image caption
'Banned over a pair of 2 sandals': Why some sellers are complaining about Vinted
'Banned over a pair of £2 sandals': Why some sellers are complaining about Vinted Single mum Emma Neil was a huge fan of Vinted, using it most days to sell old things and buy clothes for her children. That was until she bought a pair of sandals for £3, found they didn't fit so relisted them for £2 then was permanently banned. Vinted said there had been fraudulent activity, such as selling counterfeit items. I did feel like a criminal, says Neil - one of several thousands complaining of being wrongly suspended or permanently banned, spending days trapped in a system of what they believe are AI generated responses. Vinted's preloved buying and selling community has grown rapidly with 17 million UK users - it says the overwhelming majority have a positive experience.
Sainsbury's pauses AI cameras after shopper ousted
Sainsbury's pauses AI cameras after shopper ousted Sainsbury's has suspended its use of live facial recognition technology at one of its London branches after a customer was wrongly challenged as a shoplifter and asked to leave. Matt Arnold, 46, was buying items at the East Dulwich store when he was stopped by management at a self-service till. Describing the experience as a terrifying glimpse of the future, he has warned that retail surveillance tech risks humiliating customers and creating a system where staff feel compelled to follow automated alerts without applying human logic. The supermarket said it had apologised to Arnold and claimed the mistake was caused by human error, but critics have called for the technology to be scrapped. The incident happened on 6 August as Arnold - a comedy promoter getting supplies for a stand-up event hosted at the next door Dulwich Hamlet Football Club - was waiting for a staff member to approve an alcohol purchase.
Unauthorised sites are growing but travellers say they are forced to break the law
The number of unauthorised Gypsy and traveller sites is on the rise, with developments often carried out over Bank Holiday weekends. Since April, sites in Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and elsewhere have been transformed, prompting legal battles and local dismay. In January, the number of unauthorised traveller caravans - those without planning permission - across England stood at 4,950, a 73% increase on January 2020's figure of 2,860. The summer count also shows a rise, of 44% between July 2019 and July 2025, from 3,113 to 4,471. A senior councillor in one affected area warns there has been a loss of control of the planning system, while villagers living near one site likened its rapid construction to a military operation .
The Papers: UK-made drones 'strike Russia' and 'phone theft Britain'
Image caption, The Sunday Times says British drones strike targets inside Russia, reporting that drones made by two UK companies have been supplied to Ukraine and used to attack the Russian mainland for the first time. Citing Ukrainian sources, it explains that Kyiv's deep-strike campaign involves targeting oil refineries, naval bases, logistics hubs and transport networks inside Russia. Image caption, The Sunday Telegraph leads with new plans backed by the government which could see water companies given the green light to increase bills at times of high demand. It explains that firms could impose surge pricing and factor water scarcity into bills, meaning they could charge more in droughts. A government spokesperson tells the paper that the new system could cut bills for more consumers, while it quotes water campaigners warning that it could see suppliers penalising consumers for their own failures.
'Row professor found dead' and 'barbecue ban'
'Row professor found dead' and'barbecue ban' Image caption, At the top of the Times is the news that ex-Cambridge professor Jason Arday, who has been at the centre of a row in-part focused on accusations of plagiarism, has been found dead. The police have said his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious. Also on the front page, Burnham calls up the military to tackle fires. Image caption, In the lead for the Daily Telegraph is that men lose right to prostate cancer test. The Telegraph also includes the news of Arday's death, noting that his memoir is due to be published in the UK later in August.
Fires prompt national alert as 19 homes destroyed
Fires across England and Wales have prompted a national government alert warning people not to light anything that could spark a wildfire. The warning on Friday evening came as it was revealed 19 homes were destroyed and a further 18 damaged in a huge fire in Stourbridge, West Midlands, that spread rapidly through grass and woodland on Thursday before damaging homes. Prime Minister Andy Burnham told members of the public to take the warning seriously, adding it was triggered at the request of firefighters. West Midlands Fire Service chief fire officer Simon Tuhill said the Stourbridge blaze was one of the most significant incidents the service had ever dealt with. It was one of several fires being dealt with across England and Wales on Friday.
Derailed Essex to London train leads to travel chaos
Railway services were plunged into chaos after a train derailed in Essex. The Greater Anglia service from Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street came off the tracks in Wickford at 14:12 BST on Friday, leading to all trips being cancelled . About 45 passengers were on board the commuter-line train but nobody was injured and it remained upright, according to investigators. It happened less than 24 hours after two passengers were seriously injured in a separate derailment in East Sussex . 'The train swung wildly,' says passenger on board derailed service Network Rail has warned passengers that major disruption will continue until at least Saturday, including for those going to Southminster and Braintree.
The Papers: 'Houses burn and train derails on hottest day' and 'Britain on fire'
'Houses burn and train derails on hottest day' and'Britain on fire' Image caption, A striking photo of homes ablaze under the headline Houses burn and train derails on hottest day dominates the front of the Times. Perhaps unusually, it is a headline that encompasses three separate stories from Thursday - the fires that raged across the West Midlands. It opens its coverage of the hottest day of the year saying: Wildfires caused apocalyptic scenes last night as they engulfed homes. Image caption, A similar photo of the houses on fire is also splashed across the front of today's Daily Mirror beside the headline Britain on fire. It also runs an inset on the train derailment near Lewes as part of its coverage of what it calls Heatwave devastation.
I got an 89 refund – how to cancel and avoid unwanted subscriptions
Ever been confused by a random amount leaving your bank then had that sinking feeling it's a subscription you forgot to cancel or didn't mean to sign up to? From TV streaming, to meal deliveries and beauty boxes there are subscriptions for almost everything. Often the first order is free or heavily discounted so you give it a try and tell yourself you'll cancel it before the deadline. But it's easy to forget and sometimes not straightforward. Following Prime Minister Andy Burnham's crackdown on subscription traps, three people tell us how they got into - and out of theirs.
'I was blown away' - the fans who heard Phoebe Bridgers' unreleased album in a planetarium
'I was blown away' - the fans who heard Phoebe Bridgers' unreleased album in a planetarium Image caption, Lost Weekend is Phoebe Bridgers' first solo album in six years What happens when a Grammy Award-winning artist, one of the most anticipated albums of the year and a planetarium collide? This week the small city of Armagh found out. It's been six years since songwriter Phoebe Bridgers last released an album, so the release of Lost Weekend on Friday marks, as The Guardian says, a long-awaited return, external . Since her last record, the critically acclaimed Punisher, she's recorded and toured with Grammy Award-winning supergroup boygenius, as well as navigating grief after the death of her father. And now, in the days leading up to Lost Weekend's release, she's giving a handful of fans an immersive audio-visual experience at planetariums across the world. Only two venues in the UK - Glasgow and Armagh - were chosen to take part.