
Teen arrested after woman, 86, struck and killed while 'using zebra crossing'
A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after an 86-year-old woman was struck and killed while using a zebra crossing, police have said.
Gloria Stephenson, from Silksworth, Sunderland, was using "a zebra crossing when she was struck by a black Sur-Ron electric motorcycle" on the city's Burdon Road on 16 May, Northumbria Police said.
The electric motorbike was travelling in a southbound direction when it allegedly hit Ms Stephenson, the force added.
The 86-year-old woman's daughter and grandson were also at the scene, according to a family statement.
The rider drove away from the scene and was later arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, police said, adding that the bike was recovered.
The teenager has since been released on police bail pending further inquiries.
Ms Stephenson's family paid tribute to the "amazing" pensioner, saying she was "full of life".
'We are all devastated at the loss of our vibrant, active, beautiful, and intelligent mam, grandma, mother-in-law and great grandma," the family said.
They added: "She was active, fit, healthy, and had years left to give her love and share her energy and zest for life with everyone who knew her.
"The family want to express their heartfelt thanks and gratitude to everyone who supported mam, and her daughter and grandson at the scene."
Northumbria Police has urged witnesses to contact them with information and footage of the collision.
Sergeant Russell Surrey, of Northumbria Police, said: "Our thoughts remain with all of Gloria's family and loved ones as they try to process what has happened.
"We will support them in any way that we can, as we look to get them the answers they deserve."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Telegraph
35 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The ugly buildings we secretly love
When news came last week that Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King – colloquially known as 'Paddy's Wigwam' – had been granted Grade I-listed status, it marked a long-awaited vindication for a building that has weathered its fair share of criticism. The design by Sir Frederick Gibberd, selected from 300 entries worldwide, took shape over five years (1962–67) and sits atop Mount Pleasant, overlooking the city with views stretching to the Mersey estuary beyond. Built quickly and cheaply – as many post-war buildings were – it has been described as 'a gargantuan concrete aberration from the Apollo space programme'. Even as recently as 2013, CNN named it one of the world's ugliest buildings. Inside, of course, the story is very different. Bathed in coloured light from the kaleidoscopic stained glass, the cathedral is an extraordinary space – one that has come to be cherished by Liverpudlians, Catholic or not. It is the latest in a long line of buildings that, though they didn't receive universal acclaim at first, have endured nonetheless. Scottish Parliament Building, Edinburgh The 1997 vote for Scottish Devolution meant a new parliament was needed, but its birth was, to put it mildly, a car crash. Ten times over budget and years behind schedule, Holyrood's construction became a dream story for the press but a nightmare for MSPs and civil servants, whose mistakes were broadcast daily. The image of the dour, thrifty Scot clashed with the flamboyance of the building's cost and design, hardly endearing it to the public when it opened in 2004. Questions were also raised about the practicality of the joint design by RMJM – one of the world's largest architecture and design firms – and Barcelona-based architect Enric Miralles, who avoided much of the controversy by passing away midway through the project in 2000. Yet opinions shifted after it won the 2005 Stirling Prize, the highest honour in British architecture. Scots, embracing a new era free from Westminster's control, came to see the building as a symbol of a renaissance north of the border. Today, visitors flock to marvel at its outré design. Hillingdon Civic Offices, Uxbridge Hillingdon Council's Ford Granada-driving apparatchiks wanted a new HQ, and what they got ended up defining over a decade of suburban style in Britain. If the Hillingdon Civic Centre reminds you of a supermarket, you wouldn't be far off – this became the signature look of Tescos and Safeways across the south. The bulky Civic Centre was designed by Andrew Derbyshire of RMJM and opened in 1979. 'Like any suburban orgy, it was more comical than sexy,' said the architecture journalist Jonathan Meades. 'It was the architectural equivalent of Benny Hill or Sid James: coarse, matey, blokeish, undemanding, unthreatening, accessible.' This building felt like the starting point of a backlash against the progressive and exciting modernism that had flourished during Britain's ' Les Trente Glorieuses'. Over the following 30 years, there was little but disdain for modernist achievements and a widespread retreat from ambition, with brick vernacular becoming especially fashionable in this new, cautious era. Nowadays, modernism and postmodernism have found a warmer welcome. While Hillingdon Civic Centre might not immediately evoke the wild, pastel-coloured tropical postmodernism of John Outram and others, it's certainly an uncle to those buildings. Now listed, it enjoys a bit more affection from the people of Uxbridge. University of East Anglia, Norwich The serpentine teaching block, dubbed the Lasdun Wall, snakes along a ridge where University of East Anglia (UEA) students study, while the eye-popping ziggurats tumbling down towards the River Yare are where they sleep. Space-age chic seems entirely at odds with sleepy Norfolk; architectural historian Elain Harwood called it 'the boldest architecture of any new university', and it became the backdrop to Malcolm Bradbury's novel The History Man. It's heartening that, despite the UEA's stark 1960s campus, it has gained more fans as it has reached middle age. It's not without problems – issues with the fireproof reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), widely used as a cheap material especially in roofs, have led to the closure of the ziggurats during remediation work. Meanwhile, new extensions to the university have sparked thorough debate. Architecture fans visiting can also explore the Sainsbury Centre next door. Designed by Lord Foster, it opened in 1978 and was hailed as revolutionary for its lightweight, high-tech design, influencing many airports and office buildings throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Southbank Centre, London London's Southbank Centre has long been at the heart of various culture wars. When Churchill's Tories won the autumn 1951 snap election, they sought to dismantle the remains of the Festival of Britain, viewing it as a thoroughly socialist project by Labour's Herbert Morrison – which, of course, it was. The futuristic Skylon was removed, but the Royal Festival Hall survived. The Southbank Centre was expanded in a brutalist style during the 1960s. Its maze of passageways and high walkways confused visitors, while its gruff exteriors offended many sensibilities. In 1988, the then Prince Charles famously likened Denys Lasdun's National Theatre (NT) to a nuclear power station. Today, attitudes have shifted. We now recognise the stark beauty in its complexity and surreal sculptural forms, and the restrained harmony of the theatre complex in particular. John Grindrod wrote in his 2013 book Concretopia that 'Lasdun's interiors have a rather cosy aesthetic,' echoing theatre critic Michael Billington's 1976 view that the NT is 'a superb piece of sculpture.' The entire Southbank complex was designed the way it was because planners insisted on roads and car parks, and even proposed building a heliport next door – hence the Queen Elizabeth Hall's thick, austere walls. Today, the terraces are bustling with diners, while the undercrofts have become a beloved haunt for skateboarders. Moseley Road Baths, Birmingham The residents of Balsall Heath in south Birmingham were certainly grateful when the baths on Moseley Road opened in 1907. Back in 1890, Birmingham was hailed as the 'best-governed city in the world' by Harper's Magazine – a claim that might raise a wry smile from today's locals still waiting for their bins to be collected. Its trams, housing, utilities and public baths were all part of a civic effort to lift the city from industrial slum to modern metropolis. But the baths were not universally loved, and have only narrowly escaped demolition, more due to luck than design. As the 20th century wore on and more homes welcomed bathrooms and washing machines, fewer people needed the bathhouse. And Birmingham (city motto: 'Forward'), spent much of the 1960s demolishing its Victorian and Edwardian architecture, including the grand Central Library and the original New Street Station, as tastes turned against the ornate. In recent years, however, a dedicated campaign has saved the arts-and-crafts building. Now Grade II-listed and undergoing careful restoration, the Moseley Road Baths are protected at last. Scarborough Grand Hotel, North Yorkshire Scarborough's grande dame was originally conceived as the Cliff Hotel, built at a time when the town was establishing itself as a premier seaside resort following the arrival of the railway on the Yorkshire coast. Visitors came to take the waters, and a grand hotel was needed to accommodate them. But throughout its life, the building has been a victim of its own scale – beset by fires, outbreaks of illness, and now, by its current management. Run as a tired, cut-price hotel, it was dubbed 'the shame of Scarborough' by Tory mayoral candidate Keane Duncan last year. When it opened in the 1860s, it was one of the largest hotels ever built – so large, in fact, that some wondered whether it was all a bit much for the once-sleepy fishing town. The Grand's story is closely tied to that of its architect, the exquisitely named Cuthbert Brodrick. A Hull native, Brodrick also designed Leeds' monumental Town Hall and Corn Exchange – buildings with a distinctive size and swagger that often clashed with the era's more restrained architectural tastes. Brodrick's overblown Oriental Turkish Baths on Cookridge Street in Leeds were unceremoniously demolished in the 1960s – by then, he had well and truly fallen from favour. That changed in 2007, when Jonathan Meades made a film about him for BBC Two, sparking a reappraisal of his work. Today, the Grand is a much-loved landmark on the Yorkshire coast. Blackpool Tower, Blackpool The Eiffel Tower is perhaps the most famous example of a building once heavily derided that has only grown in popularity with age. Blackpool's imitation, by contrast, was long dismissed as a poor copy aimed at entertaining the lower classes. Like Brighton's more recent i360 seafront tower, it was seen by some as overly tall and something of a white elephant. Today, it's a listed building, and its kitsch swagger has come to define the Blackpool seafront. We'd never dream of demolishing it now – nor its ballroom, the spiritual home of ballroom dancing. Yet in the 1920s, there was serious talk of tearing it all down. It may seem far-fetched, but that's exactly what happened to the similar-looking New Brighton Tower on the Wirral. Despite being even taller than Blackpool's, it had few defenders when it was demolished in 1919 after just 20 years. Its ballroom – where the Beatles played no fewer than 27 concerts – met the same fate in 1969, following a major fire. Strawberry Hill House, London A gothic wedding cake by the Thames, Strawberry Hill House is a singular and delightfully eccentric creation – perfectly in keeping with its owner, Horace Walpole. An unmarried enigma and gothic novelist who puzzled polite society, Walpole built his fantastical home in Twickenham as a whimsical homage to medieval cathedrals and castles. It was a world away from the architectural fashions of the mid-1700s and, at first, had few admirers. Slowly but surely, people began to visit, drawn in by the fairytale interiors and jaunty gardens, and Strawberry Hill House grew into an attraction. A century later, gothic revival (an architectural style) had become a full-blown Victorian obsession – just look at the Houses of Parliament – so Walpole's creation no longer seemed quite so outlandish. Architecture critic Ian Nairn once remarked that 'Walpole's stucco fancy' was 'prettier and less finicking than you'd expect'. A high-profile restoration in the 2000s, featured on TV, brought a new wave of admirers. Today, the house welcomes around 25,000 visitors a year. Buckingham Palace, London Like the face of an ageing celebrity, Buckingham Palace has had more alterations over the years than you can shake a Botox syringe at. Throughout its life, it has endured feelings ranging from antipathy to outright hostility from its residents. The original house, built in 1703 by William Winde, was – using the polite parlance of stately home design – 'improved' countless times. It was so often disliked that entire sections were torn down and rebuilt. John Nash's lavish 1820s redesign nearly bankrupted the Royal household, and he was promptly sacked. When Queen Victoria made it her primary residence in 1837, the palace still failed to charm – particularly Prince Albert. Albert tried to modernise it with plumbing, lighting and even toilets for servants. But, like many of his descendants, he preferred to be elsewhere. His own pet project, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, was met with a lukewarm response thanks to its oddly Italianate style. The late Queen favoured Windsor and Balmoral; the current King prefers Highgrove and Clarence House. Yet today, tourists flock to the Palace's current form, fronted by Aston Webb's century-old Portland stone façade. More state venue than family home, it may have finally found its purpose.


The Sun
42 minutes ago
- The Sun
Farmer warns of ‘deadliest' plant growing on UK soil that's ‘enough to kill' – do you have it in your garden?
A FARMER has warned of a deadly plant growing on UK soil, after learning his new land was covered in the flower. The Facebook page Field to Farm shared a video of the farmer showing his pasture, which was blanketed in the poisonous plant. 4 The farmer claims he has purchased the UK's "deadliest" field after finding his new field littered with Hemlock. The highly poisonous plant deadly to humans Hemlock is a highly poisonous flowering plant which can be fatal to humans, even in small amounts. The flower affects the body's nervous system, eventually causing death by respiratory failure. While the plant looks harmless, with umbrella-like clusters of white flowers, even the smallest amount can be enough to kill. According to The Wildlife Trusts: "Hemlock has a repellent smell when its leaves are crushed, helping to ensure that accidental poisonings don't occur very often - even livestock studiously avoid it." Farmer sends his warning Upon discovering the plant in his new field, the farmer took to social media to warn his followers. He said: "I have just bought a field to live in and I've realised it is full of poison." He continued by explaining that Hemlock is commonly mistaken for wild carrot. But added: "Just eating any single part of this plant is enough to kill me. "The amount of this you have to eat to die is realistically quite small. "Four or five leaves, done. Game over." Expert Gardening Hacks for a Pet-Friendly Summer Garden His advice was to mow the plants down and you will most likely be ok, but take care to not get any of the sap on your skin because it will blister. The farmer concluded: "So, all in all, if you've got this stuff growing, be careful." What is Hemlock? What is Hemlock? Hemlock is a notoriously poisonous plant often found in damp places, such as ditches and riverbanks. It can be identified by its umbrella-like clusters of white flowers in summer. The plant is most commonly found in England and Wales, while being more scarce in Scotland and Northern Ireland. What are the dangers? Poisoning can occur if you accidentally infest the plant. Symptoms can range from vomiting to seizures to respiratory failure. Most of the time, hemlock is only poisonous when ingested, however, you should be careful when handling the plant. In very rare cases, hemlock poisoning can occur after the toxins enter your bloodstream. What to do if you come into contact with it: If you think you may have accidentally ingested poison hemlock, you should call your healthcare provider right away. There is no antidote, however, treatment may include: Mechanical ventilation if you are having trouble breathing. Antiseizure medication to control seizures. Hemodialysis for renal failure. Digestive system cleanse to get rid of the toxin. IV to prevent dehydration and provide nutrition. You can prevent poisoning by getting rid of any hemlock you have in your garden. Sources: The Wildlife Trusts and Cleveland Clinic Symptoms of Hemlock Symptoms of Hemlock poisoning include sweating, vomiting, dilated pupils, dry mouth, rapid heartbeat and high blood pressure. The plant is so poisonous that dead canes can remain toxic for up to three years. 4 4


Daily Mail
43 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Experts discover popular spice could help beat bowel cancer - daily dose wards off tumours, study suggests
Adding a dose of turmeric to your daily diet might help keep bowel cancer at bay, scientists say. A study has found that curcumin—the compound that gives turmeric its bright orange colour—can block the growth of early cancer cells in the bowel. Experts at the University of Leicester say the spice appears to disarm rogue cells before they can multiply and form tumours, potentially preventing the disease. They discovered that curcumin latches on to a key protein used by these dangerous cells to spread—and stops it working. In lab tests, the team applied supplement-level doses of curcumin to bowel tissue. The results showed the compound halted the growth of cancer stem-like cells, which are believed to be behind both the development and recurrence of tumours. The findings, published in the journal Cancer Letters, suggest curcumin pushes these cells into a more benign state—reducing their ability to divide and take hold. Although more research is needed, experts say the study strengthens evidence that turmeric could one day form part of bowel cancer prevention, particularly in those at higher risk. The scientists also conducted separate tests and studies on mice who had been purposefully infected with cancer cells. They found that curcumin slowed tumour growth and extended the animals' lifespan. The equivalent human dose to the one used in the tests would be between one-and-a-half and two grams of curcumin a day. Turmeric powder contains roughly two to five per cent curcumin by weight—meaning a person would need to consume between 40g and 100g to get 2g of pure curcumin. This is far more than would realistically be found in a normal diet—and for this reason, most studies use supplements which are far more concentrated. The researchers added that turmeric has 'low toxicity and is inexpensive, satisfying many of the requirements of an ideal preventive therapy'. Turmeric, commonly used in Indian, Southeast Asian, and Middle Eastern cooking, has long been regarded as a cancer-fighting super food. It is also a popular supplement, after numerous studies suggested it may have pain-relieving qualities—particularly in easing the symptoms of knee arthritis. Cancer Research UK agrees that curcumin could have huge potential in the fight against cancer, but more investigation was needed, particularly into dosage. On its website, it reads: 'There is some evidence that curcumin, a substance in turmeric, can kill cancer cells in certain cancers. 'At the moment there is no clear evidence in humans to show that turmeric or curcumin can prevent or treat cancer. Larger studies are needed.' In the UK around 44,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year—around one person every 12 minutes—and 17,000 die from the disease. Concerningly, The Lancet reported that there's been a 3.6 per cent rise in cases in England, and an increase in younger adults (aged under 50) being told they have the disease. Colorectal (bowel) cancer, long considered a disease of old age, is increasingly striking people in their 20s, 30s and 40s in the US and UK in a phenomenon that has baffled doctors. The disease does still predominantly affect older people, with risks including a poor diet, obesity, eating too much processed meat and not enough fibre. In April, researchers at the University of California San Diego revealed that had found a potential link between bowel cancer and E. coli, a foodborne bacteria that infects around 75,000 to 90,000 Americans each year and at least 1,500 Britons. By analyzing DNA from young colon cancer patients, the team found unique genetic changes in their digestive tracts that appear to raise the risk of tumors forming—likely triggered during childhood, when the body is still developing. They also detected traces of colibactin, a cancer-linked toxin produced by certain strains of E. Coli, lurking in tumors from patients under 40. The most common source of E. Coli is undercooked ground beef, where bacteria can spread during processing. But leafy greens like romaine and spinach are another major culprit, often contaminated in the field through tainted water or contact with livestock.