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Irish Daily Mirror
25-06-2025
- General
- Irish Daily Mirror
Mum distraught to find 'metal screw' in son's baby food and says it made him ill
An Irish mum was left aghast after discovering a 'metal screw' in a jar of baby food she was giving to her young son. The Lisburn-based mother, known as Kelly, was gobsmacked to find the foreign object in a jar of Heinz baby food purchased from her local Tesco. While Tesco has expressed uncertainty about how the item got into the jar, Heinz insists it didn't come from their factory. Chatting on The Nolan Show on BBC Radio Ulster on Wednesday, Kelly recounted how she had picked up the Heinz By Nature Spaghetti Bolognese toddler meal from her nearby Tesco for her one year old son Reuben. She had already fed him half the jar before stumbling upon the "absolutely terrifying" discovery of a sharp piece concealed within the meal. "When I was putting it (the food) out, a rivet or nail type item, clearly metal, fell out of the jar. It seemed to be lightweight and light in colour. I'm no metal expert but my guess would be that it's an aluminium rivet and about the size of your thumbnail. "I was completely shocked and didn't know what to think. I called my partner in and we stood there looking at it. We didn't know what to do. I think the worst bit was that these jars keep and I had already fed the baby half of that jar the day before. That was the frightening part about it, it was the second half of the jar that I found the rivet in," reports Belfast Live. "Obviously there's two issues when you find something in a jar of baby food. The main one is the choking hazard when babies are only learning how to chew and how to manage different foods. As an adult we would know to spit that out but babies don't know that so if there's metal in there they'd easily swallow that, choke on it or it'd cause all sorts of issues with its insides. I'm just grateful that I did see it before it was fed to him." Kelly wasted no time getting in touch with Heinz, and they were quick to respond, offering a letter and a £10 (€12) voucher as "a sincere gesture". Explaining further, she recounted, "They (Heinz) were very good at the start and obviously concerned about it. They sent out a package for me to return the piece of metal and the jar lid. Apparently that's how they trace the batch. That came out very quickly in the first class post and returned for them to investigate it. They came back with a letter, again that was very quick, with the outcome of it." However, Kelly expressed dissatisfaction with their response: "They said they'd given the matter their careful attention and consideration that the item is metal (which was obvious) but regrettably we cannot come to any definitive conclusion on its source. "Our processes include powerful magnets and metal detectors and we cannot explain how this issue came to be associated with our product. So there's no outcome and to me that hasn't been investigated properly. There's no mention in the letter of them doing a batch recall, which was the part that concerned me most. "If something has gone wrong in that batch room machinery and there were rivets falling off into the food, in my opinion that whole batch should be recalled. Whether they've done that and not mentioned it in the letter, I don't know. And there's nothing in Tesco to say there's been a recall so to my knowledge it's not being recalled." Kelly says she had to take Reuben to hospital two days later due to a rash all over his body: "It sounds silly now but at the time I didn't associate it with that and now looking back, it could potentially be due to some contamination from that metal. We don't know and we'll never know now." At this stage it is not known how the nail found its way into the product or if this was an isolated incident and similar items have been found in any other products. "That's not enough for me - if you don't know then production needs to stop until you do know. This is metal in baby food," Kelly added. "And for me this was never about money, compensation or anything like that. It literally was a concern and when they came back to say 'here's a voucher', it was for £10 and that's what Heinz valued this incident as. "To me that outraged me, it's insulting, my son could have choked on this and they valued that incident with £10 - would that even get you two bottles of brown sauce because nobody in their right mind would buy any more baby food off them?". After being unimpressed with Heinz's approach, Kelly reached out to Tesco, who explained they couldn't look into the issue as she didn't have the metal shard anymore, having sent it back to Heinz already. Heinz has not yet made a statement regarding the matter. Meanwhile, a Tesco representative shared: "We were sorry to hear about this customer's experience with a Heinz product. We work closely with branded suppliers to ensure that they have robust quality procedures in place and are in ongoing conversations with the supplier about the outcome of their investigation."
The Irish Sun
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
‘Disturbing scenes' as houses destroyed in Ballymena riots hours after two boys charged over attempted rape of teen girl
HOMES were destroyed and missiles were thrown at cops by masked thugs last night in "disturbing scenes" as rioting broke out in Ballymena, Co Antrim. The unrest broke out after an estimated 2,500 people gathered after a teenage girl was allegedly the victim of a serious sexual assault at the weekend. 6 A number of missiles were thrown towards police during the incident Credit: Pacemaker 6 Amidst the carnage, a boat could be seen overturned in the street Credit: Pacemaker 6 Firefighters attended the scene after two properties were set alight Credit: Pacemaker The crowd had initially gathered to support the family of the girl but A line of police vehicles advanced towards the protesters followed by officers on foot. Those involved in the violent incident burned plastic road barriers and bins that were making up a part of the barricade on the street and clips show masked yobs tossing missiles at Firefighters later responded to the burning debris on the road and inspected a nearby house which had filled with smoke. READ MORE IRISH NEWS Justice Minister Naomi Long said there can be 'no justification' for such 'appalling' scenes. She said: "I am absolutely appalled by the disturbing scenes in Ballymena yesterday evening during which PSNI officers were injured, residents terrorised, and properties damaged. 'There is absolutely no place in our society for such disorder and there can be no justification for it." Long said attacking homes and police officers "serves no purpose other than to damage communities and raise tension", adding that those involved in the violence will be "held accountable". MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN The carnage erupted hours after two 14-year-old boys appeared at Coleraine Magistrates' The boys, who legally cannot be named due to their age, spoke to confirm their names and ages. Their solicitor said they would be denying the charges. Tyler Hoey, Deputy mayor of Mid and East 'NARRATIVE HAS BEEN DIVERTED' Speaking on BBC's The Nolan Show, he added that the violence that followed "has to be condemned" and called for peace on the streets. North Antrim MP Mr Allister said he had spoken to the family of the girl who was the victim of the alleged sexual assault and they did not want to see violent scenes. He said: 'Sadly the narrative has been diverted, and it has been diverted by those who wrongly and foolishly involved in violence and made the story something that what it otherwise should be. "My message is the violence should stop. The concerns are there, I am certainly aware of them, I hear them and there needs now to be a period of calm and justice needs to take its course." 'URGING EVERYONE TO REMAIN CALM' Several properties in the Clonavon Terrace area suffered severe damage last night, including broken windows, and a boat could be seen overturned in the street. It is understood that at least two houses were set alight during the incident, with flames from these homes spreading to nearby properties. Police dogs were deployed to the area and PSNI riot officers attended the scene in an attempt to "bring calm". Chief Superintendent Sue Steen appealed for locals to remain calm and refrain from engaging in violence. She said: "We are urging everyone to remain calm and to act responsibly. "Violence and disorder will only place people at greater risk. "Our priority is to keep the community safe, and I would appeal to everyone to work with us to bring calm to the area as quickly as possible." 6 People wearing masks threw masonry and other missiles at police, while houses were set on fire Credit: Pacemaker 6 Police remained in the area overnight to monitor the situation Credit: Pacemaker 6 PSNI riot officers were among those deployed to the scene Credit: Pacemaker
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
'Girls shouldn't have to wear skirts to school'
Two school girls from County Fermanagh are campaigning for legislation to force schools to offer girls a choice between skirts and trousers. Rhea and Astrid successfully campaigned for Enniskillen Integrated Primary School to allow girls to wear trousers, and said it's "weird and unfair" that some schools still enforce skirts. They are taking their case to Stormont's education committee on Tuesday afternoon as part of a hearing into broad changes to school uniform law. Education Minister Paul Givan told BBC News NI the decision lies with individual schools and their boards of governors. Some schools in Northern Ireland already allow girls to have a choice between trousers and skirts. Enniskillen Integrated Primary were prompted to change their policy after Rhea and Astrid contacted Dr Mairead Ryan, whose research outlined a relation between school uniforms and physical activity. In a letter to the school, Dr Ryan said: "Gendered uniforms can limit girls' movement and engagement in physical activities." "Uniform items like dresses and skirts can restrict certain movements and inhibit young girls from climbing, jumping, and participating in other forms of active play that are crucial for their development," she added. Rhea said: "I didn't really like being made to wear a skirt, it just felt wrong. It's 2025. "It's quite hard to run around without your skirt blowing up in the wind," she added. "All schools have the power to change it so if you have the power, then I think you probably should." Astrid said: "I think its important to have the choice for our privacy and for our comfort. "It's weird that some schools don't give you the choice to wear trousers. It's a bit old school." Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show, Education Minister, Paul Givan, said: "Whenever it comes to decisions should I then give the legal right for a child to say I'm going to wear a school tie or not." When challenged, he said "I'm widening it out, because it can't be taken in isolation between a trouser and a skirt." The committee hearing on Tuesday will examine wide ranging changes proposed to the law around school uniforms. It includes proposals to make school uniforms more affordable, and limiting the amount of branded items which parents and retailers have said drives up the cost. Sports kits that 'don't last' push prices 'up and up and up' Should there be a school uniform price limit? Schools could be forced to explain uniform price under new law
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Police defend arrests of Pro-Palestinian protestors
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has defended its actions after two women, one of whom is a pensioner, were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest in Belfast. Sue Pentel, 72, a long-standing campaigner and member of Jews for Palestine Ireland, and another woman in her 50s were detained by police outside a Barclays Bank branch in Castle Place on Saturday. Both were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. Stickers had been placed on an ATM. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said having looked at body-cam footage of the incident, determined that the officer's actions were "lawful and proportionate". "I am limited in what I can say about this incident as due process must be allowed to run its course," he said in a statement to BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show. "However, due to the degree of interest in this case, I want to reassure the public that, having reviewed footage of the incident (including from body worn camera,) I am satisfied that our officers acted with courtesy and professionalism." ACC Henderson said the officers were reacting to an emergency call from a city centre business. "Their actions were lawful and proportionate to the situation they discovered," he added. Both of the women were released later on Saturday, pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service. ACC Henderson said the right to both freedom of speech and assembly are "fundamental human rights". "However, they must be balanced with the need to uphold the rights of others, protect public health and safety, minimise disruption to normal life and by the need to prevent and detect crime." Following the arrests, a number of pro-Palestinian protesters held a further demonstration outside Musgrave Street PSNI station. Branches of Barclays have been targeted around the UK by pro-Palestinian groups, who want the bank to stop investing in certain companies. There has been mass condemnation of the arrests, with Ms Pentel's solicitor Pádraig Ó Muirigh saying she was detained after "peacefully protesting". "She has committed no offence and should not be criminalised for exercising her right to peaceful protest against these ongoing atrocities," he said in a statement. "Our client will robustly contest any attempt to criminalise her if a decision is made to prosecute. "We will also be advising her in relation to the lawfulness of her arrest." Patrick Corrigan, the Northern Ireland director of Amnesty International UK, told The Nolan Show that the right to protest is "fundamental to our democracy". "That includes making the point with your body – standing in the street or even with placing a sticker - those symbolic acts," he added. "It's in the public interest that police protect those rights." Mr Corrigan said peaceful protest is protected by law "even when it disruptive or causes a minor nuisance to people but that is not a reason to criminalise people". "When you arrest people for a sticker you lose all sense of balance." Pensioner arrested during pro-Palestinian protest
Belfast Telegraph
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Number of animals euthanised after livestock lorry overturned on M1
Fire crews undertook a complex rescue operation after a lorry carrying 40 cows overturned on the M1. Most of the cows were transferred to another lorry, however a small number of the animals had to be euthanised. Some sections of the east-bound lane will remain closed while the vehicle is recovered, potentially taking a number of hours. Motorists travelling east-bound can come off at junction 13 and travel along the Derryhubbert Road, where traffic lights are in place, and back onto the M1 at junction 12. A section of the route, from junction 12 at the Birches in Portadown and junction 13 near the Black Island Road turn-off, had been closed for most of the day. NI Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) Area Commander David Doherty told BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show this morning that the driver of the vehicle is 'safe and well'. Dozens of cattle remained trapped following the incident on Friday morning. 'At the minute, we have firefighters on scene, we have appliances form Dungannon, Portadown and Armagh,' Mr Doherty previously said. 'We have two specialist animal rescue teams, and we have our specialist rescue team from Central fire station at the minute. 'We have an overturned lorry. The driver is safe and well. There are 40 cattle trapped in the lorry, we are carrying out an extraction of those animals. 'We have a rescue plan in place we are off loading those animals and we will transport them away safely. 'It is a challenging operation at the moment. Both ways of the motorway are currently closed, and may be for several hours.' He added: 'I cannot speculate (on how the lorry overturned), the Fire Service is concentrating on the rescue. 'We have vets on scene at the minute to do an assessment on the animals, the vets are for their welfare. 'It is a multi-agency programme, and we have DAERA here for the animal welfare. 'It will be a proactive operation. A large vehicle like this with two decks, which has obviously been affected by the impact of the crash. 'It is quite a comprehensive operation, that is why our specialist crew are here with our normal crews. It is quite a complex task for our fire fighters. 'We are rescuing them (cows) as quick as we can as with any vehicle accident. There will be issues there, there is entrapment. 'But we are working as fast as we can for their welfare. We have to do it as quickly and as safely as possible. 'We have to work to bring them out onto a safe environment, where we can put them onto another vehicle so they can't be exposed to any further harm. 'It is closed from exit 12 up until exit 13.' Mid Ulster MLA Linda Dillon has expressed relief that the driver was unharmed. 'This is major disruption and it is good to hear that the lorry driver is safe and well and vets are on the scene to assess the cattle,' the Sinn Féin representative said. 'Emergency services are at the scene and we hope the overturned lorry will be removed as quickly as possible and the M1 reopens soon but I would advise drivers to avoid the area for the time being. 'We have been contacted by students who were due to sit final exams in Belfast this morning and this has caused them a great deal of distress. 'I have been in contact with universities to see if anything can be done to facilitate these students.' Balmoral show returns for 2025 Lurgan councillor, Peter Haire, had called urged road users to allow for extra time on their journeys. 'It's going to cause chaos for people travelling to Belfast,' said the DUP representative. 'I would urge people to take alternative routes. It helps that it is a Friday and people may be working from home. 'However, a lot of people will be travelling to the Balmoral Show. So there is going to be a lot of delay. 'I would ask people to take more time for their journey, and take a different route.' Police said a closure remains in place this afternoon. Motorists travelling city-bound on the M1 are advised to leave the motorway at junction 15, the Moy Road roundabout, and travel through Armagh before joining the M12 at Portadown.
