Cases of measles in Alcantarilla, Murcia have doubled since an outbreak was declared earlier this month, prompting a warning for families travelling to the Spanish tourist hotspot

Families planning holidays abroad have been issued an urgent warning following a measles outbreak in a popular Spanish tourist destination.

The alert comes as cases in Alcantarilla, Murcia, have doubled since an outbreak was officially declared earlier this month.

The region’s ministry of health has confirmed eight cases of the highly contagious illness.

Four cases, including three adults and a baby, had been identified by last Thursday.

Measles is regarded as one of the most contagious diseases in the world, spreading through coughs and sneezes with a contagion rate of nearly 100 per cent.

According to the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC), it is a “serious disease that can lead to complications and even death”.

The first case was confirmed in the Spanish region on May 5, according to authorities.

Initially, the time between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis took up to two weeks in these cases.

This has since been reduced to just four days after symptoms first appear.

Officials confirmed that four of the patients contracted the illness following contact with another infected individual, though no further details about those affected have been made available.

Authorities have managed to curb the spread of the disease by tracing the chain of infection.

Health minister Juan Jose Pedreño said that control efforts carried out by the Epidemiology Service have ensured the outbreak has not got “out of hand”. It was originally believed the outbreak stemmed from a baptism celebration in Alcantarilla, though this has now been discounted.

More than 6,000 measles cases were recorded across Europe over the past year, with roughly a third occurring in children under the age of five.

During the 12-month period spanning February last year to this January, six people lost their lives to the disease.

The preceding year recorded 7,655 cases, with eight proving fatal.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), children under five face particular risk from measles, which can lead to pneumonia, meningitis, blindness and seizures should it spread to other areas of the body.

The most effective way to safeguard yourself and your children is through vaccination.

The council has been criticised by an MP for its ‘unnecessary and petty-minded politics’

Two weeks of meetings have been cancelled amid ongoing mayhem at Oldham council – all revolving around a row over who its next mayor will be.

The political stalemate at Oldham follows the local elections earlier this month where Labour lost eight seats leaving the party with 18 councillors. Reform UK is now the second largest group on the council behind Labour with 16. No group has more than a third of the seats in the chamber, with 31 needed to take control. After the local elections, Labour council leader Arooj Shah announced she would stand down and her party step back and Reform ruled out forming any coalition.

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This has plunged the council into political crisis and raised fears commissioners could step in. Ahead of a meeting on Wednesday (May 20), only Coun Kamran Ghafoor – the leader of the Oldham Group – was put forward to lead the town hall but looked unlikely to succeed.

However councillors never got around to voting on who should be their next leader. Minutes in, three nominations for the borough’s new mayor – a ceremonial role – failed to secure enough support.

Councillors have accused each other of breaking longstanding rules over who they put forward for the role but without a new mayor, there was no way for the meeting to legally go ahead. Hours of talks failed to find any solution that had support.

A majority decision was eventually made to postpone the meeting to a later date after nearly five hours. That has left the council with no mayor, leader, or cabinet. Another meeting has now been scheduled for June 15. Several key meetings before this date have now been cancelled and will be rescheduled after a new leader has been elected.

The Local Government Association, which supports councils, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have been updated on the situation. The LDRS understands day-to-day council services continue to operate as normal and officers will continue to make decisions in line with their delegated powers.

No changes to council policy or the budget are expected until a new leadership is in place.

A spokesperson for Oldham Labour said: “This is an unprecedented time for the borough, and whilst discussions are ongoing, we were unable to continue with the business of the council. We would urge all political parties to put the convention of our borough before political aspirations.”

Oldham West, Chadderton, and Royton MP Jim McMahon has also criticised ‘unnecessary and petty-minded politics’ as ‘the borough faces calls for government intervention’.

He said: “Labour did the right thing. It took account of the election result and didn’t attempt to hold on to control at all costs. It recognised the mood was for change and called on the two successful parties to come forward with a viable administration.”

However Reform has blamed the other parties for the situation claiming a ‘coalition of chaos’ is refusing to work with them. Reform said they made ‘repeated attempts to find common ground’ but ‘other political groups refused to engage constructively with us, despite our repeated attempts to find common ground’.

During the talks, Reform opposed a potential solution that would have seen a process of elimination until the candidate with the most support won. It had been suggested to the LDRS this because they were concerned the rules change would set a precedent.

However Coun Lewis Quigg told the LDRS: “We were prepared to listen but our offer on the table was you need to come forward with a number of candidates”, adding: “We were the ones who made the offer. No one else was prepared to budge. We were proactive but everyone else wasn’t prepared to move.”

For the Oldham Group, Coun Kamran Ghafoor said: “The Oldham Group, together with the alliance of councillors supporting us, argued for a return to the traditional points-based system — a fair, transparent, and honest approach that would have avoided much of the unnecessary political manoeuvring and confusion witnessed yesterday.

“Our priority remains the people of Oldham, and we will continue working constructively to reach a sensible consensus that protects both the council and the dignity of the mayoralty.

“Whilst Reform has stated that they have given others an opportunity, it must also be recognised that the individual they are proposing has only been a councillor for a matter of weeks. We do not believe it is responsible to place the reputation of the mayoralty, or the stability of the council, at risk under such circumstances.”

The political stalemate has prompted the Liberal Democrats to write to Prime Minister Keir Starmer over “great concern” it could see delays to the national inquiry into grooming gangs. Coun Sam Al-Hamdani said: “People in the borough know that there are more important things than who wears a set of robes at the front of a meeting.

“We have spent years fighting for this grooming gangs inquiry, and there can be no delay caused by political infighting. I have written to the government to confirm our commitment to full transparency and an open books policy at the council as part of the inquiry, and to confirm that we would not support any administration that had anything less than a complete commitment to this.”

The Liberal Democrats said the council has since confirmed the situation will not affect the local authority’s co-operation with the inquiry.

Kids can enjoy free entry for the rest of the month

A theme park loved by families is letting kids go free this May half term. Drayton Manor was named the UK’s Best Value Theme Park in last year’s UK Theme Park Awards and is under two hours from Manchester.

Featuring more than 50 rides and attractions, it’s home to Europe’s only Thomas Land with 25 tot-friendly rides and a mini-coaster. The kids go free offer is running from now until the end of May and means you can get a free child ticket with every adult ticket purchased.

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It means two adults visiting with two children can make a saving of £55 on two kids’ tickets, which would usually cost £27.50 each. The offer applies to children aged under 10, with a maximum of two free tickets per order.

Families have already been snapping up the deal, which gives access to all the rides including thrill rides Gold Rush, Maelstrom and The Wave, as well as family favourites in Thomas Land and the park’s on-site 15-acre zoo.

Drayton Manor Resort, based near Tamworth in Staffordshire, also offers a four-star hotel on site, with 150 family rooms, including executive rooms, presidential rooms, 15 Thomas & Friends themed rooms and 10 Viking themed hotel rooms.

Victoria Lynn, managing director of Drayton Manor, said: “As the UK’s best value theme park, it’s our priority to make theme park fun as accessible as possible.

“We understand the financial challenges many families are facing, so we’re proud to offer a brand new promotion that gives every family the chance to enjoy a fun-filled day out and create treasured memories together.”

Adult ticket prices start from £29.50 and are subject to availability. You can book on the website here.

The SpudBros tram van is heading to the Trafford Centre

Viral jacket potato phenomenon SpudBros is heading to the Trafford Centre for the first time, it has been announced. Brothers Jacob and Harley Nelson have taken social media by storm with their unique, heavily-loaded take on the humble spud, with huge queues wherever they pitch up.

Only last month the SpudBros team had confirmed they were eyeing their “dream location” at the Trafford Centre. At that time they said the cost of units at the mall was holding them back.

Now, however, they have confirmed that they WILL be heading to the Trafford Centre, amid plans revealed to rapidly expand across the UK in 2026. Although it appears it is only initially for a limited run, with further details on dates and locations yet to be announced.

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The brothers posted a video on their socials on Wednesday night, showing a little lad asking for their “last potato”. When they didn’t have a filling he wanted, the voice of Jacob was heard saying to the youngster: “I tell you what, we’re opening in the Trafford Centre soon.”

He added: “We’re going to be there for one week, we’re going to take the tram.” Hundreds of comments swiftly followed – most desperate to know the dates that the viral jacket potatoes will be heading to the shopping mall.

We have approached the Trafford Centre and SpudBros for further comment on the dates of the SpudBros visit. The Trafford Centre confirmed the news though, adding in the comments of SpudBros’ video on instagram: “See you soon then yeah?”

The Nelson brothers have had a meteoric rise to success with their SpudBros concept. They took over their father’s Hot Potato Tram van at the Preston Flag Market six years ago before taking their street food empire to new heights with a range of franchised SpudBros Express stores across the country, including in London, Liverpool and Sheffield.

They announced last month a deal with EG Garages will see a further roll out of 30 SpudBros Express stores this year.

Huge queues follow wherever they pitch while billions have viewed their TikTok videos as the #SpudTok phenomenon.

Sharing a video walking around the Trafford Centre last month, Jacob said: “We get asked a lot why don’t we come to Manchester? We’re in Liverpool, we’re in Blackburn, we’ve got shops around that area and I’m going to tell you why.

“We would absolutely love to come to Manchester, it would be absolutely awesome, especially in the Trafford Centre.”

But he then outlined one eye-watering problem that’s holding them back. He said: “The only problem is rent – and how much it actually costs to pitch up here, it is absolutely ridiculous. You ain’t talking like £15,000 here, you’re talking six figures.”

He went on to claim: “I’m pretty sure some of the food shops you know the rent is £250,000 – £500,000 a year just for the rent and that is absolutely crazy.”

He added that if they were going to pitch up at the Trafford Centre they would look at “a little section in Selfridges” or a kiosk like the current Boost juice bar on the main mall. He added that another issue they have is the size of equipment they need to bake fresh potatos.

He said: “We use fresh potatos so we need potato ovens, we need a lot of equipment to fit in there that’s why we go for the bigger shops, we want to make sure you guys are getting a really good jacket potato and the quality of the food is top notch, no frozen potatoes.”

He continued: “If we actually opened up at the Trafford Centre it would scare me a little bit in terms of how much rent it is, how much the overheads are. From a business, does it make sense to do it at this moment of time while we’re still building the brand and it’s getting bigger? I’m not sure.

“It’s a little scary thinking about it. Maybe we could do a little three or six month pop up.

“It isn’t that we don’t want to come, we definitely want to come to Manchester, it’s from a business side, does it make sense? I’m not sure.”

The Trafford Centre said at the time they’re “always happy to chat” to new businesses about retail possibilities at the mall. And it appears that has now happened with SpudBros.

As soon as more details are confirmed on the date and location for the SpudBros visit, it will be updated here.

Sir Keir Starmer has said he will be out campaigning to support Andy Burnham in the Makerfield by-election, despite looming speculation of a leadership contest.

The Prime Minister also sought to draw attention to his Government’s record and away from ‘all the other discussions that are going on’ in apparent reference to the leadership speculation that has dogged his premiership since Labour’s local and devolved elections mauling.

Asked whether he would be out supporting Greater Manchester Mayor Mr Burnham’s campaign for the June 18 contest, Sir Keir responded: “Yes, and I’ve said to the whole Labour movement that I want everybody to be involved in the campaign, whatever other discussions are going on, it’s really important – that’s a straight fight between Labour and Reform.

“It’s about the values that we take into politics, and it’s really important that we all pull together and fight in that by-election, as we will do.”

He added: “I want to be part of that, of course I do, and I want everybody to be part of that, but also by being clear about the steps we’ve taken to stabilise the economy, because all of this that we’ve announced today has only been possible because of the steps we took on the budget, the fact that inflation dropped is because of the steps – that didn’t drop out the sky – that’s because of the decisions the Government took. So, we’ve got a very good story to tell.”

Sir Keir was asked by reporters whether he was frustrated by the focus on Mr Burnham and former health secretary Wes Streeting’s ambitions to oust him. It followed a number of calls from Labour MPs for him to go and a slew of resignations.

He said: “There’s been a lot going on in the last two weeks, but what is important for me to draw out is that actually the last week, in terms of what we’ve delivered, is really significant.”

Casemiro looks to have made a decision on his next move after bidding farewell to Manchester United supporters last weekend

Casemiro is reportedly eager to join David Beckham’s Inter Miami when his Manchester United contract expires, with sources suggesting a deal with the MLS club is edging closer.

The Brazilian midfielder announced in January that this would be his last campaign at Old Trafford. The 34-year-old, who arrived from Real Madrid in a deal worth £70million including add-ons four years ago, said an emotional farewell to the ground at the weekend during his final home appearance.

He has been strongly linked with a switch to the United States once United’s season wraps up this weekend. According to The Athletic, Casemiro’s first choice is Inter Miami, with the club said to be ‘closing in’ on securing his signature on a free transfer.

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However, the report highlights a significant complication: LA Galaxy currently hold the discovery rights to negotiate with the experienced midfielder and have already submitted several contract proposals to him.

The regulation, which grants clubs priority in signing certain players, exists to stop MLS sides from competing against one another for the same high-profile targets.

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Previous disputes have resulted in clubs paying compensation for discovery rights, though neither LA Galaxy nor Inter Miami currently possess a designated player slot to accommodate Casemiro.

Any agreement to bring the multiple Champions League winner to Miami would need to come in under $2m (£1.48m), unless one of the club’s three designated player spots becomes available. Lionel Messi currently occupies one of those positions at Beckham’s side.

Casemiro may yet take to the pitch once more before his exit when United visit Brighton, but Sunday’s clash against Nottingham Forest marked his final appearance at Old Trafford.

The midfielder posted a heartfelt message on social media after the match, thanking both the club and its supporters, which read: “There are places we pass through in life… and there are places that become part of who we are. Manchester will forever be my home.

“To the city, the club, and every supporter, my sincerest thank you. These past four years have been unforgettable, filled with moments my family and I will carry with us for the rest of our lives.

“There simply aren’t enough words to describe the happiness and warmth we’ve felt here. Thank you for every cheer, every memory, and for making us feel at home from the very first day. Forever a Red Devil.”

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.