It sounds like a storyline lifted from Albert Square.

Yet only yards from the EastEnders set, a row over scaffolding on a Hertfordshire high street has become a very real ordeal for residents and traders, who claim they are being left at the mercy of a billionaire property firm.

The structure in Borehamwood has already been in place for a year, and permission for it to remain has recently been extended. Its owner has been given three years simply to start the work the scaffolding is meant to facilitate, even as locals report injuries and shopkeepers say passing trade has been hit.

Put up by Leathbond, a property company with net assets of more than £1billion, the 130m stretch of scaffolding now dominates a high street once visited by film stars Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey, who stopped at the Golden Plaice fish and chip shop while filming the Wicked movies.

The scaffolding was erected to allow work on loose cladding, but residents and business owners in so-called “British Hollywood” say they received no advance warning before it went up, blocking windows and obscuring shopfronts.

And the company has told those living and working in the building that it will not begin work until they cough up extra service charges, which have been hiked more than fourfold for some.

Komar Tourachi, 36, runs the Nza Food Store and took over the premises in June last year, a month before the scaffolding was put up.

He told the Mail he had not even been able to change the sign above his shop, which is blocked by the metal bars, and cannot extend his £15,000 canopy to protect his fruit and vegetables on display outside.

All the while he has continued to cough up £19,500 in rent each quarter on top of £2,900 in business rates.

And since he took over the shop, Leathbond has hiked his service charge from £1,500 per quarter to £6,177 in what the business owner called an ‘unfair fight’.

Meanwhile Mr Tourachi said he was losing between £2,000 and £3,000 each week in food that rotted in the sun.

‘I really don’t know what to do,’ he said.

‘If I don’t display anything outside then the shop would close because I cannot bring the customers in.’

‘I cannot make a proper display to welcome the customer inside. Anything I display outside, if it’s not sold the same day, the next day I have to sell it for even less than the cost price.

‘When I display it outside, all the products get destroyed by the sun.’

He said he was ‘so worried’ about continuing to rent the shop and said if the scaffolding remained up for another year, ‘most of the businesses [in the street] will be closed’.

Though he asked for the area above his shop to be waterproofed while his canopy was rendered useless, he said the request was denied.

And he said it was rare to see anyone working on the scaffolding.

‘There’s no one doing work on it. There’s no one on the scaffolding. You never see it.’

Down the road at Crystal Salt Cave – which provides respiratory and relaxation therapy – co-owner Ildiko Szocs-Dee said her service charges had risen from £600 to £2,400 in one swoop this year.

That was in addition to her £3,800 rent for the quarter and £900 in business rates.

The entrepreneur took over the business from its Irish founder two years ago, having worked as a manager since it was founded in 2020.

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But she said customer traffic had ‘drastically dropped’ since the scaffolding went up and covered her shop sign.

She said older customers had the impression there would be construction noise inside the shop, a major problem for a business based on relaxation.

‘I love what I’m doing, I love helping people, I really love this job,’ she said but Leathbond ‘ignored everything’ when she tried to protest.

Residents in the flats above told the same story of inflated service charges and blocked views.

Mark Edwards, a leaseholder, said it had become impossible to sell his two-bedroom flat since the service charge rose to around £6,000 a year, up from just £500 a few years ago.

He said the extra charges had ‘drained my savings’ and owners had ‘lost a lot of trust’ with the company.

Residents on the second floor had already been hit with extra charges when their external stairs collapsed three years ago – they are still forced to make do with a temporary installation and cough up extra fees each month.

Borehamwood residents, some of whom were on mobility scooters and wheelchairs when the Mail visited the high street, have complained of accidents and difficulty navigating the scaffolding.

Dotted with uneven wooden blocks under the metal rods, the scaffolding has caused some to trip and fall.

Sarah Keys, whose nine-year-old son Riley has cerebral palsy, said he had ‘tripped over the scaffolding so many times even though he’s tried to navigate around it’.

‘It is so upsetting for him. He gets embarrassed as it is always in front of people, especially by the bus stop.’

‘It is just ridiculous now,’ she said.

Dan Ozarow, a member of the town’s council, said the Labour-Liberal Democrat administration in the borough had ‘rewarded this billion-pound company with three years to start the work’.

‘I don’t think anyone was arguing that they shouldn’t have put it up in the first place just for safety. Everyone recognizes that. But what everyone is so upset about is why has it been up for a year and they still haven’t started work yet? They’re not going to start the work until they’ve got all the money.’

But his campaign to have the scaffolding removed was branded ‘fake’ by Paul Richards, a Liberal Democrat member of Hertsmere Council’s ruling coalition.

The council has been hit by a number of embarrassing revelations in recent months, including WhatsApp messages among Labour members which called for developments to be approved ‘where we can’t win seats’.

And last year the council’s Labour leader Jeremy Newmark branded St George’s flag campaigners ‘nonces’ and ‘criminals’.

Hertfordshire County Council, which extended the scaffolding licence, said it did so because work had not yet been completed and there was a risk of falling cladding. 

Leathbond and Hertsmere Council, which has planning responsibility, were contacted for comment.

Eyelash extensions may come with an unwelcome risk: a buildup of tiny mites that can settle along the lash line and, in some cases, interfere with vision.

Research suggests that as many as 96 per cent of people who regularly have the popular beauty treatment may be affected by the microscopic pests.

The mites, known medically as demodex, thrive on dead skin cells that can accumulate in the dried adhesive used to secure synthetic lashes, creating conditions that allow them to multiply quickly.

Experts say lash extensions can also trap dead mites at the base of the eyelashes, preventing them from being shed naturally.

Doctors warn that a demodex infestation linked to eyelash extensions can lead to uncomfortable and potentially serious symptoms, including itching, flaky or scaly skin and blurred vision.

Around 129,000 eyelash procedures are carried out every week in the UK. In extension treatments beauticians glue strands of synthetic fibres to the eyelids, making the lashes appear fuller and longer. 

Treatments cost anywhere from £40 to £150.

But now, ophthalmologists have warned of ‘growing evidence’ the procedure ‘may create problems’.

Experts from the National Pirogov Memorial Medical University in Ukraine presented compelling evidence of harm at the 44th Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS).

The research, conducted by ophthalmologist Dr Tetiana Zhmud and her team, involved surveying 345 women aged between 16 and 28 to ask how often they had eyelash extensions.

Half of the women said they had the procedure every three to four weeks – the equivalent to around 17 times per year.

Some 48 per cent said they suffered with a form of discomfort, redness or itching afterwards.

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To analyse these reports in greater detail, researchers used a technique called meibography – using infrared light to analyse the glands beneath the eyelids.

The test showed that 85 per cent of women who’d had eyelash extensions at least ten times had glands that were blocked or not producing enough oil to keep eyes hydrated.

The team then used a microscope to analyse samples of eyelashes from 25 women who regularly had the procedure.

They found the mites in 24 of them, equating to 96 per cent. Meanwhile, 18 of the women also showed signs of itching, irritation, redness, swelling, scaly skin and sticky eyelashes.

While demodex mites are very common in adults, they usually shed naturally and do not cause harm.

But when they accumulate excessively – usually because they get trapped in debris or proliferate unusually – they can trigger painful eye infections. 

Experts added that, as well as causing the problem, eyelash extensions can also make the parasitic mites harder to spot. 

‘Usually if they are present on the eyelashes, we spot them by the “collarettes” they leave around the eyelashes,’ said Professor Sorcha Ni Dhubhghaill, chair of the ESCRS Cornea Committee, who was not involved in the research. 

‘These are waxy rings made up of dead mites, mite faeces and mite eggs, mixed with skin and oil.

‘Since the adhesive used during eyelash extension procedures is applied near the base of the natural lashes, where collarettes are typically located, it could be much harder to spot them in women using eyelash extensions.’

Dr Zhmud said the latest findings highlight the importance of good hygiene, awareness of red flags and timely assessment when problems symptoms arise.

The expert recommended those who undergo extension treatments to clean eyelids twice a day with a gentle cleanser and lash brush.

The uncle of former Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott has been accused of secretly recording a “highly intimate” video of a woman without her consent, as well as repeatedly breaching an apprehended violence order.

Ben Alcott, 52, an events and production manager, was granted bail in Burwood Local Court on Tuesday. He is facing two charges of intentionally recording an intimate image without consent, along with one count of knowingly contravening an AVO for a third time within 28 days.

Sources told the Daily Mail that Alcott had previously shared a close personal and professional relationship with his Paralympian nephew, and had worked on Dylan Alcott’s Ability Fest concert as recently as 2023.

The Mail has sought clarification about the current status of their relationship.

Alcott, who was once a child actor, also founded the events company Damn Good Productions. The court heard the business had worked with high-profile clients and projects including 50 Cent, Mariah Carey, Jamie Oliver, Rick Stein and Channel Seven’s My Kitchen Rules.

He was a four-time finalist for the Young Australian of the Year and directed the 2020 Amazon Prime eco-tourism documentary series Leave No Trace.

In 2020, Alcott wished nephew Dylan a happy 30th birthday, posting an old photo of the pair together to the Damn Good Productions’ Instagram page. 

‘Happy 30th birthday to @dylanalcott (pictured here many years ago with his uncle Ben) – who would have thought such a funny, cute, talented kid would grow up to be… Dylan, Congratulations on all you’ve achieved in just 30 years, Dylan!’ he wrote.

Ben Alcott is accused of filming and photographing a woman without her knowledge or consent during a consensual sexual encounter.

He was first charged in May and has remained in custody on remand since then, with the court hearing his first experience in jail was ‘terrifying’.

Alcott’s alleged victim is an American citizen who has returned to the United States, but is willing to give evidence via AVL in the event of a hearing, the court heard. 

At the time of the alleged offending, Alcott was on bail for a previous charge of contravening an AVO, to which he had pleaded guilty and for which he was convicted and sentenced to a six-month community corrections order last month.

In defending the charges, Alcott enlisted high-profile barrister Ben Barrack, who told the court his client had turned himself in to police and granted them full access to his phone.

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Mr Barrack argued his client’s ‘relatively limited history’, pro-social background, and community ties meant that he would comply with any bail conditions, and that there was nothing to indicate he posed a risk to the community or the alleged victim.

Mr Barrack also said Alcott needed to be at liberty to manage his business as his four months in custody had left him with outstanding debts and he feared losing net worth.

The prosecutor argued that cause had not been shown in granting Alcott bail, citing the strength of the police’s case.

‘I understand that police are in possession of a video. It is clear from the video that the complainant did not know she was being recorded. If she did not know, then she could not have consented,’ he said.

The prosecutor also said the ‘highly intimate’ video meant the alleged offending was above the mid-range of objective seriousness.

Mr Barrack argued that when Alcott could be heard in the video telling the woman, ‘No, I’m just using it for a light,’ in reference to his phone, he was speaking ‘sarcastically’.

In an affidavit, Alcott maintained that the woman knew she was being recorded and ‘she did not voice any objections or concerns’.

Judge Jennifer Price conceded that it was ‘objectively not a trivial example of this type of [alleged] offending’ and that the prosecution’s case appeared strong.

Regarding the charge of breaching an AVO three times, Judge Price noted there had been ‘some agreed contact’ between Alcott and the woman, but whether any coercion was involved remained a live issue for hearing.

Judge Price also accepted Mr Barrack’s argument that by the time the matter is heard in April 2027, Alcott’s time on remand would exceed any likely custodial sentence.

Alcott was ultimately granted bail on the conditions that he surrender his passport, report weekly to Chatswood Police Station and allow police access to his mobile phone on request.

The matter will return to Burwood Local Court for hearing on April 19.

The young woman whose TikTok messages to Kysaiah Pickett’s partner triggered the breakdown of one of the AFL’s most talked-about relationships can now be revealed.

The controversy erupted on TikTok last weekend after Pickett’s former partner, Ardu Cubillo, publicly posted a series of explosive direct messages she said had been sent to her by another woman.

The messages prompted Cubillo to end her relationship with the Melbourne Demons forward and leave interstate with their child, leaving her convinced the long-term romance had been founded on deception.

While Cubillo shared the DMs with her followers, the identity of the woman behind them was initially kept under wraps.

Cubillo did not publicly name the younger woman she alleges Pickett had been in contact with over the past five years.

But the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal she is Shayleah Wanganeen, a 23-year-old fashion model and aspiring lawyer who dated Pickett as a teenager. 

Among Wanganeen’s TikTok messages about her relationship with Pickett, 25, posted by Cubillo, was the revelation that the leading goalkicker had sent both women flowers on Valentine’s Day.

That was after Wanganeen had stayed on Hamilton Island at the same time Pickett visited the Whitsunday Islands, telling Cubillo he was going on a ‘boys’ trip’.

The Mail spoke with Wanganeen’s manager at Icon Model Management, Jason Parlett, who said on her behalf, ‘There’s no story here.’

All three figures in the break-up – Pickett, Cubillo and Wanganeen – come from prominent Indigenous families renowned in sport, business and the arts.

The relationship between Cubillo and Pickett, who share a two-year-old daughter, began to unravel after the Hamilton Island trip.

Cubillo had spoken of how ‘proud’ she was of Pickett at the 2025 Brownlow Medal – but by early this year, the youth project officer and mother of one began to suspect something was amiss in her relationship.

Things unravelled in dramatic fashion in March when Wanganeen contacted Cubillo via TikTok, saying of Pickett: ‘He’s constantly told me he’s in love with me and wants to get back together once he sorts out his relationship.

‘[It] made me feel so wrong and guilty… I wanted to tell you… I don’t have any excuse, I saw him in Hamilton and he told me you weren’t together.’ 

Wanganeen then told Cubillo, ‘We’ve both been fed lies for years and I’m over it,’ prompting Cubillo to reply: ‘Come clean to me. Everything. Just tell me everything.’ 

The Daily Mail understands Wanganeen dated Pickett in 2021 while she was still in high school, and that they ‘grew up together’ with many mutual friends and family. 

Before deactivating her Instagram on Wednesday, Wanganeen counted multiple members of the Pickett family among her followers.

She is related to AFL legend Gavin Wanganeen.

Pickett also hails from a football dynasty that includes AFL great Byron Pickett, Marlion Pickett and current Demons player Latrelle Pickett. He is also the son of comedian Kevin Kropinyeri.

Kysaiah Pickett won Melbourne’s Best Young Player trophy in 2021 – the same year he began dating Wanganeen – and claimed a premiership medal as the Demons won the grand final.

Last year, he was Melbourne’s leading goalkicker and the Ron Barassi Trophy third nominee for best and fairest player.

This year, he’s collected a string of accolades, including the Neale Daniher Trophy, the Frank Hughes Medal for ANZAC Day Eve best-on-ground, and nominations for both Mark of the Year and the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award.

When Cubillo posted Wanganeen’s TikTok messages, she also shared a photo of Valentine’s Day flowers, claiming both she and Wanganeen had received bouquets from him. ‘Her and I both. His working overtime fr [for real],’ she wrote.

Wanganeen said: ‘I told him countless times not to contact me. He’s even had to be locked on TikTok because of it. Last week I told him he’s been lying the whole time.’

Friends say Cubillo was devastated to learn that the woman Pickett had dismissed as ‘just a close friend’ allegedly meant much more to him.

According to those close to Cubillo, she confronted the footy star while they were out shopping, revealing she knew about the other woman. Pickett allegedly replied, ‘She’s a liar.’

Friends say Cubillo didn’t hesitate. She ‘ran to the car with her daughter, jumped in, went home, packed their bags, jumped on a plane and flew to Darwin’.

Wanganeen splits her time between Sydney and Canberra, where she has worked as a paralegal and is believed to be studying law at the University of Canberra.

On her now-deleted Instagram page, Shayleah posted images at the beach – captioned ‘me at the beach… again’ – and shared her love of swimming.

She has also posted from Bondi cafes and Wattamolla Beach in the Royal National Park south of Sydney, writing ‘how lucky I am’ and ‘the world is truly my oyster’.

Beyond bikini shoots, Wanganeen has modelled at the Indigenous Couture show at the National Indigenous Art Fair in Sydney, held at Barangaroo in July.

Cubillo and her daughter are now reportedly ‘rebuilding their lives from complete scratch’ in Darwin, surrounded by relatives from her distinguished Filipino-Indigenous Northern Territory family, who are prominent in business, the arts and community life.

Pickett has travelled to Darwin several times to see his daughter, after his father helped establish a co-parenting arrangement.

Determined to reclaim ‘her truth’, Cubillo, according to those close to her, shared messages exchanged with Wanganeen and described the ordeal as ‘the most inhumane experience of my life’.

Among her posts was a photo holding a cake with the message: ‘You can’t have ur cake and eat it too’.

The messages and social media posts suggested Cubillo believed Pickett’s alleged involvement with the model lasted much, if not all, of their relationship.

In one anguished post she wrote: ‘5 years of my life completely stolen from me’. However, the Mail understands that claim would be disputed by Wanganeen.