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Thousands of men are to be checked for prostate cancer in one of the first large-scale European trials of smart screening.

The pilot study, starting next week in Ireland, will combine a blood test with personal risk factors and an MRI scan to increase the accuracy of screening men in their 50s and 60s.

Up to now health experts have rejected population screening in the belief that the benefits of earlier cancer detection were outweighed by the risks that some men could have unnecessary biopsies and risky treatment they don’t need.

But the PRAISE-U study is an attempt to save lives in a more targeted way, filtering out men who don’t have cancer at an early stage, so they don’t come to any harm.

David Galvin, the head of the study and a surgeon at the Mater Hospital in Dublin, told Sky News that a safe, effective screening strategy was urgently needed.

“There is a tsunami of elderly patients coming towards us,” he said.

“There’s going to be a sharp rise in prostate cancer unless we have a way to detect the disease early and not burden our health care services with vast numbers of scans and biopsies.”

David Galvin, consultant urologist at The Mater Hospital in Dublin
Image:
David Galvin, consultant urologist at The Mater Hospital in Dublin

Thousands diagnosed too late

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in Ireland. In the UK it is now the most common of all cancers, causing more deaths than breast cancer.

There are no symptoms in the early stages. Around 12,000 men a year in the UK alone are diagnosed too late to cure.

Studies have shown that a blood test for a prostate protein called PSA can diagnose cases at an earlier stage, reducing deaths by 40%.

But not all men with cancer have high levels of the PSA protein.

And conversely, high levels can also be caused by other prostate conditions, infections, exercise and sexual activity.

An example of a prostate tumour seen on a MRI scan
Image:
An example of a prostate tumour seen on a MRI scan

The unreliability of the test has held back its use for screening.

But in the Irish pilot study, men will be scored by their PSA level and whether they have other risk factors such as black ethnicity or a family history.

Those at low risk will be retested in future.

Around half of the men will undergo a detailed MRI scan of their prostate to check for tumours – and only half those will then need a biopsy, in which a needle is inserted to extract cells for a precise diagnosis.

Professor Galvin said the multi-stage screening meant only those who really need a biopsy will have one.

“I worked out that if you have the PSA test, there’s about a 1 in 40 chance that you will ultimately need a biopsy.

“The other 39 men are reassured that testing is all normal and they don’t have any clinically significant disease.”

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‘I got away with it by the skin of my teeth’

The PRAISE-U study is backed by the European Association of Urology and funded by the EU.

Around 8,000 men in Waterford and two areas of Dublin will be randomly invited for screening over the next year.

Tony Ward, a rugby legend and one of the best number 10s to play for Ireland, was diagnosed with an aggressive prostate cancer just over a decade ago. Even now he needs daily treatment and regular scans.

He told Sky News screening to detect cancer at an earlier stage is desperately needed.

“It’s everything, it’s massive,” he said.

“I did not have the early diagnosis, but I got away with it by the skin of my teeth.”

Thomas Moore speaking to Tony Ward
Image:
Thomas Moore speaking to Tony Ward

‘Very curable cancer kills 12,000 men every year’

The UK’s National Screening Committee, which advises the Department of Health, is reviewing the evidence on prostate cancer screening. But it’s already taken two years, and a decision still isn’t due until the end of 2025.

Chiara De Biase, director of health services, equity and improvement from Prostate Cancer UK, said men were dying unnecessarily as a result.

She said: “12,000 men die every year from what is – when caught in its earliest stages – a very, very curable cancer.

“We think the evidence [for screening] is there and we can’t see why this has taken so long.”

Chiara De Biase, from Prostate Cancer UK
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Chiara De Biase, director of health services, equity & improvement from Prostate Cancer UK

A spokesperson for the UK government’s Department of Health and Social Care said: “Prostate cancer patients are waiting too long for diagnosis and treatment, and we are determined to change that.

“Our National Cancer Plan will transform the way we treat cancer, making the UK a world leader in cancer survival by fighting the disease on all fronts, through improving research, diagnosis, screening, treatment and prevention.

“The UK National Screening Committee is reviewing the evidence for prostate cancer screening programmes, including targeted approaches for men at higher risk.”

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‘A constant game of cat and mouse’: Inside the crackdown on illegal moped delivery drivers

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'A constant game of cat and mouse': Inside the crackdown on illegal moped delivery drivers

The first thing you notice when immigration officers stop a possible illegal moped delivery driver is the speed in which the suspect quickly taps on their mobile.

“We’re in their WhatsApp groups – they’ll be telling thousands now that we’re here… so our cover is blown,” the lead immigration officer tells me.

“It’s like a constant game of cat and mouse.”

Twelve Immigration Enforcement officers, part of the Home Office, are joining colleagues from Avon and Somerset Police in a crackdown on road offences and migrants working illegally.

Police chase suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery drivers

The West of England and Wales has seen the highest number of arrests over the last year for illegal workers outside of London.

“It is a problem… we’re tackling it,” Murad Mohammed, from Immigration Enforcement, says. He covers all the devolved nations.

“This is just one of the operations going on around the country, every day of the week, every month of the year.”

Murad Mohammed from Immigration Enforcement
Image:
Murad Mohammed, from Immigration Enforcement, says his team are attempting to tackle the issue

Just outside the Cabot Circus shopping complex, we stop a young Albanian man who arrived in the UK on the back of a truck.

He’s on an expensive and fast-looking e-bike, with a new-looking Just Eat delivery bag.

He says he just uses it for “groceries” – but the officer isn’t buying it. He’s arrested, but then bailed instantly.

A man inspects the Just Eat food delivery bag of a suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery driver

We don’t know the specifics of his case, but one officer tells me this suspected offence won’t count against his asylum claim.

Such is the scale of the problem – the backlog, loopholes and the complexity of cases – that trying to keep on top of it feels impossible.

This is one of many raids happening across the UK as part of what the government says is a “blitz” targeting illegal working hotspots.

Angela Eagle, the border security and asylum minister, joins the team for an hour at one of Bristol’s retail parks, scattered with fast food chains and, therefore, delivery bikes.

Angela Eagle, Minister for Border Security and Asylum
Image:
Border security and asylum minister, Angela Eagle, speaks to Sky News

She says arrests for illegal working are up over the last year by 51% from the year before, to more than 7,000.

“If we find you working, you can lose access to the hotel or the support you have [been] given under false pretences,” she said.

“We are cracking down on that abuse, and we intend to keep doing so.”

A suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery driver being arrested

There are reports that asylum seekers can rent legitimate delivery-driver accounts within hours of arriving in the country – skipping employment legality checks.

Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat all told Sky News they’re continuing to strengthen the technology they use to remove anyone working illegally.

But a new Border Security Bill, working its way through Parliament, could see companies fined £60,000 for each illegal worker discovered, director disqualifications and potential prison sentences of up to five years.

“I had them all in to see me last week and I told them in no uncertain terms that we take a very tough line on this kind of abuse and they’ve got to change their systems so they can drive it out and off their platforms,” the minister tells me.

Read more:
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The gig economy – so prevalent in every city – creates another incentive for those wanting to risk their lives coming to the UK illegally.

More than 20,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel to the UK in 2025 – a record number at this point of the year.

A suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery driver holds his helmet

For some of those who arrive, a bike and a phone provide a way to repay debts to gang masters.

There were eight arrests today in Bristol, one or two taken into custody, but it was 12 hours of hard work by a dozen immigration officers and the support of the police.

As two mopeds are pushed onto a low-loader, you can’t help but feel, despite the best intentions, that at the moment, this is a losing battle.

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This flimsy vessel carrying migrants could reach British waters in a few hours’ time

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This flimsy vessel carrying migrants could reach British waters in a few hours' time

We see the boat from a distance – the orange of the life jackets reflected in the rising sun.

And as we draw closer, we can make out dozens of people crowded on board as it sets off from the shore, from a beach near Dunkirk.

There is no sign of any police activity on the shore, and there are no police vessels in the water.

Instead, the migrants crammed into an inflatable dinghy are being watched by us, on board a private boat, and the looming figure of the Minck, a French search and rescue ship that soon arrives.

Picture to go with Adam Parsons' eyewitness of migrants crossing on 10/07/25
Image:
Minck, a French search and rescue ship, shadows the boat

The dinghy meanders. It’s not heading towards Britain but rather hugging the coast.

A few of the passengers wave at us cheerfully, but then the boat starts to head back towards the shore.

Picture to go with Adam Parsons' eyewitness of migrants crossing on 10/07/25
Image:
Sky’s Adam Parsons at the scene

As it nears a different beach, we see a police vehicle – a dune buggy – heading down to meet it.

Normal practice is for French police officers to slice through the material of any of these small boats that end up back on shore.

Two police officers get out of the buggy and wait. A police helicopter arrives and circles above, performing a tight circle over the heads of the migrants.

The police think they might be about to go back on to the beach; in fact, these passengers know that most of them are staying put.

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The boat stops a short distance from the shore and four people jump out. As they wade towards the beach, the boat turns and starts to head back out to sea.

We see the two police officers approach these four men and have a brief conversation.

They don’t appear to check the bags they are carrying and, if they do question them about why they left the boat, it is the most cursory of conversations.

In reality, these people probably don’t speak French but they were almost certainly involved in arranging this crossing, which is against the law. But all four walk away, disappearing into the dunes at the back of the beach.

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Why do migrants want to come to the UK?

We follow the boat as it chugs off in the direction of Britain, carrying around 50 people.

The Minck returns to shadowing its progress, but its job is limited to offering help if the boat gets into trouble.

Otherwise, if the engine keeps working, then this flimsy vessel will reach British waters in a few hours’ time.

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‘A constant game of cat and mouse’: Inside the police crackdown on illegal moped delivery drivers

Published

on

By

'A constant game of cat and mouse': Inside the crackdown on illegal moped delivery drivers

The first thing you notice when immigration officers stop a possible illegal moped delivery driver is the speed in which the suspect quickly taps on their mobile.

“We’re in their WhatsApp groups – they’ll be telling thousands now that we’re here… so our cover is blown,” the lead immigration officer tells me.

“It’s like a constant game of cat and mouse.”

Twelve Immigration Enforcement officers, part of the Home Office, are joining colleagues from Avon and Somerset Police in a crackdown on road offences and migrants working illegally.

Police chase suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery drivers

The West of England and Wales has seen the highest number of arrests over the last year for illegal workers outside of London.

“It is a problem… we’re tackling it,” Murad Mohammed, from Immigration Enforcement, says. He covers all the devolved nations.

“This is just one of the operations going on around the country, every day of the week, every month of the year.”

Murad Mohammed from Immigration Enforcement
Image:
Murad Mohammed, from Immigration Enforcement, says his team are attempting to tackle the issue

Just outside the Cabot Circus shopping complex, we stop a young Albanian man who arrived in the UK on the back of a truck.

He’s on an expensive and fast-looking e-bike, with a new-looking Just Eat delivery bag.

He says he just uses it for “groceries” – but the officer isn’t buying it. He’s arrested, but then bailed instantly.

A man inspects the Just Eat food delivery bag of a suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery driver

We don’t know the specifics of his case, but one officer tells me this suspected offence won’t count against his asylum claim.

Such is the scale of the problem – the backlog, loopholes and the complexity of cases – that trying to keep on top of it feels impossible.

This is one of many raids happening across the UK as part of what the government says is a “blitz” targeting illegal working hotspots.

Angela Eagle, the border security and asylum minister, joins the team for an hour at one of Bristol’s retail parks, scattered with fast food chains and, therefore, delivery bikes.

Angela Eagle, Minister for Border Security and Asylum
Image:
Border security and asylum minister, Angela Eagle, speaks to Sky News

She says arrests for illegal working are up over the last year by 51% from the year before, to more than 7,000.

“If we find you working, you can lose access to the hotel or the support you have [been] given under false pretences,” she said.

“We are cracking down on that abuse, and we intend to keep doing so.”

A suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery driver being arrested

There are reports that asylum seekers can rent legitimate delivery-driver accounts within hours of arriving in the country – skipping employment legality checks.

Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat all told Sky News they’re continuing to strengthen the technology they use to remove anyone working illegally.

But a new Border Security Bill, working its way through Parliament, could see companies fined £60,000 for each illegal worker discovered, director disqualifications and potential prison sentences of up to five years.

“I had them all in to see me last week and I told them in no uncertain terms that we take a very tough line on this kind of abuse and they’ve got to change their systems so they can drive it out and off their platforms,” the minister tells me.

Read more:
Welfare bill passes final Commons stage after another concession
Ex-Tory chairman defects to Reform
Wealth tax could be coming to the UK – what is it?

The gig economy – so prevalent in every city – creates another incentive for those wanting to risk their lives coming to the UK illegally.

More than 20,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel to the UK in 2025 – a record number at this point of the year.

A suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery driver holds his helmet

For some of those who arrive, a bike and a phone provide a way to repay debts to gang masters.

There were eight arrests today in Bristol, one or two taken into custody, but it was 12 hours of hard work by a dozen immigration officers and the support of the police.

As two mopeds are pushed onto a low-loader, you can’t help but feel, despite the best intentions, that at the moment, this is a losing battle.

Continue Reading

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