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Brits heading on holidays to the likes of France, Spain, Portugal and Greece need to check their passports including blank pages before heading to the airport

Before heading on holidays abroad, most people will check their passports are still in date and damage-free, but travel insiders are warning UK travellers to also cast their eyes over blank pages in their documents.

That’s because one simple mistake could mean your holiday is over before it even starts, as you could be denied boarding at the airport, or turned away at border control.

The travel insurance experts at Tiger.co.uk have warned: “With Brits now getting stamped every time they travel through the EU, travel enthusiasts and those who travel for work may potentially run out of blank pages in their passports. All passport holders must have at least two blank passport pages when they travel, otherwise the document could be seen as invalid. Those travelling more frequently can opt for a jumbo passport that has 54 pages instead of a normal one with 34 pages.”

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It’s not just how many blank pages you have left; you’ll also want to check for any damage. The experts added: “If any of your passport pages are torn or missing, your passport is considered damaged and will likely not be accepted at the border, especially if it affects the personal details page or any visa stamps.”

Meanwhile, you’ll also want to check two key dates on your document; the date of issue and the expiry date. That’s because following Brexit, passport requirements have changed for Brits heading to the EU. Your passport now needs to have been issued less than 10 years ago, and must be valid at least three months beyond the date of departure.

These easy errors could also be costly, as if you’re turned away because you don’t have a valid passport, then it’s unlikely that your travel insurance would cover the costs, leaving you out of pocket.

Ian Wilson, travel insurance expert and Managing Director, added: “With passport fees increasing and queues likely getting longer this summer due to the introduction of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System, we urge holidaymakers to carry out essential passport checks now to avoid last-minute hassle and potentially being turned away at the airport.

“Post-Brexit travel changes are still confusing for many of us, so it’s important for Brits to familiarise themselves with the validity requirements before jetting off to Europe.

“Travellers also need to ensure their passports are in good physical condition, as things like damage from water or ink, rips in pages and laminate peeling from the personal details page can mean that your passport may not be accepted as a valid travel document.

“If you’re denied access to your flight for issues such as an invalid passport, your travel insurance is unlikely to protect you. That’s why it’s so important to double-check these things well in advance of your departure date.”

You can find out more on tiger.co.uk.

Have you been caught out by the recent changes to passport rules? Email us at [email protected]

A SAVINGS-savvy homeowner shared impressive before-and-after snaps of her kitchen after nabbing a Temu bargain.

Tracy Davies rid herself of her unsightly tiles with a handy £12 fix.

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Using peel-and-stick tiles from the bargain website, she completely transformed the space.

“From painted tiles which I absolutely hated to stick on times from Temu,” she wrote on the DIY On a Budget Official Facebook page.

“A massive improvement,” she added.

Tracy’s bog-standard white square tiles have been covered with large, marble-style tile stickers, which give the kitchen a modern feel.

Fellow home hackers were shocked by the difference the simple solution made.

“Would love to do this, looks lovely,” one wrote.

“These look great, I’m going to look into getting these,” another said.

“I also used the stick on tiles to cover up ugly tiles in my kitchen,” a third wrote.

The good news is that the stickers are easy to apply, and no grout is needed.

If you want to give your kitchen or bathroom some TLC, Temu offers a huge variety of stick on tiles in different colours and styles.

Amazon, Dunelm and B&Q also sell packs of tile stickers.

The tiles on Amazon range from £8 to £20, while at Dunelm prices start from £18.

It’s not just stick-on tiles that have home fixers jumping for joy – there are even self-adhesive wood panels to add a little extra style to any room.

Betty, a content creator from the UK who is currently renovating her home, used dado rails to panel her hallway – and it left many open-mouthed.

But while many were stunned and thought the DIY project was incredibly “impressive”, others thought it made Betty’s home look “dated”. 

Alongside her short social media clip, the brunette, who often shares beginner-friendly DIY tips and tricks online, beamed: “This is your sign to panel your hallway.”

She then added: “If you’re going to make one update to your hallway for maximum impact then let it be this! 

“This has to be the panelling project that I’m most proud of (mainly because I finally tackled those angles).”

Betty claimed that “preparation is key” when it comes to panelling, as she pre-marked each location to ensure it looked neat once complete. 

She later revealed that she got the dado rails as part of a traditional stair panelling kit from Roomix. 

As well as adding panelling to her hallway, which Betty coated in Dulux Egyptian Cotton paint, she also painted the top of her walls in the shade White Mist from Dulux. 

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KYIV’s mayor and former world champion boxer Vitali Klitschko entered the ring with Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of “authoritarianism”.

The former heavyweight blasted the wartime Ukrainian President for paralysing his city with “raids, interrogations and threats of fabricated criminal cases”.

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Klitschko said the president’s decision to use martial law to appoint a rival military administration in Kyiv stopped his city from making progress.

The 53-year-old mayor’s claims come after ex-comedian Zelensky was taunted earlier this year by Donald Trump and his right-hand-man JD Vance.

The Don tripled down on his criticism of Zelensky in a blistering Truth Social rampage in February, branding the Ukrainian President a “dictator” and a “moderately successful” comedian.

And just days after that, a furious Trump dramatically booted Zelensky out of the White House amid a seething row over US backing of the Ukraine war, sparking global chaos.

Trump has also accused wartime hero Zelensky of “refusing to have elections” – despite this being normal protocol under martial law.

Klitschko’s allegations towards Zelensky of authoritarianism come as his Kyiv administration faces a string of arrests.

Some of Klitschko’s deputies have been purged by the national anti-corruption bureau under an operation called Clean City.

The probe has exposed widespread corruption under the mayor’s watch – and seven of his subordinates have so far been arrested, with another three under investigation.

The former athlete has now lashed out at Zelensky, saying that the work of his city council has been plagued by fake criminal cases and threats.

He says that these hampered the ability of Kyiv authorities to make key decisions.

Kyiv’s mayor told The Times: “This is a purge of democratic principles and institutions under the guise of war.

“I said once that it smells of authoritarianism in our country. Now it stinks.”

He also accused President Zelensky of using military administrations across the country to take power from elected mayors.

This is not the first time ex-sportsman Klitschko – who is also said to have presidential ambitions – has called out his rival Zelensky.

The Kyiv mayor called out the Ukrainian President in February amid stalling peace negotiations.

Zelensky then hit back at the boxing champ, saying: “Klitschko is a great athlete, but I didn’t know he was a great speaker.”

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Klitschko said that his recent criticism of Zelensky has been protected by his celebrity status.

“Many of the mayors are intimidated, but my celebrity status is a protection,” he explained.

“You can fire the mayor of Chernihiv, but it is very difficult to fire the mayor of the capital who the whole world knows.”

He added: “That is why everything is being done to discredit and ruin my reputation.”

Political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko said that the conflict betwene the two rivals goes deeper.

The expert said it reflected concern about abuse of city funds in wartime, calling it a “response to manifestations of corruption in the Kyiv city administration”.

He told The Times: “During the war money should go primarily to defence, to protect the country, yet there is all this construction.”

Questioning the corruption in Kyiv, he added: “In some other cities, even stadiums are being built.

“In the Donbas there are large landscaping projects. The frontline is near by, and the money is not going to defensive structures, but to greenery.”

Kyiv locals have been baffled as luxury flats keep popping up instead of shelters or schools — often built on public land using a dodgy “toilet loophole”.

This starts with setting up a par-per-use toilet for example, to then receive something similar to squatters’ rights.

Many of the ten Kyiv officials under investigation have been charged with corruption relating to the approval of these land permits.

Klitschko’s ex-deputy has been charged with taking bribes to help war conscripts escape, while a former city councillor accused of embezzlement has fled to Austria.

He responded to claims of corruption under his watch, saying that he had sacked eight of the officials being investigated.

“I have 4,500 employees in this building alone and about 300,000 employees working for the city,” he said.

“Corruption cases sometimes happen, but we react harshly and quickly.”

He added: “We co-operate with law enforcement, provide all the necessary information and hope for an impartial investigation of all cases.”

Klitshcko’s main rival in Kyiv, Tymur Tkachenko, has slated the mayor for showing “weakness” during wartime.

Tkachenko told The Times: “Mr Klitschko could not close the brothel in the basement of the same building where he lives.”

He was referring to Tootsies, a notorious strip club raided and shut down by the security service last month as part of an investigation into sex trafficking. 

Klitschko hit back at claims he was tied to the strip club which is near a hotel complex he owns, calling it a “lie” meant to smear him.

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The Ibiza resident posted a video of unruly passengers aboard an easyJet flight from Luton to the Spanish island which ended with police meeting the plane on the runway

A woman has laid into English tourists after she was stuck on a flight to Ibiza with unruly passengers.

Posting online, the Ibiza resident shared footage of the boisterous Brits online, insisting that they shouldn’t have been allowed on the easyJet plane in the first place.

In a no-holds-barred message alongside a video of the packed plane where passengers could be seen banging on luggage compartments above them and yelling ‘Come on Ibiza’, the Spanish speaker said: “My flight from London to Ibiza was absolutely horrible. I was scared.”

She added that people were “standing, screaming, guys hitting each other, drinking bottles of alcohol one after the other and stopping the flight attendants from doing their job. Real hell. This video is just the end because I couldn’t film what happened during the journey.

READ MORE: Spanish seaside city with ‘five-star’ attractions is one of the best for a holiday

“It was a really wild 2.5 hour flight. This shouldn’t be allowed.” Erika said that those who had drunk too much alcohol should not be allowed on flights.

“We don’t want this type of tourism in Ibiza, they should stay at home. I had a very bad time and the flight attendants unable to do anything,” she added.

The woman added in comments to a local Ibizan newspaper that she had complained to the flight attendants: “I’m not afraid of flying because I’ve flown around the world but I had a panic attack because it was like being in a pub, in a nightclub, but in the air,” she continued.

She claimed the two male air stewards and an air stewardess on board had asked some passengers for their documentation, but were met with shouts of ‘f** off.’

A spokesperson for easyJet said: “We can confirm that flight EZY2307 from Luton to Ibiza on 16 May was met by police on arrival due to a group of passengers behaving in a disruptive manner. The safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew is always easyJet’s priority. Whilst such incidents are rare we take them very seriously and do not tolerate disruptive behaviour onboard.”

The footage was posted on Saturday, a day before thousands of people marched in the Canary Islands’ cities as part of a new anti-mass tourism protest. Locals in the Balearic Islands, which include Ibiza, are due to stage their protest on June 15.

Over the weekend, fed-up locals made their frustrations clear in the Canary Islands as peak tourism season nears, with an estimated 7,000 people marching through the streets and promenades in Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife, alone. The massive protests have been echoed on each of the territory’s six other islands, including Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura, with organisers saying the sun-kissed Spanish islands, which are extremely popular, especially with British tourists, “have a limit”.

There have been long-running tensions in holiday destinations across Spain due to the pressure large numbers of tourists put on local resources and property prices.

DAVE ALLEN has lived several lives, from supply school teacher to gambling addict and now, thankfully, a beloved boxing star.

Allen started as an amateur aged 16 and had just ten bouts before turning professional in 2012 – snubbing the chance to join the GB Squad.

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He was 20 when he made his debut but only three years later Allen had only fought seven times and was in need of cash.

The heavyweight made ends meet as a sparring partner – earning around £500 a week – but it was not enough.

So he got a job as a supply teacher – lying on his CV to get the gig – before returning to the ring in 2015.

But by then, Allen was gripped by a horrific gambling addiction which started after making a £1 bet on the horses with his dad when he was just eight.

And after being introduced to online betting, the boxer’s life began to spiral.

He bravely said on ex-middleweight champion Darren Barker’s podcast: “It just snowballed really.

“I used to go to the bookies and play on the machines there, they were great times.

“But the online stuff is where it got bad for me because it was so easy, it was numbers on the screen.

“Probably at the worst? It’s difficult to say really. I wasn’t gambling that much in my early 20s, but I was gambling everything that I had.

“As I got a bit older, I was gambling way more, tens of thousands of pounds. Maybe into hundreds of thousands overall.”

Allen – who has sparred Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk – said winning the bets was the route of his addiction not the cash.

He explained: “I have no interest in the money at all.

“The kind of gambler I am, it’s not about the money for me. When the money runs out, that’s the only issue.

“I never wanted to withdraw any money, I just wanted to keep winning. To be honest, at that time it was like an escapism from real life.”

Allen revealed his routine consisted of going to bed at 6am and waking up by 2pm to catch the first race of the day.

Fortunately, Allen has overcome his addiction with the help of his sister and wife, who he shares a son and daughter with.

As I got a bit older, I was gambling way more, tens of thousands of pounds. Maybe into hundreds of thousands overall.

Dave Allen

He said: “Since I was 26, I’ve not been in control of my own money.

“So at 26, I said to my sister, ‘You’re going to have to look after my money, to be honest.’

“My sister set me up a bank account and for the last seven and a half years if I want any money at all, I have to text my sister and now my missus, I get a card and they send me money.

“Because, if I could still gamble now, I think I would. I’ve spent mad money on mad s***, I was spending ridiculous money and when I boxed Luis Ortiz, I did it for the money, really.

“I think I owed a few quid at the time of the Dillian Whyte fight, I think I lost about eight grand on the day of the fight, I didn’t clear too much more than that really.”

Allen has also become a trainer and manager to young fighters to also keep himself on track.

He said: “I need it as much as them, start training the kids seven or eight years ago and that’s my sustainability really.

‘He’ll get knocked out’

“It’s really kept me on the straight and narrow.”

Allen initially retired from boxing in 2020 aged 28 after a brutal knockout loss to 2008 Olympic bronze medallist David Price.

But he returned a year later and has fought eight times since, remaining a hugely popular figure amongst British fans.

Allen, 33, is coming off a controversial split-decision loss to Johnny Fisher, 26, in Saudi Arabia last December.

But the pair now rematch on Saturday at Fisher’s adopted home of the Copper Box Arena.

And Allen – who dropped Fisher in round five – warned: “If he fights me May 17th he’ll get knocked out because I’ll be sharper, a little bit fitter.

“If he boxes me it will be hard work, of course it is. But I don’t think at the Copper Box he’ll hold it together and box.

“He’ll get in a fight at some point. I’m not the biggest puncher but I hit too hard for him and I’m too strong for him. He’s tough, though.”

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