Nearly three inches of rain could fall over parts of England and Wales on Wednesday, forecasters have warned.
A yellow weather warning has been issued for parts of south-west England and Walesfrom early on Wednesday morning, through to midday.
Homes and businesses could be flooded, with some interruption to power supplies and other services, while bus and rail services may also be affected, leading to longer journey times.
Find out the forecast for where you live
Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: “We could see quite widely across western parts of the UK 10 to 20mm (0.4 to 0.8in) of rain.
“But over those higher ground spots of parts of Wales, south-west England in particular, we could see 40 to 50mm (1.5 to 1.96in) and then locally 60 or 70mm (2.36 to 2.75in) of rain.”
Image: A yellow weather warning has been issued for south-west England and parts of Wales. Pic: Met Office
He said the heavy rainfall could cause some flooding.
“This falling on the back of what has been a wet winter, wet month… we could see some flooding develop as we move through tomorrow morning,” he said.
The afternoon will bring respite from the rain, with sunny spells in parts of the country.
Read more from Sky News: Rail company apologises after Martin Lewis complaint Father’s anger after baby’s birth certificate ‘defaced’
“It becomes much brighter into the afternoon through Wednesday with sunny spells,” he said.
“It takes time to clear across some central southern parts of the UK so it might stay cloudy here and then some parts of southern England may continue to see rain through the day.”
Strong winds could also bring gales around coastal areas.
Temperatures across the country will generally range between 12C to 14C, he added.
A Trident missile has misfired and crashed into the ocean off the coast of Florida during a rare test launch by a British nuclear submarine in an embarrassing blow for the Royal Navy.
The Ministry of Defence on Tuesday night confirmed an “anomaly” had occurred with the drill involving HMS Vanguard, but a spokesperson insisted that the nuclear deterrent – the cornerstone of the UK‘s defences – “remains safe, secure and effective”.
The fault had something to do with it being a test-firing, with a source saying that the launch would have been successful had it been carried out for real with a nuclear warhead.
The Sun newspaper first revealed the drama, which happened on 30 January, saying that Defence Secretary Grant Shapps had been onboard the submerged submarine at the time.
It is the second Trident missile failure in a row for the Royal Navy‘s ageing nuclear weapons fleet after a problem with another test-firing in 2016.
The UK has four nuclear-armed submarines that are charged with ensuring one boat is continuously at sea to deter nuclear threats from enemies such as Russia and to be ready to respond should the worst happen and the UK or its allies face a nuclear attack.
Outlining what happened, The Sun said the Trident 2 missile was propelled successfully from under the water into the air by compressed gas in the launch tube.
But its first stage boosters did not ignite and the 60-tonne missile – fitted with dummy warheads – splashed into the Atlantic Ocean and sank.
A source told the newspaper: “It left the submarine but it just went plop, right next to them.”
A search was immediately initiated to recover the highly sensitive munition.
Indicating the gravity of the event, a written ministerial statement is due to be released to parliament at around midday on Wednesday.
Rishi Sunak will also likely be asked about what happened when he faces Prime Minister’s Questions.
HMS Vanguard, which has just completed a £500m overhaul, was undergoing a final round of tests before it returns to nuclear patrols.
The Ministry of Defence spokesperson said, despite the glitch, the submarine and her crew “have been proven fully capable of operating the UK’s Continuous At-Sea Deterrent, passing all tests during a recent demonstration and shakedown operation (DASO) – a routine test to confirm that the submarine can return to service following deep maintenance work”.
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The spokesperson said: “The test has reaffirmed the effectiveness of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, in which we have absolute confidence.
“During the test an anomaly occurred.
“As a matter of national security, we cannot provide further information on this, however we are confident that the anomaly was event specific, and therefore there are no implications for the reliability of the wider Trident missile systems and stockpile.”
Ahead of the launch last month, the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency had issued a warning to shipping that plotted the missile’s expected course to an impact in the mid-Atlantic.
The “hazardous operations” warning said that the missile was expected to travel some 3,700 miles before crashing into the sea between Brazil and west Africa.
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The failed launch came eight years after the Royal Navy last test-fired an unarmed Trident II D5 ballistic missile.
Back in 2016, the missile was launched from HMS Vengeance and flew in the wrong direction.
Defence sources told The Guardian at the time that it did not veer off in the wrong direction because it was faulty but because the information relayed to it was incorrect.
The Trident system has completed more than 190 successful tests during its time in service.
Prince William has said that “too many have been killed” in the Israel-Hamas war, as he called for the fighting to end “as soon as possible”.
In a rare statement on the crisis, the Prince of Wales said he clings “to the hope that a brighter future can be found and I refuse to give up on that”.
“I remain deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October,” he said.
“I, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible. There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. It’s critical that aid gets in and the hostages are released.
“Sometimes it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home.
“Even in the darkest hour, we must not succumb to the counsel of despair.”
The statement has been issued after it emerged Prince William is set to carry out a series of engagements to highlight the plight of all those affected by the ongoing conflict.
In the coming days he will meet with charities in the UK that are providing humanitarian support in the region and will hear about the conditions faced by those working on the ground.
He will also join a conversation at a synagogue with young people from a wide range of communities to acknowledge the rise in antisemitism around the world.
In October last year Prince William made what was seen as an unexpected intervention when Kensington Palace released a statement expressing his and the Princess of Wales’s profound distress at the devastating events unfolding in the region.
It is rare for members of the Royal Family to make public comments on such contentious matters.
Read more: US to urge UN to pass temporary ceasefire in Gaza Israel sets deadline for Rafah ground invasion Gaza’s Nasser hospital ‘not functional’ following Israeli raid
Image: Prince William reviews the honour guard during a reception ceremony in the West Bank as he visited the occupied Palestinian territories in 2018. Pic: Reuters
, in the West Bank June 27, 2018.
Sky News has been told that Prince William has been following events closely and his concern about the human impact, especially on young people on both sides, has compelled him to want to do more within the diplomatic limits of his position.
In a press release announcing two visits by the heir to the throne, Kensington Palace said: “The Prince and Princess were profoundly concerned by events that unfolded in late 2023 and continue to hold all the victims, their family and friends in their hearts and minds.”
Their statement in October acknowledged the horrors experienced by innocent families on both sides, with their spokesperson saying: “The Prince and Princess of Wales are profoundly distressed by the devastating events that have unfolded in the past days.”
The spokesperson added: “The horrors inflicted by Hamas’s terrorist attack upon Israel are appalling; they utterly condemn them.
“As Israel exercises its right of self-defence, all Israelis and Palestinians will continue to be stalked by grief, fear and anger in the time to come. Their Royal Highnesses hold all the victims, their families and their friends in their hearts and minds.”
Image: Prince William meets with Palestinian students in the West Bank as he visited the occupied Palestian territories in 2018. Pic: Reuters
In a separate statement, the King’s spokesperson said he was “appalled” by the “barbaric acts of terrorism” in Israel, adding the monarch was “extremely concerned” and his “thoughts and prayers are with all of those suffering”.
In June 2018, Prince William became the first member of the Royal Family to visit Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories.
It continues to be seen as one of his most sensitive and challenging diplomatic trips to date and clearly had a lasting impact on him.
During the four-day trip, he expressed his own hopes for “lasting peace” in the region.
HMRC has been accused of using “dangerous and sinister” new tactics in a tax crackdown that has already been linked to 10 suicides.
The government has recently come under pressure over the “Loan Charge” – controversial legislation which made tens of thousands of contractors who were paid their salaries through loans retrospectively liable for tax their employer should have paid.
The clampdown has been branded on par with the Post Office Horizon scandal as the unaffordable bills have been linked to suicides and bankruptcies, while one woman had an abortion due to the financial strain she was under, a debate in parliament heard last month.
HMRC has been criticised for going after individuals – including teachers, nurses and cleaners – rather than the firms that profited from promoting the schemes as tax compliant.
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However ministers have resisted pressure to overturn the policy, saying a review conducted by Lord Morse in 2019 resulted in a series of reforms to reduce the financial pressures of the some 50,000 people affected.
Crucially this included cutting the policy’s 20-year retrospective period so only loans received after December 2010 were in scope.
However it has emerged that HMRC have been pursuing people involved in loan schemes prior to 2010 through a different mechanism – a s684 notice.
This effectively gives HMRC the discretion to transfer a tax burden from an employer to an employee for the tax years excluded from the Loan Charge.
Conservative MP Greg Smith, co-chair of the Loan Charge APPG, said it “flies in the face” of what Lord Morse intended and risks more people taking their own lives because of the unaffordable bills.
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2:31
Loan scheme causing tax turmoil
‘I could lose my home’
Sky News spoke to people who said they had experienced suicidal thoughts and feared becoming homeless after unexpectedly receiving the notices.
While the s684s don’t state how much tax is owed, one father-of-three said his bill could be as high as £250,000 as this is how much HMRC have previously tried to claw back from his time in a loan scheme pre-2010.
The IT consultant, who asked to remain anonymous, said he attempted to settle his tax affairs years ago but communication with the tax office “fizzled out” and following the Morse review he believed the “nightmare” was behind him.
Then in November he received a brown envelope containing an s684 and now he is worried HMRC is “going to absolutely hammer me” just as he is approaching retirement age.
“I have three children and in the worst case scenario I will lose my home.
“I can’t think of another government policy that has caused so much suffering. I fear this could really push some people over the edge.”
Image: Wreathes to honour the suicides linked to the tax crackdown. There have now been 10 confirmed by HMRC
‘Dreadful landscape’
It is not clear how many people have been sent the notices.
The government previously estimated that 11,000 people would be removed from the Loan Charge by introducing the 2010 cut off.
While the Loan Charge is seen as particularly punitive because it adds together all outstanding loans and taxes them in a single year, often at the 45% rate, the notices mean HMRC can use its own discretion to turn off an employer’s PAYE obligations and seek the income tax that would have been due that year from the employee instead.
Rhys Thomas, director of the WTT tax firm, told Sky News: “There is considerable and understandable confusion amongst taxpayers that when the Morse review removed the loan charge for payments pre 9th December 2010, it was assumed that HMRC had no further recourse for those years.
“Where enquiries were outstanding for the earlier tax years, HMRC will seek to conclude these by utilising tools such as s684 notices.”
He called the situation a “dreadful landscape” as those in receipt of the notices only have 30 days to respond to HMRC over something “that has taken them 15 years to investigate”.
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There is no right to appeal the notices, so the only way to challenge HMRC is through a costly Judicial Review.
“It’s causing a huge amount of distress and anxiety; it’s hugely concerning and for lots of people it’s come as a surprise,” Mr Thomas said.
WTT is representing around 200 people who are challenging the notices, saying HMRC has not done enough to go after the core parties who should have collected the tax at the time.
A spokesperson for HMRC said the Morse Review “recommend we use our normal powers to investigate and settle cases taken out of the Loan Charge”.
They said they had been issuing the notices since May 2022, having won a case at the Court of Appeal over their use in relation to loan schemes, “so it’s not a sudden change”.
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But campaigners disputed the use of the notices as “normal” and said it is another example of HMRC “abusing its power” to go after individuals rather than the companies that ran and promoted the loan schemes.
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‘We were mis-sold’
These became prolific in the 2000s and saw self-employed contractors encouraged to join umbrella companies that paid them their salaries through loans which were not typically paid back.
HMRC has argued those who signed up to the schemes are tax evaders who need to pay their fair share. But those affected claim they are victims of mis-selling as the arrangements were widely marketed as legitimate by the scheme promoters and tax advisers, and in some cases they had no choice but to be paid this way.
IT consultant Daniel (not his real name), from Stoke, said he did not stand to make any money from the scheme he joined in 2008 and was simply trying to avoid falling foul of complex off-payroll rules known as IR35.
His tax adviser said the scheme was HMRC compliant and the company said they “would sort out my taxes”, he added.
Image: Loan Charge protest
He said he “did not hear a peep” from HMRC during his time in the scheme and his payslip looked normal as around 20% was being deducted from his salary each month – money experts say will have gone into the profits of those running the company rather than tax to the exchequer.
Now, he is expecting a £30,000 bill after receiving an s684 in November – cash the father-of-four “does not have”.
“If I felt like I had done something wrong I would accept it but I did not make one penny from this scheme, it was all to do with compliance and to make my life as simple as possible.
“This is causing so much stress and frustration. I have had plenty of sleepless nights.
“It feels like the Post Office scandal where we are the little people being backed into a corner and there’s nothing we can do and those who are really guilty are just laughing.”
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HMRC ‘abusing its powers’
The notices have renewed calls for the government to find a new solution to the Loan Charge scandal.
Keith Gordon, a tax barrister, said HMRC “is effectively responsible for this mess because they failed to warn employees that they did not like these schemes”.
Image: Keith Gordon said HMRC is targeting individuals because it is an easier way of recouping the money
“Most people, if they got a whiff of HMRC dislike, would have left these schemes but they were sold it as being tax compliant. Why should the blame be on people who were at the very worst merely naïve?”
Campaigners fear the s684s will be used across the board instead of the Loan Charge, which Labour has said it will review if it wins the next election.
Steve Packham, of the Loan Charge Action Group, accused HMRC of being “downright reckless” in light of the 10 confirmed suicides, adding: “This is sinister and dangerous and is another example of how out-of-control HMRC is.
“The government must immediately order a stop to these notices and instead agree to find a resolution to the Loan Charge Scandal before there are more lives ruined.”
Image: Greg Smith, co-chair of the Loan Charge Action and Taxpayer Fairness APPG. Pic: PA
A HMRC spokesperson said: “We appreciate there’s a human story behind every tax bill and we take the wellbeing of all taxpayers seriously.
“We recognise dealing with large tax liabilities can lead to pressure on individuals and we are committed to supporting customers who need extra help with their tax liabilities. We have made significant improvements to this service over the last few years.
“Our message to anyone who is worried about paying what they owe is: please contact us as soon as possible to talk about your options.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK.
The Prince of Wales has been so horrified by the human suffering unfolding in the Middle East he’s set to carry out a series of engagements to highlight the plight of all those affected by the ongoing conflict.
In the coming days, Prince William will meet with charities in the UK that are providing humanitarian support in the region and will hear about the conditions faced by those working on the ground.
He will also join a conversation at a synagogue with young people from a wide range of communities to acknowledge the rise in antisemitism around the world.
In October last year Prince William made what was seen as an unexpected intervention when Kensington Palace released a statement expressing his and the Princess of Wales‘s profound distress at the devastating events unfolding in the region.
It is rare for members of the Royal Family to make public comments on such contentious matters.
Sky News has been told that Prince William has been following events closely and his extreme concern about the human impact, especially on young people on both sides, has compelled him to want to do more within the diplomatic limits of his position.
In a press release announcing two visits by the heir to the throne, Kensington Palace said: “The Prince and Princess were profoundly concerned by events that unfolded in late 2023 and continue to hold all the victims, their family and friends in their hearts and minds.
“Their Royal Highnesses continue to share in the hope of a better future for all those affected”.
William will carry out the engagements alone as Kate continues to recover from abdominal surgery.
Their statement in October acknowledged the horrors experienced by innocent families on both sides, with their spokesperson saying: “The Prince and Princess of Wales are profoundly distressed by the devastating events that have unfolded in the past days.”
The spokesperson added: “The horrors inflicted by Hamas‘s terrorist attack upon Israel are appalling; they utterly condemn them.
“As Israel exercises its right of self-defence, all Israelis and Palestinians will continue to be stalked by grief, fear and anger in the time to come. Their Royal Highnesses hold all the victims, their families and their friends in their hearts and minds.”
In a separate statement, the King’s spokesperson said he was “appalled” by the “barbaric acts of terrorism” in Israel, adding the monarch was “extremely concerned” and his “thoughts and prayers are with all of those suffering”.
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In June 2018, Prince William became the first member of the Royal Family to visit Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
It continues to be seen as one of his most sensitive and challenging diplomatic trips to date and clearly had a lasting impact on him.
During the four-day trip, he expressed his own hopes for “lasting peace” in the region.
A statistic that may bewilder anyone older than around 35 – by age 12, 97% of pupils have a mobile phone.
Here’s another alarming figure.
At one secondary school, the head said he’d spoken to a pupil who had spent 18 hours on their phone in a single Sunday.
Given all that, it’s no surprise that formal guidance on using mobile phones within schools in England has been talked about by the government for years.
It’s now materialised and, in general, has been welcomed by headteachers as providing clarity and consistency – as well as an empowering effect to crack down on phone use.
But will the new document have much tangible impact?
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Many schools already have rules around phone use – ranging from blanket bans to confiscation policies.
While the government has said half of schools currently do not restrict use, a survey by Teacher Tapp last month suggested 62% of secondaries had blanket bans during the day and fewer than 1% allowed phone use at any time.
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1:18
Rishi Sunak has been asked if it’s time to ban smartphones for under-16s.
The City of London Academy in Southwark allows pupils to keep their phones on them but enforces a ‘see it, hear it, lose it’ rule where handsets are taken away if they are spotted or go off in lessons.
A phone is confined to the confiscation locker until the end of the following day for a first offence or the end of the next week if it happens a second time.
The head here says the stringency of the rules does have a deterrent affect as many pupils would often rather be suspended than separated from their phone for an extend period.
The year nine pupils we spoke to at the school agreed with the rules, saying it helped with their learning – although one did admit that certain teachers were more lenient than others.
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The new guidance has been hailed by ministers as ‘changing the norms’ in schools, but it comes amid an increased focus on the broader impact of the use of social media and mobile phones by young people.
The two teenagers convicted of murdering Brianna Ghey in Warrington last year were found to have accessed violent material online before the killing.
Brianna’s mother, Esther Ghey, has since called for more drastic rules including for phones to be made for under 16s that do not allow access to social media apps.
That idea has been backed by the Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza.
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16:39
Esther Ghey is calling for a change in legislation
The secondary school pupils we spoke to were not convinced though, questioning whether a broader ban would work and pointing out that some use smartphones for learning and homework if they don’t have a computer at home.
The government doesn’t seem to be onboard either, with ministers maintaining that the new online safety act will go some way to protecting children and young people.
From social media to artificial intelligence, it’s quite often the pace of change in the world of tech that presents acute challenges for legislators.
Many now are worried that the law simply isn’t keeping up with modern life.
A drug dealer who was caught with party bags containing canisters of laughing gas has become the first person to be jailed for possession of the class C drug since it was outlawed.
Thomas Salton, 30, from Brentwood in Essex was found with about 60 small canisters of nitrous oxide known as ‘laughing gas’, 48 one-gram bags of ketamine, and £39,000 in cash when police pulled his Range Rover over on 1 December 2023.
A further 408 nitrous oxide canisters and 965 grams of ketamine were later found at a property Salton was renting 10 miles from his home.
Salton will spend 35 months in prison.
He pleaded guilty to drug possession with intent to supply at a hearing last month and was sentenced today at Basildon Crown Court.
The ban on nitrous oxide came into force in November as part of a campaign to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Nitrous oxide, also nicknamed “hippy crack”, is now a class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
Alex Hinds, a prosecutor for CPS East of England, said: “The evidence against Thomas Salton was overwhelming and this case is an example of all parts of the justice system working together to get drugs and those who sell them off the streets.
“The change in the law coupled with the actions of the police has allowed the CPS to present the strongest case in court and put Thomas Salton out of business and into prison.
“Nitrous oxide is a dangerous drug and hopefully this first conviction will deter those thinking of buying or selling it.”
Read more: Doctors warn about dangers of nitrous oxide Nitrous oxide: What you need to know
The CPS said the ketamine was divided into bags marked with a “K” and put inside the Christmas party bags along with two canisters of nitrous oxide.
At the sentencing, the CPS said it would begin legal proceedings to recover any money Salton had obtained from his crime.
Headteachers in England have been given advice on how to ban mobile phones from school classrooms under government plans dismissed by one teaching union as a “non-policy for a non-problem”.
Guidance issued by ministers on Monday includes how to search students and their bags for devices “if necessary”.
Headteachers “can and should identify mobile phones and similar devices as something that may be searched for in their school behaviour policy,” it said.
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4:30
‘There’s no school for my child’
But it will still be up to individual heads to decide their own policies and whether or not phones should be banned, because the instructions are non-statutory.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan promised to ban the use of phones in schools at the Conservative Party annual conference in October.
In a foreword to the policy document published on Monday, Ms Keegan said it would provide “clarity and consistency” for teachers and address “a large variation in how different schools are managing the use of mobile phones”.
Ms Keegan said in a statement: “Schools are places for children to learn and mobile phones are, at a minimum, an unwanted distraction in the classroom.
“We are giving our hard-working teachers the tools to take action to help improve behaviour and to allow them to do what they do best – teach.”
Tom Bennett, who advises the education department on behaviour, said: “Mobile phones may be ubiquitous, but we have a strong and growing understanding of how damaging they can be for a child’s social and educational development.
“And it’s the least advantaged who suffer most. Many schools already have some kind of policy on phones, but this guidance provides a clear steer for everyone, including parents, about what’s right and what’s not for the wellbeing of the child.”
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8:15
Ofsted rating system ‘flawed’
Nearly a third (29%) of secondary school pupils knew of mobiles being used when they were not permitted, according to recent official data, ministers said.
But unions were sceptical of the plans making much difference.
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Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said children are using devices excessively when they are out of school.
He said: “Most schools already forbid the use of mobile phones during the school day or allow their use only in limited and stipulated circumstances.
“We have lost count of the number of times that ministers have now announced a crackdown on mobile phones in schools. It is a non-policy for a non-problem.
“The government would be far better off putting its energies into bringing to heel the online platforms via which children are able to access disturbing and extreme content.”
A search operation is under way after a two-year-old boy fell into the River Soar in Leicester on Sunday evening.
Emergency services attended the scene in Aylestone Meadows, close to Marsden Lane, just after 5pm.
The child was with his family when the incident occurred but was not located “despite the best efforts of those at the scene”, Leicestershire Police said.
A man was taken to hospital “as a precautionary measure”.
Additional specialist teams will join the search operation on Monday morning.
Police said they have received several offers of help with the search but warned the public not to attend the scene due to rising water levels and safety risks.
In a statement, Leicestershire Police said: “The child’s family are being supported by specialist officers and our thoughts are with them at this extremely difficult time.
“If anyone has any information or comes across anything that may assist officers, they are asked to contact us immediately.”
Luton captain Tom Lockyer has said he “literally died” when his heart stopped for nearly three minutes on the pitch.
The Welshman, 29, collapsed in the 59th minute against Bournemouth on 16 December, with his father and seven-month pregnant girlfriend watching on as the game was called off.
Lockyer was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator after he was in hospital for five days, just months after also collapsing – but returning – against Coventry in May last year.
Speaking to Sky Sports News for the first time at length since December, he said his heart stopped beating for two minutes and 40 seconds and isn’t sure he will ever play again.
But the ordeal was “hardest” on his family.
“My mum was at home listening on the radio, she went off to make a cup of tea after Bournemouth scored, and when she came back my brother had turned the radio off,” he said.
“She asked ‘why’, and he had to say to her that Tom has gone down off the ball again.
“This is the bigger picture that people don’t see and that is the hardest part to deal with. I am not going to lie, it has been a tough couple of months.”
Image: Fans stand with a banner for Tom Lockyer. Pic: PA
Recalling what he could remember from the collapse against Bournemouth, he said it was “just a normal day”, which is “the most worrying thing” as he felt “completely fine”.
He said he was running towards the halfway line when he began to feel light-headed.
He then woke up to paramedics and “knew instantly” it was different to his collapse against Coventry.
“I have been looking for answers since but I have not been able to find any because it was just another day at the office,” he said.
“Last time it felt like I woke up from a dream, and this time I woke up from nothingness.
“I could see there was more panic and I was a bit disorientated. I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t move. I was trying to work out what was happening, and I remember thinking, ‘I could be dying here’.
“It was a surreal thought to have, not being able to respond, and you can see the panic going on.”
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His voice cracked as he continued: “I could feel them put the drip in my arm and it was a hard mix of emotions.
“Eventually I came round and I was able to speak and to respond. When I felt okay, it was then a relief I was alive.”
“I literally died, but I have been numb to the whole thing since,” he added.
Lockyer had an emotional reunion with his teammates at the Luton’s training ground last month – his first visit since he collapsed.
The defender hopes to return to top-flight football, but said he will have further tests before he has an answer.
Image: Tom Lockyer receiving treatment on the pitch during the match against Bournemouth. Pic: PA
Speaking ahead of his side’s clash with Manchester United, he said: “It is out of my hands [if he plays again].
“I am going to be dictated to by the medical staff and specialists. If there is a chance I could play again – and I am not going to do anything against medical advice – then I would love to.
“But it is far too early so say. There are tests that have to happen in the background. But I wouldn’t write it off yet.
Read more: Tom Lockyer thanks ‘heroes’ who saved his life
“If I am not allowed to play again then I can say I captained Luton in the Premier League and I have scored a Premier League goal.
“I am very fortunate that I have had high moments in my career and scoring a Premier League goal is something you dream of as a kid.
“I am incredibly grateful to be alive. I have the device fitted now, and I almost feel invincible.”
