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POOR kids risk missing out on university as their homes are classed as upmarket, it was warned last night.

Tories warned flaws in how officials assess which youngsters need help to continue studying are creating a “postcode lottery”.

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More well-off kids could be more likely to get a leg-up than those from deprived backgrounds.[/caption]

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Tories’ education spokesman Miles Briggs[/caption]

The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation splits the country into 7,000 mini-areas and used to dish out public cash and assign benefits.

But our analysis shows the Scottish Government’s system classes some low-value homes as wealthier addresses.

The tool ranks Aberdeen’s West End South as “very affluent”. But we found a one-bedroom flat for sale within the zone for just £80,000.

Meanwhile Beith West, in Ayrshire, is rated among Scotland’s top-five most affluent areas but a house can be snapped up for only £62,000.

At the other end of the scale, Glasgow’s southside suburb of Dumbreck is ranked among the 20 per cent “most deprived” zones.

But it is lined with pricey villas and is “an incredibly popular” area where one five-bedroom property sold recently for £880,000, according to estate agents Rettie.

Last night, Tories’ education spokesman Miles Briggs warned that more well-off kids could be more likely to get a leg-up than those from deprived backgrounds.

He said: “Talented youngsters should not be facing this postcode lottery anomaly when it comes to their chances of a place at university.

“SNP ministers who boast about being progressive when it comes to education need to address this now.”

The University of Edinburgh said potential students from the “most deprived” areas with the required number of Higher grades would be made an offer “in the majority of cases”. Glasgow Uni offers “preferred access” to applicants in the 40 per cent “most deprived” areas.

But a spokesman said they weigh up other factors such as whether youngsters have been in care. He added: “Our admissions process is far more contextualised than just Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) data.”

Last night, ministers said they were committed to “equal” access to universities.

A Scottish Government spokesman added: “The SIMD is a valuable tool. There can be challenges with its use, however. We are working to implement individual level indicators of financial hardship for widening access.”

OUTDOOR lovers have been warned to brace for an Easter invasion of midges.

Bug experts predicted an earlier influx of the biting beasties due to the warmer spring.

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Bug expert Jay Hutchison of APS Biocontrol has predicted a midge influx[/caption]

Insect scientist Jay Hutchison told how repellent spray sales are already “ramping up”.

He said: “People living up north are starting to anticipate the midges will come quite soon.

“Last week we were getting up to 20°C degrees.

“That weather, coupled with any rain — even a sprinkling — will make midges come out earlier than usual.”

His APS Biocontrol firm runs the Scottish Midge Forecast using weather station data.

And He reckons this spring has been 1°C hotter than in 2024, with individual days as much as 4°C higher.

The entomologist added: “Easter would normally be a bit early for midges but we could see them come out by then.

“The start of the season is normally around May.

With this weather, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was before the end of April.”

There are 19 species of the bloodsuckers that are notoriously hard to shoo away and leave painful marks on the skin.

Scotland has more than 35 species of midge but the Highland type is the most ferocious.

The worst conditions are normally in mid-June.

There is another peak in August and a possible outbreak in the autumn.

One square metre can contain about 500,000 of the tiny pests.

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SHOPPERS are set to race to Penneys for a new pair of high heels – and they’re perfect for summer.

The retailer has been very popular with shoppers this season with the new spring/summer range.

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The Floral Open Toe Heels are €22[/caption]

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The blush option would be perfect for a summer wedding[/caption]

And now, shoppers can pick up the ultimate summer high heels – and they’re even perfect for a wedding.

The Floral Open Toe Heels are a bargain, costing just €22.

And shoppers can choose between two colours – blush or red.

The blush option features a statement white flowers at the toes, and they would be perfect for a summer wedding.

If brides or bridesmaids are looking for the perfect pair of shoes of the big day without breaking the bank, these are perfect.

And the red option is great for adding a bit of a bold statement to any outfit.

The open-toe high heels could be worn with a summer dress or even with a pair of jeans and nice top.

Shoppers can pick the shoes up in sizes UK3 to UK8.

In the official item description on the Penneys website, fashion chiefs said: “An open toed heel with floral accent.

“These pink open-toe heels are a true statement piece, with vibrant floral embellishments adorning the front for a bold and eye-catching touch.

“The satin finish adds a luxurious sheen, while the ankle strap and platform sole provide both style and support.

“Perfect for adding a pop of colour to evening wear or elevating a special occasion outfit.”

The high heels are now available in stores across the country.

But shoppers need to be quick as they are set to sell out very quick.

And it’s not the only thing that has shoppers rushing to the tills.

FAB JACKET

Fashion fans are racing to grab the new Rita Ora arrival that’s perfect for a “laid-back” vibe.

And the “star of outerwear wardrobe” comes in a stunning stone shade.

This faux suede studded star jacket is priced at just €38.

It comes in sizes XS to XL, and is available at Penneys stores across the country.

In the official description on the Penneys website, fashion bosses wrote: “Channel effortless Western glam with this Rita Ora faux suede star jacket.

“Designed in brown tones with contrast panelling, studded detailing, and bold star motifs, it’s the statement piece your wardrobe needs!

“Whether you’re heading to a festival or brunch, this star jacket brings instant cool-girl energy.”

The soft faux suede finish and structured fit make it perfect for layering over everything from casual tees to sleek dresses.

CELEBRITY Big Brother fans have said Ella Rae Wise’s “gameplan” for a romance in the house with Chris Hughes has backfired.

The Towie star, 24, admitted tonight that she was surprised that she and Love Island’s Chris, 32, were not closer.

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During a conversation with Angellica in the bathroom, Ella said: “I thought I would have bonded with Chris the most but no.”

Angellica replied: “He hasn’t really engaged with you,” to which Ella said: “Not at all.”

TV presenter Angellica asked: “Is it making you feel a bit awkward.”

Ella insisted: “No I don’t care, like whatever, I don’t fancy him, so I’m not bothered, do you know what I mean?”

The Essex star added: “It’s just a bit strange.”

CBB fans raced to Twitter/X to claim that Ella’s romance plans had fallen flat.

One wrote: “Imagine the straight guy picking a platonic friendship with a lesbian over flirting with some lass off TOWIE. I know Ella is vexed, she wanted that showmance.”

A second posted: “Ella defo dumped her ex for a showmance with Chris! Now she is upset that he isn’t interested lol.”

A third commented: I think Ella is upset that Jojo is getting attention from Chris (even platonic). She clearly sees herself as the prize & is wondering why he isn’t fawning at her feet.”

“Ella nah you thought you was gonna have a cheeky showmance with Chris but he ain’t flirting with you like you thought huh,” a fourth said.

A fifth wrote: “Ella saying she’s shocked basically she doesn’t have attention from Chris, but she’s not bothered. Clearly she is bothered. The girl grinds me.”

Another added: “So basically Ella went in thinking she would get with Chris & is now p***** that he’s not showing yet enough attention???? huh????”

It comes after The Sun revealed that Ella dumped boyfriend Dan Edgar in a bid to have a “fake showmace” in Celebrity Big Brother.

A source told The Sun that Ella, 24, had set her sights on Love Island’s Chris before she had even split from Dan, 34.

They said that Ella wanted to be part of a “CBB love story” in order to “boost her chances of staying longer” on the ITV fly-on-the-wall show.

A source told The Sun: “Ella had already been telling pals over the past few weeks that she didn’t see a long-term future for Dan.

“It was clear their relationship was nearing the end and with Ella having managed to land CBB, she knew she wanted to give producers what they were after.”

They explained that Ella was aware that she is not as well know as some of the other housemates and knew she needed a romance storyline to secure the votes.

“She’s a smart girl and knows exactly how this industry works and why she makes good TV and with being one of the lesser known names on the cast, Ella told pals that she thought an on-screen romance would boost her chances of staying in the house long-term,” they said.

“As soon as she heard Chris Hughes would be living with her, she targeted him to be her next TV lover.

“There’s a reason her opening VT was all about flirting as she’s desperate to be part of the next CBB love story.”

Earlier on in the episode Ella was left in tears after a rude remark made by Hollywood star Mickey Rourke.

The Essex star sobbed in the Diary Room and said “I’m not a piece of meat”.

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ROY KEANE ranted “this is big boy stuff” as he blasted Manchester United goalie Altay Bayindir for his blunder against Newcastle.

The Turkish keeper was drafted into Ruben Amorim’s XI on Sunday in the wake of Andre Onana’s dud performance against Lyon.

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Altay Bayindir was slammed by Roy Keane after Man Utd’s 4-1 loss at Newcastle[/caption]

It marked Bayindir’s first start for United in the Premier League following a £4million move from Fenerbahce last summer.

But the 26-year-old endured a nightmare performance at St James’ Park as Newcastle ran riot in a 4-1 win.

Bayindir was helpless as he shipped three goals in the first 64 minutes.

And things got even worse 13 minutes later when he played a disastrous short kick out of his box.

The ball was intercepted by Joelinton, who knocked it straight into the path of fellow Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes.

And the Newcastle captain slammed it past Bayindir to cap a miserable day for United’s keeper.

Speaking after the game, former Red Devils skipper Keane took aim at Amorim’s No2.

He believes Bayindir did not show the common sense needed to fill the sticks at this level.

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And regardless of the goalie’s lack of minutes, it simply showed his thinking is not up to the speed of England’s top flight.

Keane said: “Of course (he was at fault). You go back to the decision-making. I’m not even sure what the big benefit (would be, making that pass). It’s too risky.

“It’s absolutely too risky. There’s players around you.  At the highest level, it’s about your decision making.

“I’m quick to defend goalkeepers when they first come into the team because I think it does take five, six, seven games to get up to speed with the shot. But that basic mistake there, I can’t understand it. 

“This is big boy stuff. You’re up at Newcastle, Newcastle are flying, you do your own homework on who they’re playing and when they’re pressing you. 

“If you’re going to go long, make sure you go too far, so then at least it’s up the pitch. 

“But if you lose it there, someone is through on goal on top of you. That’s just common sense.”

Fellow pundit Les Ferdinand agreed with Keane, adding: “It’s typical of what we’re watching with goalkeepers nowadays being too precise, too clever. 

“Just put your foot through that, say, ‘we’re 3-1 down, let’s not go 4-1 down by making a silly mistake.’ He doesn’t, he tries to clip a little dinky ball into the centre-forward.

“I’m just thinking: ‘what are you doing?’”

A RTE Cheap European Homes contestant has discovered her dream property in a major house viewing twist.

Presenter Maggie Molloy was back on air alongside former Republic of Ireland presenter Kevin McGahern, as they took on a journey to find Europe‘s most reasonably priced properties.

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Contestant Helen, 61, and her son, Jordan, were on the hunt for Spanish property[/caption]

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Helen viewed a terraced house in Los Nietos, Murcia[/caption]

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Helen ended up loving the empty plot opposite the home[/caption]

The new series follows property guru Maggie and Kevin as they travel across Europe helping house-hunters to find a place of their own on the continent, for a fraction of the price.

Tonight, Maggie visited properties in Southern Spain with lifelong traveller, Helen, 61 and her son, Jordan.

After selling her family home in Ireland and hitting the road in her own renovated camper van, Helen was looking to settle down in the sunshine.

The home hunter was looking for a two-bedroom property with space to entertain, a garden, one bathroom and parking for her van.

She also wanted to be in close vicinity to a village and “definitely” wanted a sea view nearby to “soothe her soul”.

Helen had a budget of €150,000, which was noted as the average price of a two-bedroom home in Spain.

Maggie immediately got to work and found a beautiful 3-bedroom home which was close to the seaside and full of living space – the home was on the market for €130,000.

Helen’s first impression of the home was that it might be “too small” and added: “If I am going to invest in a property, I need space.”

Overall, the selling point for Helen was the incredible view of the ocean right beside the home, but she admitted: “It is not singing to my soul.”

Next up, was a remote 3-bedroom Spanish villa which was on the market for €105,000.

Inside, the property had a slightly old-fashioned interior, high ceilings, large rooms and retro tiles.

Upon arriving at the home, Helen gushed: “This is definitely more my style. It might be a little too suburban, though.”

But the major twist came at the final viewing when Maggie brought Helen and Jordan to view a small terraced home in Los Nietos – a picturesque fishing town.

Helen immediately fell in love with the area, but did not have the same feeling towards the terraced home.

HEAD TURNER

To throw a spanner in the works, Maggie mentioned that the empty plot in front of the home, facing the sea, was also for sale.

The plot was available for €130,000 and Maggie reckoned Helen would need an extra €100,000 to build a home.

This means the property would come in at around €80,000 over her budget.

But this didn’t deter Helen, who explained that her son would help build the home, taking a huge chunk off the labour costs.

Helen added: “The fact you have even found something like this is just beggars belief.”

Jordan even admitted he was “lost for words” when they discovered the plot.

At the end of the show, an emotional Helen told Maggie: “Inadvertently, you may have just found me the home of my dream home”.

MICKEY Rourke was sent packing tonight after he squared up to Chris Hughes on tonight’s Celebrity Big Brother.

On tonight’s show, the Hollywood star lost his cool during a shopping task where the housemates were dressed as pirates.

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Mickey Rourke has been booted off the show tonight[/caption]

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Mickey Rourke was seen squaring up to Chris Hughes on tonight’s show[/caption]

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Some of the housemates were forced to intervene[/caption]

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Mickey erupted and made some foul mouthed comments to the Love Island star[/caption]

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The drama happened during the latest task[/caption]

Hollywood actor Mickey was furious after being thrown the side eye by Chris who hit back: “Mickey it was a joke, f***ing…”

Mickey cut in, telling the Love Island star aggressively: “Don’t f***ing eyeball me. You c***.”

Housemates tried to diffuse the situation, as Danny insisted: “He was joking. He was joking. He was joking.”

Chris then told Mickey to “f***ing stand there” before Danny and Daley stepped in between the pair.

Big Brother then intervened, saying: “This is Big Brother. Mickey, come to the diary room immediately.”

Mickey pointed to the ground and appeared to threaten Chris by telling him: “No, your a** will be right there in a second.”

Big Brother stepped in once again and insisted: “Mickey, come to the diary room immediately.”

After Mickey eventually headed into the diary room, Big Brother told him: “Mickey, Big Brother needs to speak to you about your behaviour.

“Earlier today in a disagreement with Chris, your language and behaviour was threatening and aggressive.

“Big Brother does not tolerate threatening language or behaviour. In addition, you have used inappropriate sexual language to Ella.”

Mickey added: “Oh, I’m not aware of that but okay.”

Big Brother said: “This language has caused offence to your fellow housemates and could cause offence to the viewing public. This is not the first time Big Brother has had to speak to you about your offensive and inappropriate language.”

Mickey said: “Yes sir. I did wrong. I apologise. I’m sorry. I can’t take it back, you know, I stepped over the line. And I take responsibility for doing the wrong thing.

“Because I lost my temper, and I’ve been trying to work on it my whole life and I wish I would have had better self-control and I’m very sorry.

“I’m ashamed of myself for losing it for a few seconds there. Nobody got touched or hurt.

“Maybe some feelings got hurt or maybe others have feelings about others getting upset but, you know, I’m sorry about that.”

Big Brother then told Mickey his language and behaviour was “seriously unacceptable”, adding: “As a result Big Brother has no option but to ask you to leave the Big Brother house.”

Mickey responded saying: “I blame myself, I know it was my bad. You know, I’ve got a short fuse and I know I upset a lot of people out there, you know. And I’m sorry for that.

“I’m actually ashamed of myself for getting that hot.

“I went over the line, you know, I did wrong. I guess, like they say, I’m a work in progress.

“I just wanna pack my bags and leave, you know. I wanted to leave yesterday actually but I wasn’t chosen.”

Mickey was then seen leaving through the back door and was unable to return to the house to say his goodbyes.

The rest of the housemates found out about Mickey’s exit when Big Brother told them later on.

Money drama

The Sun revealed today how ITV bosses have slashed Mickey’s £500,000 show fee after he repeatedly caused chaos in the house.

A source said: “Mickey won’t be receiving all his money from ITV.

“If a celebrity gets removed from the house, they don’t get the full fee. It’s as simple as that and they will be discussing that with him.

“Mickey was ready to leave the house and it ended up feeling like a mutual decision between him and ITV in the end. It was getting too much.”

Mickey, who won a Bafta and was Oscar-nominated for 2008 film The Wrestler, first fell foul of his fellow housemates when he directed offensive slurs at US singer JoJo Siwa, who is a lesbian.

Chris and Mickey first clashed when the latter aimed shocking homophobic slurs at JoJo Siwa, who is gay. 

During his short-lived time in the house Mickey also reduced Patsy Palmer to tears by repeatedly criticising her cooking. 

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