towns

The last in this series of underexplored, overlooked, bypassed towns revisits three places loosely linked to somewhere I’ve lived at different stages of my life. Relocating is grand-scale vacationing, as there are a few months when the new place feels like a holiday destination – fresh, strange, not filtered and tainted by habit or prejudice. Going back years later is part-pilgrimage, part-funeral.

Harrow

The lexicon of suburbia – commuting, dormitory, cul-de-sac, privet hedge – resonates with not seeing. In densely peopled north-west London, you have to dig – with eyes, books and boots – to find the occluded past.

In a 767 charter, Harrow is Gumeninga hergae, the “heathen temple of the Gumeningas [tribe]”. The small hill – pronounced on old sketches – was a natural spot for practising worship; harrows are found all over England. Later it was part of the archbishop of Canterbury’s estate and by Domesday had 70 ploughlands, 117 households and 102 villagers, two cottagers, three knights, two slaves and a priest – a sizeable place for 1086.

Trees outnumbered people. The medieval manor boasted a 100-hectare (250-acre) deer park in Pinner. The name of Harrow Weald derives from the Old English for woodland, a reference to the Forest of Middlesex that once stretched from Houndsditch in the City of London, through Highgate and Mill Hill, to these outer reaches. It provided pannage (autumn feeding) for 20,000 pigs.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, Harrow attracted gentry, who could easily reach court and parliament by coach and four. The wealthy landowner John Lyon founded Harrow school by royal charter in 1572.

On an 1868 map, Harrow on the Hill is a mere scattering of houses surrounded by parks, groves and school fields. The only nearby railway line is the London and North Western, arrowing away to Birmingham and Crewe. In 1930, there was enough greenery and wildlife to inspire Harrovian Tom Harrisson (later involved in the Mass-Observation project) to publish Birds of the Harrow District.

Metro-land would, by the 1950s, submerge the hill and its environs in housing, lasso it to London, spawn North, West and South Harrows and other subdistricts, and provide suburban living for more than 200,000 people. A more populous, less planned version of this greeted me when I moved there in the summer of 1987, to travel, as Betjeman puts it, “Smoothly from Harrow” on the Metropolitan line “fasts” to a dreary office job in Blackfriars.

Knowing, now, a little about this lost town’s historical layers helps explain the still tangible sacrificial feel of the place, the amorphous sensation of inhabiting a populous nowhere.
Things to see and do: walk section 9 of the Capital Ring; Headstone Manor Museum; Zoroastrian Centre (former Ace Cinema).

Clitheroe

I recommend a slow approach to Clitheroe, to take in the setting. A walk into town allows time to admire the hill, the steep-sided lump on which sit the ruins of the Norman castle, with the “second smallest surviving stone keep in England”. From the top of the hill, the views are uplifting: weather coming in from the west, the Bowland Fells, slivers of Yorkshire’s Three Peaks, Pendle Hill.

The A59 Lancs-Yorks trunk road became a bypass at the end of the 1960s. Before then, cars and vans chugged up Moor Lane and along Castle Street, which remain the traffic-cluttered sections of the high street. The narrowness and low-slung 17th– and 18th-century shopfronts remind me, in a way, of Totnes, which is largely Tudor. There was a continuity to towns into the modern era, warped by redbrick Victorian pomp and finally shattered by the 20th-century’s brutal raze-and-redevelop wave of shopping precincts (many of them since condemned).

In some respects, Clitheroe is archetypal Lancashire. The struggling one-time textile boomtowns to the south of Pendle Hill show what industry did and offshoring took away. Clitheroe, relatively speaking, is intact. Old places seem to weather booms and busts better. New money helps, of course.

There were factories here, though. Two former spinning blocks, a weaving shed and offices have been given a creditable makeover to create Holmes Mill: a combined deli-cum-bar, “luxury” cinema, brewery and alehouse, hotel and wedding venue, ticking aspirational boxes for affluent Lancastrians. Lively local boozers are dotted all around town, and Camra groups are probably Clitheroe’s main excursionists. The New Inn is riotously cosy. Georgeonzola does cheese and wine. There are three cocktail bars, at least. No clogs or caps there.

I live a couple of miles outside Clitheroe. It’s sometimes strange to think it belongs to the same county as St Helens and Warrington, where I was born and raised. Locals say “Pennine Lancashire”. I’m from the Plains. The rain is worse here, and the wind can be evil, but this north-facing town is a likable knot of streets and stonework; plenty to discover, still.
Things to see and do: Edisford Bridge (a swimming spot in summer); walk up Pendle Hill or on the Ribble Way (ideal for winter); Whalley Abbey (by bus or train); the No 11 bus to Bowland and for Pen-y-ghent.

Princetown

Devon is the least bleak county I know. It has balmy summers, rolling pastures of red earth and green grass, cove-serrated coasts, hamlets, high hedgerows and long lanes, an ecclesiastical city, a maritime city, and mild winters. Princetown is its sole flirtation with grim. Tourists do come, and not as seldom as other spots in this series, but they often look shocked when they get out of their cars or dismount their bikes.

The granite-grey Dartmoor prison is the dominant feature of Princetown, as well as the township’s reason for being. Thomas Tyrwhitt MP secured land from the Duchy estate of the Prince of Wales to establish a “depot” for prisoners taken in the Napoleonic wars. It was remote enough to deter escape and sufficiently inhospitable.

The first prisoners arrived in 1809 and soon Princetown prison was overcrowded. When US prisoners from the war of 1812 began arriving, conditions deteriorated, and diseases such as pneumonia, typhoid and smallpox became “natural” death sentences. The Depot closed when the conflicts ended, reopening in 1850 as a penal establishment for “common criminals” – which included, over time, the future Irish premier Éamon de Valera, the conscientious objector and MP Frank Longden and Zen poet Reginald Horace Blyth.

Tyrwhitt – now Sir Thomas – built a railway to shift quarry stone down to the port and bring up farm produce, coal, timber and lime for fertiliser. Prisoners and passengers used the line at various times until its closure in 1956. The prison was temporarily closed in 2024, due to “higher than normal” levels of radon, a cancer-causing gas formed by decaying uranium in rocks and soils.

The old railway is now a track down which runners and cyclists hurtle away from Dartmoor’s anti-twee, anti-wild camping, anti-tourism, possibly radioactive town, or “village”, by population if not for its looks. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stayed at the Duchy hotel, now the national park visitor centre. An escaped convict, Selden, has a pivotal role in The Hound of the Baskervilles. Between two farmhouses called High Tor and Foulmire and the great prison “extends the desolate, lifeless moor. This, then is the stage upon which tragedy has played, and upon which we may help to play it again.” For the modern, leisure-age gaze, the moor is a wild camping backdrop and, at least potentially, full of vitality, thanks to its airy solitudes; HMP Dartmoor in Princetown, emptied for now, is the tragic set.
Things to see and do: Princetown to Burrator Reservoir mountain bike tracks; Dartmoor Prison Museum; Foggintor Quarry.

Chris Moss’s latest book, Lancashire: Exploring the Historic County That Made The Modern World, is published by Old Street Publishing at £25. His book based on this series, Where Tourists Seldom Tread will be published by Faber in 2026

ONE of the newest hotels to come to Kent, Smith’s Townhouse is a cosy bolthole for a seaside escape.

Here is everything you need to know about staying there.

What is Smith’s Townhouse like?

Originally a coffee house round the corner, Smiths Townhouse is the newest boutique hotel to open in Broadstairs.

The Grade II-listed Georgian building is made up of just six rooms, along with an intimate bar and lounge area.

What are the rooms like?

Each room feels modern but cosy – think dark green walls check and stylish in furnishings.

Pick Room Five if you’re it out an Elton John fan as the wardrobe was said to have once been owned by the singer.

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Whack on the radio and tuck into the fresh cake on offer along with a cup of tea.

While the bathrooms are small, there is enough space for big walk-in showers and luxury Ren toiletries.

Rooms start from £140 on room-only basis. See smithstownhouse.co.uk.

What is there to eat and drink?

The downstairs bar is an ideal spot for a cocktail and nibbles. For something more substantial, nip around the corner to Bar Ingo.

Recently named one of the UK’s best restaurants, it’s a cosy, small-plate place worth trying to squeeze into.

Portuguese wine, braised beef, crispy ham croquettes and juicy octopus are just some of the best dishes to try.

Head back to Smiths for breakfast, though.

Get the spinach and mushroom Garden Breakfast toastie, chased down by one of the best cappuccinos in town.

What else can you do there?

There’s a new Pilates studio with reformer machines as well as late night DJ sessions.

However, you’re right in town, so it’s the perfect place to explore Broadstairs, from the arcades to the beach.

Is it family friendly?

No, each room sleeps just two people.

Are there accessible rooms?

Being in a Grade II listed building, the rooms are not accessible as there is no lift access.

AS an ignorant southerner, I barely believed the idyllic world I had seen on TV of Cumbria’s lakes, valleys and mountains could truly exist here in Britain.

And even as I gazed across the shimmering Ullswater lake, with the sun setting over the trees, I had to pinch myself.

I was so mesmerised I even tried to get the kids (aged five and seven) to stop fighting with sticks to take in the view with me. It didn’t work.

Even if it was a slightly different holiday to the one we’d taken in 2017BK (Before Kids), the 328-mile journey from East Sussex to the Lake District sure was worth it.

The drive even felt like part of the adventure, travelling in Skoda’s fully electric 2025 Elroq SportLine 85, complete with heated seats.

We only needed to stop to charge once, which gave us a welcome coffee and toilet break.

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Forty minutes and about £40 later we were off again, weaving past rolling hills, dry stone walls and flocks of curious sheep.

Our home for the next few nights was a cottage in picturesque Sedbergh, on the border of the Lakes and Yorkshire Dales.

Our home for the next few nights was a cottage in picturesque Sedbergh, on the border of the Lakes and Yorkshire Dales.

Known as England’s official “Book Town”, thanks to the high number of book shops here, its Emmerdale-esque scenery inspired my first attempt to get my children to “just look at the views”.

But like all later efforts to get them to marvel at, arguably, Britain’s greatest natural landscapes, it failed miserably.

I was told by my son that “I don’t really do views, I prefer doing things, like knee slides”.

Fair enough, and luckily for him there was plenty to keep him and his sister happy other than the scenery.

There’s lots for adults too, not least the food.

Cumbria claims to have the most Michelin stars outside of London, but my partner and I left the fine dining for a trip without youngsters.

Cumbria claims to have the most Michelin stars outside of London, but my partner and I left the fine dining for a trip without youngsters.

Instead, we spoiled ourselves in top-notch pubs, enjoying delicious, hearty grub.

Our local, The Dalesman, dished up beautiful pies by a roaring fire.

And the nearby Black Bull cooked up a stupendous full English and the biggest bacon sandwich I’ve ever seen, setting us up nicely for a day exploring.

Choosing where to eat is almost as important as picking which lake or waterfall to visit.

But while the Elroq features a smart windscreen display and huge navigation screen, I didn’t find cruising around narrow country lanes on a dark night that much fun.

They didn’t waste a penny on tarmac when they built the roads.

So we were lucky the 17th century Punch Bowl Inn in Crosthwaite was nearby and that its renowned cheese souffle lived up to the billing.

We also made use of the brilliant local produce by raiding the nearby Meat Hook butchers for fire-side steak and sausages at home.

While our electric Skoda may be the future of travel, we still enjoyed heading back in time with an unmissable trip on the steam train from Haverthwaite to Lakeside.

It is a great way to see some of the area and we combined it with a boat ride up the mighty Lake Windermere to Bowness where, once again, the views are jaw-dropping.

Bustling Bowness boasts a huge choice of pubs and shops, but we spent the afternoon in the magical, and reasonably priced, World Of Beatrix Potter Attraction.

As well as a Peter Rabbit cafe selling home-made cakes and afternoon tea, there is a free activity trail and interactive videos showing yet more cracking Lake District views, except on a screen.

The kids loved completing the puzzles about Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle-Duck and Co.

And while that kept their little minds entertained, the best way to burn off energy was climbing through the trees and adventure playgrounds of Brookhole on Windermere.

There, you can brave tree-top adventures in Zip World, try axe-throwing or take a boat out on the lake, among other activities.

We left there with the kids suitably exhausted and ready for an eight-hour drive home.

Luckily, they slept the entire way, tucked up in the back of the car, while I soaked up the last of those views.

PLANS to permanently close a historic seaside cliff lift have sparked backlash from local groups.

Campaigners have criticised the proposal, arguing the historic significance of the lift as well as its role in providing disability access to the seafront area.

Whitby’s Cliff Lift was first opened in 1931, transporting beachgoers down a vertical shaft for over 90 years.

The lift, located on the town’s North Terrace, became a “staple of the town’s history” before shutting temporarily in 2022 due to corrosion and water damage.

Now North Yorkshire Council has outlined plans to permanently close the attraction after estimating repair costs would total around £5.5 million.

Campaigners have met the plans with backlash, emphasising the continued need for the lift.

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Alison Hume, MP for Scarborough and Whitby called for the council to backtrack restore the lift to its former use.

“The Whitby Cliff Lift is part of Whitby’s identity as well as providing vital access to the beach from the West Cliff,” she said.

“This is a good opportunity to invest in a town which brings so much value to the county as a golden tourism goose.”

And campaigner Andy Jefferson told the BBC that the beach could risk losing its blue flag accessible beach award if the lift was permanently scrapped.

He described the access route as “imperative” to the beach’s status and warned of the “significant” detriment its loss posed to the area’s tourism.

A spokesperson for the Whitby Community Network shared similar concerns when speaking to The Yorkshire Post.

“Setting aside the fact that the Cliff Lift building is actually a non-designated heritage asset and so should be proportioned a level of protection, it has a critical importance,” they said.

“That is, providing access to Whitby sea wall to many elderly and disabled people who either live in the town or visit – the town has double the national average of over-60s and the visitor age profile is not seen as so dissimilar.”

North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director of environment, Karl Battersby, said: “We understand how important access to the seafront in Whitby is for residents and visitors alike. The cliff lift has been a staple of the town’s history, and we are not taking a decision lightly.

“For the lift to be brought back into use, there would be significant costs for repairs and ongoing maintenance, and there remains uncertainty surrounding the need for waterproofing the shaft.

“We have listened to the views of the local community and our executive members will discuss its future on March 17, considering how many people used it and making an informed decision that ensures we use taxpayers’ money wisely.”

ONE popular seaside town known for its Royal Harbour and sweeping sandy beach is en route to having its heritage lift restored.

The Edwardian lift in Ramsgate has been out of action for four years, but could soon be transporting visitors once more.

The historical East Cliff lift is found on Ramsgate’s seafront and was once used to transport visitors and locals between the upper promenade and main sands area.

However, the lift, which is at Harbour Parade, has been out of action since 2021.

The council says it requires “significant works” to get it up and running again.

Now, Thanet District Council (TDC) has put aside £120,000 to restore it in the 2026-27 draft budget.

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The council’s cabinet will consider the proposals on February 24, 2026.

The East Cliff lift was built in 1910 and was one of many developed across the country.

The lifts were built so that seaside hotels could provide their guests with quick and easy access to the beach.

It’s not the first time the East Cliff lift has gone under major works – it stopped operations in the 1990s and after being neglected for years, it was restored in 1999.

However, it is the only surviving lift in Ramsgate – there were once three in the seaside town however the Marina Lift was demolished back in 1926.

And the West Cliff Lift went up for auction in December 2025.

Ramsgate itself is a popular seaside town, although it’s sometimes overlooked in favour of its neighbours, Broadstairs and Margate.

But lots of Brits will still flock there every summer, usually to its Main Sands Beach.

The long sandy stretch is next to the UK’s only Royal Harbour and Marina.

It has lots of amusements, arcades, and restaurants. During the summer, you can get ice cream and drinks from the kiosks and hire out deck chairs.

Ramsgate is also home to the UK’s biggest Wetherspoons.

The Grade-II listed Royal Victoria Pavilion opened as a Wetherspoons in 2017 and it has a whopping 11,000sqm of space for drinkers, and a beachfront terrace.

When the Sun’s Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey visited she said: “It’s definitely huge so you don’t have to worry about being crammed in even on a busy Saturday.

“Most people sit around the edges to be near one of the many beach views from the window.

“It’s a classic Wetherspoons grub – hearty and cheap, with the curry, sides, and wine setting me back around £11.”

Plans have been drawn up for an outdoor pool to be built in Ramsgate…

Near to the East Cliff lift is a car park that could be turned into an outdoor pool…

Heritage Lab revealed it’s in “early discussions with an experienced developer” on creating an outdoor pool complex on Ramsgate’s East Cliff.

It could be built on the Marina Esplanade Car Park in Ramsgate.

What is now a council-owned car park was once the Marina Bathing Pool built in the 1930s. It had an Olympic-sized pool, diving area and filtered seawater.

Open for years to swimmers, it eventually closed in 1975 after structural issues.

However, Heritage Lab has hinted that it hopes to bring an open-air pool back to Ramsgate.

It wouldn’t just be a pool either – Heritage Lab has hinted that the possible site could have saunas, cafes and social spaces to make it a “year-round destination”.

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ONE popular lido could be sold to save thousands of pounds – and remain closed for good.

The outdoor pool in Teignmouth is set to close, and locals are worried that it may never open its doors again.

Teignbridge Council recently announced its plan to close the town’s beachfront lido in a bid to save money.

Officials said not reopening Teignmouth Lido could save £74,000 in 2026.

The news hasn’t been well received by locals who want the lido to remain open.

Talking to ITV News, Catherine Brown, a lifeguard supervisor, said: “It has a huge amount of value to people of all ages and all groups, people bring their kids to swim, their grandkids to swim, disabled people can come here to swim.

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“It doesn’t matter whether it’s raining or sunshine, it’s such a lovely place and everybody comes out with a smile on their face.”

A report said the number of swimmers using the pool was 8,224 in 2024 – this number increased in 2025.

Teignmouth Lido operates as a seasonal site which opens for the May half-term.

It has partial opening hours in June and July and then opens full time for the summer holidays.

The 25-metre pool is heated and holds public swims, fun sessions, as well as water-based activities like aqua fit and aqua circuits.

Four years ago, the pool underwent a refurbishment of £800,000 and then a further £30,000 was spent on repairs, according to Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Members of the council will hold a closed meeting on February 21, 2026.

They will vote on a proposal to dispose of the lido on the open market, without restrictions on its future use – meaning it could no longer be used as a lido.

But if the pool does go up for sale, the local community has an opportunity to draw up a bid to buy it.

This is because the pool was listed as an official Asset of Community Value in 2025.

Save the Lido – Teignmouth is hoping to do exactly that.

Daniel O’Connel, the co-founder of the campaign told ITV News: “We can look now to get things in motion to acquire the asset for the community and the people of Teignbridge.”

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Travel Reporter Cyann Fielding weighs in on the potential closure of the pool…

“Teignmouth Lido is more than just a gem on the South West coast; for me, it’s the backdrop of my childhood.

“For over a decade, my school summer holidays were defined by afternoons spent there with my family – so to hear that the lido could close is heartbreaking.

“With ample patio and sun-drenched patches of grass surrounding the 25-metre crystal clear pool, it was the rare kind of place where parents could relax while kids felt a bit of freedom.

“For local families, it was an affordable but brilliant day out.

“To lose the lido now, after a £800,000 refurb less than three years ago, it wouldn’t just be a loss for Teignmouth and its community but also a tragic waste of money.”

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HALF-TERM is nearly here and while some families are looking to head abroad, Loose Women star Katie Piper says, why not stay closer to home?

For beautiful beaches, plenty of family-friendly hotels and hopefully some sun – head to Kent.

Talking to Sun Travel about her recent ITV series, The Great Escapers, Katie Piper revealed that as a family, she loves heading to the UK coast – and it all started when she was a child.

She told us: “My mum and dad didn’t have a lot of money, so we didn’t really go abroad.

“Instead, we went Kent most years; Margate, Deal, and Broadstairs.

“We’d watch Punch and Judy on the beach, there would be donkey rides and we’d eat big sticks of rock and go to the arcades – we absolutely loved it.

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“I’ve taken my girls back to the very same places, and actually now Margate has had a total makeover – it’s a really nice place to take them back to.”

Here are some of our top tips for each of her favourite spots.

Margate

Margate has been a popular spot for Brits since the 1730s thanks to its sprawling beach, Margate’s Main Sands.

But in February can also wander through Old Town, visit the Old Kent Market and check out the beautiful Shell Grotto or Margate Caves.

With Dreamland closed until April, head to The Wonder Works instead which is filled with model railways and Scalextrics – tickets for adults are £5 and children can explore for £2.50.

Or for more entertainment, there’s also Lost Island Adventure Golf to play mini golf or AR darts.

When it comes to where to eat, head to Palms Pizzeria, a New York-style pizzeria in The Centre that serves massive pizza slices for £4.

For more attractions and restaurants check out these recommendations from locals.

When it comes to staying in Margate a family of four can book a night at the Seaside Escape Two-Bed Apartment for £108 (based on a one-night stay on February 16, 2026).

The self-catering apartment has beachfront access and pretty garden views.

Deal

The relaxed seaside town of Deal is an ideal spot if you want a more chill place to explore.

It has a pebble beach with a 1950s pier with a cafe at the very end.

There are lots of sites to visit like Deal Castle, as well as plenty of features family-friendly cafes, ice cream parlours, and several pubs with play areas like The Coach and The Crown Inn.

Head to Betteshanger Country Park for mountain bike trails and adventure playground.

A one-night stay for a family of four at the Royal Hotel in Deal starts from £160 (based on a one-night stay on February 16, 2026).

The 3-star hotel sits on the seafront in Deal – and the stay includes breakfast.

Broadstairs

Down the coast from Margate is the pretty seaside town of Broadstairs.

The main beach is Viking Bay and for fish and chips, head to The Mermaid restaurant.

For games, head to Broadstairs Leisure amusements for arcades or try out some putting at Lillyputt.

If the weather doesn’t play ball, then you can head indoors to the trampoline parks at Elev8.

The seaside town is also home to Morelli’s Gelato which has been serving fresh ice cream since 1932.

In Broadstairs, a family room in The Royal Albion right on the promenade costs £165 per night (based on a one-night stay on February 16, 2026) and includes breakfast.

As for where Katie is off to next – she reveals the stop is still in the UK.

Katie told us: “We’re looking into a trip at the moment that we want to do in the Easter which is to go to Scotland.

“We’re trying to plan to do it on the sleeper train because it’s a bit of an adventure to go on a sleeper train and my kids have never done that.

“We’ve got a dog now. We got a puppy this year if we go on a sleeper train, then we can take her on the train with us.”

To read more on the Caledonian Sleeper, check out Travel Reporter Cyann Fielding’s experience onboard and what to expect from the en-suite Club cabin.

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PLANS have been revealed to rescue a historic English seaside venue and return it to its former glory.

The Margate Winter Gardens in Kent – where stars such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones have performed – is set to be restored and reopened.

Dating back to 1910, the venue has previously had a number of different areas including the Main Hall, Queen’s Hall, two side wings and an open-air amphitheatre.

As part of the Thanet District Council’s plans, the seafront venue will reopen with a new rooftop bar and restaurant, a drama school and a 100-place nursery.

As part of the plans, the Main Hall and Queen’s Hall will be made fully accessible and reopened.

And the decor and balconies inside will be kept.

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There are also plans to create two mezzanine pods, similar to those found in Peckham Library.

The restaurant will then be located above the Main Hall, with both indoor seating and an outdoor terrace.

As for the nursery, that will be in the upper part of the site and will feature separate areas for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers.

The new drama school will be held in the smaller Queen’s Hall and have classrooms and dance studio spaces.

In all, the project is expected to cost around £8million to complete.

According to the plans, the vision for Margate Winter Gardens “marries both history and opulence, creating a visually stunning seafront icon with nods to its luxurious past as well as futureproofing the building for years to come”.

The aim is to reopen the Main Hall by late 2026, then other parts of the venue will open in phases from 2027.

Margate Winter Gardens, which closed two years ago, sits on a site known as Fort Crescent and looks over Margate Main Sands and the English Channel.

When the venue opened, it featured a Concert Hall, four entrance halls, two side wings and one open-air amphitheatre.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the Winter Gardens was a much-loved entertainment venue with performances including cabaret and tea dances.

Then, during World War II, the venue was used initially as the Dunkirk evacuee reception before later being turned into an ARP shelter and food depot.

In 1946 the building was partially rebuilt after bomb damage.

After the war, Winter Gardens was once again used as an entertainment venue with performances by Laurel and Hardy, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Dame Vera Lynn.

However, over the decades visitor numbers declined and in 2022, the Winter Gardens closed for a while to assess concerns over the building’s condition.

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Food security experts say famine thresholds for acute malnutrition exceeded in Darfur’s Um Baru and Kernoi.

Acute malnutrition has reached famine levels in two more areas of western Sudan’s Darfur region, United Nations-backed experts warn, as a civil war between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army has caused widespread hunger.

In an alert issued on Thursday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), global food security experts said famine thresholds for acute malnutrition had been surpassed in North Darfur State’s contested areas of Um Baru and Kernoi.

The IPC alert is not a ‍formal famine classification, but it highlights alarming levels of hunger based on the latest data.

In Um Baru, the rate of acutely malnourished children aged under five was ​nearly double the famine threshold with 53 percent affected, the report said.

Nearly a third of children in Kernoi suffered from acute malnutrition, it added.

“These alarming rates suggest an increased risk of excess mortality and raise concern that nearby areas may be experiencing similar catastrophic conditions,” the report said.

Thursday’s alert, based on data available up to February, comes nearly three months after the IPC confirmed famine conditions in el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, about 800km (500 miles) to the east.

El-Fasher, long the Sudanese army’s final stronghold in the Darfur region, fell to the RSF in October after 18 months of bombardment and starvation.

Um Baru and Kernoi are near the border with Chad and have received some of the tens of thousands of displaced people who fled el-Fasher when it fell to the RSF. Fighting subsequently has been reported in both locations.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a devastating war between the army and the RSF, which has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly 11 million and driven multiple regions into famine and hunger.

The IPC said 20 more areas in Darfur and neighbouring Kordofan were at risk of famine.