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A mum of two tried out the UK’s biggest outdoor waterpark, and she was seriously impressed with what she found, calling it ‘the perfect family day out’ for her brood

The summer holidays are stretching ahead of us, and for parents across the UK prospect of keeping the kids entertained whilst they are off school can sometimes be pretty daunting.

Many families throughout the country are working to pretty tight budgets, so parents are often on the lookout for days out that won’t break the bank.

If you’re looking for a day out to remember with the whole family, then one mum-of-two has recommended paying the UK’s biggest waterpark a visit this summer – which promises fun for every age group.

Perched right by the stunning beach, Goodrington Sands, Splashdown Quaywest is a jewel in Devon’s crown as the largest outdoor waterpark in the country.

Mum of two, Chloe Sweet, posted about her family’s day out to the waterpark on her TikTok account, which boasts 113,000 followers.

She was seriously impressed with the range of what the waterpark offered, with something to keep children of every age entertained.

“There’s 18 waterslides in total,” Chloe explained in her video, “If you’re into that adrenaline buzz, it’s got some serious fast flumes for older children and adults, you’ve got the slides such as the devil’s drop, the screamer, Kamikaze, and much more that will test [your] nerves”.

However, the facilities and slides for younger children and toddlers left Chloe really impressed, with one area a major perk for young families.

“They have a dedicated section called Shipwreck Island, which is amazing for toddlers and little ones. There’s seven slides in this section, and it’s just the right height for toddlers.

“The water is all shallow, so you don’t have to stress, it’s like a big massive splash zone.”

Chloe added, “They have water sprinkling out all over and, of course, the big massive tipping bucket that soaks everyone every couple of minutes, the kids absolutely enjoyed themselves”.

The mum of two explained the different tickets you can get for the waterpark, which include two, three, and four-hour slots, as well as entire day passes.

The waterpark warns on their website that you cannot get tickets on the door for this attraction, so anyone interested in spending a day out there has to make sure they have booked their slot ahead.

Chloe added that there were good food offerings available at the waterpark, including things like burgers, but that her family opted to bring packed lunches – and there was plenty of space for them to enjoy their little picnic.

There’s also an ice cream stand, which families will definitely make the most of during a hot summer’s day, and Chloe advised that if you are planning on booking a two or three-hour slot, you should make the most of the day out by spending time at the beach next door as well.

She called Splashdown Quaywest the “perfect family day out,” and people in the comments seemed keen to try it out, with many asking for further details, and one user writing: “That’s awesome, looks like it’s abroad.” and another commenting: “Went Monday…I love it’.

Emmerdale’s latest episode saw Joe Tate’s lies to Moira Dingle rumbled by her, leading to her refusing to agree to a deal to seel her fam to Kim Tate despite initial plans

There was quite the discovery about Joe Tate on Emmerdale on Friday, and Moira Dingle wasn’t standing for it.

Just this week the character learned from Joe that Kim Tate wanted to buy her farm. Joe claimed Kim had no intention to turn the land into a housing development or anything other than a farm, with a rather good offer on the table for farmer Moira.

Moira has faced losing her beloved home and business ever since the slurry leak months ago. With fines to pay and the farm not doing well at all, Moira has had to consider selling up. Moira already agreed to sell Annie Sugden’s land around the farm to Robert Sugden recently after his fake claims of wanting to carry in the family legacy.

Fans know he was actually planning to tell it onto Kim, while that plan fell apart this week with Robert changing his mind. As for the farm, Moira came to the decision to consider Kim’s offer which was shared to her by Joe, after another update from the water company brought the news Moira’s appeal had been rejected.

READ MORE: Emmerdale star reveals secret struggles with ‘misunderstood’ neurodivergent condition

With Moira told by Joe she could remain as a tenant but they wanted ownership, she was keen – unaware that Joe was lying and planned to get the family out. While it was only a hint, he suggested a loophole would likely lead to her losing her home.

After Noel from the water board advised Moira that her appeal to get the fines called off had been rejected, she was left believing her only option was to sell. That was until Friday when she found out Joe was in cahoots with someone.

But it’s not Kim that Joe is working with to get his hands on the farm, and instead it was none other than Noel. Joe bribed the character to keep up the punishment hoping it would encourage Moira to give in and sell up.

Moira caught them in the act though, hearing them discussing the matter just as she was about to sign over the ownership. Realising she was being duped, she wasted no time in returning the unsigned papers and admitting what she’d found out.

Joe was mortified to realise he’d scuppered up his own dark plans, but soon he was back to threats. Moira stood her ground though, telling him she knew exactly what he was up to and how she wasn’t going to let him get away with it so easily.

She told her husband Cain all about it, who called Joe a snake. As Joe showed up at the farm and they continued their showdown, Moira let rip.

Moira said “she’d rather go under than sell to Kim”, while Joe told her the offer was still on the table but not for long. Moira was once again left with a decision to make but what will she do?

Unbeknownst to her though Joe was ready with his next move. He told Dawn Taylor that Moira was going to learn that “he gets what he wants” and that he was prepared to do whatever it takes to get it.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Emmerdale has signed up EastEnders and Slow Horses actor Chris Coghill who will play new character Kev, who has a secret link to another villager paving the way for huge scenes

A new Emmerdale character has been confirmed, with a former EastEnders star signing up for the role.

New mystery character Kev will debut on the ITV soap in September, and it’s soon revealed he is linked to another villager. Not only that, but more than one character will feature in big scenes as Kev’s arrival has “major repercussions”.

Actor Chris Coghill, who played EastEnders villain Tony King, has confirmed he will be playing Kev as he teased what was on the cards. Soap producer Laura Shaw also promised big scenes ahead, as the character first appears to be someone who is lost.

He’ll be shown looking for directions, and soon enough we learn who he is looking for and why he wants to see them. The character, yet to be revealed, is said to have “a strong connection” to Kev in a storyline yet to be detailed.

There’s clearly a past between them, but fans will just have to wait and see who it is and what Kev wants. Fans can expect “shockwaves” to hit the village in another big plot for the ITV soap.

READ MORE: EastEnders schedule shake-up sparks ‘technical error’ as fans spot Jack Branning blunder

Speaking about joining the show, actor Chris teased his mysterious character would “shake things up”. He said: “I am really happy to be joining the cast of Emmerdale. Kev is definitely going to shake things up a bit and I’m looking forward to getting cracking!”

Soap producer Laura spilled: “We are delighted that someone of Chris’ calibre has joined our cast. I think the viewers will be intrigued to see how the character of Kev will cause shockwaves this autumn.

“Kev has a strong connection to one of our characters and it’s safe to say his arrival is going to be a massive surprise that will have major repercussions for some of our villagers.” More will be revealed closer to the time.

As well as his well known stint in EastEnders, actor Chris has also had other big roles in shows including Slow Horses, The Bay and Shameless. He’s now heading to the Dales, and fans can see his debut at the end of September.

He isn’t the only new face in the village, with recent arrivals including new villain Ray played by actor Joe Absolom, and new farmer Celia played by actress Jaye Griffiths. Both characters have brought trouble to the village, and this is set to continue over the next few months.

There’s also a big episode on the way featuring characters Aaron Dingle and Mackenzie Boyd this September. A huge plot will air across a big week of episodes, with it said a special set has been built for filming.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Coronation Street spoilers for next week’s episodes reveal characters are hiding things, while more than one character takes revenge and there could be an exit on the ITV soap

Spoilers for next week’s Coronation Street see drama, chaos and a new arrival, as well as an exit teased.

One character vows to leave amid a shock affair that threatens to tear a family apart. There’s a visit for one family from a relative, who makes their debut – played by an actress who has been on the ITV soap before.

Josephine Lloyd-Welcome will play Dev’s Aunty Rani, while she’s played different roles in the past on the ITV soap. More than one character takes revenge of sorts next week too, while there’s a discovery as we find out what Carla Connor has been hiding.

Let’s kick things off with the Websters, and an exit could be looming as an affair begins. With Kevin Webster still lying about his cancer results, making wife Abi Franklin believe he needs more treatment, his brother Carl Webster fights the urge to tell her the truth amid their secret feelings.

Abi does end up finding out the truth from someone else, confronting Kevin who admits his lie and explains he did it out of fear she would leave him for his brother Carl. He ends up pushing her straight into Carl’s arms though, and they begin to kiss passionately.

READ MORE: Coronation Street character ‘still alive and set to join soap’ as fake death ‘rumbled’

Despite their moment of intimacy, Carl tells Abi she would be right to stick with Kevin and that they should stay apart from now on. When Kevin sacks his brother from the garage after his recent dodgy dealings, Carl decides a fresh start is needed and he plans to move away from Weatherfield.

When Abi finds out she’s left gutted, but will Carl stay? And what will Abi do? Elsewhere, in the fallout to Lily Platt terrorising her cousin Sam Blakeman, he gets his own back next week with a fake story about a robbery at her home.

Lily’s left terrified unaware Sam has taken revenge after her recent behaviour. Soon, Sam is confiding in Toyah Battersby about his anxiety and his recent panic attacks – but will he tell his dad Nick?

There’s more drama for the Bailey family too, as James moves ahead with the adoption plans for his sister Dee-Dee’ daughter Laila, amid her torn over what she wants to do. Ed Bailey is keen for his kids to clear the air as they remain divided over Laila’s future, while James is plotting to leave – but will he take the baby with him?

Meanwhile Dee-Dee can’t help but smile when she bumps into newcomer Ollie who she recently met at the pub. There’s a new face on the show next week, as Dev’s aunt arrives ahead of his wedding to Bernie Winter.

When she shows up unannounced though the family panic, especially as Aunty Rani has offered to pay for the wedding – while Bernie and Dev’s son Aadi are still hiding the latter’s money issues. When Aunty Rani reveals her plan to create a spreadsheet detailing all the wedding costs so she can keep tabs on the amount she’s spent, Bernie and Aadi hide their dismay – but what are they up to?

There’s more trouble ahead for Todd Grimshaw and new partner Theo Silverton. Todd has to attend a restorative justice session with Noah, after he attacked him recently over his past with Theo.

Todd had seen him practicing conversion therapy on a member of the congregation and took action, after Noah pushed Theo into this years earlier. But there’s a bigger twist ahead when Noah seems to take payback, and maybe Theo’s wife Danielle does too.

It’s revealed they are dating, much to the horror of Todd and Theo given what Noah did. Theo ends up lashing out but accidentally hurts his son Miles leading to him being told he isn’t allowed to see his kids.

When Billy Mayhew tries to help with the situation it backfires, leaving Theo lashing out once more and telling lies – with Todd horrified. Finally next week, we learn what Carla was hiding from her partner Lisa Swain amid her turmoil over her past.

Skipping therapy, Lisa instead spends some time at her late wife Becky’s grave ahead of their anniversary. Carla supports Lisa, and as the day arrives Lisa is clearly struggling.

Carla and stepdaughter Betsy Swain are worried about Lisa, knowing she’s not doing well at all. Lisa insists she’s okay though and heads off for another therapy session.

She does open up to her therapist, with us finally realising what is bothering the detective. She confesses that she often wonders if there was more to Becky’s death than meets the eye. With questions continuing over whether Becky was corrupt or not, it’s clear she needs to know what really happened to Becky and what was going on with her wife before her death in order for her to move on.

She has no idea that Carla is on a mission to get her those answers, with her visiting Logan Radcliffe in prison who clearly knows something. Logan’s link to what happened to Becky was explored on the show earlier this year, while Betsy failed to get anything out of Logan.

Carla decides to try though, determined to help Lisa and get to the bottom of what really happened. Does she get anything out of Logan though? Later on the week, Lisa does some digging of her own.

She sneaks into DI Costello’s office and searches his email for any reference to Becky Swain. But will she find anything out and will she be caught? It seems she finds something out about Kit Green as she soon confronts her colleague.

She tells him she saw his name on the computer which stated that he had asked for access to Becky’s file. Having it out with Kit, it’s not revealed what he says or what this means, but she later tells Carla she cannot work with Kit anymore.

She slams the detective for going behind her back, unaware Carla, out of love, has done the same. But will Carla admit what she’s up to, and how will Lisa react?

Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITV X. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Emmerdale fans think Robert Sugden has teamed up with a villager, but they don’t think it’s Kim Tate despite their ongoing secret plan that is set to be revisited next week

Robert Sugden has caused plenty of drama since his epic Emmerdale return just months ago.

Ryan Hawley sent viewers into meltdown with his surprise comeback after six years away, with Robert gatecrashing his ex-husband Aaron Dingle’s wedding to John Sugden, who happens to be Robert’s long-lost brother. Since his return to the village after his prison release, he’s struck up a feud with John, has planned to reunite with Aaron and he’s been back to his dodgy ways.

Striking up deals with drug dealer Ray and Home Farm owner Kim Tate, he’s wronged Moira Dingle and the Bartons and sparked plenty of chaos. But as he continues to plot and “bring mayhem” to the village, fans think he could be in cahoots with another villager in secret.

In fact, there’s two characters that fans are sure John could secretly be working or scheming with. Currently, Robert has led Moira to believe he wants to buy her farm land from her as it once belonged to his grandmother Annie Sugden.

Claiming he wanted to carry on his late father Jack Sugden’s legacy, he revealed he was keen to work on the land and offered Moira a price. Moira was keen with this, unaware he was lying to her face.

READ MORE: Emmerdale character killed off as Nate’s ‘real killer’ confesses – but it’s not John

Robert wasted no time in telling Kim everything, about how he made Moira think he wanted the land for personal reasons. The pair then toasted their deal, as it emerged Robert was getting his hands on the land to then sell on to Kim.

This plot continues next week, but there seems to be some second thoughts. Robert realises just how desperate Kim is to get her hands on the land, and that land in particular.

It sparks alarm bells and makes him wonder what her true plan is, and what she might be hiding. He decides to do some digging to figure out what Kim is up to, and what the significance is of getting that land.

But will he pull out of the deal completely, and is Robert being screwed over? Viewers think he could be panicked because he’s actually teamed up with someone else.

Kim twist or not, fans do think that Robert has secretly teamed up with one of two characters. Viewers are questioning if new farmer Celia is working with Robert on something, perhaps linked to the land or even against Moira.

She knew who he was in their first meeting, claiming to know all about the Sugdens. But might they have already met? Then there’s Caleb Miligan who initially gave Robert a job at his warehouse before changing his mind.

With him an enemy of Kim and always looking for a new business opportunity, could he and Robert be in cahoots? Taking to social media one fan said: “I think Robert will now do a deal with Celia and that’s how she’ll become more integrated.

“I don’t buy him buying a shed and some cows! But also wondering if Robert is somehow doing something undercover for Caleb.” Another said: “Robert and Celia would be a good twist, typical Robert scamming the person he’s scamming with – there was that moment where Celia knew Robert/the Sugdens wasn’t there.”

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Experts warn that, with airlines routinely overbooking flights on purpose, a simple check-in mistake could see the start to your holiday getting delayed

UK airports are gearing up for a record summer travel boom, with millions of us planning to fly to exotic destinations. But with budgets getting ever tighter, airlines are even more likely to deliberately overbook flights to eliminate any risk of wastage due to passengers failing to show up for their booked flights.

But with that deliberate overbooking comes the risk of being turned away at check-in.

How can travellers work out if they’re at risk of missing out on their flight? Experts from leading luxury airport transfer provider SCS Chauffeurs explain that there’s a unique code on every boarding pass.

According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, more than six million passengers were denied boarding globally in the last year, with many unaware that early check-in could have guaranteed their flight.

Hadleigh Diamond, luxury airport chauffeur provider at SCS Chauffeurs, explains: “SEQ stands for Sequence Number, and it tells airlines the order in which you checked in for your flight.

“A SEQ of 001 means you were the first to check in; 152 means you were the 152nd. While it doesn’t affect your seat assignment or boarding group, it’s crucial during overbooked flights, especially on budget airlines.

“When flights are oversold, which is increasingly common during peak periods – airlines have to choose who gets involuntarily denied boarding.”

One of the main factors used is the check in order. If you were one of the last to check in, you’re more likely to be at the bottom of the priority list.

“When we arrange transfers, we often remind passengers to ensure they’ve checked in early, whenever possible, to avoid a potential flight issue.” Hadleigh adds: “Airlines tend to overbook flights as not all passengers turn up on the day.”

When a flight is so overbooked that passengers are denied boarding or offloaded, the airline will usually ask for volunteers. But if no-one comes forward, each airline will deny boarding to passengers in line with its own policies: “For many airlines, this involves using the SEQ number as a fair tie-breaker.

“You might be more likely to be denied boarding if you’re travelling alone or without luggage, have paid the lowest fare or were the last to check-in.”

Don’t assume a booked seat means that you have a guaranteed flight. Overbooking affects all classes, including economy with assigned seating. Look for SEQ on your boarding pass – It’s usually printed under or near the barcode. A low number is better.

There are two key tips for avoiding disappointment.

First of all, the experts say, try to check in as early as possible. Most airlines allow online check-in 24–48 hours before departure. Set a reminder and check in online it the moment it opens.

Secondly, if you’re flying with friends or family, make sure everyone checks in together to avoid getting split up by the SEQ system. In worst-case scenarios, some members may board while others are denied.

Defence Minister John Healey says about 4,500 people are in Britain or in transit under the secret programme.

The United Kingdom set up a secret plan to resettle thousands of Afghan people in Britain after an official accidentally disclosed the personal details of more than 33,000 people, putting them at risk of reprisals from the Taliban, court documents showed.

A judge at London’s High Court said in a May 2024 judgement made public on Tuesday that about 20,000 people may have to be offered relocation to Britain, a move that would likely cost “several billion pounds”.

Britain’s current Defence Minister John Healey told Parliament that around 4,500 affected people “are in Britain or in transit … at a cost of around 400 million pounds [$540m]” under the programme known as the Afghan Response Route.

The government is also facing lawsuits from those affected by the data breach.

A Ministry of Defence-commissioned review of the data breach, a summary of which was also published on Tuesday, said more than 16,000 people affected by it had been relocated to the UK as of May this year.

The breach revealed the names of Afghans who had helped British forces in Afghanistan before they withdrew from the country in chaotic circumstances in 2021.

The details emerged after a legal ruling known as a superinjunction was lifted. The injunction had been granted in 2023 after the Ministry of Defence argued that a public disclosure of the breach could put people at risk of extra-judicial killing or serious violence by the Taliban.

The data set contained personal information of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to be relocated to Britain and their families.

It was released in error in early 2022, before the Defence Ministry spotted the breach in August 2023, when part of the data set was published on Facebook.

The former Conservative government obtained the injunction the following month.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s centre-left government, which was elected last July, launched a review into the injunction, the breach and the relocation scheme, which found that although Afghanistan remains dangerous, there was little evidence of intent by the Taliban to conduct a campaign of retribution.

Healey said the Afghan Response Route has now been closed and apologised for the data breach, which “should never have happened”.

About 36,000 more Afghans have been relocated to the UK under other resettlement routes.

British troops were sent to Afghanistan as part of a deployment of the United States-led so-called “War on Terror” against al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US.

At the peak of the operation, there were almost 10,000 British troops in the country.

Getty Images

‘Unprecedented’

Coronation Street spoilers for next week have teased big secrets under threat, a new romance ahead of one exit while another sad exit seems to have been confirmed too

Fans of Coronation Street have plenty to keep an eye on next week, with multiple characters featuring in drama.

There’s a sad goodbye for one family it seems, ahead of another resident soon departing the show. The latter is included in a new romance too, amid a horrifying lie and surprising scenes.

They’re not the only one hiding something though, as Carla Connor, Kevin and Carl Webster and Theo Silverton are all sparking suspicion next week, amid Aadi Alahan’s new plot. To kick things off let’s discuss the exit that appears to be airing next week. Lou Michaelis has been locked up ever since she was exposed for attacking Gary Windass, ahead of the character leaving the show for good.

With Sally Metcalfe caring for her young daughters and teen son Brody also on the cobbles, Sally takes the girls to see their mum while their brother refuses to attend. Lou reveals she plans to plead not guilty and asks for Sally to fund her legal fees, leaving her shocked.

But later in the week, Sally and husband Tim break the news to Brody that Lou has pleaded guilty which means she will likely go to to prison. So she asks for Brody to visit her – but is this her final scenes? Elsewhere her daughters Joanie and Shanice spark concern with Sally and Tim with something they do after their mum’s news.

READ MORE: Emmerdale fans spot Joe blunder in ‘death’ scenes as Eddie’s real plan for Kim ‘revealed’

Another character soon leaving the show is Aadi. Next week he’s still keeping from Lauren the fact it was his drink spiked with LSD that she accidentally drank, leading to her facing death. Aadi is also acting weird after the shop robbery.

Soon there’s a kiss between Aadi and Lauren as a new romance forms, but when Aadi’s dad Dev Alahan judges Lauren’s past there’s drama. He does try to make amends though, while Aadi is hiding some worrying news when he tells stepmother Bernie Winter that the insurance company are not going to pay them after the robbery.

He reveals how he missed a payment and they won’t get a penny. Soon a confession from Dev leaves Bernie plotting ahead of their wedding, but what will she do? Carla is also hiding something next week amid her supporting her partner Lisa Swain.

After Lisa’s recent turmoil she began therapy sessions, forced to face her past. After the shop robbery we saw the police detective freeze instead of catching the thief.

Carla encourages Lisa to continue with the sessions next week, assuring her she’ll be back on top form in no time while Lisa isn’t so sure. But it’s soon clear Carla is hiding something when at work, Michael Bailey spots something on her laptop screen and is left very intrigued – so what is Carla up to?

Theo is continuing to hide his sexuality from people next week despite his romance with Todd Grimshaw. He bumps into an old friend and makes out Todd is a woman, but there’s more trouble ahead when Noah heads back to the cobbles.

Theo previously revealed Noah was involved in the conversion therapy Theo was forced to endure when he was younger. Noah tells Theo to attend a meeting with him to “save his soul”, and the next day Noah is caught practising conversion therapy on a member of his congregation.

When Todd lashes out the incident is caught on camera and he’s taken in for questioning by the police. Accused of assault, Todd fears the worst but Theo does his best to support him.

Elsewhere, Debbie Webster is still coming to terms with living with dementia, and her change in behaviour continues to alarm her loved ones. When she snaps at a guest at her hotel, she’s filmed by them – only for Ryan Connor to step in to help his friend.

He’s reeling though when Debbie thanks him by kissing him on the lips. Ryan reveals all to Debbie’s partner Ronnie Bailey, leaving him reeling while Debbie is oblivious. Ryan warns Debbie that if it had been anyone else they might not have been so understanding.

Meanwhile, Debbie finds out her brother Carl is in trouble next week and asks how much money he needs. Soon his brother Kevin spots his secret meetings with Fiona, and soon all becomes clear about his schemes and his dodgy dealings at the garage.

When a car is nicked, Kevin tries to stop it but feels unwell. He’s taken to hospital and soon tells Carl he’s fine, only to tell his sibling he knows what’s gone on – leading to them both facing tough questions.

Carl reveals he knows Kevin has lied about his cancer, but will his wife Abi find out the truth? Finally next week, teen Sam Blakeman continues to feel traumatised after recent events with villain Mick – and it soon leads to a row with his cousin Lily Platt when she admits she locked him out of the classroom on purpose.

Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITV X. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Five years after her son was beaten so badly by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies that he needed more than 30 stitches and staples to his face and head, Vanessa Perez is still looking for answers. So are county officials tasked with holding the department accountable for misconduct.

Despite a subpoena and an ongoing legal battle, obtaining a complete account of what happened to Vanessa’s son Joseph Perez has proved impossible — at least so far.

The sheriff’s department has released a heavily redacted report outlining its version of what transpired in the San Gabriel Valley community of East Valinda on July 27, 2020.

According to the report, deputies from the Industry Station stopped Joseph, 27, on suspicion of breaking into a car. He punched and kicked them multiple times, the document states. Three deputies injured their hands and a fourth broke his leg falling off a curb. Six deputies punched Joseph and deployed various holds and takedowns before he was arrested and charged with five counts of resisting an executive officer, court records show.

But entire pages of the department’s “use of force” report are blacked out, leaving Vanessa and members of the Civilian Oversight Commission wondering what details are being kept secret.

County oversight officials issued three subpoenas in February for cases under scrutiny, including one seeking an unredacted copy of the Perez file. The County Counsel’s Office has resisted, arguing the files should remain confidential, and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department has declined to hand them over.

Amid the subpoena standoff, Vanessa, 43, shows up to speak at nearly every monthly meeting of the oversight commission in a black T-shirt with a picture of her son’s bloodied face.

“Surviving an arrest shouldn’t look like Joseph. And it shouldn’t look like 121 punches either. That’s what they admitted to,“ she told The Times, referring to an unofficial tally she made based on the deputies’ statements in the redacted document.

Vanessa Perez holds a photograph of her son, Joseph Perez, taken after he was beaten by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies in July 2020.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The beating was so severe, she said, it left her son struggling to carry on a conversation.

“He’s not able to do that anymore,” she said. “It’s just hard for him to socialize, period, with the constant fear.”

A month after the oversight commission‘s subpoena, L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna responded by filing a lawsuit, asking a court to determine whether his department must comply. Luna said at the time that the County Counsel’s Office had advised the department that releasing the documents “violates the law.”

In a statement to The Times, the sheriff’s department said it is “taking deliberate steps to resolve the dispute and ensure its actions align with both the law and the principles of transparency.”

Last month, the County Counsel’s Office said in a statement that it “has fully supported” the commission “in its efforts to seek the information it needs to play a powerful oversight role on behalf of LA County citizens. This includes assisting with a declaratory relief action that will hopefully bring judicial clarity to the commission’s ability to obtain the information it seeks.”

Joseph maintains he was not the aggressor in the July 2020 incident. His mother said he was in the middle of a “mental health episode.”

Court records show Joseph has been jailed multiple times since on a range of charges, including methamphetamine possession and damaging a vehicle. In August 2022, he pleaded no contest to one of the five charges from the beating incident and was sentenced to 32 months in state prison.

He is currently incarcerated at Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic after violating his probation from a separate case in which he was convicted of resisting two West Covina police officers.

He has struggled with addiction and been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression and psychosis, according to his mother.

Anne Golden, Joseph’s public defender, said in a recent court hearing that he suffers from impaired executive functioning due to a traumatic brain injury inflicted by the deputies.

In a brief phone call last month from jail, Joseph told The Times he believes the full report about what happened to him should be released to “show that I was in the right.”

Vanessa Perez holds a photo of her and her son, Joseph Perez.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“They’re lying about a lot of stuff with my case,” he said. “They lied about how it went down; they’re saying I’m the aggressor when I wasn’t. The reality is they beat me up — they left me for dead.”

The sheriff’s department said the deputies involved in the incident declined to comment.

The department said in a statement that every use of force “incident is thoroughly reviewed to evaluate if policies and procedures were followed,” adding that in “this incident, the use of force … was determined to be within policy.”

Oversight officials seeking records related to Joseph’s case and others have been stymied at every turn, according to Loyola Law School professor Sean Kennedy. Kennedy resigned from the commission in February following a dispute with county lawyers over another matter.

“To have effective and meaningful civilian oversight, it’s necessary for the commission to be able to review confidential documents about police misconduct and use of force,” Kennedy said. “Without that, this is all just oversight theater.”

Last month, Robert Bonner, the oversight commission’s chair, revealed that L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger intended to replace him despite his desire to stay on and finish ongoing work.

Barger said in an email last month that the move “reflects my desire to continue cultivating public trust in the oversight process by introducing new perspectives that support the Commission’s vital work.”

During the commission’s June 26 meeting, Bonner, 84, alleged that powerful people in county government do not want meaningful oversight over the sheriff’s department. A former federal judge who once served as U.S. attorney in Los Angeles and led the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bonner was fiery in his remarks.

He said he believed the County Counsel’s Office was advising the sheriff to withhold documents as a means of “telling this commission what it can and can’t do, and that goes over the line.”

“They treat our subpoenas like public record requests,” Bonner said.

The Civilian Oversight Commission has said it is willing to go into closed session to review the full reports, but the county’s lawyers argue that’s not legal.

On Tuesday, the state Senate’s public safety committee approved a bill previously approved by the state Assembly that would allow oversight commissions across California to conduct closed sessions to review personnel records and other confidential materials.

But the proposal, AB 847, still requires approval from the full state Senate and governor. And even if it does become law, the county counsel’s office argues that the L.A. County code explicitly bars the commission from reviewing sensitive documents in closed session.

Robert Bonner, chair of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Civilian Oversight Commission, speaks during the commission’s meeting at St. Anne’s Family Services in L.A. on June 26.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Bonner has pushed for the county code to be changed, saying he and other members of the oversight body “vigorously disagree with County Counsel’s interpretation” of it.

“This commission needs subpoena power to be effective, and it needs to have effective subpoena power, which means it needs to be able to go into closed session,” Bonner said during the commission’s June meeting.

The sheriff’s department said it “will abide by the ultimate judicial determination as to whether those records can be lawfully disclosed.”

Whether the oversight body can issue subpoenas is not in dispute. In March 2020 — four months before Joseph was beaten — L.A. County voters overwhelmingly approved Measure R, a ballot initiative that granted the commission subpoena power.

But the county is thwarting the legal orders, according to Bert Deixler, former special counsel to the Civilian Oversight Commission. That intransigence, he said, contributes to a culture of impunity in the sheriff’s department.

“More momentum will be built in the wrong direction, the county will continue to get sued, the county continues to have more and more financial challenges, and it’s a race to the bottom,” he said.

On June 3, Vanessa Perez drove in from her home in West Covina to attend a hearing for her son at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown L.A.

After waiting several hours for him to emerge, she became emotional as Joseph finally walked into the courtroom through a side door. His hands were cuffed in front of his wrinkled yellow jail T-shirt and his ear lobes were stretched with white paper plugs over his tattooed neck.

Vanessa Perez stands at the location in East Valinda where her son, Joseph Perez, was beaten by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies in July 2020.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

But despite his lawyer’s pleas for the court to allow Joseph to enter a job training program and immediately begin receiving treatment for his mental health problems, Judge James Bianco ordered him to remain behind bars pending a mental health diversion reinstatement hearing.

“Mr. Perez has been given all the chances that I’m inclined to give him,” Bianco said.

Joseph looked back at his mother once before being escorted back out of the courtroom.

While her son remains locked up for now, Vanessa is demanding the unredacted version of the beating report be made public. She wants to understand why his beating didn’t warrant an internal affairs investigation or discipline for the deputies involved.

“We know Joseph wasn’t the first and won’t be the last,” she said. “With Joseph’s story exposed we … will know how they lied, how they covered their asses, from the deputies to the sergeant to the captain.”

Presidential protection service accused of pattern of negligence, communications breakdowns in planning and execution of Trump rally.

A United States Senate inquiry into an attempt to assassinate President Donald Trump at a campaign rally last year has blamed the Secret Service for “inexcusable” failures in its operations and response and called for more serious disciplinary action.

The report, released on Sunday, a year after a 20-year-old gunman opened fire on Trump, accused the presidential protection service of a pattern of negligence and communications breakdowns in planning and executing the rally.

On July 13, 2024, a gunman shot the then-Republican Party presidential candidate during a campaign rally in the town of Butler in the state of Pennsylvania, grazing his ear.

One bystander was killed and two people in addition to Trump were wounded before a government sniper killed the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks.

“What happened was inexcusable and the consequences imposed for the failures so far do not reflect the severity of the situation,” said the report released by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The shooting energised Trump’s bid to return to the White House as his campaign used a photo of him bloodied and pumping his fist as he was hurried offstage to woo voters.

‘Complete breakdown’

The report did not shed new light on the gunman’s motive, which still remains a mystery, but accused the Secret Service of “a cascade of preventable failures that nearly cost President Trump his life”.

“The United States Secret Service failed to act on credible intelligence, failed to coordinate with local law enforcement,” said the committee’s Republican chairman, Rand Paul.

“Despite those failures, no one has been fired,” he added.

“It was a complete breakdown of security at every level – fuelled by bureaucratic indifference, a lack of clear protocols and a shocking refusal to act on direct threats.

“We must hold individuals accountable and ensure reforms are fully implemented so this never happens again.”

The Secret Service identified communications, technical and human errors and said reforms were under way, including improving coordination between different law enforcement bodies involved in security at events and establishing a division dedicated to aerial surveillance.

Six unidentified staff have been disciplined, according to the agency. The punishments ranged from 10 to 42 days of suspension without pay, and all six were put into restricted or nonoperational positions.

Days before the assassination attempt’s anniversary, Trump said “mistakes were made” but he was satisfied with the investigation.

On Sunday, Trump told reporters, “God was protecting me,” adding that he did not like to think “too much” about the assassination attempt.

“It’s a little bit of a dangerous profession being president, but I really don’t like to think about it too much,” he said.

Trump marked the event on Sunday by joining family, friends and close advisers to witness Chelsea’s dominating FIFA Club World Cup final victory over Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

July 13 (UPI) — Federal security officials received key information about an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump when a gunman’s bullet grazed Trump’s ear at a rural Pennsylvania campaign rally last summer, a Government Accountability Office report shows.

The report, commissioned by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the Secret Service received tips on the attempted assassination at least 10 days prior to the incident in Butler County, Penn., “but failed to relay the information to federal and local law enforcement personnel responsible for securing and staffing the event,” a report released by the Senate Judiciary Committee said.

The report said the Secret Service had no process in place to share the information.

“As an important step, I allocated $1.17 billion in the One Big Beautiful Bill to provide the Secret Service with additional funding,” Grassley said in a release regarding the report. “I’m hopeful this significant injection of resources will go a long way in bringing the agency up to speed.”

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheadle had said there was no information made available leading up to the attack one year ago, but Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said that was not true.

“She did not tell the truth,” Paul said during an appearance on the CBS News program Face the Nation. “She said there were no assets that were requested in advance. We found at least four occasions, actually, maybe five occasions, where requests were made. The primary request that was made by both Trump’s Secret Service detail, as well as his campaign was for counter-snipers.”

Paul contended that there was “plenty of time to take him off the stage” based on the information that was available. He said a report of a suspicious person with a range-finder equipped weapon turned out to be the shooter who made the attempt on Trump’s life.

The GAO report said the site agent responsible for identifying vulnerabilities was new to her job and that the Butler County rally was the first time she had planned and secured a large, outdoor event.

The agency said the six unnamed individuals face punishments ranging from ’10- to 42-day suspensions without pay’.

Six Secret Service agents on duty during last year’s failed assassination attempt against United States President Donald Trump have faced disciplinary action, including suspensions ranging from 10 to 42 days, the agency has said.

The US Secret Service said it was prohibited from releasing the names of those facing disciplinary action in a Thursday statement marking the one-year anniversary of the shooting at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13, 2024.

It said the six individuals face punishments ranging from “10- to 42-day suspensions without pay”, while all will also be “placed on restricted duty or into non-operational positions”.

The statement did not specify the grounds for their suspensions, but said the incident – in which a lone gunman opened fire at a rally in the town of Butler – represents an “operational failure”.

The attacker accessed a nearby rooftop with a direct line of sight to the former president as he spoke on stage. A bystander was killed, while Trump’s ear was reportedly wounded in the attack. Agents shot and killed the gunman at the scene.

In an interview with Fox News set to air on Saturday, Trump said the Secret Service should have stationed an agent on the rooftop. “There were mistakes made. And that shouldn’t have happened,” he said.

The agency said it will carry the event as a “reminder of the critical importance of its zero-fail mission and the need for continuous improvement”.

“Breakdowns in communication, technological issues, and human failure, among other contributing factors, led to the events of July 13,” it said.

The Secret Service said it has implemented 21 of 46 recommendations made by congressional oversight bodies in the wake of the assassination attempt.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran, who was in charge of Trump’s security detail at the rally, said the agency “has taken many steps to ensure such an event can never be repeated in the future”.

Detailed in the Secret Service statement were new protective measures for golf courses.

Soon after the Butler assassination attempt, a man with a gun hid near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course in Florida with the intent to kill the then-Republican presidential candidate.

Prosecutors said Ryan Routh methodically plotted to kill Trump for weeks before aiming a rifle through the shrubbery as he played golf on September 15, 2024. A Secret Service agent spotted Routh before he was able to open fire on Trump.

On Thursday, Routh told Judge Aileen Cannon of the Southern District of Florida he wants to get rid of his court-appointed federal public defenders and represent himself at trial. Routh did not state his reasons for doing so.

Cannon did not immediately rule on Routh’s request and said she will issue a written order with her decision. Routh’s trial is scheduled to begin on September 9.

LOVE Island fans are convinced the Casa Amor boys told Meg about Dejon’s behaviour in unaired scenes.

Despite a couple of wobbles following the arrival of bombshells Malisha and Billykiss, Meg believed Dejon was loyal to her.

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However, seeds doubting his intentions seemed to have been sown in Meg’s mind during a villa game shortly before Casa Amor when Billykiss brought up Dejon’s unwillingness to close things off with her.

Though Meg initially said there was no need to for them to do that and the other girls were just jealous, days later she was reduced to tears thinking about Dejon’s behaviour.

The dramatic emotional switch appeared to come out of the blue as she poured her heart out to Helena.

Now viewers think the new boys have told her how Dejon has really been acting, having seen some of the show before taking part themselves.

One person wrote in a fan forum: “It was a bit odd that it took casa for Meg to finally wake up and realize that Dejon has been playing with her since day 1? Like a lot of the girls warned her. I genuinely believe that the producers or the casa boys let her in on some info. And also, if Helena knew why didn’t she tell her? Lol.”

Another said: “The casa boys definitely got into her head. Ty was telling her that Dejon never tells her the full story or something like that and I’ll bet others have said things.”

A third wrote: “Probably some of the Casa boys said stuff to her about what’s been shown and people’s opinions of him on the outside.”

A fourth said: “I think she’s been told some stuff but she won’t stick to her opinion.”

Meg chose to couple up with Dejon at the very start of the series and they’ve been together ever since.

Though very flirtatious, he has remained loyal to “his Meg,” claiming the “tests” have only made them stronger as a couple.

Though some viewers feel Dejon’s game plan is to stick with Meg so he can coast to the £50k prize.

And Meg is also now doubting his intentions, telling Helena: “I just feel really upset today. I don’t know why.

“I was just talking about things with Em, and I don’t know, we just, like, certain things with me and D, like, it actually makes me realise he really doesn’t mean what he says sometimes.”

In Casa Amor, Dejon admitted he had a spark with new girl Andrada, telling her: “And I feel like the more time we spend with each other, the better things are getting.”

His eyes also lit up after Andrada made a steamy confession.

Clearly determined to turn his head for good, the newcomer opened up about her high sex drive. 

When Dejon asked about her type, Andrada said: “I have to want them three times a day… I have to.” 

Looking impressed, Dejon asked: “So you have a high sex drive?”

She said: “I do… It’s really bad.”

But Dejon remarked: “That’s not bad.”

However, he later backtracked by declining to share a bed with her out of “respect” for Meg.

Will they pick up where they left off in tonight’s recoupling?

Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2.

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For those who are a bit more judicious with their cash but also love avoiding the general public and travelling in style, “private jet card” memberships are one option

The megarich are buying special cards that let them avoid the public when jetting off abroad.

Flying in a private jet may be one of the most environmentally destructive things that it’s possible to do, but that hasn’t put many billionaires off. More than 90 were flown to Venice for Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s wedding in June, according to reports, including Kylie Jenner’s lavish £53million personal plane.

According to CelebrityJets, the private jet spewed out an estimated 24 tons of carbon pollution, or the same as an average person would produce if they drove a petrol car around the world three times.

Despite repeated and increasingly loud warnings that the world’s population must rapidly cut its fossil fuel consumption if the ravages of climate change are to be mitigated, the message clearly isn’t getting through. Greenpeace analysis has found that private jet use is soaring.

READ MORE: Tensions erupt at UK’s most exclusive billionaire’s private jet fair

While destroying the planet isn’t an obstacle for the mega-rich flyer, the cost occasionally is. Going private can be hugely expensive. According to Fly Volato, private jets can cost £80million before any fuel has been bought or crew members hired.

For those who are a bit more judicious with their cash but also love avoiding the general public and travelling in style, “private jet card” memberships are a slick option to have up your sleeve, according to the Times.

The newspaper reports that the well-to-do pay from £75,000 for a block of flying hours which guarantees access to a private jet with 24-48 hours’ notice.”

One of the providers is Flexjet which describes its customers as “UHNW [ultra-high net worth] individuals, families, and companies”. Andrew Collins, the CEO of Flexjet, said: “A significant proportion have self-made wealth, distinguishing them as high-achieving entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders in sectors such as finance, real estate and technology.”

The services allow members to forgo the hassle and some of the associated costs of private jet ownership. However, there are downsides. About £375,000 typically buys 50 hours a year, but with some companies, extra monthly fees have to be paid on top of this.

During the busiest periods, such as Paris Fashion Week and Monaco Grand Prix weekend, the costs for even the smallest jets can shoot up to as much as £11,000 per flying hour.

READ MORE: Spain and France go after mega-rich in huge changes to air travel rulesREAD MORE: Brits ignore red alert heatwave warning with huge rush on last-minute sunshine breaks

Those looking to buy a private jet outright often head to Elite London at Wycombe Air Park, on the outskirts of London. The event is aimed at those interested in buying a new private jet, upgrading their helicopter, or purchasing a second yacht. It also features a series of fun exhibits, including virtual golfing, clay pigeon shooting organised by the Churchill family’s gun firm, and IV drips for those who indulge in the onsite bar a little too much.

When the event was held this year, it became the target of environmental protesters. Climate Resistance protesters held up placards and chanted for the abolition of billionaires.

The campaigning group is calling for a 100% tax on assets over £10 million, alongside global wealth redistribution, an end to what it describes as “wage theft and worker exploitation”, and public investment in a “fair, worker-led energy transition.”

Climate Resistance targeted the fair due to the particularly high carbon costs associated with private jets and helicopters. Overall private aviation emissions increased by 46% between 2019-2023, with industry expectations of continued strong growth, according to one Nature journal Communications Earth & Environment study.

A SHOPPING fan has claimed to have discovered the Shein “secret of the century.” 

So if you are fed up with long delivery times when you order clothes from the online retailer, then fear not, you’ve come to the right place.

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Natalie Southern, a fashionista from the UK, has found a very simple way that will enable Shein shoppers to get their affordable hauls delivered to their doors in less than a week.

Posting on social media, the fashion fan revealed her “life hack for the girlies” as she got candid on Shein’s Quickship feature.

Stunned by her findings after browsing Shein’s website, she said: “Please tell me I’m not the only one who’s just realised this on Shein – Quickship.”

Natalie then added: “Who knew that if you wanted your goods from Shein, there was a section where you can order from Quickship, where your goods come in a number of days rather than a number of weeks.”

Following this, the content creator simply confirmed: “I didn’t.” 

Thanks to Shein Quickship, shoppers will see items be delivered to their door in as little as three to five working days.

Shoppers will find a variety of items available under Quickship, including epic clearance deals, with clothes that have been reduced by up to 70%. 

Quickship comes at no extra cost to Shein shoppers – but of course, standard shipping fees apply – and there are thousands of great buys to browse and choose from. 

So if you’ve got an event coming up soon and don’t have time to wait for a new frock, you’ll need to check this out – and fast.

Natalie’s TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @nat_albarudi_southern, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 157,900 views.

It’s also amassed 2,926 likes, 188 comments, 596 shares and 4,947 shares. 

Social media users were stunned by the little-known Shein feature and many eagerly raced to the comments to express this. 

One person said: “Thank you for this video! God send.” 

I will be using that from now on as I order off Shein all the time

TikTok user

Another added: “Literally about to make an order!! Thank you, I had no clue this was a thing.”

A third commented: “Wish I knew this 15mins ago.” 

Meanwhile, one Shein shopper wrote: “I’ll be shopping even more now! I never knew this!” 

At the same time, another Shein lover beamed: “I will be using that from now on as I order off Shein all the time.”

However, one user claimed: “Just had a look. Items are so much dearer.”

But to this, Natalie wrote back and confirmed: “But still cheaper than high street shops and I have to be honest, Shein’s options are so much better than what I have on my local high street.”

Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club

Fiona Phillips has sensationally revealed that she had secretly split from her husband Martin Frizell as tension grew in their marriage before Alzheimer’s diagnosis

To the outside world, Fiona Phillips’ marriage was nothing short of perfect. But now, the former breakfast TV presenter has revealed that her relationship was anything but a happy one as Alzheimer’s disease was starting to take its toll on her and her family – unknowingly.

The relationship between Fiona, 64 and her husband – former This Morning producer Martin Frizell – had broken down beyond repair as she recalled the moment he announced he was moving out of their family home.

In a first person piece for the Mail On Sunday, the TV star, who was one of the main presenters of GMTV, opened up on the fact she was not aware she had developed the disease which had taken both her parents.

In the run up to their secret separation, Fiona explained that she was in denial over the fact she was experiencing the initial symptoms of the disease and put it down to the menopause instead.

Their marriage became more and more fractured as Martin felt Fiona was becoming increasingly distant from him and their children and their arguments were becoming far too regular.

Fiona explained: “Was I worried that there might be something sinister lurking beneath the surface? That Alzheimer’s could one day be coming for me too? “

She added: “On one level I did think I would get the disease, but there was also another part of me that was in a strange sort of denial about it all. This illness has devastated so much of my life already, surely it’s not going to come for me too?’ I’d tell friends.”

Fiona went onto reveal that she’s sure that the disease was “at least partly responsible” for her marriage breaking down but that neither she nor Martin could see that. She became “more and more disconnected” from her family, with Martin accusing her of zoning out of their marriage.

She said: “But, if I’m honest, I think he was right. I just didn’t seem to have the energy for any of it any more. I didn’t realise quite how seriously Martin felt about it all until one evening he announced he was moving out.”

In that moment, Fiona did not believe that her marriage was completely over, in fact she said that she felt he was simply “trying to shock me into behaving differently”.

They had separated for three weeks before they started to exchange text messages between each other and then arranged to meet at a hotel in Hampshire, in a desperate bid to save their marriage.

They reconciled their differences but Fiona recalled that she was still suffering with the same symptoms. In 2023, at the age of 62, Fiona revealed that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

READ MORE: Emily Atack’s Dune sandals look just like Hermes Oran pair and cost £500 less

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Budget airline Jet2 has confirmed it is launching two new routes to a hidden gem of an island that only attracted 120,000 international visitors next year – despite its beauty and year-round sunshine

Brits will soon be able to fly directly to the ‘most beautiful’ EU island that has long avoided the tourist limelight.

Last year, a whopping 15.5 million international visitors flocked to the Canary Islands, marking a 10 per cent spike compared to 2023. Almost half (6.3 million) of the influx came from British holidaymakers, who have long favoured the archipelago despite growing anti-tourist sentiment and the subsequent string of confrontational protests.

Most visitors (6.2 million) headed straight to Tenerife, the largest Canary Island famed for its thrilling water park, wild nightlife, and breathtaking mountains. Gran Canaria followed closely behind, welcoming four million overseas visitors, while Lanzarote attracted a still-respectable three million.

The tiny island of La Palma, however, only recorded 120,000 visitors in 2024 – highlighting just how underrated it is. But, this could all soon change.

Jet2 has recently announced the launch of two new routes which could bring a staggering 1.6 million Brits over to La Palma, often referred to as the Canaries ‘best-kept secret’. Twice-weekly (Monday and Friday) flights from Manchester Airport to La Palma will commence on April 3, 2026 – while London Stansted Airport will start offering the same flying pattern from 26 October, 2026.

“The UK market is one of our priorities to open and attract to La Palma and we are delighted to have achieved this, thanks to great collaboration and hard work with Jet2 and other partners,” Raquel Rebollo, Minister of Tourism of the Cabildo of La Palma, said in a statement sent to the Mirror. “One of the main goals of this administration is to open new doors and tap into new markets, such as the UK, and this announcement just shows how much potential there is to grow tourism on our island.”

Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, also welcomed the announcement, describing it as a great opportunity to give UK holidaymakers the chance to enjoy everything the ‘incredible’ island has to offer. “We are delighted to be expanding our presence across the Canary Islands from London Stansted and Manchester Airports by adding this brand-new gateway to our portfolio, appealing to holidaymakers looking to explore the island’s natural beauty,” he added. “Offering customers and independent travel agents even more choice, we are also pleased to be adding a selection of hotels across scenic resorts, available to book now.”

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Located to the west of Tenerife, La Palma boasts a much more laid-back vibe than its fellow Canary Islands. Commonly touted as ‘La Isla Bonita’ – aka the beautiful island – it is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve with 19 protected natural spots. Tourists can lap-up the rays on pristine beaches without having to rub shoulders with strangers, and can hike through luscious woodlands or stargaze at night.

“Sleepy seaside villages and resorts like Los Cancajos and Puerto Naos offer black-sand beaches and peaceful promenades, while the capital Santa Cruz charms with its cobbled streets and colonial-style buildings,” states La Palma’s official tourist board. “At the heart of the island, the volcanic landscape promises epic hikes and postcard-perfect panoramas.”

If you want to explore La Palma before Jet2’s inaugural route, you’ll have to fly indirectly (usually stopping over at Madrid) which can sometimes mean travelling for more than six hours. Flight prices aren’t cheap either, with return fares in August costing around £208.

Accommodation on the island is scarce, meaning the price can also soar during the peak season. For example, a four-night stay (August 11-15) at the Meliá La Palma will set you back £571. This is based on two adults sharing a sea-view room. However, staying in a studio at Apartments La Palma on the exact same dates works out much cheaper (£359).

*Prices based on Skyscanner and Booking.com listings at the time of writing.

What’s your favourite Canary Island? Let us know in the comments section below

It’s set to be another huge week in EastEnders next week for many residents, as secrets are set to be revealed left right and centre – with major moments for many families

It’s set to be another huge week in EastEnders next week, as relationships are tarnished left right and centre.

There’s trouble in paradise yet again for one couple – but they later discover they have a much bigger problem. The Panesars are in crisis mode as Ravi and Suki try to rescue the businesses after it was revealed Bernie had been stealing from them. Plus, Callum shares a kiss with another man as Ben is still locked away…

Desperate for cash, as Avani’s Sweet 16th is on the horizon, Ravi goes to Nicola to get a drug contact. But things quickly go south when he’s forced to hide in his car from the police.

Harry later agrees to keep it out of sight in The Arches – but it’s not long before he and Kojo find a large stash of drugs in the boot. Kojo refuses to return to work – and later Harry discovers the stash has gone missing. But who’s taken it?

READ MORE: Emmerdale spoilers: Villain returns for revenge on Joe, hospital dash and Robert drama

Elsewhere, Lauren’s huge secret is revealed to Peter, just when it looks like they’re getting back on track. The two head on a family picnic and in the Square gardens, where they explain to their son Louie that his baby brother Jimmy is blind.

The moment brings them closer together. But in true Cindy Beale style, she interrupts Lauren and Peter’s picnic to accuse Lauren of cheating on her son after spotting her and Zack hugging earlier.

Although the two aren’t having an affair, viewers saw the couple sharing a kiss last month. Amid the accusations, Lauren is forced to confess she kissed Zack.

Later, Peter confronts Zack and hits him before he and Lauren return home in the midst of a huge argument. However, the two are confronted with an even bigger problem when they discover the boys have vanished.

There’s relationship trouble elsewhere in the Square as Cindy berates Callum for kissing Johnny – only for Lexi to overhear. Callum promises Lexi that nothing is going on, but later, as Callum tells Johnny they can only be friends, they end up kissing. And things later escalate..

EastEnders fans will also see Anna back in the Square next week, after it was announced Molly Rainford would be leaving the soap after two years. It’s been a frantic time in the family since Anna’s been away – and she’s been kept in the dark.

As she makes her return, she berates George for keeping her in the dark about the divorce and The Vic sale. She asks George to talk to Elaine about taking things slowly following her heart attack, after both she and Linda fail to get through to her.

Could the new owners of the Vic be in sooner than we think?

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

“See the pink roses?” Mariska Hargitay says as she shuffles outside her home.

We’re on a video call, and when asked whether she feels the presence of her late mother Jayne Mansfield any more vividly since directing the documentary that explores her life and legacy, Hargitay swings her laptop around to give me a peek at the lush greenery of her New York home. Hargitay points to blooms a shade of pink that her mother — who famously lived in the Pink Palace, a Mediterranean-style L.A. mansion — would surely appreciate.

“I call it my Snow White balcony. I sit here and squirrels and butterflies and birds come up,” she says. “I was talking to somebody this morning, my friend, who told me the most beautiful analogy for the movie. And as she said, ‘Your mother would be so proud of you,’ these roses, right at that moment — a whole bloom fell off. It can’t be a coincidence. It’s just not.”

The “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” actor also mentions visiting a spa recently and noticing the robes were by the Mansfield brand. “Crazy stuff is happening all the time to me … She’s with me in a new way. I’ve never felt her presence more.”

“Oh, look at this! You want to cry?” Hargitay jolts up, this time lugging the laptop into an en suite bathroom. “This was a whole scene. It’s not in the movie — I wanted it to be. But there are my mother’s sinks.” She pans down to show double sinks that feature a cherub motif.

“I just redid this bathroom because my brother, when they were tearing down the pink house, he got the sinks,” she says. “He gave them to me. I just ripped out our whole bathroom and had them put in with that pink marble. I’m living with her now, with pink roses and her sinks and my pink quartz hearts. She’s with me now.”

Mariska Hargitay in HBO’s “My Mom Jayne,” when she visits the storage unit filled with her mother’s belongings. “Why now? Because I was finally ready … I had so much internal work to do.”

(HBO)

It can all be felt in “My Mom Jayne,” the emotional and revealing documentary about Mansfield, an actor who epitomized the blond bombshell archetype of the 1950s, that premieres at 8 p.m. Friday on HBO and Max.

Hargitay was 3 years old and asleep in the back seat of a car with two of her siblings when their vehicle collided with a truck in 1967, killing Mansfield, who was born Vera Jayne Palmer. In Hargitay’s debut as a documentary director — a role she sometimes juggled while portraying Capt. Olivia Benson on NBC’s long-running crime procedural — she confronts and heals her complicated relationship with a mother she barely knew. As part of the journey, Hargitay reveals a family secret she’s been keeping for more than 30 years: Her biological father is not Mickey Hargitay, the man who raised her, but rather Nelson Sardelli, a former Las Vegas entertainer.

From her home, wearing a pastel blue hoodie that said “New York or Nowhere,” Hargitay discussed what it was like unpacking her mother’s story. Here are edited excerpts of the conversation.

How did you come to the decision that you wanted to share this story and this journey as a documentary rather than as a book? And why now?

I think I’m a better filmmaker than writer. I’m very passionate about documentaries. It’s a very visceral way of grokking a story for me, and I’ve had such powerful experiences with them. One of the things that was so important to me in this was to have everyone’s own words in the story because it’s their story as much as it is mine. It just felt like the most authentic way to approach the storytelling.

Why now? Because I was finally ready. Over the years, there’ve been so many times when various people asked me if I was going to do a doc about my mom, especially after my first one, “I Am Evidence” [the 2017 documentary Hargitay produced about sexual assault survivors whose rape kits went untested for years]. I don’t know if you know this, but I was obsessed with “Hamilton”; I saw it probably 27 times. One night, somebody said, “Oh, I’m friends with Ron Chernow [the author whose biography of Alexander Hamilton served as the inspiration for the musical] and I would love you to meet him.” We went to this dinner, and Ron and I ended up alone in a corner talking because he had seen “I Am Evidence.” He said, “Why haven’t you done a documentary, Mariska, about your mother? I think you should do a documentary.” I said to him, “Well, Ron, I don’t think I could. Everyone’s dead.” He said to me, without irony, “I think I could help you with that.”

In this moment, I realized who I was talking to — this historian, this titan of books. [He was] one of the people who just gently urged me, eased me off the the cliff. But I had so much internal work to do. I had to really shore myself up and and heal myself to make sure that I could come at it in an open, curious and objective way. It was during the pandemic that I was out in my house in Long Island, and I just had time to sit and think and go through things that I hadn’t [before]. I’d found boxes of letters that I’d received from people over the years while I was on “SVU” that I actually couldn’t even take in. If it was a letter, and it started with, “I knew your mother…,” “I knew Jayne Mansfield…,” I’d sort of go, “Ahhhh,” and put it in a box — literally, put it in a box. This is a story of opening boxes, physically and metaphorically.

Mariska Hargitay is reconnecting with her late mother in “My Mom Jayne”: “Crazy stuff is happening all the time to me. … She’s with me in a new way. I’ve never felt her presence more.” (Victoria Will / For The Times)

You were in the early years of your career when you found out this secret about your father. What do you remember about that period, trying to navigate this career while maybe feeling disconnected or untethered to an identity?

It was so disorienting. If I think about it, I can feel it in my body. It felt like the melting of my identity. It felt like I didn’t have footing anymore to stand on. The one thing that I did identify with — being my father’s daughter — was erased. And on top of it, the layers of it being secret, I couldn’t even process. I was so alone in it — because of shame, because of loyalty; I didn’t want to betray him. I remember it being the moment that I became an adult. Obviously, your life is irrevocably changed when we lose that connection with mother, as mother is everything to a child. But also because so much of it was at a time of being pre-verbal, I had all these feelings in me that I couldn’t process, couldn’t metabolize, couldn’t speak about. I was just this child of locked-in pain.

One thing I didn’t say in the movie that I wish I did, which is such a beautiful metaphor — when I left Sabin’s [Sabin Gray operated the Jayne Mansfield Fan Club and alluded to the secret during a meeting with Hargitay] and I went up to see my dad, my father was literally building me a house. How about that for a metaphor? I walked in and I was hysterically crying. He’s like, “What’s the matter?” I said, “Why didn’t you tell me? You lied to me! How could you lie to me?” To see this superhero, strong man, my mentor, my everything be undone and to see him go into such extraordinary denial that even me, as a 25-year-old, went, “Oh, I can handle this. He’s in too much pain. I don’t want to hurt him” — that was the moment that I remember going, “I’ll shoulder this myself. I can handle it.”

Hargitay, who was 3 years old when Mansfield was killed in a car crash, confronts and heals her complicated relationship with a mother she barely knew: “The process of making this film has been so extraordinary to me and totally reframed the narrative for me,” she says. (Walter Fischer / HBO, HBO, courtesy of Hargitay family / HBO)

Something that fascinated me as I entered adulthood was how curious I became about my parents as I became the age they were when they had me. You talk about feeling motherly about your mom now and giving her grace. Tell me more about that.

I think that as little girls, we all want our parents to be this certain way. For me, I wanted a normal mom that stayed home and baked cookies and didn’t run around in heels, in a bikini. I was like, “Why can’t you be normal?” So not understanding and having that myopic view or wish now, being 61 — I have three children, I have a career, I have a foundation, I have a husband. There is so much to manage, and it is hard to do it all with grace and elegance and love. I don’t know how I do it sometimes, other than I have a lot of help and an amazing husband. I got married at 40. I had my first child at 42. I was cooked; I was an adult. I had learned so much. I had so much life experience.

As I say in the film, she [Mansfield] was a baby. She was 16 years old when she got pregnant, and I will never know the story of how she got pregnant. But what she had to navigate alone with a child — I’ll tell you this, if I was pregnant and living in Dallas, Texas, I don’t know that I would have gone to L.A. by myself. I wanted to go to New York for 10 years before I left, and the reason I left is because I had a job. And this girl got in the car with her 3-year-old [Hargitay’s sister, Jayne Marie Mansfield] and said, “We’re going to California.” And the husband said, “I’m out.” But she said, “I’m doing this.” I look at her a little bit like a superhero and go, “I don’t think I could have done that.” The process of making this film has been so extraordinary to me and totally reframed the narrative for me. I was wrong to go into this film feeling one way about Nelson and thinking he abandoned me, he left my mother, he knew she was pregnant. And after all of that, to be left with: He did the right thing. He made the ultimate sacrifice for me.

How did you talk about this experience and this journey with your own kids?

First of all, they watched the whole journey. They also watched me go from being hazy — like, they’d say, “Who’s Nelson?” I’d be like, “Well, he’s like family. He’s like a second father.” And they’re like, “What do you mean?” But it was quite extraordinary for them, I think, to see this journey and to see their mother go, “Hey, guys, there are a lot of secrets in my life. I don’t want you to have secrets.” I felt like I deserved to know the truth, and I felt very betrayed finding out at 25 that my life, this person I wanted to emulate, was not my biological father. Now that also has changed because now I go, “It doesn’t matter, and nothing can change the fact that Mickey Hargitay is my father.” But I wanted my children to know that I don’t want secrets to hold them back.

“The process of making this film has been so extraordinary to me and totally reframed the narrative for me,” Mariska Hargitay says.

(Victoria Will / For The Times)

There’s the moment where you speak with your mother’s press secretary, Raymond “Rusty” Strait. He had written a book that revealed the truth about your father. You ask him whether he thought it was his story to tell, and he said yes. What was that experience like for you?

It was a very difficult interview compared to the rest of the film. I felt a lot of feelings, a lot of anger. I wanted to protect her [Mansfield] from him because he did not protect her. He said that he loved her, then right after she died, he wrote this book [“The Tragic Secret Life of Jayne Mansfield”]. Those were two very difficult things for me to reconcile still. What’s hard for me is that there are many things in the book that are not true that I know for a fact. I think if you’re going to write a biography about somebody, do your work. That [interview] was very painful to me because I never really got the response I was hoping for. It’s my job to give people the benefit of the doubt and to try to understand, and that’s what I did. But he betrayed my mother and he betrayed my family.

Yet the beauty of this is that even though it was in the world, somehow the story was protected and I got to tell it. That is extraordinary. I can’t believe that this was written in a book and that I found out when I was 25; I met him [Nelson] when I was 30. All the people — his family that knew, my sisters that knew, my friends that knew, Jayne Marie and Tony — my older sister and my younger brother — and it still never got out. And to me, that is divine intervention.

I was very concerned when I saw the crane hauling your mother’s piano into your Manhattan home. What’s it been like to have that piano in your possession?

It was the happiest day of of my life. It felt like I was reclaiming something. I was actually getting a piece of my mother back. Then there was another part of me that was like, “Who did I marry? What kind of awesome human being did I sign up for? I can’t even comprehend that I was first in line when God was handing out the husbands.”

Then I’m like, “You guys, this cannot be good, just on a physics level.” I kept saying, “Marish. Marish. People do this all the time. This is not their first barbecue.” I’ve never been on edge that much, but it was absolutely glorious.

Do you think you’ll see your mother again?

When I go to heaven? Assuming I get in?

Wherever.

Yes. I didn’t put this in the movie, and my editor wanted to kill me because I told him too late — you never know when memories come. I had this beautiful dream. I never dreamt about her, except one time. I was still living in my house that my dad built for me on Warbler Way. I dreamt that she came to my house, and I was like, “What? Hi!” I said, “I’m so happy you’re here. I can’t believe I get to meet you.” Then I said, “Listen, I need you to come downstairs so you can see [the photos],” because I had a whole wall of photos of her in my house. But she never came downstairs. And I just remember going, “Please, I really want to show you.” She’s like, “I can’t, I have to go.” I just remember how happy I was that she came over and then I got to meet her. But it’s also very telling that she didn’t come downstairs. Maybe I’ll start to dream about her again. I hope.

Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

(NBC/Ralph Bavaro/NBC)

I’m curious what all this means, if anything, for Olivia Benson. Do you feel like you’re bringing a renewed Mariska to that role?

Yes. I do. I’ve been saying that. Kelli Giddish is one of my closest friends, and she was so moved. The “SVU” people lived it with me because I was shooting while I was [working on the documentary]. The last two years, I’ve been flying back and forth and editing at night and on the weekends. Kelli said, “I can’t wait to act with this Mariska.” What I feel is that I have more internal space because I’ve been carrying [this] — I can’t express to you how heavy the load was to carry everyone’s story and my own. There’s a huge sense of deep and profound peace and renewal.

Your closing remarks in the film feel like a letter to your mother. What do you remember about writing those words? Did they come easily?

They did because it was the truth. It was about giving myself space and permission to have those feelings. I just went in the [recording] room by myself, started talking. I didn’t know what I was going to say. It wasn’t something that I wrote. The movie is very much like that.

One of my favorite documentarians is Davis Guggenheim. I was feeling different people out, like, would they want to direct it? I was so taken with “Still” [which chronicled the life of actor Michael J. Fox]. He had shared with me that he had Michael J. Fox’s book and that he thought I should write the book first. I was like, “Thanks so much. It’s not happening.” I said, “Mariska, you’re on your own on this one. You’re doing it your way.” It wasn’t a book to be written, which is interesting because I think I am going to write a book. In telling this story, so much has begun to bubble up about other stories where I’m starting to … connect thoughts of, like, “Oh, that’s what that is. Oh, this is why that happened.” There’s so much stuff that didn’t make it. I could make five more movies. I might make some shorts.