How Britain can avoid becoming an island of strangers
There's a street in Leicester where nearly half the residents don't speak English to a decent level. Ben Leo of GB News recently went there to explore what that meant in practice. True to the statistics, almost nobody could speak English well enough to have a conversation, from a middle-aged Portuguese man to the Indian father who admitted to not being able to speak the language after a decade here. The only flag to be found flying there was Palestine's, whilst the local advertising billboards were for One Nation, an Islamic charity from Batley in West Yorkshire. In the end, Leo had to, in his words, 'scarper' after a local got upset with them filming.
This reveals the scale of the challenge facing Britain when it comes to immigration. Although net migration dropped to 431,000 in 2024, a 50 per cent reduction on the year before, that still means higher levels than before Brexit.
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Scottish Sun
32 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Satellite pic from days after Maddie vanished shows eerie ‘tent' in Brueckner's camping spot now being searched by cops
MADELEINE McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner stayed in a 'wild camping' ground on land now being scoured by cops, The Sun can reveal. Search teams have zeroed in on scrubland between Brueckner's old home and the apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal where Maddie was snatched in May 2007. 16 A recent satellite picture of the farmhouse 16 A satellite image of the farmhouse in 2007, seemingly with a tent inside 16 Police searching the abandoned building on Tuesday Credit: Dan Charity 16 Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Beurckner pictured arriving in to court in 2024 Credit: Dan Charity 16 Madeleine McCann disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal on May 3, 2007 Credit: AFP 16 And German police leading the hunt hope the convicted child sex fiend and rapist may have left vital clues which could finally nail him for Maddie's murder. Searchers were yesterday focusing on at least five derelict farmhouses and barns where Brueckner camped at the time the British tot was taken. Sun analysis of a June 2007 satellite image of one building being searched yesterday revealed what appeared to be a white tent pitched within its walls. The stone-walled property was photographed from space on June 22, 2007 - seven weeks after Maddie was taken from her family's Ocean Club apartment a five minute drive away. Recent pictures of the same spot show the building's massive deterioration - and lay bare the enormous task facing police seeking elusive scraps of DNA evidence. The 2007 images shows the roofless cottage or barn is approximately 58ft long by 25ft wide with a white, 9ft tent like structure pitched inside its walls. It is impossible to say whether the building was occupied by Brueckner or one of a number of hippie types living in the area in camper vans and tents at the time. But fading hopes of finding evidence linking him to the three-year-old British tot were also being hampered by the march of time yesterday. Chain saws and diggers were drafted in to excavate ground and clear thick undergrowth which has overwhelmed many of the abandoned buildings. And luxury holiday homes have been built on other key spots within a ten acre area being combed by scores of Portuguese and German cops. 16 The abandoned house was scoured in the first day of the Maddie search Credit: Dan Charity 16 The barn was filled with overgrown shrubbery 16 A mugshot of Christian Brueckner Teams spent yesterday toiling in 29C heat at the seaside search plot in an area called Atalaia, a mile east of the Ocean Club and half a mile from Brueckner's old house. Ground penetrating radar scanners - capable of finding bodies 15 feet below ground - were also drafted into the grim search. Locals said the spot close to a cliff was once a romantic spot where Portuguese couples would canoodle after dark in their cars. But by the early noughties the open scrubland offering sea views and no parking charges attracted a foreign 'wild camper' set - believed to include Brueckner. Police are believed to have launched their 'last throw of the dice' search after tip-offs from associates about the area and geolocation checks of his computer hardware. Local man Joao Pedro, 63, who grew up in the area, told The Sun: 'It used to be a romantic spot - I used to take my girlfriends there. 'But at the time Maddie went missing in the noughties it was very popular with foreign campers and you'd see camper vans and tents there all time. 'It was totally unregulated back then and strangers would just pitch up and stay there for free and no one would bother them.' 16 Police will be searching scrub land, using radar equipment 16 A firefighter draining a well with a yellow hose pipe 16 One of the derelict and abandoned properties close to Praia De Luz, Portugal, which has been searched by teams investigating on Wednesday 16 Kate (R) and Gerry McCann hold pyjamas similar to those of their daughter during a press conference in 2007 Credit: Getty A police source at the scene told The Sun yesterday that searches were focusing on the area because Brueckner used to camp in the buildings. One officer said: 'We are here because Brueckner used to camp here. Not only Brueckner but many people.' The Sun also examined historic satellite imagery showing Brueckner's single story house around half a mile from the current search site at the time of the abduction. Images recorded in 2006 and 2007 show vehicles resembling his distinctive VW camper van nearby. He moved out of the white and yellow bungalow in late 2006 but a white roofed van still appears to be parked outside it in June 2007 after Maddie was snatched. A white structure erected close to his house in 2006 when he lived there also appears to have vanished the following year. Imagery also shows scores of open wells across the entire search area which were being drained and methodically checked for clues yesterday. Wider satellite pictures taken in 2007 show a string of building plots around the current search area - which have since become luxury homes and holiday estates. The worst fear of officers is that Brueckner could have hidden Maddie's body or vital clues in the foundations of buildings which would now be impossible to excavate. Hopes that telltale fragments of clothing - like the missing tot's pink Eeyore pyjamas - might be found are also remote. German federal officers are racing against time to find vital DNA clues after the 48-year-old fiend Brueckner boasted he would 'go to ground' when he is released in September. The vile pervert - who cops are convinced took and killed Maddie - is currently due to finish a seven year sentence for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. A Portuguese police source said last night: 'This really is a last ditch effort - search teams here are hoping they get lucky. 'Officers are determined to do everything they possibly can before Brueckner walks free. They know what is at stake.' 16 A criminal police investigator walks near ruins as police resume the search for the body of Madeleine McCann today 16 One of the derelict and abandoned properties close to Praia da Luz 16 One abandoned house was scoured earlier on Wednesday
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Madeleine McCann: Search teams scour scrubland and abandoned buildings
Investigators are continuing to scour scrubland and abandoned buildings in the second day of the latest searches for missing Madeleine McCann. Teams of German and Portuguese police officers, as well as firefighters, face the daunting task of hunting for evidence 18 years on from the disappearance of the British three-year-old in 2007. This week's operation is focusing on a sparsely developed area of land around 3.5 miles from Praia da Luz, where Madeleine was last seen while on holiday with her parents and siblings. Ground-penetrating radar was seen being used as work continued on Wednesday, amid intense international media scrutiny. She vanished after she was left sleeping in a room with her toddler twin brother and sister while her parents went for dinner with friends in a nearby restaurant. Kate and Gerry McCann are not commenting during the 'active police investigation', staff at the Find Madeleine Campaign said. On Wednesday, officers were seen clearing vegetation around abandoned buildings, wearing protective gear such as hard hats and face masks, and a digger was used to move rubble. The area where they are working is an area of fields and scrubland between a main road and the sea, with a few buildings including a vineyard. It has been variously reported that teams will look where trenches were dug near the resort at the time of Madeleine's disappearance, at wells, ruins and water tanks, and that there are plans to examine 21 pieces of land. The search is being carried out at the request of the German federal police, as they look for evidence that could implicate prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. He is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. In October last year, Brueckner was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. About 30 German police, including forensic experts, are expected to take part in the search alongside Portuguese officers. The operation is expected to last until Friday. The Metropolitan Police said they were aware of the operation but that British officers will not be present. German investigators and Portuguese officers last carried out searches in 2023, near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz. Brueckner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir. It was previously searched in 2008, when Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia paid for specialist divers to search it, after he claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that Madeleine's body was there.
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Glaswegians urged to help shape new green strategy
Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS) has launched a public consultation on its five-year draft strategy, with the aim of gathering feedback from organisations and members of the public in Glasgow and beyond. ESS, which took over the environmental oversight role previously held by the European Union following Brexit, was established in October 2021 to ensure environmental laws and standards are adhered to in Scotland. Read more: Ancelotti to Rangers talks 'break down' after meeting as Russell Martin path cleared Investigators continue to scour abandoned buildings in search for Madeleine McCann Body found in search for Glasgow man missing in Portugal Mark Roberts, chief executive of ESS, said: "This consultation will enable us to refine our final strategy, which will be submitted to the Scottish Parliament for approval later this year. "Environmental law directly and indirectly impacts every resident, business and community in Glasgow, so we're keen to hear from as wide a range of people and groups as possible. "I would encourage anyone with an interest in our work to take part." The draft strategy outlines how ESS will monitor compliance of public bodies in Scotland with environmental law, assess its effectiveness, and prioritise areas for scrutiny. It also includes an updated vision, new strategic objectives, and ESS's proposed response to recommendations from Scottish Ministers following a government review of environmental governance. An online consultation session will be held on June 19, giving residents the chance to hear directly from Mr Roberts and other ESS staff about the draft strategy and to ask questions. The final document will be submitted to the Scottish Parliament later this year. ESS's first strategy, covering 2022 to 2025, led to investigations into compliance with environmental law in areas such as air quality, wrasse fishing, and the management of special protection areas for birds. The organisation also examined the effectiveness of environmental law on issues including storm overflows, marine litter, and soil protection. The consultation is open until August 29.
