Latest news with #StationRoad
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New cafe-bar to open in New Milton's former KFC
A new Espino lounge is opening in a former KFC. Loungers PLC, the West Country-based café/bar group, is set to open Espino Lounge in Station Road, New Milton, on August 20. This will create around 30 local jobs. Espino Lounge will be open every day for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and drinks, with menus for kids, gluten-free, and vegan options. The lounge will offer games, books, and colouring for children, along with baby-changing facilities. READ MORE: New convenience store opens its doors to customers John English, head of community at Loungers, said: "We're so looking forward to opening the doors of Espino Lounge on the 20th August. "We hope our family-friendly environment and top-notch food and drink offering will prove popular with local residents and visitors. "We're passionate about integrating genuinely into the communities we serve so we're looking forward to meeting everyone and to playing our part at the heart of New Milton's food and drink scene."
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
House hunters spot something very odd in pictures of 3-bed terraced house – but would YOU have spotted it?
SOMETHING isn't quite right about this picture of a lovely looking three bedroom house listed for sale. This owners of this family home have been accused of "pulling a fast one" by neighbours since it was listed. 3 3 The property on Station Road, Eaglescliffe, has allegedly been subject of some creative photo editing to boost its appeal. It's listed on Rightmove for £350,000, where an initial illustration showed it looking in top notch condition. The house's exterior looks neatly done up for the cameras, boasting a tidy front drive and small hedgerow. But eagle-eyed observers have since suggested that the image - which no longer appears on the Rightmove posting - may be AI enhanced. The Daily Mail reported from the site of the house to find it looking in vastly different condition. Gone is the charming shrubbery next to the property, which is instead a fence next to a beauty studio. The vibe of the photo taken from the scene was rather different to the spruced up image presented in the advert. After running the original picture through AI checkers, the Daily Mail reported that the image may have been doctored. One site told them: "We are quite confident that this image, or significant part of it, was created by AI." The Rightmove listing also offered a 360 degree view showing Eaglescliffe railway station. But the paper also found that the station is under noisy redevelopment at time of writing. Other images in the listing show spacious looking rooms throughout the house - which all appear in smart condition. A man who claimed to be the property's owner pulled up in a Porsche and confronted the Mail reporter while they were at the site. When they explained their findings, he allegedly told them: "I think you will find a lot of adverts do that now. "You are not allowed on the property but do what you want to. You don't need my name." One neighbour told the Mail: "They are pulling a fast one. It's a laugh. The price is shocking. "It has been empty for a while. I cannot believe it. "They have faked it all. It is a bit overpriced even though they have done it up. "An old fellow used to live there but it has been empty since he died and I don't think the estate agents have had a lot of interest- especially at that price." But another told them: "It does not bother me. Who cares? "If you are going to view it you are going to see what it is like anyway." A spokesperson for Roseberry Wood said: "Please be assured there was no intention to deceive in our marketing of the property. "The listing clearly states that some images have been virtually staged to enhance presentation." They pointed to text from the listing, which reads: "This property advertisement includes a combination of original interior photographs and virtually staged images (provided by the vendor) of the same rooms to illustrate potential lifestyle and living arrangements." The spokesperson added: "Virtually staged or CGI images are not uncommon in property marketing and are a recognised tool within the industry to help potential buyers visualise a home's possibilities. "We take compliance very seriously and ensure that our property listings contain clear links to Material Facts so that prospective buyers have access to all relevant information before making a decision to view or purchase." Rightmove was contacted by The Sun for comment.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Seemingly normal house listing sparks warning from neighbours who claim owners are 'pulling a fast one' - but can you spot what the problem is?
Neighbour's living next to a £350,000 house for sale claim the vendor is 'pulling a fast one' after spotting image enhancement software had been used on pictures to make the property look more shiny and creating an entire hedge outside it. The three-bed house on Station Road, Eaglescliffe appears to have been the subject of some over-enthusiastic photo editing in a bid to make the property look more appealing. Indeed, from the estate agency photographs it looks a turnkey ready property for anyone who can afford the £350,000 price tag. No one would dream the property is slap next door to beauty parlour and just a stone's throw from a 24-hour construction site. The house raised eyebrows on social media when it was advertised as an 'exquisite Edwardian Three bedroom terrace beautifully restored'. When the Daily Mail visited the property this week it looked markedly different from its listed pictures and whilst neighbours all agreed the new owners had done a done job modernising the interior, the difference outside was palpable. In one image, which has since been removed from the listing, eagled eyed locals spotted the Black Lae Hair and Beauty Studio which is attached to the side of the house had been morphed out and replaced by a fake shrubbery. The Daily Mail ran the images through multiple AI checkers and reports were unanimous that the pictures had been doctored. The Daily Mail ran the images through multiple AI checkers and reports were unanimous that the pictures had been doctored One popular site stated: 'We are quite confident that this image, or significant part of it, was created by AI.' The listing on Rightmove also includes a 360 degree tracking shot of the outside which includes a view of nearby Eaglescliffe railway station. However, no one would guess from the footage that for the last two years the station has been under redevelopment with constant racket from the site. While our reporter was outside the property, a man who said he was the owner pulled up in a Porsche and asked what we we were doing. When we explained the concerns, he said 'I think you will find a lot of adverts do that now. You are not allowed on the property but do what you want to. You don't need my name.' The owner's reaction has been the subject of much mirth from his neighbours. One neighbour said: 'It was funny when I looked at because I realised they had used AI to do the place up. 'Obviously, no one is going to make an offer before looking at it, but it is kind of false advertising. 'I was laughing that they had parked a Porsche outside like they were selling a dream. It is just a bit bizarre. 'But the far bigger is the local council has allowed 24-hour works with no restrictions to modernise the station. 'It has been going on 21 months now with people just working there 24-7 with no restrictions on the times in a residential area. It is ridiculous. 'When you contact Network Rail they take four or five weeks to comply and then just fob you off. Obviously, work has to be done. 'But they are doing the work and having deliveries here at all hours. It is due to go on probably another year. I imagine the estate agents have not mentioned this.' Another neighbour Andrew Bailey, 57, said: 'They are pulling a fast one. It's a laugh. The price is shocking. 'It has been empty for a while. I cannot believe it. They have faked it all. It is a bit overpriced even though they have done it up. 'An old fellow used to live there but it has been empty since he died and I don't think the estate agents have had a lot of interest- especially at that price.' The woman who lives next door, who asked not be named, stuck up for the new owners. She said: 'They did not fake it. They just added the furniture onto the Rightmove pictures. It is beautiful inside anywhere. It is absolutely gorgeous. 'It does not bother me. Who cares? If you are going to view it you are going to see what it is like anyway. 'A guy called Alan lived there. He passed away and his son also passed away so is son's widow sold it to three people who did it up. 'They did a really good job because it was in a hell of a state. You could tell the furniture was not real anyway. I just hope it sells to someone nice. They have done a gorgeous job.' A spokesman for estate agents Roseberry Wood said: 'Thank you for your email. Please be assured there was no intention to deceive in our marketing of the property. 'The listing clearly states that some images have been virtually staged to enhance presentation. See the below, which appears on the listing: "This property advertisement includes a combination of original interior photographs and virtually staged images (provided by the vendor) of the same rooms to illustrate potential lifestyle and living arrangements." 'Virtually staged or CGI images are not uncommon in property marketing and are a recognised tool within the industry to help potential buyers visualise a home's possibilities. 'We take compliance very seriously and ensure that our property listings contain clear links to Material Facts so that prospective buyers have access to all relevant information before making a decision to view or purchase.'
The Independent
12-02-2025
- The Independent
Everybody knew what was going on, Rochdale grooming gang trial hears
A woman allegedly turned into a teenage 'sex slave' by a Rochdale grooming gang of Asian men told a jury 'everybody knew what was going on'. And the witness said she was regarded as a 'prostitute' rather than a 13-year-old child when the alleged sexual abuse began, Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard. 'It always happened, it was nothing new to me,' she told the jury in her second day in the witness box. 'I assumed they all knew. The police had picked me up. It all just seemed to me everybody knew what was going on.' The woman, identified only as girl B and another teenager, girl A, became 'sex slaves' to the gang of Asian men who preyed upon the vulnerable youngsters, the jury was told. Neither complainant can be identified for legal reasons to protect their anonymity. Girl B said when the abuse began she was living in a children's home and started to hang around Rochdale market, where Mohammed Zahid, then in his 40s, owned a stall. Each week she was taken to the basement of a shop in Rochdale, Maria Fashions, owned by another man – Mushtaq Ahmed. In the basement room below the shop, there was a bare mattress where she would have sex with market-stall holder Zahid, the shop owner Ahmed and a third man, Kasir Bashir. Lisa Wilding KC, defending Zahid, asked girl B about social workers at the time raising concerns that she may have been having sex with Asian men. Girl B said: 'They said I was a prostitute. I was prostituting myself.' Ms Wilding said: 'Which must have been very upsetting. And a language that was used, then.' 'Vile,' replied the witness. 'I don't remember them being concerned enough to do anything about it. 'I remember knowing that they knew what was going on. 'It always happened, it was nothing new to me. I assumed they all knew. The police had picked me up. It all just seemed to me everybody knew what was going on. Girl B 'I assumed they all knew. The police had picked me up. It all just seemed to me everybody knew what was going on.' Earlier, prosecutor Rossano Scamardella KC told jurors both girls were sexually abused because their troubled backgrounds made them susceptible. 'They were children passed around for sex, abused, degraded and then discarded,' Mr Scamardella said, 'They became sex slaves.' Girl B was also asked why she had not reported the sexual abuse before she first contacted police in May, 2021. She said: 'I felt like that was my purpose. I think it had happened that much. 'I never saw it as anything unnatural. I just felt like that was what I was there for. 'I normalised it so much in my own head. 'From the way I see things as a child to now, are two different things. 'There was no reason for me to think it was wrong when nobody did anything about it as a child.' Eight men, either taxis drivers or connected to Rochdale market, are on trial and all deny multiple sexual offences including rape, indecent assault and indecency with a child between 2001 and 2006. They are: Mohammed Zahid, 64, of Station Road, Crumpsall, Manchester; Naheem Akram, 48, of Manley Road, Rochdale; Mohammed Shazad, 43, of Beswicke Royds Street, Rochdale; Nisar Hussain, 43, of Newfield Close, Rochdale; Roheez Khan, 39, of Athole Street, Rochdale; Arfan Khan, 40, of Grouse Street, Rochdale; Mushtaq Ahmed, 66, of Corona Avenue, Oldham; and Kasir Bashir, 50, of Napier Street East, Oldham. The trial continues.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Watford firm recognised after making £2.5m since starting in 2018
The local founder of a Watford-based company which has brought in £2.5m in revenue since 2018 has received a Business Elite award. Lorenzo Luiso, from Kings Langley, started SEO agency Brick Digital to support businesses in the Hertfordshire area in 2018. It has since expanded to operate internationally, with clients across Europe and America. (Image: Brick Digital) Earlier this month, the business was named 'best SEO agency in Hertfordshire' in the SME News 2025 Business Elite Awards, which recognise the success of small and medium enterprises across the UK. Lorenzo said: 'It's a real honour to be named Hertfordshire's best SEO agency and for our team to be recognised as leaders in our field is really quite something. 'The advances in search technology and AI have presented some exciting challenges for us this year, but I'm proud of my team for their hard work and dedication to our clients.' The Station Road firm is not the Luiso family's first business venture in the town, with Lorenzo's grandfather having founded Dwyer Hire in Watford in 1972 before expanding the business with four branches in neighbouring counties. (Image: Brick Digital) Its Watford store remains in the family and Lorenzo still emphasises services to local businesses, despite expansion into the US market including the launch of US storefront on behalf of retailer The Wood Veneer Hub. 'One of the more recent additions to our client roster is Swan Windows, who are based in Rickmansworth', Lorenzo added. 'While there are obvious benefits to working with large-scale, international entities, there's still a lot of value in working with businesses in our local community.'Brick Digital has apparently driven estimate business profits of more than £10m for its clients and contributed to the creation of more than 100 jobs worldwide. The business says it offers a 'strategic approach' to SEO (search engine optimisation) to increase companies' reach, digital presence, web traffic, sales and growth, as well as boosting content marketing and PPC (pay-per-click) marketing. This has seen it having to deal with ongoing updates to search engine algorithms, changing search trends, and AI.
