I come up smelling of roses because only I could marry someone that looks like my crush.”
Martin Compston first starred in the lead role of Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott in 2012 when the BBC police drama Line of Duty first aired.
The series then returned in 2014 for five more series in which the 5ft 6in actor was seen to continue his star role as a detective in an anti-corruption squad.
I’m a little bit taller than him, thank God.”
Arron Willmott
Kelsey says that Arron is told on a daily basis in public that he looks like Martin Compston, usually by women.
She said: “After the TikTok went viral, we were both laughing as it’s something we know he looks like and friends and family know.
“But when you get strangers saying they can’t tell the difference between them, it’s crazy.
“People have come up to him to tell him he looks really like the guy from Line of Duty.
“It’s probably girls in the street that have a similar crush on Martin Compston, as awful as that is to think.
“They are probably looking at him thinking ‘he looks like Martin and is quite good looking’.”
Arron says he couldn’t describe the feeling when he first saw Kelsey walking down the aisle but footage shows him wiping tears from his cheeks in the emotional moment.
The 5ft 11in bloke says he is a big Line of Duty fan so doesn’t mind the daily comparisons but says he is thankful for being taller than the Scottish actor.
Aaron, also from Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales, said: “I love Line of Duty so it’s pretty cool. I don’t mind [the comparison] but I’m a little bit taller than him, thank God.
“I get told on a daily basis I look like him. When people see me they always think they’ve seen me before and then the penny drops.”
After sharing a video on TikTok of photos of Arron next to the Line of Duty star, the post racked up more than 300,000 views, with users apparently stunned by how similar they look.
One wrote: “Is this a really bad game of spot the difference, because I am struggling.”
Another added: “She really said copy and paste.”
A third commented: “Why did I think these were all pictures of the same man?”
A fourth wrote: “I personally think your husband is better looking than Martin but don’t tell him or my hubby I said so. You go girl.”
IRELAND is in for a “rollercoaster of temperatures” over the coming 10 days – with highs forecast to possibly hit 24C before disappearing again.
We basked in glorious 29C temperatures as a mini-heatwave swept across the country last week, but, with over two thirds of the summer still ahead, many are asking if the sunshine will return.
Looking at the week ahead, Carlow Weather’s Alan O’Reilly told how Ireland has returned to its more typical and changeable Irish summer – but we may still get brief blasts of heat over the next few days.
He said: “A rollercoaster of temperatures over the coming 10 days with some brief pulses of warmer air over Ireland but doesn’t stay long.”
The weather boffin added that parts of Spain, Portugal and France are still warm for this time of year.
And looking at how wet the week ahead will be, O’Reilly said: “Total rainfall forecast for next seven days, highest totals in Ireland likely in West and Northwest with Southeast expected to see a lot less.”
And despite the week ahead looking rather dreary for some, Ireland’s Weather Channel said long-range forecasts show a “higher chance” of another heatwave hitting the country in the second half of summer.
He explained: “While seasonal forecasts remain rather difficult to produce there are signs emerging if one reads a little deeper into the sea surface temperatures across the Atlantic that we won’t see a repeat of the past two overcast and rather disappointing summers, with a higher chance of more settled conditions taking hold for the second half of the summer.
“This is well represented in the latest ECMWF sub-seasonal forecast with a clear trend towards more settled conditions with high pressure from the middle of July onwards.
“Indeed the red bars indicate the preference for a blocked pattern, with high pressure building either across or to the northeast of the country, ensuring warmer sunnier conditions.”
However, before the summer-like conditions arrive, the weather looks set to stay rather mixed as the jet stream steers in a number of low pressure systems which brush along the northwest coast.
Ireland’s Weather Channel explained: “Indeed a northwest southeast split in our weather develops with the best conditions at all times this week in the southeast, while it’s more overcast and wet in the northwest.”
The weather expert pinpointed Wednesday, Thursday and the weekend as the best days this week, especially across east Munster and much of Leinster.
Looking at conditions tomorrow, Met Eireann has forecast variable cloud, some sunshine and well scattered showers for most, although it will become mostly cloudy with patchy drizzle near the south coast.
Cloud will thicken from the Atlantic later, and rain will develop in the west and southwest by evening time.
The national forecaster said temperatures will peak between 17C and 22C.
And looking towards Saturday, Met Eireann say current indications suggest it could be a “mainly dry and sunny” day with southwesterly winds continuing to ease and just the chance of a few showers.
Temperatures will peak between 16C and 21C.
Met Eireann said the rest of the weekend still looks uncertain.
It said: “Still uncertain, but potentially more cloud and rain spreading from the Atlantic, with the best chance of drier and more settled conditions in the east and southeast.”
Ireland’s Weather Channel said temperatures may creep as high as 24C this weekend.
He explained: “One area to watch at the moment is for warmer temperatures creeping into the models for Saturday and Sunday, with highs possibly reaching up to 23C or 24C, maybe even a little higher to the east of high ground in East Munster and Leinster where a Foehn effect could help temperatures reach up to 26C.”
IRELAND defender Andrew Omobamidele has completed an €8 million switch to Ligue 1 club Strasbourg after agreeing a four-year contract in France.
Omobamidele, 22, joined the French outfit in January on loan with an option to buy from Nottingham Forest.
The defender, who joined Forest from Norwich in August 2023, had grown frustrated with his lack of action as he featured just 15 times in 18 months and lost his Ireland squad place.
And, despite an injury curtailing his involvement in France as he made ten appearances – seven from the start – Liam Rosenior has moved to make the move permanent.
Game time in France should enhance his Ireland hopes as Strasbourg are in European action next season in the Conference League.
The Leixlip man started Heimir Hallgrímsson’s second game in charge against Greece but he was then dropped due to his lack of first-team action.
Recalled earlier this month, he was one of five players in the squad for the June friendlies with Senegal and Luxembourg who saw no action.
A MUSIC icon may soon return to Dublin – after Irish fans missed out on the superstar’s tour this year, a top promoter has revealed.
MCD is on course for the second busiest year in its history – with sales of around 2.5m tickets in 2025, Denis Desmond has revealed.
Desmond said that business for MCD in 2025 “is very solid” and he said that the gross ticket sales from the 2.5m tickets would be between €212m to €225m based on average ticket prices of €85 to €90 per ticket.
The bumper ticket sales for 2025 follows trade industry journal, Pollstar reporting that MCD last year sold a record €238.5m ($245m) in ticket sales.
Desmond said that the 2.5m tickets this year follows MCD’s busiest year in its 45 year history last year which was boosted by sell out shows by Taylor Swift and Coldplay.
He said that ticket sales for 2025 “are very good” and said that upcoming gigs by Dua Lipa and Olivia Rodrigo are sold out adding that Croke Park shows by Oasis and Robbie Williams along with Electric Picnic are also sell outs.
Desmond said that MCD will sell slightly less tickets in 2025 than 2024 due to a reduced number of shows compared to last year.
Beyonce has just finished a six date sold out run at Tottenham Hotspur football stadium in London and Mr Desmond said that Beyonce would have come to perform in Dublin but was unable to do so due to stadium unavailability in the capital.
He said: “Beyonce is only touring Europe in June and Croke Park is not available until August because of the games being played. She would have come to Dublin otherwise.
“The economics of big shows at the moment means multiple dates at the same venue and there was nowhere available.”
He said that Beyonce played Croke Park eight years ago “and I’m sure she will come back here again to perform in three or four years time”.
The events supremo said that a series of gigs at St Anne’s Park in Dublin have been very successful this Summer while gigs for Fairview Park – where Kneecap performed last week – “are also doing very well”.
Desmond said that ticket sales for the 2025 string of gigs for Virgin Media Park in Cork have performed well for the likes of Macklemore, The Corrs, Snow Patrol earlier this month and Duran Duran next week.
He said: “We are in the third year of staging concerts at Thomond Park in Limerick and we have the Wolfe Tones and The Script there next month so business overall is very good.”
MCD Productions is owned by LN Gaiety Holdings Ltd which is a joint venture between Desmond’s Gaiety Investments and Live Nation.
The gigs boss said: “There is nothing better than a live show. You might have 10,000-20,000 people at a gig and they are all at one as they are all there for the person or people on the stage. You feel it and you come away from there, dare I say it, feeling alive.”
IN the heart of an active military training area, an eerie silence engulfs an abandoned village trapped in time.
Derelict homes are among the few signs that human life existed in the once-idyllic coastal town – which was rapidly vacated by hundreds of villagers after being sold a solemn promise that was cruelly broken.
In November 1943, all 252 residents of Tyneham, Dorset, were told to make the ultimate sacrifice and leave their homes so the area could be used to train soldiers during World War Two.
It allowed Allied forces to practise manoeuvres ahead of the 1944 D-Day invasion of Normandy.
Officials gave the locals four weeks to pack up all their belongings and leave their old lives behind, with the promise that they could come back once the war was over.
But they were never allowed to return, with the military instead continuing to use it as a training base.
And following the death of its final resident Peter Wellman at the age of 100 last month, it’s clear that the promise will never be kept.
Tyneham was inhabited for over 1,000 years until the villagers were forced to move for the war effort.
When locals evacuated, a single note was left asking the arriving soldiers to take good care of the village.
The note read: “Please treat the church and houses with care.
“We have given up our homes, where many of us have lived for generations, to help win the war and keep men free.
“We shall return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly.”
Now the crumbling houses and ruins sit abandoned in the centre of Lulworth Ranges – a gigantic training location for tanks and armoured vehicles.
Most of the buildings have fallen into complete disrepair with no roof or windows and plants overcoming the walls.
Clare Robson, from nearby Blandford, is a regular visitor to the village and describes it as her “favourite place in the world”.
The 52-year-old explained: “I used to come here all the time with my dad until he died a couple of years ago.
“It’s really special because it’s the place that everybody forgot about.
“Although it’s really sad the Army didn’t let the residents come back and allowed it to fall into disrepair.
“It is just the forgotten village but it is fascinating for people to see how others lived here.
“I wish I could go back in time and live here because it just feels like a different time when families were families.”
“I would love to see it restored to its former glory. I just completely love it here, it feels like home.”
Some of the original buildings, such as a row of four terraced houses, are still in tact.
A telephone box with wartime-era posters, situated at the entrance of the village, warns passersby “if you must use me, be brief”.
The school and the church have since been converted into museums to teach the public about the residents’ sacrifices.
Peter was the last surviving resident of the village, and sadly passed away from pneumonia last month.
He managed to make one final trip to his old home a year before his passing.
He said: “We had no electricity, no mains gas and no running water – we had to pump that from near the church. There’s a tap there now.
“I remember going to the beach and fishing and we often had mackerel.
“We were happy until we got moved out.”
He told how he would have liked to see residents return to the village one day.
Peter is survived by his two children, his two grandchildren and his three great grandchildren.
His daughter Lynne spoke of her father’s love for his lost home, saying he visited regularly.
He worked on a farm for 36 years before moving into a job in the clay industry, where he stayed until retirement.
As Christmas approached in 1943, the peaceful village become a ghost town overnight.
Thousands of acres were also commandeered by the War Office for the Allied troops training camp.
Some of the villagers settled into newly built homes in the nearby town Wareham.
A public inquiry, several protests and a number of campaigns to bring the residents home have been launched over the years.
These have all been unsuccessful, with a compulsory purchase order being issued and the village remaining the property of the Ministry of Defence.
In 1973, former residents cut through surrounding barbed wire and re-opened their former post office.
This lasted for all of ten minutes before they were caught and thrown out by wardens.
A year later, local John Gould wrote to then-PM Harold Wilson calling on him to hand Tyneham back to the people.
It read: “‘Tyneham to me is the most beautiful place in the world.
“I want to give the rest of my life and energy to its restoration.
“Most of all, I want to go home.”
The site is now open to the public most weekends, having become an increasingly popular destination for history buffs.
Evidence of the village’s military role are everywhere, from signs starkly telling visitors that they are standing on a live firing range, to giant target markers on the surrounding hills for military exercises.
Even the village church roof bears a recent bullet hole from a stray machine gun round.
Elaine James, 67, from the New Forest, told how she makes an annual trip to the “indescribable” village.
She added: “I come here every year because I find it fascinating.
“It is just so sad that the residents were moved away because the village was needed for the war effort but then never allowed back.
“The story of what happened here just touches your heart and I love how it has been taken over by nature.
“Being here just gives you this feeling like nowhere else, it’s hard to describe.
“It’s sad that the last resident has now died, I hope his family can come back here at some point.”
Many of the old buildings have been deemed uninhabitable, leaving the spooky ruins to crumble over the decades.
Headstones in the church graveyard point to the fact that some former residents have been able to return, although only after their deaths.
Arthur Grant – who was buried in the churchyard in 2010 – told how his parents felt “cheated” out of their home.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “I had a happy childhood. We were proud of Tyneham.
“My parents referred to Tyneham as ‘home’ and there was always talk of happy times they had had there.
“They did feel cheated out of their home. They felt that a promise had been made and never fulfilled.”
Vanessa Foot, 65, from Crowthorne in Berkshire added: “It just shows how important it is to learn from our history.
“Inside the little school house there’s information about how they taught reading and writing through phonics which went out of fashion but now they are bringing it back and my grandchildren are learning the same way.
“This is my third attempt to find Tyneham, the other times we tried but just couldn’t find it.
“Next time I would love to bring my grandchildren with me.
“I just think it’s remarkable the sacrifice the whole village made for the good of the country.
“It really does feel like a lost village.”
GARDAI have identified a chief suspect in a targeted hit-and-run which claimed the life of a man in his 20s last night.
Detectives believe the incident is linked to an ongoing dispute which has been “simmering” in recent weeks in Balbriggan, north Co Dublin.
The victim in his 20s was mowed down shortly after 9pm on Monday on Railway Street in the town.
Bystanders raised the alarm and emergency services attended the scene, but the man was pronounced dead.
Gardai are also investigating two subsequent incidents, a car ramming outside the local garda station and a scuffle, linked to the same dispute.
Senior sources confirmed that gardai have identified a chief suspect in the case.
The man, in his 40s, knew the victim well but he has yet to be arrested.
A source told the Irish Sun: “This is all part of a dispute among people all known to each other.
“It’s been building up for some weeks and this has now greatly escalated it, with a man’s life lost.”
This morning, the body remained at the scene as the Garda Technical Bureau carried out their examination .
The victim’s remains were removed just before 11am ahead of a post mortem taking place.
A second scene outside Balbriggan Garda Station remains sealed off, also with two damaged cars at the scene.
Local Councillor Tony Murphy told the Irish Sun: “It’s absolutely devastating to have a situation where somebody has been knocked down and that the driver didn’t remain at the scene.
“And what I would offer my condolences to the deceased family and friends in the first instance is one thing for the town to wake up to news like this.
“But it’s another thing for a family to wake up to the devastating news that they’ve lost one of their family members.
“I trust 100 per cent of the Gardaí in Balbriggan that they will unravel whatever has happened in this situation and that they will take the appropriate action.”
A spokesman said: “Gardai and emergency services were alerted shortly after 9pm on Monday, 23 June 2025, following a serious road traffic collision on Railway Street, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, in which a pedestrian was struck by a car.
“The vehicle involved failed to remain at the scene. The pedestrian, a man in his 20s, received emergency treatment but was pronounced deceased at the scene a short time later.
“The scene remains preserved pending examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators. Local traffic diversions are currently in place.
“Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.
“Any road users or pedestrians who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) from the area at the time are asked to make it available to Gardai.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact Balbriggan Garda Station on 01 666 4500, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.”