Latest news with #Sellotape
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Evidence destroyed after fire deaths
Key evidence was unwittingly destroyed at the start of an investigation into the deaths of six family members in a house fire in 2012, according to an investigator who worked on the case. Dr Sabah Usmani, 44, and her five children - Hira, 12; Sohaib, 11; Muneeb, nine; Rayyan, six; and Maheen, three - died following the fire at their home in Harlow, Essex. Her husband, Dr Abdul Shakoor, survived the blaze. A fire investigation officer has told a BBC podcast that a forensics contractor allowed crucial evidence to be put in a skip, while another investigator claimed samples were packaged incorrectly. Essex Police said it could not comment on the claims as the investigation was still live. David Hadjicostas, then a fire investigation officer for Essex Fire and Rescue Service, said the forensic science adviser from Key Forensic Services failed to test the external lock on the family's front door, which Dr Shakoor and his neighbour reported was open. Dr Shakoor told officers there was a problem with the door's lock, which prompted the police to consider an opportunist burglar. Mr Hadjicostas said he saw the adviser try the lock on the inside of the door, but not the outside. "I always thought that was particularly odd because he was adamant that the door was lockable and he only tried 50% of the lock," he said. The door was removed from its frame and put in a skip before the fire team had examined it, he added. In the early hours of 15 October 2012, the family, originally from Pakistan and who moved to the house in Barn Mead in 2011, awoke to a loud sound and thick smoke. After trying to raise the alarm from a bedroom window, Dr Shakoor jumped out to seek help. Firefighters later had to restrain him from going back into the property. A neighbour's car had been set on fire at the same time. Police at first suspected arson, but 11 days after the fire, a laptop bag containing photos belonging to the Shakoor family was found dumped at a nearby estate. Officers then launched a murder investigation, believing someone had burgled the family home and stolen the laptop before setting the house on fire. After receiving complaints about work undertaken by Key Forensic Services, Essex Police appointed Iain Peck, a specialist fire investigator from Prometheus Forensic Services, to review it. Mr Peck said he was disappointed by the way samples of a large piece of laminate flooring in the lounge, where it was believed the fire started, had been taken. "Whoever was doing the packaging had stuck a nylon bag over one end, another nylon bag over another end, and then used Sellotape to kind of make some sort of Christmas cracker." The samples were rejected as they needed to be airtight so they could retain vapour from any potential accelerant used, he added. Mr Peck said the neighbour's car, a silver Ford Focus, which had been set alight the night of the fire, had not been fully excavated and appropriate samples had not been taken within 24 hours. Prometheus Forensic Services complained to the Forensic Science Regulator at the Home Office at the time about Key Forensic Services' work. However, the regulator said although a code of practice and conduct was published in 2011, it did not cover fire scene investigation. 'Solving my family's murder will bring closure' Father still hopes family's killers will be found The government-owned Forensic Science Service (FSS) was closed down in early 2012 by the Home Office, with much of its work taken on by private companies which had to bid for contracts with police forces in England and Wales. In 2011 Andrew White, then chief executive of Hertfordshire Police Authority, warned in The Guardian the decision to close FSS was so rushed that forces would have to turn to private suppliers without doing due diligence. Mr Hadjicostas believes the loss of the FSS affected the investigation. "The impact of that is when we're trying our best to try to find the cause and the origin of a fire in very, very difficult circumstances, you want your best people there," he added. Essex Police discovered there were three other burglaries within the hour of the fire at Barn Mead and seven people have been arrested during the investigation. One person arrested in May 2013 was found to have a glass fragment on their clothing that matched the neighbour's torched car, but not all the fragments were tested. Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray recorded an open verdict at an inquest into the deaths at Chelmsford Coroner's Court in 2014, adding: "Not all of the pieces of the jigsaw are there yet." Dr Shakoor said he remained frustrated that no-one had been brought to justice and that he was "losing hope." "I'm really shocked because I never thought they wouldn't have done it properly. We put our trust in the relevant departments," he said. "We need some sort of a conclusion and some closure." Key Forensic Services said it was still working with Essex Police and therefore unable to comment. It was unable to put the BBC in touch with the forensic scientist it used for the case, and we have been unable to trace them. Essex Police said it remained committed to doing all it could to give Dr Shakoor justice for the loss of his family. It added the investigation remained live and so there were elements raised by the BBC that it could not speak about. The Home Office said forensic investigations were conducted independently of the government and that it could not comment on specific aspects of the case as it remained an ongoing investigation. A spokesperson added the Home Office would be appointing a national forensic science lead who would "transform our approach to forensics, ensuring these vital services deliver justice for victims". You can listen to BBC podcast series Crime Next Door - Who Killed the Shakoors? on BBC Sounds Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. 'Solving my family's murder will bring closure' Fatal fire murder 'loyalties changed' Essex Police
ITV News
03-05-2025
- ITV News
Mother jailed for causing death of son in crash on blind bend in Dorset
A mother has been jailed for causing the death of her son in a crash on a blind bend in Dorset. 39 year old Barbara Roe from Ludgershall in Wiltshire, was driving with her son on the A354 near East Woodyates in North Dorset last March when she began travelling at speed. She then attempted to overtake a Ford Transit as she approached a blind left-hand bend, crossing the solid white line marking in the middle of the road. A cattle transporter was travelling in the opposite direction and Roe collided with it. Members of the public attempted to give first aid at the scene before the emergency services attended. However, despite their best efforts, Roe's nine-year-old son Zac Roe died at the scene. Police Constable Gavin Newbury, of the Serious Collision Investigation Team (SCIT), said: 'This tragic case is the cruellest of reminders of the truly devastating consequences that sadly occur when motorists drive in a dangerous or reckless manner. 'Our thoughts are absolutely with Zac's loved ones, who have been supported by specially trained officers throughout. "While we fully appreciate nothing will ever make up for their loss, our role has been to diligently investigate the circumstances of this collision and bring the evidence before the courts to allow the justice process to follow its course.' Roe was sentenced to five years in prison and disqualified from driving for a period of seven and a half years. Zac's father and his paternal grandparents described him as a "much-loved boy". In a statement, they said: 'His father adored him, as did we. 'He was a popular boy who had many friends. 'He had an amazing imagination. He just loved making things out of Lego, twigs, cardboard, string and Sellotape. "Just the same as his dad did when he was Zac's age. 'He was talented at drawing and spent many hours adding detail to whatever he drew. 'We called him nature boy as he loved being outdoors, making dens, riding his bike and scooter, playing parkour and army games. 'He just loved life. He was always smiling. 'He should be here now enjoying his life. 'Money has been raised and there in now a therapy dog named after Zac. This is Zac's legacy as he loved dogs. If anyone one would like to donate in Zac's memory please go to the 'Dogs for Health' Facebook page. 'We will never stop loving him. 'The good memories are too hard to think about yet. But when we are ready to remember them, we will know how much he loved his short life, which was brutally taken away. 'No one will ever forget our wonderful Zac. 'Our grief will last until our last breath.'
Daily Mail
03-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
‘I can't even stand unassisted, let alone walk, but I'm looking forward to my new life': JULIE BURCHILL has a few weeks of hospital rehab left
There's about a month to go (and about two months gone) of my projected stay in rehabilitation after life-saving surgery left me without the ability to walk. I am a puppet with severed strings; in the gym my spirit animal appears to be Orville the Duck. 'I can't!' I bleat to the physio. 'You can!' she urges me, too young to remember him. I'm looking forward to going home more than words can say. I long to be alone in my bedroom again, even if I do have to be decanted in and out of bed. There's a reason I turned down Celebrity Big Brother twice, and that came with a six-figure reward: I'm awful at living with people. Once so easy-going, I've become a tutter; I use my first breath of the morning to tut, and my last. To be fair, there's a lot to tut about. The nursing staff will turn their hands to anything; other employees, not so much. A man comes in to flush the taps and when asked if he can open a window, he says he can't but he'll find someone who can. A woman with a clipboard can't ring my emergency call-bell but she'll ask someone who will. The broken window by my bed is 'mended' with strips of Sellotape when I arrive here in midwinter – it's 'bracing'. As I cannot stand or walk, I need to be hoisted in a kind of big sling; there's only one that can be used in the bath, serving a ward of more than 20 people, and it has to be washed between uses. It does make you wonder where all the money spent on the NHS is going. Inevitably, there is camaraderie in the ward. In the morning and evening we call salutations by name to each other, like in The Waltons. Occasionally, the riffing of certain ward-mates on mobile phones on the subjects of illness and death makes me, a natural Pollyanna, somewhat exasperated. They list ailments they've had, as well as the ones friends and relations have had, then it's on to people they know who have expired from aforementioned ailments. And when they've exhausted the roster of people not in the pink, sick pets get a mention! These nuggets of nihilism are interspersed with feel-good clichés about how we are Strong Women and We Will Recover. I crave conversation about something other than sickness interspersed with fatuous positivity statements that Etsy would ban for being too saccharine. I find myself a sourpuss more and more these days; I, who used to be called Tigger by my friends. I haven't been without a catheter since the surgery and – though I felt a certain affection towards the little bag at first – after three months, taking a paperback-sized sample of my own urine around with me makes me feel like a ventriloquist with a particularly surly puppet. I no longer mess myself, but wear a nappy (great excitement when I graduated to pull-ups) and use a commode twice a day. Growing up, I was a shy girl; when my mother tasked me with buying toilet rolls I'd get boxes of tissues instead. Now that more people have seen my anus than Edmund White's, those days are gone; in my hoist I dangle happily waiting to be wiped, like a piñata full of excrement rather than gifts. I am praised by the cheerful young nurses for my promptness and productivity. 'Make me proud!' one of them instructs as she leaves me in my cubicle. Once, on a very rare occasion, I become tetchy when there is a mishap: 'I have urine on my hand!' I exclaim, like Lady Bracknell. My outrage, when for weeks the nurses have been performing the most intimate assistance for me, is ludicrous, and we all start laughing. My husband Daniel praises me for being so stoic, but I only let him visit for an hour max, so he doesn't know the half of it. I don't know of any Stoic who'd sit on a commode swearing like a Steven Berkoff character because they'd been made to wait till last for their bath. Our relationship is unusual. I know it works for many people, but I don't want to ask him to be my official carer. Though he's a lot younger than me, I've always been the tough one, health-wise, and a complete role reversal would be too much for me to handle. Because of this, I become over-brusque. When invited to ask him to the initial Patient Planning Meeting, I answered crisply, 'No, thank you – he needs to mind his own business.' At the next one, I'm very pleased he's with me. Right from the start, when we got together illicitly, the partners-in-crime motif has been strong with us, from our toothsome youth to our toothless old age. I don't want the playful element – for me, the essential ingredient to a successful intimate relationship – to be swamped by the considerable burden of being my chief carer. Just like we always met at restaurants rather than wasted time cooking – I'd rather make more money and pay for it. Nevertheless, we've become much closer. 'I see more of you now than I did when you lived ten minutes away,' he points out in hospital one day, only half-joking. It's true I like my own space, but when he leaves I cling to him and whisper, 'Please let me come home now. I'm promise I'll never be bad again.' It's done in the character of one of the menagerie of creatures who people our private language, but we both know I partly mean it as Julie. There are bad times to follow. An MRI shows that there's still some poison in there after my operation. I alternately convulse and freeze like a statue, the process waking me from my sleep. It's scary. I dream about my mum: 'Do you like my scar?' I ask her, displaying the line that goes from the nape of my neck to the top of my bum. 'No, I liked you the way you were before,' she answers. (My late mother was the sweetest of women and wouldn't have dreamt of saying this.) I awake crying and remark loudly that I'd rather be dead than live this way. They send a counsellor to talk to me. When he asks, 'Do you ever feel that your thoughts are being broadcast?' I reply chirpily, 'Only for payment!' and tell him my professional name, which, being around my age, he recognises. I answer his questions frankly for an hour and at the end I say sweetly, 'If you need more, I can be heard talking about my deepest feelings on Desert Island Discs from 2013, available on BBC Sounds.' I've appreciated my time here – principally because of the nursing staff. It's easy to fall into the 'angels' cliché but there is something superhuman about the ability of the best ones to tirelessly deal with the more harrowing and/or malodorous aspects of human life, which most of us couldn't handle for a morning, let alone every day, and so light-heartedly. They are a wonderful antidote to the common belief that human beings – especially young women – are easily traumatised or 'broken'. Only a couple out of the team of dozens act as though they find their work a bore or a chore. I ask a friend who is also unable to walk how she reconciles her situation with her former life, when we both relished them so much while other un-handicapped people moan ceaselessly and don't seem to enjoy what they have. She says, 'I know what you mean. But if you think about it, they will be miserable all their lives, despite being able-bodied, whereas we can be happy despite our bad luck.' It's a lovely bit of wisdom, backed up by that baseline happiness survey some time back, which claimed that miseries who win the lottery soon go back to being miseries while cheery types who lose their legs go back to being cheery. I can't even stand unassisted, let alone walk; I'm nevertheless looking forward to my new life with curiosity as well as trepidation. It won't be the lovely carefree one I had before but I'm going to give it everything I've got. And I'm going to learn to love it, too.
Telegraph
31-03-2025
- Telegraph
What I learnt about humanity when my cat went missing for a week
Our cat went missing the other day. We didn't realise it immediately, but it turned out that none of us had seen Caspar since Thursday early evening – and now it was Friday night. He is a fluffy white cat with heterochromia or 'David Bowie' eyes: one blue, one amber. In the 20 months we've had him I don't think he's strayed more than 100 yards from our door. But now he was nowhere to be seen. I walked, then cycled up and down our street, looking and calling for him. I took a ladder and broke into two local building sites in case he was stuck in there. Nothing. Our quite populous neighbourhood WhatsApp group was soon on the case, too. And further posts on local Facebook groups and Nextdoor elicited much support but no sightings. We rang local vets: no cats handed in. The council was contacted: no cats reported run over. Cat burglar Caspar had, it seemed, just wandered off, perhaps seduced by the early spring sunshine, and forgotten how to get back. Then we discovered that another nearby family with a lookalike white cat had lost theirs On The Same Day. Was there a specialist cat thief at large? Caspar is friendly and would be easy to snatch. But surely this was preposterous? On Monday we finally had palpable news. A girl and her mother, who live two streets away, had seen Caspar outside their house on Saturday afternoon. He had run off when they tried to approach. This didn't help us find him but it seemed to confirm that he hadn't been run over, stolen, or taken by a fox – at least not yet. Our printer is perpetually broken, but a kind neighbour ran off dozens of posters: 'Missing cat…much loved…cash reward,' with mugshots. I put them up on lampposts, power-cable masts, letter boxes, bus stops, trees – anything that would take Sellotape and potentially catch the eye. Sian, my wife, read that cats can smell their way home and that you should empty the contents of your vacuum cleaner into your garden as nasal marker beacons. I did this. Albert, our youngest son, was leaving out food for him on the doorstep, which the foxes appeared to be enjoying. Desperate search On Tuesday the postman told us he had seen a cat matching his description four streets away just 10 minutes earlier. I spent that afternoon and evening going up and down that street and the surrounding ones. I took our dogs with me while I did this, reasoning that they might smell him, or that he might smell them. As I called his name, passers-by would ask what I was looking for and tell me they would keep an eye out. But one who saw me calling 'Caspar! Caspar!' volunteered aggressively: 'You should keep your dog on a lead mate.' 'It's a cat, mate.' I replied. 'But thanks.' In the quieter evenings I was using a head torch to look into dark corners, under cars and so on. Occasionally, the light beam would illuminate a pair of eyes and I'd become briefly expectant. But then I'd catch a glimpse of the coat and it would be ginger or tortoiseshell – or a fox. At other moments I thought I had heard a mew. I'd stop and strain my ears. But no repeat came, just car noise. His absence had taken over all our thoughts, I was looking for him all evening then dreaming about him all night; about finding him alive – or finding him dead. Friends would ask: 'Does he not have an AirTag?'. The obvious answer was: 'Unfortunately not'. I had been unaware that being able to tag a cat with a tracker was a thing. But it turns out we were quite retro in this respect and everyone now does this. Everyone except us. Losing our minds – and our wing mirrors On Wednesday, a text from a woman half a mile away read: 'I am certain I saw him on Monday night. I tried to give him some food but my dog scared him.' He had run into an alleyway behind a Pizza Hut. Sian said she'd go to check it. She rang minutes later and I was momentarily excited but it turned out that this was because she had pranged the car while looking for him. It seemed that Caspar had travelled about 500 yards in 48 hours. Now, another 48 hours on, he could be 500 yards further in any direction. That amounted to hundreds of gardens, thousands of possible hiding places. I decided to reduce time spent calling out and to concentrate instead on more and more posters in an ever-widening area. As I went to do this I discovered that both wing mirrors were broken. 'How did you break two mirrors at once?' I asked. 'Oh, I did the other when I was trying to shine our headlights into that alleyway.' We were all losing our minds. On Thursday I put posters around our local station, Arnos Grove, inside and out, careful not to obscure signage. 'Why haven't I done this sooner?' I thought. Widespread awareness was key, I was realising. That afternoon my phone exploded into life. Under our latest post on Nextdoor: a photograph of what was clearly Caspar with the message: 'Is this your cat? He's in my garden now'. The woman lived three-quarters of a mile away. Sian drove our now-mirrorless car (needs must) with Albert holding a cat box and a bag of Dreamies. The lady let them into her garden – and There He Was. But rather than running gratefully into their arms, Caspar panicked and jumped over a fence into an adjacent garden. With a bit of neighbourly assistance they finally, gently cornered him and, when he saw the treats, crept close enough to be stuffed into the box. Unpleasant behaviour He caterwauled all the way home. On arrival, the first sign of recognition came when he met our dogs. He started preening around them. Preening around us would take a little longer. He had been gone exactly a week, had visibly lost weight, and his coat was stained with motor oil, presumably from slinking under cars. Pictures of him home safely were shared with the many people who had helped us – with champagne emojis. An hour after I had learnt he was safe, my phone rang. It was from a withheld number. 'Mate I think I've found your cat…' said a young man's voice. 'Oh yes…' I said. 'Yeah and I'm going to f----ing rape it,' he screamed. I immediately reported this deranged person to the police. Later I found that all my posters had been removed from the tube station. This had happened so quickly and systematically that I can only assume it was done by station staff. I'm forever being exhorted to 'be kind' to these people , but I didn't feel that this was being kind to me in my hour of need. Yet no unpleasantness could dent my happiness. I raced home. And there he was, curled up asleep on his favourite chair. Which is what he has mostly been doing ever since: sleeping and eating, eating and sleeping. Like a regular cat only more so. All while wearing his new GPS collar, of course. I don't know what will happen with any of us in the future. But I had been looking forward to growing old – or older – with that cat. And now that plan is back on. Advice from cat expert Anita Kelsey How to avoid having a cat go missing – and what to do if they do Free-roaming cats can go missing for various reasons, including getting lost, finding another home, getting trapped, injured, stolen, or run over. GPS collars are great if your cat tolerates them. But if your cat goes missing without one, speak with neighbours, distribute flyers, and post on local WhatsApp, Nextdoor, and Facebook groups, including feline charity pages—community support is the absolute key for success. Inform local vets and the council, as deceased cats must be reported and scanned for microchips For nervous cats, search nearby during quiet hours, ideally around 4–5am, as they often stay close. When a cat goes into survival mode, it may not rush out to greet you as you are calling so be mindful of this. If a cat is lost, it can end up wandering quite far. So extend the search radius if first searches fail. I would be cautious about offering a reward for a missing pet due to the risk of scammers. The majority of the time people genuinely want to help find a pet and are not motivated by money but a love for animals and the desire to help. There's a trend to keep cats permanently indoors. Is this healthy? I support outdoor access for cats, but the decision should be based on their personality and environment. Guardians uncomfortable with free-roaming can consider options like cat-proofed gardens, leash walks, or nighttime confinement to reduce risks like traffic, fights, or fox encounters (although foxes and cats have mostly learnt to co-exist, especially in urban areas). In unsafe or impractical areas, or for cats with medical conditions or disabilities, bringing the outdoors in with cat trees, scratchers, and hunting toys is ideal. A window box can also provide fresh air and stimulation.
Telegraph
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Fight to land Beyonce and Taylor Swift is sport's new battleground
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is not your typical Taylor Swift or Beyoncé fan. The Manchester United co-owner is more likely to be caught relaxing on his private jet to the works of Mozart than dad-dancing to Shake It Off or Single Ladies. But if the promotional video for United's planned £2 billion new home is anything to go by, the 72-year-old knows that if it is truly to become the 'Wembley of the North', it will need to be as much a Theatre of Dreams for the world's biggest pop stars as the planet's greatest footballers. For, while Wembley is the spiritual home of the beautiful game, it is also a mecca of live music – as famed for staging the likes of Live Aid and this year's Oasis reunion as England's 1966 World Cup triumph and the FA Cup final. It has hosted hundreds of concerts and is even on course to hold more gigs than football matches in 2025. A record 26 are currently scheduled after it received permission to stage a further eight non-football events a year. Others are casting jealous eyes at the national stadium, with Bill Sweeney, the Rugby Union chief executive, this week threatening to take England matches to Birmingham or Milton Keynes if the Allianz Stadium remained blocked from putting on more than three concerts per annum. United have been even more starved of live music, with Old Trafford only ever staging one concert, as part of the Rolling Stones' 2018 tour. The impact on the pitch was so severe, United ruled out holding one again in a stadium that has now been deemed unfit for purpose, even for football. This means they have been missing out on a gig economy that can generate an estimated seven figures per show in rental fees alone. Hardly ideal for a club Ratcliffe claimed last week would have been 'bust at Christmas' if he had not cut hundreds of jobs, forced staff to count screws and return Sellotape, and raised ticket prices for fans. From once leading the way when it came to sweating their assets, United now find themselves behind not only Wembley in monetising their own home but some of their main Premier League rivals. No one more so than Tottenham Hotspur, who may have been almost as much of a basket case on the pitch this season, but are the polar opposite in a highly lucrative sideline. The club's £1 billion stadium and its retractable pitch were designed specifically for staging non-football events like concerts. As it stands, the stadium will host 15 gigs this summer, three times as many as last year. Nearly half of those are part of 2025's most hotly anticipated world tour, Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour, the dates for which were announced this month. By comparison, Liverpool are staging six concerts this summer, including two nights of Bruce Springsteen, and title rivals Arsenal are hosting two Robbie Williams shows. Manchester City, who usually average a handful of gigs a year, are currently unable to hold any – including the Oasis reunion tour – owing to expansion work on the Etihad Stadium. Chelsea, on the other hand, have only ever staged music concerts at Stamford Bridge's 550-capacity indoor venue, Under the Bridge. Outside the Premier League's 'Big Six', West Ham United's publicly owned London Stadium home has two concerts this summer – plans for Rihanna to make that eight were thrown into doubt last week – but their tenancy agreement does not entitle them to any of the revenue. Aston Villa have three, including Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's final show, Newcastle United also have three, as do Everton as part of their 'Farewell To Goodison Festival'. As revealed by Telegraph Sport, Newcastle are leaning towards building a new stadium some fans have already dubbed the 'Wembley of the North East', with concerts doubtless central to any development. The new Everton Stadium, meanwhile, has already obtained a licence to stage up to four non-football events a year from next summer. That is still a long way short of the cap imposed on Wembley and Spurs, who were last year granted permission to increase the number of equivalent events they held to 54 (up from 46) and 30 (from 16), respectively. Wembley applied for an increase after it invested in a 'lay and play' pitch that is now grown off site. Tottenham did so upon breaching their licence by selling a fifth date to Beyoncé's 2023 Renaissance World Tour. Both Wembley and Spurs refused to comment on how much they made per concert. Indeed, Kieran Maguire, the University of Liverpool's football finance guru, told Telegraph Sport that income clubs or stadiums earned from gigs was 'a closely guarded secret'. According to industry experts, that income comes mainly from stadium rental fees and sometimes deals done on catering or merchandise. But not from tickets themselves, proceeds from which go to artists and their promoters. That means clubs typically earn significantly less from a concert than from football fixtures that can net the biggest teams an average of up to £5 million in match-day revenue. Yet, this is generated on events covering only a tiny fraction of the year. 'Football is the dumbest business in the world,' Maguire said. 'You've got expenses 365 days of the year. And you've got revenue for 25 to 30. You wouldn't run any other business like that.' Competition between clubs to sign up the most sought-after pop and rock acts is not as fierce as might be expected given team rivalries both on and off the pitch, including for player signings. While there may be some bragging rights to be earned in landing an Oasis or Beyoncé, capacity and availability have a much bigger influence on where artists play than any bidding war between venues. If an act is big enough to sell almost 100,000 tickets for a single gig, a promoter's first port of call in the UK tends to be Wembley. Hence Taylor Swift playing a record-equalling eight nights there during her Eras Tour last summer and Coldplay attempting to beat that with 10 this year. Two years ago, Beyoncé ended up taking the Renaissance World Tour to the 62,850-seat Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after the World Cup in Qatar resulted in a clash with that season's later-than-usual FA Cup and play-off finals. Her return to London in June similarly overlaps with rugby league's Challenge Cup final at Wembley. Telegraph Sport has been told initial discussions about booking the national stadium can take place as far as three years in advance, although no contracts are signed until the 'routing' of a tour is locked down. Jon Collins is the chief executive of Live, which represents the UK's live music business. He described a stadium tour as a 'jigsaw puzzle' of dates and locations. He added: 'If that artist can only be in the North West for those two dates and there's something else happening at that stadium then they're out of the reckoning.' Footballing allegiance can be another factor in choosing a venue. Hence Oasis having previously played at both the Etihad and Maine Road and Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath choosing Villa Park for their farewell gig. This summer's three St James' Park concerts are all headlined by Sam Fender. Go back further and you have Kaiser Chiefs playing Elland Road, Kasabian at the King Power Stadium, Fatboy Slim the Amex, and Sir Elton John – you guessed it – at Vicarage Road. There was talk last year of Adele headlining the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer, while Ed Sheeran has pledged to play Portman Road after his three-year world tour finishes in September. What chance Sir Paul McCartney being lured to Everton's new stadium after his home city missed out during his own recent world tour? It is the character of Jim Morrison's ghost who says in Wayne's World, 'If you book them, they will come', after telling the hero of the movie to organise his own music festival. The same mantra now applies to concerts at football stadia, to which artists are increasingly turning in order to maximise their own income (Swift's Eras Tour generated a record £1.62 billion in revenue). Collins said: 'There's only a limited number of nights they can be in the UK on their world tour. So, how do you put yourself in front of the most number of fans in the shortest period of time? That's where the logic of a stadium show comes from.' The clamour for tickets for those shows has also yet to peak, according to Collins, who added: 'We're in a period of unprecedented demand to see what we would call stadium-level artists.' That makes the only losers in this space those clubs, like United, who stage no concerts at all. More than half of Premier League teams currently do not have any gigs scheduled this summer despite most previously hosting them. This means missing out on revenue that could be spent on squad building, which doubles as allowable additional income under the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). Everton and Nottingham Forest were both docked points last season for breaching those rules by £16.6 million and £34.5 million, respectively, for the three years ending 2022-23. With PSR assessments for the period ending 2023-24 having been carried out last month, it may not be a coincidence that Forest's City Ground hosted its first concerts for almost two decades in May when Take That played two nights there. PSR was meant to have been replaced last season with a system of squad-cost controls but its introduction has been delayed by various legal challenges. They include from City, who have already managed to get Premier League associated party transaction (APT) regulations ruled unlawful after certain elements were found to be anti-competitive. A senior figure at one top-flight club told Telegraph Sport he was not convinced income generated by concerts should be allowable under PSR, claiming Spurs had an advantage in being able to stage so many of them. To compound what is an increasingly unlevel playing field, some stadiums do not necessarily have the surrounding infrastructure to support hosting major concerts as regularly as the likes of Tottenham. There can also be local opposition to gigs that often do not finish until 11pm and require a clean-up operation akin to a football match. Spurs' application to almost double their number of non-football events was granted only after they agreed to pay £4,000 towards the cost to Haringey Council of staging each additional one. Last year, Real Madrid were forced to cancel or reschedule all concerts at the redeveloped Bernabéu after local people complained that a series of loud, late gigs had turned the arena into a 'torture-drome'. With concerts also comes the scourge of ticket touting, which – unlike for football matches – is not illegal in the UK, and the almost equally reviled dynamic pricing. It is not uncommon for sold-out stadium gigs to be plagued by empty seats due to the resulting sky-high cost of tickets. And while this does not affect ticket revenues or facility fees, it can on the sale of food, drink and merchandise for which clubs sometimes agree a share of any profits. To that end, the Government announced plans to cap the price of ticket resales in a move welcomed by Collins and doubtless also by artists and venue owners. All this will be music to the ears of Ratcliffe following last week's announcement that United were building a new 100,000-seat stadium to replace Old Trafford. With a promotional video for the project showing the venue in 'concert mode', expect the world's biggest acts to flock there when it finally opens. Although, definitely maybe not Oasis.
