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JASON Manford was left utterly furious after he was forced to share a hotel bedroom.

The 8 Out of 10 Cats team captain is in the middle of his nationwide tour of the UK and Ireland.

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Jason Manford was left fuming after arrangements on his tour went awry[/caption]

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He took to social media in a rant video as he claimed he was forced to share a hotel room with one of his entourage[/caption]

However, Jason, 44 has run into trouble at his latest stop in Bournemouth.

He’s currently visiting various cities and towns as part of his ‘A Manford All Seasons’ string of shows.

After travelling all day with his pal, he expected to have a rest at the Village Hotel in the coastal city.

However, he took to social media in anger as he was forced to share a room with his pal as the hotel was overbooked.

The post on X – formerly known as Twitter – read: “What’s your minimum expectation when you book a room at @Villagehotelsup?

“Staff were lovely but policy stinks!”

He accompanied his angry message with a video rant as he made his way to his hotel room with his pal Steve, who may form part of the touring entourage.

Ironically, his pal had the same name as his character in Waterloo Road where he played a corrupt headmaster.

In the almost two minute video, he explained: “So we got to our hotel tonight in Bournemouth and it’s fully booked. We were like, ‘fine. So that’s good, well done you’.

They went, ‘No, no, as in like without you’. So me and Steve, obviously [we’re] in separate rooms.

And then we just discovered that basically if it’s fully booked it means that, [you have to share].”

Laughing out loud, he sarcastically joked: “I mean we spent all day together. Oh, well, at least we’ve got a nice view of the car park!”

Before continuing: “Oh well, these things happen and all that. Worst things happen at sea.

“But Village Hotel, just beware, if you are booking and it’s a busy day in a busy city, you could, I mean, we’re lucky that [our booking] was two rooms because that fella coming behind us.

What’s your minimum expectation when you book a room at Village Hotels? Staff were lovely but policy stinks!

Jason ManfordX

“A doctor as well and no room for him. He just had to walk out, and like and there’s no rooms anywhere in Bournemouth tonight.”

Reprimanding the hotel in the video, he added: “Naughty that, naughty.

“I’ve heard of aeroplanes doing it, but I’ve never known in 25 years of touring, a hotel doing it. That’s not on, that is not on.”

He panned round the camera of his room, to show two single beds, as he remarked: “So we’ve managed to make best of our situation.

“But that poor doctor, maybe we could get a little, I think he could sleep on the floor!

“Yeah, he’ll be alright. Anyway, good night.”

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Jason claimed that a doctor was turned away because the hotel was overbooked[/caption]

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As he revealed that he was forced to share a room, he gave fans a peek at the facilities[/caption]

BILLY BUTLIN’S Bognor Regis holiday camp will celebrate a milestone birthday tomorrow.

But 65 years after the famous Redcoats first welcomed families to the resort on July 2, 1960, the once thriving seaside town has been branded the WORST in Britain.

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In a damning survey by consumer magazine Which?, seaside town Bognor scored a measly 36 per cent approval rate[/caption]

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A glance around the high street reveals boarded-up shopfronts, peeling paintwork and a host of vape stores[/caption]

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The beach is beautiful but just one street back it’s all rubble and boarded-up shopfronts, says Gary Markwell, Reform group leader for West Sussex County Council[/caption]

In a damning survey by consumer magazine Which?, it scored a measly 36 per cent approval rate.

This compares with 84 per cent for Bamburgh, Northumberland, which topped the poll

Bognor, which hosted King George V in 1929 as he recovered from lung surgery, was slammed as dirty and rundown. Maybe the King would have agreed, having famously said “bugger Bognor” when asked to bestow the suffix “Regis” on the town.

The West Sussex town’s beach rating came in at just two stars out of five, while the seafront, food and drink offerings, tourist attractions, scenery, shopping, parking, peace and quiet and value for money received one star each.

Considering Princess Diana used to spend her family holidays in an estate nearby, it is a devastating fall from grace for the town.

But when we visited on a sweltering Sunday, many furious locals and visitors hit back at the Bognor bashing.

There were hordes of sun seekers flocking to the shingle beach and feasting on fish and chips as they made the most of one of the hottest days of the year so far.

Bikini-wearing Olivia Martin, a 27-year-old accountant from Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, was sunbathing with her pals.

‘Bad jokes’

She told us: “I’m really surprised by that report, there are definitely far worse beach resorts around.­

“It’s peaceful here and I haven’t seen any street drinkers or homeless people like you do further down the coast in Brighton and Worthing.

“It’s the first time I’ve been to Bognor but I’ll definitely be back.”

Local paddleboarder Malcolm Nisse, 57, grew up in Bognor and was quick to defend his hometown.

He said: “The problem is this town has been the butt of bad jokes for years.

“Like any seaside town it has seen better days. Yes, it is worn in places but there are lots of lovely houses and it’s a great place to raise a family.

“People are quick to complain but other places are far more rundown and don’t get the bad press we get.”

Yet while there were plenty of families having good old-fashioned fun in the sun, immigration, crime and the “Benidorm boom” — cheap package holidays to sunny Spanish hotspots — have hit the town hard.

And the decades of decline are clear to see. A swathe of former bed and breakfasts along the promenade have been converted into a grim patchwork of crumbling HMOs, halfway houses and temporary accommodation.

The high street has certainly seen better days. A glance around reveals boarded-up shopfronts, peeling paintwork and a host of vape stores, cash converters and bookies. And the ornate Victorian pier has fallen into disrepair.

Like many such coastal towns around the country, Nigel Farage’s Reform Party has capitalised by winning council seats.

In April, Reform’s Giuliano Leo Pinnelli secured a seat on the town council after a by-election.

“Like all seaside towns, it’s been chronically neglected,” explained Gary Markwell, Reform group leader for West Sussex County Council and one of its four Reform UK members.

“There are frustrations at the lack of vision. The beach is beautiful but just one street back it’s all rubble and boarded-up shopfronts.

“Along with a rise in immigration, largely from eastern Europe, there has been an increase in shoplifting, fighting and anti-social behaviour.

“There was even a drug-related fatal stabbing on the beach a few months ago, and a teenager caught with a machete.

“People around here perceive the police as too soft. They don’t turn up or don’t do anything.

“People are fed up of seeing someone getting a custodial sentence for posting on Facebook or tweeting while knife crime is ignored.”

The beachfront Waverley pub was doing a brisk trade at the weekend, with live music and every table taken for lunch.

But landlord Rob Chamberlain agreed that the number of former offenders and immigrants being housed in Bognor is testing the town to breaking point.

There are frustrations at the lack of vision. The beach is beautiful but just one street back it’s all rubble and boarded-up shopfronts

Reform’s Giuliano Leo Pinnelli

He told us: “There’s been a problem with illegal immigration which has changed the culture of the town. Many don’t learn the language or get involved, which makes some people hostile.

“It’s become a dumping ground for people with drug and alcohol problems.”

And Tracey Alderton, a resident for 26 years, is concerned about smashed shop windows and rough sleepers.

Asked if she lived in Bognor, Tracey sighed, “unfortunately”. The 63-year-old, who owns a business with her husband, said: “We’ve had so much crime. The police do absolutely nothing. I have not got anything good to say.

“They are trying to improve it but I don’t think the plants are good, they look like weeds.

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Amy and Amelia Steggall soaking up the sun on Bognor’s pebble beach[/caption]

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Bikini-wearing Olivia Martin, a 27-year-old accountant from Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, says it’s ‘peaceful’ in Bongor[/caption]

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The beach is still a big draw for families[/caption]

“They need to start with the crime problem. Until they address these problems it’s not going to improve.

“We’ve still got somebody sleeping in the doorways. At one point we had loads of them. We were frightened to walk down here. The major thing is the crime.”

The town ranks in the top five most dangerous towns in West Sussex, with 138 crimes per 1,000 people in 2023.

Immigration is a political hot potato here, but Reform councillor Trevor Bence insists the issue is not confined to Bognor. “I’m sick to the back teeth of people knocking Bognor,” he said.

“It’s no different to every other coastal resort in the entire country. This report is totally unfair.”

Either way, huge investment is already on the horizon.

‘Lots of drunks’

Work has started on an £8million regeneration of The Arcade shopping centre, £15million is being spent on renovating the Alexandra Theatre and there are plans for a new secondary school.

Building work on a £13million, 150-room Premier Inn is under way and the town’s last remaining nightclub is reopening.

Deputy Mayor Paul Wells said: “Cheap package holidays and a lack of investment came at the same time, creating a perfect storm for Bognor, but now investment is starting to trickle through.”

Every year, more than 100,000 visitors visit Bognor over the summer months, swamping the population of 64,000.

Among them last weekend was heath worker Gemma Nolan, 37, from Coulsdon, South London, who was staying in a caravan park with her partner Aaron, her sisters and their children.

They prefer Bognor’s traditional bucket-and-spade charm to better known destinations such as Brighton or Blackpool.

They need to start with the crime problem. Until they address these problems it’s not going to improve

Local resident Tracey Alderton

“My mum used to come here,” she told us.

“I can see why people complain about the lack of facilities compared to bigger towns but that means it’s always quieter here, and better value for money, and we like that. Bognor definitely needs modernising but that suits us because we’re old school.”

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Young women wearing bikinis and swimming costumes pose beside the swimming pool at Butlins holiday resort in Bognor Regis, England in 1964[/caption]

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The town ranks in the top five most dangerous towns in West Sussex, with 138 crimes per 1,000 people in 2023[/caption]

While holidaymakers are happy, many locals maintain that their hometown has been overlooked for public funding in the past and that it has been left behind by Arun District Council in favour of neighbouring Littlehampton.

Cleaner Lesley Barnes, 70, criticised the length of time the £1.39million regeneration of the seafront to widen pavements and replace parking spaces with flowerbeds had taken.

“It’s been months,” she said. “We don’t go down to the seafront. When you live here it is not something you do.”

Her friend, retired traffic warden Mary Clark, 70, agreed the town has gone downhill in the 29 years she has lived there.

She said: “I just think the town is filthy. It could definitely do with a clean-up all around the railway station. There’s lots of drunks outside everywhere.

“There are a lot of empty shops. There’s a lot of shoplifting. You don’t see a lot of police any more, you don’t see anybody around.

“All the money just goes to Littlehampton.

“All these vape shops . . . it has gone downhill a lot.”

The residents may not be happy, but Met Office records show that Bognor averages around 1,900 hours of sunshine a year, making it right up there as one of the sunniest spots in the country.

Bognor is also home to a new Amazon distribution centre, which has boosted job opportunities, as well as the University of Chich-ester’s engineering campus.

And then, of course, there is still Butlin’s, which provides a huge boost to the local economy all year round. Its Big Weekender events frequently draw 5,000 people to the town to see headline acts such as Stephen Mulhern, Peter Andre, Wet Wet Wet, Tony Hadley, Blue, Five and DJ Spoony.

Friends Holly Carter, Lewis Harvey and Kieran Webb, all 29, were enjoying a relaxing break at Butlin’s for the first time on the weekend.

And though they found the pier “sad”, Holly, a psychologist, had a simple suggestion . . . 

“Everything just needs a new coat of paint and then it would look a million times better.”

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The decades of decline are clear to see[/caption]

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Holly Carter said it’ll look ‘a million times better’ if Bognor just had a new coat of paint[/caption]

The Senate on Monday welcomed calls to increase transparency in the bicameral committee hearings on the budget process in the 20th Congress. “The Senate is open to serious proposals seeking to enhance public access and understanding of the crafting of the national budget,” Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. said in a statement. “We likewise welcome

INBETWEENERS star James Buckley and his actress wife Clair were stalked by a woman and “threatened with violent acts”, a court heard.

Court records show the couple “feared on at least two occasions that violence would be used” against them between Monday and Wednesday last week.

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James and his wife Clair were stalked by a woman and ‘threatened with violent acts’, a court heard[/caption]

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James was allegedly pursued by Keavy O’Mahoney near his home in Chelmsford, Essex[/caption]

James — Jay Cartwright in the Channel 4 comedy — was allegedly pursued by Keavy O’Mahoney near his home in Chelmsford, Essex.

Ms O’Mahoney, 26, of Stanford, Beds, was arrested and charged.

She was bailed at Luton magistrates’ court on Thursday but banned from using any electronic devices to contact the couple.

She must also spend each night at home and is not allowed to leave without being accompanied by an adult approved by social services.

O’Mahoney will appear at Luton crown court on July 28.

James and Clair, both 37, have been married for 12 years.

They have two children and co-host a podcast called At Home With The Buckleys.

They have also appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox together.

James shot to fame as cocky Jay in the comedy hit — first screened in May 2008 — alongside Simon Bird, Joe Thomas and Blake Harrison.

The show’s three series, which spawned two films, also kickstarted the career of TV favourite Emily Atack.

The Buckleys’ representative declined to comment on the charges.

Paul Stuart Commissioned by The Sunday Times Magazine

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James alongside Inbetweeners co-stars Simon Bird, Joe Thomas and Blake Harrison[/caption]

LEGENDARY bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman has been rushed to hospital with a “medical emergency” – forcing him to axe upcoming appearances.

Ronnie, 61, is hailed as one of the sport’s greatest ever competitors and holds the record for most Mr Olympia titles with eight.

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The Mega Agency

He has had to pull out of upcoming UK appearances[/caption]

In an Instagram post on Sunday, he wrote: “Hey guys, I hate to break it to y’all, but I won’t be able to make it out to the UK this week like I planned.

“Unfortunately, I had a medical emergency and had to stick around here in the US for treatment.

“But don’t worry […] I’m in great hands, getting the best care, and I’m staying strong through it all.

“I’ll be back and better than ever, and I can’t wait to get out there and see you all real soon!

“Thanks for all the love and support and as always this ain’t nothin but a peanut.”

Ronnie has also won 26 International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB) titles.

He retired back in 2007 after his reign as Mr Olympia came to an end.

More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.

Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun

DEAR DEIDRE: MY husband died in a work accident three years ago.

Now I’m sharing a bed with his brother but we can’t tell anyone.

When my husband fell from a roof three years ago, I was devastated.

He was the only man I’d ever loved. He was 29 and I was 28. We’d been married for a year.

I’ve always been close with his family. His brother was my rock through that terrible time.

His brother is 34 and divorced. During the week he would check up on me and we would spend longer together at weekends. He’d pull up with a picnic in the car or tell me that we were going to the coast. He was charming and respectful.

My late husband and his brother were close but they are very different characters. Still, when I close my eyes sometimes I think he sounds just like my husband.

We were at the beach one Saturday and it had been such a perfect day we decided to get some dinner before catching the train home.

During our meal, he asked whether I’d consider dating.

When I said yes, he said, “Would you consider dating me?”. I was shocked but at that moment realised that deep down, I’d had feelings for him for a long time.

We ended up booking a room in a pretty B&B and had an amazing night together.

The sex was passionate and emotional because of the connection with my husband.

We are now meeting regularly but nobody else knows.

His parents have said to me that they know I’ll move on and they would give me their blessing — but they are so old-fashioned, I doubt they would accept this.

DEIDRE SAYS: Both of you are consenting adults and you can do as you wish. If your in-laws loved you and welcomed you into the family before, after such a tragedy, happiness for their son and for you may be their ultimate wish.

The brothers will no doubt have similar traits, hence the attraction for you, but you do need to ensure that you have some bereavement counselling, so that you can be certain this man is right for you.

Be wary of unconsciously trying to replace the husband you loved so much.

My support pack called Coping With Bereavement will show you where to find emotional support.

When you feel more confident about the reasons you’re together, you can work out how to tackle your in-laws. Good luck!

MUM AND WIFE ARE SWORN ENEMIES

DEAR DEIDRE: WHEN my mum is in our house with my wife I can’t relax. They hate each other.

I’m a 41-year-old man and an only child. Mum is 67 and I guess she never imagined me leaving home.

But when I met my wife through a friend, it was love at first sight. We moved in together within six months and bought a house when I got a promotion at work.

The issue is, it’s 200 miles away from Mum. She never liked the fact my relationship happened quickly or that I moved away. She sees my wife as the catalyst.

My wife doesn’t like my mother because she’s critical of her cooking and laundry skills – everything she used to do for me, really.

When Mum comes to stay, it’s for a week at a time and there are always fireworks. What can I do?

DEIDRE SAYS: I’m afraid you have to sort this out. Your mum has to accept that you’re a grown man.

Have a word with her, explaining that while nobody can replace her, it is upsetting if she’s critical of your wife in her own home. Tell her that you want her to try to get along.

Maybe there are some activities or outings that would take them away from home, which may ease the pressure.

When your mother next decides to visit, take some holiday from work so that you are there to dilute the situation.

ANONYMOUS TEXT SAYS SHE CHEATS

DEAR DEIDRE: I AM too scared to tackle my wife about her “boyfriend” in case what I’ve heard about her is true and our marriage is over.

We’ve been together 11 years and I love her to bits. She’s 41 and I’m 45. She never learnt to drive because she was brought up in London, but after we met, we moved out to the countryside.

She had a part-time job in a village shop and I work for an engineering company. She started behaving a bit differently, taking more pride in her appearance but I thought it was all for my benefit.

Then she started asking me for lifts into town to “meet some friends”, which I didn’t mind doing.

I was at home one evening watching TV when I got a WhatsApp message from a number I didn’t know saying: “Sorry mate, but I’ve just seen your wife kissing another guy.”

I tried phoning the WhatsApp number, but the call was declined.

Things are falling into place and I am wondering whether I’ve been giving her a lift so that she can meet this guy. She knows something is wrong and keeps asking if I’m OK but I don’t know what to say.

DEIDRE SAYS: Allowing this to fester is going to make you more angry and upset.

Find a quiet moment together and tell her why you’ve been acting so out of character. Explain about the message and listen carefully to how she handles the confrontation.

You’ll know pretty much straight away from her body language if she’s lying. If she says they are friends, ask if you can meet him.

If something has made your wife have her head turned, you need to know what it is so you can do something to improve your relationship.

My support pack, Cheating – Can You Get Over It? may help you see that it’s not definitely over just yet.

TAYLOR Swift enjoys a date night — as it was revealed she was partly behind a £10billion boost to the UK economy last year.

The 35-year-old was seen out with boyfriend Travis Kelce, also 35, in New York.

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Taylor Swift was snapped on a date with Travis Kelce in New York[/caption]

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It was revealed music sensation Taylor was partly behind a £10billion boost to the UK economy last year[/caption]

Figures from industry body UK Music show that a record 23.5 million people enjoyed UK gigs such as Taylor’s Eras Tour last year.

It meant a 26 per cent spike in spending in 2024 compared with 2023.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said it shows how “powerful the UK is as a home for live music”.

In May it was revealed she has splashed millions to finally own her own masters to her music.

She had been locked in a bitter battle with music execs to buy the rights to her back catalogue for over five years.

Taylor said: “To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it.

“All I ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright with no strings attached.”

The Sun revealed this week that Swifties had become convinced her ex Matty Healy took a veiled swipe at the star while on stage at Glastonbury.

Frontman Matty appeared with his band The 1975 to headline Glastonbury’s main Pyramid Stage on Friday night – something the singer has long-declared a lifelong goal.

In the band’s only major performance of 2025, they spent a reported four times their fee on a stand-out set design including a stage-length conveyor belt and set pieces.

However, during his set, fans think Matty took a moment to seemingly address the elephant in the room: his short-lived relationship with Taylor Swift.

Ahead of their hit song Chocolate, Matty told the audience: “I want to be sincere for a second with everybody. 

“What this moment is making me realise is that, and I’m being sincere, I probably am the best. I’m probably the best songwriter of my generation.

“The best, what do we say… A poet, ladies and gentlemen, is what I am. A generational wordsmith.”

Many took the cheeky jab at himself to be a swipe at Taylor Swift’s 2024 album, The Tortured Poets Department, which is long believed to be about their relationship.

One person online questioned: “Why is he trying to get clout from TTPD?”

Another said: “MATTY HEALY YOU WILL NEVER KNOW PEACE.”

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A record 23.5 million people enjoyed UK gigs such as Taylor’s Eras Tour last year, pictured Taylor and Travis in NYC[/caption]

KATIE BOULTER felt like a giddy child after the sweetest of victories on centre court to book a second round spot.

The British No.2 claimed an impressive 6-2 3-6 6-4 victory over No.9 seed Paula Badosa – a fourth top 10 scalp of her career.

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Katie Boulter fought in front of a partisan British crowd[/caption]

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Paula Badosa rallied to take the second set[/caption]

It booked a clash against Solana Sierra of Argentina on Wednesday as 28-year-old Boulter hopes to get past the third round of Wimbledon for the first time.

At 4-4 in the third set, it could have gone either way, and Boulter laughed: “I didn’t have any nerve and I was bricking it completely. I have played a lot of good stuff recently and let it slip.

“I just tried to fight and compete and hope she missed. I am thrilled.

“This court is the epitome of every British child’s dreams of playing on and winning on. It’s a dream come true. I saw the schedule and I was so excited. I felt like a little girl again.”

Boulter’s victory completed a nightmare day for tennis power couple “Tsitsidosa” – Badosa and boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Earlier in the day, Tsitispas retired down two sets to French qualifier Valentin Royer.

The Greek called it a day trailing 6-3 6-2, having got the trainer out in the second set.

Following his disappointing defeat, Tsitsipas revealed: “It’s probably the most difficult situation that I’ve ever been faced with, because it’s an ongoing issue that doesn’t seem to be disappearing or fading off as much.

BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK

“Myself, as a person, I have a limit at some point, so I’ll definitely have to have my final answer on whether I want to do stuff or not in the next couple of months.

“This is going to be hard, but if I see it going in that trajectory, there is no point at competing.

“If I’m not healthy, and I’ve talked about health so many times, if health is not there, then your whole tennis life becomes miserable.”

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Harriet Dart was knocked out of Wimbledon in the first round as she lost 3-6 6-3 7-5 to Dalma Galfi.

Her Hungarian opponent was ranked 42 places above her, in 110th, so the favourite to win, but Dart was left disappointed by a defeat in which she had taken the first set 6-3 on Court 17.

Dart, a wildcard, made only 47 per cent of her first serves throughout the match, with the 28-year-old unable to repeat her run to last year’s Wimbledon third round.

WIMBLEDON is underway at the All England Club – and Katie Boulter is into the second round after a shock win over Paula Badosa!

Boulter pulled off a huge shock against World No9 Paul Badosa to make it two Brits progressing after Emma Raducanu started her tournament with a straight sets win over British teenager Mimi Xu.

Carlos Alcaraz started his bid for a third straight title at SW19 with an almighty scare as Fabio Fognini took him to a fifth set in a match that was also DELAYED over an emergency in the crowd.

America’s Taylor Fritz features fresh from claiming his fourth Eastbourne Open title as he takes on Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. 

While Brits Sonay Kartal and Oliver Tarvet have both sealed huge wins to progress to the second round.

• Start time: From 11am BST / 6am ET
• TV channel: BBC One & Two (UK) / ESPN (US)
• Live stream: BBC iPlayer / ESPN+
• Order of Play: Day One schedule

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Follow our live blog below…

A THREE-year-old boy died in a “furious and prolonged” dog attack at a farm after his parents allowed him to wander into a pen unsupervised, a jury heard.

Daniel Twigg was savagely mauled to death at Carr Farm, in Rochdale, Manchester, on May 15, 2022, due to the alleged negligence of his parents Mark Twigg, 43, and Joanne Bedford, 37.

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Young Daniel Twigg died in a horror attack on May 15, 2022[/caption]

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The crime scene after Daniel’s tragic death[/caption]

The pair are now on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of Daniel’s manslaughter.

The prosecution claim the toddler was allowed to enter a dog pen where two large, “dangerous” 50kg dogs – one a Cane Corso called Sid and another Boerboel or Boerboel cross Tiny – were kept.

Daniel entered “alone and unsupervised”, it’s alleged, and “without effective precautions being taken”.

John Elvidge KC, prosecuting, said the dogs, who belonged to the farm owner, were used as guard dog and for breeding and were not family pets.

They were “deliberately kept outside” in enclosed pens, he said, and the jury heard how the RSPCA had warned the dogs were a danger but the warnings were ignored.

While steps were taken to stop them escaping, Mr Elvidge said, “no effective precautions were taken to keep Daniel out’.

CCTV from a neighbour’s property showed Daniel inside the pen at 12.50pm, the jury heard, and he was seen moving around inside for a few moments before disappearing from view.

At the same time, a dog in an adjacent pen became “excited, bouncing up and down in animated fashion”.

The prosecution, Mr Elvidge said, say this “coincides with the beginning of a ferocious and prolonged attack” on Daniel.

The tot suffered catastrophic injuries, principally to his head and neck, which were consistent with the “predatory behaviour of dogs”.

A 999 call was made by Daniel’s mother almost 20 minutes later after he’d been inside the dog pen, the jury heard, and while it’s not known for certain whether both dogs were involved in the attack Sid was the “likely” culprit.

“No-one suggests that these catastrophic events were intended or desired by his parents but this attack and Daniel’s death were utterly foreseeable consequences of negligently allowing Daniel to enter Sid and Tiny’s pen alone and unsupervised,” Mr Elvidge said.

“It is the prosecution case that his parents were aware that Daniel could enter the pen if he was left unsupervised.”

The jury heard how the dog pen, situated at the side of the farmhouse, was accessed through gates secured by a Karabiner clip – rather than a secure lock – that could “easily” be slipped open.

Daniel’s parents had a “long association” with the farm, owned by a Matthew Brown, with Twigg working as an odd job man and Bedford keeping horses there.

The couple, who’ve got two other children, leased the farmhouse from Brown in March 2022 after he’d been remanded to prison when his girlfriend Deniqua Westwood made a complaint to police.

Westwood, who operated a puppy breeding business, moved out and but it was agreed the guard dogs would remain and the couple would look after them.

Twigg was paid £450 to attend to the day-to-day security, running of the farm, and the dogs’  care.

The couple, who also had another eight or nine dogs to look after, including three of their own, stayed on at the farm despite having a home in Blackley, Manchester, when Brown was released on bail, the jury heard.

The pair continued to have responsibility for the dogs over weekends when he was away, with Daniel attacked one such weekend, argued the prosecution.

‘CATASTROPHIC’

Mr Elvidge said the dogs had been kept in “filthy and disgusting conditions” and the couple were aware of concerns raised by the RSPCA and a warning that Daniel “might be bitten”.

And there were a number of incidents involving dogs at the farm escaping, biting people and fighting each other.

Police were also aware that “dangerous” dogs at the farm were being injured and neglected, the jury heard.

It is claimed that RSPCA inspectors had expressed specific concerns about Daniel being around the dogs and mentioned a recent fatal attack involving a small child, but they were “disregarded’ by the couple.

And they were also warned about the dogs being loose and kept locked up in suitable areas.

The RSPCA also told police on March 30 that “something could happen if the dogs started fighting near the child,” Mr Elvidge said, and his parents had been advised to be careful.

The jury also heard how Rochdale Children’s Services visited the farm just three days before the attack and expressed concerns.

These included signs of “neglect” of Daniel and that he was “in danger” from the dogs.

Twigg and Bedford, of Radcliffe, Bury, both deny charges of gross negligence manslaughter and being in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control.

The trial, due to last three weeks, continues.