A MAN has died after he was struck by a car on a rural road this evening.
The elderly pedestrian, 80, was involved in a collision on the R377 on the outskirts of Castlerea, Co Roscommon at around 6pm.
Emergency services rushed to the scene but the man was pronounced dead.
The motorist did not require immediate medical treatment.
Gardai have since shut off the road as the scene is preserved for a forensic team to carry out an examination.
Officers are now appealing for witnesses.
Gardai said in a statement: “Gardaí are appealing for witnesses following a fatal collision in County Roscommon on Monday, 27th January 2025.
“Shortly after 6:00 p.m., Gardaí and emergency services responded to a collision involving a car and a pedestrian on the R377 on the outskirts of Castlerea.
“The pedestrian, a male in his 80s, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The scene is preserved for a technical examination by Forensic Collision Investigators and the local Coroner has been notified. The motorist did not require immediate medical treatment.
“The road remains closed with local diversions in place.
“Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to this collision to come forward.
“Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) from the area at the time are asked to make this footage available to investigating Gardaí.
“Anyone with any information is asked to contact Castlerea Garda Station on (094) 9621630, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.”
DEAR DEIDRE: MY mate’s stag weekend has turned into a total nightmare after I got a woman pregnant.
I’m 31 and have a girlfriend of 27. We’ve been together for two years.
All my mates are at the age where they’re settling down, including my best mate, who was getting married.
We arranged a brilliant stag weekend for him in Barcelona.
On the second night there, the conversation turned to cheating. I said, “Hand on heart, I’ve never cheated”, and my mates roared with laughter. It turns out they had all cheated on partners at some time.
A group of women showed up in the bar where we were and joined us.
It was friendly banter but, as the night went on, one of them said she had to go back to their apartment to get medication she needed.
The guys were cajoling me to go with her, hoping that I’d finally lose my “cheating virginity”.
I’m always a gentleman and felt it wasn’t right that she walked alone at night in a strange place, so I volunteered to accompany her.
As we walked through some gardens, it was very quiet and she turned to kiss me.
I stupidly responded. We had sex on a bench. I felt so guilty, though. We sorted ourselves out and walked back to her apartment without saying a word.
Now, my worst-case scenario has happened. The woman, who is 23, made contact on social media, saying she’s pregnant and I’m the dad.
My girlfriend can’t abide cheats — we’ve talked about our loyalty towards one another.
I’m a first-class idiot and I don’t know what to do.
READ MORE FROM DEAR DEIDRE
DEIDRE SAYS: The ball is in this other woman’s court. Only she can decide if she wants to go ahead with the pregnancy. If she does, explain that you want a DNA test once the baby is born.
If the child is yours, then you will be responsible financially – and preferably, emotionally.
A child deserves two loving parents so, even if you can’t be with the mother, it doesn’t mean you can’t be a good father.
It is worth thinking about whether you can postpone talking to your girlfriend until you can do a DNA test. If you think she may find out beforehand, it would be best that she hears the truth from you.
You’ll have to beg for forgiveness and may have to accept that this relationship is over, no matter what the outcome.
HOLLYOAKS favourite James Sutton has he’s signed a new contract to stay on the Channel 4 soap for another year.
The actor, who plays Jean Paul McQueen, will be on screen for at least another 12 months, despite 25 cast members quitting the show.
James, 41, who has been a familiar face on the soap since 2006, joined The Tom’s Talks podcast as he revealed his place on the soap was safe.
He told listeners: “I’m still on Hollyoaks, which is great. I’ve just signed another year.”
James added: “I’m going to be there until January 2026. Yeah. I’m there until January 2026.”
Jean Paul has been at the centre of a string of hard-hitting storylines.
His character tackled a horrifying rape storyline after Jean Paul was attacked by student Finn O’Connor.
He left the soap in 2017 for a job in Singapore after his relationship with James Nightingale broke down, but returned five years later.
Jean Paul currently supporting his sister Mercedes McQueen as she battles an aggressive form of bowel cancer.
It comes after fans were left furious after soap bosses revealed that Martha Blake is set to become a serial killer.
Many viewers feel that the new plotline has been overdone and is an example of lazy writing at this point.
Others also complained that the killing rampage is just being used as an excuse to axe characters as Hollyoaks bosses previously admitted that they are culling twenty actors.
The Sun exclusively revealed that Sherrie Hewson is going to make history by playing the oldest serial killer on the soap come September.
A source shared that the star, 73, is delighted to get the chance to be at the center of such a huge story.
They added: “She can’t wait to get her hands dirty with the blood of characters.
“Hollyoaks is at its best when there’s a major villain on the loose and Martha is going to top them all. She’s just as twisted as her murderous great-granddaughter Nico.
“She may be worse. No one’s safe with Martha around.”
Hollyoaks has had an old-age murderer before in Silas Blissett (Jeff Rawle), who was 72 during his 2020 killings.
Bosses came up with a bizarre “time jump” concept to fast-forward 20 characters out of the soap.
It saw the action permanently move forward by one year, when some families just so happen to have left the village.
A source told The Sun last March: “Losing 20 cast members in one fell swoop is eye-watering and devastating news for soapland.
“In the past, Hollyoaks has seen shock stunts claim up to five lives in a single episode.
“But the days of soaps having a big cast clear-out with a devastating stunt are long gone, especially on Hollyoaks where the budget has been dramatically cut.
“The necessary death toll would make almost any stunt idea totally unbelievable.”
The Sun revealed at the time how big names Jamie Lomas, who plays Warren Fox, and Owen Warner, the show’s Romeo Nightingale, have already volunteered to leave.
A WOMAN has been arrested for completing citizenship tests for 14 different migrants – wearing a different wig each time.
The 61-year-old even disguised herself as men in her alleged attempts to win them leave to remain in the UK.
Immigration cops raided her home yesterday where they discovered her wide array of toupés.
Her meticulously-planned scam allegedly saw her complete multiple Life in the UK tests between June 2022 and August 2023 in exchange for cash.
The exam is a requirement for anyone wanting to make Britain their permanent home and involves 24 questions about our values, history and society.
She was finally busted by Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial investigators and is being held in custody.
Inspector Phillip Parr said: “This individual is believed to have orchestrated a pre-meditated plan to avoid detection, meticulously selecting disguises and test centre locations across the country to evade the authorities.
“As with many criminals who commit this type of crime, we believe her motive was financial gain.”
A BMW is among three cars falling into a 50ft sinkhole on a residential street yesterday.
The cars were swallowed up by the 50ft giant sinkhole as the road surface collapsed.
Firefighters raced to the scene after the tarmac in South Shields, South Tyneside, gave way.
Luckily, no one was hurt but a number of families living nearby were evacuated as a precaution.
Owner Kiera Hall, 17, broke down after spotting her brand new Fiat 500 was one of the three motors.
The A-level student, who has only just passed her test, said: “My car was vertical in the hole – I burst into tears.
“But I got really lucky, there’s only a mark on the front.”
Lucy Mouter, 33, looked out to see her boyfriend’s BMW disappearing into the abyss.
She phoned him to break the bad news – adding: “He was quite shocked.
“The residents in the home next to where the sinkhole is have been removed.”
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said it received a call at about 5.30am and closed the road immediately.
COCA-COLA products are under investigation in the UK after a recall in several European countries due to concerns about chemicals.
The Food Standards Agency has confirmed it is investigating if any Coca-Cola products in the UK have high levels of chlorate.
It comes after the drinks company recalled products in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands over concerns about excessive levels of the chemical.
It was discovered during routine testing at a production facility in Ghent, Belgium.
Chlorate can cause iodine deficiency in consumers and so it is regulated by authorities with maximum legal residue limits for a range of food products, according to Food Standards Scotland.
The chemical is a by-product of chlorine-based sanitisers and chlorine chemicals used to sterilise water which breakdown and leave chlorate behind.
Anne Gravett from the Food Standards Agency said on Monday evening: “The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is investigating if any Coca-Cola products containing ‘higher levels’ of a chemical called chlorate are on the UK market.
“If we identify any unsafe food, we’ll take action to ensure it is removed and alert consumers.”
Coca-Cola noted that just five product lines were shipped to Britain at the end of 2024 and have already been sold.
According to Coca-Cola’s bottling branch in Belgium, the affected products are Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Tropico and Minute Maid.
When a Coca-Cola spokesperson was asked by GB News about the number of impacted products, they said: “We do not have a precise figure, but it is clear that it is a considerable quantity.”
While most unsold products have been withdrawn from shelves, the company is still working on recalling the rest.
Concerns are especially high about the impact the chemical could have on children.
In 2015, the European Food Safety Authority discovered high levels of chlorate in drinking water and foods sparking health concerns for the public, notably children and infants.
The Agency said: “A high intake of chlorate on a single day could be toxic for humans as it can limit the blood’s ability to absorb oxygen, leading to kidney failure.”
With its impact on iodine, the chlorate can cause impaired functioning of the thyroid as well as other health issues.
NHS and private nutritionist Caron Grazette told the BBC that the symptoms of excessive intake of the chemical include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
It can also cause skin irritation and breathing issues.
But a Coca-Cola spokesperson told the outlet: “Independent expert analysis concludes that any associated risk for consumers is very low.”
The business added that no consumer complaints have been made in Great Britain and that the authorities have been alerted to this matter.
Coca-Cola “will continue to collaborate with them” and reiterated that it “considers the quality and safety of its products as its top priority.”
Meanwhile, a major supermarket has issued an urgent recall of chicken kievs and burgers due to salmonella fears.
Shoppers can get a full refund for affected products.
